Author: Jeanne

Born in southern Idaho. Attended Brigham Young University. Worked as a transfusion service medical technologist at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah for 45 years. Married Robert & have 3 children, 7 grandchildren.

In The Quiet of the Night

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In the quiet of the night, when most are asleep,
I wake from my slumber and rise to my feet.
I go to a place and listen to my soul,
And peace within me does slowly grow.

I pray in the silence for guidance from above,
For protection from Satan, by God’s wondrous love,
For protection from my own thoughts and all life’s vanity,
That I may hear the sweet spirit, that can set my soul free.

Then I end this humble prayer, in the name of God’s Son,
And pray for ears to hear and heart to feel, the Holy One.
Then my mind and my spirit are prepared to receive.
I write down the feelings that come to those who believe.

The message of Christ’s love, I’ve been given today,
Is to turn to the Father, and He will teach us to pray.
The Holy Ghost waits to guide us, who search for the light,
And faith, hope and charity come to all, who seek with heart, mind & might.

The following link is a 4-minute personal story of the power of prayer.
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2010-01-01-prayer?lang=eng

You may have noticed that some of the poems on this site have the words, “dictations of the spirit”. That’s what Bob calls his inspiration in the early morning hours, when most of the poems are written. As described above, he prays to have his mind cleared and then listens for words, and the poems flow with much more ease than when this inspiration is not sought for, or listened to.

We believe one of the greatest challenges is to be able to discern the answers to prayers. We would love to hear stories from you concerning this subject, and your successes and failures, and advice. Your appropriate comments are always welcome.

Inspiration Comes

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When we look unto Jesus Christ; to His wondrous redeeming love,
Look for a quiet, secluded place, and ask for guidance from above.
Inspiration comes when our hearts and minds are still,
And our worries are replaced by our Lord’s sweet peaceful will.

Pray for Christ’s pure and honest grace to protect us so we may be
Free from Satan’s wiles and wrong thoughts, poisoned by our own insanity.
Ask God for ears and eyes to hear and see, and a heart to understand,
Then listen with a child-like faith, with broken heart and contrite hands.

Ask God to clear our mind and heart, to hear His sacred word,
Then listen with a humble soul and write what we have heard.
Life’s trials come with many parts we just don’t understand.
Our Father wants to enlighten us to His eternal plan….

Of light and life, hope and truth, happiness and peace,
Of wisdom beyond all our thoughts, that we may each increase.
It matters not our circumstance, in war’s hell, or in peace,
When humbled with a child-like faith, Christ’s light will increase.

I think the biggest roadblock to our receiving guidance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost, is distraction. There are so many things. Things to do, things to see, things to entertain us, things to do around the house. Many of these things are needful and should not be ignored, but I think perhaps we loose the ability to filter out the needful things from the ones that simply fill up time.

My mind goes back to the account in scripture where Jesus is visiting the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is busy doing those things that we all do when we have guests: fixing meals, cleaning up…but, Mary chooses to engage in a conversation with Jesus. Martha notices this, and asks Mary to help her with her ‘tasks’. This story, I can really relate to. then Jesus kindly rebukes Martha saying, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

Are we able to recognize a precious moment and drop whatever we are doing to capture it before it’s gone?
Do we practice the ability to evaluate our activities?
Can we spot the time-wasters?
Can we identify those that have the potential of improving us in some way?
So we often look beyond ourselves to see the needs of others?…And do something about it?

Now, back to the poem…Like Mary, do we seek the things that build us? Do we stop long enough to see the ‘big picture’?
And to realize that life offers us peace and joy and contentment, IF WE SEEK IT.
IF WE ARE ABLE TO TURN OFF THE TV, STOP THE GAME, and spend some time fine tuning our lives by inspiration from Him who knows exactly how to make our lives more meaningful, peaceful and happy.

“Be still, and know that I am God..” (Psalm 46:10, D&C 101:16)
The following link is 58 second thought on stillness and revelation:
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-06-1440-reverence-invites-revelation?category=topics/holy-ghost&lang=eng


When Changes Come

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Recently I came to know of a pending divorce in our family. Those most close to the couple expressed the hurtful feelings. Anger, fear and heartache are companions to a failing family. Divorce hits at the very roots of all that which brings us happiness. I have reflected upon the good fortune of having a companion. Our activities, both daily and others which require more planning, such as vacations, are richer when shared. What do we do when we see or experience something grand, or beautiful, or delightful? We seek to share with someone else. Somehow, this enhances the experience for me. When I look at my vacation photos, it’s just not a whole lot of fun to do it alone. And when I reflect upon what makes me happy, it usually involves family. There is a real power and bond there, and when it is broken, we are cut off from that which is intended to bring happiness.

How sad that it is such a common thing. What can we do to protect ourselves from falling victim? What makes some marriages so successful, and others not so?

When changes come, are they bad, or could they help us grow,
Through life’s storms and troubled tests, we feel for those we know.
When death comes with saddened eyes, we feel for those we love,
When sickness comes we long for days when health smiled from above.

When changes come, we try to cope, no matter what they are.
Through each trial, we each must strive to reach our own star.
When our journey brings us to an unfamiliar place,
We have a chance to start anew, within life’s fleeting race.

When changes come, we each must try, our best to grow,
To strive for greater knowledge, God’s wisdom helps us know.
For within each changing moment, we can become more whole.
For changes are tools that mold us within life’s wondrous show.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-07-28-marriage-and-divorce?lang=eng


Alaska!

