Deadlines

Monday night Josh came down the stairs a bit panicked. BYU applications are due Thursday (tomorrow). He called and set up ecclesiastical interviews and is finalizing his essays. He had to ask one more person for a recommendation. 

I have been bugging him to get it done since November. He’s been telling me he was on track. 

Today I am sitting in the stake offices - one day before the deadline finishing up part of this process. He still has finishing up of the essays. 

Nothing like last minute. 

Scripture - Alma 49

On my mission we were taught that the Book of Mormon is a pattern for our day. Following that, I believe we can find many scriptural gems in Alma. A book that talks about wars and intrigue. 

I think about this young generation and how they are more prepared than my generation was. And we were more prepared than the previous. 

Somehow I seem to find myself stressed about what is really God’s job. It is clearly to big for me. I clearly do not see the whole picture. I need to remind myself that line Captain Moroni, God has prepared his people for the coming conflicts. And with that preparation comes protection and victory. 

Cold in Cali

I know California is no where near how cold it is in other frozen parts of the country. But we have become accustomed to our lovely weather. 

Last night Josh came down stairs looking like this. 

I made the robe and the hat, that is why they match so well. :)

He wasn't too happy that I took the picture, but I'm sure he wore the outfit to get a reaction out of me. We started up the fireplace and he got cozy.

Poem by Boaz

In school, Boaz and his classmates have been talking about the Holocaust. As an assignment they had to draw a picture, write a poem, or write an essay about a survivor. There was a list they could choose from. 

I was surprised to hear my Boaz say he was going to write a poem. He started on two poems but had to scrap them because it was specific to his survivor. 

This is his finished product. 

I love it. This is his first ever poem. I had no idea he could do that. 

Apron

For weddings I have settled into making aprons and giving proven recipes. 

I was going to go with this color scheme. 

Nice, bright, cheery colors. Then I called her mom and asked if she liked cool or warm colors. She told me black and white. Whew! I’m glad I called because orange and yellow is very far from black and white. 

This is what I ended up making. 

I like it. I know it’s not much, but I done it for years now. So I’ll keep with it. 

Meeting in the temple

Craig’s niece got married Saturday in Salt Lake City. Craig and I drove up to be there. We drove from sunny California to be met by this. 

It continued to snow all night and we woke up to this. 

You can’t even tell we shoveled the night before. We were to meet at the temple by 10:45. With the snow, Craig and I showed up earlier. We were not the first to arrive. There is a marriage waiting room on the third floor. We relaxed in the waiting room and watched the family arrive. I don’t think I can describe the feeling of greeting family members we hadn’t seen in a long time in the temple. It was so sweet and it had me thinking about how it will feel as we greet and are greeted by those who have passed before us as we cross the veil. 

The bride was radiant. Craig’s mom looked more frail. She is still recovering from double pneumonia. All of Craig’s brothers and sisters and their spouses were there. It was a beautiful reunion and ceremony. 

I am again struck by how important five minutes is. The whole of eternity turners on those short five minutes in the temple. 

A few pictures from Saturday. 

They made it. 

Smiling in the cold. And it was cold. 

The beautiful Oquirrh Mountain Temple. 

The siblings. 

Brothers. 

Dawn and the boys. 

Dawn and the kids. 

Dawn and the girls. 

With the bride. 

Dawn with the outlaws. 

Stake Conference

Josh was asked to talk in Stake Conference two weeks ago. He was asked to talk about family history and how he has participated. 

Well, it was announced recently that priests could baptize in the temple. So he decided he wanted to do that to prepare for his talk. He has to update his recommend. (He told me that he just had his last limited use recommend interview.) I looked for names. My sister, Debbie, helped me and we found 20 names. I called to set an appointment for Tuesday and the latest appointment was at 4. I was hoping for 6. Craig got off early and I picked Boaz up from school. He rushed to change and we headed to the temple. 

I just printed off male names. I wanted to be able to watch him baptize both Boaz and Craig. Next time I will take female names too. 

The temple staff was happy to help and get us set up. Josh’s smiled wide and big. He had sparking eyes. I grabbed for my Kleenex’s. 

Sunday came and the boys went to priesthood leadership meeting first. Josh had a few minutes to gather himself and then he went up on the stand. He chatted a bit with the new temple president. He was first to speak. 

