a father's touch.

today is father's day.
how i love the fathers of my children....
both their earthy father and their heavenly father.

as a young child i came to depend on a heavenly father because he felt closer than my earthly father.
i sang our primary father's day songs to both my fathers.
when singing "i'm so glad when daddy comes home, glad as i can be!" made me feel sad,
i would imagine the day when i would return to a loving father in heaven.
how excited he would be to pull me onto His knee and hold me tight.
i felt his love easily as a young child.  and, i feel Him near me still.


i watched this video recently, about Christ's visit to America.
this is probably one of the biggest differences between our church (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and other Christian religions.
We believe that Christ not only came to Jerusalem, but that he visited "other sheep that he had that were not of that fold."
Including a visit to those native Americans on the American continent.
This has ALWAYS felt right to me.
There are traditions passed down through the American Indians of a 'white God.'
Christ was that God.
Today, we have the record of those people, the Book of Mormon.
We use it as another testament of Jesus Christ... hand in hand with the Bible.
The Book of Mormon is a gentle, peaceful book... like the Bible.
It does testify of Christ.
It persuades men to do good, to believe in Christ, to come unto Him.
It is not the devil's book.
It can not be... a house divided against itself cannot stand.
the devil can not deceive men into doing good.
Not only do we believe in the Book of Mormon, we believe that we have a prophet on the earth today.
AND we believe that there are other books of scripture-- others on the earth who Christ visited after leaving Jerusalem.
Scripture that hasn't been revealed to us yet.
There is ONE God.
Christ is not just the God of the Jews... He is the God of all men.
And I believe this with my whole soul.

As I watched this video of Christ in America, i learned much from the Savior's example.
Let me share with you what i learned...
Sometimes i feel overwhelmed with all those that i want to love and serve.
i worry that i am not enough.
i was impressed that
1. Christ loved and healed and left peace with every individual he touched.
He ministered one by one and left each person filled.
2.  While Christ was ministering the ONE, there were MANY who were NOT being attended to.
They watched and were blessed by seeing His interaction with other people.

1.  I want to have the Master's touch.
I want to hold my children (and other people's children) in my hands and minister to them.  Love them.  Heal them.  Help them to feel my love and His love.  I want my touch to bring peace and joy.  I want to look into their eyes and be filled with love for them, so they can feel that love.  I want to take more time with them when they come to me... so they don't feel hurried or unimportant.  I want to be more like Him.  I want my husband to feel my love for him in my touch.  I do love him so much.

2.  And, I don't need to worry about ALL if I'm focused on ONE.  They will be OK.  They will be blessed by the feeling in our home.  They will be healed and comforted and loved as they watch me love their siblings.
They are loved by their Savior.  Angels surround them daily.  They will be held while they are waiting for their turn.
As i serve those around me, my family is blessed.

Today, i am grateful.
For my heavenly father, for my earthly fathers, for the father of my children
My husband is so kind.  My children are so lucky.
We are all so lucky.
We do have a Savior who loves us, who finds us, who comforts us and who is with us every day.
i know it.
i am grateful for Him today.
it is indeed a Happy Father's Day!!

Here is where i gush about my sweet husband.
Here is where i talk about last Father's Day and why Father's day is sometimes hard.

Surprise! 10 year old girl party.

Anna’s birthday was in April—but we were out of town.

I surprised her with a party last Thursday.

It was a small, sweet party.

Every party I do costs me around $20 at the dollar store.

Don’t ever buy party supplies anywhere else.

Seriously.

They have 20 plates for a dollar—I have learned this after returning the same red plates to bimart that I paid $3.96 for eight (times three).  Blah.

Just start at the dollar store when planning a party.

Some fun things—

Here is a great cake or cupcake recipe...

1 box of cake mix.

1 small box of pudding.

2 eggs.

2 cups of water.  (I use a little bit less.)

Bake at 350* for about 25 minutes.

mmm.

I just use cream cheese, powder sugar and a bit of milk for the icing.

I scoop it into a Ziploc, snip the edges, and squeeze.

For anna’s party I sprinkled them with nerds.

Fast and cute.

For the table I always find a big picture of the kids and set it on a holder.

I like to layer the treats using bowls upside down to hold up other bowls.

I just plan one or two games.

-my girls painted ceramic figurines that I bought at dollar store.

-we like to paint nails.

-we like to decorate balloons with permanent marker and make balloon babies.

