22 December 2013

Christmas story characters

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! Today is the last Sunday before Christmas thus for Sacrament meeting we had our Branch's Christmas program. Something a little different in the signing branch, there was a focus on music! It was awesome! Inter mixed in between the songs were talks about different characters in the Christmas story.

The meeting began with Hymn201 Joy to the World. What a wonderful song and a great one to start this program meeting!

The first talk about about Shepherds. Read Luke 2: 8-20 for details on their part in this story.

Followed by one of the brothers in the Branch signing Hymn 211 "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks" Have you ever seen signed music? It's really cool.

The next talk was about the Wise Men. This speaker encouraged all of us to follow their example. Meaning to look for Christ, keep him, cherish him then go "home" a different way.
nativity
Nativity

We all sang Hymn 210 "With Wondering Awe". The Holy Ghost attends all spiritual meetings and often other meetings, too. Music is a great way to bring in this spirit! At this point, one knew the Holy Ghost was here today...but we were about to feel it in a way that would leave no doubt!

The next talk was about Joseph! The strength of the Holy Ghost grew exponentially during this heartfelt talk! He said that Joseph is a great example of who he wants to be: brave, strong, smart, spiritual, hard worker, etc. He talked about how when Joseph was told by Mary about being pregnant, Joseph didn't want to dishonor her by breaking the marriage contract. Instead Joseph prayed to know for himself what to do and if this was right and when he received that confirmation, he didn't hesitate to follow the plan for him in this role. This talk ended with what I feel is the quote of the day: "My children are examples to me. My wife is an example to me. It's easy to love them." Thank you, brother, for your example and faith, you give all of us who know you strength!

Then the Young Women in our Branch sang Hymn 202 "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" as they were accompanied by flute and piano. Just beautiful!!!

We then heard about Mary who was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Why? She was pure, obedient, etc. This sister wants to be like Mary and help her children spiritually prepare to face their role in life and their problems.

We all then sang Hymn 204 "Silent Night". The spirit continues to attend this meeting!

The last talk was about Jesus. This speaker looked at it from a little different perspective. That of the Nephites/Lamanites in the Book of Mormon. 3Nephi 1:13-21.

The meeting was closed with the primary kids singing Away in a Manger from the Children's Songbook. A different kind of program for the signing branch, but most wonderful perspectives and spirit! Thank you!

The above video was not part of our program, but I recently viewed it and felt it appropriate to share here now. The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the REAL reason we celebrate this holiday. I pray we all can remember that and have this spirit with us not only now but throughout the year! This is what Christmas is to me...watsit2u?

24 November 2013

Heart of friendsihp

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! There are so many blessings that have come my way because of my involvement in the different auxiliaries and organizations as a member of this Church. One of these was back in my college age years. I had to leave Snow College because I ran out of money for school. I had practically lived at the LDS Institute there and really missed it, so I went to the Salt Lake Community College campus LDS Institute and began taking classes even though I could not afford college anymore. Here is where I got involved in an organization then called Lambda Delta Sigma. This was the sorority for the girls at the Institute; the guys had the fraternity Sigma Gamma Chi. As a Lambda Delt, there were many friendships formed and many more great memories made. Those alone could fill several blog posts, which may or may not eventually happen. The purpose of bringing all this up today is to celebrate one of my best friends I met during my days with Lambda Delta Sigma and even more blessings of good friends that I have now because of this wonderful ‘sister’ of mine!
Heart of Friendship - best friends
One of the last pictures taken of Lorilee and I...
Today would have been Lorilee’s birthday! She had many health issues, which sometimes made it hard for her to be involved in all she wanted to do…but she made up for it in sweetness, love and generosity! We were friends from the day we met and only got closer over time and until the end. I am sad to have to include here that 3 ½ years Lorilee graduated from this life. She is greatly missed by her family and friends! I am sure that many of us can attest to the fact that she instantly became a guardian angel to those she left behind and more…

The main reason for today’s post, though, is one of the “even more blessings” mentioned above. During those years, I also became friends with Lorilee’s family, especially her baby brother, who later married and now has the most precious little baby girl of his own! This baby girl is only 7 months old and has had her own set of serious health issues. You can read more about her story at her mom’s blog, View From the Upper Valley. I will let you read more details as you wish…although, this one is specific to the defects in this case…also during this time, her mom posted this link for an article regarding research for such defects.

