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 every soul is a piece of ourselves, if we look with eyes to see.
If we listen with ears that hear, we learn to grow more free.
Only those who strive to know another's heart and mind
Will ever find the pearls of truth that help us love mankind.
Those who judge another's ways before they strive to see,
Walk in blindness to others light that help our souls grow free.
Please, Dear Lord, give us the strength to listen with mind and heart
And overcome our vanity so we can learn Thy art.
Some souls teach us what NOT to do as we go through our life,
And show show us where NOT to go while going through our strife.
"We shall know them by their fruits," are words the Master said.
"Judge not least ye be judged," adorns each true seekers head.
So when we see another who is different from ourselves,
Let's take the time to search for pearls & increase our own true wealth.
Only then can we grow from all we choose to see.
Each soul of God on this earth can add to you and me.
On Saturday, June 20th, we celebrated our 46th Wedding Anniversary in Teton National Park. That’s where we took our honeymoon. We kayaked and camped, and have returned there for many of the other 46 years!
Our daughter sent us a text: “Happy Anniversary to my favorite lovebirds! 46 years later you’re back in the Tetons. Still having adventures. Still best friends. If that’s not true love I don’t know what is. Have a wonderful day you two!”
Gros Ventre Campground 2020
Bob wrote us a poem about true love–it’s called “Our Greatest Gift”
Our greatest gift is You, Lord, for all we know and see
From mountains unto deserts, from rivers, lakes and trees,
From a sparrow to an eagle, from an elk unto a mouse,
All life does astound us that passes through Thy house.
In God's house are many mansions, worlds beyond our eyes.
We share His grace together; through Christ, we grow more wise.
God has given you to me, Dear, for time and eternity.
You are my greatest gift of all I know and see.
You help me to remember our God's love is eternal.
You lift me when I'm down, caught in hate's inferno.
You are my greatest blessing our Lord gives to men on earth:
A righteous caring wife, Mom and Grandma is of an untold worth.
May I live always worthy to walk close by your side
And live with you forever and in God's love abide
And have our special family always in God's sweet love,
With Mom and Dad, kids and grand kids, forever up above.
And so, I thank God for all that is good, and for his tender love that has carried us(me) through these 46 years. Love that has lessened pain, steeled us against the cold blasts that come to us all, deserved or undeserved…and has helped the unpleasant things to work out for our good. I’m reminded of a scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants (D& C 123:17) ” Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.”
And thanks be for our family, our children and grandchildren, who are a constant source of joy, who make life worth living, and who make us laugh and smile!
Inspiration is a word that reaches each of us. As we seek, we will find.
The more we learn to listen with our whole heart, soul and mind.
Prayer builds our desire to hear Truth's music to our soul.
Eternal light comes to us as we stretch, seek and grow.
Inspiration is a gift we each, who seek, will surely find.
If we strive with determination, the spirit fells our mind.
We must strive with deep desire to hear God's eternal soul.
The Holy Ghost whispers to us, when we truly strive to grow.
Inspiration grows like a seed. We must water it with our tears.
We feed it with our hope, as our faith grows through the years.
Only by our constant effort, hope builds faith through charity,
We will grow in understanding, through our Lord's pure clarity.
In these pandemic days, there is more time for meditation and self evaluation. When we are away from things that challenge us; things we encounter as we interact, which we are doing very little of now….I think the easy way is to gravitate to the lazy, and we find that we avoid anything that takes much effort.
But effort is the gateway to accomplishment, growth, learning and satisfaction. Seeking for divine inspiration is an effort..much more than a casual prayer, but a focused desire that is accompanied by patience, perseverance, and sometimes pleading.
It is my hope that we can all restructure our lives to include the divine–the higher purpose that manifests itself by our love, kindness, compassion and reverance.
Smaug, that old dragon that strikes fear in all hearts, is jealous of his gold, and seemingly without any redeeming qualities. He could represent darkness, fear, despair, depravity, hate destruction, evil, and all that is not good, hopeful or joyous. And, in our story, we have an unlikely hero by the name of Bilbo, the Hobbit. In the painting, we see a new hero, painted to represent my grandson, and, for you, anyone dear to you.
Bilbo and our figure face extreme danger and seeming hopelessness, Their challenge is much the same, and is aptly described in the Bible (Ephesians 6:12): “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood (your real enemy is not a real dragon) but against…powers, against the ruler of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
When the fellowship of the ring was about to be overcome by this darkness, Aragorn defied the seemingly impossible odds, “A day may come when the courage of men fails..but it is not this day! This day we fight!” In Ephesians, the apostle Paul also rallied others with these words, “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand..Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked..and take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God.”
And so, our outmatched heroes prepare for battle, and expressed some fear and sadness, “I wish it need not have happened in my time..” and Gandalf extolled the qualities that made them heroes, “I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
And so, we can now also exclaim that the day may come when your courage fails, but, it is not this day..this day you fight!
Wow, I finally got an image to upload..what is with that?
These have been troubling times in many ways. The pandemic seemed to start it all; then, here in Magna, Utah, on March 18th we had a 5.7 earthquake. For those of us who are not used to the earth shaking, it was both startling and unsettling, especially since we are still having aftershocks even up into the 4’s!
So, we’ve been advised, even ordered to stay safe and stay home. This has been an eye-opening experience. I’ve come to see that much of the ‘stuff’ I spent time on, when I could move about freely, just isn’t that important–almost like I was doing it to distract myself from things that matter most. I don’t know if all that makes any sense, but I’ve struggled to convince myself that I have ever contributed much positive to anything, any one, or any cause.
