Happy New Year to all!

May 2005 bring you and yours a happy, healthy, and prosperous year!

A thought

Mira and I were reading our scriptures this morning, and an interesting thought popped up.
First off, my BIL the bishop gave us a copy of The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families for our wedding almost two years ago. We've been re-reading the BofM since we've been married, and we decided to read from this particular book this time because it had interesting quotes and footnotes. Today we read 23 Alma, and there was a note about verse 17 where the converted Lamanites changed their name to the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. Now, growing up, I had always heard the term "anti" and was told that it was something that was against something else. Imagine my surprise when I read the footnote at the bottom of the page:

The Book of Mormon does not tell us why these converted Lamanites chose the name Anti-Nephi-Lehies. One meaning of the word anti at the time of Joseph Smith was "mirror image of." Perhaps these new believers wanted to be just like Lehi and Nephi, their righteous ancestors (see Joseph Fielding McConkie and others, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon 3:165)(p 333).

So could the anti-Christ be a mirror image of Christ, but not? You know what I mean? Like in the musical Cats. Near the end, the evil cat Macavity kidnaps the leader of the cats, Old Deuteronomy. Later, it appears that Old Deuteronomy has returned, but one of the female cats jumps on him, and it turns out to be Macavity in disguise.
Anyway, it's something to think about.

It's about time!

I got news at my mom's tonight at dinner that a couple I knew in my home ward is finally getting married.
As youth, we all assumed that "Harold" and "Sara" would tie the knot one day. He picked her up for seminary and they went to school together. They hung out at the youth functions together and were always friendly towards each other. I don't think they were ever officially a couple, but it was understood, if you follow me, that those two would get married. Harold went to BYU, then left on a mission to Argentina (?), got back this summer, and I assume went back to BYU. Sara went to another Utah college when she graduated, and that's the last I had ever heard of her.
It was a big shock to hear the news, but at the same time, I'd been expecting it. From what I understand, they're getting married in July, but that's all I know. I don't know what temple, what day, anything like that. Hopefully my family can keep me posted, since they live in the same ward as Harold's parents. His folks will finally have all of their kids married off. ^_^
Good luck Harold and Sara!

Merry Christmas to all!

"It's Christmas Adam!"

Said my nephew last night. "Because tomorrow's Christmas Eve!"
Hahaha! ^_^ (Well, I thought it was cute, anyway.)

Pop Holiday music on Launch

Recently, I started listening to pop versions of holiday songs on Launchcast, like Jewel's version of Hark the Herald Angels Sing and Adam Sandler's famous Chanukah Song (actually, I'm still waiting to hear it). But for the moment I've been paying more attention to the Christmas carols by pop acts. Currently, I've got Clay Aiken's version of The First Noel. It's kinda nice to hear songs about the Savior sung by popular voices. The only downside is that you can only listen to a Christmas carol so many times, as with many other songs.
The station doesn't focus on just Christmas, but it also has a couple dealing with Chanukah, your generic Happy Holidays songs, and even one about Kwanzaa! Now they need some about Yule/Solstice, and Saturnalia, andthey'll be all set! (A side note: I've posted on the Learn About (Neo)Paganism board at Beliefnet and asked them about those three holidays. When I get some answers, I'll post them, even if only for my own benefit.)

Hey, cool...

I've seen this on a couple other sites and thought it would be a good tool to keep track of others that might just possibly link to me. For the past few days, all I've had is me posting from Blogger and technical junk like that.
Well, imagine my surprise to see an actual link from an actual blog! Woohoo! Thank you to Ebenezer Orthodoxy for noticing that I'm alive and blogging. Well, as much as I can, that is. ^_^

Praying for Grandpa

My folks and my brothers went out to Utah Friday through Sunday to visit my grandpa (dad's dad) in Tooele. He's been in and out of the hospital with pneumonia for a while and currently resides in a nursing home near his daughter and her family (my aunt, dad's sister). He's losing track of time now; he thinks grandma died three weeks ago, and it's been five years (this from the man who fixed watches and clocks for a living).
My dad tells me he joined the military 63 years ago on the 3rd (3 December 1941). He'll be 91 on Christmas Day. After the first of the year, we're going to have a family fast and pray that he will soon be out of pain and released from mortality. This is hard, but it's really for the best; then he can be with his wife again. That'll be good for him.
In other news, we're still waiting for a time to go to the temple to seal Nana and Papa to their girls. I hope it's soon.

Making his mark on the world

My brother-in-law the bishop dropped by today with a cd. The performer currently goes by the name on his tag: Elder Dent. But when he goes back home, he'll go by his first name: Leland*.
Elder Dent was serving as a missionary in our ward until a couple months back; I think this was his first area. He would play piano prelude for my hubby when he was unable to play on the the organ, and when Mira was released because of health problems, he would play when the new organist couldn't get there in time to play prelude. His talent lies in the fact that he plays by ear and does wonderful improvs on the hymns. He's even written his own music. There's just no stopping this guy!
Even though he serves the Lord and his fellow man by preaching the Gospel, he also serves by performing his music. My family had the opportunity, when he and his companion would come to dinner, to hear him play, and they always left our home with the Spirit.
I wish good luck to Elder Dent on his mission and in all his life after he returns with honor.

