Youth Conference 2017

As parents we get to write a letter to our children who attend youth conference. Boaz is one year away from attending, and this might be Josh's last year. The whole August birthday messes things up in the summer for him.

This year was a mission theme. So I ended up writing a letter as if he were on his mission.

Dear Josh,

I have been thinking about this moment ever since you were born. But that seemed like such a long time away. Now, here it is. I have to give you up for you to serve the Lord. As I write that, I think about the scripture where Mary and Joseph were looking for young Jesus. He was anxious to be about His Father’s business. They were still holding on to Him, knowing He was still a child.

I don’t know if moms are ever ready for their children to become adults and leave the nest. I have been watching this moment coming. I know I am excited for you. I know you will do marvelous things. I also know I will miss you.

You have a strong testimony, and that testimony colors your world. It orders how you think and gives you strength as you run. I love to hear your thoughts on the gospel and life. You have your father’s wisdom already. Because of what you know and what you feel, you have patience with life and people.

Your sense of fun and humor carries you through your days. Your smile takes my breath away. Your humor is clean, smart and sly.

These two foundational elements of your personality will carry you through the rough moments and enlarge the happy ones. They attract people who are seeking light and truth. You allow the Light of Christ to shine through you. Your devotion to God and love of life attract those seeking something. Many times, they don’t even know what they are seeking or missing.

I know you have the gifts necessary to accomplish your mission and your purpose. I know you will have success. I know you will do great things in His service.

I also know you have my stubbornness. Harness that stubbornness and use it when things become hard. Be firm and unmovable in the tempests and trials. Hold your ground and refuse to yield to the uncertainty and sorrow.

I give you the advice President Hinckley’s father gave him when he was lonely in England on his mission. “Forget yourself and get to work.” Your mission is your tithing to the Lord on the years of your childhood. Offer yourself up to His purpose and He will bless you with joy and happiness and significance. Missions are wonderful and hard. Be joyful and stubborn.

I love you and I am so proud of you. 

Stand firm in the Light

Defeat the Darkness

Scripture D&C 88

The Olive Leaf. So full of treasured knowledge. It is a long section, and I do t think I have been mindful reading the whole thing. I start out right, and then I get distracted by something and lose my focus. Maybe the key is to stop and think about the verses that catch my attention and begin again with new verses later. Who says I have to read the entire section I. One sitting?

So these are the verses that caught my attention today. 

To achieve the Celestial Kingdom we must fulfill the measure of our creation. We were born with a mission to perform. We must search out our mission and accomplish it. Patriarchal Blessings are a good guide. Prayer and scripture study can help us define our mission. This week at the Family Search Library a man was having a hard time with the computer. He couldn't attach sources to his people. So he pulled out his journal and was transcribing what he had written 10 years ago. He told me he found answers to today's problems in his own recorded words of a decade ago. Journals (in my case, this blog) can help us define our mission also. We must become who God sent us here to become.  

And we must o eye the laws of the Celestial Kingdom. If we want to reside there, we must practice the life of someone who lives there. 

This section talks briefly about the other two kingdoms of glory and then says this about those will not inherited a kingdom of glory, those who remain. 

They were not willing to receive anything better. Where we end up really is according to our choices. We must become and we must obey. Both are difficult, but the reward makes it worth the effort. 

True use of a quilt

I love it when I get these pictures.

The next generation of God's warriors. Sweet little man. He has goodly parents. So much potential. It will be fun to see him grow into who is is.

Visitors

One of my very best friends came to visit me this week. She lives in Missouri, I havent' seen her since we took the road trip to Wisconsin and Indianapolis two years ago.

We had a great time visiting. I took out my camera once. Her newest additions were playing on my piano.

They were so cute.

The older girls went upstairs to hang out and listen to music with my boys. I didn't get a picture. I stayed downstairs and hung out with the younger crowd.

I was honored to feed them dinner, homemade bread, homemade shells and cheese, grapes and watermelon.

I hope that we will be celestial neighbors outside of time. She knows most of my deepest darkest secrets, and she still loves me.  We have known each other for over 20 years. Friends like her don't come around. I will bless the day that I met her all those years ago.

Summer activity

This summer we bought the boys a membership at Sender One. It's a climbing place. We've been twice. This time I took out my camera.

This is bouldering. Shorter wall that don't need a belayer. 

Josh's turn.

Boaz climbing a huge wall. It's a top rope, the rope attached at the top of the wall. Josh is belaying. I didn't get a picture of Josh, because I am the belayer.

The highest he has ever climbed. He was way up there.

He hasn't let me take a picture of his beard before, but I snuck one today. An action shot.

Jersey Boys

Deb came to visit. We quilted like we always do. We are working on a quilt for our niece who is getting married in October. We have the top together, now I just need to sandwich it and quilt it.

Craig took Deb and I to a play, The Jersey Boys. It's the story of Frankie Valli and his group the Four Seasons. I had forgotten how great their music was. The music was fantastic. I was a bit dismayed at the language. I don't know why people think that word is acceptable or funny.

