Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Birthday John
I figured since you were ahead in time I better get this on now...Happy Birthday. Are you really the big 40 this year? Wow.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Family Outing to Cherry Hill
Can you hardly believe it! Mom is finally blogging after a four month hiatus. Decided I had better put some information out there concerning the family reunion or I may be the only one there along with DAd. It is planned for Jul 9-11 at Cherry Hill near Layton, Utah. Believe Lagoon opens at 11:00 so you can go that early or come later. Cherry Hill is not available til 1:00 so I will be going there to set up the camp site. Thurs will be a day at Lagoon for those who want to go. Have some discount tickets for $28 - if you buy the right book at Deseret Books you get discounted Lagoon passes - if anyone else knows of discounts let me know or if you have extras! There will be a supper provided for Thurs. evening. It will be brought to those at Lagoon who do not want to take a few minutes off to come to Cherry Hill or we can come down to pick you up and take you back. Just let us know your preference.
Friday will be a splash day at Cherry Hills. A combo discount ticket is $21 which gives you access to the splash park, a mini golf and two other activies. If not a combo the price is $17. Children 3-4 are $7.00 and under two free. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided with food brought by all. Around two o'clock the women of the group will break for a Baby Shower for Amanda.
Saturday we will start with Breakfast and then there are several options; as Kevin stated we can get in the cars and head home, try to go to the Temple open House, go for a hike or go to one of the local splash parks to play games with the children, have the children present some of their talents, etc. Help, give me some ideas. If we decide to stay longer a lunch will be provided.
Food assignments will be forth coming. Would like everyone to bring cookies/cake or treats to share. We are planning on 36-40 in number. Bring your cameras, tents, etc. There is no place for open fires so will use grills and propane gas stoves for cooking.
Sorry I am so slow in providing information - camping sites are $30/per night. So all come with fun ideas for late night talks. Love MOM
Friday will be a splash day at Cherry Hills. A combo discount ticket is $21 which gives you access to the splash park, a mini golf and two other activies. If not a combo the price is $17. Children 3-4 are $7.00 and under two free. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be provided with food brought by all. Around two o'clock the women of the group will break for a Baby Shower for Amanda.
Saturday we will start with Breakfast and then there are several options; as Kevin stated we can get in the cars and head home, try to go to the Temple open House, go for a hike or go to one of the local splash parks to play games with the children, have the children present some of their talents, etc. Help, give me some ideas. If we decide to stay longer a lunch will be provided.
Food assignments will be forth coming. Would like everyone to bring cookies/cake or treats to share. We are planning on 36-40 in number. Bring your cameras, tents, etc. There is no place for open fires so will use grills and propane gas stoves for cooking.
Sorry I am so slow in providing information - camping sites are $30/per night. So all come with fun ideas for late night talks. Love MOM
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Another Birthday
I think I should just do a shout out to Ivana today as well even though her big day is TOMORROW. Happy Birthday!
Belated Birthday Wishes and Cherry Hill
Happy Birthday to Kyrie, Kade and Quentin! What a busy week it was last week, which reminds me I shouldn't neglect to mention it was Chris and Wade's 17th Anniversary as well. I know I haven't done a newsletter for a while, I don't know if anyone cares. If anyone is interested in being in charge of it feel free to take over....
As for Cherry Hill, it is coming up next weekend. I know we are planning on camping. I am not sure what we are doing for food. Mom has FOUR kidney stones so isn't feeling the greatest. I guess overall we need to know if we want to do the temple open house at Oquirrh Hills. I could get reservations if we are interested.
As for Cherry Hill, it is coming up next weekend. I know we are planning on camping. I am not sure what we are doing for food. Mom has FOUR kidney stones so isn't feeling the greatest. I guess overall we need to know if we want to do the temple open house at Oquirrh Hills. I could get reservations if we are interested.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Be of Good Cheer
I had the opportunity to give the Elder's Quorum lesson today were we discussed President Monson's talk entitled "Be of Good Cheer." I just wanted to share a part from it and share some points that were brought up from the discussion we had.
In this talk, President Monson shares three examples, and it is the last one that I will post here: (it is a fairly long story, but offers perspective)
"The setting for my final example of one who persevered and ultimately prevailed, despite overwhelmingly difficult circumstances, begins in East Prussia following World War II.
In about March 1946, less than a year after the end of the war, Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, accompanied by Frederick W. Babbel, was assigned a special postwar tour of Europe for the express purpose of meeting with the Saints, assessing their needs, and providing assistance to them. Elder Benson and Brother Babbel later recounted, from a testimony they heard, the experience of a Church member who found herself in an area no longer controlled by the government under which she had resided.
She and her husband had lived an idyllic life in East Prussia. Then had come the second great world war within their lifetimes. Her beloved young husband was killed during the final days of the frightful battles in their homeland, leaving her alone to care for their four children.
The occupying forces determined that the Germans in East Prussia must go to Western Germany to seek a new home. The woman was German, and so it was necessary for her to go. The journey was over a thousand miles (1,600 km), and she had no way to accomplish it but on foot. She was allowed to take only such bare necessities as she could load into her small wooden-wheeled wagon. Besides her children and these meager possessions, she took with her a strong faith in God and in the gospel as revealed to the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith.