I was surprised to hear that the day of, and a few days before, he had lost his enthusiasm and actually didn’t want to do it after all. But because we all worked so hard to get there that he didn’t say he didn’t want to go anymore. He then told what a good experience it was. He has done names provided by the temple, but talked a bit about the difference when you do family names. 

I was so proud of him. He projected well and spoke with confidence. 

One of his seminary teachers was sitting in the row ahead of us. He promised his kids if they read for 30 days straight he will draw a picture of them. Craig and I watched this happen. 

I absolutely love it. 

All in all a fantastic day. 

New temple opportunity

Beginning in January, priests are allowed to baptize in the temple. Josh was asked to give a brief talk in Stake Conference this weekend about his experiences doing family history. Josh decided he wanted to go to the temple with family names so he could perform the baptisms. 

First he had to update his recommend. He came home and said that was his last limited access recommend. That was a bit crazy to think about. 

Today I called to get an appointment. The evening was filled with youth groups, but they had time available at 4:00. Craig got off work early. I picked up Boaz from school. When we got back, Josh and Craig were already ready. Boaz hurried to get his church clothes on. 

Josh paced a bit nervously. He had a huge smile just thinking about what he was getting ready to do. 

For the past week, I’ve been trying to find family names. With Debbie’s help we were able to find 20 male names. 

I sat and watched my son baptize my youngest son and my husband. It was incredible. He had a huge smile. 

Next time I’ll take some female names. 

We are looking at eight months til he heads out on his mission. We are grateful for this chance for him to practice before he goes. I guess I will be hunting names a bit more earnestly. 

Family coming to visit

I absolutely love it when family comes to visit. Today my sister came with her oldest and his family. They flew into San Diego. We met in Oceanside for lunch and a walk down the pier. 

Today the Southern California coast looked more like the Oregon coast. The fog rolled in and we had a gray day. But it was lovely to be there with family. Wyatt and Walker liked the ocean. 

And this lovely gentleman allowed us to coo over him and take his picture. 

We saw a pelican flying along the beach and of course there were mobs of seagulls. 

I’m looking forward to playing with my sister for the next few days. 

Scripture - Alma 28

I have read past some of my favorite Book of Mormon stories and not posted anything about them. I don’t really know why. But this mornings reading caught my attention. 

These verses are the last of the chapter, so I couldn’t get the chapter in the screen shot the way I wanted to. 

This chapter talks about the devastation of the wars from the beginning of the reign of the judges. And the previous verses talk about the mourning of the people. 

Verse 13 says the inequality of man is caused by Satan. The inequality of sadness in sorrow versus joy and hope in sorrowful circumstances. 

Our country is mired in what inequality means and how to remedy it. Right here is the answer. The remedy is the gospel of Jesus Christ which brings a joyous life and hope in a joyous eternity. There is no discussion of possessions or position. Although clearly we are to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Clearly we are to offer compassion and relief to those who need. Clearly we are to feed the hungry and visit the sick. But happiness and well-being cannot be extended by any other way than the The Way. 

True inequality is the distance between joy and sorrow. 

A Remarkable Man

Today I woke to the news that President Monson died last night. 

He has been part of my life ever since I can remember. I have looked forward to his stories every year in General Conference. He always spoke so I could understand. 

He traveled the world on the Lord’s errand and met with dignitaries and officials. 

I grabbed these photos from his official Facebook page. 

He was dignified and effective in his efforts. But what I remember about him was his smile and sense of humor. 

He smiled a lot. His teeth were beautiful. His eyes danced with merriment. He set up his stories so he could laugh and enjoy the laughter of others. He didn’t mind poking fun at himself. He showed us his youthful errors and lessons learned. He allowed us to see him. 

I have loved his stories my whole life. I have loved him my whole life. 

I am happy for him that he no longer lives with pain and sickness. I am very happy for him that he is back with his lovely Frances. 

But I will miss him. He has been a constant in my life. He always pointed to the Savior. And now he has been invited Home. 

I’m sure his welcome party is large. All his widows that he cared for and never forgot and their grateful soldier husbands. His parents and his dear wife. All the people that he met and loved world wide. And his prophetic predissors. And of course his loving Master who he served so well. There must be a grand reunion being celebrated of a man who ran his race well and who finished his fight with honor.