Mother's Day

I would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to my mom and mother-in-law, and to all my friends and other family members with children.

Tomorrow in my ward, all the women age 18 and over will receive some kind of treat to celebrate Mother's Day. Sometimes it's a flower, or some cookies. One year we got huge chocolate bars. Either way, it's a day to recognize mothers (whether they're raising their own children or someone else's) and the young women who will one day be mothers.

It's also the day that the childless women probably dread and stay home so they don't have to deal with it. I can't escape it this year. My mother-in-law is giving a talk, which means that I get to take grandma to the bathroom and back. And I can't escape afterwards, because I teach the Sunbeams (3-4 year olds). The rest of the day is out as well, as we have our monthly family home evening, which will undoubtedly be centered on Mother's Day. Since the husb is making an effort to be with his family, I have to be there, too. I don't know if I'll get a chance to see my mom, but I'm hoping I can at least drop off the card and flowers I have for her. I would love to stay and have dinner with my family, but I don't know if that'll happen or not.

Celebrating Mother's Day gets harder as the years go by. Five years ago, it was no big deal. We'd been married a couple months and were looking forward to our life together. Now we're hardly farther along than we were when we first started. Really, it's not that I don't have kids and others do. It's that I thought that after five years of marriage, we'd at least be looking forward to starting our family. This fibromyalgia has made it difficult for us to do anything to get on our feet. My hope is that all the waiting will make me a better mother than I otherwise would have been had my husband not developed fibromyalgia.

I'd also like to recognize those who have either lost their mothers or whose mothers weren't a positive force in their lives. I can think of three of my friends who are probably having a hard time feeling like they can celebrate Mother's Day without their mothers.

To those of us who don't fit the "Happy Mother's Day" mold, may I wish you all a Happy Strong Women's Day.

I feel so old!

My oldest younger brother got his mission call last week! He's due at the MTC on May 28th, then off to Phoenix, Arizona for the next two years.

My siblings and I don't really spend a whole lot of time together as just the four of us, and we had a blast hanging out together when we saw Celtic Woman the day he got his call, so we decided that we need to get together a few times to hang out before he leaves.

End of an Era

I just heard that our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away today at the age of 97. He will be sorely missed, and thought of fondly by many. Surely he was welcomed home by the ones he served so well while he fulfilled his mortal mission, namely our Heavenly Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as well as his wife and other family members, friends, and others who were influenced by him during his lifetime.

He came to St. Louis when I was twelve years old for a big conference of the stakes in the area. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember how funny he was, and how happy I was to have him as a prophet. Under his leadership, the St. Louis temple was constructed, and I remember feeling the Spirit so strongly when it was dedicated. I was later sealed for eternity to my husband there, and felt the Spirit then as well.

He has done so much for the church and influenced many people to better themselves. I know he was a prophet of God, and feel blessed to have lived during his presidency. I send my condolences to his family during this difficult time, and share in their happiness and knowledge of eternal families, knowing that they, and we, will see him again after our missions here on earth are complete.

"This isn't a goodbye, just sort of a 'see you later.'"

Being Thankful

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for:

1. My family. I love them all and am grateful for their love, guidance, and support.
2. My husband. He's my rock, and loves me for who I am, flaws and all, just the way I love him.
3. His family. They have welcomed me with open arms and loving hearts.
4. My friends. I'm happy that they choose to continue their friendship with me, despite my eccentricities. ^_^
5. My life in the Gospel. I love knowing who I am (a daughter of God) and what I can become.
6. My Heavenly Parents. They love me more than I will ever know, and I hope to become the person they desire me to be.
7. My Savior Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection to bring us closer to God is the most loving thing a person has ever done for me.
8. The presence of the Holy Ghost in my life. He has guided me in making good decisions, helped me to know what is true, and comforted me in my times of need.
9. The temple. I'm privileged to be sealed to my family for eternity, and thankful that my husband and I can truly be together forever.
10. The scriptures. They contain great knowledge and have helped me as I try to become a better person.
11. A place to live, clothes to wear, and food to eat. I am guarded against the elements, and hope that I can help others to achieve their needs.
12. My job. I have come to know some of the choicest children, and love watching them grow and learn.

The list goes on and on, but those are the blessings foremost in my mind. If I missed anything, I'll be sure to post more later.

Sad news...

President James E. Faust, 2nd counselor in the General Presidency, passed away this morning. He will be greatly missed.

We're in the news!

Well, LDS news, at any rate. Meridian Magazine recently wrote two articles about our stake's celebration of the tenth anniversary of the St. Louis temple dedication. One is about the celebration itself, the other about the "Turning the Hearts" program we did in March. Both articles have pictures; the second article didn't have pictures of the part of the program I was in, but did of some of the other parts.

Friday and Saturday are the official celebration days. Here's to the next ten years!

Just in time for General Conference

Some anti group has recently released a DVD once again trying to spread untruths about our religion. It doesn't surprise me that it's come out the week before we hear from our beloved prophet and others called of God to give us counsel. (I guess it's not enough to stand outside the conference center in Utah and mock what we call sacred.)

FAIR has released a response to the DVD, refuting all the inconsistencies and sometimes outright lies that the "Concerned Christians" try to pass off as what we really believe.

I would hope that my friends would ask me any questions they have about the church. What better way to learn about something than to ask somebody who adheres to it?

A success!

Our program was a success last night! All the performers did a great job, especially in the group I was in (not that I'm partial or anything ^_^). It was a wonderful night that I hope will always stick with those who visited and participated.

Any relation?

The new missionary in our ward is going to hear that phrase a lot. He's probably heard it a lot in the almost year he's been out and will probably be bombarded with it the rest of his mission.

We had the missionaries over for dinner the other night. When my husband caught sight of the new elder's nametag, he asked why it sounded familiar, so I told him. And the inevitable ensued.

"Any relation?"

"Yeah, he's my brother."

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

Our new missionary is the brother of a pretty famous movie director. I'm not sure whether mentioning the name is a good idea, just in case. But if you can guess who, then I might let you in on it. ^_^

St. Louis Missouri Temple Ten Year Anniversary

This year, we're celebrating the ten year anniversary of the dedication of the St. Louis Missouri temple. As a part of the celebration, our stake is doing a family history program this Saturday evening, which includes a "trip around the world", to places such as the UK, South America, and more, and a program afterwards. It's sure to be fun!

The Visiting Teaching Movie

No, it's not a film by one of the prominent LDS directors out there, nor is it a sequel to "The Home Teachers". It can actually be found on You Tube. From the website: "Tucker Dansie's short film created for the Murray 33rd Ward Visiting Teaching Conference." Any of these scenarios look familiar?

Oh dear...

I read today that Mitt Romney has announced that he's going to run for president.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I do know two things: If it comes down to him as Republican candidate, I'm not going to vote for him just because he shares my religion. I also know that I really know nothing about him, so I'll have to read more about him, just as I will with the other candidates, then make my decision from there.

This subject has come up in various LDS blogs and message boards, and the general concensus seems to be that it might bring up negative press about the church. A recent opinion poll (recent being within the past couple months) states that a majority of people would not vote for an LDS president. Because of all this, I seriously doubt he'll get very far in the race for US President, but I do wish him luck, just as I do with all the candidates.

New look!

The church website has been redesigned and looks really good. Check it out!

