Deep water

Thinking a lot today about Elder Hallstrom's conference talk. After Joseph's thought, "Deep water is what I am wont to swim in..." Elder Hallstrom says, "Joseph's confidence in overcoming constant opposition was based on his ability to continually turn to the Lord. (The family therapy term for this is resiliency). If you feel you have been wronged--by anyone (a family member, a friend, another member of the Church, a Church leader, a business associate) or by anything (the death of a loved one, health problems, a financial reversal, abuse, addictions)-- deal with the matter directly and with all the strength you have. Hold on thy way; giving up is not an option. And, without delay, turn to the Lord". What do you think are examples of dealing with a matter directly, what constititutes giving up, and why is it not an option? What are some examples of delay?

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday Lizi! 20, 20, sure is great, 20, 20, there's no hate!

Missing a Friend

I have been missing Elder Wirthlin. I have missed him every conference since he passed. It’s not that I don’t believe our new apostles are inspired, I do, I just sometimes miss apostles that have come to feel like old friends. I knew his style. I felt his love. I connected to all his talks. ---- I remember President Hinkley talking about something like that in a talk near the end of his life. He talked about how each of us has such a short time on this earth. He read from his journal (when he was a young bishop) that soon people wouldn’t remember the greats like… and then listed people I didn’t know. Now when I think of that story I am heart broken that others won’t know Elder Wirthlin, Elder Maxwell, Elder Haight, etc. Elder Wirthlin’s sense of humor was the best. He would say a joke in the same mono-tone that he said everything else. It almost took people off guard. I have very vivid memories of many of his jokes, and writing them doesn’t do them justice. I want to write this because it was my favorite of his talks. It was the last one given. “Come What May and Love it” it starts: ~When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted. When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life. “Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.” I have often reflected on that counsel. I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.~ Elder Wirthlin then goes on to give principles in his life that have helped him through trying times. The first was “Learn to Laugh.” He tells a story about a mix up between 2 of his daughters one going on a blind date and the other getting picked up for babysitting. He got such a good laugh about it that sometimes when he was tempted to groan he would think of it and laugh instead. I know when I was in the hospital, and before, -- when I was in pain I always felt better to laugh. This is part of why Linda coming to DC was such a blessing. We laughed so hard that nothing could seem scary (and yes it helped that she had done it before). His next principle is “Seek for the Eternal.” Neal A Maxwell once talked on eduring trials. He said something like at times we might wonder, “Why me?” and he said the answer we need to give ourselves is “Why not?” Elder Wirthlin said he drew strength from noble examples of people in the scriptures, and then continued ~Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others. Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others. Remember the sublime words of the Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he suffered with his companions in the smothering darkness of Liberty Jail: “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; “And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.” With that eternal perspective, Joseph took comfort from these words, and so can we. Sometimes the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome.~ His next principle is “The Principle of Compensation” ~The third thing we can do is understand the principle of compensation. The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.~ I have often overlooked this idea, but thinking about it brings such comfort. Next is “Trust in the Father and the Son” In Seminary we had to memorize the scripture “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6) There is something about pure trust in God. Faith is the first principle of the gospel for a reason. Without it nothing else is valid. – I gave a Sharing time on Faith and the 1st article of faith a couple of Sundays ago. We talked about how Faith has to come first. To illustrate I put my sock on over my shoe. The sock coming second completely ruins the purpose of the sock. It is the same with Faith. It must come first for the other principles to apply. ~“God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son.”2 The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in. He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.~ Good Bye Elder Wirthlin. I will remember you and try to be better because of you. You brought me closer to my savior. I miss you..

ok, so i'm not trying to say anything to dampen these posts -- quite the contrary -- these are GREAT thoughts -- they are deep thoughts, they are wise and tender and doctrinal thoughts. I want permission to give "hunches" -- hearty hunches. they might be just little, hearty, quippish, "hunches". permission granted? -- Remember, the mama elephant loves her baby SO MUCH that she gives her all right then and there, right when they are making fun of baby e. wise? thought out? deep? not really. (she got put behind bars.....thats the part where we cry....) but a MAMA? yep! --signed, Mama E

Application

I've been thinking a lot about Kimi's post and how to apply it and here's what I've decided. I'm reviewing my favorite stories and memorizing what Jesus said or did in response to specific emotions (since I have girls) so that when I recognize that emotion at home I can tell the story.