Needless to say this sweet baby girl had heart surgery last week and, for anyone, this is major surgery, but imagine for one with such a young heart! Her family received so many requests from others asking what they could do to help, her family came up with a wonderful idea. They created an event with the following description:
“So many people have asked about what they can do to help, and we are so appreciative!
We know that the day of surgery and the days afterward will be tough. Tough for and tough for us. Something that would be nice is to see how far we can spread some kind thoughts and good deeds all in her name.
So, between now and the date of surgery, add some positive vibes back into the universe. It doesn’t have to be anything big, from a kind word to giving blood to whatever you want to do.
Or, if you don’t have time, could you post something funny or inspirational to give us a boost?”
neighbor heart
Heart placed in a neighbor's window!
In watching the posts on the event board and such, so many things were done this last few weeks in honor of this baby girl and many more are planned still for the holidays! Of course, everyone, even some who don’t know this family, said prayers and kept them all in their positive thoughts! Several posted things that were humorous and a few inspirational. Some took part in other service projects in their local communities. One young person even made and posted a video speaking of his support and blessing of knowing this family! It has been wonderful to see so many things in honor of this special event! Not just here locally, but all over wherever anyone that knows this family lives! Just to close this section of this post, baby is home and doing better all the time! As I typed this up, this slogan came to mind and I thought how appropriate it is for this situation: “GE…brings good thing to life” and, in this case, so many good things have been brought with many, many more to come for a whole lot of people!

For the record, Lambda Delta Sigma and Sigma Gamma Chi no longer exist in the form of a sorority and fraternity. They are now just covered under what, even then, is known as LDSSA, Latter-Day Saint Student Association. I encourage everyone that is college age; even those that can’t afford regular college/university classes, to take classes at the local LDS Institute and become involved in the activities and service projects! There are friends to find and memories to make! It will be completely worth it and you will never forget things like people from Georgia or blue dots seen out of nowhere! Ok, maybe not those exact things, but I promise you will have your own things you will never forget!

I am thankful for the friendships, blessings and memories of those days! They are all still providing service opportunities like this blog post! It continues to provide testimony building experiences of service about prayer and faith. This is what it is to me…watsit2u?

08 November 2013

Shadow on a Tightrope 30th Anniversary

Welcome to FLABULOUS FRIDAY! No, that is not a spelling error; it is my new focus for my Friday blog posts. What it means to be fat in this thin focused society!  Today’s post is part of a blog carnival of which I’m proud to be a participant! So, here goes…

30 years ago several people got together and helped in the gathering of facts and real life stories to bring us Shadows on a Tightrope:Writings by Women on Fat Oppression Edited by Lisa Schoenfielder and BarbWieser Forward by Vivian Mayer.  A couple months ago the wonderful Marilyn Wann of Fat!So? fame presented the idea on Facebook to honor this anniversary. The challenge to those, like myself, who chose to be involved was to read the book, if not already done so and share the following:  How has weight-related attitudes and fat activist community changed in the last 30 years? What changes do you still want and need?
I am relatively new to the fat activist community and really just getting started in some minor efforts. In all honesty, I had not heard of this book before this opportunity arose and am now ever so grateful. I found it most interesting that a lot of the information has not changed, except maybe in numbers. For example, instead of millions going to the ‘diet’ or ‘reduction’ industry, it is now billions!

HOW HAVE WEIGHT-RELATED ATTITUDES CHANGED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS?  I don’t see much change in the “weight-related attitudes” of society in general. As I read this book, part of me couldn’t help but feel that I never stood a chance. I was only 12 years old when this book came out and had been fat for half my life at that point. I don’t know what happened between the first and second grades but my memories of being fat start in second grade and my fat experience continues today. I have lived with almost constant ridicule from family, so-called friends, teachers, religious leaders, coworkers and bosses over these many years. From remarks of what I should or shouldn’t be eating to pressures to try this or that diet or weight loss method to my clothes not being good and the list goes on…

HOW HAS THE FAT ACTIVIST COMMUNITY CHANGED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS? For me, personally, I don’t know if I can really answer this question. As mentioned before I had not heard of this book until a couple of months ago and until 11 years ago had not known there were other people out there that felt the same as me. How is that you ask? Well, in spite of the constant ridicule and such from all the above mentioned people in my life, I always felt like there wasn’t anything wrong with me and that made something extra wrong with me.  In 2002 my bestest friend loaned me a copy of Fat!So? by Marilyn Wann and I devoured it in a matter of days! The entire time I was reading it, I kept thinking that every person I have ever met in my entire life needs to read this book! Sadly, only a couple of them have done so…but that is beside the point here and now. Since the time of reading this book, there have been many things I learned that I would love to become more active in helping others, of all ages, in learning to love themselves and not be ashamed of who they are because of a number on the scale. THERE IS NO SHAME IN A NUMBER! Why so many people in the world are scared of a number is beyond me! My role in fat activism has really taken off this year, including the introduction of my new blog theme! There will be more details to come in the coming weeks of what I’ve been up to this year!
A new generation is introduced to Shadow on a Tightrope. Photo Credit: Substantia Jones
WHAT CHANGES DO YOU STILL WANT AND NEED? There is still so much to do! The above picture says a lot, we need to continue to share and educate those in our lives about fat acceptance. As I read this book, I could not help but feel that in many ways, some things have not changed at all in the last 30 years.  I would love to see everyone just get along! I’m not saying that everyone has to love everyone else, although what an amazing world we’d live in if this were the norm, right?! I’m just saying that people should worry more about themselves and lose the negativity. So many people are missing out on some great relationships by exercising so much fat hate! More specifically, I would love to see size discrimination be added to the unacceptable discrimination list, starting with employment. But in general, society has so much to learn about the realities of fat people and the ineffectiveness of fat shaming!