Wish I'da been there...

After Stake Conference last Sunday, we were supposed to have the entire stake meet up at the temple to have our picture taken. Unfortunately I was sick (still have a cough), so was unable to join in the fun. I'm sure I wasn't the only one unable to attend.
My mother-in-law said it was a neat experience.

We read the Book of Mormon together as a stake a year or so back and gave away over 5,000 copies, so this was a way to celebrate reaching our goal.

New grand-niece!

I got to meet my new grand-niece on Sunday at our big family home evening! She's a little thing, I think my niece-in-law said she was up to eight pounds now, with big eyes and a strong set of vocal cords! ^_^ She's so cute! She's being blessed next Sunday, so we'll attend my nephew's ward and probably go to their house afterwards to mingle.

For those of you who have stumbled on my blog and are wondering about the baby blessing I mentioned, let me explain. Our religion does not practice infant baptisms. Instead, "[b]abies are given a special blessing shortly after they are born, in which their names are recorded and they are given words of blessing for their life on earth. This blessing is given by one who holds the priesthood, which in many cases is the infant’s father, or another priesthood holder close to the family. It is usually performed in sacrament meeting on the first Sunday of the month" (from www.mormon.org).

The priesthood holder is usually accompanied by other men, typically members of the family or friends, that hold the priesthood. I've heard of cases where fathers who don't hold the priesthood have held the baby in the prayer circle, but I haven't had that experience first-hand. I seem to remember reading about some mothers holding the baby in the circle, but I couldn't begin to tell you where. I wouldn't mind holding my future babies in the prayer circle when they're being blessed, but I'd probably also like having someone else hold the baby for a while. ^_^

Congrats Benji Schwimmer!

Benji was chosen as America's #1 Dancer on the Fox show So You Think You Can Dance last night. Great job and keep up the good work!

While on his mission to California, my oldest nephew helped to re-activate him in the church, and they still keep in touch. I learned while writing this post that there will be a tour in the fall, and the top ten finalists will be performing in venues across the country. They'll be here in St. Louis on 21 September. I wonder if my nephew could get him to come back to St. Louis and speak at a fireside before he goes off to Las Vegas... (Riiight... ^_^)

Dance Hall Days Revisited

Remember that post I did recently about youth dances? Then do I have a video for you!

How many of these dance moves do you remember? Do you still know any of them?

Ancestry

The church is known for family history, tracing family lines back to decades, hundreds, even thousands of years before our birth, to discover our heritage and gain a better understanding of where we came from. We know that we are children of Heavenly Parents who love us and want us to return to them again one day. But many don't know who we are as a matter of earthly lineage.

Gma B (dad's mom) and Papa (mom's dad) were the genealogists of the family. Gma B had tons of family history from hers and Gpa B's families, and Papa had done some research into his family line as well. Papa and Nana adopted mom after she was born, and all we have on her biological families are the names of her parents. We do have some work done for her adoptive family, but I would like to know more about her biological family, especially for medical reasons. One of these days I may break down and get a subscription to Ancestry or something like that and trace her family lines.

Gma B had a lot of family history work done before she passed. From her side of the family come some French and Native American lines, among others. The Native Americans in our family are of the Kaskaskia tribe, which from what I understand originated in Wisconsin, traveled to Illinois, then eventually became a part of the Peoria tribe in Oklahoma. My 9th-great-grandmother, Aramepinchone, was daughter of a tribal chief, Mamenthouensa, and an unknown mother. She was a key element in helping members of her tribe convert to Christianity, namely Catholicism. She married a French fur trader, Michel Accault, according to her father's wishes. She initially rejected the idea and was thrown out of her father's home, because she wished that her heart only be given to God and not any mortal man. But when she realized that she could help her tribe learn from the missionaries and convert to Christianity, she consented.

My family line comes from her second marriage to Michel Phillipe, another fur trader. It has been said that she eventually married one or two other men; quite a turn around from a woman who wanted only to belong to God! But her heart was still with Him as she helped others find Christianity. When she passed to the other side, she was given the honor of being buried under her pew in the church she attended, an honor that no other woman in that time had been given.

Of all the heritage in my family, I know more about the Native American lines than any others, mainly because we have such a great tie to that line. You could probably fit all the Native American blood in my body into my pinky finger, but it is there. I love learning about the culture of the Kaskaskia, even though there's little to be found. Along with a Kaskaskia-to-French dictionary, my dad has some text, I think a book, on his computer about the Kaskaskia, but I haven't read it in a long time. I'm grateful to the Catholic church and the records they kept, so my family could know more about our Native American heritage, and so we could have their work done in the temple.

Happy Father's Day

Dance Hall Days

Ok, so they were cultural halls, but we still danced in them.

I have a diverse list of music on my prefered player (Musicmatch Jukebox), and just for fun, I've been listening to some 90's dance music. It struck me how many of these songs I heard as a youth at those dances (spring 1997- summer 2001). Not familiar with 90's dance music? If you've ever seen the SNL skits with the Roxbury Guys, the song heard in the background is Haddaway's "What Is Love?, a song that came out in 1993.

Whenever I think of the kind of music they played at our stake dances, that song is one of the first to pop into my mind. I also think of "Where Do You Go?" by No Mercy, "Another Night" by The Real McCoy, and especially "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex. We also listened to dance standards like "Electric Boogie (The Electric Slide)" by Marcia Griffiths and "YMCA" by The Village People. When they became popular, we also danced to the "Macarena Remix" by the Bayside Boys, and the "Cha Cha Slide" by DJ Casper.

I sometimes wonder if any of these songs are still played at the dances, and if any will endure to when my future children attend. I know we'd get a handful of disco songs that my parents listened to when they were youth, so maybe it's possible.

So I went to a wedding last weekend...

And the Spirit was so strong! It was easy to feel the love of God pouring out over the young couple, my friend Athene and her now husband, making their vows of love in front of family and friends.

But it wasn't a temple wedding, the couple aren't members of the Church, but the Spirit was all around us in the beautiful garden where the ceremony took place. I can't think of another time where I've been to a non-LDS church function and felt the power of the Holy Ghost so strong.

Athene, her sister Moueska, and their brother Tarrith lost their mother to breast cancer about five years ago, and I know for a fact that she was there. It was easy to picture her standing next to her daughter, with a smile on her face and her eyes beaming with joy, as she watched her eldest daughter marry the love of her life.

The reception was almost rained out, but with prayers by staff and guest alike, we only got a few drops. The chef and co-owner of the bed and breakfast where the wedding and reception took place told some of us later that he and a few others remembered that Jesus said (Matthew 18:20 KJV) , "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them", and prayed in His name that the rain would come again some other time. I think I would be in big trouble with my Father in Heaven if I were to say that it was pure luck, or "just a coincidence" that the rain stopped soon thereafter.

I wish Athene and her husband the best of luck and many years of a loving and prosperous marriage. I know God loves you both and will bless you!

Happy Woman's/Mother's Day!

First, for all us who are not yet mothers, no matter what the case, I wish us all a Happy Woman's Day!
And Happy Mother's Day to all the moms.

Happy Easter!

Happy 176th Birthday!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized on this date one hundred and seventy-six years ago. What started out as six people in a log cabin has grown to over 12 milion members. Here's to many more years!

