You can stand under my umbrella

Sister Smith

2011-06-21T02:35:00.066-05:00

I'd like to introduce you to Shirley Andelin Smith, well to me it was always Sister Smith. Sister Smith passed away last week at the age of 86. Sister Smith is the mother of a family I was close to in my youth. In the mid 60's the Smith family moved into my family's ward in Long Beach. Sister Smith's husband was a physician. He was our hometeacher for awhile. He was unassuming, funny and he was really kind. I remember how much Sister Smith loved telling stories about Dr. Smith, particularly when they were first married. I could tell she really loved him.
Dr. Smith worked in a clinic, and I remember that he was well known for
being generous treating patients that couldn't afford treatment. When I posted Sister Smith's obituary on Facebook, many recalled being treated at Dr. Smith's home in the evenings and on Saturdays. One night at 10:30 he stitched me up at their home after a basketball game.
There were 7 kids in the family. The older 4 I didn't know as well. That left Mary, and her brothers Thayne and Toni. Mary was a year older than I was and went to a different high school. There was something about Mary, haha, and we became friends. She was an accomplished student and her testimony was very strong. Even at such a young age she was as the Apostle Paul described 'grounded, rooted, and settled' in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I was probably 16 at the time. We would just hangout, sometimes doing silly dumb things, like see how many pieces of double bubble gum we could chew at once while driving around in my Volkswagen. If she was going to be at church for any reason, I would make sure I was there as well. I remember attending BYU Education Week classes with Mary at our ward building. For several days once a summer, BYU faculty would teach classes on various gospel subjects. I recall sitting on the front row with Mary listening to Truman Madsen.
Mary and her family were a positive influence in my life at a critical time. My friends were mostly basketball players at school and a lot of my church friends were pushing past some of the boundaries of obedience. I remember telling Mary that I was rushing a fraternity at my high school. She said, ' Well that's a dumb thing to do.' I realized she was right and as soon as I was accepted, I quit.
One day I'm at their house and I think it was Toni that suggested I go on their family vacation to West Yellowstone. West Yellowstone is near Idaho Falls, which is where the Smith's were from. So I went along.
It couldn't have been more than a few days when Thayne asked me if I would like to go fishing with he and his Dad on the nearby Madison River. I decided that I would rather go with Mary and her cousins to the lake so I didn't go fishing.
At the end of the day Mary and I, and some of her cousins decided to go into West Yellowstone. Mary was driving and I was in the other front seat. As we were driving along a dirt road, we saw an unknown truck approaching us from the opposite direction, it started to slow down and then stop. Thayne rushed out, waving his arms, exclaiming that their father Dr. Smith, had slipped and somehow his fishing waders had filled with water and the strong current pulled him under and downriver, all while poor Thayne at a distance could only watch. This wonderful man, the father of this very special family was gone.
I won't try to describe the scene. It was horrible. I was asked to take over for Mary and drive the truck back to the house. I made a U turn, but I miscalculated and ran the truck into the ditch running along the road breaking the front axle. I'm sure I was in shock, but I had made the situation worse. It was so heartbreaking to see each family member react to the fact that Dr. Smith had drowned.
I had never witnessed the unexpected loss of a loved one and wouldn't again until I would lose Marianne.
My parents wanted to attend the funeral so I stayed with the Smith's while they made those preparations. The funeral was an outpouring of love and affection for Dr. Smith and his family. Afterwards, Mary accompanied us to the airport. As we said goodbye I could sense her pain and heartbreak.
For a long time I felt that I had let Mary and her Mom down by not going fishing that day with Dr. Smith. I think Thayne had mentioned that things might have turned out different if I had been there. But I have since learned that with His faithful, Heavenly Father is in control.
Things were different after that. The Smith's moved away. When I went to BYU my freshman year I would see them from time to time. I took a class with Mary and I would see Sister Smith in the BYU bookstore. I remember thinking then that Sister Smith would never remarry.
When I went on my mission they were kind enough to come to the Salt Lake airport to see me off. I got a couple of letters from Mary and soon she announced that she was engaged to be married.
Mary had taught me what a wonderful thing it was to associate with a virtuous young woman. I think Heavenly Father and even ministering angels lead and guide us into situations that help prepare us. I would not have known how to get close to your Mom without my friendship with Mary.
When I came home from my mission after a couple of summer months I went back to BYU and I went to visit Sister Smith and Mary. I remember Mary and I went for a walk and she asked me if I was planning on dating a mutual friend. I told her that we had done a few things over the summer and that she was coming up to visit. Somehow Mary knew to give me some good advice. When she arrived I went to pick her up at her friends apartment and sitting at the kitchen table was Marianne Sant, who was also visiting. I didn't notice her since she was wearing curlers and a robe, but she later told me that she told her friends at that table 'why can't I date a guy like that.'
I would get another chance with your Mom a month or so later at a Thanksgiving dance in Long Beach where I would ask her to dance the last dance. The rest of that story I think you know.
Back to the present. Last week I noticed that Thayne had made a posting on Facebook that his mother had passed away. I searched online and found her obituary. It was great to see her face. My first thought was that she and Dr. Smith were together again. Since then I have been contemplating my own experiences with the Smiths all those years ago, and since then the Smith family has grown by 55 grandchildren and 135 great grandchildren. Mary and her husband Charlie have 12 children of their own, how many grand children I can only guess.
As soon as I found out, I called my parents and Kevin. My parents attended the viewing and were able to visit with many of Sister Smith's family. Kevin attended the funeral. My Dad was their Bishop for a good part of the time they were in Long Beach. I think both my parents and the Smith's really enjoyed being together. My parents told me afterwards how much Mary reminded them of Marianne, which caused me to smile. I wasn't able to attend, but my parents sent me some pictures which I saw this morning. It was good to see their faces again.

Can't wait till were all together again next week.

Love

DAD

Some thoughts

2011-04-03T18:10:00.017-05:00

Some of these thoughts I have shared with you before. I was reading again one of your Mom's and my favorite authors, Elder Neil Maxwell.
A mortal life may need to be 'shortened' by twenty years as we might view it, but if so, it may be done for certain services to be rendered by that individual in the spirit world, services that will benefit thousands of new neighbors with whom that individual will live in all of eternity... Our omniloving and omniscient Heavenly Father will release us when it is time to be released. But each such release of a righteous person is also a call to new labors!
Often, I have glimpses of your Mom. First, she is happy and fulfilled. She loved to be anxiously engaged in something important. She had exceptional leadership and organizational skills. But I do remember every time she received an important call in the church, she would always express to me her concern whether or not she had the ability to perform it well. Of course, she always amazed everyone with her abilities and desire to serve Heavenly Father. Again, let me say I am certain that she is involved in something challenging and fulfilling and is very happy.
Marianne's favorite pasttime was research. You probably wouldn't know this, since she had to put this aside for her family. Her favorite place at BYU was the library. I loved our time sitting next to each other in that reverent quiet place studying. I have the feeling that her current responsibilities involve research in the most beautiful library we could possibly imagine.
Marianne prefers family over everything. A testament to this is that she often fretted over the fact that she was never able to finish her Phd at BYU, since we chose not to delay having children. She even asked Uncle Merlin once to give her a blessing so that she might have peace over this great disappointment. In the blessing Merlin told her that it would not matter. You see, your Mom wanted to use her talents and be involved in something really important after her children were raised. We never really guessed that opportunity would come on the other side of the veil.
I have glimpses of Marianne surrounded by her family. I am happy she is with her Mom and Dad, and her Uncles and Aunts. I have thoughts of her getting along well with my Grandma Kimball and her faithful mother Birthe Marie Hansen, who as a young girl in Denmark was disowned by her family for joining the Church and moved to Copenhagen on her own to work as a dressmaker for several years to earn her passage to Zion.
Regarding family in the spirit world, Jedediah M. Grant once shared a vision to Heber C. Kimball, his fellow counselor to the prophet Brigham Young and our great great great grandfather.
He said to me, brother Heber, I have been into the spirit world two nights in succession, and, of all the dreads that ever came across me, the worst was to have to again return to my body, though I had to do it. But O, says he, the order and government that were there! When in the spirit world, I saw the order of righteous men and women; beheld them organized in their several grades, and there appeared to be no obstruction to my vision; I could see every man and woman in their grade and order. I looked to see whether there was any disorder there, but there was none; neither could I see any death nor any darkness, disorder or confusion. He said that the people he there saw were organized in family capacities; and when he looked at them he saw grade after grade, and all were organized and in perfect harmony. He would mention one item after another and say, “Why, it is just as brother Brigham says it is; it is just as he has told us many a time.”(Heber C. Kimball, in Journal of Discourses, 4:135–36)
I think that the one glimpse I have of Marianne over everything else is her love and concern for you and I.
In a funeral sermon, Joseph Smith declared that the spirits of righteous people who have died “are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 326). Other latter-day prophets have made similar statements. President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Sometimes the veil between this life and the life beyond becomes very thin. Our loved ones who have passed on are not far from us” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1971, p. 18; or Ensign, June 1971, p. 33). President Brigham Young said: “Where is the spirit world? It is right here” (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 376).
When Parley P. Pratt learned from the prophet Joseph of the doctrine of eternal marriage he soon realized that the wife of his youth who had passed away years before was now “...a kind ministering angel given to me as a comfort and a crown of glory forever and ever...”.
Whenever I pray I ask Heavenly Father to allow Marianne to be a part of each of our lives. I suggest that this is something you also ask your Heavenly Father.
We do not consciously realize the extent to which ministering angels affect our lives. President Joseph F. Smith said, “In like manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.” President James E. Faust
I know that Marianne is aware and even involved in each of your lives. I see her in each of you, and each of her grandchildren. As I am sitting here watching conference, Annie has been taking notes of each conference speaker. Which of course is 'totally Marianne.'
Less than two weeks before Marianne passed away, she made a comment to me that I thought came out of nowhere and have never mentioned to any of you. 'You know Cole, you could have learned more from me than you have.' I didn't really know what to say. But I knew what she meant.
With complete confidence I know that Marianne was called to a more important calling on the other side of the veil. I want to reaffirm to each of you that this is according to Heavenly Father's plan. I suggest that you learn to live as close to the Spirit as you can. As you do this, and continue to sanctify yourselves through the Sacrament every week, the aaronic priesthood keys of the ministering of angels will bless you with the love and influence of that one ministering angel that you miss so much and know would do anything to help and protect you and your family.
Like the Linford's good friend and Apostle, Elder Scott, who lost his own wife 16 years ago, I am grateful for the extraordinary motivation I have to live the Gospel so that I might be reunited with Marianne and my Heavenly Father. Even though I miss Marianne every hour of the day, I am thrilled for her and her current circumstances. I know that we will all be blessed as an eternal family as we strive to learn from our life with her and even her continuing presence through the Spirit of the Lord.
On our night stand I have displayed one of Marianne's notes.

No talk about success can stand without a testimony of the power of the Gospel and the joy that comes from obeying commandments and living the Gospel.
Joy Nephi felt from partaking of the fruit of the tree of life.

DC 76:51-70

These things are yours. This is your your promise as the Spirit Children of our Heavenly Father. All that he requires is our humble, faithful, honest attempt to live the Gospel every day, in response to the challenge that each day brings.

I love Marianne and all of you so much. May we always count our blessings and always be together.

Dad

EASTER TALK

2010-04-25T12:28:00.005-05:00

This is the talk I gave in Sacrament meeting.

I've always loved the Spring. The days are longer, the flowers and shrubs return, General Conference is just around the corner, and of course there's basketball.
Marianne and I never had a gardener. She loved everything about gardening, so we landscaped four homes. She definitely had a green thumb and I had the green stains on my pants to prove it.
We spent our last day together buying and planting shrubs and flowers. In fact our last conversation was about how she wanted us to teach our children how to garden.
During the winter when it was time to prune the garden, Marianne would do the cutting and I would gather the clippings in bags. When I would come home and see the results of Marianne's pruning I would always laugh. I could tell what kind of day she had based on the how the garden looked. If she was feeling frustrated, she would take it out on those poor shrubs. But the shrubs always came back in the Spring. Each year they became larger and fuller and more beautiful.
Now it's my turn to do the pruning and I marvel every spring as the garden awakens the world seems renewed.

As I am getting older and learning more about the Savior, I realize that everything testifies of Jesus Christ.
He is the source of all light and life.
Springtime is symbolic of the Savior’s resurrection.
Just as spring inspires renewed hope and new life, so does the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Major events of our Heavenly Father's plan of salvation,, have occurred in sacred gardens: the garden of Eden, the garden of Gethsemane, and the garden of the Empty Tomb.
Even the crucifixtion took place in a garden:
JOHN 19:41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; JUST LAST WEEK WE CONSIDERED THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. REMEMBER, HE FIRST APPEARED TO MARY MAGDALENE AND MARY THOUGHT HE WAS WHAT? SHE THOUGHT HE WAS THE GARDENER.
MORE IRONY IN THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOR. EVEN AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.
For Jesus, REMEMBER, irony began at His birth. Truly, He suffered the will of the Father “in all things from the beginning.” (3 Ne. 11:11.) This whole earth became Jesus’ footstool (see Acts 7:49), but at Bethlehem there was “no room … in the inn” (Luke 2:7) and “no crib for his bed”
As the Creator, Christ constructed the universe, yet in little Galilee He was known merely as “the carpenter’s son.”
Christ was keenly aware of this constant irony: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
YET THIS WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF IRONY. ALMOST A REVERSE IRONY. FOR ISN'T JESUS 'THE GARDENER.' IN NO LESS THAN 9 OF HIS PARABLES HE PORTRAYED HIMSELF AS THE 'GARDENER.'

THE SOWER AND THE SOILS
THE SEED
THE WHEAT AND THE TARES
THE BARREN FIG TREE
THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD
THE WICKED HUSBANDMAN

While preparing a lesson a week ago
I was impressed with the following scripture:
HELAMAN 3:
And lead the man of Christ in a strait and dnarrow course across that everlasting egulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—
  30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the aright hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

OUR LIVES HAVE IRONY ALSO.
We come from the presence of our Heavenly Father AND WE HAVE BEEN FOREORDAINED TO RETURN IN GLORY.

Yet we have bodies that are weighed down by gravity illness sickness weakness and sin. Brigham Young at the funeral of his sister in contrasting our mortal body with our spirit likened our physical bodies to a clod of dirt.
We have lost all memory of our experiences and stature in the Preexistence.
We who are destined to become Heavenly parents. Yet we might find it difficult to get our kids to clean their room.
We are to be joint heirs with Christ yet we might find it hard to get to the temple or to fulfill other responsibilities.
This is actually called dramatic irony. Where the audience is aware of the plot but the characters in the play ARE NOT. WE TEND TO FORGET SOMETIMES WHO WE ARE, DON'T WE?
2 Ne. 11: 44 Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ; for, for this end hath the law of Moses been given; and all things which have been given of God from the beginning of the world, unto man, are the typifying of him.
If we pay attention we notice that everything around us testifies of Christ the Creator and the Resurrected Christ.
But it is the scriptures that truly testify in sometimes remarkable ways of the divinity of Jesus Christ.
This has been true since the beginning. Adam and Eve at the very beginning were told by the angel to offer animal Sacrifice in similitude of the ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER.
Last week the Jews celebrated the Passover.
The observance of Passover was instituted to commemorate the time when DESTROYING ANGEL passed by those Israelites whose door was marked with the blood of a lamb and Israel was freed from bondage. Prophetically, each Passover lamb had to be a young male, firstborn, without blemish, slain at a specified time of day and month, unbroken in bone, roasted with fire, eaten with bitter herbs, and ultimately consumed so that nothing remained.
Christ was the Son, Firstborn, spotless above all. He was slain at the prophesied time, at the same hour when the traditional Passover lambs were being slain at the temple in Jerusalem.
Bitterness surrounded every aspect of his death—the crown of thorns, the mocking, the vinegar given when he thirsted. His bones were not broken, though those of the thieves who hung with him were.
As in the original Israelite Passover, through the shedding of blood, death was overcome and men were freed from bondage. Even the command, “And ye shall let nothing of it remain …” (Ex. 12:10) seems to have meaning. Christ’s body was placed within the tomb. Those who loved him fully expected that it would remain there. Yet a great and marvelous miracle occurred, and when the tomb was opened, “nothing remained.”

