‘Twas the Night Before the Morning After

'Twas the Night Before the Morning After

By Dave Barry (The Miami Herald, December 1, 1996)

'Twas the night before Christmas … or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or whatever religious holiday your particular family unit celebrates at this time of year via mass retail purchases.

And all through the house … Not a creature was stirring … except Dad, who was stirring his third martini—in a losing effort to remain in a holiday mood, as he attempted to assemble a toy for his 9-year-old son, Bobby. It was a highly complex toy. A toy that Dad did not even begin to grasp the purpose of. A toy that cost more than Dad's first car. A toy that was advertised relentlessly on TV with a little statement in the corner of the TV screen that said “SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.” (Which was like saying that the Titanic sustained “some water damage.”) Because this toy had more parts than the Space Shuttle.

And speaking of space … Dad was now convinced that extraterrestrial life DID indeed exist, because the assembly instructions were clearly written by beings from another galaxy. And these beings insisted on Phillips screwdrivers. And Dad could not find his Phillips screwdriver. In fact, he was wondering who “Phillips” was and why he needed a different kind of screwdriver than everybody else. That was the festive holiday thought that Dad was thinking as he took a slug from his martini and attempted to attach Part 3047-B to Part 3047-C using a steak knife. But other than that, not a creature was stirring in the house.

Although Mom was definitely stirring OUT of the house. Mom was at the Toys “R” Us store. In fact, this was the fifth Toys “R” Us store that Mom had been to that night in her desperate quest to find the one thing that their 5-year-old daughter, Suzy, wanted this holiday season. It was, of course, a Barbie doll. But not just ANY Barbie doll. It had to be the new model, “Abdominals Barbie”—the one who came with her own little pink “stomach muscle” exercise device. It was the hottest Barbie doll of all this holiday season. Every girl age 3 through 12 in the entire United States HAD to have it or her holiday season would be RUINED!

And so of course the Mattel Corporation, which is run by evil trolls from Hades, had manufactured exactly eight units of this doll. And the very last one in the world was in this particular Toys “R” Us. Which means that the odds were against Mom, because on this same festive night thousands of other frantic parents had converged on this same store [kind of like the flesh-eating zombies in the movie “Night of the Living Dead,” only less ethical]. The store was a war zone. Mom had to fight her way into the doll aisle, where, wielding a Tonka Truck like a club, she claimed her prize! And then, trailed by a screaming mob of rival parents, she raced from the store, leaped into her car, and roared out of the parking lot—barely missing the Salvation Army person.

She raced back to the house, burst through the front door, and staggered into the family room, where she found Dad … Actually she found Dad's feet. The rest of Dad was under the sofa. A strange gurgling sound was coming from down there. Dad, now on his fifth martini, was trying to strangle the dog—which, Dad was convinced, had eaten Part 8675-Y.

And just at that very moment … Out on the lawn there arose such a clatter … That Dad let go of the dog. And he and Mom went to the window to see what was the matter.

And what to their wondering eyes should appear … But Santa Claus, yelling the names of reindeer … “Now Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Vixen! Now ... Umm ... Now ... Dancer!”

“He already said Dancer,” observed Dad.

“He can't remember them all,” said Mom.

“I think one of them is Pluto,” said Dad.

“Wasn't Pluto the guy who was always fighting with Popeye?” said Mom.

“You're thinking of Bluto,” said Dad.

“Now ... Umm ... Now Flicka!” said Santa.

“Flicka was a horse, that I DO know,” said Mom.

“Do you think the reindeer are wrecking the lawn?” said Dad.

“They're going up on the roof,” said Mom.

“Like heck they are,” said Dad, who had recently spent $875 on shingle repair. But before he could yell at St. Nicholas to stop … Down the chimney the jolly elf came with a plop!

He had a broad face and a round little belly, that shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly. (Which was pretty gross.)

“What's so funny?” asked Dad.

“You two,” said St. Nick. “Why are you getting all upset about toys? The holiday season isn't about material possessions!”

“Do you have kids?” asked Mom.

“Well, no,” said Santa.

“Hah,” said Mom.

“But I am beloved by children the world over,” said Santa.

“Well,” said Dad, “you won't be beloved by our son if I can't assemble this toy.”

“What seems to be the problem?” said Santa, coming over to have a look.

“I'm stuck on Step 824,” said Dad.

“Who wrote these instructions?” asked Santa. “Martians?”

“Apparently,” said Dad.

“I used to be pretty good with tools,” said Santa. “Hand me that steak knife.”

“Sure,” said Dad. “Care for a martini?”

“Heck yes,” said Santa.

And so he went to work. And after a while Mom and Dad, exhausted, went to bed, leaving old St. Nick in the family room. He said some pretty unsaintly words, but he eventually got Bobby's toy assembled. And although he spent so much time that he was unable to visit the rest of the little boys and girls in North America … not to mention South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, this particular household had a very happy Christmas morning indeed.

Suzy came downstairs and saw Abdominals Barbie, and Bobby came downstairs and saw his incredibly complex toy, which he broke in under four minutes—a new holiday record. But it was still a festive day … Especially when Mom and Dad told the fantastic story of their late-night visitor—which, at first, the kids did not believe. In fact, even Mom and Dad were not 100 percent sure it had happened … Until Dad got out the ladder. And one by one they climbed up to the roof. And there they saw it ... As real as life ... A Holiday Miracle ... Reindeer poop! (And $1,097.36 worth of shingle damage.)

Merry Christmas!!

