JUST A FEW MORE QUOTES OR APHORISMS? . . . .

It is Sunday evening, and I was reading a few more quotes that I love, and I think the reason is because I stop and ponder after every one to see how it applies to me. I know the times that I read the scriptures and then ponder how they apply to me, I get the most from them. Hope you enjoy these thoughts, all by unknown authors. Guess we will have to call them aphorisms, since I'm not certain whom I am quoting!

1. Don't make a permanent decision for your  temporary emotion.
2. Holding a grudge is like letting someone remain rent-free in your head.
3. Rudeness is the weak person's imitation of strength.
4. Take pride in how far you have come, and have faith in how far you can go.
5. Worrying is like a rocking chair, you have something to do, but you don't get anywhere.
6. When you feel like quitting, think about why you started.
7. Who gossips to you,will gossip about you.
8. At any given moment you have the power to say, this is not how the story is going to end.
9.Gratitude turns what we have into enough.
10. The first to apologize is the bravest, the first to forgive is the strongest, and the first to forget is the happiest.
11. Today is the oldest you've ever been, and the youngest you'll ever be again.

and finally a quote......
12. Our only valid spiritual competition is with our old selves, not with each other. (Neal Maxwell)

MORE QUOTES TO THINK UPON!

Oh, I have loved the rain..and there may be more tonight.  Rain, when you have no sprinkler system, is a widow's delight.  I received a lot of comments from sisters regarding my favorite quotes a while back, so I have spent a delicious hour reading more thoughts from my big black book.  I thought I would share a few more:

"Feelings are like waves, we can't keep them from coming, but we can decide which ones we will surf. "  (unknown)

"Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth do."  (unknown)

"The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for." (unknown)(one of my very favorites)

"Holding onto anger is like taking poison, and expecting the other person to die."   (Buddha)

"People inspire you, - or they drain you, pick them wisely."  (Hans Hansen)

"Be as quick to kneel as we are to text."  (Elder Ian S. Ardern - gen. conference)

"If you are feeling blue, try painting yourself a different color" (Hannah, age 9)

"Comparison is the thief of joy."  (Theodore Roosevelt) (so true - so true)

"Today you are you, that is truer than true, there is no one alive, who is youer than you!"   (Dr. Suess)

"You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes, and you can go any direction you choose."  (Dr. Suess)

"My soul has had enough Chicken Soup...I want chocolate!" (unknown)

"Some see a hopeless end, while others see endless hope."  (unknown)

"Is fat really the worst thing a human being can be? Is fat worse than vain, shallow, vindictive, jealous, boring, evil or cruel?  I don't think so." (J.K Rowling)

"Today I am happier than a  bird with a french  fry!" (etsy.com)

Please keep praying for rain sisters - "The grass is greener - where you water it." (Neil Barrington)

"I CAN SEE THE WORLD IN MY OWN GARDEN"

I have been working in some flower beds in my back yard, and just pondering how Heavenly Father gives us so much symmetry in all his creations. I love perennial flowers - they come back every year, generally stronger and more beautiful than the year before. I can depend on them, their roots are deep and strong and they are always ready to contribute - I love people like that as well. I know they will be committed and perform, and their "testimony roots" grow stronger every year.

I can compare the noxious weeds as I struggle to pull and clean them out, as the persistent trials and struggles and miserable developing habits, we deal with everyday. I know that if I don't clean out every bit of the root, they will be right back.

Every year I buy a few annual flowers - they are beautiful and make a big splash and then they are gone, until I spend more money to replace the following year. I have met people like that as well - Very showy, but with little staying power. Fortunately, I don't have much money for annuals.

I love the trees in my yard, tall, strong, deep rooted. Some even produce a product like pears or pecans. They remind me of the Priesthood in my life, my late husband, my father, the Bishop and my home teacher. They are there for me stable and dependable.

I love the "volunteers" in my garden, they just find a place and volunteer to fill that spot. They remind me of the great friends I have in the Dallas 4th Ward, who are always volunteering to help and love, or give time.

I love "knockout" roses, and I buy one every year. They "magnify their callling" as roses. They bloom several times a year - contantly contributing to my joy! They are like the gospel in my life, because the blessing of the Gospel in my life is endless.

Finally I love my blackberry bushes - they were the love of my husband's garden, and I have merely tended them for him since his death. They have mean thorns that protect their delicate delicious fruit, and I have a healthy respect for them - even the birds don't go near them. But when I get to harvest them with a gloved hand, they remind me of Alma's seeds of faith, they are delicious to my soul....

LOOK AT THE WORLD WITH NEW EYES IN THE NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone enjoyed the Christmas season 2011, and the start of a New Year. I had the opportunity to see everyone in my immediate family, about 47 in all at a family wedding. Everyone is so unique and adds to the whole in special ways. I love to watch my children parent their children, I enjoy how my children treat and revere my parents. I love when we all gathered for family prayer - a little quiet island in a sea of holiday and wedding preparations.