• Fear- Jesus is in the mountain praying when a storm hits the disciples who are in a ship. Jesus walks on the water to them but they think He's a ghost and they're afraid, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid".
• Doubt- The Savior on the Water, Peter walks and sinks, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
• Loneliness-After Jesus tried to teach something to his best friends the apostles they were offended and wouldn't even walk with him, "Will ye also go away?"
• Embarrassment- Jesus knew what it felt like because he was spit on and they took his clothes and crucified him in front of people who hated him; but he told the story of the good samaritan to remind us that a man was stripped and beaten up and people looked at him and walked by without helping, but Jesus said the good samaritan "saw him, he had compassion on him".

• Gratitude/happiness-While teaching the 70 Jesus saw that they were starting to understand what he said, he recognized a good thing and right away He " ^arejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,"
• Compassion/ Sadness- When Jesus' friend Lazarus died, even though Jesus knew He was going to heal Lazarus, when Jesus saw Mary crying he understood how sad she was, so much that he cried too.
• Acceptance- When Jesus didn't want to face what he was facing "Father, if thou be willing, ^aremove this cup from me: nevertheless not my ^bwill, but thine, be done."
• Unselfishness- A really rich man comes to Jesus and asks what more he should do to get to heaven, he already keeps all the commandments, jesus asks him to give all he has to the poor and to "come, take up the cross, and ^bfollow me."
• Forgiveness- When Jesus was being killed people made fun of him and all the things he had said, but Jesus said, " ^bforgive them; for they know not what ^cthey do."

I'm going to try to memorize these so that I will have them in the moment later. Off to work.

Stories of Jesus

Today my thoughts have been very scattered, but then again, they usually are. Elder Eyring said, “On many days doing what matters most will not be easy. It is not suppose to be. God's purpose in creation was to let us prove ourselves.” Of course to me I feel like being a parent is the most important thing to do. President Gordon B Hinckley pleads that we "work at our responsibility as parents as if everything in life counted on it, because in fact everything in life does count on it." Great! Wonderful! The problem is that it often is vague what that means in the everyday hum drum of life. Elder Oaks says, “Some uses of individual and family time are better, and others are best. We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best because they develop faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strengthen our families. We need time for Family prayer, family scripture study and family home evening.” There is such a pressure to fill every second of life with good thing. I feel far too busy and in comparison to many, my life is very simple. I worry that I keep waiting the perfect day, the day where I have woken up early studied my scriptures, made a healthy warm breakfast, gone to the temple, ran 20 miles, and prepared 80 scripture stories to teach my children the gospel. This day will never come. I need to just squeeze it in. NOW! Buddy is almost 10 and time is flying fast. Elder Anderson spoke in last conference: “In our world today, each child, each young man and young woman needs his or her own conversion to the truth. Each needs his or her own light, his or her own “steadfast and immovable” faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, independent of parents, youth leaders, and supportive friends. “The stories of Jesus can be like a rushing wind across the embers of faith in the hearts of our children. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The stories of Jesus shared over and over bring faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and strength to the foundation of testimony. Can you think of a more valuable gift for our children? Are the life and teachings of Jesus Christ embedded in the minds and souls of our children? Do they think about the Savior’s life when they wonder what to do in their own lives? This will be more and more important in the years ahead. Have our children visualized the premortal council, where Jesus—the greatest of all—declared, “Here am I, send me”? Do they see their own willingness to serve as following His example? Do they think about His humble birth, the Savior of the world lying in a manger? Do His circumstances help them better understand the proper place of material possessions? Do they know that Jesus often taught, “Ask, and ye shall receive”? Do His prayers of thankfulness and His pleadings to His Father flow through our children’s minds as they kneel in prayer with their own concerns? Have we told them of the love Jesus has for children, how He held them in His arms, prayed for them, and wept? Do our children know that Jesus stands ready “with open arms to receive [them]”? Do they take strength in the stories of Jesus fasting—as we teach them the law of the fast? In their own loneliness, do our children know the loneliness the Savior felt as His friends deserted Him and as He asked His Apostles, “Will ye also go away?” Have our children felt the power of the Savior’s miracles? Jesus healed the leper, gave sight to the blind. He fed the 5,000, calmed the sea, and raised Lazarus from the dead. Do our children believe that “it is by faith that miracles are wrought,” and do they pray for miracles in their own lives? Have our children taken courage from the Savior’s words to the ruler of the synagogue: “Be not afraid, only believe”? Do our children know about His perfect life, His selfless ministry, His betrayal and cruel Crucifixion? Have we testified to them of the certainty of His Resurrection, of His visit to the Nephites in the Americas, of His appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove? Do they anticipate His majestic return, when all will be made right and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ? Do our children say, “Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear”? To fathers and mothers, to grandfathers and grandmothers, and to those without children of their own who lovingly nurture children and youth, my counsel is to speak more frequently about Jesus Christ. In His holy name is great spiritual power. “There [is] no other name given nor any other way . . . whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ”-------