-we like to play murder in the dark.

-we like to play badmitton or balloon volleyball with a make-shift net I set up out back.

-and, our favorite game lately is Pictionary where I make clues about the birthday kid.

Some words they had to draw for anna were:

-long hair

-bike riding

-running

-hates pizza

-ten (don’t use numbers)

-big sister

-barbies

-sings in choir

I do very easy parties, but I love inviting a lot of people.

Birthdays are a great way for meet to my kids’ friends and their parents.

I try to take some extra time to talk to the parents as they’re dropping off and picking up.

We exchange numbers for play dates during the summer.

I am always grateful for the opportunity to have people in my home.

Friends are so important.

Here are a few things I loved about anna’s party.

A good friend of hers was having a party that started an hour before hers did...
so there were only two girls here to surprise anna.

And, it was JUST FINE!

Anna is a sweet girl with very sweet friends.

They play best quietly, without a lot of people.

They loved painting their figurines and while they painted they sang songs from choir.

Sweet, inspiring songs.  These are good girls.

Then, they all went into the piano and were playing and singing together.

I LOVE that.

And, all of my kids have friends that LOVE their little sisters.

It always makes me smile how included the little girls are in the big kids’ party.

Overall, it was a fun day!
Anna felt loved and celebrated!!

Can I tell you something special that happened to me this day?

I have been praying to be more in tune to the spirit.

I read this scripture...

“It is not needful for ... mine elders to be MOVING SWIFTLY ... whilst the inhabitants on either side are perishing in unbelief.”  D&C 61:3

I have made it a point to SLOW DOWN. 

To try to really listen to the people that I come in contact with. 

To listen to ways that I can help and love more.

One sweet mother (one of the TWO girls that came at the beginning of the party) came and we began talking about our impending summer vacations.

She mentioned casually that she just got custody of her two step-sons.

I listened, really listened.

And, she poured out a story that made us both teary.

Her stepsons had been being abused by their mother’s boyfriend (a man that had previously been in jail for rape).

The boys have burns all over their body, and other scars that are too sad to talk about on a blog.

JUST THAT MORNING, I had felt impressed to clean out my kids’ storage closet.

Something I had been meaning to do, but NOT the day of Anna’s party.

I had compiled two bags of really cute boys clothes and found two Tupperware’s of boy toys. 

I set them neatly in a pile with the thought “Help me to find someone who can use these things.”

{I don’t have any little boys to pass my stuff onto.}

It was NOT a coincidence.

All I had to do was desire and then listen. 

God brought a woman to my door that I could serve, if only a little bit.

It also wasn’t a coincidence that two of my favorite women were also picking up their daughters at the same time.

They also offered to help.

Heavenly Father loves that mother and her two stepsons.

I know it.

simple teacher thank you.

it doesn't take much to show appreciation.

some years i have more than other years.

i am ALWAYS so grateful for the men and women that help me teach my children.

i can't even tell you how blessed my family has been by teachers that take the time to love, teach, know and guide MY kids.

my heart is always full.

i can't put a price on our appreciation-- and, i don't think being appreciative is about the money you spend.

teachers get paid for their work.

i always have my kids write a note of thanks at the end of each year.

i type it up for them, although a handwritten note would probably mean a lot to a teacher.

i love these notes--  i love how unique each letter is.

and, because we keep it small, i am able to continue this trend even with my middle school boys who have 8 teachers each.

some years i include a gift card with their note, some years i make a crafty thing...

this year it was just BIG smarties or extra gum and a note.

i didn't feel bad sending them out the door with their simple thank you gifts, i felt grateful.
i hope the teachers know how grateful we feel for them.

(next year i'm going to write my own note to include with theirs...)

not super cute... but very heartfelt.

have a great Friday!

back to chores...

i have this idea that someday i won't need chores-- that my kids will just happily pitch in to keep things clean.

and, they are really good at pitching in when i ask them to.

but, i think chores are a good thing.  

they provide a system and order to our home.

so, i'm returning to chores.  

Simple, basic, quick things to be done at the beginning of the day.  before we do our real day stuff.

we'll rotate rooms every week.

I'm copying My Mix of Six for my newest chore charts.

You can read her plan here.  

(i hope she doesn't hate me for posting her picture... mine are still at Rite Aid!)

I just made some pictures in Picmonkey and i'm having them printed.  

