Why I Believe

This evening the girls and I attended a fireside/BYD at the chapel. The theme was "Why I Believe." There were two speakers and the program lasted an hour. Short and sweet. For some reason I felt compelled to attend tonight.... I've also been thinking a lot about growing up in a "branch" in Arizona. For those who don't know much about the LDS Church, members are divided up into congregations which are called a "ward." There are so many wards in a "stake." A stake is part of a "region" and so forth on up to the main leadership in Salt Lake City, Utah. When there are members in an area but the numbers are too few to form a ward, this gathering of people are placed in a "branch." Such was the case when I was in 7th grade and living in the area of Dewey, Arizona.

When the leaders of the stake decided to start a new branch, we were split off from the Prescott ward and sent to Mayer. This was about 40 minutes or so east of Prescott. The church had a house which the missionaries lived in. That is where we met at first. The living room was the "chapel." The master bedroom became the Primary room. The closed in back porch was a classroom, as was half of the closed in front porch. The other bedroom was the Relief Society room. It was a very small house and we were few in numbers... perhaps 20 or so of us. It was so much fun though.

As our numbers grew, we obviously outgrew our house. The church purchased an old outdoor rodeo arena for us to use. Picture in your mind something along the lines of this.....Our new church was similar... with the exception there was no outdoor lighting. There was one large building with a big rock fireplace on one end, a ticket office at the other end, and on the back side we had our very own bar. Woo Hoo! The arena area was complete with fences and stock chutes. Very cool. Out back there was a... say 45ft. mobile home. There was no pavement anywhere... just lots of Arizona dust and tumble weeds. It was just perfect for our branch!

As time went by we converted the building into a wonderful place of worship. The building was divided almost in half with the end where the fireplace was becoming the chapel. Yes, we did use the fireplace to heat the building in the winter. How cool was that, to have Sacrament Meeting while feeling the warmth of the fire? I loved sitting by it. The ticket office become the Branch President's office. The bar became the library. We put up portable dividers which served as classrooms, and the trailer out back served as the Primary area. With the fences and chutes removed, the arena became the parking lot. This is the view we had from our little church in Dewey...It was positively beautiful! I loved that little branch and its members.

Out west, Pioneer Day (July 24th) is a huge event.... it's not even recognized here in the east (bummer) and our little branch always had an incredible celebration. There was pit cooking of pork & beef that Brother Pugh supervised... Dutch Oven beans, roasted corn on the cob, cornbread or biscuits...And of course apple pies, cherry pies, cakes, home made ice cream, and gallons of lemonade. We'd play horse shoes, have sack races, square dance, and just have a joyous time!

One year in particular, the weather on Pioneer Day had been terrible. We had heavy rains which caused flash flooding in our area. We were certain the celebration would be canceled. I was so sad when I thought of not going. As the time to leave got closer the rain continued. Brother and Sister Pugh arrived to pick me and Tony up. As we were driving to the church the rain lightened and by the time we arrived it had stopped completely. All afternoon and into the evening the sky remained dark and threatening, but the rain didn't start again. As the celebration drew to an end and we were bowing our heads for the closing prayer, I started to feel raindrops. By the time we got in the car it was pouring again.... and continued to do so all night long. I vividly remember thinking I had witnessed God's work in action. I knew the rain had been stopped long enough for us to remember and celebrate the saints arriving in the Salt Lake Valley so many years earlier. It was a wonderful feeling.

That is just one of the many reasons why I believe. I know God lives. I know my Savior atoned and died for me. I know I am here on earth at this time for a specific reason. I am comforted by the testimony I have that if I do my part God is duty bound to do his part. It's all up to me. I am ever thankful for the Gospel in my life. Am I perfect? Of course not. There will always be room for improvement. I just know if I do my best... if I continue trying to do what is right, my efforts will be accepted and I will be blessed.I look forward to the day when I stand before my Heavenly Father and hear him say "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into my kingdom."