Magical Monkeys and Milk Chocolate Christmas

Growing up in my family, Christmas was always a celebrated event. My parents were children when the Great Depression began in late 1929, so they both grew up understanding what it meant to be poor. Their families worked hard, but with large families and difficult economic conditions, there was little money to spend on fancy toys and pretty dresses that children often dream about. However, they had their families, and in their love they were happy and contented.

My mother doesn’t remember feeling poor, because everyone they knew was in the same financial condition. They grew their own food, and traded for things they did not have. Mother grew up in the warmth of a loving family. Perhaps because of her meager possessions as a child, or perhaps just because she loved the happy memories of Christmas morning, warm coal stoves, and oranges and peppermint candy … my mother always worked hard to make Christmas an extra special day for each of her children.

I remember my mother hand flocking her own Christmas tree with our old canister vacuum—white clouds of fluffy snow filling the carport, as she sprayed the green branches of our freshly cut Christmas tree. While most of the neighborhood decorated their Christmas trees with traditional colored twinkle lights, candy canes, and silver icicles … Mom was a trend setter and liked modern, designer trees with big red and purple balls, soft white lights, and coordinated wrapping paper. She’d paint Christmas scenes on the front window and hang twinkle lights around it. And there was the Christmas sewing. Throughout December, Mom’s Singer sewing machine could be heard late into the night, long after we were asleep. On Christmas morning there would be new pajamas, Christmas dresses, and doll clothes, skillfully made with her two hands.

Dad used to tease mother and bark in a loud, gruff voice, “Christmas … Humbug,” with a twinkle in his eye. But he’d work hard for extra money to give mom for the shopping, and we knew he enjoyed Christmas as much as we did.

As the big day got closer he’d jokingly question my mother, “Is Santa bringing anything special to Linda?”

They had a communication code in front of the children because Christmas secrets and surprises were part of the anticipation of the long awaited day. Mother would reply, “Yes dear, Santa is bringing her a D … O … L … L,” spelling the letters of my secret gift.

“A what?” Dad would say. And then it would suddenly click in his head what she’d spelled out, and he’d blurt out loud, “Oh, … a doll!”

“Milt!” my mother would exclaim shaking her head and hoping I hadn’t heard. They were like a hysterical comedy team of players and I loved the dance between them.

On one particular Christmas I wanted a monkey. I imagined having a “real” live monkey—a blackish-brown, furry, clothes wearing chimpanzee—like in the popular 1965 Disney movie, “The Monkey’s Uncle,” (with Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello), that created the hit song by the same name. I was a young naive teenager, as well as an Annette Funicello fan, and having a pet monkey around sounded like a blast. After all, it worked for Annette. 

The monkey was the main item on my Christmas wish list. My mother pointed out how impractical having a real monkey around the house would be and the improbability of ever sharing our home with such a smelly animal. I understood, but kept it on my list just in case ole’ “Santa” had a change of heart.

Right before Christmas, Dad came home with a package of two-inch “milk chocolate” Santa’s—colorfully wrapped in foil Santa suits. My younger brother and I were wide-eyed and curious. Chocolate candy was rare in our home. Were they for us?

The next morning we discovered the mouth watering Santa’s had been placed on specific presents under the tree, identifying Dad’s gifts to each of us. We were so excited! I could hardly wait to find out what Dad’s special gift to me would be. We knew our parents were the real Santa’s, of course, and that mom did the majority of the Christmas shopping. So to have a special gift marked just from Dad, was a thrill we hadn’t expected. I counted the days until Christmas.

On the long awaited day there were stockings hanging on the fireplace—filled with candy and small toys. There were wrapped presents galore and several opened Santa gifts, waiting to be discovered under the tree. I looked around curiously for my monkey and wasn’t surprised to find him missing-in-action among the hall of Santa gifts. It was a glorious Christmas morning full of surprises and shouts of joy. I saved the best for last—my gift from Dad, wanting to savor the chocolate Santa and whatever the contents of my gift would be. Much to my surprise, attached to the present was a note written in Dad’s scribbled hand, explaining Santa could not bring my monkey, but hoped the gift would take it’s place. I ripped off the wrapping paper—revealing a huge, furry, blackish-brown, thumb sucking, stuffed, toy monkey—wearing rubber white tennis shoes. I was in love—with the monkey for sure, but mostly I was filled with love for my Dad and his desire to fill the wishes of my young impressionable heart.

Now, as I prepare for Christmas for my own family, I try to create the memorable traditions of my youth—the designer Christmas tree and coordinated wrapping paper, Christmas lights, and Christmas surprises. It’s not about the money or material possessions … It’s about the magical feeling … creating a special day and being with those you love on “His” special day. I like to fill the stockings with small toys and special trinkets—like my mother did. And I try to find the Christmas magic—with that one special surprise under the tree … Like that “Magical Monkey and Milk Chocolate Christmas” so long ago.

The Twelve Gifts of Christmas

"On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me … A partridge in a pear tree!"  

Some early traditions believe that this famous Christmas song was used as a “teaching tool” to instruct young people in various denominations of the Christian faith. It was written in England for young Catholics in the days when it was illegal to practice or teach the Catholic Faith. It contains hidden symbolism intended to help children remember lessons of faith. Instead of referring to an earthly suitor, the “true love” mentioned in the song really refers to God. The “me” who receives the presents is symbolic of every baptized person. Even without the symbolic connotation, the song is a playful piece that loses none of its appeal when taken at face value.

