hmmm....

Has any one else in the world ever realized that they don't have it all figured out?

I went to an Electricity Museum yesterday. They have come up with a way- with electrical impulses-to reduce the symptoms of Parkinsons. Wow!!

Will our planet every really look like Wall-E's world? Ever realize how much that actually sounds like Walyworld aka Wallmart? hmmm...

Why can't you grow a garden from seeds that come from fruit at the store? Why do we have genetically altered single generation fruit? Conspiracy?

Couponing-Can anyone else figure out how to buy $500 worth of stuff for 50 cents and get free money back-puzzling!

In Brazil they recently had several years of a recession. They tried everything from stimulus packages to welfare to "waiting it out". Then finally they brought in the top economic advisers in the world, to make suggestions. What did they suggest? Teach the people to save, and the economy will turn around. Is this what wise men including our prophets have been saying for years? Inspiring!

For as long as I can remember Women have been asked to get mammograms at age 40. Now, as we are moving into socialist Health Care, Government paid Health "advisers" are suggesting that mammograms are not needed until the age of fifty. Sad!

How do I end this blog on a happy note? I guess I sort of sound like a dooms day-er. I guess I was just mind dumping. In our last stake conference Elder Ward and Elder Packer(not of the quorum of the 12) came to visit us. Elder Packer taught us about receiving personal revelation. He told us to learn to be guided by the spirit, so that when something comes along, we will know what we should do, with out having to ask someone else. He told of the following example- He was a mission president in 2001. He was sent out in July. He was giving a Mission conference in September, when someone told him that he had better go and watch the news. He saw the second plane hit the tower. Then he went back into the conference and told the Elders to take off their badges and ties. To go purchase some food if they didn't have enough in their apartments, and wait at home until they received further notice. One Elder spoke up and said President-have you discussed this with Salt Lake? Meaning uhh-I came to be a missionary-that is what I am here to do-and if the Prophet tells me to take off my badge, I will-but...
Elder Packer then used this story to teach us. If this missionary was used to receiving personal revelation- he would have known by the spirit that this was the right thing to do. After I read Elder Scotts talk from the Ensign I read Sister Motssomoris talk. Again it was on revelation. In a world of uncertainty, knowing how to receive personal revelation-direction from the Lord will be our certainty.

Sister Matsumori spoke directly on this subject
This is the link to her talk



Here is an excerpt and one of my favorite parts.
A Sunbeam(3-4 year old class) teacher wrapped each of her class members one by one in a blanket to teach them how the Spirit feels like the comfort and security of that covering. A visiting mother also heard the lesson.

Many months later the mother thanked the teacher. She told how she had been less active when she accompanied her young daughter to Primary. Several weeks after the lesson, the mother suffered a miscarriage. She was overcome with grief when suddenly she felt a great warmth and peace. It felt like someone had covered her with a warm blanket. She recognized the reassurance of the Spirit and knew that Heavenly Father was aware of her and that He loved her.

I know the Lord sent us here to Earth for a reason. He loves us, and he didn't leave us to figure out our purpose on our own. He gave us the spirit, prayer, scriptures...If we have nothing else we can still be taught which direction to go and comforted in our time of need. I know this is true. I encourage you all to seek to be able to recognize the spirit and its promptings. By doing so, you will come closer to Christ.

Re-reading the conference talks

Well,
I got out my conference Ensign today and began reading. I only got through the first talk and half of the second. I couldn't help but thinking of the excitement and tears flowing when people from those areas heard they would have a temple close to them. 83% of the members of the church are within 200 miles of a temple. Wow!! We are so blessed to live in this time, when we can have temples among us. Now, if we could only use them as much as the Lord has intended for us to.
The second talk is from Elder Richard G. Scott. Rereading it this time, I know that these words are meant for me. So here is a little quote...
Throughout the ages, many have obtained guidance helpful to resolve challenges in their lives by following the example of respected individuals who resolved similar problems. Today, world conditions change so rapidly that such a course of action is often not available to us.

Personally, I rejoice in that reality because it creates a condition where we, of necessity, are more dependent upon the Spirit to guide us through the vicissitudes of life. Therefore, we are led to seek personal inspiration in life’s important decisions.

I kept Highlighting more and more, and realized I want you to read it all :) So hear is the link


Isn't that powerful. I have moved away from family and friends, to Minnesota. I don't know anyone well enough to seek them out for emulation. I love that he is telling me, that this way is better any way. I can seek the promptings from the spirit to figure out how to be a better mom-wife-person. To figure out how to parent a child or teach a child or love a child.

I really hope you read this talk. Beautiful!
I finished it by the way-and still incredible teachings for our time.

