Elder Uchtdorf said, "Hope, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear."
Maren sent me this picture of Taylor who was with some friends up Provo Canyon. She is down at UVU this year and living in some apartments actually closer to the Y than to UVU. Maren says she is having a great time so far.
About this time every year we start seeing all the fall colored candy and candy that seems to be most prevalent in September, October and November. One of them is the candy corn. I always give Jeff a bad time about loving candy corn. To me, it is like eating wax. But, Jeff loves the candy corn. Emmi posted this joke and I loved it. It just says everything perfect about candy corn.
Pretty much sums up my feelings about candy corn!
This is week 29 since COVID hit and we stopped going to church. Today, for the first time, we went to Sacrament Meeting. We wore masks and were ushered in to the chapel and told where to sit so that there was social distancing. The Bishop greeted us and opened the meeting. We listened to a song for the opening and then had an opening prayer. The sacrament was prepared with gloved and masked Priests and passed by gloved and masked deacons. The deacons approached the sacrament table one at a time and were called back one at a time. They lined up across the front and were spaced 6' apart. The bread was served with tongs, dropping the bread into our hands. The water was served and we kept the cups. Our Bishop gave a talk and then we listened to a closing song, a prayer was given and then we were ushered out of the building a row at a time. Certainly very different, but I was so happy to be back with our ward family again. We weren't allowed to congregate in the building or in the parking lot.
The Bishop talked on faith and our testimonies and to remember the goodness of the Lord and all the kindnesses we have been shown by Him before.
I have certainly see the hand of the Lord throughout my whole life and continue to see it now and also in the lives of my children and grandchildren. I think that is one of the reasons why I keep a journal so that I can record the good things that happen and some of my testimony and feelings about the church. Jamie actually started me blogging about 10 years or more ago and it is one of the best things I've done.
President Henry B. Eyring said: "We are here on this earth to learn ad grow, and the most important learning and growing will come from our covenant connection to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. From our faithful relationship with them, come godly knowledge, love, power, and capacity to serve."
I've come to be grateful that I'm getting older because all the while I am having amazing experiences that mold and define me into me! And I like me and what I have learned and accomplished.
While sitting in Sacrament Meeting, I thought about Jeffrey and I'm so thankful for the knowledge that I know where Jeffrey is. No speculation. I know. And I know that one day I will see him again glorified and strong. Not day goes by that I don't thank my Father in Heaven for His son, the Savior Jesus Christ.
"There will be times when the path ahead seems dark, but keep following the Savior. he knows the way. In fact, He is the way." Brother Stephen W. Owens
One last quote that I love from Jeffrey R. Holland:
"To anybody struggling today, I say, Be hopeful be happy and smile. Remember that God is on your side. He is not an angry, vicious God trying to trip you. He is for you - not against you. He is your Father. He is anxious to do everything possible to bless you."
Do you ever feel like you are the wild mouse ride at Disney Land without actually being there? Well I did yesterday. This is how my Saturday went and tell me if you aren't exhausted after reading it.
Got up at 7:00. Took the sheets off the bed including the mattress pad and started a load of wash. Emptied the dishwasher, made a grocery list, cleaned all the bathrooms including scrubbing out the tub downstairs and upstairs and then out the door at 9:30 to make a run to Costco. I bought strawberries to make strawberry jam. Got half of what we needed there and then went straight out to Brock's football game at 10:45. Watched his game and then left quickly and went to Macey's to get the rest of the groceries. Just as an added comment here, no stores have any canning bottles or rings and lids!!!! OMYGOSH!! Everyone is canning this year. Gee, let me think. Could it be because of the earthquake and COVID? Goodness. We quickly got what we could at Macey's, ran home to put stuff in the fridge and then back out the door and back to Herriman to see Boston's football game that started at 1:15. We watched his game and then on the way home stopped at three different stores hoping we might find jam jars and rings and lids. NOTHING! So we bought plastic containers that will work just as well, but I do prefer bottles. As soon as I got home I started washing, destemming and mincing the strawberries. I had Neal help me and we were finally finished about 8:30. That included cleaning up the kitchen and starting the dishwasher. In the mean time I was also doing the rest of the washing and drying. I went up stairs and put the clean mattress pad and sheets on the bed and sat down to watch Little Women when the phone rang and it was Derek from China. We talked to him for a couple hours and by 11:30 I was ready to crawl into bed and call it a day! We did have a visit from Annie and the kids who had been up the canyons enjoying the changing of the leaves. She said they were absolutely gorgeous.