1. A Partridge in a Pear Tree: The partridge in the pear tree represents Jesus on the cross. The bird imagery can also be seen as symbolic of Christ’s teaching “as hen doth gather her brood under her wings.” ~ Luke 13:34

2. Two Turtle Doves: The two turtledoves represent the Old Testament and the New Testament.

3. Three French Hens: The three French hens symbolize the members of the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Alternately, they represent the three virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity (or Love). ~ 1 Corinthians 13:13

4. Four Colly Birds: The four colly birds (“colly” is an old word for black) stand for the four Evangelists—Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John—or the four Gospels they wrote.

5. Five Golden Rings: The five gold rings correspond to the first five books of the gospel, sometimes referred to as the Pentateuch.

6. Six Geese A Laying: The six geese a-laying refer to the six days of the creation. ~ Genesis 1:31; Exodus 20:11

7. Seven Swans A Swimming: The seven swans a-swimming suggest the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:6-8). Alternately, the seven swans represent the seven sacraments recognized by some faith traditions.

8. Eight Maids A Milking: The eight maids a-milking signify the eight Beatitudes from Christ’s Sermon on the Mount. ~ Matthew 5:3-10

9. Nine Ladies Dancing: The nine ladies dancing embody the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit. ~ Galatians 5:22-23

10. Ten Lords A Leaping: The ten lord’s a-leaping denote the Ten Commandments. ~ Exodus 20: 3-17

11. Eleven Pipers Piping: The eleven pipers piping represent the eleven faithful disciples. ~ Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:26

12. Twelve Drummers Drumming: The twelve drummers drumming are symbolic of the twelve doctrines in the Apostles Creed: Belief in the Father, Belief in the Son, Virgin Birth, Atonement, His Ministry after Death, His Ascension to Heaven, His Role as Judge, Belief in the Holy Ghost, Belief in the Church, Forgiveness of Sin, Resurrection, and Eternal Life. ~ Excerpts taken from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir 2009 Newsletter

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale

What is a Little Boy?

They make you laugh, they make you cry. You marvel at their antics while they drive you crazy! You worry about them—yet you can’t resist loving the little boys in your life.

As a mother, YOUR little boy is always your "favorite" little boy of all!



A Little Boy is—TRUTH with dirt on his face,


BEAUTY with a cut on his finger,


WISDOM with bubble gum in his hair,


AND HOPE of the future with a frog in his pocket!


~ Author Unknown

“A little boy is the only thing God can use to make a man.” 

~ Author Unknown


Happy Birthday Cordale!

Blessings From Lyme

Earlier in the month I attended a local Lyme support meeting at the Alta View hospital. I have mixed feeling about attending these meetings—wanting new information, but not wanting to focus my life on the disease. This disease called “Lyme” does not define “who I am,” and I refuse to allow it to bring me down.

The meeting turned out to be very informative and truly a “wonderful day.” They try to address all aspects of health improvement at the monthly meetings, and this month we discussed the medical benefits of essential oils. Interestingly, it was a discussion specifically about my favorite dōTERRA essential oils! I even learned some new things about fighting the Lyme battle that I didn’t know before.

Towards the end of the meeting the group leader, Jenny Bezzant, who is also Mrs. Utah and a fellow Lymie, gave us a sheet of paper with a stethoscope water image on it to use in an emotional exercise. We were asked to address the statement, “Things Lyme has taken away from me.”

I let go of the anger and sorrow associated with my condition long ago, so I didn’t expect to gain anything from the emotional exercise. However, it turned out to be an interesting experience for me. As we each shared our feelings I was surprised at the sadness still hidden deep within. We learned that it is important to address our sorrow over about the things Lyme has taken from our life, instead of putting on a happy face and stuffing those feelings inside. As children we are often taught it is a sign of weakness to display our emotions. Loving, well-meaning parents calm our fears and tell us not to cry—to be a “big” boy or girl. We learn to hide our true feelings, fearing the judgement of others. Interestingly, as we shared our feelings and a few tears were shed, the emotional release in the room felt extremely healing.

After we finished Jenny gave each of us a second piece of paper with a beautiful river stream of life-giving water on it. We were asked to address a second statement: “Things Lyme has given me.” Interestingly most of us had a longer list of things Lyme had “given us”—blessings of gratitude that we wouldn’t have realized otherwise!

Lyme disease has taken away my ability to be the wife, the mother, and the grandmother I’d wanted to be. I wanted to be the grandmother that hosted slumber partied and made gingerbread cookies with her grandchildren. I’d wanted to be the mother who took her grown children shopping and out to lunch and tended their children. I wanted to be the wife who traveled to far away places with her husband in joyous retirement.

However, that was not to be. So in honor of the month of Thanksgiving, I’m counting my blessings with those of you who are suffering from your own life challenges. We all have our own “Lyme disease” or trials. Everyone is walking his or her difficult path. May we have compassion for one another and learn to live in gratitude for all we have been given. And in doing so, may you come to realize your gifts far outnumber your sorrows!

Things I Have Gained From Lyme:
1. Tranquillity—I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore—fingerprints, broken China dishes, or spilled milk.
2. Being Present in my Life—I live more in the moment, enjoying each day with whatever it brings.
3. Closer Relationships—I enjoy close relationships with each of our children and with my husband—who demonstrates his unconditional love for me daily.
4. The Love of Nature—I appreciate more fully the great gifts God has given us—the sunshine, rainbows, sunsets, trees and flowers.
5. Remembrance of My Love of Music—Somewhere along the hustle and bustle path of life, I’d forgotten how much music has always meant to me. It calms my Spirit and soothes my soul. And with our world of technology—iTunes, and iPods, it’s always available.
6. Knowledge—Learning has never been easier with the information Internet highway of electronic books. I’d forgot how much I enjoy reading for pleasure!
7. Laughter—They say, “Laughter is the best medicine,” and my life is blessed with all the various forms it comes in—hilarious things my grandchildren say, jokes I receive from friends in forwarded emails, my husband’s zany dry sense of humor, and the “laugh out loud” books and movies so easily obtained.
8. Knowing “Who I Am”—Lyme has given me a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father and the knowledge that I am truly “valued” in His eyes.
9. A Strong Testimony—My testimony of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has grown and been strengthen. This is the greatest of all His gifts—to know “Who we are,” “Where we came from,” and “Where we are going” after this life.