She and the children began the journey in late summer. Having neither food nor money among her few possessions, she was forced to gather a daily subsistence from the fields and forests along the way. She was constantly faced with dangers from panic-stricken refugees and plundering troops.
As the days turned into weeks and the weeks to months, the temperatures dropped below freezing. Each day, she stumbled over the frozen ground, her smallest child—a baby—in her arms. Her three other children struggled along behind her, with the oldest—seven years old—pulling the tiny wooden wagon containing their belongings. Ragged and torn burlap was wrapped around their feet, providing the only protection for them, since their shoes had long since disintegrated. Their thin, tattered jackets covered their thin, tattered clothing, providing their only protection against the cold.
Soon the snows came, and the days and nights became a nightmare. In the evenings she and the children would try to find some kind of shelter—a barn or a shed—and would huddle together for warmth, with a few thin blankets from the wagon on top of them.
She constantly struggled to force from her mind overwhelming fears that they would perish before reaching their destination.
And then one morning the unthinkable happened. As she awakened, she felt a chill in her heart. The tiny form of her three-year-old daughter was cold and still, and she realized that death had claimed the child. Though overwhelmed with grief, she knew that she must take the other children and travel on. First, however, she used the only implement she had—a tablespoon—to dig a grave in the frozen ground for her tiny, precious child.
Death, however, was to be her companion again and again on the journey. Her seven-year-old son died, either from starvation or from freezing or both. Again her only shovel was the tablespoon, and again she dug hour after hour to lay his mortal remains gently into the earth. Next, her five-year-old son died, and again she used her tablespoon as a shovel.
Her despair was all consuming. She had only her tiny baby daughter left, and the poor thing was failing. Finally, as she was reaching the end of her journey, the baby died in her arms. The spoon was gone now, so hour after hour she dug a grave in the frozen earth with her bare fingers. Her grief became unbearable. How could she possibly be kneeling in the snow at the graveside of her last child? She had lost her husband and all her children. She had given up her earthly goods, her home, and even her homeland.
In this moment of overwhelming sorrow and complete bewilderment, she felt her heart would literally break. In despair she contemplated how she might end her own life, as so many of her fellow countrymen were doing. How easy it would be to jump off a nearby bridge, she thought, or to throw herself in front of an oncoming train.
And then, as these thoughts assailed her, something within her said, “Get down on your knees and pray.” She ignored the prompting until she could resist it no longer. She knelt and prayed more fervently than she had in her entire life:
“Dear Heavenly Father, I do not know how I can go on. I have nothing left—except my faith in Thee. I feel, Father, amidst the desolation of my soul, an overwhelming gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. I cannot express adequately my love for Him. I know that because He suffered and died, I shall live again with my family; that because He broke the chains of death, I shall see my children again and will have the joy of raising them. Though I do not at this moment wish to live, I will do so, that we may be reunited as a family and return—together—to Thee.”
When she finally reached her destination of Karlsruhe, Germany, she was emaciated. Brother Babbel said that her face was a purple-gray, her eyes red and swollen, her joints protruding. She was literally in the advanced stages of starvation. In a Church meeting shortly thereafter, she bore a glorious testimony, stating that of all the ailing people in her saddened land, she was one of the happiest because she knew that God lived, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and was resurrected so that we might live again. She testified that she knew if she continued faithful and true to the end, she would be reunited with those she had lost and would be saved in the celestial kingdom of God."
Here is a woman who lost everything that she held dear and was completely destitute. She lost her husband to war, and her four children to a long and extremely difficult journey. Yet despite the misfortunes that befell her, she still found comfort in the gospel. Though our circumstances are different, I know that if she can find joy in the journey, so can we. I would encourage each of us to take the time to read this talk in its entirety and to think about how it can apply to our own lives. The point in life is not to simple endure to the end, but to do so joyfully. I know that all of us are facing our own difficulties and misfortunes. Through all of this, the Lord will always be with us. And though things might not always work out as we had hoped, as we turn to Him, we can find peace.
Love you all and can't wait to see everyone here in a few weeks!
2 Nephi 9:18 -
"18 But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever."
In this talk, President Monson shares three examples, and it is the last one that I will post here: (it is a fairly long story, but offers perspective)
"The setting for my final example of one who persevered and ultimately prevailed, despite overwhelmingly difficult circumstances, begins in East Prussia following World War II.
In about March 1946, less than a year after the end of the war, Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, accompanied by Frederick W. Babbel, was assigned a special postwar tour of Europe for the express purpose of meeting with the Saints, assessing their needs, and providing assistance to them. Elder Benson and Brother Babbel later recounted, from a testimony they heard, the experience of a Church member who found herself in an area no longer controlled by the government under which she had resided.
She and her husband had lived an idyllic life in East Prussia. Then had come the second great world war within their lifetimes. Her beloved young husband was killed during the final days of the frightful battles in their homeland, leaving her alone to care for their four children.