The Passover feast centered on the paschal lamb, which was a sacrificial lamb, a male without blemish and with no broken bone, even after death. Likewise, Jesus was the “Passover,” the “Lamb of God”, a male without blemish and with no broken bone, even after death .
He was the Firstborn of God in the premortal existence, sanctified in the flesh as were the firstborn of Israel , and slain even as were the firstborn of Egypt.
The Jewish Passover lasts one week. It starts on a Monday. It always begins on the 10 of the Jewish month Nissan. Our calendar the date is different from year to year. Sometimes March and sometimes in April. The earliest it can occur is March 15 the latest is April 18.
On the first day of Passover, Monday it begins by the lamb being chosen. This corresponds to the Saviors triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Zech 9:9)Where the Jews accept Jesus temporarily albeit as their promised Messiah. It is ironic that they (the Jews) thought they were choosing a King, but in reality they were choosing to sacrifice not only paschal lambs, but the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
Zechariah 9:9   9 ¶ Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon a colt.
On the following Friday the paschal lamb is sacrificed. The Jewish law required that the lamb be killed by the whole congregation of Israel. PEOPLE HAD COME TO JERUSALEM BECAUSE THE LAW REQUIRED IT. This was to occur at the temple between 3 and 5 in the afternoon by law. Of course at the same time the paschal lambs were being slain at the temple the Savior (the Lamb of God) was crucified.
Remember the Jews had gathered at Jerusalem for the Passover and they responded to a perplexed Pilate:
22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They ALL say unto him, Let him be crucified.
  23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. (MATT 27)
(EMPHASIZE the Jewish leaders crucified the Savior not the Jewish people)
The next event follows the very next day SATURDAY. This is the Feast of the Passover which celebrates the liberation of the captive Israelites from Egyptian bondage. . This event corresponds to the Christ as a spirit liberating the captive from Spirit Prison.
DC 138 18 While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful;
  19 And there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of repentance.
The following day is Passover Sunday. This is when the Jews offer the firstfruits of their harvest to the Lord. This corresponds to the Resurrection of the Savior. He becoming as Paul described “the firstfruits fruits of them that slept.
Lehi also explained that the Savior, “being the first that should rise … is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved.” (2 Ne. 2:8–9.)'
And of course the Garden tomb was empty and “nothing remained” was fulfilled. Jesus had been resurrected and would soon show himself to Mary than his apostles and then to others.
According to Paul over 500 people in one place. And of course the Nephites testified as well.
According to Jewish law and the Jewish calendar the the celebration of the firstfruits of the harvest is always celebrated on the 16 day of Jewish month of Nissan. This would also represent the day of the Resurrection.
The closing words of the Old Testament contain Malachi’s promise that Elijah the prophet would be sent before the Messiah to fulfill an important mission:
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
“And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” (Mal. 4:5–6.)
Today the Jews still believe that Messiah will come but he will be proceeded by the coming of Elijah.
Malachi’s words were considered so important that the Savior gave to the Nephites all of chapters 3 and 4 of Malachi [Mal. 3, 4], which end with this prophecy of Elijah’s return.
Also this was among the scriptures Moroni taught Joseph Smith on his first visit even though they are quoted a little differently.
38 And again, he quoted the fifth verse thus: Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
  39 He also quoted the next verse differently: And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming.
The promise of Elijah, taught by the scribes in Jesus’ day, is still remembered by the Jewish people every year at Passover. A special place at table is set for him, with a cup of wine. At a prescribed time during the meal, the door is opened for him to enter.
The day of Jesus’ resurrection was important enough to commemorate beforehand in the Passover ceremony and also to celebrate afterward by changing the Sabbath to Sunday. But there was another commemoration of this important day to take place.
Even in our day, the Lord has promised that “all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times.” (D&C 121:31.)
We know that Elijah has returned. He returned on Easter Sunday Apr. 3 1836 in the Kirtland Temple. It is interesting that Apr. 3 in 1836 was also the 16 of the month Nissan, passover week and the same date that Jesus was resurrected.
There is an article in the 1985 July issue of the Ensign where a university professor of astronomy uses information about the life of Christ from the Book of Mormon, the DC and New Testament to identify Apr.3, 33AD as the date of the Savior's resurrection.
So, how often does Easter Sunday occur on both April 3 and 16 Nisan, as it did in a.d. 33? It happens less than once every century, on the average. The year 1836, April 3 was the only such occurrence in the nineteenth century.
The apostle Paul, “Now ye are the body of Christ,” and explained that all positions in the Church are important. (1 Cor. 12:12–31.)
DC 20:1 The rise of the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh, it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April—
Presidents Harold B Lee and Spencer W Kimball each said that this date was the birth date of the Savior.
Thus the DATE of birth of the church coincides the with the DATE of birth of Christ.
Alma in the Book of Mormon uses the words restore and restoration to describe the resurrected body.
When did the restoration of the gospel become complete? When did the dispensation of the fullness of times begin. When Christ came to the Kirtland Temple and introduced Moses, Elias and Elijah. Completing the restoration of the final keys to gather Israel and to perform temple work. Thus the DATE of restoration of the Gospel coincides with the DATE of resurrection of Christ.
I WOULD LIKE TO NOW CONSIDER HOW JESUS USED THE SCRIPTURES TO TEACH US ABOUT HIS ATONEMENT:
THE GOOD SAMARITAN.
A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
Jerusalem, the holy city, represents the place of holiness, or the innocence and purity we had before coming to earth.
The journey down to Jericho represents the fall each of us experiences as we come to earth and makes wrong choices and commits sin.
The robbers are the spiritual enemies we encounter on earth.
The wounds are the real spiritual wounds we receive through sin and mortal adversity
The priest and Levite are those who could and should help us but fail to do so.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

The good Samaritan is our Savior, who administers wine (representing the blood of his atoning sacrifice) and oil (symbolic of the Holy Ghost). He binds up our wounds and carries us on his own beast.
The inn represents the Church, the place of safety and healing where the Lord takes us and stays with us as we begin our recovery.
The innkeeper can symbolize the leaders of the Church who represent Christ when he is gone, ministering to those in need.
The two pence (and more, if needed) represent the cost of returning us to spiritual health. The Lord pays the full price that is required
Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

MY FAVORITE description of Christ and the atonement is found in the parable of the prodigal son.
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.And he arose, and came to his father.
But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.
The Father I believe represents Christ.
We all are in need of atonement. The Savior has invited us all.
Matt. 11: 28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
CHRIST TEACHES US IN THIS PARABLE THAT AS WE COME UNTO HIM (REPENT) HE SEES US FROM A LONG WAY OFF (OR AS WE BEGIN REPENTANCE) AND RUNS TO US AND EMBRACES US AND REJOICES WITH US.
ALMA GAVE US A DESCRIPTION OF CHRIST AND HIS ATONEMENT. HE TEACHES US THAT CHRIST'S ATONEMENT HEALS US NOT ONLY FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN, BUT ALL OF OUR PAIN, SUFFERING AND SORROW.
ALMA :11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
ETYMOLOGY IS THE ORIGIN AND MEANINGS OF WORDS. SUCCOR. FROM THE LATIN SUCCURRER MEANS:TO GO BENEATH, TO RUN TO HELP, TO RUN TO THE RESCUE.
It was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world, in Gethsemane that His pain was equivalent to the cumulative burden of all men, in Gethsemane that He descended below all things so that all could repent and come to Him. EZRA TAFT BENSON.
TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON 'SUCCOR' was the perfect word
I testify all things testify of Jesus Christ and his atonement.
I TESTIFY THAT HE HAS DESCENDED BELOW ALL THAT HE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SUCCOR US IN OUR INFIRMITIES. I KNOW THAT HE LOVES US AND HAS A PLAN FOR EACH OF US.
AS I LOOK BACK ON MY OWN LIFE I NOTICE A PATTERN TO MY LIFE THAT ACTUALLY INDICATES AN OUTLINE OF A PLAN THAT IS BEGINNING TO COME TOGETHER.
JOSEPH SMITH SAID TO BRIGHAM YOUNG."Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach you what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evil from their hearts; and their whole ****** will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the spirit of the Lord they will go right. Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before they came into the world."13
I BEAR TESTIMONY OF THESE THINGS. TESTIFY THAT HE WILL FROM TIME TO TIME PRUNE US BACK, DIG ABOUT US AND NOURISH US ALL BECAUSE HE LOVES US (ALLEGORY OF THE OLIVE TREE).

Warner Family Christmas Gift Exchange

2009-11-19T11:59:00.002-06:00

Katherine- Annie
Julia- Kristy
Maggie- Julia
Kristy- Katherine
Annie- Maggie
Bobby- Richard
Richard- Grant
Grant- Bobby

Happy Shopping! Love you guys!

Some videos I've been meaning to post.

2009-08-12T10:58:00.003-05:00

We had a pretend birthday party. I made the Pioneer Woman Strawberry Shortcake Cake that Dad loves so much. The girls liked it a lot. They also loved the idea of a pretend birthday party for no reason at all!

Franny recently learned the Pledge of Allegiance. She started saying it over lunch one day and I caught it on video.

ANNIVERSARIES

2009-07-29T21:17:00.026-05:00

Katherine called me on my wedding anniversary. She asked me if I remembered. I had forgotten. I have always had a difficult time remembering, which is a surprise since my thoughts are always with her. Now, I mostly think of the anniversary of her passing. I guess because I now use that date as a kind of countdown to when I'll be with Marianne again.
It's amazing how fast time has gone by. In the Book of Mormon Jacob described our lives passing by as if it were a dream.
I want you to know that I feel Marianne's presence everyday. I know she is concerned about each of us and somehow has the ability to be next to us.
Joseph Smith gave this interesting observation:
“When men are prepared they are better off to go hence....The spirits of the just are exalted to a greater and more glorious work; hence they are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions......”
Consider what Brigham Young said:
“I can say with regard to parting with our friends, and going ourselves, that I have been near enough to understand eternity so that I have had to exercise a great deal more faith to desire to live than I ever exercised in my whole life to live. The brightness and glory of the next apartment is inexpressible. It is not encumbered....so that when we advance in years we have to be stubbing along and to be careful lest we fall down. We see our youth, even, frequently stubbing their toes and falling down. But yonder, how different! They move with ease and like lightning.”
Also, Orson Pratt:
“How do we know, when this spirit is freed from this mortal tabernacle, but that all our senses will be greatly enlarged? Unclothe the spirit, and instead of exposing a small portion of it about the size of a pea to the action of the rays of light, the whole of it would be exposed. I think we could then see in different directions at once...I believe we shall be freed, in the next world, in a great measure, from these narrow, contracted methods of thinking. Instead of thinking in one channel, and following up one certain course of reasoning to find a certain truth, knowledge will rush in from all quarters....informing the spirit, and giving understanding concerning ten thousand things at the same time; and the mind will be capable of receiving and returning all.
I know the pain of separation from your Mom. The Lord said, “Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch, that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die.”
I just want to remind you that she is with us. I think more than we would ever imagine. I see her influence in each one of you. When I see Frannie get really excited about something I see Marianne. That is exactly how I remember her when we first met. She was so excited about life.
I want you to know that our Heavenly Father is aware of our family and has a plan for us. I tell my seminary kids that if they will do their best to live close to the spirit, as they look back from time to time they will notice an outline to their lives. Therefore, there is nothing to fear.
Joseph Smith wrote, "At the first organization in heaven we were all present and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it." ...and to Brigham Young he said, "Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before we came into the world.
Your Mom's passing is part of the outline of our life. I could name a dozen events that proceeded her passing to let us know that this is true. As difficult as it is to not be able to see and talk to her there is a wonderful irony. She can be with you more now than she could in mortality. I am so grateful for this knowledge. Remember the promise in her patriarchal blessing:

I bless you with the power of discernment in the raising of your children in both spiritual and temporal matters. With this power you will always know when they are troubled and in need of your help, and thus will be able to be with them during the most critical times in their lives to help them make the right decisions.

Love,

DAD

CONGRATULATIONS! BOBBY GRADUATES FROM MED SCHOOL!

2009-05-20T16:02:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday Dad!!! We Love You!!!

2009-04-22T14:52:00.003-05:00

2009-04-22T10:32:00.009-05:00

I Spoke in Sacrament meeting Sunday.

I HAVE BEEN ASKED TO SPEAK ABOUT A GROUP OF IMPORTANT
BLESSINGS THAT OFTEN ARE NOT APPRECIATED OR EVEN PARTICULARLY WELCOMED-THESE ARE OUR TRIALS AND ADVERSITIES. IN PARTICULAR REMAINING FAITHFUL IN TIMES OF ADVERSITY.
In addressing the topic of remaining faithful in times of adversity I want to try to address a couple of different aspects of this topic.
First, the WHY question – why do we have trials and adversities. The second is if we understand the WHY, will it make any difference.
And finally, the HOW. When faced with adversity HOW do we remain faithful.

First – the WHY. Why do we have adversity? Why do we have trials and why are they so painfully and discouragingly hard? Elder Faust in a Conference talk just before his death posed following questions:

Why was I born with physical or mental limitations?
What did I do to deserve this heartache?
Why hasn't the Lord answered our prayers the way we wished?
[Why do] people who have done some very bad things, . . . seem to have everything they want or need?

After posing these questions Elder Faust then answered these questions by quoting Dr. Arthur Wentworth Hewitt, who said,
“First: I don't know.
Second: We may not be as innocent as we think.
Third: . . . I believe it is because [The Lord] . . . loves us so much more than He loves our happiness” (“Where Do I Stand,” 174 General Conference).

The first observation if that while the reasons for our adversities may not be immediately known or discoverable, this life is nonetheless full of them both great and small.
None of us are exempt, and none of us will be blessed with too few.
For example, consider the chilling but prophetic words found inscribed on the crypt of the infamous Black Knight entombed in Westminster Abby in London. It speaks of the certainty of pain and loss in this life.
It reads “As you are, I once was, As I am, you will be.”
If you were my seminary students I would ask, 'Is this true?
Of course not, we are destined to be Sons and Daughters of our Heavenly Father. We know that our Heavenly Father as offered to us all that he has.
This is our perspective when considering our trials and afflictions.

Let me state the obvious. In our lives......
*Everyone at some time will be separated from their loved ones, i.e., separated from mother, father, husband, wife, children or friends, by death – either ours or theirs;
*Everyone of us and all of our loved ones will suffer life ending injuries or disease;
*Everyone will suffer disappointment because of poor choices of our own making or the choices of loved ones;
*And finally, at some point in our lives, all of us will be faced with the deep loneliness that comes because of separation from loved ones.

Through these observations, I am not trying to be unduly negative. It's just that an essential element of this life is that regardless of how good we are or how hard we try to do the right things there will be trials, and they will be very, very difficult.
The other obvious observation that I can make is that the effect that these trials have on us is exactly, exactly what our Heavenly Father wants.
For example, we know from the Book of Mormon that through adversities our Father in Heaven wants us to know opposition in all things. In 2 Nephi 2:15 we read: “it must needs be that there was an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter.” When you have a minute go back and reflect on this scripture and notice as between the “forbidden fruit” and the “tree of life” which is sweet and which is bitter. While the fruit of the tree of life is described by Adam and Eve as “most precious and desirable” (1 Nephi 15:36) it is not described as “sweet.”