In the words of one of my favorite recording artists and songwriters, Joshua Radin, “It’s a brand new day”—a day of gratitude for the gifts of Lyme. Like in the song’s lyrics, I hope “the sun is shining” for you during this season of Thanksgiving.

“Wishing you a day full of thanksgiving without the turkey hangover!”


* * * * *

“A grateful heart … comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives … When we encounter challenges and problems in our lives, it is often difficult for us to focus on our blessings. However, if we reach deep enough and look hard enough, we will be able to feel and recognize just how much we have been given.” (“The Divine Gift of Gratitude,” General Conference, October 2010) ~ President Thomas S. Monson

Happy Birthday!

“Laughter is the music of the heart.” 
~ Author Unknown

"A diamond is merely a lump of coal that did 
well under pressure." ~ Author Unknown

Happy 19th Birthday Kenzie!

Tuesday dōTERRA Tip!

Depression Hurts. 

We all go through ups and downs in our mood. Sadness is a normal reaction to life’s struggles, setbacks, and disappointments. Many people use the word “depression” to explain these kinds of feelings, but depression is much more than just sadness.

“It seems like this [is] one big Prozac nation, one big mess of malaise. Perhaps the next time half a million people gather for a protest march on the White House green it will not be for abortion rights or gay liberation, but because we’re all so bummed out.” 
~ Elizabeth Wurtzel, from the book “Prozac Nation”

Recently there was an interesting article in the Salt Lake Tribune that said, “Nearly 1 in 5 Utah Women use Antidepressants.”  So if you suffer from this devastating illness, you may be comforted to know you are not alone.  While the statistics are gloomy, the good news comes from the recent dōTERRA Convention that more and more individuals are discovering how to alleviate this situation with dōTERRA’s “Life Long Vitality Pack” and essential oils.

Here’s a summary of how essential oils can help:

Overview

In March 2006, the Washington Post ran an article from a $35 million dollar government-funded study on depression drugs with these facts: “Antidepressants fail to cure the symptoms of major depression in half of all patients with the disease even if they receive the best possible care.” According to a definitive government study depression seems to be an epidemic in today’s society.  



For Mild Depression

Clove, Lavender, Melaleuca, Sandalwood, and Ylang Ylang among others, are effective.  Also Balancing and Elevation blends are very beneficial.  Citrus Oils like Wild Orange, Lemon, and Grapefruit are uplifting.  DoTerra's Bergamot essential oil is also very powerful in combating depression. At the recent 2010 doTerra Conference Dr. Hill recommended a blend of Melissa, Wild Orange and Peppermint as an excellent blend to help some with depression.



Application

Diffusion is most effective, but body and foot massage and baths also offer good results.  Rub 1-2 drops under nose, on the back of neck, on the chest, the wrists, or anywhere you can smell it throughout the day.  You can also rub 1-2 drops on the bottom of your feet.  Try experimenting with different oils to find out what oils offer optimum results.  Some point out that if help is required over a long period of time, a single oil or blend can get “boring” or less effective.  For best results rotate or change oils or blends periodically.

Safety Precaution

As a safety precaution it is recommended that when severe states of depression persist the help of a qualified licensed professional should be sought because, “Depression is often nourished by a lifetime of UN-grieved and unforgiven hurts.” 

For more research on dōTERRA’s Essential Oils and Depression click here. To purchase dōTERRA’s Essential Oils click here.

dōTERRA is the only company in the world that has CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade) essential oils.

PURE—100% natural, no artificial ingredients, fragrances, or fillers.
SAFE—Certified to be free of pesticides and other chemical residues.
POTENT—Standardized active compounds.
TESTED—Tested by independent laboratories, not in-house vendors.

Halloween Beethoven Groaner

A tourist in Vienna was going through a graveyard, when all of a sudden he heard some music. No one was around, so he started searching for the source. He finally located the origin, discovering it was coming from a grave with a headstone that read: Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827.

As he continued to listen he realized that the music playing was Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony” and it was being played backward! Puzzled, he left the graveyard and proceeded to persuade a friend to return with him.

By the time they arrived back at the graveyard the music had changed again. This time it was Beethoven’s “Seventh Symphony,” and like the previous piece, it was being played backward.

Curious, the men agreed to consult a music scholar. When they returned with the expert, Beethoven’s “Fifth Symphony” was playing, again backward. The expert noticed that the symphonies were being played in the reverse order in which they were composed—the 9th, the 7th, and then the 5th.

By the next day word had spread and a throng had gathered around the grave. They were all listening to Beethoven’s “Second Symphony,” once again being played backward. Just then the graveyard's caretaker ambled up to the group. Someone in the crowd asked him if he had an explanation for the music.

“Don't you get it?” the caretaker said incredulously, “He's decomposing!”

(Stan Kegel's Groaner's List; “Profusions of Puns, Gaggles of Groaner”)

Have a Happy Halloween!