And, I have come to realize that tomorrow may not be just like all the other days I’m used to. It is so easy to believe that you are in control, because you are the boss of what you say and do, and where you go. And that leads us to believe that we really don’t need anybody, especially God. If that’s all I can take from this, then it will leave me a better person than I was before.
Be sure to check out all the good stuff on www.churchofjesuschrist.org
Since my last post, I’ve been trying to add some photographs and links, but find that I can upload absolutely NOTHING ! Discouraged, I convinced myself that I cannot post, and that worked for a few days, until my mind kicked into the new thinking we are all doing; thinking born of new realities for all of us….of working at home….of staying at home…of not going to church….not gathering in groups…..limited shopping….not going to school….and the list goes on, and sometimes changes every day.
We have to start thinking, not about the things we CAN’T do (like upload), but of what we CAN do. I can post words.
Last Sunday I tuned onto “Music and the Spoken Word”..a broadcast of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square here in Salt Lake City. It’s a weekly TV thing at 930am MST. Since we are not congregating as a church, I made this MY church, and what a comfort and reward it was! I wanted to share it, but it wouldn’t upload. Perhaps you could view it (and I would highly recommend it) log onto thetabernaclechoir.org and see if you can’t bring up the broadcast from March 20, 2020 (#4723)
The choir sang a number from “Oliver” that spoke to my soul about being warmed and strengthened by our making of and remembering past times. I won’t quote the whole song, but here’s a few of the lyrics that packed such a strong feeling:
Who will buy This wonderful morning? Such a sky You never did see! Who will tie It up with a ribbon And put it in a box for me? Who will buy This wonderful feeling? I'm so high I swear I could fly Me, oh my I don't want to lose it So what am I to do To keep the sky so blue? There must be someone who will buy Must be someone who will....buy
And now, I’ll add our poem, entitled “Sacred Memories”
Sacred memories that touch our minds, sometimes fade into the dust, Unless we store and cherish them, they wither and they rust. Let's take the time to write them down, each day when they occur. Meditate, appreciate and remember how they were.
Sacred memories, like my Mother's last living, dying words: "Son, be good to your family", sacred words forever heard. Or my Father, when he died and returned beyond death's veil. He told me to search for truth along life's thorny trail.
Sacred memories keep us safe through life's joys and life's woes. Sweet warm memories of our loved ones warm us as cold winds blow. From brilliant rainbows, to buffalo swimming rivers at first light Coming through the morning mist to our soul's delight.
We each savor special memories and store them in mind and heart. They come in joy and sorrow. Write them down--is how we start. Meditate on those that lift us, as we fast and search, seek and pray And thank God for sacred memories! Gather more each passing day!
First day of Spring My steps should be light, With mind full of hope. But, alas, reminders everywhere Of sickness sweeping o'er the earth, Who shakes and trembles, Filling minds with fear; And just in case We manage to forget-- It shakes again, and again, Reminding us And holding us fast In it's grasp.
Not I. I will Avert my gaze From pressing fears To look up. I see the clouds Unchanging and steady Blue sky Beckoning to take my thoughts And fling them far away, Replaced with fresh Breeze, or rain, or sun-- Wrapping me With that love Always there, But often masked. Today I will let it in To warm my heart And renew my hope Expand my view And see all the love around me.
And so I sit before this screen. I feel so dumb, I want to scream! There is a note to update now, But I seriously do not know how.
I log onto the site to chat In hopes of learning this or that, But when all is said and done, I only feel supremely dumb.
I really do like to share our poetry, but the technical side of our blog site is mind boggling to me. I did not grow up in the computer age. I remember when I started to work at LDS Hospital in 1970, everyone was awed at the modern computer system just installed. It took up a whole floor of the hospital.
Anyway, just venting my frustration. Another frustrating thing is that Bob says we are missing valuable comments. He believes the spam programs are eliminating them. So, if you are reading this, please send a comment, and if sending comments is cumbersome, do it anyway and tell me about it..please!
The link above has nothing really to do with the poem or picture, except that we should always be open to learning new things from the challenges we face.
I remember a Christmas season..1977. My newborn son was about 4 months old, and as I rocked him one still evening and basked in the light of our small Christmas tree in that old rock house in Farmington, Utah….I reflected upon my feelings of joy and wonder, and thought of Mary and the baby Jesus, and her story became personal to me, and I penned a poem/song that has been posted here before…just a few lines for now:
I know of a baby just as small as you, Born in a country that the shepherds knew. A host of angels sang a song to him. Birds chirped praises and ox kept time. Stars shone brightly on that night divine, For the little babe born in Bethlehem. He was born that night for you and me, So we could grow to perfect be, And live in joy…forever, Together.
And now, another Christmas season is here, and this year I hold a newborn grandson, and those same feelings come rushing in, and I’d like to post a few lines from a poem given to me on my birthday: Rhythm of the Heart–
Basked in your love like a lizard--soaking sun now I too have played the part to soothe the fears to tend the heart watch them fall wait for the rise
A mother's heart is open wide a mother's heart is often broke it's full of guilt it's full of hope tenderness ferocious pride
The days are long the years fly by midnight feedings sleepless nights messy rooms and tickle fights chubby hands--reaching
A mother is a creature divided such overwhelming, bittersweet joy baited breath as bird takes flight please let them soar--let them fly.
I can’t seem to get this 18 min. video to download correctly, so, to view it go to www.comeuntochrist.org/light-the-world/the-christ-child
