John's Baadsgaard Photos with MMHS Chamber Singers 2014

John wearing his new tux with MMHS Chamber Singers

Happy Birthday Letter For a Twelve-Year-Old

Dear Bradley,

You’re turning twelve today. This is an important birthday because you will receive the Aaronic priesthood. The priesthood is the power of God, which is given to man to act in His name. Remember that your authority comes through your ordination but your power comes through personal obedience and worthiness. The priesthood is a gift from God that blesses all His children. Your Heavenly Father now trusts you enough to give you the responsibility to help others. Up until now your parents, extended family and church leaders have been taking care of you and helping you grow and learn. Now it is your turn. For example, this Sunday you will pass the sacrament for the first time. Isn’t it wonderful that God allows you to be part of this most sacred event? You will represent the Savior as you offer the emblems of the bread and water as a symbol of His great Atonement. The sacrament is the most important reason we go to church.

What a great blessing it is to hold the priesthood. I hope you take the time to go to a quiet private place and pray to your Heavenly Father and ask him how you can magnify your priesthood. Praying and asking questions has been a great way for God to send messages to you. In fact, did you know that when the Prophet Joseph Smith was translating The Book of Mormon that he found a part that mentioned baptism? On May 15, 1829, he and his scribe Oliver Cowdery went into the woods to ask God about baptism. As they prayed, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light. This messenger was John the Baptist, the prophet who baptized Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, now a resurrected being, laid his hands on Joseph and Oliver and conferred upon each of them the Aaronic Priesthood, which had been taken from the earth during the Apostasy. With this authority, Joseph and Oliver were able to baptize one another. John the Baptist was chosen by Heavenly Father to prepare the way for the Savior and be the one to baptize him. John did this through the authority of the Priesthood of Aaron.

After baptism, a sacred opportunity comes to the members of the Church each week as we partake of the sacrament. This is how we renew our covenants with our Father in Heaven and take upon us the name of his Son and promise to keep his commandments. Those holding the Aaronic Priesthood have the sacred privilege and honor of preparing, blessing, and passing these holy emblems of Jesus Christ’s body and blood. God wants us to repent, come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament. When we renew our baptismal covenants in this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. In this way we are made clean and can have His Spirit to be with us. That is why it is so important to take the sacrament each week.

 As you know, the offices of the Aaronic Priesthood are bishop, priest, teacher, and deacon. With the authorization of the presiding priesthood leader, deacons pass the sacrament. They also help the bishop watch over Church members by giving service and assist with temporal matters such as gathering fast offerings for the poor. Teachers perform all the duties of deacons and also receive other opportunities to serve. They prepare the sacramental bread and water and serve as home teachers. Priests may perform all the duties of deacons and teachers. With the authorization of the presiding priesthood leader, they may also bless the sacrament, baptize, and ordain others to the offices of priest, teacher, and deacon.

I have noticed that you have a big heart Bradley. You are a true and loyal friend. I remember when the television crew interviewed you for a news segment this year because you helped to save your friend when he was in medical trouble during recess. Remember that the best friend you will ever have is Jesus Christ. He will save you whenever you are in trouble or hurt.

You have amazing talents and abilities and I know that you will use them wisely. I notice how you are kind to your younger nieces and nephews. I also notice how loving you are to Daniel and Izzy. I think Heavenly Father knew that you would be a good example for your younger brother and sister and that is why you are the oldest child in your family.

As you serve in your priesthood responsibilities, always remember that serving your own family is the most important because the most important exercise of the priesthood takes place in the home. Your parents and brother and sister really need you to love them and serve them as only you can.

You now stand at the beginning a life-time of service. As you serve in the Aaronic Priesthood, it will prepare you to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood, receive the blessings of the temple, serve a full-time mission, be a loving husband and father, and continue in lifelong service to the Lord. I love you so much Bradley. I have so enjoyed watching you grow up and become such a wonderful young man. I will always be your biggest fan.  I am so lucky to have you for my grandson. I will love you forever.