Follow the links below to read what many others have to say about this special 30th anniversary:



As an unashamed fat person, I hope those who know me would agree that I am a good friend, a good worker and a student! Although, I really have no idea how me being fat has anything really to do with any of that! So, that’s what it is to me…watsit2u?

03 November 2013

Just one word - LOVE

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! Today was the monthly Fast and Testimony Meeting in Sacrament Meeting. This is where anyone who feels so prompted by the Spirit are welcomed to bear their testimonies. Sometimes there is a theme and sometimes, like today, there are several principles talked about, but one was very short and sweet. She started by saying it was all about one word: LOVE!

cute blanket of some neighbor kids - thought it went well with this post

Other topics mentioned were baptism, tithing, obedience, missions, parenthood, Joseph Smith's first vision, Book of Mormon, the gospel is the same no matter where one attends their LDS Church meetings, blessings, Lord's plan for each of us, repentance. That's what it was all about in our Branch today....watsit2u?

10 October 2013

Anti-Bullying Fair - End Bullying Now


What did you do last weekend? I spent last Saturday at the Midvale City Park for the Anti-Bullying Fair organized by the Dolls & Gents! This was the first of what they hope to be an annual event! Might I add that it is my hope that we can eventually not need such events!

There were many booths, most of them were focused on some applicable topic to support the theme of Anti-Bullying! For example, End Bullying Now (more info below),
Suicide Prevention, Be a Buddy Foundation,
another booth was a group that partners such organizations together with schools, No Story Left Untold yet another booth was a girl scout project to raise money to buy the FOR curriculum for Brockbank Junior High School. FOR = Friends of Rachel, who was the first one killed in the Columbine incident so long ago! There were also booths that sold products like Inside and Out Cosmetics,
crocheted items, Retro Betty Vintage Boutique, wood art, Pampered Chef, Marykay, spray paint art, Tyler Lamph, photography, food and more. There were activities and fun entertainment for the kids, like clowns and superheros and hula hoops and more. Also, the kids from the Midvale Boys & Girls Club presented a talent show with some cute acts!
HEY! I thought this was an ANTI-Bullying Fair!!!
A little chastising followed by teaching about End Bullying Now...
yes, the Jester signed the pledge to End Bullying Now!
One of my favorite booths was actually by an Olympian, I love the Olympics! One of the reasons this booth caught my attention was because Jeremy Holm is a bobsledder, which happens to be my favorite and he had a bobsled there! I spoke with him for some time and he works with The Athlete Outreach Project. He was at this event to talk about anti-bullying and suicide prevention as he lost his best friend to suicide in junior high due to bullying!
Jeremy C Holm, Bobsledder, Author, Motivational Speaker
Admittedly, my favorite booth was the one I had for End Bullying Now! I was honored to have this opportunity to bring this specific campaign to Utah. First, I thank my mom for coming to help man the booth!
I was first exposed to End Bullying Now on a recent trip to Las Vegas for a conference. There will many other blog posts for this conference! Today, I want to talk more about the End Bullying Now Campaign! You can go here to find out more about why End Bullying Now was started by NAAFA! It was wonderful to speak about this topic with so many people. One lady that I had the priveledge to talk with works for Woodrow Wilson Elementary and works with training to be Safe at School, Anti-Bullying Training! It is my goal to bring more events and awareness of this specific campaign to Utah! I would love to see more events like this one in California!

