Wholesome Entertainment

 I'm grateful for an evening at home with family watching wholesome entertainment on our TV.  There is much in the world today that is violent, ugly, and unkind, but I'm grateful that we can still find good wholesome entertainment that we can enjoy in our home.

I'm Grateful for Jesus Christ

Image Jesus Christ, by Harry Anderson source

I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, and for the light he brings into the world.

 

The Chosen, Third Nephi, and The Witness of Living Prophets

 Have you had the chance to view one or more episodes of the Series about the life of Jesus Christ, The Chosen?  DH, DD1 and I have enjoyed watching this series the past few years, which is based on the life of Jesus Christ as documented in the four gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Holy Bible.  We like it so much that I have purchased the DVD's and even gifted them to others who I feel would enjoy watching it.  The series is produced by Dallas Jenkins, who is not of our faith, but a devout Christian with a love and commitment to portray our Savior as realistically as possible.  If you haven't had the chance to view this series, you can find out more information how to watch it (for free!) here:  The Chosen

Our own church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has also produced many different video presentations about the life of Jesus Christ over the years, and many of them can be found in the Church's online video collection here:  Jesus Christ.  Very exciting news for me today is the release of a new set of videos that focus on the visit of Jesus Christ to the American people immediately following his crucifixion and resurrection as recorded in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  You should soon be able to find them here Book Of Mormon Videos by searching for Season 4 3 Nephi 11.  I'm really looking forward to watching these videos too!

Another exciting event of this weekend is the 192nd semi annual conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.   So far we have been able to enjoy four different sessions of beautiful music and testimonies and messages from the current living prophet and apostles of Jesus Christ!  The focus of the messages of course is our Savior Jesus Christ, and how we can draw closer to him, follow him, and find peace in today's world that so often brings so many trials, pain and confusion.  We have one more session to enjoy, coming up in just a few minutes at 2pm US Mountain Time.  If you would like to join us, you are more than welcome!  If you have missed the live stream broadcasts, all of the sessions will soon be available to view all of the sessions on the church's website or on Youtube:

We are all so blessed to have so many ways to learn more about our Savior Jesus Christ,  and to draw close to him, and have his help and guidance in our lives every single day, especially through studying scripture and reaching out to him in prayer..   How have you learned about Christ and how has he helped you in your life?

Be Patient. The Sun (Son) Will Come.

DH and I are currently visiting DD3 for the first time in her somewhat new to her home that she bought last fall.  The trip has been planned and delayed several times in the past few months, and we are grateful to be here with her and enjoy her hospitality in her new home, and hopefully help out just a little bit with some of the renovations she is making. 

This morning I woke just after 4 am and couldn't get back to sleep.  This is quite unusual for me, a confirmed night owl who usually has quite a bit of trouble dragging myself away from dreamland and out of bed in the mornings.  It could be the change in time zones and disrupted schedule, or perhaps the different bed, but no matter.  It is what it is.   After trying unsuccessfully for an hour or so to go back to sleep, I accepted the fact that a return to sleep wasn't happening, and enjoyed the beautiful views of the night sky, the stars so clear up here at a higher elevation and away from the city lights. There was a wonderful view of Orion to enjoy for a while, and then some reading to catch up on the phone.  

Slowly the sky began to lighten and I was able to enjoy the gradual lightening of the sky and the slow-moving sunrise as DH got up and showered and prepared to start the day.  I decided to document the sunrise with the quite inadequate phone camera and my inadequate photography skills, including the reflection of the camera flash on the window.

I found myself getting impatient with how slow the sun was coming, but eventually, the sun did peak over the horizon.  And to my surprise, it didn't make its appearance in the lower spot of the horizon between the mountain peaks where I had seen the most light in the beginning, but it appeared over the higher mountain peak to the right.  At last, my patience has been rewarded.  The new day has begun.

For many right now, the world seems a dark place, and we are searching for light, truth, and hope.  The prophets and scriptures promise that someday Jesus Christ will come again and bring light and truth and peace to our troubled world.  Be patient.  Hold on.  No one knows exactly where or when, but I know that new day will come.  

