...a joyful heart........today........

My heart is singing at the moment...........I want to share..........


Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation.                    ---2 Nephi 22:2  (also Isaiah 12:2)

Oh!!! the blessings of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ!! This verse says it all for me today.................

words of comfort and inspiration...

Yes. It's been a long time. Yes. "So many" things have happened. No. I'm not going to talk about any of "those" things yet..............in the mean time I'm searching for all the comfort, peace, joy, hope, and encounters with the Spirit I can possibly find.............here are some words from yesterday............


"I am led to believe that our Heavenly Father loves us so much that the things that are important to us become important to Him, just because He loves us. How much more would He want to help us with the big things that we ask, which are right?

"...our loving Heavenly Father wants to bless you. But because He will not infringe upon our agency, we must ask for His help....Prayer is one of the most precious gifts of God to man.

"We must not only say our prayers; we must also live them. The Lord is much more pleased with the person who prays and then goes to work than with the person who only prays.

"It takes faith to remember that the Lord answers in His time and in His way so as to best bless us."
                       --Elder J. Devn Cornish  
                          Ensign, Nov. 2011, pg. 101-103


"The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them." 
                                --Bible Dictionary, "Prayer"


"To those within the sound of my voice who are struggling with challenges and difficulties large and small, prayer is the provider of spiritual strength; it is the passport to peace. Prayer is the means by which we approach our Father in Heaven, who loves us. Speak to Him in prayer and then listen for the answer. Miracles are wrought through prayer."        
                --Pres. Monson, Ensign, May 2009, pg.68.

Thankful Thursday on Saturday...

You may have been or are wondering if I'm not thankful this week. I am. It's just that the echo of last week's post has sounded so pompous to me that I am a little hesitant here............. I did not mean to sound arrogant at all last week. In fact, I am humbled at our Father's generosity--in that I feel I really haven't done anything to merit such a gift, and yet, in love and mercy He gave it and has magnified it. I pray I can use it to praise and glorify Him all my days...........

Now, for this week..........I am so thankful for temples!! Gorgeous, hallowed temples............we were in one Thursday night--Manti. Roger's ancestors helped build that temple and I have never felt so "at home" in any other. After passing the recommend desk you find a long hallway ahead of you with offices on both sides. As I walk down that hallway I experience that "home feeling" as I rarely do anywhere else on earth. Something calls to me, "I'm coming......I'm coming home...." If I could live anywhere I chose, I would choose the Manti temple. There are times I want to just sit at a table with my scriptures, or sit in one of the "back" rooms (that you see only when you have emergencies or stay to do sealings between sessions) and ponder or nap. I think it's so easy to nap in the temple because there is such a feeling of peace. I am seldom "worried" while in the temple. (I do think about things that concern me.....wondering what He would have me do.) The peace and calm are so prevalent that the "worry" seems to just seep away and I am assured that all will be well if I trust in the Lord. My finite mind can hardly wrap itself around such a concept, but I know it's true.........

I am thankful for Houses of the Lord available to us on earth........and that His invitation is always, "Come unto me...".

These are the only pictures I could find quickly--taken the night before Lisa's wedding............

Thankful Thursday....

Today I am thankful that I can play the piano. Now, mind you, I'm not one of those exceptionally gifted musicians and I can tell by the size of my hands that Father in Heaven never intended for me to be the concert variety. But! He did give me a gift. I say that because I was a lousy student. I hated practicing scales--hence, my fingering is usually unorthodox and different every time I play the piece. I remember starting out at the piano in the "back room" where one of my older sisters would place the half-high chair at the piano and my love affair began............you see, while I detested scales, I loved the sound of the piano and that I could "make" music! My "formal" lessons began sometime around the 4th grade with the high school music teacher who did not know how to play the piano himself. A good man, and he tried, but the one thing he taught me--that I remember--is how to figure tempo using a clock with a second hand. My lessons lasted more than a year but less than two. I remember only one recital in which I played the piano. I played Jean Sibelius' "Finlandia". And as I remember, I got stumped halfway through. It has always been difficult for me to memorize! Not much to go on...........but even so, I was the "class accompanist". I played for our 4th grade class when we sang, "Utah, We Love Thee!" and for our 7th and 8th grade chorus classes. I played for the high school choir and in the stage band. I accompanied the Jr. Sunday School in the old Marion Ward starting at about age 12 and continuing till I graduated from high school--I think............it seemed like forever............but I loved it!! I tried playing the organ for sacrament meetings, but there were times I made so many mistakes--because I was extremely nervous--that the bishop asked me to wait till I was older. I never did get very good at it. Then I "took off" for a few years while I went to college--and there were lots of people who could play better than I could. I got married and we started our family. We moved "home" and I was called to play in Primary. I remember being surprised that I needed to practice! I couldn't just sit down and go! It was then I decided that I would never say no to an opportunity to accompany someone or play in church. I had heard about Sis. Jessie Evans Smith having the chance to sing with the New York Opera..........she turned it down and came to Utah where she sang with the Tabernacle Choir and figured she had had a greater experience than had she stayed in New York.......something about furthering the work of the Lord through music..........I thought I might be able to do the same thing though on a significantly smaller scale. Since that time, the Lord has magnified the gift He gave me many-fold. You see, I never really worked at developing it. I hope I have used it as He wanted, and I hope I won't be too sorry that I didn't try harder to make it better. I have considered it an outright gift. And I'm so thankful!!! It has been a blessing to me my whole life. And hopefully, it has blessed the lives of others as well. I know it has been wonderful for our family. We have spent countless hours around the piano singing together--many times with several friends as well. So tonight I'm thankful for the ability to make music at the piano.............