I don't have a number of how many people attended this event, but I do know that they came from all over the Wasatch Front, not just Midvale! We did have 127 pledge cards signed by those in attendance. It was way awesome to watch as some of the parents got on their knees and read the list of things the kids would be pledging to do and made sure they understood each and every one of them. In the end we had the Dolls & Gents gather for a group picture with their End Bullying Now Pledge Cards!
Dolls & Gents pledge to End Bullying Now
It comes down to these questions...were you bullied? are you being bullied? OR were you the bully? are you the bully? I was definitely bullied and sadly, even as an adult, still experience being bullied! That was one thing talked about by several people that it doesn't matter your age, bullies exist! How sad is that? Are you ready to pledge to End Bullying Now? Contact me, leave a message, etc for more information on presentations and possible events! So, anyway...I'm passionate about this effort and that is what it is to me...watsit2u?

06 October 2013

Power of Prayer

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day SaintsJust wanted to take a short moment to talk about the power of prayer. I know we just finished up with a wonderful General Conference and I will talk about all of that on this blog, too! Here is my post regarding the LDS General Relief Society Meeting 2013.

I have had experiences in the past where I have felt the power of prayers from others! In fact a couple of years ago, I was headed out on a trip to Arizona, I had been there a few times before and every time I go, I have really bad weather experiences. Yes, Arizona does not like me! Well, just before I was headed out for this trip, my visiting teachers came over and I was telling them about my bad experiences, but that we were about to take my nephews home to Arizona! They said they would pray for me! Of course, I've heard it before and have even said it before and followed through with said prayers...BUT...this time... Well, we took the boys home and as we were headed back up, there were a few times we could see storms brewing in the distance where we were headed or off to the side of where we were driving! I would say little prayers that we wouldn't have to go through what we were seeing and I can honestly say that I really felt the prayers of my visiting teachers, too! It was a very special feeling of comfort! For the first time, I made it through an entire Arizona trip with no major bad weather stories!

Fast forward to tonight when we had some specials friends visit at our home and we talked about many things including several things going on in our lives right now, one of which was a recent bad experience with a 4 hour position where incorrect assessments were made by the employer and led to there not being a job after all. Anyway, without going into much detail here, because it is beside the point, I just wanted to say that as the topic came up in the conversation, it was most touching when one of the visitors told us that their children were praying for the situation, everyday, in their prayers!

Now, I'm sure that most, if not all, of you know the wondrous power of prayer! I just wanted to write this short note about the gratitude that so many others in our lives are open to that Holy Ghost that prompted them to include us in their prayers! This came at a perfect time when I've been struggling with patience through our current trials which started a long time ago, the comfort such a little statement gave me...WOW!

I know that prayer can be a most powerful source of blessings for ourselves and for others. We must live righteously so we are open to the Holy Ghost and know what to pray for and open to the blessings that our loving Heavenly Father wishes to bestow upon us, yes, everyone! I just want to testify that our loving Heavenly Father listens to our prayers and he is there for us, ALWAYS! This is a little of what the power of prayer is to me...watsit2u?

04 October 2013

Anti-Bullying Fair - Midvale, Utah

Last July, I spent a week in Las Vegas, Nevada. There will be more posts on the reasons why, but one of the most awesome parts was becoming involved with the End Bullying Now Campaign! I will blog more specifically on that soon, as well...but for today, I want to tell you about an awesome event happening tomorrow at the Midvale City Park and IT IS FREE!
Did you know that October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month? Sad that such a thing is needed, but great that because it is, we have this opportunity to educate ourselves and others on the subject! This is the first Anti-Bullying Fair sponsored by Dolls and Gents! I am so excited about this FREE event and look forward to many more to come! Here are the basics you need to know:

  • This Saturday, from 12-5, at Midvale Park. 
  • Family Friendly Anti-Bully Fair
  • Childrens Activities
  • Talent Show by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Midvale kids
  • Mayor of Midvale as a guest speaker
  • Entertainment
  • Local Business Vendors

  • Did I mention that is FREE? But any and all support of the vendors and such is greatly appreciated! So, come hang out, have fun, buy some good eats and learn more about how you can help the effort! Oh, and yes, End Bullying Now will have a booth there, so please, come on by, say hi and sign your pledge to End Bullying Now! Please share your story...were you bullied? are you being bullied? OR were you the bully? are you the bully? I was definitely bullied and sadly, even as an adult, still experience being bullied! So, I'm passionate about this effort and that is what it is to me...watsit2u?