The scriptures also teach us that the Lord wants a people “tried in all things” (Doctrine and Covenants 136:31), how specifically will we be tried? He tells us, “Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith” (Mosiah 23:21). Some of us, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, has said will have “trials to pass through, while still others have allotments they are to live with. Paul, the great apostle, for example, lived with his ‘thorn in the flesh’
(2 Corinthians 12:7)”
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am cweak, then am I strong.
Ether 12:
27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my cgrace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

Elder Maxwell goes on to explain that mortality presents us with numerous opportunities to cope with those of life's challenges which are ‘common to man[kind]’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). In addition, there are also our customized trials such as experiencing illness, . . ., persecution, betrayal, irony, poverty, false witness, [and] unreciprocated love, . . . . If endured well, ‘all these things’ can be for our good and can ‘greatly enlarge the soul,’ by excavating the soul we are promised an enlarged capacity for joy (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7; 121:42).
Important in all of this is that our Heavenly Father knows what he want for us and from us ….
and the trials we are given are intended to create the kind of person that the Lord expects us to be.
It is the fact that he knows us and sees us that makes our trials – while not any more understandable – maybe more acceptable.
We know from modern revelation that our Heavenly Father knows the beginning from the end (3 Nephi 9:18, Doctrine and Covenants 35:1) –he knows how everything turns out, how we turn out.
Since he already knows how all of this turns out why do we have to go through this?
Adversities and trials tend to reveal who we are and they reveal the import of what the Lord wants of us and for us.
Peter said“the trial of [our] faith . . . [is] much more precious than gold . . ” (1 Peter 1:7)
In coming to know ourselves: our trials are the best teachers, since such learning is very, very personal.
In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul describes for us the challenging nature of personal growth. He begins in verse 11 by saying:
When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
Then in the all important and often quoted verse 12 he explains:
For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
To better understand this important scripture, lets go through it line by line and reflect on it a little more carefully.
We know that we are here to grow and to experience all of the joys and pains of growth.
This applies to both our physical and spiritual growth. As verse 11 indicates we move from being a child to an adult and in doing so we put off certain childish things –
Sometimes this is not easy maybe even painful,
But we know that it is absolutely necessary.
Verse 12 is often quoted but IS NOT well understood. Again it begins: “For now we see through a glass darkly.”
Strangely this is usually all of this verse that is quoted and the rest is left out. This part of the scripture is usually interpreted as an observation concerning the great difficulty we have seeing or understanding the world around us thus leaving us to blunder and grope through the darkness.
While this may certainly be true, I don’t think that this is what this scripture is talking about.
In this scripture it is important to understand what the “we” are looking at. The scripture says that “For now we see through a glass darkly.” What is a glass? Since the King James version of the Bible draws from 16th Century English, think of how the word glass is used in English stories such as “Alice through the looking Glass.”
A glass in this instance is not a window with the implication that we are looking out on the world – but it is a mirror. WE ARE LOOKING AT OURSELVES AND IT IS US WE ARE TRYING TO 'KNOW'
With that understanding let’s look at the rest of verse 12. Paul goes on to describe more about coming to know ourselves when he says“but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as I am known.”
We are known by our Heavenly Father. Our challenge IS to see us as our Heavenly Father knows us. I think that's what Paul is talking about. To recognize who we really are. Paul tells us this takes time and experience.
But we can be assured that Heavenly Father has his eye on us. He knows us and he knows us perfectly. And we are promised that we will come to know ourselves, see ourselves, as our Heavenly Father knows and sees us.
To know that we are known and known perfectly is so important when we are faced with difficult trials.

To help understand a little better the importance of having a creator who clearly sees and knows our trials let me give you an example that I find helpful.
Michelangelo was once asked how he sculptured his amazing statuary. He responded provocatively by saying......
“I see the angel in the marble and carve until I have set it free”
I think that is a very interesting statement regarding his creative process.
To free the angel from the marble the sculptor must clearly see what the material contains.
Vision therefore is the starting point of the creative process.

I am sure that you can follow THIS ANALOGY. We are beautiful even exquisite material from which the Lord has a plan to make us into something.
In our case we even know what we are to be – beautiful sons and daughters full of perfection.
SOMETIMES OUR PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS CAN GIVE US A HINT.
BUT IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO have a clear view of what the end result is to look like and …....
we do not always appreciate how difficult and painful the process of freeing the angel really is.

Joseph Smith described his refining process a little differently, he said:
I am like a huge, rough stone . . . and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force. . . . Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 304).

'Striking with accelerated force' I think beautifully describes this process.

Elder Hugh B. Brown reports the following personal story that illustrates the point I am trying to make. He states:
I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a berry bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no berries.
I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before I went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that berry bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the berry bush was crying. I looked at it and smiled and said,
“What are you crying about?”
You know, I thought I heard that berry bush say this: “How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I am not as big as they. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”
That’s what he thought he heard the berry bush say, and he thought it so much that he answered.
He said, “Look, berry bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a berry bush, and someday, little berry bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.”
JUST LAST WEEK WE CONSIDERED THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. REMEMBER, HE FIRST APPEARED TO MARY AND MARY THOUGHT HE WAS WHAT? SHE THOUGHT HE WAS THE GARDENER.
MORE IRONY IN THE LIFE OF THE SAVIOR. EVEN AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.
For Jesus, REMEMBER, irony began at His birth. Truly, He suffered the will of the Father “in all things from the beginning.” (3 Ne. 11:11.) This whole earth became Jesus’ footstool (see Acts 7:49), but at Bethlehem there was “no room … in the inn” (Luke 2:7) and “no crib for his bed”
As the Creator, Christ constructed the universe, yet in little Galilee He was known merely as “the carpenter’s son.”
Christ was keenly aware of this constant irony: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.”
YET THIS WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF IRONY. ALMOST A REVERSE IRONY. FOR ISN'T JESUS 'THE GARDENER.' IN NO LESS THAN 9 OF HIS PARABLES HE PORTRAYED HIMSELF AS THE 'GARDENER.'

THE SOWER AND THE SOILS
THE SEED GROWING BY ITSELF
THE WHEAT AND THE TARES
THE BARREN FIG TREE
THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD
THE WICKED HUSBANDMAN
THE FIG TREE
ALSO IN ISAIAH'S SONG OF THE VINEYARD

AND IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. JACOB QUOTES ZENOS' ALLEGORY OF THE OLIVE TREE
Jacob 5:4 And it came to pass that the master of the vineyard went forth, and he saw that his olive-tree began to decay; and he said: I will prune it, and dig about it, and NOURISH it, that perhaps it may shoot forth young and tender branches, and it perish not.

As to the pain inherent in this cutting, sculpturing, and polishing process Elder Maxwell has given us a great perspective. He said:
In those moments when we feel the pain which is a necessary part of the plan of happiness, we can remember that there was an ancient time when that plan was first unveiled. Then the perceptive among us voted not secretly, but audibly – by shouting for joy! Let us not go back on those feelings now – for we saw more clearly then what we are experiencing now!

IT WAS WAS EXPLAINED TO US FROM THE BEGINNING:
The Lord makes no secret that He will test our faith and our obedience. “We will prove them herewith,” He said, “to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.”

O.K., so adversity and pain are part of a very important and personal plan. Does knowing and understanding that really help? I THINK it does.
This is what life is about – and we don’t get out of life without living it.

Now to the final question, HOW do we remain faithful when faced with adversity. If we understand that our Heaven Father has a plan for us and we know and believe that he “will support us in our trials . . . troubles . . . and afflictions. . .” (Alma 36:3) – what does he give to help us?

FIRST I WANT TO SHARE ANOTHER OBSERVATION.
In her book called Adversity, Elaine Cannon shares this valuable example:
“An old cowboy said he had learned life’s most important lessons from Hereford cows. All his life he had worked cattle ranches where winter storms took a heavy toll among the herds. Freezing rains whipped across the prairies. Howling, bitter winds piled snow into enormous drifts. Temperatures might drop quickly to below zero degrees. Flying ice cut into the flesh. In this maelstrom of nature’s violence most cattle would turn their backs to the ice blasts and slowly drift downwind, mile upon mile. Finally, intercepted by a boundary fence, they would pile up against the barrier and die by the scores.
“But the Herefords acted differently. Cattle of this breed would instinctively head into the windward end of the range. There they would stand shoulder-to-shoulder facing the storm’s blast, heads down against its onslaught.
“ ‘You always found the Herefords alive and well,’ said the cowboy. ‘I guess it’s the greatest lesson I ever learned on the prairies—just face life’s storms’ ” (Adversity [1987], 133–34).
Similarly, if we face up to our individual adversities or hardships, they can become a source of blessing. God will not give us adversities we cannot handle, and he will bless us richly for patiently doing the best we can in the circumstances.'

REGARDLESS OF THE REASON FOR OUR TRIALS AND ADVERSITY THE LORD IS ABSOLUTELY CLEAR WITH WHAT HE WANTS US TO DO.
Matt. 11: 28 ¶ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
WHEN TRIALS AND ADVERSITY COME THE LORD HAS ASKED US TO BRING THEM TO HIM.
We tend to think the atonement is only for sinners.
2NEPHI 9: 21 And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the bpains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.
Again Elder Maxwell:
SINCE NOT ALL HUMAN AND PAIN IS CONNECTED TO SIN, THE FULL INTENSIVENESS OF THE ATONEMENT INCLUDED BEARING OUR PAINS, INFIRMITIES AND SICKENESSES, AS WELL AS OUR SINS.
THIS MAKES ME RECALL ELDER MAXWELL'S PHRASE ABOUT ' THE AWFUL ARITHMETIC OF THE ATONEMENT'

GORDON B. HINCKLEY
Yet while there may be … heartache, even heartbreak, there can be peace and comfort and strength from the Lord for those who follow Him. …
The Lord [has promised]: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C 84:88). …
May we go forward with our righteous convictions. May we walk in truth and in faith and in love. For if we do so, we will be upheld and strengthened by the Lord.'

JEFFREY HOLLAND IN AN ARTICLE IN THE NEW ERA ENTITLED “FOR TIMES OF TROUBLE”
“In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike—and they will—you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection. They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham’s seed.

JAMES E. FAUST
I would like to say a word about the ministering of angels. In ancient and modern times angels have appeared and given instruction, warnings, and direction, which benefited the people they visited. We do not consciously realize the extent to which ministering angels affect our lives. President Joseph F. Smith said, “In like manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.” Many of us feel that we have had this experience.

D&C 58: 3
3 Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

IN THESE VERSES THE LORD OFFERS US PATIENCE.
D&C 78
17 Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye are little children, and ye have not as yet understood how great blessings the Father hath in his own hands and prepared for you;
18 And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours.
19 And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.

SOME OF OUR TRIALS WILL BE OF OUR OWN MAKING. SOME WILL BE JUST PART OF LIFE. OTHERS MIGHT BE PART OF HEAVENLY FATHER'S PLAN FOR US. MAYBE SOMETHINGS WE KNEW AND AGREED TO BEFORE WE CAME TO THIS LIFE. BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. THE LORD HAS INSTRUCTED US TO COME UNTO HIM. AND THEN TO FOLLOW HIM.

CONSIDER THE SACARAMENT HYMN.
COME FOLLOW ME
“Come, follow me,” the Savior said.  
Then let us in his footsteps tread,
 For thus alone can we be one  
With God’s own loved, begotten Son. …

For thrones, dominions, kingdoms, pow’rs,  
And glory great and bliss are ours,
 If we, throughout eternity,
 Obey his words, “Come, follow me.”

just a note.......

2009-04-16T13:33:00.002-05:00

Cole,

Yes, I did get your note. Thank you so much for taking the time (and effort) to get back to me. It means so much.
Also, I wanted to tell you/remind you about something remarkable and generous and magical that your wonderful Marianne did for me so many years ago. Beyond the fact that her kindness and friendship and spirituality and... irreverence was unmatched in anyone I knew then (and few have come close since) I learned so many life lessons from her... but I remembered recently how I was trying to work and go to school at the time, and it was tough... time wise, financially, etc.
One day, right before school started for the semester, Marianne pulled a big "Gotcha" and bought all my textbooks for me. I think I came home and found them wrapped on my front porch.
I think there was actually a note that said "Gotcha!"
I'm sure she's done things like this hundreds/thousands of times for people in your life over the years, but that was unbelievable for me at the time. What a vote of confidence and gift that was.
Thanks again Cole. For your irreplaceable, shining example all those years ago. You, Marianne, your family and all those memories are a cherished part of the fabric that is me.

Wishing you a beautiful week!

xo Michelle

Franny's Stage Debut

2009-04-14T09:19:00.007-05:00

Here's that video I told you about Dad. Family, I may not have told you but Franny was lucky enough to be a part of a pilot program offered by a graduate student for music therapy for about eight weeks. The graduate student presented on the group at Truman University here in Kirksville and she invited me to come and listen to it. After it was over one of the other parents in the group asked me if I had heard about the puppet show that was happening that afternoon on campus. I hadn't, so I walked over to check it out and found a lot of families we love to hang out with. I called Bobby (who had just taken the girls to the park) to see if he could bring the girls to the university so we could go. He rushed over, but just so we could sit and wait for another half hour before the puppet show started. It was all worth it though. It was a very cute production and one of the dancers came and hand-picked Franny along with a few other kids to come and dance on stage! She was so thrilled. She couldn't stop talking about it all day and into the night. "Mommy, did I dance with the ballerinas?" The next day she even asked me to do her hair like the ballerinas. Now watching the video, I know what she was talking about. It was such a pleasure to watch. In fact, before she even got to go on stage, I was watching the look on her face as she watched the production. She was really into it! Just taking it all in. I remember taking that same sideways glance in similar situations just a few years ago, and noticing the difference between her gaze and those of the children around her. At that time, she often seemed disconnected and spaced out. There was no question of her connection with this performance however. Which probably had something to do with that cute ballerina coming down and asking her to dance instead of the handful of other kids sitting around her. It's really exciting to observe. It was also exciting to see how much she enjoyed being in the spotlight. We need to get that kid in dance or theater or something. She was born for the stage!

I should mention that while Franny was up there, Sophie was just miserable. She hates feeling left out by Franny. It was so sad. Poor kid. Usually just shoving a pacifier in her mouth does the trick, but this time it didn't work. I rummaged in my purse and found a half eaten chocolate protein bar and by the end of the show it was all over her face and hands. I tried to hurry and take a picture before she spread chocolate all over the place, but this was all I managed to get. It was on her pants and her shirt, too. Crazy kid.

HAPPY EASTER

2009-04-12T09:41:00.003-05:00

HAPPY EASTER FAMILY!!!

2009-04-12T09:25:00.002-05:00

Thanks Dad for the beautiful dresses. The girls love them. They've been dancing around all morning.

SPRINGTIME

2009-03-28T21:48:00.029-05:00

I've always loved the Spring. The days are longer, the flowers and shrubs return, General Conference is just around the corner, and of course there's basketball.
Marianne and I never had a gardener. She loved everything about gardening, so we landscaped four homes. She definitely had a green thumb and I had the green stains on my pants to prove it.
When it was time to cut back the garden, Marianne would do the cutting and I would gather the clippings in bags.
When I would come home and see the results of Marianne's pruning I would always laugh. I could tell what kind of day she had based on the how the garden looked. If she was feeling frustrated, she would take it out on those poor shrubs. But the shrubs always came back in the Spring.
Now it's my turn to do the pruning and I marvel every spring as the garden awakens the world seems renewed.
This too was Marianne's favorite time of year. She loved how the surrounding hillsides would turn green after months of brown.
As I am writing this I am watching an old movie, Ben Hur. The Savior has just been crucified. We know that in three days time he will be resurrected and that event will take place in a garden.
As I am getting older and learning more about the Savior, I realize that everything testifies of Jesus Christ. He is the source of all light and life.
Springtime is symbolic of the Savior’s resurrection. Just as spring inspires renewed hope and new life, so does the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Your Mom knew this. The day she left us was really a beautiful day. We had spent the day together buying shrubs and planting them. As we worked together for the last time Marianne told me she wanted us to teach you kids how to garden.
I was talking about gardening with Katherine just a week ago or so. It's now her turn to garden. You will all have the opportunity. When spring comes around and your garden returns, remember to turn your thoughts to the Savior. It is only through adherence to his teachings and example that we will find peace and happiness.
Also think of your beautiful Mom and her love for gardening and that because of the Savior's wonderful gift, she too will be resurrected and that we all can be together.
I want you to know that I feel her loving presence everyday and I see her influence and love in each one of you.
Enjoy the springtime.
Love

DAD

A Whole New World

2009-02-09T14:34:00.002-06:00

Bobby would probably kill me if he knew I posted this video, but luckily he never checks this site. Enjoy...

