HE IS THE GIFT

“As we discover the gift, we learn of the immeasurable love of God and our absolute need for a Savior. 

As we embrace the gift, we strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ and our desire to become more like Him. 

As we share the gift, we follow in the Master’s footsteps,

 who invited all to hear His message.”

 –Russell M. Nelson 

When Seeking Guidance Through Prayer

Taken from Twelve Steps:
"It is reasonable and understandable that the question is often asked: 'Why can't we take a specific and troubling dilemma straight to God, and in prayer secure from Him sure and definite answers to our requests?'
This can be done, but it has hazards. Quite often, the thoughts that seem to come from God are not answers at all. They prove to be well-intentioned unconscious rationalizations. Anyone who tries to run his life rigidly by this kind of prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for replies, is a particularly disconcerting individual. To any questioning or criticism of his actions he instantly proffers his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or small. He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful thinking and the human tendency to rationalize have distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of intentions, he tends to force his own will into all sorts of situations and problems with the comfortable assurance that he is acting under God's specific direction. Under such an illusion, he can of course create great havoc without in the least intending it. . .This means that side by side with an earnest prayer there can be a certain amount of presumption and conceit in us. . .We discover that we do receive guidance for our lives to just about the extent that we stop making demands upon God to give it to us on order and on our terms."

The Holiness of Everyday Life

There is a holiness in everyday life. Sometimes we think that we can't enjoy our days until everything is running smoothly  . . . no problems or cares. Yet it is in those very daily challenges that we become more than we were . . . where our spirits are stretched or deepened by a loving God. The problems we face every day don't get in the way - they are the way. How do we learn patience without life experiences that try our souls? How do we develop empathy until our hearts have been broken?  

Solitude

There is no clear distinction between mind and spirit, but there is a quality of mind that is more than thought and the process of thought;  this quality involves feelings and the wholeness in which the life of man has its being . . .There is the rest of detachment and withdrawal when the spirit moves into the depths of the region of the Great Silence, where world weariness is washed away and blurred vision is once again prepared for the focus of the long view. . .Here God speaks without words and the self listens without ears. Here at last, glimpses of the meaning . . . of one's own life are seen with all their striving. (Howard Thurman)Pin It

As to me, I know of nothing else but miracles (Walt Whitman)

This winter was particularly cold, long and dark . . .
so spring has graced my life with renewed appreciation.
The scent of licacs down the lane -
the apple blossoms on the tree
give me hope.
As the seasons pass through my life I have learned
every dark night is followed by morning light.

My weeping birch redresses in green finery. 

Life does not get in the way; it shows us the way. There is a gentle holiness in every day life if we listen. Each blossom whispers of an abundant harvest . . . each problem we face whispers of coming wisdom and peace.
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Love That Will Not Die

There is with the change of season 

a bit of melancholy

- a longing to hold fast

to what must inevitably pass.

Yet there remains a element

of stillness 

then peace.

For what we long to hold close

is what we have loved.

And even though all things must pass away - 

our love remains -

the emptiness

is filled

with

memory

and

love

that will not die.

                                                                                      Janene Baadsgaard

 

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The Last Rose of Summer by Thomas Moore

This morning I walked our garden,
gathering the last of our harvest before the frost.
That's when I saw her . . . the last rose of summer.
These words with the traditional melody filled my mind
with longing and with song.

'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
No rose bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
or give sigh for sigh.

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one,
To pine on the stem,
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go sleep thou with them;
Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie, scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from loves shining circle
the gems drop away,
When true hearts lie withered,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh,who would inhabit
this bleak world so alone.

'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left a bloomin alone.
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Autumn Musings

We watch them leave home in autumn.

 

At the curtain waving good-bye.

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."

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Happy 4th of July!

You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice

will prove instead to be the greatest investment

 that you will ever make.

Gordan B. Hinckley

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What Thinks Christ of Me?

"I testify that as you love Him, trust Him, believe Him, and follow Him, you will feel His love and approval. As you ask, 'What thinks Christ of me?' you will know that you are His disciple; you are His friend. By His grace He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself."