 

Grandma Baadsgaard 

Daniel -My Miracle Grandson

Daniel

by

Granny B

Happy 1st birthday Daniel.

Grandma loves you very much.

“. . . men have not heard, not perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen,

O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.”

                                                                                                       Isaiah 64:4

Nine years

Waiting

Souls softened

 Hope

Then

  The miracle –

Daniel

Prayed for

Longed for

Brown eyed

Baby boy

Child of light
Holy gift

Born in the month of Thanksgiving

Harvest of Hope

Remember

When life tests and tries  

You are not alone in the lion’s den

Angels will come

For all who fear not men

But wait on God to deliver

The miracle

Halloween Fun with the Family

Janene Baadsgaard Speaking In Spanish Fork

I'll be speaking in the Meadowlark Ward on Nov. 5th at 7:00. 

The building is located at 1180 East 1240 South Spanish Fork.

Everyone is welcome to come.

I can't wait to meet the wonderful women in that area.

I Still Live In Pumpkin Country

I still  live in pumpkin Country.
We moved out into the country 25 years ago.
Slowly,
 and now - not so slowly,
 the subdivisions have been getting closer and closer to my home.
Lately, huge metal dinosaurs have been making assault roads and lots for new houses along the southern border of our  two acres.
I have been trying to have a good attitude -  believing that perhaps a new best friend will move next door.
But mostly I've been missing
the quiet country roads and open fields filled with wheat, barley and alfalfa.
I miss watching Mr. Olsen drive past my house at twenty miles an hour with no one to honk or make him hurry along.
They built a high school just down the road and young people are always in a hurry.

But there are a few hold-outs.
I am one of them
- the pumpkin growers are another.
Pumpkins make me smile.
Lately I've been watching the farmers pile these orange orbs of sunshine into boxes and drive them to market.

 People keep asking me 
when we are going to sell our property.
But I can't bear to leave these two acres
where my children grew up.
Where else could we pull the children with red cheeks on their sleighs in the winter?
 Where else can we pick raspberries and climb apples trees in the summer?
Where else would I find such a rustic old barn and a 1950's trailer?
 Where else would I find my own private forest of thirty foot pines lovingly planted by my husband from tiny three inch starts.

Where would the quail and doves in my trees go if our sanctuary was gone?
Where else could I look out my kitchen window and see a long row of lilacs blooming in the spring?

Where else would I gather my growing family of forty-five loving sons, daughters, and grandchildren?
As the adults fill my home on Sunday evenings and fill my heart with the beautiful noise of seven conversations going on at the same time - the children discover fairy treasures left for them in the secret garden under the aging pine.
This is my home - my family - my love.

Reflections At The Cabin 2014

I find myself in a contemplative mood in the fall. 
The season is changing 
and my life must change too.
As I contemplate the last of my children leaving home 
I can not hold them close enough.
I want these days to last forever.
Yet each season must end 
before another can begin.
I am not ready.
I want to hold on.

For we watch them leave home in autumn.
Now we are at the curtain waving good-bye.
Now we are the ones breathing a sigh.

As trees lose their leaves in the brisk mountain air -
limbs become sullen, dark, and bare.
Then flowing like honey to the valley floor,
the season reappears and gives us more.
Crimson, copper, and gold all about,
as if to say good-bye with a majestic shout.
Each day is fleeting like a leaf on the wind -
yet as one season passes, another begins.

Like wind through the forest 
or small grains of sand,
the boy we once knew has become a man.
Now our little girl, once covered in lace,
becomes a new mother and takes our place.

Cycle of living, 
season of song,
embraces and whispers,
"Life goes on."

When You Can't Hold Still

When You Can’t Hold Still

By

Granny B

Happy first birthday little Griffen.

I miss you and love you SO much.

There is a boy named Griffen

With a motor in his middle.

When mom says hold still

He thinks it is a riddle.

"Hold still"means to jump

And "be quiet" means to roar.

"Sit down" surely means

Jump off the couch and soar.