Playing the Wii at Christmastime

2009-01-25T15:07:00.005-06:00

We all missed you guys so much at Christmas. If Wes and Jen hadn't come, I think we would have had a very VERY quiet Christmas. It was so fun to video-conference with you Christmas morning and see all your faces. I'm so glad we did that.

When Wes and Jen were here for Christmas, they plugged in their Wii and we had the best time playing tennis and bowling. Everyone commented that my style of playing tennis was a "wii" bit spazzy, but I promise it's more fun that way. Wes said my tennis-playing reminds him of Elaine's dancing. (Watch the videos simultaneously. Bobby tried it and it is hilarious.)

This I'm sure doesn't need to be said, but these beautiful pictures were taken by Jen.

2009-01-23T19:17:00.001-06:00

NO COMMENT NECESSARY

2009-01-23T19:00:00.007-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA! AND ELVIS

2009-01-07T09:52:00.006-06:00

ONE OF MY FAVORITE JULIA
PICTURES
(Bobby, check out her cool lunch box.)

ENTERTAINING with MARIANNE SANT WARNER

2009-01-07T00:08:00.045-06:00

I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS MY THANKS TO KATHERINE FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL BOOK. I THINK ABOUT YOUR MOM ALL THE TIME AND THIS HAS BROUGHT BACK A FLOOD OF MEMORIES.
KATHERINE TITLED THE BOOK PERFECTLY. YOUR MOM DIDN’T REALLY LOVE TO COOK. PROBABLY BECAUSE YOU KIDS WERE A LITTLE TOO PICKY. TYPICAL KID STUFF. BUT YOUR MOM LOVED TO ENTERTAIN. SHE WAS A GREAT ORGANIZER, SHE HAD EXCELLENT TASTE, WAS CREATIVE AND SHE LOVED PARTIES. SHE LOVED TO BE WITH HER FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
WHEN WE FIRST MET, MARIANNE TOLD ME THAT WHILE AT CAL STATE FULLERTON SHE PUT ON THE WEEKLY LUNCHEON AT THE INSTITUTE. I GUESS THESE LUNCHEONS TURNED INTO A RATHER LARGE EVENT. I REMEMBER REALIZING THEN HOW MUCH MARIANNE LOVED TO ENTERTAIN.
WHEN WE BUILT OUR HOUSE IN FAIRE MARIN, MARIANNE WANTED A HOUSE THAT WOULD ACCOMADATE LARGE PARTIES. REMEMBER THE LARGE WOLF STOVE AND THE LONG, WIDE GALLERY (THAT’S WHAT SHE CALLED IT) DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE DOWNSTAIRS. WELL THAT WAS GREAT FOR SETTING UP TABLE ROUNDS. WE EVEN INSTALLED A SECOND SINK IN THE KITCHEN, ALTHOUGH I CAN’T THINK WHY.
SHE LOVED TO DECORATE THE HOUSE. I ALWAYS ENJOYED BUYING CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS OR SETTING UP DECORATIONS OR WHATEVER BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO MAKE HER HAPPY.
WHAT MADE MARIANNE REALLY HAPPY THOUGH WAS HER FAMILY. FROM YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTIES, BAPTISMS, THANKSGIVING (REMEMBER THE OVERNIGHTERS) TO THE SANT CHRISTMAS PARTY. I THINK SHE WAS ALWAYS HAPPIEST WHEN SHE WAS THROWING A PARTY FOR HER FAMILY. ALTHOUGH IT COULD GET A LITTLE TENSE PREPARING FOR THE PARTY, HER PERSONALITY LITERALLY LIT UP THE HOUSE ONCE GUESTS WOULD ARRIVE.
WE HAD A COUPLE OF WEDDINGS AT THAT HOUSE. SEVERAL WEDDING RECEPTIONS. WE HAD A NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY; I THINK THE WHOLE STAKE WAS INVITED. WE HAD THE STAKE HIGH COUNCIL CHRISTMAS PARTY ONE YEAR. WE THREW A SIT DOWN DINNER PARTY FOR OVER 100 PEOPLE CELEBRATING PHYLLIS CURTIS’ 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY........AND OF COURSE THE SANT CHRISTMAS PARTY.
REMEMBER THE BUTTERCAKES! MARIANNE GOT THIS RECIPE FROM HER MOTHER’S DUTCH NEIGHBOR GRETA. MARIANNE WOULD MAKE AT LEAST 40 TO 50 BUTTERCAKES EVERY CHRISTMAS. PUT THEM ON A PAPER CHRISTMAS PLATE, WRAP THEM IN CELLOPHANE TIED WITH A RIBBON AND A NAMETAG AND WE WOULD DELIVER THEM TO FRIENDS ALL OVER TOWN. EVERYONE WOULD KNOW THAT THEY WOULD GET THEIR BUTTERCAKE THAT CHRISTMAS. MANY WANTED THE RECIPE, BUT MARIANNE WOULD ALWAYS DECLINE. SHE WOULD RATHER BE THE ONE MAKING THE CAKE. HOWEVER, IN MEMORY OF MARIANNE, KATHERINE HAS INCLUDED THE RECIPE IN THIS BOOK, ALONG WITH A PICTURE OF THE WORN 25 YEAR OLD RECIPE CARD SHE HAD USED EVERY CHRISTMAS.
MARIANNE CREATED SUCH A BEAUTIFUL HOME FOR US. I LOVED THE WAY SHE WOULD DECORATE THE HOUSE FOR THE HOLIDAYS. I MISS SITTING UP LATE WITH HER WATCHING TV WHILE SHE MADE BUTTERCAKES, ROLLS , CHEESECAKES; GETTING READY FOR A PARTY. I MISS GOING TO THE STORE FOR HER WITH HER GROCERY LISTS. I WAS ALWAYS AMAZED HOW LONG SHE COULD BE ON HER FEET PREPARING FOOD IN THE KITCHEN.
FOR ME, ONE THING THAT MAKES DEALING WITH SEPARATION FROM MARIANNE EASIER IS THAT I KNOW SHE IS WITH FAMILY. A MUCH LARGER FAMILY NOW. I KNOW SHE IS HAPPY AND HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE HER TALENTS WITH THEM.
WHEN I THINK IT COULD BE A LONG TIME BEFORE I SEE HER AGAIN I TELL MYSELF THAT THE LONGER OUR SEPARATION, THE MORE SPECIAL OUR REUNION WILL BE.
WHAT A GREAT BLESSING SHE HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE TO OUR FAMILY.

LOVE DAD

Christmas Exchanges

2008-11-20T11:40:00.002-06:00

Bobby Grant
Katherine Kristy
Grant Richard
Julia Katherine
Richard Bobby
Kristy Maggie
Maggie Annie
Annie Julia

The price limit is $40. Love you guys!!!!

NOTES..........

2008-11-12T14:15:00.007-06:00

Why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, do that whatever is required of me. Nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my Heavenly Father, by the power of His Spirit.
We have more friends behind the veil than on this side, and they will greet us more joyfully than you were ever welcomed by your parents and friends in this world; and you will rejoice more when you meet them than you ever rejoiced to see a friend in this life. BRIGHAM YOUNG

Sophie's new outfit from Grandpa (and her new haircut!)

2008-10-20T09:46:00.002-05:00

She wore it all day long. She wouldn't let us take off her shoes, her dress or anything. Thanks "BAPA"!

Sophie is 2 years old!

2008-10-06T12:03:00.003-05:00

Here's our big girl taking a nap on her birthday. I just love the two teddy bears tucked under her arms.

I found this birthday cake online and thought it looked like fun to make. It wasn't. But the kids loved it, so it was totally worth it.

And here's Sophie getting ready to dig in. She's so fun. I'll try and get some video posted so you can see. Love you guys- even though you forgot your niece's birthday!

DR. ROBERT

2008-10-04T17:43:00.009-05:00

CONGRATULATIONS!
BOBBY HAS ACCEPTED A POSITION AS A RESIDENT PHYSICIAN WITH AN INTERNSHIP AS AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST. HE WILL BE AT A HOSPITAL IN KIRKSVILLE FOR THE NEXT THREE YEARS. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING AND HOPING FOR. ANESTHESIOLOGY IS A HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER SPECIALTY AND IS VERY COMPETITIVE. WE ARE SO PROUD AND HAPPY FOR THEM. WAY TO GO BOBBY!

DON'T KNOW WHAT AN ANESTHESIOLOGIST IS?
Anesthesiologists focus on the care of surgical patients and pain relief. Like other physicians, they evaluate and treat patients and direct the efforts of their staffs. Through continual monitoring and assessment, these critical care specialists are responsible for maintenance of the patient’s vital life functions—heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, breathing—during surgery. They also work outside of the operating room, providing pain relief in the intensive care unit, during labor and delivery, and for those who suffer from chronic pain. Anesthesiologists confer with other physicians and surgeons about appropriate treatments and procedures before, during, and after operations.

NOTES......

2008-10-03T00:44:00.004-05:00

My Mom sent me this last year. I noticed this in my notes after talking to Richard and Katherine. I thought I would share it with you. I don't know where it's from.

Blessed By Angels
A father died. His young adult daughter missed him terribly. She thought about him regularly.
Her sister chided her: 'By missing Dad, grieving over him, and insisting on his attention to your life, you are keeping him from doing his work on the other side of the veil. Because you are unhappy and he cares about you, he is drawn to you and it keeps him from doing what he needs to be doing. Let him go!'

The Wisdom of Heaven
That may sound like sensible advice. Yet I doubt that it captures the wisdom of Heaven. When we impose mortal constraints on eternal doings, we are surely selling heaven short. As the Prophet Joseph observed, 'It is the constitutional disposition of mankind to set up stakes and set bounds to the works and ways of the Almighty' (TPJS, p. 320).
If we limit heaven's doings by our rules and assumptions, we will shortchange Heaven and ourselves. Maybe a set of laws very different from those we know for mortality govern the doings of immortals. My propositions for the laws that govern immortals include the following:

1. Departed spirits love us and yearn to be a part of our lives. There is nothing they enjoy more than serving the family and friends who literally mean everything to them.

2. Those who live in eternity are not everlastingly at odds with time. While those in the spirit world may not be fully free of the constraints of time, surely they do not struggle with time the way we do.

3. Depart spirits can only participate fully in our lives when we allow them to. They are not allowed to intrude on our lives uninvited but may take part as we appropriately invite them to take part.

4. They will not violate our agency (nor do our chores), but they gladly teach us, love us, reassure us, and guide us according to heavenly wisdom.

5. Though it may take us years to learn to hear their language, they already know us and our language.

Seeking Grandpa
Some years ago I began studying my great-grandfather's life. The more I learned of him the more I wanted to become friends with this good man who died almost two decades before I was born. I yearned to sit and talk with him.
One day as I finished an endowment session in the temple, I pondered. 'How can I visit with grandpa Ben?' I wondered if, after striving to be more righteous, God would send him to visit me. I wasn't sure. I also wondered if I might request of the temple president some time alone in a sealing room to invite him to visit. This option did not seem quite right.
As I stood in the temple, a single word from Alma's great invitation (Alma 5) came to me with new meaning: Imagine.
Imagine! Suddenly it made sense. We do not spend a lifetime trying to be good and settle into great spiritual experiences as a retirement reward. We seek them. We pursue them. In matters of faith, we exercise all the energies of our minds and souls. Faith is mental exertion.

When a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of physical force.(Lectures on Faith 7:3).
Suddenly my path was clear. Rather than wait for Grandpa to come to me, I was to seek him. I began falteringly. Sometimes I sought him as I drove alone at night to teach a class in a neighboring town. I would leave the passenger seat free of books and papers. In my mind I imagined Grandpa Ben sitting there. It wasn't hard to imagine him. I have studied every picture of him I can find. And I have not only read what he wrote in his journals and articles, I have also tried to read books that he read so that I could know how he thought and what he loved.
So, as we drove along, I would talk to Grandpa. I would tell him what I appreciated about his legacy. I would thank him for leaving a journal filled with his spirit. Sometimes I would ask him for advice. To be honest, I never heard his voice in my ear. Yet I sometimes felt his message in my heart. It was sweet. Was it real or just 'vain imaginations'?
It felt real to me.

Getting Counsel from My Dad
At a time when I was at a spiritual and professional crossroads, I desperately wanted counsel from my wise and compassionate Dad. But he had died a year previous. I missed him terribly.
Fortunately I got even more desperate as I struggled for an answer and found none. One day I got desperate enough to leave meetings and find solitude in a restroom where I locked the door and begged Dad for his counsel. When I paused to listen, I felt warm, reassuring, and wise counsel come to mind. I knew it was from Dad. I wrote it down. As I acted on his counsel, our lives have gotten better and better. I believe that my dad is just as interested and even more able to counsel me now than when he lived in mortality.

Following Grandma
I did not want to presume on Heaven's goodness. But I felt there was still more.
My paternal grandmother was a counselor in the general presidency of the Young Women beginning in 1937. I read her articles in church magazines. I read her correspondence. I also read her expressions of love to her children.
Unfortunately, Grandma died when I was just barely 16 months of age. So I can't remember her holding me and cooing to me, her first grandson. I can't remember her voice or words. But everyone who knew her told of her powerful testimony and great passion for the gospel. When I read a letter inviting her to speak to a group of Young Women in Logan, I longed to be there.
I exerted myself. I studied her notes. I found a quiet place and imagined her sitting on the stand in a chapel of that era. I found that the Spirit would not let me sit in the audience, but He would allow me to stand in the foyer and hear Grandma speak. I could almost hear the words and themes in my mind. I certainly felt the warmth as she testified of God's great gifts and invited the Young Women to be true to their covenants.
What a blessing to hear Grandma speak after these many years of silence!

Family Gatherings
Recently our family gathered in the temple for a sealing. I felt sure that our ancestors wanted to attend. And we wanted them to attend. So I sent an invitation - by way of prayer. I asked that Father allow them to visit and be a part of this cherished family experience.
When we arrived in the sealing room, I mentally placed our cherished visitors in specific seats. I imagined them sitting there. I mentally expressed my love and appreciation to them. I was flooded with joy even before the sealing began.

Ministering of Angels
Are there other ways that departed spirits can bless us? Are the ways only limited by our imaginations? I have often invited my dear dad to accompany me on speaking assignments. I have asked Heaven to allow departed spirits to help me when I undertake a new writing project. (I call them the book team!)
We might modify Elisha's insight: 'Fear not: for they that be with us are more than [we ever imagined]' (2 Kings 6:16).
Consider the words of President Faust at the April 2006 General Conference:
In ancient and modern times angels have appeared and given instruction, warnings, and direction, which benefited the people they visited. We do not consciously realize the extent to which ministering angels affect our lives. President Joseph F. Smith said, 'In like manner our fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.' Many of us feel that we have had this experience. Their ministry has been and is an important part of the gospel. (Emphasis added)
I would extend President Faust's statement to say that the ministry of departed spirits can be, not only an important part of the gospel, but also an important and blessed part of our daily lives.
For the young woman who is missing her dad I say, 'Invite him over for some daddy-daughter time. He will come gladly. You will both be blessed by the time together.' I know from experience.

Annie's new bedroom

2008-09-29T09:07:00.002-05:00

Annie and I had a blast redecorating her room while I was there. Now we just need to get Dad to paint two of the walls a lovely shade of muted turquoise. :) Love you Annie! Thanks for getting so excited about this project.

CHANGES

2008-09-25T09:46:00.024-05:00

Maggie's automobile
MAGGIE MOVES TO UTAH
Last week Maggie and I traveled to Utah to move her into her new apartment, job and life in Utah. Maggie has been wanting to move there for sometime. She has prayerfully approached this and it has been obvious she receives answers to her prayers.
Maggie went to work for an Allstate insurance agent in Corona several months ago. She picked up the business quickly but soon thereafter felt it was time for her to make the move.
Maggie sent out an email a nd resume to all the Allstate agents in the Utah Valley. One of them hired her from just a telephone interview. This a good job with generous pay. She can work full time or part time depending on her college schedule. I'm very proud of her. Check out Maggie's blog Maggie'sCollegeChaos.blogspot.com.