 Hope you're enjoying your summer!
(i laugh at my brain sometimes... from homosexuality to chore charts... yes, this is how i think. ha!)

i love this gay married man.

i have always known i would go back to school to get my phd someday.
i am INTRIGUED by social science.
as an undergraduate i had an amazing opportunity to do research on families with disabled children.
our study was one of the first studies to actually report on the BENEFITS that a child with a disability has on the family.
we interviewed siblings and parents and the disabled children themselves.
it was a beautiful study.
an important study-- because all the research up to that point was leading to the conclusion that children with disabilities should be ETHICALLY aborted or discarded for the betterment of society.
(this is not that far-fetched... have you heard of Hitler?  have you seen the orphanages in China?)

in our country, academic research really does shape legislation.
research studies are quoted as "truth"... it takes a careful eye to notice the weaknesses of certain studies.
it is so important that there are ethical researchers and that appropriate conclusions are made from the research that is presented.
OFTEN the loudest voices in the public media are those who do not share judeo-christian values.
your value system does impact your perspective and your interpretation of causality and application.
(take the example of the last article i referenced where a woman with a failed marriage concludes that government should make it illegal to marry young.  her value system shaped her experience and thus her application as it related to what government policy should be.)

because i am intrigued by social science and behavior i am intrigued by the current homosexual/lesbian conversation.
i have said before that i personally know those with a same-sex gender attraction.
i know families where the father is openly gay and happily married.
i know gay mormons, good, good people.
i believe it is both a GENETIC TENDENCY and a lifestyle choice.
i DO NOT think every gay person should marry against his or her sexual tendency.
i don't.
just like i don't think that every couple who is sleeping together should get married.
nope.
i do believe that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.
That children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony.
i don't believe it is a sin to BE gay.
i also believe that God has given us the law of chastity for our own happiness.
whether or not you are heterosexual or homosexual.
sex, outside of marriage, leads to unhappiness and heartbreak.
i do believe that true, eternal health and happiness will come as we bridle our passions and are filled with TRUE love.

Pornography, adultery, child abuse, anger, lust, greed, selfishness, gluttony, laziness...
We have MANY natural passions that will lead to unhappiness if we act upon them.
it is not a sin to feel anger.
you are not a sinner if you are inclined to addiction and struggle to stay free from the grasp of drugs or alcohol.
in fact, that struggle might actually make you stronger and more empathetic than someone who has never struggled.

we all have trials in life.
trials do not mean that you are weak or sinful.
BUT, it also doesn't mean that you don't have a choice.
you ALWAYS have a choice.
tendencies do not determine your actions.
agency is a gift of God and can not be taken away.
weaknesses can be overcome or at least subdued.
this process creates strength.
your weaknesses can become one of your greatest strengths.
i don't believe this life is about being what you are born...
it is about strengthening your goodness and become better than your natural tendency.

Even in a regular, heterosexual marriage, our lusts must be bridled for true happiness.
I do believe in God, I believe in prophets, I believe in absolute moral law...
But OH how my heart aches for those that struggle.
I KNOW that those that i have met with same-sex attraction have not CHOSEN that struggle (at least not in this lifetime).
But, just like those i know who battle addiction or eating disorder-- they do have a CHOICE.
They can choose and they have a Savior that can HELP them.
Not that they will have their trials taken away... but that they might have their backs made stronger so they can bear their difficulties with ease.
i know this is possible.

so, here are two articles that i have been intrigued by lately.
The first is a report of a behavioral science study about the children of Gay and Lesbian same-sex relationships.

aren't these results interesting?
this just makes SENSE to me.
(although i am surprised that 31% of children raised by lesbian mothers report being forced to have sex against their will.  sad...)
i love that this study compares INTACT biological families with lesbian mother families, step families and single parent families.
what an interesting study.

(do you want me to be honest with you?  i think the lack of moral absolutes that come from a lesbian mother are more damaging when raising a child than the fact that the child is raised by someone who sleeps with a woman.  in my opinion, teaching morality is essential in raising successful children.  there is right and wrong. there is good and evil. you can teach these truths to your children or have them learn for themselves the hard way.)

Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of marriage and to be raised by parents who honor their marital vows with complete fidelity.
For most of my life i was raised in a home without a father... i firmly believe that children deserve to be raised in a home with both a father and a mother.

I'm linking to TWO reports of this study...
I think both do a good job of reporting the study without making any broad implications from it.
They are just refuting the implications made from prior studies that suggest (by only comparing a limited group of same-sex couples to other poorer single families) that kids are BETTER of in same-sex families.