Thankful Thursday......

I'm a little hesitant to start this............"Thankful Thursday" sounds somewhat corny, but I'm also hoping it will remind me that "today I need to express some gratitude". So here goes............

Today I am thankful for my wonderful husband. He is away from home right now, working hard to support our family. As a beekeeper he works harder than he probably should.......and his worn out "bionic" body attests to that. But I'm especially thankful today because he is encouraging me in one of those way-out extra-optional tasks I have taken on. Let me explain: I love to sew--quilting being at the top of the list, or near it. I belong to our local quilt guild. We have a quilt show every year in conjunction with the Snow Goose Festival here--this being our tenth year. There was risk this year that it might "die" for want of a "leader". Roger encouraged me to volunteer. I did--and I've had lots of wonderful help. We have done much planning, writing letters to possible vendors and friends who will do "trunk shows". Yesterday I received a call telling me that the dates have been changed!!!!! AND!!! they had scheduled the building out from under us! PANIC!!!!!!! My first call was to my dear, supportive husband. Near tears, I explained our dilemma. He has been a voice of calm reassurance and reason reigning in my tendency to be angry and possibly saying something I would later regret. He has called several times in the past 24 hours to see how I'm doing as I consider the possibilities. The foundation of my calm--if I can call it that--is his confidence that "it will all work out". And I know if it comes to hauling chairs, tables, quilt stands........whatever..........he will be first in line to help me. So today my heart is full of thanks for my husband and his sterling qualities!

...a new year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 

I'm always a little shocked every time we begin a new year....and a little dismayed that I'm a whole year older and don't feel any wiser or better or smarter or more organized or _________ you fill in the blank. Just about anything will work! But then I remind myself that I have to be patient, even with me...........Pres. Uchtdorf's talk in general Relief Society meeting was very comforting......

We have had one of the most joyous and satisfying holiday seasons ever! I told you about our Thanksgiving.....well, Christmas was just as wonderful. I love having Christmas Day fall on Sunday. Our ward music director had each auxillary and priesthood group sing a special song and while they were moving to and from the choir seats the congregation sang a carol from the hymn book. So everyone had the opportunity to sing! We ended with Sally DeFord's arrangement of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing".......a beautiful arrangement with difficult accompaniment..........I called in a gifted friend for that one. It was all so wonderful! And someday I'm going to be able to really sing those songs the way I want to!

I planned early enough and started early enough to make quilts for our five oldest grandchildren. And I got them done!! That was one of the highlights of Christmas day for me.........to watch them open their gifts.  I had that special feeling come over me again as we were sitting around the tree sharing gifts and love and conversation with one another. There is absolutely nothing in this world better than family............I'm sure you would agree.............


A couple of pictures of Christmas at our house........(and the quilts--I totally loved the way each one turned out.)

...for the Thomas lover

 

...for the zebra lover

...for the princess

...for the giraffe lover

Hmmmmm.......there was one more..........the "poky little puppy"......I'll have to find a picture.......

...goal accomplished!

In our quilt guild we had a challenge this year to complete some of our old projects--UFOs they are called. I really can't tell you where it came from. Just one of those things........... We were to set our own goal......"how many UFOs do you think you can finish this year?" Now, to appreciate this, you need to know that I had never before completed my goal! In some years past we had a contest to see who could complete the most..........well, I didn't even try those years..........after all, I had a family to care for and a more important goal of putting a nutritious meal on the table every night! That I did most nights........still, not every single one, but I feel okay about that. I'll stop talking........short story here is I COMPLETED THIS ONE!!!! I committed to four UFOs............not many, but certainly more than I had ever done before!! AND I MADE IT!!!! Here are three of the quilts...........the fourth was one I quilted for my daughter-in-law next door.........she pieced the top for her new baby boy and it sat for months on my quilt rack waiting for me to quilt it. Now the baby is four months old (she finished her part at least a couple of months before his birth) ...........but now it is quilted!!! RAH!!! Here they are......!!!

This one, I had to make the top............I've had the rabbit done for more years than I care to admit. Now it's done so Dan can enjoy it and use it while he's still in school...........I was going to say "while he's still a Rabbit" but he will always be a "Rabbit"!!!!

This was a class I taught years ago............finally quilted!!

And a humanitarian quilt............the white was donated to the guild and we were to go home and use some scraps, etc., to make a quilt...........this is left-over pajama fabric...........finally!!! DONE!!!!

It was/is such a good feeling to actually complete this.........I was beginning to think I couldn't "finish" anything!! But I can!!! Thanks for celebrating with me...........