Penny Candy Penguin

Penny Candy Judy 

(October 17, 1945 – September 10, 1986)

Today is my sister, Judy’s birthday. Had she lived, she would have been 65 years old. She passed away 24 years ago on September 10, 1986. I still miss her and think about her often. Judy was a great older sister and role model. She made me laugh—a lot! She used to do a hilarious pantomime—about a little girl biting the end off her ice cream cone, that always brought fits of laughter. She was one of those rare individuals who could light up the room just by entering it.

Through a series of coincidences this year, I heard from two of Judy’s BYU theater friends and cast mates. They generously shared some cute stories about Judy that I’d never heard before. Apparently she made a lot of people laugh! Her friends, Carol Brown and Janet Swenson, were both in the 1968 BYU theater production of “Bye, Bye, Birdie” with Judy. Judy was cast as the lead character, dreamy-eyed teenaged “Kim McAfee,” played by actress Ann-Margret in the 1963 movie. Janet played the hilarious, overbearing mother, played by actress Maureen Stapleton. Carol played one of the teenage girlfriends. It was a great cast and a wonderful production that toured all over Europe that summer. For Judy, it was the trip of a lifetime for a young college student! It was also the summer before 23-year-old Judy married her “Neal.” They spent 18 years together and had five children before she had to leave this life much to soon. Leukemia was just as scary of a word in 1986 as it continues to be today. However, in the short (almost 41 years) that she was with us, she lived life to the fullest!

Carol said Judy was just a “doll” (literally a short 4’ 8” doll of a girl who always wanted to be 5 feet).  “She was always so giggly and cute and happy and positive,” Carol told me.  They called her their “Penny Candy Penguin,” as she always had a stash of penny candy.  Judy LOVED penny candy! And being so short had advantages to an established lover of candy. She’d dress up and go “trick-or-treating” even as a BYU college student!

That summer in 1968, on tour in Germany, Judy discovered “Gummy Bears,” long before they were popular in the United States.  She introduced them to the entire Bye, Bye, Birdie cast and soon they all fell in love with them too.  Janet said Judy’s nickname became “Penny Candy Penguin” because she’d always goof around by waddling like a penguin and telling everyone she was on a diet. She’d say, “I’m on a diet. My diet is eating penny candy until I became so sick of sugar that I won’t be able to eat it for weeks!!”  To top that off, in a hilarious coincidence, Judy married a “candy man,” who became the president of Maxfield’s Chocolates! Her cast mates got a huge kick out of that.

True to her penny candy reputation, at their ten-year Bye, Bye, Birdie reunion in 1978—held in Salt Lake City at the old De la Fontana Restaurant, Judy showed up with a never-before-opened bag of European gummy bears she had been saving since Germany!!!  Everyone about died laughing and couldn’t believe it.  To their delight, Judy shared them. 

Humorous as well, Carol said that prior to their departure for Europe Judy put her on to “thigh high nylons,” then sold only at the old Millcreek Pharmacy which was on the North East corner of 2300 East 3300 South in Salt Lake, where Judy grew up.  Carol would actually drive up from Provo just to buy them!

That was so Judy! She was always finding the latest craze and telling everybody about them—so they could get them too. After my sisters and I were married with children, Judy turned us on to everything from “Pound Puppies” to “Strawberry Shortcake Dolls” to “Cabbage Patch Kids.” I stood in many early morning lines trying to help her get a favorite Madam Alexandra Doll, when there was only one per customer. I laugh just thinking about it now, knowing she would have been obsessed with collecting Beanie Babies too! However, Penny Candy was her true memorable trademark obsession. Whenever we’d stay up late playing games at our Bear Lake summer family cabin, she'd bring out boxes of penny candy—gummy bears, gummy red raspberries, and gummy Swedish fish. She had licorice in all colors, shapes, and sizes. It was penny candy heaven!

So today in remembrance, I am sharing these happy memories—along with the new memories given to me—all rolled into one.  I have a big smile on my face, thinking about her as I write this. I am so full of gratitude for the stories her friends have shared with me, bringing a little of her delicious personality back to me, as if it were yesterday. Interestingly, when I contacted Janet she said she’d been thinking about “Birdie” a lot in recent months. Coincidently she’d even had a note from the Dean’s secretary at BYU asking her if she’d been in the show, wanting her to identify the actors in the production photo. It’s amazing how Heavenly Father puts things together for us, isn’t it!

“Bye, Bye, Birdie,” 1968 Production Photo; BYU European Tour

(Judy is the third person from the left.)

The Psychology of 10/10/10

Today is October 10, 2010—the tenth day, of the tenth month, in the tenth year of the new century! Many people consider the rare occurrence of same number dates during the calendar year to be lucky. At the very least, it is indeed a unique phenomenon!

To begin with, the number ten in general seems to give people a warm, fuzzy feeling. It is regarded as the most perfect of numbers, symbolic of the beginning and the end. We have ten fingers and ten toes. Counting on fingers probably led to our decimal number system, with its symbols 0-9. Biblically there were ten virgins, five foolish and five wise; There were ten leprous healed by Jesus, and God sent ten plagues of Egypt through the prophet Moses. Finally, Moses received the “Ten Commandments” of God!

Last, but not least, there are the ever ubiquitous Top Ten lists—Top Ten Reasons, Top Ten Websites, Top Ten Songs, Top Ten Movies, Top Ten Headlines, Top Ten Jokes, Top Ten Mistakes, Late Night Show Top Ten, Top Ten Reviews, and the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives … the list goes on and on!

Mathematically, the number 101010 is also rooted in uniqueness. It is evenly divisible by the number of days in a week (7, also considered lucky). An equal oddity is the fact that it is also evenly divisible by the number 6 (generally designated as being unlucky). Both a Ying and Yang situation seem to be incorporated into this date!