Sister T

Polygamy Loves Company

I've been hearing a lot about the new TV show coming to HBO tonight. If you haven't, let me bring you up to speed.

Big Love is a show about a man in Salt Lake City with three wives and seven kids. Each wife has their own home and he has enough money to provide for all three families. Bill Paxton plays husband of wives Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin, respectively.

The Church has come out with a statement about the show with three points: concern for abuse victims, confusion over the continued practice of polygamy, and concern over the moral standards of television entertainment. More can be found at the Church's website.

If I had HBO, I'd be able to go into more detail about the show and what's going on in the lives of the characters. We have cable, but I wouldn't want to add the channel just to see what the show's about. I don't watch a whole lot of TV, maybe an hour a day, if at all. It'd be interesting to see just how the show plays out, but for now I'll have to hear about it by word of mouth.

Looking for modesty?

I must admit, I wore some unmodest tops as a youth. In the eyes of the world, they were more modest than most, but it was pushing the envelope otherwise. I had a spaghetti-strap tank I bought on a band trip, but I only wore it a handful of times. I had a big bust, and the tops I wore tended to accentuate the fact that I was well endowed. The majority of them were pretty tight, and a few of them had some low necklines (or both). I haven't changed much physically since then, so I've been able to wear some of them as a married woman.

Well, being an LDS woman married in the temple brought on a major change. I had to be careful with the tops I wore, or else I'd end up annoncing my religion to half the free world. For the past two summers, I'd wear a jacket whenever I went places to avoid doing just that (even upstairs when I was with my in-laws; downstairs with hubby was a different story`_^). But this summer, I'd like to do something different, and I'm doing it a bit at a time.

I was fortunate enough last year to find a tee shirt (Arizona Jean) that had a higher neckline and stretched past my hips. I loved the freedom to move and not have to worry about making anybody blush. Last month, I decided to take advantage of a gift card to JC Penney I got for Christmas (thanks Lar!) and went in search of a couple cute tops. I found two tees from the same company, one white and one taupe, and brought them home to try on (I was headed for work after my shopping trip and needed to get there on time). Well, they covered very well, but were quite translucent. My hubby didn't mind, but being able to see underneath it was kinda counterproductive, so I decided to just use them as undershirts, and they work very well.

I was curious last night, so went in search of websites that sold modest tops. I actually found a Modest Clothing Directory that had lists of websites that sold exactly what I was searching for (the site quipped that we, the Latter-day Saints, "have the monopoly on this market" and have "everything in white", refering to modest wedding and prom dresses). But we're not the only ones who want to dress modestly and, in most cases, stylishly. There are also links for the Islamic, Jewish, Catholic, Simply Dressed Christian, and Plain communities.

Check the page and click the links. If you've bought from any of these sights before, let me know! Depending on the availability in my area of the country to find these kind of tops, I may end up buying online. We'll see...

Enjoy!

I saw a fun quiz on someone's MySpace profile and took it myself. I am a...

Perfect Mormon 8 Orthodoxy, 5 LDS knowledge, 12 Cultural homogeneity Orthodoxy ranges from (-) anti-, non- and liberal Mormon, to mainstream, conservative, and fundamentalist Mormon (+).

The obedient Latter-day Saint. Temple recommend in hand, you live the gospel every day. Like a city on a hill, you remember the slogan every member a missionary. You beat your peers in seminary scripture chase, and you look forward to (or fondly remember) your beautiful temple wedding.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 89% on Orthodoxy You scored higher than 90% on LDS knowledge You scored higher than 93% on Homogeneity

Link: The what kind of Mormon are you? Test written by SLC-Mike on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I try to live the gospel every day, but since I am human, I don't always succeed. I keep trying, though.
I find it very hard to be a missionary, since I'm so shy and don't think my friends would be interested. But they are respectful of my beliefs, so I guess that counts for something.
I was okay in the scripture chases, but there were so many others who were so much better at it.
I do fondly remember my temple wedding! So much happened that day...

Note: Some of the pages may contain adult advertisements or uncouth language. Proceed with caution...

You don't look 200, Joseph...

Today, the church (and, most likely, it's various splinters) celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of our first prophet, Joseph Smith. Now, in no way does this overshadow the traditional celebration of the birth of Christ. Our current prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, said: "We do not worship the Prophet [Joseph]. We worship God our Eternal Father and the risen Lord Jesus Christ. But we acknowledge the Prophet; we proclaim him; we respect him; we reverence him as an instrument in the hands of the Almighty in restoring to the earth the ancient truths of the divine gospel, together with the priesthood."

We're not the only ones who are aware of this anniversary. Wikipedia's featured article today is on his early life. Earlier this week, a friend of mine sent me a link to an NPR broadcast with Richard Bushman, who recently wrote a biography on Joseph called Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. Newsweek had an article about it in October. And I got an e-mail the other day about a statue being dedicated today in New York of the prophet.

I am very grateful for the restoration of the Gospel, and that I have it in my life. And to think, it all started because a young man wanted to know which church to join. Thank you, Brother Joseph!

James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Out with the old...

I was realeased today after a year and a half in the nursery with the precious children of our ward. When Sister B called me this morning asking me for my input on the graduation of the soon-to-be-Sunbeams we had today, she said she heard I was being released. The sister who took my place (another sweet gal) told Sister B that she had recently been called into the Nursery, so Sister B naturally assumed I already knew I was being released. I didn't. ^_^

When the *bishop's family came over for dinner a few months ago, he said, "We need to get you out of the nursery," and I told him, "Maybe one of these days". I figured I'd be in there for another year. Thankfully it didn't come as a complete shock when, sure enough, they announced that I was being released today. I had a lot of people saying they were going to miss having me there. We've had a couple releases and calls this year in the nursery, but I was the one constant.

While I'll miss being with those sweet spirits, I'll also get to look forward to sitting with my hubby each Sunday. This year's schedule hasn't worked for him because church starts so early (his health makes it hard to get up before noon), but next year we start later in the day, so it should be easier for him to attend. I'm grateful that I've had this time to work with the nursery-age children. It's given me some experience with that particular age group that I'll need when Mira and I eventually start our family. It's been fun being a teacher to them and I know that at least a few of them will remember me. I know I'll remember them.

*The bishop is the leader of the ward, or congregation.

"An Incredible Journey"

"A Guided Tour of the Spirit World" by Lyse Sonning

I re-read this book for a third time recently (it was in my MIL's book collection). Long story short, Ms. Sonning has had contact with her guardian angel Martha, who describes the spirit world in great detail. It's a rather quick read at 100 pages in nine chapters and an epilogue; it could probably be read in an afternoon. There are two chapters near the end with a bunch of questions that people had for Martha and her answers to them.

It was printed in 1993 by New Horizons Publishing and Recording Co. I've tried looking for both online, but there weren't very many sites selling the book, and the publishing company is probably now defunct. I don't know if anybody else has read it besides me, Mira, his mom, and probably her mom (his grandma gave it to his mom). We're probably in a minority, as it doesn't appear to be a very well-known book.

Something different

When Mira and I were dating, we went to Institute on Halloween. We even got to dress up. ^_^ The first year that we were married, we went trick-or-treating. Last year, we stayed home because it was Sunday. This year, we plan on somehow honoring our ancestors. We're not sure how we'll do that, maybe by doing some genealogy or reading/telling stories about our ancestors, or something. Does anybody else do this or have ideas on what we can do?