Crappy Situation

So the other day Emile yelled down... "Where's the toilet paper?" to which I replied..."There's a roll in the basket beside the toilet." to which Brie commented..."No I took it out to put on the paper dispenser but it was all wet and had a dark black mark on it so I didn't use it." After a trip to the van to get out the new pack I had just bought, I decided I'd better investigate (although I really didn't want to).Sure enough, the carpet was wet (I know, who on earth puts carpet in their bathroom? The previous owner.. hopefully I'll be able to put in a new floor this spring) and I could feel water on the underneath the left side of the tank. I was able to figure out the problem was with the bolt that connects the tank to the bowl... but when I tried to tighten said bolt the drip got faster so I backed off. I REALLY hate dealing with these types of repairs! Even though I've gotten fairly good at fixing some things, I had no idea how to tackle this one. What did I do? I called my Home Teacher. Bless his heart, it was Brother Miles to the rescue.He arrived just after I got home from work last evening... supplies in hand, and got right to work. Before long he had replaced the gaskets and bolts and we turned the water back on. Shortly after he left, however, I discovered it's still leaking a tiny bit. With the new bolt in place, I think it's just a case of needing to tighten it a little more, which I'm going to try myself in a minute.I'm beginning to think that before I leave this mortal sphere, I will have learned more than I thought possible about home repairs. Knowledge is power. I'm sure it's not a bad thing that I'm learning more about joys of toilet repairs.

The End.

Holiday Highlights (A Little Late)

 

Friend and family get togethers are the best! In the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Years we had the chance to have Cheri, Calvin and Rachel over for dinner. It was great to spend time with Cheri... especially since her move to Canada. Of course we spent Christmas afternoon and the next day with my brother, Corey, and his girlfriend, Michele. We all had fun. Then on Dec 30th we got together with John and Lesa and their family for soup, chili, and yummy treats. Tibbs and Tibbsette were there too! We played some board games and swapped stories. Another fun evening.

 

And then there were the Holiday Concerts. Both Emile and Brie are in concert band so we attended both the Middle and High School Concerts. Both were good (although I'm particular to the band portion of the concerts more than the chorus portion). The girls were thrilled when they were over. You know how kids are... "do we really have to do this???"

So another Christmas Holiday is over... before we know it we'll be posting similar stories next year. Until then... adios!

USNS Comfort

As the USNS Comfort sails to Haiti, I thought it would be interesting to find out more about this floating Naval Hospital.

Builder: National Steel and Shipbuilding
Laid down: May 1, 1975 (As Rose City MA-301)
Launched: February 1, 1976
Commissioned: December 1, 1987 (to US Navy)
Status: in active service, as of 2010

General characteristics
Displacement: 69,360 tons (70,470 t)
Length: 894 ft (272 m)
Beam: 105 ft 7 in (32.18 m)
Propulsion: two boilers, two GE turbines, one shaft, 24,500 hp (18.3 MW)
Speed: 17.5 knots (32 km/h)
Complement: 63 civilian, 956 naval hospital staff, 258 naval support staff, up to 1000 bed patients
Time to activate: 5 days
Patient Capacity:
o Intensive care wards: 80 beds
o Recovery wards: 20 beds
o Intermediate care wards: 280 beds
o Light care wards: 120 beds
o Limited care wards: 500 beds
o Total Patient Capacity: 1000 beds
o Operating Rooms: 12
Departments and Facilities:
o Casualty reception
o Intensive care unit
o Radiological services
o Main laboratory plus satellite lab
o Central sterile receiving
o Medical supply/pharmacy
o Physical therapy and burn care
o Dental services
o Optometry/lens lab
o Morgue
o Laundry
o Oxygen producing plants (two)
o Medical Photography
o Four distilling plants to make drinking water from sea water (300,000 gallons per day)
o Flight deck can handle world's largest military helicopters (CH-53D, CH-53E, MH-53E, Mi-17)I think if I were a young person in the Navy it would be a wonderful opportunity to be deployed on the USNS Comfort. While I'm certain the work is sometimes grueling, I'm also convinced it's very rewarding too. I'm pretty sure the citizens of Haiti are looking forward to its arrival.