The occupying forces determined that the Germans in East Prussia must go to Western Germany to seek a new home. The woman was German, and so it was necessary for her to go. The journey was over a thousand miles (1,600 km), and she had no way to accomplish it but on foot. She was allowed to take only such bare necessities as she could load into her small wooden-wheeled wagon. Besides her children and these meager possessions, she took with her a strong faith in God and in the gospel as revealed to the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith.
She and the children began the journey in late summer. Having neither food nor money among her few possessions, she was forced to gather a daily subsistence from the fields and forests along the way. She was constantly faced with dangers from panic-stricken refugees and plundering troops.
As the days turned into weeks and the weeks to months, the temperatures dropped below freezing. Each day, she stumbled over the frozen ground, her smallest child—a baby—in her arms. Her three other children struggled along behind her, with the oldest—seven years old—pulling the tiny wooden wagon containing their belongings. Ragged and torn burlap was wrapped around their feet, providing the only protection for them, since their shoes had long since disintegrated. Their thin, tattered jackets covered their thin, tattered clothing, providing their only protection against the cold.
Soon the snows came, and the days and nights became a nightmare. In the evenings she and the children would try to find some kind of shelter—a barn or a shed—and would huddle together for warmth, with a few thin blankets from the wagon on top of them.
She constantly struggled to force from her mind overwhelming fears that they would perish before reaching their destination.
And then one morning the unthinkable happened. As she awakened, she felt a chill in her heart. The tiny form of her three-year-old daughter was cold and still, and she realized that death had claimed the child. Though overwhelmed with grief, she knew that she must take the other children and travel on. First, however, she used the only implement she had—a tablespoon—to dig a grave in the frozen ground for her tiny, precious child.
Death, however, was to be her companion again and again on the journey. Her seven-year-old son died, either from starvation or from freezing or both. Again her only shovel was the tablespoon, and again she dug hour after hour to lay his mortal remains gently into the earth. Next, her five-year-old son died, and again she used her tablespoon as a shovel.
Her despair was all consuming. She had only her tiny baby daughter left, and the poor thing was failing. Finally, as she was reaching the end of her journey, the baby died in her arms. The spoon was gone now, so hour after hour she dug a grave in the frozen earth with her bare fingers. Her grief became unbearable. How could she possibly be kneeling in the snow at the graveside of her last child? She had lost her husband and all her children. She had given up her earthly goods, her home, and even her homeland.
In this moment of overwhelming sorrow and complete bewilderment, she felt her heart would literally break. In despair she contemplated how she might end her own life, as so many of her fellow countrymen were doing. How easy it would be to jump off a nearby bridge, she thought, or to throw herself in front of an oncoming train.
And then, as these thoughts assailed her, something within her said, “Get down on your knees and pray.” She ignored the prompting until she could resist it no longer. She knelt and prayed more fervently than she had in her entire life:
“Dear Heavenly Father, I do not know how I can go on. I have nothing left—except my faith in Thee. I feel, Father, amidst the desolation of my soul, an overwhelming gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. I cannot express adequately my love for Him. I know that because He suffered and died, I shall live again with my family; that because He broke the chains of death, I shall see my children again and will have the joy of raising them. Though I do not at this moment wish to live, I will do so, that we may be reunited as a family and return—together—to Thee.”
When she finally reached her destination of Karlsruhe, Germany, she was emaciated. Brother Babbel said that her face was a purple-gray, her eyes red and swollen, her joints protruding. She was literally in the advanced stages of starvation. In a Church meeting shortly thereafter, she bore a glorious testimony, stating that of all the ailing people in her saddened land, she was one of the happiest because she knew that God lived, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and was resurrected so that we might live again. She testified that she knew if she continued faithful and true to the end, she would be reunited with those she had lost and would be saved in the celestial kingdom of God."
Here is a woman who lost everything that she held dear and was completely destitute. She lost her husband to war, and her four children to a long and extremely difficult journey. Yet despite the misfortunes that befell her, she still found comfort in the gospel. Though our circumstances are different, I know that if she can find joy in the journey, so can we. I would encourage each of us to take the time to read this talk in its entirety and to think about how it can apply to our own lives. The point in life is not to simple endure to the end, but to do so joyfully. I know that all of us are facing our own difficulties and misfortunes. Through all of this, the Lord will always be with us. And though things might not always work out as we had hoped, as we turn to Him, we can find peace.
Love you all and can't wait to see everyone here in a few weeks!
2 Nephi 9:18 -
"18 But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever."
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Baby Names
I hear that Danny and Amanda are looking for suggestions for names.
Since they are having a little girl I suggest: Denise.
Had it been a little boy I would have suggested: Danephew.
Ba dup dump! Thank you I'll be here all week.
Since they are having a little girl I suggest: Denise.
Had it been a little boy I would have suggested: Danephew.
Ba dup dump! Thank you I'll be here all week.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Buehler? Buehler?
Where is everyone? It is awfully quiet around here. What are everyone's plans for the summer? Hope Cherry Hill works out. Let us know what we need to be doing.
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