General Relief Society Meeting

LisaB over at FMH posted her thoughts on the General Relief Society Meeting that was held last Saturday, and asked others to comment on how they felt about it. I started to comment, but it turned into a post, so I thought I'd post it on my own blog.The one problem I had was that it took until the very last talk to mention those of us who don't fit the not yet married, married with children, married with grandchildren, widowed, or divorced mold: those of us who are married but don't have kids!

I'm one of two married couples in our ward without children. I'll admit that I probably shouldn't have anything to complain about. To my knowledge, I'm still capable of having kids; I'm not infertile, nor do I have any problems that keep me from getting pregnant. I've never had a miscarriage, or gone through pregnancy resulting in a stillborn, or lost a child to SIDS or something else. Really, I should have nothing to complain about.

But I do. My husband is at the moment incapable of raising a family. His health keeps him from doing most anything, actually. He's had health troubles since Christmas Day of 2003, almost two years ago! We get new theories every once in a while, but the treatments never seem to help for long. He can’t go out because he hurts and tires easily. He also can’t eat out at restaurants because so much of the foods are made with soy, sugar, partially hydrogenated oils, and many other ingredients that he can’t eat. He also has troubles doing the things he loves so much because of the pain. He can’t draw, he can’t play the piano, and even playing video games becomes tiring after a while.

I'm grateful that James E Faust remembered to include us sisters in his talk. We were told that we can be as mothers and help others in a motherly way, and that we can be blessed in our efforts in doing so. I was touched, but the natural woman in me was saddened, because it's just not the same as actually being a mother. And being reminded that if I remain faithful, then I can reach the highest level of the Celestial Kingdom and have children then doesn't help either.

It doesn't bother me much the first half of my cycle, but during the second half, it really hits home. I think the PMS fuels it and makes it harder for me to bear. I am grateful that my husband can tell when I'm sad and we can talk about things together. I needed that last night when I heard that my sister's sister-in-law, who got married last month, is pregnant. At the rate things are going, my oldest nephew's wife will have a baby before I do.

This has turned into rambling on on my part, but I needed to get this out of my system. It just doesn't seem fair that we do all we can to be strong in the gospel and our needs don't seem to be met. I truly have been blessed to have a wonderful family, both on my side and on my hubby's, and that my in-laws have been kind enough to let us share their home until we can get on our feet and venture out on our own. I've been blessed with a good job and relatively good health. Most important of all, I've been blessed to be married to my sweet loving husband in the temple, and I'm grateful for the love he shows to me every day, especially when I need it most. I just wish this didn't bug me as much as it does...

Changes to HFPE in 2006

I first heard about this on an iVillage message board I lurk on (LDS Family Life). Apparently some changes are going to be made starting 1 January 2006 in the Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment program. (For non-members reading this blog, HFPE is a monthly meeting of all the sisters 18+ in the Relief Society. It's a way to get together with the other women in the ward.) The idea is that monthly Enrichment nights (for all sisters) will instead be quarterly, with Enrichment activities "for sisters with similar needs and interests" as needed. This should be interesting...

Ward Temple Day

Tomorrow is Ward Temple Day, and I haven't been since through November when my nephew went through (not counting the wedding a couple weeks ago, since I didn't do a session), so I'm going with my mother-in-law. We'll be there from 9 am to 3 pm, so I have to make sure I bring my work clothes with me, since I work at 4:00. It'll be nice to go and be in such a peaceful place for six hours.

Two days until eternity...

On Thursday afternoon, my sister's sister-in-law will be sealed to her sweet fiance in the St. Louis temple. Good luck and congrats!

Pre-dates Christianity?

Opinion warning! This post contains my opinion. I do not want to start a debate. If you don't agree with me, you can say so. But I will not get into a debate with anybody. Uncalled for comments will not be tolerated. If you start bashing, your comments will be deleted.

I've been reading Dan Brown recently. I started with The Da Vinci Code, then read Angels & Demons (A&D is actually first). Both are good books, and very entertaining. I thought a lot when I read TDVC, mainly about the whole "Christianity didn't exist until after Christ's death and lots of Christian ideas were taken from other religions" thing.

Mind you, this is my totally non-professional, just me, an average LDS woman's opinion here, so bear with me. I don't think anything pre-dated Christianity. It always has been, ever since Adam and Eve.

See, when Adam and Eve were here on earth, they had the knowledge and they taught it to their children. But like a game of telephone, the original message was changed as it went forth, and by the time there were people all over the earth, the message was almost unrecognizable. Some of the original message was still intact, but a good portion of it was lost. Other religions on the earth have idealogies similar to LDS belief. This is one that really stands out to me:

*As Latter-day Saints, we are taught that Heavenly Father has a wife.
*We have cultures that include goddess worship.

This was the central theme of TDVC. I don't know why we are told to not pray to or worship our Heavenly Mother. Maybe we already do by praying to our Father, since He and Mother have been sealed for all eternity and are one in body and spirit, much like LDS couples that have been sealed in the temple, just on a much grander scale. But this is only speculation on my part.

So, that's a chapter of the Gospel According to Sister T. I suck at conclusions, so I'll just end it here. Again, this is my opinion, so let me have it.

Welcome back, Jay!

My 2nd oldest nephew "Jay" came home today from a two-year mission to Russia. My mother-in-law says he does have a Russian accent. (Not all missionaries that go to foreign lands come back with accents. Mira didn't, but he did have a tendency to slip into Spanish without realizing it.)
I don't think he'll remember who I am. When Mira and I got married, he was away at school. I think I saw him once, and that was when he came home for his farewell before he left to go to Russia. He'll also get to meet his oldest cousin's wife, who married into the family almost a year ago (sweet gal).
Anyway, congrats to Jay on an honorable mission, and welcome home!

We did it!

We reached our goal, and gave out more than 5,000 copies as a stake. Our ward gave out over 700.
Way to go!

Off topic: I'm a regular over at iVillage, and I lurk on the LDS Family Life board from time to time. A current post concerns how close we've come to fame. So have I ever met someone famous? Yes I have. Well, sorta. When I was a youth, John Bytheway came to a youth fireside, and I got his autograph on a very small scrap of paper that I keep in my scrapbook.
Also, my husband (then my fiance) tuned the piano at the Stake center for a fireside by Marvin Goldstein. My bridal shower was the day before the fireside, and I went to the SC afterwards to see Mira so we could go to his house (now our home) and unload some of the gifts I received. I saw Marvin the next day at my chapel, and I wanted to go tell him that Mira had tuned the piano he was to be using that night, but I was too nervous to get anywhere near him. He is a wonderful pianist, and a very funny guy!
As far as being in the spotlight myself, I was on TV twice. The first was my junior year of high school, and I was in the school musical. We were performing Groovy, "a musical comedy tribute to the 1960's". Anyway, the day or so before the performance, the whole cast got together and advertized on one of the local early morning news shows. We performed part of the opening number before a commercial break, then a friend of mine and the director gave a small interview later in the broadcast while the rest of us waved wildly at the camera.
Then when I was a Senior in high school, I joined the marching band, and we marched in the Mid-America Holiday Parade. At one point we stopped in front of the same news station where I "made my TV debut" and performed part of our routine. I was way in the background, but that's really where I prefer to be.