    01 October 2013

    Breast Cancer Awareness Month

    In July 2000, I attended a business conference in Las Vegas, there were over 12,000 people in attendance. There was a presentation of a check to the American Cancer Society. At the beginning of this presentation, the speaker had everyone stand that had cancer themselves. Then added those who knew someone with cancer and by the time it was all said and done, there were very few people not standing. One of these was a women in our group. She was so touched by this demonstration, she chose to quit smoking. I have no idea where this person is now, but her experience at that moment of being surrounded by standing people has never left me, in fact, I've shared it on my blog before! My point is, that most everyone knows someone who has cancer! So, to change directions, a little, what is the craziest thing you have ever done for someone? Especially someone who has cancer? Here is my story and blessing:

    I always joked around about shaving my head because I would get tired of dealing with longer hair, but was never serious about it, at all. Then in 2011, enter a great friend of mine chose to shave her head to honor her mom, who, at that time, was dying of cancer. You can read about that here! Unfortunately, her mom lost her battle a very short time afterward. When my friend made this choice, it was about time for me to do my donation to Locks of Love, again! I've done it every 2 years or so since about 1999ish. So, again, I very jokingly told my husband I was going to shave my head like our friend and, this time, he simply looked at me and said, OK! I was floored, so I quickly thought about it and chose to go ahead and get my head shaved! It really was an easy choice! So, on 25 Mar 2011, I got my head shaved!
     
    These pics were taken, in order, 25 Mar 2011....4 May 2011...3 Jul 2011...I show this to show the progression of hair growth. Everyone says my hairs grows fast, it sure doesn't feel like it!

    Ok, back to the story...Now, I have to say, I was sad to hear that my friend had some not so positive reactions from people she came across soon after she shaved her head. I found this to be very sad yet motivating, how dare anyone judge her or mistreat for such a choice! My husband and I talked about this and the morning I was to go get my head shaved, I confirmed with him that he really was ok with my choice. His response was just to say that it was ok, if I was ok with people staring at me. My response to that was that I'm fat, people stare at me ALL THE TIME! So, I guess, in a way, shaving my head, was more than just to support her, it was to tell the world, here I am, I dare you to mess with me! Ok, maybe not, but I am happy to report, most everyone was pleasant and concerned, even strangers, most everyone just wanted to be assured that I wasn't sick myself! Of course, most of them gasped first and I did have a few people, mostly those that know me well, just laugh, my brother included. He would laugh and shake his head, then rub my head, then laugh...over and over again...I snapped this pic while he was staring and laughing, wish I could have gotten some of the initial gasping looks, there were some great ones:
    One thing to keep in mind, I guess, for some, is the timing of when you choose to shave your head. I did so just before we had a cold snap in weather, so I was grateful that another friend had some years before made me this hat:
    Ok, warp two years and it is time to cut my hair again for Locks of Love and I have chosen to shave my head once again! This time it's a little different, I am not necessarily doing it to prove anything to the world. I am making this choice to honor all who have survived cancer and the many, many in my life at that very moment who were, and, some who still are, battling cancer! Most of these 20+ friends and family have breast cancer, and some are now done with treatment and some even in remission! Many are still in the fight for their lives!
    So, on 1 Apr 2013, I had my head shaved again...the pics below are from 1 Apr 2013, 21 Jun 2013, today, 01 Oct 2013...I'm told my hair grows fast, I'm still not convinced!
    So...again, the response from those in my life, many of which were not around for the experience two years ago, was that of concern. Then, when assured that I was not the one that was sick but that I was doing this to honor all my friends and family that were suffering, were very supportive! Here it is six months later and some still tell me what a wonderful thing they think I did...when, in reality, it was nothing! I have the choice, at any time, to shave my head or not, so many out there fighting this battle do not have that choice! (yes, some make the choice to shave before having no choice but to lose their hair...amazing people!) It is to all of these wonderfully strong souls that I dedicate my efforts and support!

    To all my friends and family out there fighting the battle and ugliness that is cancer, I think about you each and every day! I pray for you and I cheer your progress and successes! I mourn the setbacks, as well...but I honor you for your strength and example! Thank you and God bless each and every one you great ones! Thank you, Twizzz, for inspiring me in the first place! HUGS to you all....

    SIDENOTE:
    For anyone reading this post, if you should choose to have your hair cut for Locks of Love, go here for the rules, but the main one is that it must be at least 10 inches for the donation and just an FYI, Great Clips offers free hair cuts for those donating and they will even mail the hair in for you. Just go to the Locks of Love website to print and fill out the form to take with you for them, even if you are going to mail it in yourself. If your local Great Clips says they don't do that, they should, why wouldn't they want that good karma and such...but, if they refuse, find one that will do it and let corporate office know about the ones that won't, maybe they can 'encourage' them to get on board!

    30 September 2013

    Ask a Stupid Question Day...

    Who knew such a thing existed?! I come across many strange 'days' and have wonder about them and where they come from...so I looked up a little about this, there is no major website for it, and, of course, there is a wikipedia page for it, all sources I could find stated that it was started in the 1980's by some school teachers to encourage kids to ask more questions at school. It is officially on September 28, or whatever happens to be the last day of school in the month of September! This year that is today, September 30.
    ?
    So...