Katherine, Francis and Sophie came over from Idaho to help get Maggie settled. We had a nice stay with my parents.
So that leaves just Annie and I at home. Annie is amazing. She is President of her MIA MAID class and just started her sophmore year in high school.
And I just started teaching seminary and I love it.

ANNIE'S DANCE FESTIVAL

2008-09-24T10:50:00.000-05:00

Annie participated in a thirteen stake dance festival in July. It was a month of practicing in stifling heat, but they pulled it off. It was a great success. Annie invited her friend Katherine. Katherine's family came to the performance. Here is a picture of Annie and her dance partner Jordan.

CHECK OUT ANNIE'S SWEET MOVES.

Burp Tennis

2008-08-12T09:40:00.002-05:00

BURP TENNIS
Toss a coin to see who serves. Play the rules of tennis with burps instead of balls! This can only be played I game at a time as in my experience you feel sick after 5 or 6 burps!!

I'm online looking for car games. We're going to spend TWO WHOLE DAYS in the car this weekend and I thought it would be fun to look for some besides the usual "Twenty questions" or the license plate game. This struck me as funny. Gross! I would need a lot of diet coke to participate in this game! I wouldn't stand a chance against Bobby.

from the mouths of babes

2008-08-01T20:21:00.003-05:00

Franny said a really cute prayer tonight, so I have to record it somewhere and I knew you guys would enjoy it.

Dear Heavenly Father, bless panda bear and bear and baby and papers and books and pen and scissors. [at this point she wanted to close the prayer but I prompted her with "please bless Daddy."] Bless Daddy and Mommy and Sophie and Franny and Richard and Kristy and Garrett. And Garrett again. Jesus Christ Amen." (Garrett is a boy in her class.)

She is so funny.

The Reverend John Lathrop

2008-07-23T02:13:00.021-05:00

It wasn’t but several months ago that I learned about the Reverend John Lathrop. I heard this talk on KBYU. I had mentioned it to most of you. What I found so amazing about Reverend Lathrop is his lineage. Joseph Smith Jr. and four other Presidents of the Restored Gospel are his direct descendants (Joseph F. Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, Wilford Woodruff and Harold B. Lee). But there is more, of course Hyrum Smith is also a descendant, but also consider the fact that Oliver Cowdery, Orson and Parley P. Pratt, Frederick G. Williams, Marion G. Romney and M. Russell Ballard are all his direct descendants.
I am sharing this with you again because I made a discovery tonight while researching our family history on the the new FamilySearch website.
We are direct descendants of Heber C. Kimball through his plural wife Clarissa Cutler. While researching our line to my surprise I found that Clarissa’s mother's name was Lois Lathrop. As I went back through generations I found that Lois Lathrop is a direct descendant of the same Reverend John Lathrop.

Reverend John Lathrop
Samuel Lathrop
Israel Lathrop
Samuel Lathrop
Captain Elisha Lathrop
Captain Samuel Lathrop
Lois Lathrop
Clarissa Cutler Heber C. Kimball

Please read the following talk. You will learn that the life of John Lathrop is a type and shadow of the life of his descendant Joseph Smith Jr. You will also learn that God has prepared family lines from the Foundation of the World for this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times.

Joseph Smith: A Family Prepared for a Prophet
Susan Easton Black
© 2002 by Brigham Young University,

Was the family of Joseph Smith prepared for a son to come home one spring morning in l820 and exclaim: “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true”?

In order for them to be prepared, knowledge needs to be available and accessible to the family that such a prophet is to be born. Father Lehi while giving a blessing to his son Joseph spoke of Joseph of Egypt, Joseph Smith Sr. and Joseph Smith Jr. (2 Nephi 3:7–15)

A choice seer will I raise up out of the fruit of thy loins. . . . And he shall be great like unto Moses. . . . and unto him will I give power to bring forth my word unto the seed of thy loins. . . .

And his name shall be called after me; and it shall be after the name of his father. And he shall be like unto me; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.

Knowledge of Joseph Smith was given but not available or accessible to the family of Joseph Smith until the 1820s. Lehi's promise to his son Joseph was in the Hill Cumorah. Joseph of Egypt's writings were not had among men.

Is evidence available to show actual family preparation—when scriptural accounts are not available?

Brigham Young stated: “It was decreed in the councils of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he [Joseph Smith] should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eye upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father’s father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation. . . .” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:289–90)

An example of one progenitor is John Lathrop. John was born 1584 in Elton, Yorkshire, England. He entered Queens College in Cambridge in 1601 and graduated with his bachelor of arts degree in 1605 and his masters of arts degree in 1609. In 1607, prior to receiving his master’s degree, he was ordained a deacon by the bishop of Lincoln and became the curate of Bennington, Herefordshire, England, for the Church of England. After graduation, he was placed in charge of the Egerton Church in Kent, which is located approximately 50 miles southeast of London. He served in this capacity until 1623, a 14-year period. In 1623, he made a decision to leave the Church of England. A major reason for the break from the church was the dispute over whether authority for leadership of the church came from God to the church—in other words, who gave authority to act in the name of God?

His decision to leave the Church of England, at this time was considered a dangerous crime. The punishment for this crime was death; most often the method was burning at the stake. John's position became even more perilous when he accepted an appointment to be a minister of an illegal independent church. On 22 April 1632 his Independent Church was assailed by governmental officials. Of the 42 congregated in this meeting in 1632, only 18 were able to escape; the rest were thrown into the Clink Prison. By the spring of 1634, Lathrop was the only one of the 24 who was not released from prison. John was released only after he petitioned for liberty to go into foreign exile. The foreign exile he chose was America. He sailed on the ship Griffiin from London to Boston. Aboard ship, he was the only one who had a Bible. While he was reading the Bible, hot tallow from a dripping candle burned holes through several pages. He obtained paper and pasted it on the partially burned pages. He then printed from memory the passages of scripture which had been destroyed.

John Lathrop was the ancestor of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Joseph F. Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Wilford Woodruff, Orson and Parley P. Pratt, and Harold B. Lee, Marion G. Romney................

We don’t know much about Clarissa Cutler. We don’t even have a picture of her. We do know that she didn’t follow Heber and the Saints to the Salt Lake Valley. She chose to stay with her sister and father. She had a twelve month old son (Abraham Alonzo Kimball) who would be our family progenitor. Heber somehow knew that she would not follow the Saints and gave Abraham a blessing that he would someday come to the ‘valley of the mountains’. This blessing was fulfilled. Abraham went on to serve a mission to England and served as a Bishop in Kanosh, Utah. He received advice and even a prophecy on his behalf from the prophet Brigham Young.

I have never really given much thought to Clarissa Cutler. I’m sure she was in poor health since she died just two years after Heber left her at Winter Quarters. All I really knew was that she didn’t follow the Saints. But now I know that she is a direct descendant of John Lathrop. That she is part of the same family lineage that was foreordained to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times. I know as stated by Brigham Young that God is watching over this family. Just as our Heavenly Father made sure that Abraham Alonzo Kimball made his way to the ‘valley of the mountains’ to maintain the priesthood line of our family.
Joseph Smith wrote, "At the first organization in heaven we were all present and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it."......and to Brigham Young he said, "Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before we came into the world. Our Father in Heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized and in great confusion." Brigham continued: "Joseph then showed me the pattern, how they were in the beginning. This I cannot describe, but I saw it , and saw where the where the Priesthood had been taken from the earth and how it must be joined together, so that there would be a perfect chain from Father Adam to his latest posterity."

I remember the temple sealer teaching Richard and Kristy about the Abrahamic covenant. That God had provided a lineage for those that had demonstrated their righteousness in His presence. That he has provided a 'foreordained path' to exaltation through the blessings of the fulness of the Gospel. I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. I know that members of our family that have died love us and want to help us find our way on this path to exaltation. This is who we are, this is our destiny.

It is not meant to be easy. President John Taylor said, "You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as Abraham and other men of God....God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God.

Again consider this intriguing statement:
In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike and they will, you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection. They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham's seed. Elder Jeffrey Holland ("For Times of Trouble," New Era, Oct. 1980, 15)

President Ezra Taft Benson said: Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us.
I am grateful for this new knowledge regarding our family. Hope you found this interesting.

I sent an email to Susan Easton Black and received the following response:

RE: Reverend John Lathrop
Thanks for sharing with me your relationship to John Lathrop. That is
wonderful!!!!
All the best,

Susan Black
Associate Dean of General Studies and Honors
Professor of Church History and Doctrine
Brigham Young University

Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

2008-07-15T15:10:00.015-05:00

It was one year ago tonight about this time that Marianne passed away. I went to visit her grave site today for the first time. I had talked to each one of you seperately and I had decided that it would be hard on us and decided that we weren’t ready. But I changed my mind and bought some flowers and went there this afternoon by myself.
I think all of us wondered that night how we could possibly survive as a family without the physical presence of Marianne. She was everything to us. Yet we have been truly blessed as a family. I believe we are experiencing the atoning sacrifice of our Savior. The prophet Alma taught that the Savior suffered first and formost for the sorrow, suffering and sickness of the Lord’s people, as well as for their sins. (Alma 7:11-14). The purpose of the atonement is to draw us closer to Him. I have noticed this with each one of us.

I, like you miss your Mom so much. I can’t go an hour without thinking of her. Most of the time I just feel lost without her. But at the same time I have never felt stronger. My testimony and knowledge of the Gospel has grown significantly, and I have never felt closer to each one of you than I do now. These are blessings of the Atonement.

I know that each of us are concerned about how the future will be without being able to see or talk to your Mom. However we can be assured that she is near.

The spirits of the just are exalted to a greater and more glorious work; hence they are blessed in their departure to world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know our thoughts feelings and motions, and are often pained therewith. Joseph Smith

May I say for the consolation of those who mourn, and for the comfort and guidance of all of us, that no righteous man or woman is ever taken before his or her time. In the case of the faithful Saints, they are simply transferred to other fields of labor. The Lord’s work goes on in this life, in the world of spirits , and in the kingdoms of glory where men go after their resurrection. Joseph Fielding Smith

All men know that they must die, and it is important that we should understand the reasons and causes of our exposure to the vicissitudes of life and of death, and the designs and purposes of God in coming into the world, and our sufferings here, and our departure hence...It is but reasonable to suppose that God would reveal something in reference to the matter, and it is a subject that we ought to study more than any other. We ought to study it day and night, for the world is ignorant in reference to their true condition and relation. If we have any claim on our Heavenly Father for anything, it is for knowledge on this important subject. Joseph Smith

It feels like I have read just about everything on the subjects of death and the resurrection. As I have talked to each one of you and observed you, I can’t help but notice Marianne’s continuing influence. I read once where Joseph Smith mentioned to friends that he knew that he would be able to do more for the Saints from the other side of the veil than he could in life.
I think that this might apply to our family as well, especially considering Marianne's patriarchal blessing. All we have to do is stay close to the Spirit.
I am so gratetful that your mother danced that last dance with me over Thanksgiving weekend in 1975 and I am forever grateful for the patience and love she has extended to me these last 33 years.
I love you.

DAD

Your great great grandfather Heber C. Kimball recounted the following experience at the funeral of Jedediah Grant, who at the time served with Heber as counselors in the first presidency to Brigham Young.
You can read about it at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Journal_of_Discourses/Volume_4/Remarks_at_the_Funeral_of_President_Jedediah_M._Grant

Back home from Kansas

2008-07-07T12:05:00.003-05:00

Looks like you all had a great time for the 4th!! I'll be posting our pictures soon. We got in LATE last night. Franny was so hilarious. We wanted to stay late and play games with Jen and Wes so we laid the kids down to bed and stayed until 11:30 before we made the 3 1/2 hour drive home. Poor Bobby. Well, Sophie woke up at about 12:45 and woke Franny up with her screams. Sophie fell back asleep soon after but Franny was awake for the rest of the drive, in a great mood and just chatting away. As we pulled into our town, she said, "Mommy, are you hungry?" Then as I put my glasses on (I had been sleeping), she said, "Mommy, I like your pretty glasses." She ate a bowl of cereal, followed Bobby around, and then finally agreed to go to bed- but not without a pad of paper and a pen. As I unpacked a few things I found her teddy bear she likes to sleep with and decided she might like to have it so I went back into her room. When she saw me come in, she hurried and grabbed the pad of post-it notes, took the bear from me and quickly ripped off one of the post-its and handed it to me, almost like it was something she had forgotten to do before she went to bed. When I said thank you, she said "you're welcome" in a very business-like voice. It was so cute and so funny. She cracks me up with some of the crazy things she does.

I totally creamed my sister-in-law Jen in Scrabble. (Bobby and Wes were too busy watching Youtube videos to join us.) In retrospect, I probably should have let her win for taking such great pictures of our family. She is amazing. More to come. You'll love the ones of Franny!

HAPPY 4th OF JULY

2008-07-06T12:29:00.005-05:00

Here is Wayne (Chrissie) cooking at the barbecue. Maggie, Annie, Julia and Grant and I spent a great 4th at Wayne and Cindy's. Richard and Kristy were in Carlsbad and Katherine and family went to Kansas. Attending were Wayne and Cindy, Vanessa and her friend Ryan, Matt, Chrissie and Brady, Gayle and family, the Sistrunks, the Kripes and the Hunts
The highlight of the party was 14 man table tennis. Here is Julia about to deliver a crushing shot to her opponent.
Here is Annie talking trash.
Here is Maggie being cooperative.
We went to the nearby park and watched fireworks to wrap up a fine Fourth. Many thanks to Wayne and Cindy.

FOR KATHERINE

2008-07-06T12:08:00.008-05:00

Wayne and Cindy invited us to their home for the Fourth. This is a cream cheese frosting sheet cake that I made with raspberries and blueberries. Credit goes to ThePioneerWoman.com.
Now this appetizer (Cowboy Nachos) was something else (same PioneerWoman website). It has layers of chips with seasoned beans, strips of this amazing beef brisquet topped with monterey jack cheese, a pico de gallo salsa, and lots of guacamole (with the pico de gallo mixed in) and sour cream. It was eaten so fast, I didn't get any. Of course, I got my share while putting it together. And yes, I was really bored the night before.

GIRLS CAMP 2008

2008-07-02T00:15:00.006-05:00

I just got back from Annie's Girls Camp. I was up for Annie's fourth year hike. Yesterday Annie and I repelled off a 50 foot cliff. Annie was a pro. Today we took part in a 7.5 mile hike in the San Bernadino mountains. (Which she hated.)
I had an interesting experience. One of the priesthood leaders was driving us back up to the camp over dirt roads. He was driving his wife's van. Apparently he likes to drive fast. I am sitting in the front seat with two others in the back. After telling the driver for the third time how uncomfortable I was with his driving we go airborne. When the van lands the airbags go off! I caught it right in the face. Luckily I had my seatbelt on. Crazy.

CONGRATULATIONS KATHERINE AND BOBBY!

2008-06-25T22:28:00.005-05:00

KATHERINE AND BOBBY JUST BOUGHT THIS HOUSE IN KIRKSVILLE! THEY ARE MOVING THIS WEEK! WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING MORE PICTURES.

ANNIE GETS STRAIGHT A's

2008-06-25T22:11:00.004-05:00

SHE FINISHED HER FRESHMAN YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL WITH A 4.08 CUMULATIVE GPA. WAY TO GO ANNIE!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE!

2008-06-25T21:58:00.006-05:00

WE CELEBRATED MAGGIE'S BIRTHDAY ON SUNDAY. SHE IS 19. MAGGIE IS DOING GREAT. ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL. I AM SO PROUD OF HER. SHE JUST STARTED A GREAT JOB WORKING FOR AN ALLSTATE INSURANCE AGENCY THIS MONTH. SHE STARTS SCHOOL AGAIN IN THE FALL.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JUNE 17 1976

2008-06-22T14:06:00.009-05:00

THE LOST PHOTOS.
I GAVE WAYNE A BOX OF WALT'S SLIDES LAST WEEK. WE FOUND THESE NEVER BEFORE SEEN PICTURES. ISN'T YOUR MOM BEAUTIFUL! I LOOK LIKE A PIMP.

