A remedy for what ails you

Yesterday in our youth group meeting (Young Women) we had such a good lesson. It was entitled "Overcoming Opposition." Here are some thoughts from the lesson. I thought they were such a good reminder of what we can actually do when we're feeling down. Everyone has trials, disappointments, setbacks, opposition, sorrow and pain at some point in their lives. It's what we DO and how we REACT when those hard times come that determine how well we cope with hardship. President Ezra Taft Benson described twelve ways in which we can overcome sorrow, disappointment, and depression (see Conference Report, Oct. 1974, pp. 90–94; or Ensign, Nov. 1974, pp. 65–67).

"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 take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people" (Alma 7:11).

1. Repentance: “Sin creates disharmony with God and is depressing to the spirit. … Every law kept brings a particular blessing. Every law broken brings a particular blight. Those who are heavy laden with despair should come unto the Lord, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.”
2. Prayer: “Prayer in the hour of need is a great boon. From simple trials to our Gethsemanes, prayer can put us in touch with God, our greatest source of comfort and counsel.”
3. Service: “To lose yourself in righteous service to others can lift your sights and get your mind off personal problems, or at least put them in proper focus. ‘When you find yourselves a little gloomy,’ said President Lorenzo Snow, ‘look around you and find somebody that is in a worse plight than yourself; go to him and find out what the trouble is, and then try to remove it with the wisdom which the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, your gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, and everything seems illuminated.’ (Conference Report, 6 Apr. 1899, pp. 2–3.)”
4. Work: “Work is our blessing, not our doom. … We should work at taking care of the spiritual, mental, social, and physical needs of ourselves and those whom we are charged to help. In the church of Jesus Christ there is plenty of work to do to move forward the kingdom of God. Every member a missionary, family genealogy and temple work, home evenings, receiving a Church assignment and magnifying it are but a few of our required labors.”
5. Health: “The condition of the physical body can affect the spirit. That’s why the Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom. He also said that we should retire to our beds early and arise early.” We should eat nutritious meals, get proper rest and exercise, and use wholesome recreation to provide a change of pace and lift the spirit.
6. Reading: “Many a man in his hour of trial has turned to the Book of Mormon and been enlightened, enlivened, and comforted. “The psalms of the Old Testament have a special food for the soul of one in distress. … The words of the prophets, particularly the living president of the Church, are crucial reading and can give direction and comfort in an hour when one is down.”
7. Blessing: “In a particularly stressful time, or in the anticipation of a critical event, one can seek for a blessing under the hands of the priesthood. … The sacrament will ‘bless … the souls’ (D&C 20:77, 79) of all those who worthily partake of it.”
8. Fasting: “Periodic fasting can help clear up the mind and strengthen the body and the spirit. … To make a fast most fruitful, it should be coupled with prayer and meditation; … and it’s a blessing if one can ponder on the scriptures and the reason for the fast.”
9. Friends: “The fellowship of true friends who can hear you out, share your joys, help carry your burdens, and correctly counsel you is priceless. …“Ideally, your family ought to be your closest friends. Most important, we should seek to become the friend of our Father in heaven and our brother Jesus the Christ.”
10. Music: “Inspiring music may fill the soul with heavenly thoughts, move one to righteous action, or speak peace to the soul. … Elder Boyd K. Packer has wisely suggested memorizing some of the inspiring songs of Zion … [to help] crowd out debilitating, depressive thoughts.”
11. Endurance: “There are times when you simply have to righteously hang on and outlast the devil until his depressive spirit leaves you. “… While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and count the blessings that you do have with a sure hope of greater ones to follow if you are faithful.”
12. Goals: “Every accountable child of God needs to set goals, short- and long-range goals. A man who is pressing forward to accomplish worthy goals can soon put despondency under his feet, and once a goal is accomplished, others can be set up.”

17 Miracles

Rick and I went to this movie this afternoon. It was very touching, very well done, very interesting and very moving. I highly recommend it.

Get creative & have some fun

We've had a very busy time these last three or four weeks. In no particular order, here are some fun things we've been doing. Jordan and her girls came to town on the 18th of June. She dropped the girls off and went off to girls camp with her ward in Idaho for five days. I went to girls camp with our ward a few days later and Andy took over as the chief baby sitter...he did a great job. Jake later arrive to attend the wedding of his sister and to stay for a week. Claire and R and baby Skippy arrived on the 29th and stayed til the morning of the 5th. We keep busy and had a great time with everyone over the 4th of July. We missed Dave and Courtney who are in North Carolina while Dave is completing an internship for his MBA.




This crew enjoyed an early morning hike to the "Y" on the mountain. They had planned to hike to the summit of Mt. Timpanogos, but there was still too much snow on it. Maybe next year. They also all ran either the 10K or the 5K before the Provo Grand Parade on the 4th of July. They did great in the race and came home with some prizes.
Some other activities including going to the Provo temple, to BYU campus and the Cougar eat for lunch, to the lovely garden wedding reception of Jake's sister Jen, to Trafalga for some mini-golf, go cart riding and batting cage hitting, to Bridal Veil Falls for a little hike and a picnic, and out to the backyard many times for some swimming, game playing and village ball. It was fun to be together and to fall into bed exhausted every night.

We broke out the red, white and blue fingernail polish and got all the girls ready to celebrate the 4th of July, from fingertips to toenails.