*The website is a bit sparse at the moment, but I expect it will bloom further after his mission.

I hope they call me on a mission...

Well, we went to see our nephew's farewell talk today, then had our monthly family home evening, but left before his open house. He's due at the MTC on 15 December, and will be going to Las Vegas West for two years! Congratulations!
Then we also got word that another nephew will be going to San Fernando, California and will be in a Spanish-speaking area. He's due at the MTC in January. Great news! Another Spanish-speaking missionary in the family, besides my husband.
I'm so excited for all my missionary nephews: one in Russia (he'll be home next year!), one waiting to go to Taiwan (long story), and our two that are headed out within a month of each other. I wish them all the best of luck and pray that they'll be safe.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! ^_^

With love,
Sister T

Happy (Early) Thanksgiving!

I don't know if I'll be on tomorrow, since I've got family coming over at one for dinner (more like lunch), then I'm going to my mom's later in the afternoon for an early dinner, so I figured I'd better post a Thanksgiving post today, just in case.
With that in mind, what am I thankful for?
First and foremost, I'm thankful that Christ lived, died for my sins, and was resurrected. I'm also thankful that Joseph Smith, pondering over which church to join, prayed in the Sacred Grove and saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, who helped him bring the fullness of the Gospel to the earth once again. To my Father, I owe everything: my wonderful parents, who raised me in a righteous home, my terrific siblings who continue to grow in the Gospel, and my many wonderful relatives, both past and present.
He has also given me the best husband a woman could ask for (and subsequently, amazing in-laws). I'm thankful that I was able to go with him to the temple a year and eight months ago and be sealed as his wife (and future mother of his children), not just in this life, but in the eternities to come. I'm thankful to know that I can be with my family forever, and that I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. They are companions, and written proof that God loves us and that we are His children.
There are many hymns that can express the gratutide I feel, but I think the best one would have to be Because I Have Been Given Much. Unfortunately, it's copyrighted, so I can't post it, but in a nutshell, I've been blessed with a lot in my life, so I need to be grateful and pass my blessings on to others.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Sister T

Talkin' 'bout my generation

We went to a reception for our SP's oldest son this evening, who was sealed to his wife in Chicago early last month. I've been thinking about all the people I knew as youth who are now getting married, and it's interesting how many have been married, or will soon take the plunge, since I've been married. As far as I can tell, it all started with Mira and me. After that came a friend of Mira's, then my sister, then my nephew, then I hear a couple people I knew from my home ward are getting married, then a couple in my current ward (he finally proposed a month or so ago!), then the SP's son, and a guy that Mira knew is getting married next month. We're all growing up so fast!

The day is almost here!

The St. Louis Missouri temple
On the 20th, my mom's mom will have been gone a year, and on that day, my mom wants her work done, and she will be sealed to her sister and parents as an eternal family!
Nana and Papa (her folks) had a stillborn daughter, whom I was named after, and they adopted my mom four years later. She grew up Episcopalian and converted when she was a teenager. Her parents never joined.
Papa passed away last March, and his work has already been done. My mom cried when my dad, who works at the temple on Wednesday nights, announced that her dad was given the priesthood by proxy that night. (As a matter of fact, I think he was the one who bestowed it on him. I'd have to ask him.)
In two and a half weeks, Nana will be able to have her work done. I think my mom is going to stand as proxy for her. What's even cooler is that Mira and I will be able to stand as proxy for her parents when the sealing is done. (I find that slightly amusing: a daughter and son-in-law standing in as parents for the daughter's mother.)
With that in mind, I've asked for some prayers at Beliefnet in the LDS section that my husband be given the strength to go to the temple when we do the sealing. It worked a while back when my nephew went through for the first time, and I have faith that he will be able to endure this as well.

Don't forget to vote!

And may God bless whomever we elect as President, that he will be able to lead our country effectively and wisely.