CAN ANYONE IDENTIFY THE PERSON BEHIND THE PINTO? YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CLICK THE PICTURE.

FAMILY HOME EVENING LESSON

2008-06-06T18:40:00.014-05:00

A DISCIPLE'S JOURNEY

This is a talk from Elder Bruce Hafen given at last February's BYU Devotional. I wanted to share parts of it with you:

A few years ago our teenage daughter was feeling quite unsettled, asking some very honest questions, such as “Why is life so hard?” As we talked over dinner one night, I prayed like a missionary for the right things to say. After all, our children are our most important investigators. In the very moment, I received a prompting about “gravitational pull.” I grabbed a paper napkin and drew a sketch I’d never thought of before. It sparked a lively discussion. I felt so close to her that night. She is the child of our covenant, and I want to be with her always.

A disciple moves from darkness into light, which increases from the dim light of the stars to the moon and then to the brightness of the sun. Joseph Smith compared these heavenly bodies with the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial kingdoms. As the temple teaches, we can and should move toward that celestial light during mortality. We need not be of the world, even if we must live in the world.

Imagine that two vertical lines separate the stars, moon, and sun into three sections. Each line suggests a major transition as we move from one stage to the next. However, our journey is not rigidly sequential. Our experiences may move us back and forth.

Envision also two circles, each with a center point, located in stage one and in stage three. These circles represent the gravitational pull from the opposing poles of our journey. In the darkness of stage one, he who claims to be the god of this world exerts a constant force to hold us back from moving toward the light. As we cross the first barrier, we will leave the strongest satanic tugging—though he will always try to ensnare us wherever we are in the journey.

Reaching out from the center of light in stage three, Jesus also “entices” us with a spiritual gravitational pull toward Him. Think of the father of the prodigal son, praying his son home. When the father saw his son coming from afar, the father “had compassion, and ran” to the boy “and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

I compare that father to Christ, who is so eager for our return that He comes to meet and strengthen us all along our way. Nephi wrote, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” Christ’s running to us is a vivid symbol of that grace. We talk often in the Church about coming to Christ. Perhaps we should talk more about how Christ also comes to us. No matter where we are on that path, we are never lost to Him. We often sing “Who’s on the Lord’s side? Who?” Let us also sing “Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side.” We never have more value in the Lord’s sight than when we are feeling completely worthless.

We need to always remember that we have made covenants to move toward a celestial life. Sometimes that seems impossible. But consider how Elder Hafen describes Christ as the father of the prodigal son. Basically the scriptures not only testify of Christ but many accounts are a type and shadow of the Savior. The father running to greet the prodigal son represents Christ running to assist us as we move away from the pull of the world (Satan) towards a celestial life. This is a beautiful description of the Atonement.

Also consider this quote by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson:
Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His Face is to us.

2008-05-01T23:10:00.015-05:00

I am so proud of all of you. It was so great to be together for Julia and Grant. I really feel the love and support we all feel as a family.
I of course think of your Mom all the time. I wanted to share a couple of things with you that I have read:

President Spencer W. Kimball (BYU speeches of the year)
I am certain. in my mind that the Lord has planned our destiny. We can shorten our lives, but I don't think we can lengthen them very much. Sometime we'll understand fully, and when we see back from the vantage point of the future we will be satisfied with many of the happenings of this life which seemed too difficult for us to comprehend.

Elder Neal Maxwell (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience)
A mortal life may need to be 'shortened' by twenty years as we might view it, but if so, it may be done for certain services to be rendered by that individual in the spirit world, services that will benefit thousands of new neighbors with whom that individual will live in all of eternity... Our omniloving and omniscient Heavenly Father will release us when it is time to be released. But each such release of a righteous person is also a call to new labors!

I try to focus on this fact. That your Mom has been called to an important labor. I am happy that she won't have to suffer the difficulties of growing old. That she is in such a beautiful place. Do you know how happy she must be?
Now I have given you plenty of quotes about how she is involved in each of our lives. She is near us and loves us more than ever.
Here is another quote.

Elder Jeffrey Holland ("For Times of Trouble," New Era, Oct. 1980, 15)
In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike and they will, you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection. They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham's seed.

I know these things are true. You know your Mom. Her love for her family will benefit us more
than we can know.

Sophie and Sloth

2008-05-01T10:14:00.002-05:00

Hey Sophie,

Remember that time you got pink eye and I gave you Franny's medicine, and you woke up looking like this? We would have called you "Sloth" all day, only I couldn't remember that character's name so instead we said, "You look like that guy with the deformed face from goonies!"

It was so hilarious! I was taking Franny to school and Sophie was still sleeping, so I grabbed Sophie out of her crib, put her in her car seat, and while I was backing out of the garage, I finally saw sophie's face. I was like, "Holy crap! What happened to your face?!" Poor Sophie.

(This was months ago by the way. I just never blogged it.)

FUN IN THE SUN

2008-04-29T21:37:00.001-05:00

WEDDING OF JULIA HOLMES (WARNER)

2008-04-28T15:34:00.007-05:00

What a great day. We had such a great time with all of you guys. The weather was perfect. Even though mom wasn't there in a mortal body, I am sure that she was there with us laughing crying and maybe even being a little ireverant ha ha. Welcome to the family Grant We love you man. You hurt herand I will kill you jk. But seriously

CARNIVAL PRIDE CRUISE SHIP

2008-04-28T15:20:00.006-05:00

we went on a cruise for our 1 year aniversary how crazy. It is so hard to beleive that kristy and i have been married a year already. we did the mexican riviera cruise it was awsome we did so much like zip lining jet skiing. It was so so so much fun.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

2008-04-26T16:27:00.018-05:00

HAHAHA

2008-04-11T15:26:00.001-05:00

Letter to Mom

2008-04-07T23:41:00.004-05:00

Sorry, I know this is weird, but I want to write a letter to Mom on here.

Dear Mom,

I like sewing now! I've been trying to like sewing for years and years and now I finally do!

I made this apron. Isn't it cute?

I hope you don't mind but I took your Bernina. I was afraid to take it because I remember that time when I was first married and asked if I could have your old Singer and you said no, even though you were never ever going to use it again. I promise I'll be careful with it.

I keep finding myself doing things that [I think] would make you happy or proud. It's become sort of an obsession. Each time I visit our home in California I take one or two things of yours back with me. This last time I took FOUR things: your butter molds from New Zealand, your entire ribbon collection (to make hairbows for the girls), your sewing scissors, and of course your sewing machine. I love seeing your things around my house because it feels a little like you're here with us.

Remember how mad you would get if we ever used your sewing scissors on paper? That was a big rule in our house and one I will never ever break. I LOVE how sharp your scissors are!

Anyway, I have just really been wanting to tell you how happy I am to discover that I really do like to sew. I just wish that you and I could have worked on something together. Like maybe a quilt. That would have been cool. But sewing (especially on your sewing machine) makes me feel really close to you and I think that helps me enjoy it even more. I love you Mom,

Kath

GENERAL CONFERENCE SUNDAY BREAKFAST. A FAMILY TRADITION.

2008-04-06T13:59:00.008-05:00

Marianne loved to establish family traditions. You will find when you continue these traditions you will feel she is close by. One of these traditions was breakfast on General Conference Sunday. She loved to fix the Egg and Sausage Casserole and the Buttermilk Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Coconut Topping. I had to try and figure out what Marianne did for the coconut topping. Maggie and I figured it out this morning. See note next to Coffecake recipe.
As I stood late Saturday night mixing the ingredients for the egg casserole I was reminded of all the times Marianne did the same while I kept her company watching TV. I knew that she was pleased.
Recipe's are from Julia's cookbook. Thanks to Katherine. Just click to enlarge.

Attention: Just make the coffee cake. Ignore the topping suggestions. After coffee cake has baked. Add the following topping:

Mix and spread on coffecake.

Melt 1/2 cup of butter
2 cups of sweetened coconut
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of brown sugar

GRANT AND JULIA HOLMES Produced and Directed by Katherine Fields

2008-03-13T19:18:00.006-05:00

2008-03-08T03:39:00.013-06:00

I went to the temple today. During the endowment session I was thinking about Adam and Eve. I knew that Adam and Eve came from "amongst our midst" in the preexistence.
They were together as they entered this world. I have thought, especially lately, that Marianne and I were also together before we entered this world. Even that each of us (our family) knew each other and have covenanted to achieve exaltation together. I have been studying this and have come across the following teachings. Here are some of them. I might make some italicized comments here and there.

President Kimball:
It is said that the very hairs of your head are all numbered; is it not to teach us that nothing, not the smallest things imaginable, happen to us by chance? But if the smallest things we can conceive of are declared to be under the divine direction, need we, or can we, be more plainly taught that the greatest things of life, such as the manner of our coming into the world, our parents, the time, and other circumstances of our birth and condition, are all according to the eternal purposes, direction, and appointment of divine Providence?

It seems appropriate at this point, with respect to a discussion of fathers and children, to quote Moroni's version of Malachi and ask who the fathers might be in the statements on fathers and children: "Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet. . . . And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming" (Joseph Smith—History 1:38–39). Why would it be wasted? Because the great premortal arrangements for the eternal sealing of loved ones to each other and to the Gods would not be realized if our hearts did not turn us to fulfill the premortal promises made among the fathers and children leading to the eternal sealing of these people. It was for this purpose that the earth was created, and without those sealings, the earth's purpose would be for nothing.

Since much of what we experience here on earth was spiritually created in the premortal world, we might see that, in the premortal world, those who would be earthly children and parents entered into covenants with other spirits in order to be saved and also to have a saving relationship with them. Joseph Smith said, "God is Good & all his acts are for the benefit of inferior intelligences."10 If the desire to bless other intelligences was true of God, it was also true of many in the house of Israel—the greater lights would bless the lesser lights so that all might be together in eternity (Abraham 3:18; D&C 88:44). It is likely that many of the premortal house of Israel, that is, that many of us, entered into covenants with those who would be our ancestors as well as with those who would be our posterity. We did this for the express purpose of having a saving influence in both directions—on our ancestors through work for the dead and on our posterity through nurturing work for the living, all under the continuing direction of the great Redeemer.

It would have been hard for me to realize that Marianne and I had made covenants to each other and to you when we first got married. However looking back I am certain that Marianne and I being sealed in the temple was the beginning of fulfilling covenants we had made together before this life. I am sure of it. I am sure that Katherine and Bobby, Richard and Kristy, and Julia and Grant are fulfilling the same kind of covenants, That Maggie and Annie will have the same oppurtunities.

Likely our own labors with many spirits commenced in the spirit world, our hearts being bound together in love from our associations through eons. (That means a long, long time.) There we received specific missions to perform a saving work for those with whom we covenanted in the premortal world. Genealogical chains of parents and children were formed, specifically arranged to promote a variety of the Lord's saving purposes. The plan seemed to be that each of the premortal house of Israel would, as part of their progress toward godhood, experience being redeemed by mortal and immortal beings and also learn the role of redeemer; each would be labored with until he or she could labor with others. The redeemed would become the redeemers. To each of us covenant people it would be said, "Freely ye have received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8).

Godhood is the fulfillment of the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood and the New and Everlasting Covenant (DC 84). We can receive all that the Father has.

President Joseph F. Smith, himself a man of deep family feeling, also taught on the feelings of the departed spirits and their nearness to us:
Sometimes the Lord expands our vision from this point of view and this side of the veil, that we feel and seem to realize that we can look beyond the thin veil which separates us from that other sphere. If we can see, by the enlightening influence of the Spirit of God and through the words that have been spoken by the holy prophets of God, beyond the veil that separates us from the spirit world, surely those who have passed beyond, can see more clearly through the veil back here to us than it is possible for us to see them from our sphere of action. I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not separated from them. We begin to realize more and more fully, as we become acquainted with the principles of the gospel, as they have been revealed anew in this dispensation, that we are closely related to our kindred, to our ancestors, to our friends and associates and co-laborers who have preceded us into the spirit world. We cannot forget them; we do not cease to love them; we always hold them in our hearts, in memory, and thus we are associated and united to them by ties we cannot break. . . . [They] can see us better than we can see them— . . . they know us better than we know them. They have advanced; we are advancing; we are growing as they have grown; we are reaching the goal that they have attained unto; and therefore, I claim that we live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever.

I know how hard it is for all of you. But there is comfort to be found. It is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our beautiful Marianne I promise is in our midst and she loves us more than ever.
I also learned something else on another visit to the temple. Your Mom was preparing you and I for the last year and a half or so before she left us. I could name so many things that your Mom did to make it now so obvious. Yet she didn’t know. It came to me in the temple that her Mom was leading and guiding her. Just as Marianne didn’t know what her Mom was doing for her, we don’t know in the present what your Mom is doing for us. Yet as we look back we will understand.
I read through some notes from a talk that your Mom gave to the Stake Relief Society in Huntington Beach. It was mostly about losing her Mom and the Plan of Salvation. The last note was that looking back her Mom was always there for her when she needed her.
I promise youi that she is involved with each one of us. She is with us, more than we can possibly realize.
From time to time thoughts will come into your mind and you will realize that it came from your Mom.
I went to bed late the other night and Maggie had left a note on my pillow. She had a hard time thinking about your Mom and things and was very sad. In the note she told me that a song that she sang in choir that everytime Marianne heard she would cry came into her mind. The song gave her comfort and she wanted to share it with me. So she cued up the song on my CD player in our bedroom and suggested I listen to it before I went to bed. Although I cried during the song I knew that Marianne was concerned for us and loves us.
Remember when I had that terrible day when I was home alone and I just couldn’t be comforted. The thought came to me to look towards the bookshelf and my eye immediately caught the book “Adversity.” When I opened the book Marianne had written on six little sheets of paper serving as bookmarks a description of each story. It was then that I realized that Marianne was with me and that a trial like this can tutor us to become more like the Savior and bring us closer to our Father in Heaven.
This is an amazing thing that has happened to our family. I know it’s hard, but I also kinow that this is part of Heavenly Father’s plan for us. I am confident that we understood what our circumstances would be in this life when we were in His presence.
We can be with your Mom and you can also be with your spouses and children forever.
How can we possibly comprehend what it means to be given “ all that the Father has.”
I pray that we will be faithful. There are many on both sides of the veil praying for our welfare. I can feel it. Love you guys. Can’t wait till Julia and Grant’s wedding when we will all be together again. That includes your beautiful Mom.
By the way, Frannie asked to talk to me today. Pretty cool.

Love Dad

FRANNY'S BIRTHDAY OUTFIT FROM GRANDPA

2008-03-02T22:24:00.006-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!

2008-03-02T00:31:00.005-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-03-01T12:04:00.007-06:00

Phyllis Curtis sent me a card yesterday that included a quote that reminded her of Mom. I think she's absolutely right.

From George Eliot:
"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person,
Having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words,
But to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together
Knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them,
Keep what is worth keeping and then,
with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away."

2008-02-28T02:32:00.005-06:00

ONLY 17 DAYS TO GO.

2008-02-28T02:06:00.002-06:00

MAGGIE GOES TO COLLEGE! WOO HOO!
LOOK OUT WORLD!

2008-02-28T01:33:00.005-06:00

Last week at Julia's shower Elaine Baugh told us about an interview Marianne had given to Marci concerning adoption. It turns out that Marci videotaped the interview and the Baughs were kind enough to send it to us.
Listen to Annie in the background.
Your Mom looks and sounds great.

JULIA'S WEDDING SHOWER!