    What is the most stupid question you have ever asked?

    What is the most stupid question someone has asked you?

    What do you think about this 'holiday'?

    Just a few of my thoughts on this 'day'...watsit2u?

    29 September 2013

    Peace - Spiritual peace vs Worldly peace

    I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! Today our sacrament speakers were people that we highly admire and happen to be our neighbors, too! Guess I should clarify that comment, most wards in this Church are organized by neighborhoods, so most all the members are neighbors. We attend the local signing Branch, so our boundaries are more outspread and include several towns, so not all the members live close to each other. This family actually attends the hearing ward where we live, but are also involved with and friends with many people in our Branch, thus they were asked to speak! Anyway, on to my thoughts, which I will share backwards...instead of starting with the first speaker! Their topic was peace...

    The father: He shared some stories, starting with a boy scout camp near a lake. They had to go up to the camp on a Saturday instead of waiting until Monday when the camp was supposed to start. On Sunday morning, the leaders woke the boys to attend church, much to their dismay. They had to walk about 20 minutes to where they were going to have the services. Much to their surprise, they were at the nearby lake and had one of the most spectacular views of this lake. The water was still as could be and they were awestruck by the view as the meeting quickly turned into a testimony meeting. This meeting ended with a leader throwing a rock into the lake, creating nonstop ripples, taking away the stillness. This shocked the boys, but they learned many lessons with this entire experience.

    The mother: She talked about her family reading the New Testament as a family and how great it is to be reading about the life of Jesus Christ. She talked about many things we can do to help bring peace in our lives. She spoke a lot about taking action and several things we could do, including scripture study! One of the best lines from her talk is "Heavenly Father knows our plan from beginning to end." She talked about his desire to help us, if we pray. She also asked us to think about how the Gospel has influenced us, how has it influenced you? She pointed out that scriptures will bring us peace. Then challenged us to serve each other in our homes, which also creates peace.

    The teenage son: He introduced the topic of peace and talked about there being more than one type of peace. Then he shared the experience of a recent youth conference in his ward. It was a three day event. The first day, they walked 22 miles from the Draper Utah Temple to the Salt Lake Utah Temple. The second day, they did baptisms for the dead at the Logan Utah Temple, Brigham City Utah Temple and Salt Lake Utah Temple. The third day they spent at Seven Peaks, including playing laser tag. He pointed out that the first two days brought spiritual peace and the third day was about worldly peace. His conclusion was that you could get worldly peace fairly easy by doing things but that you had to focus and work for spiritual peace by making specific choices. 

    The son had the quote of the day, which I share in the following pic, that also includes the three main things they spoke about to bring spiritual peace! Even though this lake is in California, I highly doubt it is the perfect lake the father spoke about, but he talked about the mirror effect, so I felt this would do!


    I guess that sums it all up pretty well...watsit2u?

    28 September 2013

    LDS General Relief Society Meeting 2013

    Just thought I'd take a moment to share my notes and thoughts on this inspired session in preparation for General Conference next week!

    Sister Linda K Burton, President in Relief SocietyGeneral Presidency:  Covenant keeping…means choosing to bind ourselves to our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ.  It is committing to follow the Savior; it is trusting him and desiring to show Him our gratitude.  Why make and keep Covenants? 1 – Covenant keeping strengthens, empowers and protects.  “Oh sisters, we all have burdens to bear and burdens to share.” An invitation to bear one another’s burdens is an invitation to keep our covenants. 2 – keeping covenants is essential for true happiness.  “Covenant keepers are commandment keepers” 3 – keeping our covenants demonstrates our love for the Savior and our Father in Heaven.  Joseph Fielding Smith: Covenant keeping is one way to show our love…   Evaluate how much we love the Savior, how well do we keep our covenants?

    Sister Carole MStephens, 1st counselor in Relief Society General Presidency:  10 year old Porter is an awesome example! Maria is also a great example or enduring to the end of helping others! (Woah, I started typing that just before Sister Stephens actually said the words!!) A great reminder of how I used to be so much better at my Visiting Teaching responsibilities and the promptings I’ve been receiving recently to go back to some of the things I used to do for my sisters! “As I shared these experiences with you, did you see yourself in the work of salvation? Take a moment to think of another daughter of God who needs encouragement to get back on the path or needs a little help to stay on the path. Ask your Father in Heaven about her. She is his daughter, he knows her name. He also knows you and he will tell you what she needs. Be patient and continue in faith and prayer on her behalf, and act on the promptings you receive. As you act on these promptings, the Spirit will confirm that your offering is acceptable to the Lord.”