Triumph & Tragedy

The events of the past few days have got me thinking about miracles. We often think of miracles in terms of the "big events." Of course that is true... such as was the case of Flight 1549... also known as "The Miracle on the Hudson" flight. One year ago today we were glued to our televisions watching everything unfold...Thanks to the skill and dedication of a phenomenal crew, not a single life was lost.Fast forward 365 days and once again we're glued to the TV, only this time we're watching devastating images come across the screen.The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti has killed tens of thousands of people in a matter of minutes.People are asking "Where is God" when calamities occur. But do we stop and recognize the miracles taking place around us every day? This morning I woke up. I slept safely and comfortably through the night. I drove to and from work safely. My children were unharmed as they went about their day. We had a nice supper tonight. Babies were born... cancers were cured... hearts began to beat once again... the sun rose... the earth still spins on its axis. Are those not miracles?Certainly we have reason to mourn for those who are suffering throughout the world. I'm thankful I'm not in Haiti... that I'm not going through the heartbreak they are experiencing, however, I am also very much aware that God IS with them. He has not forsaken them. They are not alone. Prayers are being offered up on their behalf by people all over the world. Those prayers are being heard.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm trying to say other than I see the hand of God every day... even in times of crisis. I wish bad things didn't happen, but I also know it is an important part of our mortal journey to go through and learn from adversity. I'm just grateful for the knowledge that I don't have to go through anything alone.. unless I choose to do so. Anytime I call out, God will be with me. Of that I have no doubt.It comes down to what I choose to believe. I DO believe that God, my Eternal Father has everything under control. He is aware. He loves me. He loves us all.

Cross Roads

Now that Emile is a Junior and lots of her friends have (or are getting) their driver's license (not just permits), I'm at another challenging stage of parenting. And as usual I'm being too strict or wanting to hold Emile back (at least in her eyes). Oh, to be young and naive again. Keeping in mind that the frontal lobe of the brain (the reasoning center) isn't fully developed, I can see the potential of what could go wrong much clearer than she can. As a parent I want to protect her from unnecessary harm. As a teen she wants me to back off and let her live her life. There in-lies the problem.  

I am all too aware of what the statistics are. And I don't want Emile to become one... of course she's convinced she won't. Here's some cold hard facts relating to teen drivers - ALL PHOTOS ARE THE RESULT OF TEEN DRIVER CRASHES:

TEEN CRASHES ARE THE NUMBER 1 KILLER OF TEENS!

MORE THAN 5000 TEENS DIE IN CRASHES PER YEAR!

AFTER 9PM TEENS ARE 3 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE IN A CAR CRASH!

87% OF TEEN CRASH DEATHS ARE THE RESULT OF DISTRACTED DRIVING!

• ADDING 1 PASSENGER INCREASES FATAL CRASH RISK BY 48%
• ADDING 2 PASSENGERS INCREASES FATAL CRASH RISK BY 158%
• CELL PHONE USAGE WHILE DRIVING INCREASES FATAL CRASH RISK BY 300%

Given these stats, is it any wonder I'm concerned? For some silly reason I don't want to get the call requesting I come to the morgue and identify my daughter.

Nor do I wish to watch as my daughter's casket is lowered into the ground.

Now all I have to do is make sure Emile knows the true risks involved. It's not about money.... it's not about liking someone... it's about....

LIFE AND DEATH

More "Heroes"

The other day I came across a Facebook posting. A mother was asking her daughter-in-law if she had heard from her son... "Jamie, where is Chad today? He's been terribly quiet. I worry about him when I don't hear from him." That simple question really got to me. Her son is deployed in the middle east and here she is worrying about his safety. I realize that goes without saying, however, it really hit home when I read her message.I came across this tribute to military moms...

THE "MILITARY" MOM
by Eileen Hall 1998

There hasn't been much said
about the "military" mom...
yet no wars could ever
have been won without her.
A "military" mom is a teacher
of independence, perseverance,
discipline, and integrity;
possesses a great sense of humor,
and can make of any house a home.
She is a woman of quiet strength
who has shaped the hearts
of our bravest heroes
and taught them
to value peace above all.
The "military" mom is unshakable
in love for her country.
That is how she is able to let go
of her most precious treasure-
a son or daughter.
We proudly salute
and thank
the "military" mom.