Elder Neil L. Andersen General Conference, Apr. 2012

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Don't You Give Up

Don't you give up. At the very moment when you think all is lost and there is no hope . . . you became a butterfly. Never, ever forget that the dawn is coming even after the darkest night.

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Choose Hope

No matter what challenges you face - there is hope. Don't give up.
Don't despair.
Do everything you can to improve your situation - then leave the rest in God's hands.
Choose Hope.
Be at peace.
Remember you are loved.
Be patient.
In time, everything will work out.
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Finding Happiness Where You Are

DOWN HOME with Granny B

.Some of us search and search for beauty and happiness . . . out there

While others are still  . . . and create beauty and happiness where ever they are.

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Celebrating Easter in My Heart

 

My heart has been healing after the recent loss of my grandson.

 This Easter season

means so much more to me this year because

I desperately long to see

my precious grandson Caleb again.

Because of of Jesus Christ, I know I will.

    
"Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place-the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed. The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job's question, 'If a man die, shall he live again?' To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth.

    "I believe that none of us can conceive the full import of what Christ did for us in Gethsemane, but I am grateful every day of my life for His atoning sacrifice in our behalf. ... The darkness of death can ever be dispelled by the light of revealed truth. I am the resurrection, and the life, spoke the Master. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."  President Thomas S. Monson

Spring is Here!

There are daffodils blooming on the south side of my house.

No matter what happens during the day, I just can't quit smiling.

I even danced while I was cleaning the house today. 

Have you ever seen a flower that brought more sunshine!

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March River Walk

For family night tonight

we took a walk. 

One of our favorite places for walking

is along the Spanish Fork River trail near our home. 

Here there is 

quiet

water falling over rocks

wind rushing dry leaves across the path 

creaking trunks of aging trees

 sudden song of meadow-lark

deer grazing in the fields. 

Here winter is melting away 

yet in the mountains nearby, 

snow and ice hold fast.

In our hope

we know warm is coming.

Spring is around the next bend,

just out of sight.

Cold and ice will leave our quiet pastures

our towering mountains.

The grip of death 

can not hold fast for long.

Then all that was lost - will return to living.  

These beautiful pictures were taken by my daughter Arianne who continues our family tradition as she takes walks with her own young family now.

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Blue Dark

I relish sunsets.

Every evening 

I sit together with my family

around the table eating supper. 

My dining room chair faces west.

While we feed our bodies and our souls

with companionship, conversation and good food,

I have a front row seat to the west window.

Each day I feel the love of God

as I watch daylight fade to black.

It is as if I can hear my Heavenly Father say,

"It is time to put your cares, your worries and fears to rest.

The day is ending and you're not alone.

I'm here."

These photos were taken by my son John. Pin It

Science Fair Projects

My children have been doing science fair projects around this house for thirty years.
This is what I've learned:
Science fair projects are good for children because they are able to come up with an idea, test their theory, conduct an experiment, analyze the results and present those results to others. This takes lots of time, planning and following through.
When children actually do all the work, they learn a lot.
When parents do most of the work, the parents learn a lot.
It is better if children learn a lot.

Catch the Beauty While You Can

Recently I was at our cabin watching the gold leaves circling around and around and down through the crisp Fall air to the ground.  I soaked in the gleaming moment like the last warm rays of sunlight before nightfall.  I wanted to take a photograph . . . capturing the essence of time as one season in nature and myself - flowed silently into the next. 

When we came back the next day, all the leaves had fallen creating a soft wet carpet on the ground.  The time for savoring was gone.  It happened so quickly . . . before I was ready to let go. 

So do our lives pass before us.  We move so quickly from one season to the next  . . . before we catch our breath, we must move on. 

   

Trying to Balance Too Much?



Does it feel like you're trying to balance too much?

Balancing the complexities of life is impossible but that doesn't keep us from trying to do too much.  We think we should be able to do everything and carry a heavy load. 
One day at the point of exhaustion, we take a deep breath, stop and feel.  What am I doing to myself? 
 How can I simplify my life? 
*Take a few things off your plate. 
*Do less with more love. 
*Let everything go that does not bring you peace and joy. 
We don't have to do anything.  We choose to do what we do.  So let's choose wisely.