Musings

Musings defined: ponderings, reflections, meditations, contemplations.
I aim to share experiences, past and present, with the goal of learning and appreciating what life presents.

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Easter

During Sunday worship we observed and celebrated the most important event of this earth.  Jesus Christ died that we might live.  Death is overcome so we need never fear death for everyone will be resurrected.  Christ also made it possible for us to live with Him eternally by taking upon himself all our sins, pain, and troubles.  He did this when he prayed in the Garden of Gestheme where He experienced pain so severe that even He, God, sweat great drops of blood; and upon the cross.  So Christ truly knows what we are feeling because He has already experienced it.  When we repent of our bad choices we have claim on this atonement, this great act of love He did just for us; all of us. 

I find great hope in the atonement because I know that even though I still sin, as long as I repent I will still be able to live with Him again.  This hope helps me to keep trying to live the good life.  I am so greatful to Jesus and to Heavenly Father for providing the way back to them.  They know and love me, Heavenly Father is a personal Father, taking an intense interest in my daily life.  They want me to come back to them.






I am grateful too for family.  Son Darius, Sydell, Arrianna, Keziah and Micah are visiting with us this week.  They are a whirlwind of activity.  Today I will take video of Darius and Micah doing jumps on big ramps on our mountain.  Most of all I appreciate that they also maintain the spiritual side of their lives by serving in their local branch of the church and by daily reading the scriptures together and discussing them, and this week with us.  They are a huggy family (which I love) so for nightly family prayer they kneel together in a tight circle and sometimes sing too.  Of course Carroll and I join them.  Esther and her family plus Amelia were also here for the Easter weekend.  We enjoyed lots of good food and visiting and watching our three little grand-daughters (Havie, Tali and Sianne) perform for a very appreciative audience.  Javan, Hensie and Havie participated in all this too; including having us over for dinner on Good Friday.  How blessed we are to have family, and in-laws too that are just as much family, where everyone has fun together.  I'm just sorry that I have a hard time keeping up with the hiking (though the little ones go just the right speed for me) and tennis (though the teens were good at hitting the ball right to me) and the singing around the piano and in the van (though I am good until my voice starts to give out on the high tenor notes).  Good thing I can take naps.  Life is good.













My bit of wisdom today?  Appreciate what we have.  First I am grateful to God for the atonement and His great love.  I testify that God lives, wants us to be happy and wants us to obey His commandments because that will bring us the most happiness and peace.  I am grateful for family and the rewards of love within family.  All of this takes effort and is worth it.

Friday 22 April 2011

The "motivations" of First Post on this Blog

Good Friday, April 22, 2011No grand words of wisdom come to mind at the moment.  Maybe later.  Right now I want to thank Sarah and Rebecca for setting the example for me as the first in our family to blog.  I enjoy reading about your lives.  I also thank Jennie for her project on Facebook where I enjoy viewing her daily photos, which reminds me I want and need to look at the latest.  I am grateful for each of our ten children and love each one of you and your husband or wife and your children.

This blog is written first of all for our children, (I use "our" instead of "my" because Carroll and I joyously did this together), 27 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.  I also hope that a few others will find this blog and find something that resonates for them: retirement, video editing, spiritual journey, journal writing, and appreciating God's creations in nature.  I encourage all to leave comments and I will gladly reply, as appropriate.

One of my most recent goals is to communicate weekly with family.  Instead of emails I will use this blog.  I also want to see what I have learned in my lifetime so I will try to include the occasional bit of wisdom.  I am comfortable at the keyboard because I have been keeping my journal on computer since we bought a Commodore-64 (that was a total of 64 k of memory) in either '79 or '80; but I am not comfortable with how much sharing of a personal nature to put on the ether waves for all the world to read.

Tonight Carroll and I eat an Easter dinner at the home of Javan and Hensie.  Tomorrow Darius and Sydel and three teens arrive for the week during their Spring Break.  Glad our weather will warm up to 17 for Sunday because our grass is just turning green after cooler weather with highs of 9.  The green peas are just coming up and the apricot tree is just about to budd out.

At the beginning of the month Carroll and I returned home from a busy ten day trip.  We stayed at Roger's home while Carroll attended the Primary leadership in SLC and I enjoyed displays at the church museum.  Senior couples missionary reunion at our mission president's home Friday afternoon and the evening with the young missionaries caught us up on the latest news.  We enjoyed the spirit of three sessions of General Conference live in the Conference Center.  We visited with Marie and our grandchildren twice at their home, and attended Sam's eagle scout court of honour.  Finally we drove to La Verkin where Carroll enjoyed time with her sibs as they sorted things to bring home.  How wonderful that all five of them get along so great.  We visited in Moses Lake with my only living aunt, LaVeda and Keith, both going and coming.  Home in time for the grand opening of the castle that Javan built for Havie.  The castle (a sturdy 8' by 12', two stories, two turrents, drawbridge, 3 windows and painted pink) was packed for her third birthday party.

As always, hope this finds you all well and happy as you surmount your obstacles - or just survive them.  My bit of wisdom: We find happiness as we make it; finding satisfaction in the doing of those things that we know are good for us to be doing.