90 Day Challenge Ends Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the last day for our stake's 90 day reading of the Book of Mormon. There were times when I would go a week or more without reading, then have to catch up, but I did it, and I'm almost done. I haven't read it by myself since before I got married, and that was over two years ago. Mira and I have read a chapter a night since we've been married, and we're almost done with our third time around.
Monday night is Family Home Evening, and a special lesson will be about Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Then at 8:00, the head of each family will lead their family in prayer, and we will express our gratitude for the Restoration. In this way, as a stake, we will mark the 161st anniversary of the death of the prophet and his brother Hyrum.
I regret not having the courage to give out any copies of the Book of Mormon, since that was a part of it. But I hope that I may still have many opportunities in my life to tell others what I know to be true, even if they don't believe it.

New experience

I had an interesting experience this weekend. I went with my family to my grandmother's (dad's mom) family's annual reunion down by the Current River where my grandmother grew up. Her brother-in-law "Bob" is a minister; the last I heard, he attended a Foursquare church, and I think before that he was a Baptist. (You can tell I'm not too up-to-date on my relatives' lives.)
Anyway, while sunning after swimming with my niece in the river, a bunch of folks started towards the river with talk of a baptism. It seems that a couple (I don't know how they're related to me, but they have a daughter about my niece's age, and Lar talked to her for a bit) had decided to get baptized and Uncle Bob was going to do the honors. He took them both out together, basically gave a mini sermon and said a prayer (I didn't catch all he said; I was too far away and he spoke very softly at times), and under they both went.
This was the second non-LDS baptism that I had ever seen. The first was seeing a friend of mine being baptized into the Catholic church a few years ago. That was pretty cool, but very different than what I was used to. This was a bit more familiar, but it still had its differences. Nobody wore white (Uncle Bob was in blue jeans and a button-up shirt, and the couple wore their bathing suits) and I don't think there was a confirmation. I know the family stood around talking, but I didn't really pay attention to what was going on.
Aside from getting burned to a crisp on just about all but my face, I had a really good time. My niece wanted me to hold her, as usual, and people actually asked me if she was my daughter. Somebody even assumed that I was the one who was expecting, not my sister, since I was holding Book; and being behind my folks didn't help, since nobody could see my tummy and see that I was not four months along. ^_^ I missed my hubby, but I'm hoping he can come next year.

Note for non-members: In an LDS baptism, the baptizer and the baptizee wear white to symbolize purity, and baptism is done by immersion. Afterwards, the baptizee is confirmed by somebody holding the priesthood, and the gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon the individual. Feel free to read more at the official LDS sites in my sidebar.

Congrats to...

Harold and Sara! We got the invitation in the mail today. They'll be married on 11 June in the St. Louis temple, and have a ring ceremony that evening at our stake center. Here's to an eternity of happiness and love.
~Sister T

Evangelist = Patriarch?

I was reading about the Community of Christ on their website the other day, just to be curious. It's interesting to see the different ways we see eye-to-eye, but also to see where our doctrines differ. One that jumped out at me is a sacrament that the CoC has that is similar to the patriarchal blessing that a person is given in the LDS church. From what I've been told at the Non-Mormon Latter-day Saints board over at Beliefnet (this post title is named after the thread I started there), the patriarchal blessing was also given to members of the CoC church. What makes the two different is that women were ordained to the priesthood in the CoC in 1985, and the term "patriarch" no longer fit. Instead, they call it the evangelist's blessing. Also, the evangelist's blessing no longer names which tribe one is descended from (as is done in the LDS church), more than one blessing can be obtained throughout a person's lifetime (where in the LDS, a person receives their patriarchal blessing only once), and there is an option for the blessing to be recorded (LDS blessings are recorded).

It's a Mother's Day miracle! ^_^

My hubby was able to go to Sacrament meeting today! He was only there for an hour, but that was okay, because he was there!
Last night, he asked me what time the other ward that shares our building starts. I looked it up, and they start at 11:30 (we start at 9:00). So he set his alarm so he could go to the other ward for sacrament. (A little FYI: He has a hard time getting up early because of the fibromyalgia. We've been working on getting him to bed and waking up early a few days, and it helps a bit. He hasn't been able to go to church for a long time, and he thought it would be a good idea to attend the other ward to get the sacrament.)
He came back from getting ready for bed a few minutes later and said, "I'm going to our ward tomorrow." I was floored. While he showered, I begged in outward prayer that he would be able to go. After his shower, we said a prayer, mainly asking that he'd feel well enough to go to church the next day, and continued reading in the Book of Mormon where we had left off the other night. The second verse we read was Mormon 9:21 - "Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth."
And wouldn't you know it, I woke up this morning and got myself ready, then hubby woke up and I helped him get ready. When we came upstairs, his dad was going out the door and was happy to see him up. Then his mom saw him. "You're going?" she asked.
"Happy Mother's Day!" he said. Boy was she thrilled! She told us on the ride to church that this was her second favorite Mother's Day. Her most favorite was when my hubby came home from his mission.
So this wasn't such a bad day. ^_^ All the women in the ward got a huge chocolate-almond candybar. I had to leave after he Primary kids sang so I could set up for Nursery, but I was back in time to sing the last hymn. I was so happy that I was able to sit with my husband this Sunday at church, and I'm ever so grateful that our prayer was answered.
So, that's my miracle! Thank you for letting me gush. ^_^

Time for God

I got this as a handout in Young Women's a number of years ago. The author, from what I've seen online, is unknown, but if somebody knows who the author is, I would truly appreciate knowing who said it.

Hi,
As you got up this morning, I watched you and hoped you would talk to me, even if it was just a few words, asking my opinion or thanking me for something good that happened in your life yesterday. But I noticed you were too busy trying to find the right outfit to put on and wear to work.
I waited again. When you ran around the house getting ready I knew there would be a few minutes for you to stop and say hello, but you were too busy. At one point you had to wait fifteen minutes with nothing to do except sit in a chair. Then I saw you spring to your feet. I thought you wanted to talk to me but you ran to the phone and called a friend to get the latest gossip.
I watched as you went to work and I waited patiently all day long. With all your activities I guess you were too busy to say anything to me. I noticed that before lunch you looked around, maybe you felt embarrassed to talk to me, that is why you didn't bow your head. You glanced three or four tables over and you noticed some of your friends talking to me briefly before they ate, but you didn't. That's okay. There is still more time left, and I have hope that you will talk to me.
Yet you went home and it seems as if you had lots of things to do. After a few of them were done you turned on the TV, I don't know if you like TV or not, just about anything goes there & you spent a lot of time each day in front of it, not thinking about anything - just enjoying the show. I waited patiently again as you watched the TV and ate your meal but again you didn't talk to me.
Bedtime I guess you felt too tired. After you said goodnight to your family you plopped into bed and fell asleep in no time. That's okay because you may not realize that I am always there for you. I've got patience more than you will ever know. I even want to teach you how to be patient with others as well. I love you so much that I wait everyday for a nod, prayer or thought or a thankful part of your heart. It is hard to have a one-sided conversation.
Well you are getting up again and once again I will wait with nothing but love for you hoping that today you will give me some time. Have a nice day!
Love,
Your Heavenly Father

Let me get a big "Heck yeah"!