Halloween and beyond

I love Halloween. It's a time to dress up and have fun with family and friends. This year, I had two costumes; they consisted of the same clothes, but different accessories. On Friday night, our ward had it's annual trunk-or-treat, and I was all dressed in black. Mira decided to dress all in blue, so we went as a bruise. ^_^ The bishop (my brother-in-law) and his wife went as Jack and Jill. She held a pail and he wore a Burger King crown with a rip in it.
Then Saturday I went to my home ward for their annual chili cook-off and trunk-or-treat. I was going to dress all in black again, but my mom suggested I go as a cat. As I was looking for the tail, ears, and muzzle, I found my dad's black cowboy hat. Inspiration struck, and I had my costume. I went as "Cat" Ballou (from the movie of the same name). Dad won the Spiciest Chili Award, yet again. When he went up to accept his award, he wore a Grim Reaper costume, complete with real scythe! My neice was dressed as a biker baby, complete with leather skirt and jacket. She was so cute! And there were quite a few cats; even had a "kitten". ^_^
At both events, the cultural hall was packed! We had quite a few people attend, and some even brought friends. I was helping my mom pass out candy, and we quickly ran out, there were so many kids! And we made 60-70 bags of candy!
I was going to go to a party last night, but my conscience quickly caught up with me, so I didn't go. Sorry Lar! So that's my Halloween adventure, such as it is.
I don't know why people make such a big deal over Halloween. The biggest complaint I have is with people who demonize it. "Don't you know it's Satan's birthday?" That's quite a feat, since Satan was never born. He was cast out of heaven, and has been denied his own body. There are many more complaints, but they have totally skipped my mind.
Now that Halloween is over, I can look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'll be involved in another stake Christmas cantata this year. It's a few of us that were in the flute group last year, plus some others that I haven't met yet. We're practicing Infant Holy, Infant Lowly. It's basically the same tune of Stars Were Gleaming in the children's songbook. It's very pretty.

Ah, to go back...

Last night, my husband and I attended the temple to support our nephew who is due at the MTC in December. He'll be going to the Las Vegas West mission.
With Mira's back being the way it is, we haven't been able to attend as much as we would like to. This week, I'd been praying that he would be able to attend, even fasted the day of for him. Sure enough, he was able to go! He had some pain and was uncomfortable, but he was able to do all the things he needed to do (except stand up, but it was ok). It's been so long since we've been there, and I was thrilled to be able to go back.
Since I really wanted him to be there (I've been without him, and it's just not the same), I even did my best to watch what I did, just to make sure. I was careful with what I read, watched, listened to, etc. That may have helped, I think. Who knows? All I know is that my hubby and I were able to visit the Lord's house, and it was good to be there.

Conference Today!

Today was the conclusion of the 174th General Conference. The "Motabs" sang at both sessions, and I saw my uncle in the choir (well, about 3/4 of his face, at any rate). We also had the two vacancies in the Quorum of the 12 filled. The men were Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and Elder David A. Bednar. Good luck, guys!

Some bring their babies...

And some bring their puppies. The Relief Society General Broadcast was tonight, and we usually have a dinner beforehand. Tonight we had a taco salad/nacho buffet and the Stake Presidency served while some other brethren bussed tables and refilled water glasses.
Even though there was a nursery, there were still quite a few babies that needed maternal attention. At our table (my MIL and I sat with some sisters from our ward) there was a grandmother with a baby and her (step?)daughter sat with us with a little one of her own: a cocker spaniel/black lab/possible rottweiler puppy, whose eyes had only opened a day or two beforehand. He was so cute! I got to hold him after dinner, and he fell asleep in my arms. Aw, what a sweet thing!

Well, the broadcast was excellent. Thomas S. Monson was funny. He says he realized that he was the minority, and that he should be careful with what he says. Bonnie Parkin, the General RS prez made a comment about thanking the sisters for all the casseroles they've made. I got to play the "Look for your relative" game when the Choir sang. One of my aunts used to be in it a number of years ago, and since she left, one of my uncles has been in it. Well, the choir this evening was composed of current and former female Motab members, so I looked for my aunt. And there she was. She was in front of a woman kinda in the middle with short white hair. And since she was kinda in the middle, I was able to look at her when the choir sang with the congregations. That was kinda cool.

All in all, it was a good evening. I went back for seconds and we had apple crisp with ice cream for dessert. Woohoo.

I've been proselytized!

Just as I was getting ready to use my father-in-law's weights to build up my arms, I heard the doorbell ring. "Well, what if it's important?"
So I came up the steps and saw through the window some people holding what looked like they might have been suitcases. Well, we're expecting some family from Mississippi who are coming to stay with us because they were told to evacuate because of the impending hurricane (so it's gonna hit part of Mississippi, too?). Nope. I opened up the door and it was two elderly gentlemen wearing rather nice church-looking clothes holding briefcases. They were Jehovah's Witnesses. I told them I was busy, but would accept the mini-magazines that they were handing out (just to be nice). I wasn't necessarily lying, I did have to work out. Then I had to make breakfast, vacuum the floors, do some homework, etc.
I've seen these magazine things they give out before. They usually have at least one picture of what it'll be like during the Millenium: everybody will grin like Cheshire cats. It wasn't until I was benching 50 lbs. (I'm a weakling) that I came up with different things I could have said, like, "I see your church everytime I go to my church. Have you ever heard of the Latter-day Saints?" Or maybe even throw in, "I read the Bible, but I also read a few other scriptures. Have you ever read the Book of Mormon?" But instead, I just said, "Well, God bless you both."
I remember standing at the busstop one cold morning waiting to catch my bus to take me to class, when a car pulled up by me and a guy got out and gave me some of the magazines. I'm thinking, "Ok, as a witness of Christ, could you show some Christian compassion and give me a ride?" But I can't really say anything. I try not to pick up folks on the side of the road. You never know when they'll turn out to be a Jack the Ripper character. But I'm not like one of those. Usually. ^_^