Pure Joy.

I think I experienced true joy yesterday morning. You know, I love watching my children in commercials or short films and such, but yesterday I was beaming watching my son help set up the chairs at church back in the overflow while I was in choir practice.

I promised that I would go to choir practice, but my husband also had to drive to church so he could take someone home after church. So, whoever was already ready when I was had the option of going to church with me (we meet an hour before church starts for choir practice). My son hurried and got completely dressed...black dress pants, white shirt, tie, black suit coat, black socks, black shoes. He even combed his hair!

When we got to choir practice, my 2 yr old sat on my lap and my 7 yr old son was sitting on a pew and then started looking around for things to do. I guess his heart is a charitable one because he made a b-line to the back of the chapel where the high priests were setting up the extra chairs. He helped set out the chairs and then he got hymnals out and spread them evenly amongst the seats. After that was complete, he got the stack of bulletins and proceeded to pass them out. At first he sat at one of the doors, but then he started noticing that if someone came in the other door without picking up the bulletin, he would walk over to them and hand one out.

He was beaming with joy in service and I was nearly in tears watching him serve others...and Heavenly Father!

H.'s Primary Talk from today

In Elder Bednar’s talk in the April General Conference in 2006, he spoke about coming closer to Jesus Christ. He said, “truly coming unto Him also requires consistent obedience and striving tobecome like Jesus in our thoughts, motives, communications, and actions.”
“One of the best ways to draw near unto Him and to both learn about and become more like the Lord Jesus Christ is to consistently study the holy scriptures—to daily ‘feast upon the words of Christ’ (2 Ne. 32:3).”

Elder Bednar gave 5 principles for making our scripture study better:
Principle 1: Pray for understanding, and invite the help of the Holy Ghost.
Principle 2: Work. –meaning actually read the scriptures.
Principle 3: Be consistent. –meaning, read often.
Principle 4: Ponder. –meaning to think about what you read a lot.
Principle 5: Write down impressions, thoughts, and feelings. –like in a study journal.

I know the scriptures are true and as we feast upon the words of Christ, we will become more like Him.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

One pair of earrings...

My children, when they see my earlobes, always ask me why I have two holes in them. This is what I tell them: "From when I was 17, until October 2000, I wore 2 pairs of earrings in each of my earlobes. At that General Conference, the Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley taught that women should wear only one earring in each lobe, that boys shouldn't wear any, and that body piercings are not to be done."

I found the talk where he talked about it:

"Teach them to respect their bodies. The practice is growing among young people of tattooing and piercing their bodies. The time will come when they will regret it, but it will then be too late. The scriptures unequivocally declare:

“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Cor. 3:16–17).

It is sad and regrettable that some young men and women have their bodies tattooed. What do they hope to gain by this painful process? Is there “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy” (A of F 1:13) in having unseemly so-called art impregnated into the skin to be carried throughout life, all the way down to old age and death? They must be counseled to shun it. They must be warned to avoid it. The time will come that they will regret it but will have no escape from the constant reminder of their foolishness except through another costly and painful procedure.

I submit that it is an uncomely thing, and yet a common thing, to see young men with ears pierced for earrings, not for one pair only, but for several.

They have no respect for their appearance. Do they think it clever or attractive to so adorn themselves?

I submit it is not adornment. It is making ugly that which was attractive. Not only are ears pierced, but other parts of the body as well, even the tongue. It is absurd.

We—the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve—have taken the position, and I quote, that “the Church discourages tattoos. It also discourages the piercing of the body for other than medical purposes, although it takes no position on the minimal piercing of the ears by women for one pair of earrings.”"

That is found at: http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=ca73a1615ac0c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

The sparrow in its fall...

Well, ours was the Lessor Goldfinch, but nonetheless...

On Saturday, we were in the back yard in the evening. I. looked up and saw something falling. A bird had fallen straight down onto the grass. It was beautiful. The markings were perfect, more beautiful than this picture. When T. picked up the bird with a scoop to put in the trash to wait for the vector control (West Nile Virus tests), the head delicately hung off the edge of the scoop. Until then, it just looked like it could be asleep, or waiting for the surrounding crowd to dissipate, but when T. gently scooped up its body, there hung the head and it was evident that it was dead. We told H. I. and A. that its spirit was with Heavenly Father and that body wasn't alive anymore.