Beliefnet has a corner called Blog Heaven: Where faith blogs go if they're good. Under "General" is a site called holyweblog.com (sporadically reviewing the good, the bad and the quirky in the religious world),
and it had an entry from a country station in Utah that did a spoof of Gretchen Wilson's Redneck Woman, and called it Mormon Woman. This is freakin' hilarious! I couldn't find the lyrics, but I did download the song, and I had to laugh at just about everything. The guy who did it, Robert Lund, is a parody song writer, and performed this very well. It's one of those things you have to hear at least once. So give it a try!

Stake Conference is this Sunday!

And we're doing something different. I seem to remember them saying something about this between sessions of General Conference, but it was kind of an interesting surprise. Instead of having a regular SC where members of the stake speak, we'll have opening and closing excercises, but the conference will be broadcast from Salt Lake! I'm not sure exactly how it'll work, but I think it's neat.
I'm hoping that hubby can come to SC on Sunday. It'll only be for two hours, and he won't have to get up too early. Well, it'll be early for him (8:30/9:00), but not as early as he would have to for regular church (7:30/8:00).
I've kinda slacked some on my Book of Mormon challenge. I'm a few days behind, but I think Sunday is a good day to catch up on where I should be. I should be up to Mosiah 11 by then.
Mira brought this up to me today. It's amazing how the Lord provides for us. Last month, we realized that I needed to find a job so we can have an income again since he's not fully healed yet. This was my first week at my new job (I work at a day-care/pre-school with 6 week to 8 month olds), and today was payday. Not only did I get my first paycheck, but I also got a check from the Board of Elections Commissioners today for working the polls for this month's elections (5 April). This means I can start paying tithing again, which is a real blessing.
Mira told me about a guy in Peru that was weary about paying tithing. "Just look at [so-and-so]. He pays his tithing and he still lives in the same old house, works at the same old job, can't read." The list went on.
Mira told him (or was it his comp?), "But he has a job that puts food on the table, he has a place to live, and all four of his children have gone to college (which is difficult in Peru)." Paying tithing does not automatically give you tons of money to buy a mansion, an expensive car, and the latest fashions, all things you may want, but it does enable you to get what you need. 10% may sound like a lot to some people, but it might be better than what you have to pay to the government in taxes very year. ^_^

The Modest Prom

I was reading the headlines of the local newspaper online when an article caught my eye. It was about the tri-stake prom for the Laurels and Priests* that was held this weekend. The authors interviewed some of the youth, and one of the gals they interviewed is the Stake President's daughter, and one of the guys is our ward chorister.
I went to see Phantom of the Opera that night with some of my family and friends (I've seen it three times now ^_^), and when we were talking in the foyer after the movie was over, I asked my dad where one of my brothers was. "Oh, he went to the dance tonight."
"So why didn't [my youngest brother] go?" I asked. My youngest brother is 14, and he can go to the dances now, so I was confused as to why he didn't.
"Because [other brother]'s a priest, and the priest/laurel prom was tonight."
"Oh that's right! He's a... wait! He's a priest?!" It had completely skipped my mind that he's a priest now! Man I feel old. "Don't feel too bad," said mom's friend Rosie. "I remember when you were a bump" she said as she pointed to my tummy. ^_^

*For non-LDS, a Laurel is a young woman in the last two years of the Young Women's program. Beehive girls are 12-13, Mia Maids are 14-15, and Laurels are 16-17. A Priest is the last two years of the Young Men's program. Deacons are 12-13, Teachers are 14-15, and Priests are 16-17.

Update: This weekend, it was on the homepage of the church website! How cool is that?

My condolences to...

First, Terri Schiavo's family (both sides). I apologize for your loss. She is no longer suffering and you'll see her again one day.
Second, to the family and friends of Mitch Hedberg, my hubby's favorite comedian. He's probably telling jokes to his Creator, and I'll bet He's laughing His head off. ^_^
Finally, to the Catholic people, and the loss of their spiritual leader, Pope John Paul II. May his life be an inspiration to Catholics (and non-Catholics) the world over.

First Vision as NDE?

I've picked up an interest in Near Death Experiences (NDE's) lately, and found an interesing site that compares Joseph Smith's first vision to a NDE. Even if you don't believe in them, it's worth at least checking out.

I've come to the conclusion...

that only God knows the intentions of Michael Schiavo's heart, and if his intentions in letting his wife go are not good, then it will be her innocent blood on his hands. And that's all I have to say about it.

Book Review: Mormonville by Jeff Call

I found this book in the library/guest bedroom upstairs and started reading it last night. I finished it about two minutes ago.
Luke Manning is a major writer for a New York paper and leads a very worldly lifestyle. Jack Kilborn, a man who owns a publishing company, contacts him one day with a premise for a new book: "My Year Among the Mormons: The inside story of America's most powerful cult". Luke is to live in a small county in Utah for one year, infiltrate the church, and uncover and expose any lies. This entitles a lot of lifestyle changes and a lot of acting, but he pulls it off and eventually the members of the Helaman 6th ward think they have a potential convert on their hands.
It's an interesting book; I couldn't put it down. I will advise some members that there is talk among some of the non-member characters about the church in general being a cult and members of the church being polygamists, brainwashed, and all stuff that we know to be untrue. ^_^ It's actually quite humorous. But if you're sensitive to any slight jabs over the church, then there are a few parts you can skip ahead. Especially when Luke has a first discussion with the missionaries and hurls all sorts of comments and questions at them. Just remember that it's only a book, and pray that you never run into people like that. ^_^
Anyway, even though it's a novel about the church, it isn't too preachy. There are characters that are often characteristic of LDS people that we've known or have been been acquainted with. George Durrant was correct when he said in his review, "You will see yourself or your fellow members and leaders on every page." Looking at the church from a non-member's point of view, even one bent on digging up dirt about the church, is an experience in and of itself.
The only real beef I have with the book is when I knew something was going to happen and wasn't surprised when it did. Although that only happened two or three times.
All in all, I found it to be an entertaining book. I'd read it again.

MormonChic.com

I don't remember how I stumbled onto this website, but I'm glad I did. It has all sorts of interesting subjects for women in the church. It's divided into seven different Chic sections: Gospel (having to do with the church), Deal Diva (shopping tips and tricks), Recipe (delicious recipes to try), Mommy (all about being a mother), Style (for fashionable ladies), Crafty (for the handiwoman), and Healthy (all about health).
There are a variety of articles in each section, and lots of great ideas for Enrichment night (for those outside the church, Enrichment night is one night a month where the sisters 18 and up can go and learn and hang out). There are even Special Topics dealing with holidays, baby 101, weddings, and missionaries. It's definitely worth at least checking it out.

Happy birthday to my stake!