Globally, today is the biggest-ever day of positive action around the world. From sumo wrestlers cycling to their training in Japan, to 10,000 schools planting trees in Croatia and Russia, from a carbon-cutting telethon on national TV in the Netherlands, to hundreds of people in the UK sitting down to low-carbon Sunday lunches, this is going to be a really inspirational day!

What are you doing for 10:10:10?

Tuesday dōTERRA Tip!

Question 

Anyone know the six most frightening words in the world?

Answer 

“The Dentist will see you now!”

Dentistry is a branch of medicine considered necessary for complete overall health. Usually a male profession by nature, the dentist is probably one of the only men in the world that can tell a woman when to open and when to shut her mouth, and get away with it! Dentists can be frustrating though. You wait a month-and-a-half for an appointment, and they say, “I wish you'd come to me sooner.” And it is practically a proven fact that toothaches always start on Friday night right before the weekend when the dental office will be closed.

Are you one of those people, like me, who gets tense and nervous the second you walk into your dentist’s office? Does the sound of the drill and the sight of needles just send you into a fit of nervousness? I understand. I’m the same way. The fear of pain makes the entire process most unpleasant. But it doesn’t have to be this way! This relaxation tip is just for you!

Dentist Relaxation Tip 

Take deep breaths of dōTERRA’s “CITRUS” and “LAVENDER” essential oil (or apply 2-3 drops to the back of your neck) to relax and calm you—BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER a visit to the dentist’s office!

When University of Vienna researchers diffused the scents of “Orange” and “Lavender” into dentists’ offices, anxious patients reported they felt calmer. Both scents contain the chemical Linalool (a naturally occurring terpene alcohol chemical found in many flowers and spice plants), which seems to alter the blood chemistry to lower stress. Click here to learn more about these wonderful oils.

Sign Hanging in a Dental Office

“ … Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.” ~ Psalms 81:10

What is Kangen Water®?

Did you know?


1. Residue of food additives and chemicals significantly contaminate your bodily fluids.

2. 80% of newborns have allergies, caused by their mother’s tainted body fluids.

3. Quality high PH water is the key to cleaning up tainted body fluids.

4. There is water that eliminates active oxygen. 



The Japanese word “Kangen” means “return to origin.” We live in a contaminated world full of preservatives, chemicals, and contaminants. It has been said that the current generation is not expected to live as long as their parents did. Health conscious people are returning to their origin by drinking delicious, healthy Kangen Water®, created from Enagic's innovative water technology. 

Not only do these amazing devices filter harmful chemicals out of your tap water, they also produce Kangen and acidic waters through the process of ionization. In other words, the Kangen water ionizers return water to it’s purest form! The various water types that can be made with a Kangen water machine can be used for hydrating your body with plenty of healthy, high PH water, cooking with clean uncontaminated fresh water, beautifying your skin, cleaning your fruits and vegetables, and sanitizing everything in your home.

Kangen Water machines work by applying an electrical charge to your tap water, and then sending that charged water through an ion exchange membrane. Positive and negative ions then mix within the water, breaking molecular bonds on dirt. This is what makes Kangen Water® perfect as both beauty water and as a cleaning agent.

For Beauty 

Kangen Water® can break the molecular bonds on dirt and oil on your face, keeping it clean, smooth, and moist. Rather than using harsh astringents that dry out your skin, and dealing with tap water that leaves a soapy film after you cleanse, Kangen Water® can help clean your face better than regular tap water.

For Household Cleaning 

Kangen Water® can also help you clean your home by loosening the molecular bonds between dirt and the surfaces you’re washing by attracting that dirt like a magnet. In this way, Kangen Water® can actually lift grime and dirt off surfaces, which makes it easy to wipe away. No need for dangerous, toxic cleaners, or abrasive sponges and frantic scrubbing!

For Health

Kangen Water® is also better for personal health and overall well-being. While drinking tap water is better than buying soft drinks, it’s still not the safest solution. Recent investigations reveal that tap water in 42 states have been contaminated with more than 140 unregulated chemicals. Local governments do their best to make the water safe, but as a result, the water tastes heavily chlorinated and unpleasant to drink. Even well water isn’t always safe, especially in homes that are close to farms and animal production facilities with chemical and animal waste runoff.

A Kangen Water® system, with appropriate filters, can clean up contaminated and polluted water, removing the chemicals, bacteria, and other microscopic contaminants that can lead to poor health.

Unfortunately, even bottled water isn’t always a viable solution. It is more expensive, produces environmental damage through creating and disposing of plastic bottles, and is not always free of contaminants. Studies have shown that one-third of bottled water contains levels of contamination that exceed allowable limits. If you buy bottled water from the store, you can pay as much as $1–2 per bottle, just for a false sense of safety. Rather than buying bottled water at a premium price, you can use a Kangen Water System for pennies a day, and create all the safe water you want, right from your tap!

For years we used another common water filtration system called “Reverse Osmosis” water. Reverse Osmosis water is effective in rural and suburban areas that do not have municipally treated water. However, reverse osmosis can’t remove pesticides, herbicides, and chlorine, which are molecularly smaller than water, and can pass through the reverse osmosis filter. Another problem is that reverse osmosis will also remove “healthy water minerals,” which provide a health benefit to our bodies. Stripping these minerals from the water, can actually make it more unhealthy for us!

When we tested the PH level in our own reverse osmosis filtered water, it tested as acidic as soda pop!

Learn how to return your water to to its origin with crisp, clean, delicious tasting, Kangen Water®. Click here for more research. Email lymesgirl@gmail.com for a free DVD.