I enjoy my teenage grandkids and their bright hope and promise - and wonder if I was that strong and confident at their age. I smile when I see my little toddler grandkids using IPads with amazing skill, and giving unconditional love to everyone who smiles at them.

I got to spend several days with my youngest grandson, who is 2 and a half, and see the world through his eyes. We walked to the playground several days, so that he could run off his abundant energy, and what a learning experience that was. He saw feathers floating in the breeze, he saw a rock that was shaped like a rhinoceros, then he had to stop and watch an ambulance racing down the street with all its bells and whistles, surmising all the while, who might be inside and where it could be going. He found a dime and a penny lying by a mailbox, and then made two wishes, and put them in his pocket. When we arrived at the playground he made a dirt cake, and topped it with used green silly string he found on the ground for frosting. Then he spotted an old straw and stuck it in for a candle, so that it became a birthday cake. Then I joined him, in a fabulous rendition of Happy Birthday.

As a New Year stretches before me, I'm resolving to see the details of my world closer. To take more joy in the floating feathers, and when I find a penny on the ground, pick it up and make a wish. I want to marvel at the strength and talents of the people who are in my life, especially the sisters in the Dallas 4th Ward Relief Society. I want to love without reserve, and serve God without restraint - come what may!

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A WEEKEND TO "REMEMBER"

As we are in another Memorial Day weekend, my thoughts go immediately home to Hunter, Utah. I was too young to remember World War II, but old enough to remember when my Uncle Ben was declared dead a year and a half after the War ended, having been missing in action for 4 years. Back then my parents called it "Decoration Day" and they spent Saturday and Monday, cutting and preparing vases and jugs full of flowers, that had been cut from our garden, or my Grandmother Rolfe's yard. We "decorated" every relative's grave - but my Uncle Ben's grave always had a flag inserted in the vase of flowers, and the cemetary had also placed a big flag by his headstone.

My Grandfather had already died very young, and so Uncle Ben being the only boy in the family, had been declared the "sole provider" for his family and was not drafted. However patriotism was so high, that Uncle Ben could not be discouraged from joining. He wanted to be a pilot, but his eyesight wasn't good enough. My mom still testifies today, that he ate carrots till his skin started turning orange from the carotene, but he improved his eyesight enough to pass the pilot eye exam.

He trained to be a pilot, came home before going to War, and married my Aunt Fern. They had a two day honeymoon, and he shipped out to England.

He was the pilot of a B-17 named the Ugly Duckling. His first flight into Germany was a mission to take out a railroad viaduct, the plane was over the Usel Lake (formerly known as the Zeider Zee) in Nazi occupied Holland, near the village of Apeldoorn. His plane was shot down, and all 5 men on board were able to parachute out - but they all landed in the Zeider Zee. Unfortunately it was November 26th, and the sea was freezing, and they all perished from hypothermia. The year was 1943, and Uncle Ben was delared "missing in action". It wasn't until July of 1946 that a fisherman fished his body out of the sea, with his dogtags. I barely remember going to his memorial. I remember my Grandmother had a " gold -star decal" placed in her window. Which meant she was a Gold-Star Mother, and had lost a son in the War.

Five years ago, a man in Germany e-mailed my Mom and Dad, and my brother Michael, who fortunately served a mission in Germany, and told them an amazing story. He was a little 8 year old boy standing in his backyard, and saw the plane and the parachuting men go into the sea. He has since researched the plane and it's occupants and is writing a book of his memories. Through his research he has found several earlier pictures of Ben and his squadron, standing by his plane, a picture of the plane flying, a log of the men on board the plane etc., which he shared with us. If I were more "technical" I could attach the pictures - but alas....

I love memories. Dates, tastes and smells, always bring these memories flooding back into our lives. I love "Decoration Day" now our Memorial Day Weekend. I love America, and I am grateful for all those men and women who gave their lives to keep it free. I just got back from Restland, and it is ablaze with flags. They line the streets going into the cemetary, and are on every Veteran's grave - it is important to remember.

"WHEN MUCH IS GIVEN"

Recently. I read a survey which asked people "If you could talk face to face with God, what question would you ask? " The number one question was - What is the purpose of life?. The second question was - What happens when we die - where do we go? I am so grateful to be a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are taught from childhood, or when we first encountered missionaries that we came to earth to receive a body, live by faith through the trials and challenges of life, live the commandments and return back to our Heavenly Father deserving eternal life, through the atonement of Christ and exaltation in the Celestial world to come with our families. We are taught exactly where we go when we die, to paradise, where we will have the opportunity to preach the gospel as our loving Heavenly Father gives all people one more chance to hear the truth.