The Word of God (like letters from home)

 In our church meetings today, one of the speakers reminded us of how very blessed many if not most of us are to have constant access to the word of God via our smart devices or phones that we carry with us almost constantly, and if not our phones, then access to a computer or other device that connects us to the internet in our homes.  With just a click or a swipe, and we can be reading the Bible or other scriptures at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures?lang=eng&platform=web.   Another click or swipe and we can have access to the words of latter day prophets from their talks in The General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from the past 50 (FIFTY!!) years.  

Fifty years ago when I was a youth, we did each have our own copies of the scriptures in our home, and we received copies of the talks from General Conference that were then stored in our storeroom for future access.   But how much easier is it now to search through the website for quotes and talks and scriptures by topic, or year, or just about whatever we can think of?

And what of our great grandparents and those who came before them?  Those who were very lucky to have one copy of the Bible or The Book of Mormon, or those who could not read or own books and only heard bits and pieces of scripture from the lips of the local priest or other clerical leader?

Years ago in a General Relief Society meeting, one of the speakers compared the scriptures to "letters from home" from our Heavenly Father.  Since I was a fairly new young mother living all the way across the country from my own family, this really resonated with me.  Back then we didn't have cell phones, and rarely called our family with the long distance charges, so the weekly letters from my parents were very cherished.  And I do cherish my daily early morning time reading my scriptures and listening to conference talks, my daily letters from my father in Heaven.

Stretching and Noontime Walks

 Morning stretches are a pleasure.  I'm grateful to have a body the moves and stretches, even if sometimes it wakes up a bit stiff and sore as mine tends to do after a day working in the garden, or even after a long day of sitting at the computer.  I'm definitively not the one to do a strenuous workout very often, but I do enjoy mowing the lawn, working in the garden, a good 15 to 30 minute walk on the lunch break and a few sit ups or crunches or leg stretches first thing in the morning.  A post on Facebook today also reminded me that using a few hand weights on a regular basis is a good idea too.  So . . . with weights and a bike downstairs, a beautiful world outside, and  the first day of summer, let's get moving and enjoy the body!

A Day off in the Garden

Yesterday at our Church's Sacrament Meeting, one of the speakers was telling about her Dad's extensive collection of journal, and how good he was at keeping a daily record of his life, and the important events of their family.   My Dad was also such a record keeper, and even though he might not have written in his journal every single day, he did keep a faithful record of his life and the important events of our family.  I do keep a handwritten journal, but really only write once or twice every month or so.  I'm very negligent in my journaling.

When I started this blog, I was inspired by Elder Henry B Eyring's talk where he shared how long ago he started keeping a daily record of  the tender mercies that Heavenly Father has shown to his family over the years.   He makes a copy each year for his children.  I have really not done very well with keeping up with my blog either.  So, I'm going to try to do better.  My resolve is to write something, somewhere each day as a record of what has happened, mundane or not, and especially to look for the good things in life and the tender mercies that have been shown to me and those around me.  I may not write on this blog each day, but I will try harder to write somewhere  each evening.

Today is the first day that my workplace has given the staff and employees a paid day off in celebration or commemoration of the Juneteenth holiday.  There will be various events during the coming week at work to honor the holiday, and I look forward to these remembrances of the blessings of the abolition of slavery and the slow, slow progress to reduce the racism that exits in our country today.

But today has been a low key day for me.  It began with clouds and a bit of rain, but cleared up just about the time I finished my morning reading, so I donned my sweatshirt and jeans and headed out to finish planting the flowers and vegetable I had bought this past Saturday.  My garden is my trial and my joy, and each year I struggle to keep the invasive grass  and weeds and snails and other critters at bay and provide enough water and nourishment and compost and work to allow us to have a bit of a harvest.  I'm nowhere as good as of a gardener as my Dad and my Grandpa and most other gardeners, but I keep trying!  And, at the end of the day, we have our small front yard entry flower bed filled with new zinnias and petunias, and several new pots filled with petunias and alyssum.  

Drawback to the day?  I seem to have a fairly bad sunburn on my hands and arms.  I really should use more sunscreen and gloves.