Strengthened With Courage By Faith!

On Sunday, September 12, 2010 we had a Regional Conference for the LDS Utah Valley region, involving 147 Stakes—17 Stakes in the BYU Marriot Center where the broadcast originated, and 130 Stakes viewed by satellite in the surrounding area church meeting houses and Stake centers. Sister Julie B. Beck, General Relief Society President, told us that only our "faith" strengthens us in our trials. She said, “We must remember that we fought a war in heaven for the privilege of coming here and having difficult experiences!”  Sister Beck reminded us that miracles can happen when we exercise our faith and that we MUST have faith in order to move into the future!

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, reminded us to have “faith in our Heavenly Father's plan” and “conform our will to His.”  “He” will make us equal to our tasks! Elder Holland reiterated the council from Elder Steven E. Snow that "remembering the past strengthens our faith and courage."  He told the inspirational story of Sister Arabella Jane Coombs and her husband Joseph Stanford Smith recalling the memorable “Hole in the Rock Pioneer Expedition" in Southern Utah. He said as people, “We SHOULD BE "Simple and Deep," NOT "Complex and Superficial."
   


Hole-in-the-Rock Expedition


1879-1880



The quarterly conference of the Parowan Stake in December 1879 witnessed the call of forty-nine men and their families to a new mission. The call came from President John Taylor and the Twelve through Elder Erastus Snow. Later, others from nearby settlements joined the final company. What followed became the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition, an epic in LDS Church history. Two hundred fifty people, with eighty wagons and hundreds of loose cattle and horses, cut their way through the rough, unknown country of southeastern Utah. The area traversed remains one of the least-known regions of the world today. Their objective was the San Juan country. In addition to desert cliffs and canyons, the forbidding Colorado River gorge stood in their way. No highway bridge crossed that gorge until 1934. No commercial airline flew from Utah to Arizona, near their route, until 1959.



Seeking the shortest route, Mormon explorers found a narrow slit in Glen Canyon. The river ran two thousand feet below the red cliffs. This “Hole in the Rock” seemed to offer the shortest route.



Only a slit in the sheer cliffs, the hole was too narrow for teams, or in some places even for a man. Sheer drops of as much as seventy-five feet made it impossible even for a mountain sheep, let alone loaded wagons. In December 1879, after having left the Parowan and Cedar valleys the previous April, the Saints began to cut a precipitous, primitive road with blasting powder and tools. Elder Platte D. Lyman, leading the party, found that if a road could be built, it would drop eight feet every sixteen and one-half, the first third of the way to the river. Thereafter came several sheer precipices. But the party was prepared. With faith, they were equipped not only for blasting cliffs and carving passages, but for building a raft-boat capable of carrying teams and wagons across the river.



A road was built and a boat made by January 25, 1880. Now came the effort to get families and the first forty wagons, camped at the rim, down the “Hole.” The others, back at Fifty-Mile Spring, would follow later.



Kumen Jones has left a description of the method of descent. Twenty men and boys would hold long ropes back of each wagon. The wheels were brake-locked with chains. Otherwise, rolling wheels would pitch, unchecked, into the struggling team. On January 26, 1880, a month later, Platte D. Lyman recorded in his journal: “Today we worked all the wagons in this camp down the Hole and ferried 26 of them across the river. The boat is worked by 1 pair of oars and does very well.”



The family of Joseph Stanford Smith and his wife, Arabella, was the last wagon to descend that day. Stanford Smith had helped the preceding wagons down that long day. His outfit had evidently been forgotten. Deeply disturbed, he climbed the two-thousand-foot incline. He found Arabella sitting on a quilt, holding the baby, patiently waiting. His outfit and their two other children in the wagon were hidden behind a huge, mountainous rock.



Stanford Smith moved his load to the edge. A third horse was hitched to the rear axle. Stanford and Arabella looked down the “Hole.” He said, “I am afraid we can’t make it.”



Bella replied, “We must make it.”



Stanford said, “If we only had a few men to hold the wagon back we might make it, Belle.”



With incredible faith Bella replied, “I’ll do the holding back.”



A quilt was laid on the ground. There she placed the baby between the legs of three-year-old Roy. “Hold little brother til papa comes for you,” she said. Ada, the older girl, was placed in front of them. Behind the wagon Belle Smith grasped the reins of the horse hitched to the rear. Stanford started the team down the “Hole.” The wagon lurched downward. The rear horse and Belle were thrown from their feet. Recovering, she hung back, pulling on the lines with all her strength and courage. A jagged rock cut a cruel gash in her leg from heel to hip. The horse behind the wagon fell to his haunches. The half-dead animal was dragged down most of the way. The gallant woman, clothes torn, with a grievous wound, later said, “I crow-hopped right along!”



On reaching the bottom, Stanford and Arabella heard a faint call from the children. Joseph Stanford Smith climbed to the top to get them. They were safely in place. Carrying the baby, the other children clinging to him and to each other, he led them down the rocky crack. As they approached the river’s edge, they saw five men carrying chains and ropes in the distance. The Smiths had been missed. The men were coming to help. Stanford called out, “Forget it, fellows. … Bella here is all the help a fellow needs!” 



~ Excerpts taken from G. Homer Durham, “The Future History of the Church,” Ensign, May 1982, 67. Also see David E. Miller, Hole-in-the-Rock: An Epic in the Colonization of the Great American West, Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1959, pp. 101–18.