You can read the study here... from Fox News.  As reported by Dr. Keith Ablow.

You can also read the Deseret News report here (this is a Utah newspaper.)

But, if you only read one thing from this random post... READ THIS!!!!
i LOVE this essay and i LOVE this couple for having the courage to talk about it.

Club Unicorn: In Which I Come Out of the Closet on Our Ten Year Anniversary.

This is my favorite article EVER written by a happily married GAY man and his wife.
i love it.
i agree with it.
and, i think i should come out of the closet myself (again)...
i'm not sure i would get turned on if i saw a room of naked women or men.
if i based my relationship with todd on purely physical passion-- we would never have made it through the hormonal ups and downs of seven plus pregnancies and years of being physically exhausted.
marriage is more than hormones.
true love... true passion... is NOT just a result of our genetic hormones.
it is so much more than that.
i firmly believe this man.
and, i believe he CAN have a beautiful marriage.

both LOVE and morality are essential for a society to thrive.
if we keep the commandments we will prosper as a nation.
i just know it.

homemade graduation gifts.

we had A LOT of friends we love who are graduating.
someday we will have more money to donate to the plight of these transitioning kids.
today, we have big hearts and smaller wallets..

i wrote each kid (is it old of me to call them kids?) a note and had all my family sign it.
i also printed out some of my favorite quotes and gave them in bright colored frames (some i spray painted, some i bought from ikea.)
i also printed out the inspirational talk that each quote came from and tied the package together with a ribbon.
i have a picture, but it's on my iphone and i can't figure out how to download it right now.
if you want to make your own quotes-- i just used PICMONKEY.
i downloaded any picture and covered it with a big RECTANGLE.  you can make the rectangle any color you want.
Then just add letters, save it to your computer, and send it to your nearest 1 hour photo.
i KNOW that i'm not great at this.  i don't have TIME or training in design.
and, i'm sure there are some other life changing quotes out there.
but, maybe my quotes will inspire you.
here are the quotes (sorry, i don't have the link to the talks right now.)

happy graduation!

it's NOT YOUR AGE- it's your commitment.

The oldest married couple in Britain

Have you read the Huffington Post article, Why I Believe Marriage Shouldn't Be Allowed Before Age 25.  This article suggests government should outlaw young marriage.


The author, Jennifer Nagy, says,
"Who knows? Maybe there are 20-year-olds that get married and stay madly in love for their whole lives… Maybe there is such thing as fairies and unicorns too.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/06/09/get-real-getting-married-before-age-25-is-not-too-young/?intcmp=features#ixzz1xKL7mlXr


A 24 year old engaged man rebutted this article in his own Fox News article, Get Real, Getting Married Before Age 25 is Not Too Young.
read it here:  http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/06/09/get-real-getting-married-before-age-25-is-not-too-young/?intcmp=features

you should read the second article.  it's good.
and, this guy is NOT Mormon.  i have Mo-dar.  (clue- drinking a cold one on the beach.)
i agree with good people of any faith (and have MANY friends who drink cold ones on the beach.)


actually, i agree with the first author too-- she did get married WRONG.  
SHE was too young.  
Her marriage was not founded on principle.  
I don't agree with her conclusions though- that it should be illegal to marry young.  
She has made the wrong conclusions from her life journey.  
It is like saying, "I crashed my car when I was 23 and so nobody else should be allowed to drive that young."


Should government dictate morality?  Yes.
Government has to dictate morality.  
Every law has a moral component to it.
Our society is desperately LOOSING it's morality and thus the foundation of our society is crumbling.
Changing the LAWS will not change the CONSEQUENCES of sin and immorality.
EVEN IF SHE WAS NOT MARRIED, she would still be feeling the heartache of this failed relationship.
why does she have an issue with this failed marriage?  
is it because she's embarrassed at the small string of stigma that is still attached to a divorce?
why is she writing about making young marriage illegal instead of writing to teach other young girls what they can do to avoid the mistakes that she made...  marriage was not the mistake.
just be clear here.
read the article... marriage was just the only PUBLIC part of her 9 year journey.
she made many mistakes.