I thought after I read the survey - I hope we all learn and study the gospel and live by faith, so that if we came face to face with Heavenly Father instead of asking a question, we could just express our love and gratitude to Him for all we have been given - "and when much is given - much is expected."

We'll Sing and We'll Shout with the Armies of Heaven -! A TEMPLE IN KIEV UKRAINE

I have a grandson serving in the Ukraine Kiev Mission - The first temple was dedicated in Eastern Europe last week - His letter was so filled with the Spirit, I thought I would share part of it on the Blog.

Yesterday was a miraculous day that really opened my understanding, and expanded my vision. Yesterday was a day that the Lord had been preparing the Ukrainian people for a very long time. Every aspect of it was a miracle, and I count myself so lucky to have been a part of it. This day will go down in history as a turning point for the Saints in Eastern Europe. The Temple is the Lord’s gift to the Ukrainian people, and so very few Americans were actually let in for the dedication. The missionaries got to listen in a large building nearby.

The day started out as a cloudy and rainy day, but the shadows broke and the darkness fled away. It truly was a brighter day for the people of Eastern Europe, who had waited for this temple for 12 years. There were three sessions of the dedication. The first session President Monson spoke, he was so humble, and also had a twinkle in his eye - it was a good reminder to never take ourselves too seriously - but when he spoke of the ordinances of the Temple, he spoke with great power. It was fun to watch him choose little children to help cement in the cornerstone of the Temple, and then he likened it to Christ, as he is the Chief Cornerstone of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Nelson also spoke, and talked about how the Temple prepares us to behold the face of God. President Monson said as a boy, he loved to look at maps. He said never in his imagination, did he think he would ever set foot in Eastern Europe, and now he is dedicating a Temple there. He said that God ways were higher than our ways, and our simple duty is to trust in Him, do all we can, and watch Him open doors to hearts, minds,and souls of people and nations. That the Lord simply took this people by the hand and opened doors that only He could open.

President Uchdorf spoke about his experiences with temples. As a 16 year old boy, he was sealed to his parents in the Swiss Temple. He was also very involved with the temple which was opened in Freiberg, East Germany. He testified that this day would have the same effect in Eastern Europe, as the Freiberg Temple had when that dedication brought about so many miracles, including the fall of the USSR,

Finally in the third session, President Monson talked about eternal families, and how much our ancestors are waiting for us to do their work. He talked about funerals that are outside of the temple covenant, and the hopelessness of it. The great responsibility to bind our families together forever. I just drank up the Spirit that I felt, and it was amazing. The veil was very thin, and I could almost hear them shouting with the Army of Heaven. We’ll sing and we’ll shout with the Armies of Heaven, AS LONG AS WE ARE FAITHFUL - HOLD ON TO THE ROD OF FAITH. I am so grateful for all of you - to be part of our Forever Family, for the teachings I have received, and the opportunity to serve the Lord in this part of His Vineyard.

The cultural event the night before the dedication was amazing. They told the history of Ukraine in song and dance, and then all the missionaries marched up to the podium, singing, “Truth Again Has Been Restored”. We march right up to President Monson, and then he gave us a standing ovation. I was so filled with the Spirit - I thought I would burst. I’m sure my words have not done it justice. The first day of the Open House, over 1200 people signed up to have the missionaries visit them - “the field is white, all ready for the harvest.” Elder Carsten

He goes by Elder Carsten, because they can't write his last name in Ukrainian
When I feel Satan raging around us, and standards sifting everywhere but in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - I know that the work of the Lord will proceed quietly and stalwartly through sweet, humble 19 year old missionaries who serve because they love the Lord.

MUCH WAS ACCOMPLISHED IN HOT JULY!

I was outside today, giving a little water to several flowers that were hanging their heads. Even though the earth is still damp down under from all the rain, the blasting sun was causing them distress. On the other side of the flower bed was a big Shasta daisy that stood tall and proud, and seemed very unaffected. July is so hot, and it is a time of reflection for me (in the air-conditioning!). I think of the Founders of our great country,who persevered in that hot, humid room in Philadelphia in July, while they argued and persuaded a Consititution into existence. I think of those first pioneers who looked over the Salt Lake Valley on a hot July day, and called it home and a place of refuge - even though journals recorded they could only see two real trees.

"Firm as the mountains around us, stalwart and brave we stand - on the rock our Father's planted for us in this goodly land". I am so grateful for those who have gone before me, and established a land, "choice above all other lands", as we read in the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for Joseph, the Prophet, who restored Christ's church on earth again in our dispensation, and for pioneers who gave literally their all to establish it in the tops of the mountains - to radiate to all the world.

I hope we all can stand straight and tall like the Shasta Daisy in the face of the blasting sun which seems prophetic for "our time on earth" - and accomplish what we were sent here to do, and not "wilt" at the first sign of distress, or hard thing.