By the way I hope you are all remembering to pray for all the world to be open to receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ. Miracles can occur as we do so.

Twila Adamson

I am excited to write this post about my Grandma Twila. Her birthday was October 14th 1931, and her wedding anniversary is this month- Halloween day. As well as passing away October 27 2003. Because of this, I cannot help but have her in my mind and heart.
I grew up living just a fence away from my beloved grandma. One of my earliest memories of Grandma is when I was running over to her house for a visit. I went bare foot, and I stepped on a bee on the way over. It was my first time getting a bee sting. Grandma lovingly put me on her couch, and put a baking soda paste on my sting. Then she pulled the stinger out.
I remember another time I stayed at Grandmas house. I had a bad dream, and couldn't go back to sleep. Grandma woke up and came in to check on me. I told her I had had a bad dream. She said, "You know what?" "I just got a movie, that I have been wanting to watch, do you want to watch it with me?" of course I wanted to, so we got up at 3AM, to watch Mrs. Arris goes to Paris. We often played late night games of checkers, Chinese checkers, and card games. She would also talk late into the night about her mom and dad and sisters.
Grandma was asked to teach early morning seminary my Junior year. I was always so amazed and surprised how nervous it made her. She studied every spare moment to prepare the lessons. She loved each of her students. She would often ask me if I had any ideas of how to get through to one student or another. I heard her pray for each student individually. I also knew that she changed her teaching style, to try and reach the students she was "loosing". Just a couple years ago I had the opportunity to do one of my friends hair for her wedding. When I was doing it, she said-"You know your Grandma said she would be at my wedding...and I know she will be there today." I didn't know that the other seminary students loved her as much as she loved them-but I don't know why I am surprised-she is wonderful!
When I was growing up, I can remember that Grandma was the Relief Society President for a while. I remember that meaning quite a few funerals. She was always making a cake or a dinner for someone. She always had to run to the church to set up or take down from a funeral. I can often remember her saying..."I always cry when I am mad, sad, glad." She wore her heart on her sleeve and we all loved her for it. I think this may have been when she perfected her dinner roll recipe- and they were perfect!
Grandma had a really long telephone cord. She was often talking to someone on the phone. She loved to talk to her daughters. I can still remember how she answered the phone-with sort of a country girl accent..."Hallow". What a happy sound that was.
I spent a lot of time with Grandma, and that meant cleaning her house often. I remember one time I was cleaning her bathrooms. I was trying to hurry so she would say what a fast cleaner I was. When I got done, she took me into the bathroom and showed me the streaks. I especially remember how dirty the faucets still looked. She said, "Erika, if your going to do a job, you might as well do it right the first time." I told her I was trying to do it fast, so she would be proud of me. She said she would be proud of me if I took my time and did it right. After that I always tried to pay careful attention to the details and do everything I did the right way the first time.
When it came to cooking, Grandma taught me much. She taught me how to make bread, candy, salads, applesauce, jam, and jelly. She taught me how to garden. I remember picking strawberries, raspberries, and apples with her. I loved to be in her company, no matter what we were doing. The only thing I didn't really like was when I had to vacuum, because I couldn't talk to her when I was vacuuming.
Grandma had a "Crystal" brush. I smile to think back on it now, realizing that it was only clear plastic, but then I thought it was crystal. We would love to brush Grandma's hair. She was so funny, she would start to fall asleep as soon as we started brushing. She would say-"Oh, don't stop, that feels so good!" So we would brush for as long as she would hold still.
I could go on forever about all of my memories with this wonderful woman. Maybe I will just stop after 3. Grandma loved to swim. During the summer, she would often have to go to pick up parts in Twin for the shop. She took me with her quite a bit. We would always stop at the pool in Shoshone for a quick swim so she could get in her exercise for weight watchers. Then we would go to the snack bar for a shake and some tots. Oh how I loved this cheerful lady.
Grandma started decorating for Christmas right after Halloween. Out comes the tree, up with the decorations, the lights, the nativity, the clock, toys, circus, village, train, music, outdoor lights, snow men, signs, outdoor nativity, and decorations for the shop. Grandma and Grandpa would joke that they saved all there money to pay the electric bill during the Christmas season. I still remember listening to Bing Crosby singing "Silver Bells", while setting up the little carousel. Grandma passed away just before Halloween, and we decorated her house for Christmas that year. Some things that Grandpa would tease her about being a little over the top-The toys and especially the Christmas clock that would chime a carol every hour- are still up and lovingly cared for now, as a constant reminder of this special woman.
The last memory I want to share of Grandma, is a dear one. I remember one time, when one of our relatives was getting married. We were having a shower for her, and Grandma took us in to the boys bedroom to show us a night gown that she had bought for her. It was pretty with pink lace. It must have been kind of a sexy little night gown, because after everyone walked out of the room, Grandma took me aside, and said, "Erika, I never want to buy a nightgown like this for you." "I want you to get married in the temple. I want more for you than this, OK?" I said OK.
My only wish on most days, is to be able to call Grandma and ask her advice for one reason or another. If I am ever having an especially rough day, I wonder to myself what Grandma must be thinking of me and I try to buck up and do a little better. I can not smell fresh baked bread, hear a smoke alarm, or eat homemade fudge with out remembering one of my favorite elect ladies.
Thanks for taking so much time out for me Grandma- Tenho saudades de voce