2008-02-23T00:24:00.010-06:00

We all enjoyed Julia's shower last night at the Hamson's beautiful home. Thanks to them and

Tara and Vanessa for such a great evening.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

2008-02-14T16:08:00.019-06:00

I wanted to share with all of you the following account from Parley P. Pratt. Elder Pratt's wife passed away before the revelation that families can be together forever:
It was at this time in Philadelphia in 1839 that I received from Joseph Smith the first idea of eternal family organization and the eternal union of the sexes and those inexpressibly enduring relationships which none but the highly intellectual the refined and pure in heart know how to prize and which are at the very foundation of every thing worthy to be called happiness.
Till then I had learned to esteem kindred affections and sympathies as appertaining solely to this transitory state as something from which the heart must be entirely weaned in order to be fitted for its heavenly state. It was Joseph Smith that taught me how to prize the enduring relationship to father and mother, husband and wife of brother and sister, son and daughter. It was from him that I learned that the wife of my bosom might be secured to me for time and all eternity and that the refined sympathies and affections which endured us to each other emanated from the fountain of divine eternal love. It was from him that I learned that we might cultivate these affections and grow and increase in the same through all eternity.
I had loved before, but I knew not why, but now I loved with a pureness and intensity of elevated exalted feeling which would lift my soul from the transitory things of this grovelling sphere and expand it as the ocean. I felt that God was my Heavenly Father, indeed that Jesus was my brother, and that the wife of my bosom was an immortal eternal companion, a kind ministering angel given to me as a comfort and a crown of glory forever and ever, in short I could now love with the spirit and with the uinderstanding also.
ISN'T THAT BEAUTIFULLY SAID? THAT IS EXACTLY THE WAY I FEEL.
I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A NICE VALENTINES DAY. LOVE DAD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANNY!

2008-02-04T02:08:00.003-06:00

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU. YOU ARE THE BEST. YOU ARE MY FAVORITE FOUR YEAR OLD IN THE WHOLE WORLD. HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY. LOVE GRANDPA

Tiger Movie

2008-02-01T14:22:00.000-06:00

Bye Dinosaur Mommy

2008-01-31T18:45:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I was yelling at my kids for some reason. I think Sophie was poking poor sick Franny in the face and I was getting tired of telling her to stop and I lost my patience. I got up to leave the room and Franny said, "Bye Dinosaur Mommy."

I thought that was hilarious!

2008-01-17T22:39:00.002-06:00

Flight of the Conchords

2008-01-15T18:58:00.001-06:00

CHELSES WEDDING

2008-01-15T16:41:00.001-06:00

We went to Chelce,s wedding it was so nice it was sooooooo fun. there was a kinda of a mingle in the beginning and we had orderves and all the people form the huntingbeach north stake was there the kings davis,s clawsons it was so fun then we went into the ball room for the reception on the menue was a salad filet mignon chicken piccata and then the best cake ever it was 5 star for sure then we danced for a little while so fun

2008-01-02T14:40:00.001-06:00

a stow-away

2008-01-02T14:28:00.000-06:00

I had kind of a neat experience I wanted to share with you guys.

On the way plane ride home from California, I was sitting in the row behind Franny and Bobby in a window seat next to a college-aged girl. Sophie had fallen asleep in my arm and the girl got up to use the bathroom. I was watching Sophie sleep. She looks so pretty when she's sleeping. I love to kiss her cheeks. Anyway, all of the sudden it felt like Mom's head was right next to mine watching Sophie sleep with me. Like, if I were to turn my head right then, I would see her! It was pretty cool! It lasted less than a minute. She came and went really fast- she was gone before the girl even got back to her seat. I'm glad I'm the only one with kids right now. That way all the grandma visits come our way!

Just teasing, but anyway, I was really grateful for that experience and I wanted to share it with you. We love and miss you guys so much. This morning Franny got up and this is what she said:

"Julia's at work. Maggie's sleeping. Annie's sleeping. Grandpa's basketball." It was so cute. I had to explain that you guys were home in California. Sad. We miss you.

NEW YEARS

2008-01-01T14:52:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEARS FAMILY IT WAS REALLY FUN TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU GUYS I REALLY MISS YOU.

jingle balls

2007-12-20T01:48:00.001-06:00

seasons greetings family we miss you all tons and we are exited for christmas wooooooooo hooooooo. So i am done with the semester thank goodness it was a rough semester and i am glad to be done love ya guys

OUR 5TH SANTIAGO HIGH SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CONCERT

2007-12-20T00:32:00.001-06:00

ANNIE CHLOE AND KATHERINE

Tonight was Annie's first Santiago Choir Concert. She was awesome. Maggie as a returning Alumnus was invited to sing the chorus of Handel's Messiah. It was fun to see her back on the stage. Don't Maggie and Annie look beautiful. They are amazing.
Julia, Grant, Cindy, Gayle, Alex and Suzie Fackrell also were there.

ELF

2007-12-15T10:30:00.000-06:00

I made us all elves!

Check out this one. I love how Dad got the girly body: Maggie, Annie, julia, Dad

I put Julia in this one, too because her face was so funny in the picture richard posted: Richard, Kristy, and julia.

And of course, me, Bobby, Sophie and Franny.

HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS! SEVEN DAYS TILL WE'RE ALL TOGETHER!

2007-12-14T03:29:00.001-06:00

I am so glad that all of you are using this blog. I love signing on and the first thing I see his Marianne smiling at me.
Last night I went with Annie and the Young Women to the temple. While there I met a friend of Marianne and I who had grown up with Marianne. We went on a couple of double dates with he and his wife when we were engaged.
Well he hadn’t heard about Marianne and I had to kind of go over everything. When I got home later that night I had a really hard time. I just really missed your Mom. It seems that every time this happens Marianne shows me something. The last time was when I read the book “Adversity”. Remember she had left notes outlining five stories that she wanted me to read. This time I start reading where I left off in Nibley’s Old Testament and Related Studies. There was hardly any underlining by Marianne in this book, but last night I read a couple of pages that she had underlined. And somehow I knew that she knew I was reading it.
The thing that makes Nibley so interesting is his ability in ancient languages. This has enabled him to study the Apocrypha and the Dead Sea Scrolls which contain a great many additional scriptures that verify some of the unique doctrines of the Restored Gospel (i.e. the Preexistence, the Apostasy, the Restoration, the temple ordinances, Joseph Smith’s translations of the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price).
Anyway he is talking about a scripture from the Aprocrypha called the Hymn of the Pearl from the Acts of the Apostle Thomas.
(When the Savior was resurrected he spent forty days with His disciples, teaching them the doctrines of His Kingdom. Some of the Apocrypha is a record of His teaching.

Excerpt: page 178
In coming to earth each man leaves his particular treasure or his share of the Treasure, in heaven safely kept in trust (“under God’s Throne”) awaiting his return. One has here below the opportunity of enhancing one’s treasure by meritorious actions, and also risk losing it entirely by neglecting it in his search for earthly treasure. Hence the passionate appeals to men to remember their tremendous stake on the other side and “not to defraud themselves of the glory that awaits them” by seeking the things of the world. To make the “treasure” test a fair one, the two treasures are placed before us on an equal footing (the Doctrine of the Two Ways), their two natures being mingled in exactly equal portions in every human being. To neutralize that would otherwise be the overpowering appeal of the heavenly treasure, the memory of its former glories has been erased from the mind of man, which is thus in a state of equilibrium, enjoying by “the ancient law of liberty” complete freedom to choose whatever it will. In this state, whatever choice is made represents the true heart and mind of the one who makes it. What conditions the Elect to make the right choice is no unfair advantage of instruction---for all men are aware of the issues involved---but a besetting nostalgia, a constant vague yearning for one’s distant treasure and happy heavenly home. This theme, akin to the Platonic ( Marianne loves Plato) doctrine of anamnesis, runs through all the Apocrypha and scriptures; it is beautifully expressed in the Hymn of the Pearl from the Acts of the Apostle Thomas.

In this classic tale, a king’s son has come down to earth to find a pearl which he is to return to its heavenly depository; here below he becomes defiled with the things of the world until a letter from heaven, signed by the Great and Mighty Ones, recalls to him his true heritage and his purpose in coming to earth, whereupon he casts off his earthly garments and with the pearl returns to the waiting arms of his loved ones in the royal courts on high and to his robe of glory that has been carefully kept for him in the Treasury. Our various “treasure” texts consistently refer to going to heaven as a return, a joyful homecoming, in which one follows the steps of Adam “back to the Treasury of Life from which he came forth.” A great deal is said about a garment that one changes in passing from one stage to another, the final garment of glory being often equated in Treasure itself.
This garment introduces us to the very important ritual aspect of the treasure story, for it is generally understood that one can return to one’s heavenly treasure only by the careful observance of certain rites and ordinances, which provide the means both of receiving instruction and demonstrating obedience.
...........These ordinances, imported directly from the Treasury of Light to which they alone offer the means of return, are types of what is done above; through them “souls are led to the Treasury of Light.....Between us and the Great King of the Treasury of Light are many steps and veils,” and it is only by giving the proper replies to the “Guardians” that one is able to approach and finally enter the Treasury of Light. The ordinances are most secret (they are usually caolled “mysteries”), and it is through their scrupulous observance that every man “put his own treasure in order.”

end of excerpt.

There are many references to the preexistence, the restoration of the gospel, our mortal probation, and the temple ordinances which will enable us to return to our Treasure or Treasury.
I know that Marianne(Mom) is helping us realize that our Treasure has been left behind with our Heavenly Father. I believe that we really have no idea who we really are. We literally are royalty. We have to realize where our Treasure is to return to it. It is through obedience to the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and the ordinances of the temple that we return to the Treasury we left in safekeeping with our Heavenly Father. I know with all my heart that part of Marianne’s(Mom’s) mission is to assist us to this end.

In one of President Faust last talks within the last year he said,

I would like to say a word about the ministering of angels. In ancient and modern times angels have appeared and given instruction, warnings, and direction, which benefited the people they visited. WE DO NOT CONSCIOUSLY REALIZE the extent to which ministering angels affect our lives. President Joseph F. Smith said, “In like manner our fathers and MOTHERS, brothers, sisters and friends who have passed away from this earth, having been faithful, and worthy to enjoy these rights and privileges, may have a mission given them to visit their relatives and friends upon the earth again, bringing from the divine Presence messages of love, of warning, or reproof and instruction, to those whom they had learned to love in the flesh.” Many of us feel that we have had this experience. Their ministry has been and is an important part of the gospel. Angels ministered to Joseph Smith as he reestablished the gospel in its fulness.

I can’t explain how I know it, but Marianne is with us. It has been easier for me because I go to the temple so often. Whenever I am there I ask Heavenly Father to allow Marianne to be with you guys. I look back at the things I have tried to do and I realize that it is exactly what Marianne would want me to have done. That's how I know she is helping me. When I pray I always ask Heavenly Father to let her know how much I and you miss her and want to feel that she is around.

I don’t know how this works, but I feel that we will all someday realize that this will have been a great blessing to our lives and it has to do with how much our Heavenly Father loves our family. This is part of Heavenly Father's plan for us and it won't surprise me if we knew this as a family before we came to this earth.

Anyway it's 1:30 am and I probably have said enough. Richard is right we are strong. We are also blessed. Remember where our Treasure is. Satan tries to show us treasures all the time, but they are false treasures (actually more like snares and traps). I hope you will refer to that which Marianne underlined often. It is really beautiful the way the Plan of Salvation is presented. I hope we consider what a beautiful Treasure we can reclaim through the love of our Heavenly Father. And your Mom will be waiting their for each one us! One thing I have been blessed with is the knowledge that my time on earth without Marianne will pass quickly. I am sure I will live to be an old man. Neil Maxwell talked about Jacob having to wait all those years to marry Rebecca, but because of his love for her it seemed as only a few days.

What a blessing it is that your Mom can watch over us:

With what tenderness of love, with what solicitude of affection will they watch over our slumbers, hang about our pillow, and seek to communicate with our spirits, to warn of dangers or temptation, to comfort and soothe our sorrow or to ward off the ills that might befall us, or perchance to give us some kind of token of remembrance of undying love!
Parley P. Pratt

Love you,

DAD

Warner Family Gift Exchange 2007

2007-12-11T07:46:00.000-06:00

Hey guys, here's the gift exchange info for this year. Thanks Julia for organizing it. Please try to keep your gifts at 50 dollars or less.

Bobby-Richard

Kristy-Julia

Richard-Grant

Grant-Bobby

Maggie-Kristy

Annie-Katherine

Katherine-Maggie

Julia-Annie

Miss you Grandpa

2007-12-04T19:48:00.001-06:00

When Dad was here, I told him I thought it would be fun if he came with me to drop Franny off at school so he could meet her teacher and check out her classroom. Well, because of the time change from Cali to here, everyone stayed up really late. The night before this was taken I finally went to bed at 12:30, and when I did, Dad was still up reading Nibley. The next morning I let him sleep because I knew how late he would be up, but as I was putting Franny's shoes on for school, I heard the bathroom door open and Dad walked out He was dressed and ready for the day and he said, "Let's go to school!" It meant so much to me that he got up so early just to see Franny's school. Love you dad!

good times

2007-12-03T21:39:00.000-06:00

byu game

2007-12-02T00:56:00.002-06:00

we went to the sdsu byu game with dad wayne cal sistrunk and krist and her brother of course the cougars won hells yea. i just wanted to let you guys know how much i love all of you guys and how proud i am of all you guys we are warners we are strong and we have great testimonies. we have endured a trial and we will encounter more and as long as we hold true to the faith and keep close we will overcome. kath i heard that frances can poop now good job love you

2007-11-27T09:57:00.001-06:00

2007-11-27T09:52:00.000-06:00

Bowling

2007-11-26T22:17:00.001-06:00

Here's some pictures from our fun bowling night. I miss you all so much!! Come back!

KRISTY AND MYSELF

2007-11-25T19:12:00.001-06:00

Tea Party

2007-11-17T08:12:00.000-06:00

Dear Grandpa, Julia, Maggie, and Annie,

I am hosting a tea party in your honor on Wednesday next. We will be eating plastic birthday cake, pie, fries, chips and drinking fake tea. Won't you join us?

Love,

Franny

This video is so funny, I nearly wet myself

2007-11-17T08:09:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving countdown

2007-11-04T15:55:00.000-06:00

Are you guys excited or WHAT?! Me, too. Maggie, I just found this recipe for creamed corn, which I think will be a perfect compromise. How good does this look?

Creamed Corn Gratin With Fried Onion Rings and Bacon

2007-10-26T09:18:00.000-05:00

Here's some pictures that I took on Saturday of general conference weekend. After the first session, we opened the door and found this from Dad for Sophie's birthday present. She looks so pretty in it, even when she's crying like a big baby. I HATE this picture of myself, but I love SOphie in it. That's why I'm posting it. Also so Dad can see Sophie in the dress.

Love you guys.

Sophie's birthday party

2007-10-21T01:43:00.000-05:00

Hey guys,

I posted this on my blog, but I thought I would post it here, too, so you could see some of the pictures from Soap's birthday party. It was kind of cool, because after the party while I was cleaning up, I started to feel sad and miss Mom, but then I realized, this is just the kind of thing that Mom would want to be around for. So that made me happy thinking she was probably with us that night. I figure that most of the time she's with Maggie and Annie, but when one my kids is having a birthday, I call dibs on Mom! :) Just joking.

Wish you all could have been here! We had a fun time. I miss you guys.

Here's a few more:

I AM SO IMPRESSED WITH ALL OF YOU!

2007-10-11T01:23:00.000-05:00

I WAS SO THANKFUL THAT MAGGIE RECEIVED AN ANSWER TO HER PRAYERS. WHAT A BLESSING FOR HER TO KNOW THAT SHE CAN RECEIVE SUCH GUIDANCE. I KNOW THAT YOUR MOM IS INTIMATELY INVOLVED WITH ALL OF OUR LIVES.
I BORE MY TESTIMONY LAST WEEK AND I THANKED HEAVENLY FATHER FOR YOU GUYS. HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR YOUR FAITHFULNESS AND DESIRE TO LIVE THE GOSPEL. AND HOW PROUD I AM TO BE YOUR FATHER.
I AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOUR MOTHER. I THINK ABOUT HER ALL DAY. WHEN I PRAY I ASK HEAVENLY FATHER TO LET HER KNOW HOW MUCH I AND ALL OF YOU LOVE HER AND THAT WE ALL WANT TO BE TOGETHER FOR ETERNITY.