Sunday, in church this was one of the verses sung from Hymn 75 In Hymns of Praise:

3. The little flow’r that lasts an hour,
The sparrow in its fall,
They, too, shall share his tender care;
He made and loves them all.

[Chorus]
Exalt his name in loud acclaim;
His mighty pow’r adore!
And humbly bow before him now,
Our King forevermore.


Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ tenderly love all. It was interesting that I never would've thought about the meaning of that hymn had not that bird died in front of us the evening before.




Monday came along, today, and I called vector control, who gave me a number to call, which gave me a website to enter my info regarding the body of the bird. So, after all of that waiting, we could've reported it on Saturday and had the poor bird's body tested for West Nile Virus.

SO, if you have the same experience, do not wait to call. Call right then so that bird's death can actually help the studies going on for a cure and a tracking of the West Nile Virus. Here is the CA Gov't website: http://westnile.ca.gov/report_wnv.php

The Sabbath

My friend Tara posted how hard it is to follow the command to Keep the Sabbath Holy. I responded at her blog, but the response was so long that I thought I'd post it here. :-)

We were home all day yesterday. We've been sick all week, as you may have known, and so I was trying to get some things accomplished that hadn't gotten done during the week claiming that I would better be able to serve God if our house was cleaned up, which is definitely a true statement.

Last night at scriptures, we read about a prophet that was on assignment from God so to speak. He was to tell the wicked King and his wicked priests to repent and was to retell them of the ten commandments.

We don't get through many verses each night as a family with three little kids, but, needless to say, I'm sure, we read about keeping the Sabbath holy. "v.16 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
v.17 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
v.18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;
v.19 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it."

And, I sat there reading my portion grimacing a little thinking about my washing machine, my dishwasher, my children who helped me, etc.

Enough of my transgressions.

You asked why it is so difficult? I always think about when Saul was commanded to destroy the Amalekites. Saul was told by Samuel the prophet, speaking on behalf of the Lord: "v.3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass." Saul didn't do that. He did what he thought better and sacrificed the best of all that to God, a seemingly good thing to do, right? Well, he was reprimanded and told by Samuel: v.16 "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."

So, we may have no idea why God asks us to do something, but we can know that to obey is better than even sacrificing.

Our Weekend

This weekend was a good one. We are home from our 4 week vacation (surprise!). Yesterday I cut hair...usually just for T. and H., but I. needed her first haircut, too. I will edit this post and put some pics in. Her hair was getting tangly every single day, so I knew it was time. It is cute and even now, well, I did put some layers in it. She just wanted to make sure that it didn't look like boy hair and I assured her that I was not going to use the electric shears on her hair, that I was just going to trim off the parts that made it ouchy to brush through.

In sacrament meeting today, there was a return missionary speaking on missionary work. He recently completed an honorable mission to Russia. Of course that peaked my interest, since I lived there in '95. He told of the change that came over a girl even in her dress as she learned of the gospel of Jesus Christ, was baptized, and wanted to be a missionary, too.

I missed the Sunday School lesson due to caring for my sweet baby, but made it to the Relief Society class where C.H. gave a great lesson on Charity (the pure love of Christ) and Service (serving others, not just your own family, friends, or neighbors, but everyone in need that you can).

During Sunday School, I was walking Ane in the hallway because it was time for her to be taking a nap, even though she didn't. One time when I was talking to my friend H.W., she responded to what H.W. had said. H.W. had asked me if A. could walk yet. I said, "a little". But just then, A. REALLY wanted to get down, so I set her on the floor. She proceeded to stand in place and take 8 steps. Then she smiled right at H.W. A. did that for two other people. It was like she was really showing off her new skill.

We were visited by the Elder's Quorum president and his counselor this afternoon. It was fun to hear that our children know what are good things to include in our home life. The elders asked H. what we are doing tomorrow night (being Monday) and he answered Family Night. They asked I. what we do each night before bed, and she answered scriptures and prayer. Then, after they taught a short lesson with a scripture and said a prayer, they got up to leave. Everyone shook hands and A., at 11 months, held out her hand and shook both of their hands. It was really cute.

Well, bedtime went pretty well tonight. I read and sang to the kids, but they still won't go to sleep...so many excuses. Oh well, life isn't perfect.

R.