Julie Beck

My Sweet Family!


I had the wonderful privilege of seeing Julie Beck speak, last weekend. She was wonderful. I wasn't sure what to expect, though I love her, I thought she might be a bit set apart or distanced. She was so sweet and kind. Many women lined up to give her hugs and kisses or just hold her hand and tell her what she meant to them. She was standing with in my grasp for a few minutes. So, I got to watch her, watch her eyes. She loved them. I felt a little like Matter..."I knew I made a good choice...For my best friend" :) I love Sister Beck, and after I got to see her in person I could say "I knowed I made a good choice".
For those of you who don't know, Julie Beck is the president of the Relief Society, The largest woman's organization in the world. The Relief society is dedicated to helping others and self improvement. It happened that I sat right behind her assistant. I was just that lucky or blessed. This meeting (fireside) was a question and answer session. In the beginning Sister Beck bore her testimony that women are the female half of our Heavenly Fathers plan of happiness. She spoke beautifully of our role as women. Then she opened the discussion up for questions. Imagine if you will, the seen. Every seat in the entire building is occupied. Every Mormon women, and 1 women(she happened to be sitting behind me) who was not Mormon in all of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the southern part of Ontario Canada were there. I didn't even now there were that many Mormons in this area. You got a real feeling of sisterhood and companionship looking out among the crowd.
The first women stands to ask the question, some one hands her a mic. She says, "you have eluded to the fact that we are the female half of Gods plan, how do you propose that we work with the other half." Then the woman sits down as the audience giggles a little. Sister Beck said,"your giggling?" She was pretty stern at this point. She talked about how in order for society to raise the value of a woman, the had lowered the value of a man. She said that was not the Lords way. She said that to work with our brothers, we should know them, understand them and love them- then working with them should be easy. She said she didn't really understand how hard it was on men to provide for their families, until her son grew up and got married. When she watched him struggle to provide, she knew the pressure that he faced, and she gained a greater appreciation for men and their role. She referred to The Family (a proclamation to the world).
The next question was from a young mother-"how do we teach our children to love each other". We all laughed, and Sister Beck giggled a little as well. She told a story from when she was growing up. She said she was raised in a family with 10 siblings. All were dominant personalities. Every family night, they would sing the hymn, Love at Home. When she was a teenager, she said "Dad, there are lots of nice Hymns in the Hymn book, can't we please sing a different hymn." He said, "When you have learned lesson 1, we will move on to lesson two." She talked about how from the beginning there has been sibling rivalry with Cain and Abel-we also have examples in the book of Mormon, with Lamen Lemuel Nephi and Sam. She said that the family was designed to teach social skills, to learn how to love any way, patience, forgiveness and compassion. Again she referred to the proclamation.
Someone then stood and said, "There are women in our ward who no longer actively attend church. When we speak to them, they tell us they are not coming, because they are burnt out. They don't want to help anymore, they are tired, and there for they are afraid to come back, because they don't want to be put to work." "How can we get them to come back, and not share the work load, when we already feel like it would have been easier to be a nun?" Sister Beck said, The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. What ever your percieved work load is, it is self inflicted. He(the Savior) requires very little. Then she told us how she outlines her day. She gets a paper with 3 columns. In the first column head it with things you must do. Only ever put 2-5 things on this list. Musts should include scripture study and prayer. Some days temple attendence might be a must. The second column header is need to do. This list includes things like...if you have children, feed them; if you have a home, clean it; if you have a job, go to work. The third column is the "nice to do' column. Things that would be nice to do, if you get the time...she said read a book on her back porch was on her list. As far as the women who were not coming to church-which I believe she actually addressed first, she said...Love Them! hmm... how profound :) She then refered to Elder Bednars talk on finding the one. She told them to remind the sisters of the miracles that they had seen in there own lives when they served the Lord, also to ask them about their testimonies.
Someone else asked about forgiveness. She quoted some scriptures and then she kind of ended that question by saying..."Just be more like Jesus and you should be OK" :)
One women said, "I know many wome struggle with guilt. I am of the impression that there is a good kind of guilt and a bad kind of guilt, could you ilude to the kind of guilt we should and shouldn't listen to." Sister Beck at this point got pretty teary, then she said, Because you are a Daughter of God, he would never tear you down. Any voice that tells you you are not enough - is from Satan. The voice that says - You can do better, and I will help you - is from the Savior.
The next 2 questions were the last 2 questions, so she took them both before answering. 1st question-What can we say to bring comfort to women who have families struggling with sames sex attractions? and the 2nd Question-What can we do to help women who are married to men who do not share their faith? Sister Beck commented that the answer was actually the same for both of these questions. She said whether your trial is cancer, financial struggles, naughty children, same sex attraction, a lack of unity in marriage, a single member family, a widower, or divorced with children, the answer is still the same. She then referred to the proclamation again. She quoted one of my favorite parts, so I will quote it in here as well. "Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of Faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities." No matter what your circumstance is, the gospel and its truthfulness remains the same.
She started to close, then she said, "I feel led to tell you one more thing." She refered to her father-in-law a steal-mill worker. She said he was one of the hardest working man that she knew. He worked shifts. He would work a different shift every day. Either the swing, the morning, or the night shift. She was always in aw at his abilities. She wondered how he did it. Then one day, she realized, he only worked one shift a day. She then went on to say, that Heavenly Father did not mean for women to work all 3 shifts. She said choose your shift, and for that 8 hours do your very best work. For her, it was the swing shift. When every one was tired and hungry she needed to be at her prime. If she was tired and hungry then, she was no good to them and not fulfilling her roll.She started to close again. She then looked right at me for a long moment. She said Heavenly Father loves each of you. Then she looked else where. She closed and we sang. and the night was over to quickly. It was a wonderful meeting. I am so glad I got to go. Now, this week is already General Relief Society meeting on Saturday night. And Next week is General Conference. I do hope you all get to join me in listening to the words of our beloved leaders and their inspired words. Heavenly Father loves each of you!