    Sister Linda SReeves, 2nd counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency:  I love the story about the young man saying the sacrament prayer so carefully, especially since it was his first! I have a lot of stories where the young man has to start over or repeat the prayer. I often go to these young men and reassure them that someone in that room was not ready for the sacrament to begin. And have even had the experience of being that someone! I thank them for doing a great job! “Sisters, I testify of the strength and power of prayer as we express our deepest pains and desires to our Heavenly Father and the answers received as we feast upon the scriptures and the words of the living prophets.” “My dear sisters, the Lord allows us to be tried and tested, sometimes to our maximum capacity. We have seen the lives of loved ones and maybe our own figuratively burned to the ground and have wondered why a loving Heavenly Father would allow such things to happen. But he doesn’t leave us in the ashes; he stands with open arms, eagerly inviting us to come to him. He is building our lives in magnificent temples where his spirit can dwell eternally.” D&C 58: 3-4 “Sisters, I testify that the Lord has a plan for each of our lives, nothing that happens is a shock or a surprise to him. He is all knowing and all loving. He is eager to comfort us and ease our pain, as we rely on the power of the atonement and honor our covenants.”  “We bind the Lord to keep his promises when we keep our covenants and exercise our faith. Come to the Temple, dear sisters, and claim your blessings.” “We sometimes, as women, have a tendency to be critical of ourselves. During these times, we need to seek the spirit and ask Is this what the Lords wants me to think of myself, or is Satan trying to beat me down? Remember the nature of our Heavenly Father, whose love is perfect and infinite. He wants to build us up, not tear us down.”
    https://twitter.com/ldsconf/status/384128809714208768
     President Thomas S Monson, President of TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: “Full House” after looking over the congregation. “My dear sisters, the spirit we feel this evening is a reflection of your strength, your devotion and your goodness. To quote the Master, “Ye are the salt of the earth, the light of the world.” “I miss her more than words can express” (right after almost getting choked up talking about his departed wife) “There are many of you who have aging parents who require the loving care only you can give.” “There will be times when you will walk a path strewn with thorns and marked by struggle. There may be times when you feel detached-even isolated-from the giver of every good gift. You worry that you walk alone. Fear replaces faith. When you find yourself in such circumstances, I plead with you to remember prayer.” Peace is that which we seek, that for which we yearn. We were not placed on this earth to walk alone. What an amazing source of power of strength and of comfort is available to each of us. He who knows us better than we know ourselves, he who sees the larger picture and knows the end from the beginning has assured us that he will be there for us to provide help. If we but ask. We have the promise, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good.” (scripture?) “Allied with prayer in helping us cope in our often difficult world is scripture study. The words of truth and inspiration found in our four standard works are prized possessions to me. I never tire of reading them. I’m lifted spiritually. “My Dear Sisters, your Heavenly Father loves you, each of you, that love never changes. It is not influenced by your appearance, by your possessions, or by the amount of money you have in your bank account, it is not changed by your talents and abilities. It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful. God’s love is there for you whether or not you deserve love. It is simply always there.”


    Sister Ana de Agostini (closing prayer): “We ask thee Father to help us with greater understanding of our mission on this earth as daughters in these latter days”
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    Did you watch it? There were so many thoughts expressed that really apply to things going on in my personal life and I already feel renewed and refreshed, I can't imagine what next week's General Conference sessions have in store for me and all of us....watsit2u?

    04 August 2013

    Are your Prayers answered?

    I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! The first Sunday of each month is Fast Sunday. No, this does not mean church goes by quickly, in fact, it often feels slower. On Fast Sunday, it is traditional to have sacrament meeting be set aside for testimonies instead of assigned speakers. This is often referred to as Fast & Testimony meeting. Today in our Branch, we had many wonderful testimonies shared but one stuck out more than others. I would like to share the basic story of this beautiful young woman and then, maybe a thought or few of my own!

    The youth of our church often attend a summer gathering known as EFY, or Especially For Youth. I never had the opportunity to attend one of these events. At least one of our youth was blessed with the opportunity this year.

    On her first day she was scared as she didn't know anyone. So she prayed that she would make friends. Throughout the week, she did become close with a lot of people. She went on to testify that:


    I guess that says it all perfectly...watsit2u?

    15 July 2013

    What's It To You? BY Clay Walker

    Back in the mid-1990's, before I went back to listening to country music and discovered the awesomeness that is Clay Walker, he released a song called What's It To You on 15 Jul 1993...here we are 20 years later and it is still one of his most popular songs! In fact, it is my favorite and was, in part, the inspiration for the name of my blog! You can read more about that here, also note that in addition to the blogs listed there, I am now a Geneatracker, too! A couple days ago I saw this post on twitter because it was retweeted by Clay Walker :

    For those who are not familiar with this song, watch this, oh wait, that is another one of Clay's song...ok, here it is:  (For my deaf community friends, here is a link to the lyrics!)


