Monthly Archives: November 2012

Family History Friday: “Just share ‘k?”

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A funny story that happened when my son Riley was little, about 2-3 years old. His dad and I were doing chores, and we were folding a tablecloth together. I didn’t like the way my darlin was doing it, and he didn’t like the way I was doing it. We said a few words in a tone that said we were bugged by each other. Riley was watching the whole thing and said, “Just share, k?” We both looked at each other and busted up laughing. We still laugh about it and quote him to this day.

 What does that have to do with family history? Not much, except that it is best done when we share our information and what we know. Family Search has some great information about sharing! You can read about it here!

Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

My Cold Hot Water Bottle.

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When I was just twenty-one years old, I served an LDS mission to Texas. I arrived in March.  The temperature was beautiful and mild during the day, and became cold at night. For some reason, while packing to go on my mission I packed a hot water bottle that belonged to my maternal grandma. I don’t remember why I packed it, but at night when things cooled down, I would fill it with hot water and snuggle in bed with it till I fell asleep. Soon, it was summer and quite hot. We didn’t have air conditioning in all of the places I lived on my mission. It was quite difficult to fall asleep when it was so hot. Sometime between filling the hot water bottle to stay warm and summer coming the lid became stuck on the hot water bottle. I could not remove it, no matter how hard I tried. A nice benefit to not being able to remove the lid and summer coming was that now my hot water bottle was a cold hot water bottle. I would fall asleep moving it to various place on my body my, neck, legs, back, until I would finally be able to fall asleep. I was so grateful for my cold hot water bottle.

“Silly Bands” Galore!

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Riley recently bought Natasha a package of “Silly Bands”.

They are cute little rubber bracelets.

They become the shape of something familiar when they are laying on the counter. Like the outline of a boot, or a star, or anything else.

Natasha went a little crazy and put the whole container on her wrist.

“Silly Bands,” gotta love ’em!!

Sunday Best!

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“If we will hold fast to the Church’s proclamation on the family, we will see that we hold the jewels, as it were, that can enrich so many other things. Let the world go its own way on the family. It appears to be determined to do that. But we do not have that option. Our doctrines and teachings on the family are very, very powerful, and they are full of implications for all the people on this planet.” -Neal A. Maxwell

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 THE FAMILY

A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

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This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Family History Friday: I Think My Get Up and Go…

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Got up and Went!

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It has been some time since I wrote a “Family History Friday” post. Life has it’s way of changing and rearranging things. I recently started another job. Another job besides my full time job. I only work another 6 hours a week, but it is just enough to put a kink in the plan that was already in place.

I will admit, I am struggling to find time to do my family history, which doesn’t help. I feel kinda like a comedian that is telling the same jokes for years and years. I need some new material.

I need to get a grip.

I need to do a lot of things.

Right now, it seems I may need to refocus and just “do it”. So for this week’s “Family History Friday” I will share with you something my dad wrote about family history.

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On ‘Little by Little’

   We marvel at the wonders of this world and we see them as if they always existed in their current state when in reality they were probably years, centuries, or millinia, in the making. Very few events in history happen instantly even though that may seem to be the case by one just coming on the scene. Greatness happens: little by little, moment by moment, inch by inch, penny by penny, grain by grain, piece by piece, one by one, word by word, brick by brick, stroke by stroke.
When I was a young man I became an apprentice bricklayer and eventually a journeyman. I can remember how in awe I was to see large buildings emerge from the process that I was a part of, ‘one brick at a time’.
Years later I graduated from the university and started a new career,  bought a new home. There was no money to buy decorative pictures. I decided to try my hand at oil painting, and I thought, maybe if I were good enough I could decorate our home with my own paintings. I am not ordinarily  easy going, nor a patient person and I wondered if I would have the patience for such an undertaking. I bought my first canvas and built an easel to mount it on, then I began my venture. I had never recognized any artistic ability in me nor had I ever attempted to do anything artistic before that time. But brush stroke by stroke an image began to emerge and finally my first painting was finished. Was it anything to brag about, I think not; but it was a start and stroke by stroke and painting by painting I eventually had paintings hanging on our walls. They were not professional but were nice and decorative. Before I gave up painting, I had painted enough fairly nice paintings that my children requested them for their own homes.
When we think of a person’s pursuit of a college education and the capstone diploma, it wasn’t done over night. Twelve years of public school, then registering, class by class. Each class requires books and papers and tests. Word by word, test by test, paper by paper, class by class, term by term, year by year. Finally it is over and tear by tear you celebrate.
My daughter is a busy wife, mother, grandmother, housekeeper and wage earner, as well. She often finds herself a little harried and frustrated. One day her young son, recognized his mother’s frustration in trying to do too many things and said to her; “Mom, Slow and steady wins the race.” This was shortly after having read the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. All things seem easier and life is much smoother  and less frustrating when we try to slow down and take one step at a time, step by step. As J.R.R. Tolkien said, “Little by little, one travels far.” From a song I heard along the way, “Little by little, and one by one the greatest deeds in the world are done’… Little by little, and day by day, we learn life’s lessons along the way.”
(II Timothy 1:7) “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” We are the offspring of God should we go through life too fearful to attempt great things, when we can succeed, little by little, step by step, word by word, brick by brick, stroke by stroke? In family research it is person by person. May God bless us to be courageous enough to come back to Him with our quiver full of deeds well done and not as ‘a cloud with no water’ or ‘a tree without fruit’.   By Emil

Sunday Best!

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2 Nephi 31:19-21

19. And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

20. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward feasting on the words of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

21. And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen

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“Press forward with a steadfastness is Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope…” 

I’m going to do it.

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy

Happy Birthday!

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 I had a great birthday!

I slept in, had lunch with my cousin Vickie, my visiting teachers brought cake and a gift and I had dinner with my family and friends! It was a good day!

Yummy food and lots of love! 

Absolutely beautiful roses from Riley and Janet! 

Thank you!

Sunday Best!

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God Bless America!

  “The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner.” -Joseph Smith

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“I reverence the Constitution of the United States as a sacred document. To me its words are akin to the revelations of God, for God has placed his stamp of approval on the Constitution of this land. I testify that the God of heaven sent some of his choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government, and he has sent other choice spirits—even you who hear my words this day—to preserve it.” -Ezra Taft Bensen

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“I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of Constitutional power.”-Thomas Jefferson

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I love this beautiful land of America! I personally believe God had a hand in the creation of this great nation. We have the privilege of choosing our leaders. I pray we choose Well!

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday!

Hope your Sunday was the Best! Love, Joy