For the record, I also wish to recognize the military spouses. Without your willingness to have your husbands or wives serve, we would be woefully unprotected. Thank you for your sacrifice as well.

THE MILITARY SPOUSE
~Author Unknown

When the good Lord was creating military spouses, He was into His sixth day of overtime. An Angel appeared and said, "You're having a lot of trouble on this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"

The Lord replied, "Have you ever seen the regulations? It has to be completely independent, must be sponsored to get on base, have the qualities of both mother and father during deployments; Be a perfect hostess to four or 40, handle emergencies without military orders, cope with the flu and move around the world, have a kiss that cures anything from a child's torn valentine to a soldier's weary day, have the patience of a saint when waiting for the unit to return stateside, and have six pairs of soft hands."

The Angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pair of hands? No way!" And the Lord answered, "Don't worry. We'll make other military spouses to help. Besides, it's not the hands that are causing the problem - it's the heart. It must swell with pride, sustain the ache of separation, beat soundly when it's too tired to do so, be large enough to say 'I understand' when it doesn't, and say 'I love you,' regardless."

"Lord," said the Angel, touching his sleeve gently, "go to bed. You can finish that tomorrow." "I can't," said the Lord. "I'm too close to creating something unique. Already I have one who can heal itself when sick, feed unexpected guests who are stuck in the area due to bad weather, and wave goodbye to its spouse from a pier or runway and understand it's important to the country that the spouse leave."

The Angel circled the model of the military spouse very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed. "But tough," the Lord said excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this being can do or endure!" "Can it think?" the Angel asked. "Can it think? It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m.!" the Lord said. Finally, the Angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model." "It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear." "What's it for?" asked the Angel. "It's for joy, sadness, pain, loneliness and pride," the Lord said. "You're a genius," said the Angel.
The Lord looked somber and said, "I didn't put it there."You, the families of those serving our country... please remember that you are being prayed for daily. You are not alone. You are the quiet "heroes." Thank You!

Beautiful Insight

For Christmas this year someone gave me the book, "My Dear Sisters" by Gordon B. Hinckley. It was an anonymous gift so I don't know who to thank... I am truly enjoying this inspirational book about women. Today I came across a message that really penetrated my heart. As I read the quote, this is what I pictured....."Have you ever contemplated the wonders of yourself, the eyes with which you see, the ears with which you hear, the voice with which you speak? No camera ever built can compare with the human eye. No method of communication ever devised can compare with the voice and the ear. No pump ever built will run as long or as efficiently as the human heart. No computer or other creation of science can equal the human brain. What a remarkable thing you are. You can think by day and dream by night."

Isn't that remarkable? I remember looking at Emile and Brie when they were newborns and thinking to myself that they had everything within them to complete their mortal journey... provided they were taught, nurtured, and loved. Nothing was missed. Certainly there are times when things go "wrong" or defects are present, however, for the most part we are marvelous beings made in the image of a loving Father. And even when one is "different" Heavenly Father is aware and provides us comfort and the means to care for the challenges we face. How cool is that?!As I have been reading this book I've come to realize how much I miss President Hinckley. I am reminded of how much he loved the women of the gospel. He ALWAYS showed his affection and admiration for us in word and deed. He always made us feel like the blessed Daughters of God we truly are. I miss hearing his voice... seeing his smile... watching the sparkle in his eye. Once again today, I am thankful for being taught by this Prophet of God.

My Little Chef

For Brie's FACS class at school, she was given an assignment to cook something that contained fruits or vegetables. She decided to make a Shrimp Stir Fry with Fried Rice. Before I go any further, let me state that Brie is going to be quite the cook someday. She enjoys baking and helping me prepare foods... and she's always interested in learning new recipes. Given that bit of information, please observe.Starting with these ingredients....

Then following directions and completing several steps.... she produced...
Drum roll please!!!TADA!
This very delectable dish. Well done, Brie! You did a fantastic job and the vegetables were perfectly tender yet crisp. Keep up the good cooking kiddo.