Our stake celebrated our 25th anniversary this weekend with a variety show on Saturday night (which I missed because I was at a friend's wedding reception), and a fireside last night.
Our stake was organized on 16 March 1980. We have had four Stake Presidents since then, including the current one, and all but the last one were present at last night's festivities. I had never met Vern, the first SP, only heard of him, until last night. George, the second SP is in my ward, Denny, the third SP has moved (to Utah?), and Dave, the current SP grew up with my parents and my sister's mother-in-law. Both stake patriarchs were also present. Fred served for 24 years in the position (my SIL was his first blessing), and John has been there for almost a year. All six men were presented with different tokens of esteem to commemorate the 25th anniversary.
We were told to get there half an hour early to see a slide of different people and events from the past 25 years. I got there two minutes late and missed seeing a picture of my dad's family, but I did see some people I knew. The main piece of the program was a 25th Birthday Tribute to the SP's and a brief history of the stake.
Dave presented us yet again with a challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days. We did this last year for the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the stake center. Mira and I tried, but we didn't succeed, as we had trouble remembering and staying on track. I'm going to do it myself, along with our regular reading of the BoM.
Not only are we celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the stake, but also the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth, and the 175th anniversary of the organization of the church and the first printing of the Book of Mormon. Not only are we going to read it as a stake, but in honor of the first 5,000 copies that were printed in 1830, we are going to give out 5,ooo copies from now until 26 June. The next day, all the families of the stake will hold a Family Home Evening about Joseph and Hyrum Smith, on the 161st anniversary of their deaths. Then at 8:00 p.m., we'll kneel in prayer and pray for "gratitude and appreciation for the life of the Prophet, the Restoration and organization of the Church, and the publication of the Book of Mormon" (taken from the info we got from last night). We'll also pray for those who received a copy of the book that they'll read it and gain a testimony of it. So we'll see how this works out.

Review: The Work and the Glory

My mother-in-law and I went to see this tonight. The closest theatre to us that was still showing it was almost an hour away, but boy was it worth it. There were eleven people including us: ten adults and a cute little blond girl, maybe four or five years old. When it ended, the lady in front of us said, in a French sounding accent, "I want to see the rest!"
It was interesting how they didn't really bring too much theology into it. Joseph recounts his vision, and we see a couple of people baptized. That's about it. The movie instead focuses on more of the history of the early church, and a major point of focus is the persecution that Joseph and his followers endured. What's sad is that it still goes on today. But I digress.
What can I say? I liked this movie. The music was reminiscent of most church-sponsored films, but that's okay. It worked. The acting was a whole lot better than that of The Book of Mormon Movie, but that's just my opinion. I think Jonathan Scarfe did a wonderful job portraying Joseph Smith. And the subplot involving Joshua and Nathan with Lydia reminded me of an episode in my life (possible spoiler for those who haven't read th books): I was interested in one guy, but he made himself scarce for a while and I ended up going for another guy. The big difference was that in my case, the two men were not brothers. Okay, possible spoiler alert over. ^_^
Anyway, I definitely want this movie as a part of my movie collection. I doubt I'll be able to get a copy where I live though. But maybe I will! Who knows?

Anniversary!

Two years ago today, I knelt in front of Mira and was sealed to him for eternity in the Lord's temple. Here's to many more years of happiness. (He wrote me the sweetest poem for my birthday last week! Is there any wonder why I love this man?)
Sister T

I'm a Mohican!

A startling realization surfaced at Enrichment tonight: Not only am I in a minority, I am the minority! That's right, I am the only young married woman in the ward who does not yet have children! (And we are still the ward newlyweds since the recent newlyweds moved into a different ward. It'll be two years in less than two weeks! ^_^)
Anyway, I realized this at Enrichment night this evening when we divided up into three groups to talk about Family Home Evening at different stages in life: 1) singles, newlyweds without kids, and older folks with kids out of the house, 2) for families with young children, and 3) for families with teenagers. [I was in charge of getting the children's class in order (neé nursery; we just started it last month; they want the kids to actually learn something instead of play the whole time), but I didn't have to stay there. I had a week or so to prepare, but knowing me... Let's just say that procrastination is the only way I can get anything done. I've written some of my best papers the night before! ^_^ But back to our regularly scheduled blog...]
We started off in the Relief Society room, then broke off into our different classes and met back together for the last 15 minutes, then mingled. Anyway, my group consisted of my mother-in-law, who taught the class, two older single sisters (one widowed, one divorced), two older married sisters, and me. Boy did I look out of place! They were all dressed in nice blouses and slacks, and I came in my long sleeved tee and bluejeans. They had all had children before, and I'm just a really loveable aunt and fun nursery leader. Half of the time, we had a lesson, the rest of the time we just talked. Well, they talked, and I chimed in every once in a while.
And my procrastination paid off! The children's class went very well. Remind me to tell you how to play "Don't Eat Pete!" It's cute. ^_^
Well, what started out as a thought ended up as a full scale recap of my evening. Oh well. Congratulations if you made it this far.

What would I do?

One of my worse fears is wondering what I would do if my husband died young, especially before we have kids. I read an article in next month's Ensign that dealth with a woman whose husband died two months after their daughter was born. So far, she has not been remarried, nor do I think she mentioned anything about the possibility of doing so in the future.
I've often wondered what I would do if Mira were to pass away at such a young age. What makes it worse is that he has fibromyalgia, and there are times I worry and freak out that something will happen and I'll be left a widow, even though I haven't heard about anybody dying because of fibro.
In trying to weigh my options in case, heaven forbid, something happens, I realize that I might have to remain a widow, which is something I don't know if I could handle. I couldn't get sealed again because I've already been sealed once. Even getting married for time only, whether to a member or non-member, has it's drawbacks. If I marry a member and we have children together, to whom would they be sealed? To Mira and I? Or my new husband and I? The same goes if I marry a non-member. What if he decides to join the church? He couldn't be sealed to me because I've already been sealed once. And what would happen if we had children together? It bogles my mind and I pray that I never have to deal with it.
It might be a bit easier if we had kids before he passes into the next stage. Then I'd have my kids to love and wouldn't feel too alone. Being a social widow is difficult enough as it is. When I was younger, I'd look at the couples in my ward and look forward to the day that I would be able to sit next to my husband with his arm around me. And for a while, I was able to. But then he got sick and wasn't able to come to church as often, which has continued for quite a while. Being in the nursery has been a safety for me, though. There have been times where I've sat in the chapel with all the couples and have been saddened because my other half isn't with me. So I set up in the nursery before the sacrament and go into the foyer to receive it, then if I have more work to be done, then I finish up during the rest of the meeting. But if I'm done, I stay in the foyer. It helps me keep my mind off the fact that I'm there alone. I guess it keeps me sane.

A couple thoughts...

My mother-in-law shared with us an e-mail she received from her mom (both of Mira's grandmothers are alive) recently. A guy is sitting in a chair at a barber's office, and the barber tells him that he's an athiest. Curious, the mas asks why. "Well," said the barber, " if there were a god, he wouldn't let anything bad happen. There can't be a god because of all the evil in the world." The man, unsure of what to say to that, lets the barber continue to cut his hair, and as he leaves, he sees a homeless man with long hair and a scraggly beard down the street. So the man walks back in and says, "There are no such things as barbers."
"What do you mean?" asked the barber. "I'm right here!"
"But I saw a man down the street with long hair and a scraggly beard. If there were such a thing as barbers, this man would have short hair and be clean shaven."
"But I can't do anything if he doesn't come to me!"
"That's exactly the point! How can we expect God to help us if we don't go to him for help?"

Yesterday was Fast Sunday. In testimony meeting, the daughter of one of my visiting teachers, all of seven, got up and said she was grateful for her family. "My family had a new baby named (name here). I thought my brother would be the last one (he's three), but you never know." I was setting up for nursery and listening to it in there, so I didn't see her parents' reactions to it, but I'm sure I heard some laughing in there. ^_^

I've been thinking: When my nieces and nephews have kids, what relation are I and Mira to them? Great- aunt and great-uncle?