9-11-01

Eight years later. We remember all of those affected by September 11th, those who died, and those who live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkWc_EKLs4E
I don't know why the link won't work, so you can copy and paste it in a new tab.

New idea

Well,
I have an idea for my blog. There have been many women that have influenced me in my life. So, if you cant tell I changed the name of my blog. Now I will be featuring one of my favorite women each week. I don't intend on running out of women, I have been blessed to know many!
I will still have some personal anechdotes and things I have learned from time to time, but I hope to have much more testimony bearing so stay tuned...

A great opportunity to teach!

Today Heavenly Father gave me a perfect teaching opportunity for Gabriel. A lesson I remember learning when I was about his age. We were at the store today, and Gabriel asked me for a "yummy candy bar". I told him no. When we got home Gabriel pulled the same candy bar from his pocket and licked his lips. When I saw the candybar, I instantly felt grateful for this opportunity to teach him while he was still young, the importance of not stealing. We talked about it, until he felt more sorry for taking the candy bar, than he did about not eating it. Then when Tom got home I took Gabriel, the candy bar, and his money to the store. Gabriel gave the candybar back and he gave them all of his pennys, that he has been working for. Then he told them he was really sorry. They told him that people who steal go to jail. Then they told him because he brought it back and did his best to pay for it, that it would be OK this time. Gabe went out to the car and said- Whew Mom, I am glad you didn't have to go to jail, and I didn't have to go to jail. I said Me too! Then he said, Mom I never want to steal again! But, I do want a candy bar! I thought, Me Too!
Then we got in the car and drove home. We got to talk about the spirit. How Gabe felt a little sick in his stomach when he took it and how he felt nervous to eat it. When we got home I told him about what happened when I was a little girl.
When I was a little girl I was at Adamsons with my family. I wanted gumballs-Rainblo if I remember right. I knew if I asked my mom for them, she would say no. So I just put them in my pocket. Then when I got home I ate some of them. My mom of course noticed that I had gum, that she had not given me. I remember that I had a pack of raisins and the money from my piggy bank. We took them to the store. Grandma worked at Adamsons. I had to tell Grandma Twilla that I had stolen the candy, I gave her the raisins and my money. Mom and Grandma both told me it was better to be honest. I never stole again. It is funny how similar my story is to Gabe's. He is so much like me, that I am never suprised at most things that he does. I sure love him!! I am glad I get to carry on my Mom and Grandmas wisdom. I love being the mom...