Jeanne 1 Comment

I’m finally getting around to putting together a scrapbook of our cruise to Alaska last month. On the cruise, Bob would get up early, as he always does, and go up to where he could watch the water and coastline. Here he would pen a poem for each day, and I have included the verses that deal with our fjord cruising of the Sawyer Glacier just south of Juneau. The views were 100% gorgeous, as you will see in the photos below.

As we take the inside passage
We watch life in every move.
Then on we sail up the fjords
Within the glacier’s ancient groove.

We arrive in eyesight of the glacier
Where ice has blocked our way,
So our captain takes us west to
A narrow fjord today.

We sail to the glacier’s western arm up this narrow pass,
The captain stops the ship near, as we look and gasp!!
Then turned that giant ship around
Smooth and slow as another hour passed.


Pioneer Day

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Yesterday in church our kids enacted a 30-minute pioneer trek, complete with covered wagon, bonnets, neckerchiefs,taffy, horehound, berries, buffalo chips, homemade butter and rolls, and a snake. My mind did wander back to my great grandmother, Sara Jane Richards Perkins, who left wales as a young woman, leaving family and friends, and ending up here in Magna, or Pleasant Green, as it was called then. Our lives are built upon the hard work of those ambitious faithful people. And so, as we celebrate pioneer day (July 24, 1847 being the day they entered the Salt Lake Valley), I will be grateful for, running water, shelter, food, shade, health care, comfortable shoes, beds and toilets.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2016-12-01-pioneer-journeys-more-than-a-trek?lang=eng

It Will All Work Out

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I am a very controlling person. I have to plan. I have to see a way. I have to know how it will all go. I suppose that’s ok for a holiday party, or something that is controllable, but, I know we all live in a world where very little is under our direction. We do not know what lies ahead, and we cannot force or control people or events. Trying to do so produces a lot of stress. I think that perhaps it is a lack of faith and trust….an inability to take some steps into the dark, not knowing where they lead. I can live quite well like this when things are going well, as planned, BUT, when the future seems uncertain or scary or threatening, that’s when the stress kicks in. This short video is very applicable to me; one that I hope I can internalize for a more peaceful and happy life.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2017-01-0004-live-by-faith-not-by-fear?category=topics/courage-and-fear&lang=eng

Do Unto Others

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When I read of Jesus as more than a man,
Who lived in, and walked on the deserts of sand,
Who suffered in silence in Gethsemane,
His atoning blood shed for you and for me,
Then hung on the cross and finally died,
“How can I repay Him,” I asked as I cried?
How can all my tears and my sorrow compare
To the grief and the suffering He felt and saw there?
How can I express to Him how much I care?
What could I have done when I wasn’t there?
How can I comfort my Savior in grief?
What can I do to give Him relief?
For all this occured years and eons ago,
My birth, It has been 2000 years slow.
Oh Jesus, please let me show you my love,
Although you now dwell in some sphere above.
Then a small voice within me did say,
“Do unto others and do it today.”

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-06-016-matthew-2540?category=topics/service&lang=eng

Matthew 25:40


To Bob, My Husband

Jeanne 1 Comment

The name of this poem is really, “To Jeanne, My Wife”, but I selected it for today and re-directed the message to husbands, since Father’s Day was yesterday, and, perhaps we are still thinking of fathers:

Love is a flower that grows from a seed,
One feeds love with kindness in each little deed.
When trials confront us, together we stand,
Love grows to oneness, heart to heart, hand in hand.
When two stand together, they’re stronger than one.
Like two blooming flowers that thrive in the sun.
Soon buds gather ’round them, together to grow,
A family eternal in life’s living show.
My dearest, I love you more every day,
With each passing moment, words seldom say,
For feelings grow past words in so many ways.
You are my best friend, forever, today.

www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-01-002-earthly-father-heavenly-father?cid=HP_WE-13-6-2018_dPTH_fMLIB_xLIDyL1-C_&lang=eng

The whale tale

Jeanne 1 Comment

So, just returned from an Alaskan cruise. It was all so fabulous. This earth is an amazingly beautiful place with more wonders than anyone could possibly take in in a life time! Out of all the wonders we encountered, I wrote this ode to the one that excited me the most:

Sweet was the time,
The scenery sublime,
But nothing delighted
So much as we sighted
From the small boat, a WHALE,
Who twice dove, and showed us a tail!

http://www.mormon.org/blog/3-reasons-to-spend-time-in-nature

The Path To True Love

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Here’s another poem written for the vow renewal that is happening today!

The path to true love is steep and narrow,
With wondrous vistas along the way.
When two souls share hard times together,
Their confidence grows day by day.
Their trust becomes more real;
Their love becomes more sure.
Through hardships, hearts can heal.
Through prayer, love becomes more pure.

The path to true love requires both
Souls to put each other first,
To listen to each other through
Better, and through worst,
To strive to look for the good with
Patience, when tempers flare,
Allowing for life’s frustrations
To dissipate through the air.

We each have our own weakness,
And if we need to say
Something the other is doing
That blocks our love along the way,
Then’s the time for ears to hear,
As hearts open with care
To listen with real intent;
To try our best to be fair.

We each have different ways
In how we need to be loved.
Affections, appreciation & acceptance,
Lift one’s conscience up above.
Most negative feelings will
Seldom get a start.
The path to true love is understanding,
And each soul must do the greater part.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2015-09-0100-love-at-home?lang=eng