Pre wedding advice

In trying to think of advice for newlywed couples, I'm reminded of some advice that I should give before the wedding actually takes place.
The day we got married was the last day of classes before Spring Break of 2003, so Mira had a few classes in the morning of our wedding day and left his last class early to get to the temple on time. When I got there, he was nowhere to be found. Needless to say, I was getting impatient. Where was my future husband?! He showed up a few minutes later and told me that he forgot the marriage license, so he sent two of his SIL's back to the house to get it. About 15 minutes before they got back, he realized he also forgot my wedding band and his white shoes so we could take pictures outside afterwards. We borrowed another SIL's ring to stand in place of my band so we could exchange rings after the ceremony, and a nephew of his ran over to the mini-Beehive clothing store to get him a pair of shoes.
The next day was our reception, and we woke up late. By the time we got to church to get my hair done, some pictures taken, and all that jazz, we were about half an hour late in starting. Oh boy, what an interesting 48 hours! So, to recap: make sure you have everything you need before you get there and don't wake up late the day of the reception when there's a ton of work to be done. I learned the hard way.
Oh, another thought. One of Lar's SIL's is getting married this summer, and she plans on getting her rings soldered a few weeks before the wedding so she doesn't have to have it done later. I wish I would have thought of that! If you can stand not having your ring on your finger for a while, then that's a good idea. If you can't, it's still a good idea. Just get a ring to wear while your other one is in the shop. I don't wear my ring in the shower or in bed [snags the sheets and is dangerous in the dark (Ow! You poked me!)], so we went and bought a silver $10 band from Walmart. It does nicely and if you lose it down the drain, you're only out $10.
Still need to think of more advice for post wedding bliss, though. Be patient, it will come!

My advice

I was at a wedding reception the other night (29 December 2004) for a guy I went to church with (my dad played photographer at the ring ceremony and reception and took a picture of a bunch of us that were youth together in the stake) and ran into Harold and Sara (see the "It's about time! post). I talked to Sara for a few minutes before Harold came by to talk; I congratulated her on their engagement and mentioned that I was coming up on my 2nd anniversary with Mira and she asked if I had any advice. I blanked! I said, "Um, have fun?" It wasn't until later that I thought of some advice I could have given her. (I'll mete that out later.) Then Harold came over and gave me a hug! I have never hugged that guy when we were teens, and here I was, reaching up to put my arm around his shoulder. I congratulated him and small talked with them about Mira not being there because his back was hurting again and other trivial matters. It was nice to see them again, and I wish them (and RT and his new wife "Janey") the best of luck in their lives together.
Now, onto the list. I started this list at my mom's, but left the list there, so I'll have to remember as much as I can, and add on a few more. Remember, this is just my advice and you can take it or leave it.

1. This is familiar advice that has probably been passed down from parents to newlyweds since the church began, but here it is anyway: read the scriptures and pray together every day.

2. Attend the temple together whenever possible. You never know when either of you will be unable.

3. Take time (especially on busy days) to just be with each other. For example: cuddle on the couch, in bed, etc. for ten minutes each day.

4. You don’t have to spend every waking minute with your spouse. Take some time to be alone, or you’ll never have anything to talk about and you’ll get on each other’s nerves. (Personal experience!)

5. When I was dating Mira, he was the most attractive man I had ever known. To this day, he is still the most attractive man I’ve ever known. And to this day, he says I am the most attractive woman he has ever known. Always remind your spouse how attractive s/he is to you.

6. Three words: breakfast in bed.

I've been picking my brain for more, but I'm fresh out of ideas. I'll post more later.

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. ^_^

On John 3:5

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God".
This verse means that in order to "enter into the kingdom of God", we must be baptized and given the Spirit, or the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Now, I don't know a whole lot about being "born again" and "saved", as it relates to different denominations. As far as I know, Latter-Day Saints, Catholics, Baptists, and some other mainline Christian denominations believe that you need to be baptized. The methods are different (sprinkling as opposed to immersion), but the idea is still the same: being born of water.
So, how are some considered "saved" and "born again" by simply proclaiming belief in Christ? "I prayed to God, told Him I was a sinner, and that I wanted to be saved. So I invited Him into my life and I've been saved ever since." How is that justified if the Bible states that you need to be baptized in order to be accepted into the kingdom of God?
Please, don't point out other doctrines and ask me about them, especially in regards to LDS doctrine. That is not the point. Please stick to the question at hand.

"For the temple is a holy place where we [were] sealed together"

I started thinking today, out of nowhere, about when I announced that I was getting married. All my friends are non-members, so since I was having a temple wedding, they wouldn't be able to actually see the happy event. I didn't think until after the fact about having a ring ceremony for them to have a sense of participation in the whole thing, outside of the reception. If I could do it all over again, I would have added that to the list of events. I apologize now for not doing so.
I made up my mind as a young woman that I wanted to be married in the temple. And when we finally had one in St. Louis, I had it set in stone. True, I could have had a regular wedding first, but I would have had to wait a year until we could go to the temple and be sealed.
I wish that I could have had my friends there to see the tear that rolled down my cheek when I said that I would be taken as Mira's wife (not his real name). I wish that they could have heard the promises we made to each other in that sacred place. It would have been nice to have the rest of my family there as well. One day, I hope to see my siblings do the same.
I hope that if my non-member friends have any questions, they'll get in touch with me and I will try and explain to the best of my abilities. There's a lot I can't say because of it's sacred nature, but I'll do what I can.

I'm confuzzled...

I was on my way to see my father-in-law, a dentist, about a wisdom tooth I have that's bugging me. My gums are infected, so I'm on amoxicillin to get rid of the bacteria and I'm taking aspirin for the pain. It turns out my tooth is coming up straight like it should and has just barely enough room, but I can keep it.
Anyway, back to the point. In order to get there, we had to pass into my old neighborhood. In my old neighborhood, there is a church, and that church usually has cute signs out front, like, "Sign broken. Hear message inside". Today's message really made me think. But not in the deep religious, philosophical way, mind you. I wondered about the message that they were trying to send across:

"God grades on the cross, not on the curve."

Excuse me? The first thing that I thought was that today was the 3rd anniversary of the bombing of the World Trade Center towers. 11 September. Are they saying what I think they're saying? Or am I making something out of nothing?

The book's better than the movie

My husband and I have a temporary movie pass at the local Blockbuster store to rent as many movies as we want in one month (two at a time) for $15 or so. So we've been renting some movies that we've wanted to see or that looked halfway interesting that we didn't see in theatres because we can. ^_^ He went the other day and rented the Book of Mormon movie. My recently married nephew said he didn't like it, but we decided we'd make up our own minds about it.
We didn't watch the whole thing. We saw the first twenty minutes or so, then fast forwarded to see a few scenes, but all in all, we weren't impressed. It was too theatrical. The actors in this movie were like actors on stage, speaking a bit louder and kinda unnatural in order to be heard.
I've seen some of the cartoons about it, and I think I like them better. As far as non-members go, I think it's a good way for them to be introduced to the church. But as for me and my husband, the book is better.