    A little more about Clay Walker, he was diagnosed with MS in 1996 and has become one the great activists in raising awareness and funds in the fight for research to find a cure! Here is where you can find out more about BAMS!

    So, happy 20 years to Clay Walker on this awesome song being released and reaching #1! He continues to give his fans wonderful hits and we look forward to many more amazing years of memories from our favorite celebrity!  That's all...watsit2u?

    14 July 2013

    Have Faith Not Fear

    I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! You can go here to find a local meeting OR here for deaf/signing units! My husband and I attend the Lehi 44th Signing Branch! I love our Branch! Today, President Jarvis was conducting and he was very open about, well...he told us that he had a really great week. He got so many things done this week...except he forgot to schedule the speakers for today's meeting! OOPS! I love that he can laugh at himself, that is a great trait that we would all be better to make our own!

    So, in a last minute decision Saturday night, my husband was asked to speak in Sacrament meeting for today! Today's post will be short, I simply want to share one thing that each of our two speakers said in today's meeting, where the topic was about Faith/Fear.

    Steve: "Many of us face personal challenges, this is a time to have faith not fear...How can we have faith when storms are all around us?" (taken from A Time for Faith, Not Fear BY Elder Larry W Gibbons)

    President Jarvis: "I promise you WILL feel less fear because of your faith."

    I was also impressed that President Jarvis shared a couple of things that he liked from Steve's talk, for example: "You have the Gift of the Holy Ghost you have the right to revelation everyday."

    I was also very pleased to hear Steve share one of my favorite conference quotes, seen here on a sunset pic I took in Ogden back 19 Jun 2011:



    This is what it means to me "Have Faith not Fear"...watsit2u?

    13 July 2013

    Kate Coveny Hood reading "Stupid"


    We have all been there, hurt by something someone said to us, whether they meant it that way or not! I would venture that most of us have hurt others by something we have said, whether we meant to or not! This video shares a great example about one such word! What words do you encourage your family to not use? What words were you encouraged to not use when you were a child? In any case, words can be used for good or bad...watsit2u?

    03 July 2013

    Wordless Wednesday - Orange


    Where is this? For once, I want to be the ORANGE one! Why?

    That's what it is to me...watsit2u?

    01 July 2013

    WWND?

    I spent some time in a waiting room today, a couple hours even! As you may know when you wait and wait and wait in a waiting room, many people come and go, right? Today was no different. One of the ladies that came in had a cute young girl with her and this young girl had a cute shirt on...WWND?

    I laughed at the shirt and got permission to take a pic but couldn't resist throwing that question on my facebook (publicly, so it went to my twitter, too) to see what creative answers I would receive....creative and funny they were:


    Just for giggles, I googled "WWND" and found that some of the answers above were possibly (probably) found the same way! HA! What does it really stand for? Well, as far as this cute Tshirt goes....


    For anyone who has ever seen Little House on the Prairie, and maybe even some who haven't know that Nellie Oleson was a spoiled brat, of sorts and, well....I do have to say, though, that I would love to read the book written by  that's what all this was to me....watsit2u?

    30 June 2013

    1 Nephi 4:6

    I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! I have been thinking a lot about our scriptures! We use the King James version of The Bible, which includes The Old Testament & The New Testament, The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine & Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. We also have many helps, but perhaps that is best for another post.

    My favorite verse happens to be in The Book of Mormon! It is found in 1Nephi 4:6. This is where Nephi and his brothers have been sent back to get the Plates of Brass and have not been able to accomplish this task. This verse is where Nephi says:

     photo 636c5379-32af-4d33-a91d-375feb58f79f_zpsf3036892.jpg

    For those that know the story, my question is this...how would the story have gone if Nephi had questioned his promptings from the Spirit and gone back to his Father and asked what he should do because it just wasn't necessarily the right thing to do. Well, the theories here could take pages and we don't have wonder because Nephi didn't question, he trusted his promptings and knew how to recognize the Spirit enough to KNOW to just have faith and follow them to accomplish what he was asked.

    This scripture originally stood out to me in a time when I was feeling prompted to do something that wasn't the norm as a missionary but it was for the best and The Lord found a way to accomplish what he was asking

    I am again working on taking that leap of faith and just follow the Spirit. I know there are great blessings on the other side of such a leap! What is your favorite scripture? Why?

    This is what it is to me...watsit2u?