In memory of Grandma Renza Myers Conger

M-O-T-H-E-R (A Word That Means The World To Me) — Bobby Breen Lyrics by Howard Johnson, Melody by Theodore Morse Copyright 1915, Leo Feist, Inc. Renewed 1943.

I've been around the world, you bet, But never went to school, Hard knocks are all I seem to get, Perhaps, I've been a fool;

But still, some educated folks, Supposed to be so swell, Would fail, if they were called upon, A simple word to spell.

Now, if you'd like to put me to a test, There's one dear name that I can spell the best;

"M" is for the mercy she possesses, "O" means that I owe her all I own, "T" is for her tender sweet caresses, "H" is for her hands that made a home: "E" means everything she's done to help me, "R" means real and regular, you see, Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER," A word that means the world to me.

When I was but a baby, Long before I learned to walk, While lying in my cradle, I would try my best to talk;

It wasn't long, before I spoke, And all the neighbors heard, My folks were very proud of me, For "MOTHER" was the word.

Although I never lay a claim to fame, I'm satisfied that I can spell the name;

"M" is for the million things she gave me, "O" means only that she's growing old, "T" is for the tears were shed to save me, "H" is for her heart of purest gold, "E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining, "R" means right, and right, she'll always be, Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER," A word that means the world to me.

Evidence of Hope

Though, I don't feel fancy with my fingers and wise with my words, I do know that both hope and goodness is proof that a supreme creator exists. Without him, what would we hope for? Why would we want goodness? I learn by example and this story touched me. Please watch this great message of hope: Dear kim, goodness is Godly. So to me, if I can no longer feel the spirit I have to think to myself, what am I doing that is not good? What is the difference between now and two minutes ago? Good is just one letter different from God and I don't think that's a mistake. ************ Sincerely, Lady Blee

Tap, tap, tap, tap...

I'm waiting for Lady Blee, Mama E and the other two who are yet to be named to post. Tap, tap, tap, tap.

HERE!

Ok I did figure out how to post. Maybe I am not as big of a dummy as I thought. My question is out there under Loo's, in the comment. I want to know what is good?

Application

Lame without application, I started a gratitude journal titled 'Rays of God's good mercy' because of this poem:

Some murmur when the sky is clear And wholly bright to view, If one small speck of dark appear In their great heaven of blue: And some with thankful love are filled, If but one streak of light, One ray of God’s good mercy, gild The darkness of their night. --- Richard Chenevix Trench

I'm taking the week to remember that if there is junk in my basket then I put it there myself and so I staged a coo-- after Eden, while getting her hair done, exclaimed loudly my favorite cuss words. After all, I obviously needed to learn the lesson too so I waited, plotted with dan and then... After waiting for some small misbehavior I exclaimed (in front of the family) "Eden, Oh ******!" To which, Dan shouted my name and called all his girls, ever so fiercely I'll add (props to Dan), into the living room for a stern lecture on clean speech. It went something like this:

• Dan: "(looking at me) How could you say something like that?"
• Loo: "Eden says it."
• Dan: "Eden, where did you learn such bad language?" (Points at me-- while my shoulders shake from laughing into my hands)
• Dan: "Both of you, go to the bedroom and choose the punishment you'll get if you ever do that again." (We get to the bedroom where we choose to have our mouths washed out with soap for repeat offenses and Eden says with wide eyes...)
• Eden: "You shouldn't a said that mom." "We better never do that again so we don't have to do that soap in the mouth thing, huh?!"

This seemed to be especially effective coming from a dad who never loses his temper... unless he's pretending to. Let's hope we both learned our lesson.

Hope

For Kimi-

Besides waiting to read your first post, I've been struggling lately with this idea of hope, since my own hope seems so... shatter-able. So these are the thoughts from my studying.

The everyday meaning of hope is fragile, like when I say to myself 'I hope the doctors diagnose this illness tomorrow"; but the gospel's definition is firm and lively. So wouldn't it be cool if I could say that at tomorrow's appointment I might with surety hope for a name for this weirdness that is my health? Or maybe a southern-baptist-like mystical healing? Yup. I'm one step ahead--- hoping for the wrong thing.

• So what can I hope for?: A better world (sounds a little pageant-y but...),eternal life, hope in the Lord, in the atonement for the resurrection and ... there it is-- We can "have patience, and bear with . . . afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions" (Alma 34:41)
• I'd like to point out that this scripture said day and day refers to time which doesn't really exist in the whole eternal life bit, so maybe I can try to remember that this one day really isn't too far away...? Or maybe, it really means you only get one day of rest... hmmm.
• Ok. I'll bite. How do I get the hope back? "If thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest" (Alma 22:16)

Well there it is Kimi, ouch... to clear my head before I take it to Heavenly Father, here it is-- my most recent sins.

I've used pain and sickness as an excuse to be impatient, unhappy, and ungrateful for life, love, prayers, and service rendered. I taught Eden to cuss AND I trusted in men, and not the prophet kind of men (recommended), for answers that could only come from heaven; when the truth of it all is that I can be patient, happy, grateful, and hopeful, trusting Heavenly Father, through all of this-- without cussing. Can't I? Help me learn to take whatever heaven dishes out meal by meal, K Kim? Loves. Loo.

Sending Out Good

Been thinking today about how naturally we all shift blame--

• "He makes me feel..." "If she hadn't _______ , I wouldn't have ______."
• "He's a jerk, so I can treat him badly."

I rationalize like this a lot, but my scripture reading today was a kick in the pants.

• Helaman 14 today, verse 30: Sin is hurtful to others; but somehow in the long-range of things, sin is worst "unto ourself", acted by ourselves, against "a knowledge" we've been given by the God who made us "free". (vs 31) Good will be restored to me... how? Each time I serve someone, it always seems like I end up more of a recipient than before, but I think it means more than that. Finding cross references---
• Restoration is linked to Resurrection (restored body) and Endless Happiness (restored to God's happiness) and the Inheritance of God's Kingdom, Glory (presence of God), Crowned with a fullness of joy, honour, and Standing at the Right Hand of the Lamb. I can't be restored to something I never was. We've all had bodies, so we have one in the bag; but do I experience God-like happiness and joy, and am I clean enough to be comfortable in the presence of God or at the right hand of the lamb? Hmm...
• Picturing a great basket always above me catching everything I "send out" ---- misery, joy, laughter, ingratitude, criticism, sadness, hate, love. The basket retains everything I send out unless I pry it open with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, letting Christ remove the offense, and at the end of my life God (or Satan) dresses the things in my basket making them more then they were and wraps it all in beauty and glory (or misery and guilt) saving it to be my gift of immortality and eternal life to be "restored to me" when I stand in front of the One who made it all possible. With whatever experiences of goodness I've had, I'm imagining His presence and I think I would feel safe, protected, worth it, and capable. Time to send out good.