I WAS READING MY PATRIARCHAL BLESSING AGAIN. THE FOLLOWING WORDS SEEM TO HAVE MORE MEANING TO ME NOW.

......YOU SHALL TRULY BE A PATRIARCH IN YOUR HOME TO YOUR CHILDREN. THEY WILL HONOR AND LOVE YOU FOR THE LOVE THAT YOU GIVE UNTO THEM. YOU SHALL HAVE CHURCH LEADERS COME FROM YOUR HOME-THOSE WHO WILL SERVE OUR HEAVENLY FATHER HONORABLY IN THEIR ASSIGNMENTS; AND IT SHALL NOT BE DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO KEEP THEM ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW PATH. YOU SHALL NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT THE WAYS OF THE WORLD, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A FOUNDATION, AND HAVE A HOME THAT WILL MAKE THEM WANT TO LIVE THE COMMANDMENTS.
YOU SHALL NOT BE CUT SHORT. YOU SHALL LIVE A LONG TIME UPON THE EARTH..........

I AM THANKFUL FOR THE OPPURTUNITY I HAVE TO BE MORE INVOLVED WITH EACH OF YOU. HOW GRATEFUL I AM FOR MARIANNE AND HER BEAUTIFUL PERSONALITY, STRONG TESTIMONY AND WISDOM. SHE TRULY HAS CREATED THE FOUNDATION THAT OUR FAMILY NOW ENJOYS. MAY WE ALWAYS BE WORTHY OF THE LOVE AND EXAMPLE SHE HAS GIVEN US.

LOVE DAD

Well it looks like im not going to utah for a while..

2007-10-10T18:44:00.000-05:00

Last night i was really thinking about going to Utah. I really wanted to go. So of course as soon as i got back from the temple(which was amazing by the way) i decided to grill dad and to see where we were at as far as his decision. Well we talked and he told me that he wasnt convinced and whatnot. So when i went out last night i was telling my friends about my talk with him and I was kinda starting to see his points, and there were many. then i got home and i read my scriptures and i said my prayers and i really asked that somehow i would get a clear answer as to whether i should keep pushing it or just stay here. and after my prayer when i was llaying in my bed i had an overwhelming feeling that i would not be going, which is the funny part. it was not that i maybe should not go, it was that i would not go. it turned into an argument between me and mom. it makes me laugh now, but that was what was. and it lasted til three in the morning. and it became clear that until i understood, i would not be going to bed. i had thoughts like.. "ok i just wont tell dad that im feeling like this, i belong in utah and im just over thinking it, i just need to go to bed." and the response back was "no your not going to utah, your staying here." so once again, i lost an argument to mom. and i loved it. and now my attitude about staying here has totally changed and i know it will be for the best. Utah isnt going anywhere anyways...
love you guys!!!

Missing Mom

2007-10-05T16:20:00.000-05:00

After reading Maggie's blog I had another good cry. This is the second day in a row!!! That was really sweet Maggie. I feel exactly the same way. There was no one who could help me when I needed it more than mom. I enjoyed our talks so much. She could always make me feel better. She was sooo good at it. I remember always thinking wow, I have it so good....my mom is amazing. She was good at everything. We are all like her in some way and that makes me feel very lucky and good about myself. I thought I would mention a memory I had of mom too. I remember going through the temple for the first time with mom as my escort. She was so great and so helpful through it all. She made it so special. I remeber afterwards we had a really good talk that I will never forget. I am so glad that I got to have that experience with her before she passed away.

11:45 and bloggin...

2007-10-02T01:45:00.000-05:00

well its 11:45 at night. I am used to being in Utah and staying up til 3 in the morning. And so i figure that i wont get to bed for a while. I kinda got myself worked up tonight so i kinda had a breakdown. And so since i was just sitting in my room all miserable and whatnot, i decided to go on my laptop. and when i go on it i check the very few websites that i visit. First, Katherines blog. I mean that. It is more important to me then anything else. then i check facebook then i check the family blog and then i check myspace. So when i checked the family website i read katherines post about favorite memories and so i decided i wanted to write one but for some reason i cant think of one. all i can think of is how much i miss talking to her. i feel like my life isnt going to be ok until i can talk 2 her again. which is really hard because i know its not going to happen. but ya that is something i really loved and something that i truly miss. i love all of you guys and i hope everyone is holding up.
Love
maggie

ps- when i think of a favorite memory i will post it.

2007-09-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

this is me on my first day of the semester Kristy packed me a lunch and dropped me off at school ha ha it was so nice. everything is going good i miss you guys and below is a video of me doing a running back flip of Kristy's roof enjoy love dick

It's so tasty, too!

2007-09-29T19:02:00.000-05:00

This is SO good and SO EASY! You guys will love it. I've been serving it with peas and the pesto sauce tastes good on those, too.

Pesto-Coated Baked Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1/4 c + 1 T prepared pesto
1 1/2 tsp sour cream
1 1/2 tsp mayonnaise
1 T shredded Parmesan (but I ended up using about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella)
1 T pine nuts (used more of these too)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking dish. Combine pesto, sour cream, and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Brush over chicken. Sprinkle with cheese and pine nuts. Bake 10-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

2007-09-26T18:21:00.001-05:00

This is Franny on picture day standing in front of her school.

Dog Food

2007-09-26T18:11:00.000-05:00

I think this site would be good for posting memories of Mom. I'd like to see us all do that.

When I was little, I was prone to daydreaming. In elementary and Sunday school, my mind would often be wandering and I would find myself not paying attention to what was being taught. Well, when Mom would take me grocery-shopping with her at Hughes (remember Hughes in Huntington Harbor?), I would wait and stare out the window while she paid for the groceries. Right below the window is where they kept the dog food bags. There I would be, standing right in front of them, staring out the window. Mom would tease me EVERY TIME we went to the store. She'd say, "Katherine, why are you staring at the dog food?" "Katherine, do you want me to buy you some dog food? If you want to eat dog food, I'll get it for you." "You like dog food?! GROSS!" Though I didn't think so at the time, it was hilarious.

You go.

THIS IS REFERRING TO THE BOOK I HAVE TOLD YOU ABOUT. DAD

2007-09-25T13:57:00.000-05:00

My daughter-in-law was killed by lightening 15 months ago while climbing the Grand Tetons. She left behind two babies, a boy almost two and a girl who had her fourth birthday the week before. Many have given theories and tried to explain this tragedy. None of them are very comforting. The hardest part is knowing that these two little ones will never be physically loved and held by her again. They are too little to grieve, yet they really do miss their mommy. I have to say that she was the best mother, spent every minute with these kids and loved them and giggled with them and was patient and good. She put a whole lot of living and loving in the short time she was here on earth. Her death was tragic, sudden, and doesn't make sense. But then, I realize that I only have a mortal point of view. My son and his friends placed a memorial on the mountain that said, "Touched by God." That is the most comforting statement of all.
A book that gives us great comfort is The Message by Lance Richardson, who just happened to live in my son's ward. He died a few months after Erica. I've come to believe his promise that our loved ones who have died are still very close to us. I think that they are our guardian angels. My daughter said the one thing that made the most sense, "These two little ones must have a challenging life ahead of them if Erica can help them more as a spiritual mother than as a mortal mother."
My son's faith has remained unshaken. He is living a good life with a new wife, who is wonderful to my grandchildren. My question now is, How much do we keep Erica's memory alive? Or is better for the kids to get on with a new life? Is it okay to teach them that their mom will always be close by? My inclination is to grieve forever; the pain doesn't seem to lessen with time. I hurt so much for them. But I think the very young kids are more resilient than the adults. They are able to get on with life in a happy, positive way. I just want to love them and be there for them as only a grandma can. – Grandma Packer, Rigby, ID

You sound like a wonderful grandmother, and I’m so glad the children, and your son, are surrounded by so much love. I believe the best approach is to help your children keep Erica’s memory alive all that you can. She has not ceased to exist; she has only gone ahead of them. It’s certainly okay to teach them that their mom is still close by; what a comfort, in fact. Maybe they could celebrate her birthday each year, look through scrapbooks and pay tribute. Bringing her up now and again, in a loving way (“Oh, you have the same gorgeous singing voice your mom had!” “I wonder what your mom would do in this situation; she was always so wise…”) is both healthy and needed. This won’t prevent them from loving their new step-mom; but will cement all their bonds of love.

NOTE: I THINK THAT THE COMMENT ABOUT A CHALLENGING LIFE REFERS TO THE AGE OF THE KIDS. THIS SHOULD BE A HUGE COMFORT TO ALL OF US.
YOU ALL KNOW YOUR MOM. JUST TRY TO IMAGINE HOW YOUR MOM WILL WANT TO HELP YOU.
I WILL TELL YOU WHEN I AM IN THE TEMPLE I FEEL THE CLOSEST TO HER. IN FACT WHEN I AM THERE EVERYTHING FEELS ALRIGHT.

LOVE YOU

DAD

Tony Snow's testimony

2007-09-21T16:41:00.000-05:00

Wayne sent this to Dad and I and I thought I'd post it here. I'm pretty frustrated today because I found out Bobby will actually not have tomorrow or Sunday off, but has to work both days, and I miss my husband and I was looking forward to having him home with us. When life gets a little frustrating, it is tempting to start feeling sorry for myself, so I'm glad that when I got an extra couple of minutes (2 minutes is really all I'm going to get this afternoon. Franny is screaming for me as I write this), I'm glad I was able to read this. I especially like his third point: that God relishes surprise. And though we prefer when our lives go smoothly, our greatest growth comes from how we deal with these trials. I love you all very much. I'm glad this just sort of fell into my lap this afternoon, because I'm not doing a great job of seeking this kind of comfort out on my own. Miss you.

Beautiful testimony by Tony Snow

This is an outstanding testimony from Tony Snow, President Bush's Press Secretary, and his fight with cancer. Commentator and broadcaster Tony Snow announced that he had colon cancer in 2005. Following surgery and chemo-therapy, Snow joined the Bush Administration in April 2006 as press secretary. Unfortunately, on March 23, 2007, Snow, 51, a husband and father of three, announced the cancer had recurred, with tumors found in his abdomen-, leading to surgery in April, followed by more chemotherapy. Snow went back to work in the White House Briefing Room on May 30, but has resigned since, "for economic reasons," and to pursue "other interests."
---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Blessings arrive in unexpected packages, - in my case, cancer. Those of us with potentially fatal diseases - and there are millions in America today - find ourselves in the odd position of coping with our mortality while trying to fathom God's will. Although it would be the height of presumption to declare with confidence "What It All Means", Scripture provides powerful hints and consolations.

The first is that we shouldn't spend too much time trying to answer the "why" questions : Why me? Why must people suffer? Why can't someone else get sick? We can't answer such things, and the questions themselves often are designed more to express our anguish than to solicit an answer.

I don't know why I have cancer, and I don't much care. It is what it is- a plain and in disputable fact. Yet even while staring into a mirror darkly, great and stunning truths begin to take shape. Our maladies define a central feature of our existence: We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out.

But despite this -, or because of it-, God offers the possibility of salvation and grace. We don't know how the narrative of our lives will end, but we get to choose how to use the interval between now and the moment we meet our Creator face-to-face.

Second, we need to get past the anxiety. The mere thought of dying can send adrenaline flooding through your system. A dizzy, unfocused panic seizes you. Your heart thumps; your h ead swims. You think of nothingness and swoon. You fear partings; you worry about the impact on family and friends. You fidget and get nowhere. To regain footing, remember that we were born not into death, but into life,- and that the journey continues after we have finished our days on this earth. We accept this on faith, but that faith is nourished by a conviction that stirs even within many non believing hearts- an intuition that the gift of life, once given, cannot be taken away. Those who have been stricken enjoy the special privilege of being able to fight with their might, main, and faith to live-fully, richly, exuberantly -no matter how their days may be numbered.

Third, we can open our eyes and hearts. God relishes surprise. We want lives of simple, predictable ease, smooth, even trails as far as the eye can see, - but God likes to go off-road. He provokes us with twists and turns. He places us in predicaments that seem to defy our endurance and comprehension- and yet don't. By His love and grace, we persevere. The challenges that make our hearts leap an d stomachs churn invariably strengthen our faith and grant measures of wisdom and joy we would not
experience otherwise.

'You Have Been Called' Picture yourself in a hospital bed. The fog of anesthesia has begun to wear away. A doctor stands at your feet; a loved one holds your hand at the side. "It's cancer," the healer announces.

The natural reaction is to turn to God and ask him to serve as a cosmic Santa. "Dear God, make it all go away. Make everything simpler." But another voice whispers: "You have been called." Your quandary has drawn you closer to God, closer to those you love, closer to the issues that matter-, and has dragged into insignificance the banal concerns that occupy our "normal time."

There's another kind of response, although usually short-lived-; an inexplicable shudder of excitement, as if a clarifying moment of calamity has swept away everything trivial and tinny, and placed before us the challenge of important questions.

The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing though the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment.

There's nothing wilder than a life of humble virtue -, for it is through selflessness and service that God wrings from our bodies and spirits the most we ever could give, the most we ever could offer, and the most we ever could do.

Finally, we can let love change everything. When Jesus was faced with the prospect of crucifixion, he grieved not for himself, but for us. He cried for Jerusalem before entering the holy city. From the Cross, he took on the cumulative burden of human sin and weakness, and begged for forgiveness on our behalf.

We get repeated chances to learn that life is not about us, -that we acquire purpose and satisfaction by sharing in God's love for others. Sickness gets us partway there. It reminds us of our limitations and dependence. But it also gives us a chance to serve the healthy. A minister friend of mine observes that people suffering grave affliction often acquire the faith of two people, while loved ones accept the burden of two people's worries and fears.

'Learning How to Live'. Most of us have watched friends as they drifted toward God's arms not with resignation, but with peace and hope. In so doing, they have taught us not how to die, but how to live. They have emulated Christ by transmitting the power and authority of love.

I sat by my best friend's bedside a few years ago and saw the sting of cancer take him away. He kept at his table a worn Bible and a 1928 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. A shattering grief disabled his family, many of his old friends, and at least one priest. Here was an humble and very good guy, someone who apologized when he winced with pain because he thought it made his guest uncomfortable. He retained his equanimity and good humor literally until his last conscious moment. "I'm going to try to beat [this cancer]," he told me several months before he died. "But if I don't, I'll see you on the other side."

His gift was to remind everyone around him that even though God doesn't promise us tomorrow, he does promise us eternity -, filled with life and love we cannot comprehend -, and that one can in the throes of sickness point the rest of us toward timeless truths that will help us weather future storms.

Through such trials, God bids us to choose: Do we believe, or do we not? Will we be bold enough to love, daring enough to serve, humble enough to submit, and strong enough to acknowledge our limitations? Can we surrender our concern in things that don't matter so that we might devote our remaining days to things that do?

When our faith flags, he throws reminders in our way. Think of the prayer warriors in our midst. They change things, and those of us who have been on the receiving end of their petitions and intercessions know it.

It is hard to describe, but there are times when suddenly the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, and you feel a surge of the Spirit. Somehow you just know: Others have chosen, when talking to the Author of all creation, to lift us up, - to speak of us!

This is love of a very special order. But so is the ability to sit back and appreciate the wonder of every created thing. The mere thought of death somehow makes every blessing vivid, every happiness more luminous and intense. We may not know how our contest with sickness will end, but we have felt the ineluctable touch of God.

What is man that Thou art mindful of him? We don't know much, but we know this: No matter where we are, no matter what we do, no matter how bleak or frightening our prospects, each and everyone of us who believe, each and every day, lies in the same safe and impregnable place, - in the hollow of God's hand."

End

Franny and Sophie

2007-09-19T15:20:00.000-05:00

Here's some cute pictures of the girls. Here's Franny the first day she did potty-training at school and the other one was from earlier that morning. I looked up and Soph was trying to push Franny in the doll stroller! Sophie's hair is always in her eyes like this. It's driving me nuts because she won't leave any barrettes in her hair!

2007-09-18T18:41:00.000-05:00

How cute is she.

2007-09-17T15:48:00.001-05:00