We finally finished assembling the tree bench and enjoyed sitting on it and swinging the girls in their various tree swings. "Swing me Grampy" was heard more than once by the little grand girls. They wanted to swing all the time, even while in their night gowns.
While in Logan to visit the extended family, I got to drive the new toy of my sister Ann and her husband Trace. It was a fun and windy ride up to see Porcupine reservoir.
Andy and five of his friends coached a little league boys baseball team this summer. It took them a ton of time to work with the boys in practices and games. They all learned a lot and had a good season. I was very proud of Andy for being so good to the boys and for learning the ups and downs of coaching and for taking it all in stride. They had a fun season and I think Andy and crew want to do it again next year.
Now that I'm serving with the Laurels (the 16-18 year old girls) in our ward, I made them some graduation from high school cards and treated them to some chocolate. They were a hit!


I went to Logan to visit my Mom and sisters and their families and to attend my sister Lee's 50th surprise birthday party given to her by her daughter and her family. It was fun to be there and to participate with her in the aging process. She was a good sport and we all had a great time. She looks wonderful for a 50 year old.

4th of July BBQ

It all started in Rupert, Idaho. Each year my parents would invite some of our Utah cousins to come to Rupert to celebrate the 4th of July. Some years they would invite my dad's side of the family and other years it would be my mom's side of the family. They would plan a full day of activities. The aunts and uncles would arrive with their cars loaded with desserts and punksters. We'd have a big breakfast on the patio and then head to town for the annual 4th of July parade. It was complete with lots of horses and old cars, along with a couple of marching bands, floats and a few drill teams that our dad affectionately called the "golden butts." After the parade, we'd head home for the BBQ on the patio and then we'd play games all day long. Volleyball, badminton, horse shoes, croquette. One year dad borrowed a little Shetland pony from the neighbors for us to ride. It took off with cousin Scott on it's back and I can still hear the cries of "help me Uncle Earl" as the pony ran off down the lane. If we were really lucky, dad would have his weekly turn of irrigation water from the Snake River. If we had our turn, then the ditches would be full of irrigation water for us to swim in and it would flood out on the lawn and we would play our games in several inches of water. Good, good times were had at these family gatherings.
After eating ourselves sick and then playing all day, we'd usually head into town to attend the carnival that would come to town for the big celebration. My favorite rides were the til-ta-whirl and the Farris wheel. We'd eat a bunch of cotton candy and snow cones and be completely sick by the end of the night. We'd head home for some fireworks and sparklers on the lawn before heading to bed. Sometimes all the cousins would sleep outside on the old army cots either in or outside of our old canvas tent and get about 25 mosquito bites during the course of the night. If we were really lucky, we'd also attend the county rodeo during the weekend celebrations. It was a good-ole-fashion-country-Idaho-good-time. I'd like to go back some year and participate again for old times sake. If only I could get my family to go along...I'm afraid they are too tied to our own 4th of July ways.







We carried on the 4th of July tradition with our own little family years later. We had a few little kids and a small wading pool. We invited our family members to come and over the years the most faithful attenders have been Rick's brother Doug, his sister Margie, my sister Carol and their families, along with Rick's parents.
We'd start the day out right by attending the Provo Grand Parade. Then we'd head home and have a BBQ on the patio, followed by games, a watermelon bust and water activities. Since we didn't have access to a large swimming pool, we would use the little wading pool and a slip-and -slide for some great activities. We started the tradition of the "head dunking" in which everyone including the adults participated. We would enjoy sparklers at night and we would just enjoy hanging out, eating great food and playing with each other all day long. There was nothing better!
Seventeen years ago we moved into our current house where we have a swimming pool and a large park just out of the backyard gate. The traditions still include the parade, the BBQ, swimming and sparklers, but now the group has grown substantially. Rick's parents, his brother Doug, sisters Ann and Margie still attend. Carol and her family have been great supporters over the years as well. We've invited other friends to attend over the years and many of them ask to come back again and again. This year we had a group of around 70 and it was a lot of fun. Our college friend David C. and his family came this year. We loved having them with us for the day of activities. Everyone brings food to share and they bring their own meat to grill. Somehow it all works out and we enjoy ourselves to the max.
Here was the food assignment list for this year:
4 dozen hamburger buns
2 dozen hot dog buns
condiments - mayo, mustard, ketchup, pickles, onion, cheese, lettuce, etc.
chips
pasta salad
veggie platter and dip
2 large watermelons
some cookies and or brownies to go with the ice cream
potato salad
green salad
baked beans
jello salad
fruit platter
homemade ice cream x 2
briquettes
paper products
homemade root beer
Needless to say, we didn't go hungry.

We love to celebrate the birthday of the United States of America, the greatest land there is where we enjoy freedom and democracy. It's not a perfect country and we have our problems, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. It is the land I love.

Stadium of Fire 2011

Once again, it was a great show. Rick and I went this year with Carol, Madi and Taylor, along with Jordan and Jake, Claire & R, and Andy. We really missed Dave and Courtney. I think this is the 20th or so time we've attended. It just wouldn't be the 4th of July without going to Stadium of Fire. I'm always moved to tears by one or more things in the patriotic program. Even though we're not big country music fans, we really enjoyed the show put on my Brad Paisley. Brad can play the guitar like no other. He was a great entertainer. David Archuleta was his usual sweet self and I enjoyed hearing him sing. Loved the flyover, the parachutes, the dancers, the chorus, the amazing fireworks (probably the best we've ever seen) and I LOVE the USA!

There was one mishap however...yikes!