“Oh No!” means mom is crazy

And “No -No!” makes you cagey

When Dad says, “Get down from there.”

You smile and take it as a dare.

 Bath time means to run away

Before your mom can ruin your day.

Diaper change is such a chore

For this little boy we all adore.

But story time – now that’s the gem

They take you in their arms . . . and then -

They sing the words into your heart

So you can’t get the wiggles to start.

And before you know it, you’re fast asleep.

They put you to bed - then take a peek.

For a little boy who’s full of giggles

Now there isn’t even one little wiggle.

MORNING HAIR - A Birthday Poem for my Daniel

Morning Hair

By

Granny B

Happy Birthday Daniel.

I love your poke-up hair because you get it from me.
 I love you.

When you’re two your hair won’t flop

Or lay down nice and lazy

It wakes up first with a bit of a burst

And pokes out rather crazy.

“What did you do to your hair last night?”

Says mom with a bit of delight

“Now it’s time to get you dressed

So you won’t look a sight.”

Mom gets the gel and the great big comb

And says, “Will you please hold still?”

But your body itches and then it twitches

As you race to the kitchen for a meal.

 “Come back here you little monkey,”

Your mother says with a dare.

“You will be quite a scare

If you don’t let me comb your hair.”

But who needs combs when a banana will do

As you rub fingers like so.

Added to hair it makes a great paste

Keep rubbing for a glistening glow

After breakfast it’s time to race

 And jump up on all the beds

Tired old moms just won’t last

Just like she has said.

When daytime turns to nighttime

Mom never pinned you down.

Your crazy hair survives the day

After somersaults in a bound.

The hair gel and the big comb

Are lying all alone.

“Your hair still looks crazy,”

Says mother with a moan.

 Then you smile and mother melts

Like butter in the sun

She takes you in her arms and sighs,

“You are my precious son.

Someday you’ll worry about your hair

But today is not that day.

I like your hair a little bit crazy

Let’s hug each other and play.”

Autumn photos with John and Alisa

When You Are Brothers . . . and Best Friends

When You Are Brothers and Best Friends

by

Granny Baadsgaard

Happy 4^th birthday Rylan.

I love you sweetheart.

You told me you wanted a story with frogs - so here it is.

Once upon a time there was a lonely green frog named Rylan. When Rylan woke up in the morning he looked at the empty side of his lily pad and sighed. He thought about what it would be like if he had a brother. He wished and wished; but no brother came.

“If I had a brother,” Rylan said to his mother one day. “We would hop from one lily pad to another all day and splash in the water. We would have so much fun.”

“Daddy and I are working on it,” his mother answered.

Sometimes Rylan imagined he had a brother. One day Rylan looked into the pond and saw another frog looking back at him.

“Oh, there you are,” Rylan said. “Hop out of the pond and we’ll play hide and seek in the cattails.”

But Rylan’s brother in the pond didn’t come out. He stayed in the water. Rylan noticed that his brother copied everything he did. If Rylan raised his right arm, his brother raised his right arm. If Rylan hopped up and down three times, his brother hopped up and down three times. 

“I have a new brother,” Rylan told his mother one day. He lives in the pond and he always copies me.

“Oh that is just your reflection,” his mother said.

Rylan didn’t know what reflection meant but he decided to make his brother come out of the pond so he could show his mother.

The next day Rylan went to the pond and reached inside the water to pull his brother out. It didn’t work. All he touched was water. His brother disappeared in the splashes he made.

“Where are you?” Rylan called. “Please come out and play with me.”

When the splashes stopped and the water returned to a calm smooth pond, Rylan saw his brother again staring at him like he always did.

“Well, you are a good listener,” Rylan said. “But I wish you’d come out of there and play with me sometimes.”

When Rylan was three years old he heard his father calling his name. Then he saw his mother and father hopping toward him with big smiles on their faces.

“We have something exciting to tell you,” his father said. “Your mother is going to have a new baby. Before long you are going to have a new sister or brother.”