This first picture is the back side of Brock. Never did get a front few of him. He played a good game and it was fun to watch him.
My counted cross stitch of Reindeer Games is all finished, pressed and framed. It has to be one of my favorite Christmas ones that I've done. It just makes you happy to look at it. Annie saw it and claimed it. This one has to go up there in my favorites.
Derek is now teaching English to the Chinese Kindergarten classes. We talked to him last night for a couple hours and he said that he actually really likes it and it pays good money. He is thinking that he may go full time. Right now he is just doing part time teaching and trying it out. I don't doubt that he would make a great teacher. He has always been so good with little people. Here are some fun pictures he sent us.
It is amazing how much damage that wind storm, that blew through North Salt Lake, did to homes and parks. Neal and I drove up to Judy and Ron's to survey the damage done to their home and seeing it in person was so sad and so real. They actually lost 7 huge pine trees. Five of which, toppled on their home causing lots of roof damage. The workers have been hard at the clean up for a week and are only about 1/3 of the way done. It just takes hours and days to cut and haul off all those trees. Here are a few more pictures we took while we were visitng with them.
I totally forgot to post this tower. The reason I wanted a picture of it is because it is right along the Augusta National Masters Golf Course. You can drive by it and not have a clue that it is behind all the huge trees lining the course. There are no signs - no nothing to tell you that you are right by it. The only thing that may give you a clue is the tower. And the tower only tells those people who live there and know that the golf course is behind. It is amazing to me how well that course is hidden from the public eye. There is no way you could see any tournament going on without being actually admitted to the course.
Thanks Emmi for taking the pictures for me. I had forgotten to take a picture so Emmi took these after she had dropped us off at the airport.
While I was on a trip to Georgia to see Emmi an event happened at home that I wasn't told about until I returned. Which, I might add, I was happy that the news waited. I think it might have ruined my whole trip. When we got home, Neal was there to pick me up, but was driving my car. I asked why he brought my car and he made some excuse about it had more gas or something. I knew right then that something wasn't quite right because Neal taking my car is not readily allowed. When we got home and I was all unpacked and things put away, Neal knew that he couldn't keep his deep dark secret from me any longer. He asked me to come out to the garage because he wanted to show me something. This is the sight that greeted me:
Emmi has never had a pedicure and Annie and I thought it would be fun to treat her to this experience. Of course, Annie and I LOVED having our feet done, but as for Emmi? I think it was an experience that she probably won't repeat any time soon, if ever. She was a good sport and even had her fit dipped in wax - without complaint. I think, if she could have run, she probably would have. Good job for hanging in there Emmi.
Annie, Abby and Mallory along with Brinkley, were going to drive back to Georgia the first of September so that Mallory and Emmi could live together while Mallory goes to school and works and Emmi is serving her country. As things worked out - because of COVID-19 - Emmi was not able to process the papers fast enough to have the approval she needs to move off base. Lynda Ann felt strongly that Emmi needed a visit from some family so she and I flew back to Georgia to be with Emmi for a few days. It was an incredible trip and full of fun and many memories.
Emmi met us at the airport. She had already checked in to our rental place and had dinner ready for us. Jimmy Johns are always the perfect food! It was also the day after Lynda Ann's birthday and Emmi surprised Annie with a Happy Birthday cake.