Should government create a "drivers license" for marriage? 
a test before you can earn your license? 
ha!  that would be funny, wouldn't it?  it might work.
You can get married only after you have proved you are old enough and responsible enough for this sacred covenant.
I suppose Mormon's have a 'marriage driver's license'.  
We call it a temple recommend.  
When you are showing that you are LIVING the covenants that you have already made, you are allowed to make greater covenants in the temple.
Maybe that is what was missing in Miss Nagy's life?
She signed up for Marriage 500 before she had completed Appropriate Dating 400 or What Future Do I Want 300 or What Do I Believe 200 or Who Am I 100.
She didn't finish her prerequisite courses.


my opinion--
This is a sad article.
It is a story about a woman who married too young, or too immature and obviously too irresponsibly.
She married a man because she had "been with him" (slept with him?) for five years and felt like marriage was the thing to do.
She didn't know who she was or what she wanted.
it is sad.
i also think it's sad that she blames her AGE.
she quotes a statistic (from here) that says 50% of all marriages end in divorce.
60% of marriages (if you marry between the age of 20-25) end in divorce.
she thus concludes that government should outlaw young marriage.
she FAILS to understand that she would NOT have avoided ANY of the heartache she felt from her failed 9 year relationship if she hadn't been married.
the same study says that "The dissolution rate for women who live with their future spouse before getting married is nearly 80 percent higher than the rate of those who do not."
80%!!!!!!!
hmmm.  maybe we should outlaw cohabitation?!
maybe we should say you shouldn't SLEEP with a boy until you know who you are?

maybe it is not your age... maybe it is your maturity... your sense of commitment... your values?

yes, i was married young, one month after i turned 20.  
Todd was 23.

i was YOUNG.  We were both SO young.  
But, i knew who I was and what i wanted for eternity and I found someone who shared my goals.
i am SO glad that we have had the past 15 years to grow together.  

to become together.

i would NOT make it a law that everyone should marry young.

but, there is a law.  a law that brings HAPPINESS. 

it is from a government that is higher than politicians and public opinion. 

we teach this law to our children.

we call it, the LAW OF CHASTITY.

you should not have any sexual relationships except within the bounds of marriage.
husbands and wives should be completely faithful to each other within the bounds of marriage.
Here is what i believe-- The Proclamation to the WORLD, on the Family.  
These principles, if followed, will bring happiness.
The younger you are when you learn this, the better!
VALUES and MORALS are essential to happiness.
No matter what the law says, you can not do wrong and feel happy.
You cannot escape the consequence of an irresponsible life.
i will say it again... changing the age of the law would not have helped this woman.
TEACHING her correct principles would have.


i wonder what really went wrong in Miss Nagy's marriage?
i wonder if they lived the law of chastity before or after their marriage?
i wonder if she falls more easily into the 80% of failed marriages?
what principle, if understood, could have saved her this 9 year heartache?
the problem was NOT her age.
there are women who are 50 who don't have the skills necessary for a happy marriage.
perhaps we should make marriage illegal until you are 51? 80? 
are there any divorced 90 year olds?


i hope that Miss Nagy someday knows who she is and what she believes.
I hope she finds a man that she can raise a family with and create a life with.
it takes commitment and faith and work.
because a happy marriage, no matter how old you are, CAN BE one of life's greatest joys!

keep your line in the water.

i love this quote...

"None of us should be like the fisherman who thinks he has been fishing all day when in reality he has spent most of his time getting to and from the water, eating lunch, and fussing with his equipment.  Fishing success is related to how long you have your line in the water, not to how long you are away from the apartment.  Some fisherman are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for ten hours.  Other fisherman are away from home for twelve hours and have their line in the water for only two hours.  The last type may wonder why they do not have the same success as others."
Dallin H. Oaks, as quoted in Preach My Gospel, p.152

like most natural tendencies in life, this trend is easy to spot in our children.
how many hours and hours do the whinier children spend complaining about a task that would take just a short minute to complete?

i remember little drew was certain he could not get himself dressed without help- because it took too long.
i got a timer and timed him complaining.
then timed him getting dressed without complaining.
once he figured out he COULD get dressed, fairly quickly, if he didn't complain-- it just clicked.
i don't have to get him dressed every morning anymore.

this is ME... i plan, and whine, and dread tasks forever.
todd is quick to jump up and just "git 'er done."
i mentally plan and mull over millions of to do tasks that would take just a minute to actually do.
some days, i spend so much time feeling cranky and trying to avoid children who are 'interruptions' to my great To Do List, that i don't actually spend ANY time focused on my kids.
today, i'm going to focus on keeping my line in the water!
what am i actually trying to catch?