“Please let the baby be a brother so we can be best friends,” Rylan said in his prayers every night.

On the day his brother was born, Rylan was so excited he couldn’t stop hopping up and down and jumping from lily pad to lily pad.

“This is the best day of my life,” said yelled to the sky.

“How about we name him Griffen?” his mother said. “Would you like that?”

“Griffen is a great name,” Rylan answered. “Now when can he play?”

“Griffen just wants to eat and sleep. He is too little for hopping. Be patient Rylan.”

Rylan tried so hard to be patient but it was very hard. Soon his brother grew big enough to hop. Every day Rylan taught his brother something new. He showed him how to croak and how to hop from lily pad to lily pad. He taught him how to catch dragon flies with his tongue.”

“Griffen and I are best friends,” Rylan said to his mother.

But some days were hard. Griffen knocked over all of Rylan carefully built bridges between the lily pads. Sometimes he croaked so loud at night it kept Rylan awake at night.

“Brothers are like that,” his father said when he heard Rylan complain. “Sometimes they do things that make us feel tired or mad. But when you’re brothers we stay best friends any way.”

One day Rylan took Griffen to see his still brother in the pond. Rylan saw two still brothers in the water. One looked just like Rylan and one looked just like Griffen. The one who looked like Rylan copied everything Rylan did. The one who looked like Griffen copied everything Griffen did.

“This brother is very still and quiet,” Rylan said to Griffen. “But all he ever does is copy us and he won’t ever come out and play. “You are much better. You’re my best friend. Sometimes you make me feel tired or mad, but when we’re brothers, we stay best friends any way.”

Then Griffen splashed pond water on Rylan. Rylan gasped and pulled Griffen into the pond with him. Then they both croaked so loud they scared all the dragon flies away.

Be Sure To See "Meet the Mormons!"

My husband and I saw the movie "Meet the Mormons" tonight.
It was beautiful, touching, funny and real.
 I hope you have the opportunity to see this film. 

My grandson Bradley is featured on KSL TV News story

My grandson Bradley Baadsgaard is featured on a KSL TV News story that aired last night. He played an important role in saving one of his friends.

Here is a link to the story.

https://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=31896264&nid=148&title=middle-schoolers-save-friends-life-during-asthma-attack&s_cid=queue-1

Eden's Blessing Day

My beautiful granddaughter Eden Mary Worthen on her blessing day.
These pictures were taken by my daughter Arianne in my back yard.
Welcome to the world Eden! We love you!

POEM FOR A FOUR-YEAR OLD

LIAM ASKED FOR CANDY

By

Granny B

Happy fourth birthday Liam

I love you very much.

Liam asked for candy.

“Just one,” said his Granny.

“But I want some more.

What are Grannies for?”

So Granny said, “All right . . .  two.

But that will have to do.”

Liam: “How about three?

For don’t you see,

You can’t be my favorite Granny

Unless you give me candy.

Granny said, “How about two,

That will have to do.”

Liam: “How about four?

Then Granny I’ll adore.”

Granny: “How about two?

That will have to do.”

Liam: “How about five?

That will make me jive.”

Granny: “How about two?

That will have to do.”

Liam: “How about six?

That’s three plus three to mix.”

Granny: “How about two?

That will have to do.”

Liam: “How about seven?

Then I’ll be in heaven.”

Granny: “How about two?

That will have to do.”

Liam: “How about eight?

Wouldn’t that be great?”

Granny: “How about two?

That will have to do.”

Liam: “How about nine?

I promise I won’t wine.”

Granny: “How about two?

That will have to do.”

 Liam: “How about ten?

My best Granny you’ll be then.”

Granny: “How about two?

That will have to do.”

So Liam growled at Granny

And plopped down on his fanny.

Then turned around to sit

Not happy one single bit.

But then he started thinking . . .

Two is better than none.

And two is better than one.

Liam: “I’m so sorry Granny

Two pieces will be dandy.”

“For Grannies come in two

 Later I’ll see what my other one will do.”