Before the play, we did a little bit of sight seeing.

A Buddhist temple in China town. Craig dropped Deb and I off while he went around the block. It gave us time to take pictures. I wish it had been open, it was amazing.

The amazing carved columns and guardian at the doors.

The painted doors. I was sad about the shadow, oh well. We were there at the wrong time of day to not have it.

Then we went to where the show was. In the next block was the Walt Disney Concert Hall. We were especially excited about this because Craig absolutely loves the movie Get Smart. This building is featured.

The name.

I forgot to take off my sun glasses.

Craig and I.

The amazing lines of the building.

Boaz's lunch group

The second to last day of school, I went with some other moms to get pictures of the lunch group.

Boaz is the only 7th grader in this group. He tells me he will only have 3 friends next year. His best friends, the ones that gained him entrance to the group, will be going to a different high school than the one he will be attending next year.

I was hoping the other mom would be sending me photos, but she hasn't yet.  This is a shot with the girls goofing off, and the boys standing around wondering what to do. A good image of middle school. The boys in the Duke hats are the ones who got Boaz involved in the group.

He will miss these kids. Next year will be interesting.

Take Heart, Press Forward

This is a poem Josh wrote for his English class. I love it. He let me post it here. He would also like some feedback, if you are so inclined.  It is meant to be read aloud, but this was the best way I have of keeping it.

Take Heart, Press Forward

Dust, dirt, pebbles,

Rocks, stones, boulders,

Up the face they form underfoot,

While I continue on my path.

Against weather,

Against nature,

Against gravity

Shuffle, step, walk,

Stumble, jog, run,

My feet burn and flare,

So I struggle upward on my path.

Against weather,

Against nature,

Against gravity

Drowned, icy stones rush to attack my skin.

Leafy fingers reach from their damp graves to grasp my sole, my soul.

My mind is still whole and my eye unconquered,

My feet step to the music, my music, though the trumpets call from far away

Vapor, mist, sprinkle,

Rain, pour, flood,

Numbness surrounds me as armor

As I press on my path.

Against weather,

Against nature,

Against gravity

Dim, dark oblivion.

Black, inky void.

I can’t see my feet,

Step by step I make my own path.

Against weather,

Against nature,

Against gravity

Despite the torrents of heaven and earth’s constant rage,

My trail is one I choose so still I rise and rise and rise,

The reward at the mounts top is not much to look at,

But the journey is worth living.

The path is life, real and earnest.

I bear that discomfort for its sharp truth,

Because tough stones turn soft,

Hard runs turn to rest,

Harsh rain turns to sunshine,

And crushing dark turns to seeing light.

Cutie

Every once in a while Craig will grow some facial hair for me. I love it. Here is a picture just before he shaved it off. 

Quilt for Harrison

I thought I would be up to date for maybe a week, but Reggie came early. I completed this quilt last week, but finally got it mailed off today. Sometimes I tell myself if they are under a year I'm still okay. I really should be better about getting them done on time. Oh well. 

Blues. 

Showing the back. 

Close up of the quilting. 

Scripture - D&C 78

Sunday I got to teach the lesson on the degrees of glory from section 76. I got out my visual aids for my old discussion 4 - in Spanish of course. We reviewed the Plan of Salvation - the three stages of life: pre-mortal, mortal, and post-mortal. Then we talked about the kingdoms of glory. 

Last night I found this scripture. I told Craig that I had read a scripture I had never read before. He told me doubted that. 

This is as clear as I have ever seen it stated. This verse leaves no wiggle room. We must prepare ourselves by doing His commands. By being obedient. And it is His to give; therefore His rules. 

I wish I had seen this verse before my lesson. 

600

Saturday night Craig and I went with his visiting family to the Anaheim Angels game. Our boys were not interested in going to a baseball game. It makes Craig shake his head. But regardless, Craig and I had a date night.

As we were driving to the stadium, Craig explained the stakes of the game. Albert Pujoles had 599 career home runs. There had been several games where he had not had a home run. So Craig was sure it would happen when we were at the stadium. He also predicted that he would catch a foul ball. His third prediction was that we would get ice cream. I laughed and said that he only had control over one of those - the ice cream.

We got there early, because Craig likes to be early. We sat on the side of left field. Craig explained that Pujols liked to hit to left field. So we were placed well for the foul ball.

The sign that keeps everybody hyped for the potential record home run.

Pujols come to bat a few innings and struck out. We could tell he really wanted that hit. He swung with everything he had. I felt bad for him. However that all changed when he came to bat with the bases loaded. The score was 2 - 1. We all sat on the edge of our seats. The pitcher was having a great game, until this moment. Because Pujols swung with all he had and he connected. He hit a grand slam for his 600th career home run.

The stadium went wild. Fireworks went off. The fans went crazy.  Craig and I went crazy.

We were part of history. We saw something amazing.