i am a fisher of children.
every task i do throughout the day can be completed with the goal- teach a child, love a child, be with your children.
you can have your pole in the water while you're fixing lunch.

i am also a fisher of order.
just like throwing in my fishing line, keeping things orderly just takes a few minutes of set-up and clean-up.
like fishing, order is created in the home by long hours of constant, gentle effort with a few moments of excited, purposeful, hard work.
i spend TOO MUCH time avoiding housework and not enough time with my line in the water.

i repeat this quote to myself OFTEN...
FORGET YOURSELF AND GO TO WORK.

today, i'm going to catch a few fish.
because i'm going to keep that worm wiggling and my line in the water!
{i'm bound to catch something-- even if it is only an old shoe!}
have a great weekend!
this is great fishing weather...

read this! {while i fold my laundry.}

my professor {husband} sent me a link to this article.

it is inspiring.  i'm so glad that i read it instead of folding my laundry...

http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/07/us/from-janitor-to-harvard/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

you should read it too...

i hope this girl really makes it!  

do good!!

{pictures from our Sunday afternoon drive.  it is lovely here.}

we sang "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" for our morning devotional today.
before we sang, i read Matthew 25:31-40 and Mosiah 2:17.  I also read the History of the Church vol. 6 pg. 614-615
Right before the prophet Joseph Smith was killed in Carthage jail (with his brother), he asked his friend, John Taylor, to sing this song to him, twice.
We are related to Willard Richards who was also in the jail that night.

This song is beautiful.
I cried as i sang it...
When we give-- EVEN WHILE WE ARE IN NEED-- we will be blessed.

A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

Peacefully

1. A poor, wayfaring Man of grief

Hath often crossed me on my way,

Who sued so humbly for relief

That I could never answer nay.

I had not pow’r to ask his name,

Whereto he went, or whence he came;

Yet there was something in his eye

That won my love; I knew not why.

2. Once, when my scanty meal was spread,

He entered; not a word he spake,

Just perishing for want of bread.

I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,

And ate, but gave me part again.

Mine was an angel’s portion then,

For while I fed with eager haste,

The crust was manna to my taste.

. I spied him where a fountain burst

Clear from the rock; his strength was gone.

The heedless water mocked his thirst;

He heard it, saw it hurrying on.

I ran and raised the suff’rer up;

Thrice from the stream he drained my cup,

Dipped and returned it running o’er;

I drank and never thirsted more.

4. ’Twas night; the floods were out; it blew

A winter hurricane aloof.

I heard his voice abroad and flew

To bid him welcome to my roof.

I warmed and clothed and cheered my guest

And laid him on my couch to rest,

Then made the earth my bed and seemed

In Eden’s garden while I dreamed.

5. Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,

I found him by the highway side.

I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,

Revived his spirit, and supplied

Wine, oil, refreshment—he was healed.

I had myself a wound concealed,

But from that hour forgot the smart,

And peace bound up my broken heart.

6. In pris’n I saw him next, condemned

To meet a traitor’s doom at morn.

The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,

And honored him ’mid shame and scorn.

My friendship’s utmost zeal to try,

He asked if I for him would die.

The flesh was weak; my blood ran chill,

But my free spirit cried, “I will!”

7. Then in a moment to my view

The stranger started from disguise.

The tokens in his hands I knew;

The Savior stood before mine eyes.

He spake, and my poor name he named,

“Of me thou hast not been ashamed.

These deeds shall thy memorial be;

Fear not, thou didst them unto me.”

Text: James Montgomery, 1771–1854

Music: George Coles, 1792–1858, alt.

Hymn sung prior to the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. See History of the Church, 6:614–15.

Matthew 25:31–40 Mosiah 2:17

i want to serve more.

this summer i want to "forget myself and go to work."

a friend told me this quote--
You can choose CHARITY or choose CRUD.
we will stretch and learn one way or another-- choose charity or choose crud.  it's your choice.
i guess i would add-- choose charity and you won't feel your crud.
everyone has hard, serving others somehow gives us "an angel portion", a different perspective, a lighter load.

we can do much good in our little sphere of influence.
starting with our family... then our extended family... then our neighbors and friends... then our whole world.
we can do much good.

{there are some darling farm houses along this road... and there was a cute couple taking a stroll.
don't you want to retire to a road like this?  i do.}

i know it.