Amazingly Bella Smith performed the work that had previously taken 20 men to do for all the other wagons! Her undying faith gave her the strength and courage to perform a task that seemed impossible. I KNOW she was not alone on the arduous slope of jagged rock. I believe she had an army of angels helping her bear her heavy load! 



We live in perilous, troubled times, in a way much more difficult than those of our pioneer ancestors. They had a heavy physical burden of survival, while we are faced with the subtle temptations of Satan and his angels who want us to fail the test we have been given. Our trials and challenges may not always be on the outside, but may instead be battles within. The slippery slopes of trial we often bear are none more jagged and treacherous than that of Stanford and Bella Smith. ALL of us can do the impossible through our faith in Jesus Christ and His redemption. Sometimes we are required to take life by the reigns and do difficult things, but with faith in God we can be “equal to our tasks!” I bear testimony that we can have the strength to do the impossible if we have faith, trusting in His plan.



As President Boyd K. Packer, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said in his concluding remarks, "The Lord's voting for you, and Satan's voting against you … But your vote is the only one that counts!

"

“For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.” ~ Alma 34:32

“And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.” ~ Alma 32:21

The Secret Life of Bees

“The whole fabric of honey bee society depends on communication—on an innate ability to send and receive messages, to encode and decode information.” ~ The Honey Bee by James L. Gould and Carol Grant Gould

According to Sue Monk Kidd, author of the New York Times #1 best selling novel, The Secret Life of Bees, “Bees [are] considered a symbol of the soul—of death and rebirth.” The complex society of Bees depends solely on “communication” within the hive in order to achieve the ultimate goal of honey making. Their lives are a remarkable lesson on the importance of effective communication. If only we, as humans, could do as well as Bees!

Rarely does a fictional story touch me as much as this particular one did. The symbolism of the bees are woven intricately throughout the book, creating a magical narrative of a mother’s love—lost and found, and finding forgiveness. The book boldly explores life’s wounds as a young girl forges her journey toward healing, ultimately revealing the deeper meaning of home and the redemptive simplicity of “choosing what matters.” It is a story about searching for truth and healing the past.

The novel is set in South Carolina in 1964, when intensifying racial unrest and the Civil Rights Act dominated our nation’s history. Lily Owens is a 14-year-old girl being raised by her verbally and often physically abusive, neglectful father. The only mother figure in Lily’s life is her loving, yet strong-minded black housekeeper, Rosaleen. Isolated on their South Carolina peach farm, Lily spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. Lily’s memories are haunted by images of a four year old Lily holding the gun that ended her mother’s life.

The Secret Life of Bees is a powerful coming-of-age story, the often unacknowledged longing for the universal feminine divine, and the ability of unconditional love to transform our lives. While addressing the deep wounds of loss, betrayal, and lack of love, this book demonstrates the power of women coming together to heal those wounds.

“When women bond together in a community in such a way that ‘sisterhood’ is created, it gives them an accepting and intimate forum to tell their stories and have them heard and validated by others. The community not only helps to heal their circumstance, but encourages them to grow into their larger destiny.” ~ Sue Monk Kidd

Critic Luanne Rice said, “The Secret Life of Bees proves that a family can be found where you least expect it—maybe not under your own roof, but in that magical place where you find love. The Secret Life of Bees is a gift, filled with hope!”

I highly recommend it! It's truly a magical worthwhile book! Here are a few of my favorite book quotes:

“The world [is] really one big bee yard, and the same rules work fine in both places: Don’t be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. Still, don’t be an idiot; wear long sleeves and long pants . . . [Remember] every little thing wants to be loved!” ~ Sue Monk Kidd, “The Secret Life of Bees”

“Some things don’t matter that much . . . But lifting a person’s heart—now, that matters . . . The problem is [people] know what matters, but they don’t choose it.” ~ Sue Monk Kidd, “The Secret Life of Bees”

“It’s something everybody wants—for someone to see the hurt done to them and set it down like it matters.” ~ Sue Monk Kidd, “The Secret Life of Bees”

“I couldn’t make heads or tails of my heart. One minute I hated my mother, the next I felt sorry for her . . . I’d traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth, and I didn’t know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around? It was a ridiculous question, though, because once you know the truth, you can’t ever go back and pick up your suitcase of lies. Heavier or not, the truth is yours now.” ~ Sue Monk Kidd, “The Secret Life of Bees”

“Every person on the face of the earth makes mistakes . . . Every last one. We’re all so human . . . There is nothing perfect . . . There is only life.” ~ Sue Monk Kidd, “The Secret Life of Bees”

“People, in general, would rather die than forgive. It’s that hard. If God said in plain language, ‘I’m giving you a choice, forgive or die,’ a lot of people would go ahead and order their coffin.” ~ Sue Monk Kidd, “The Secret Life of Bees”

You’ve Got To Please Yourself!

In his hit song “I Went to a Garden Party,” 1960‘s pop singer and heart throb, Ricky Nelson, said, “It's all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, ya can't please everyone, so ya got to please yourself!” 



Throughout our lives we meet and associate with many different types of people . . . people navigating all “walks of life,” as the old cliché goes. As we encounter bumps and bruises along life’s rocky path, it’s tough not to judge other people’s actions . . . it’s even more difficult not to judge ourselves. While other’s will automatically form their own opinions about each of us, at the end of the day we are alone with ourselves, deciding “who we really are” and “who we want to become.” 



In his book, “The Christmas Sweater,” author, Glen Beck, suggests that instead of asking, “WHAT” we want to be when we grow up . . . People should really ask “WHO” do you want to be when you grow up? What kind of person do we want to become?

”

We can choose to live with honor, integrity, and self respect, or we can choose not to. We can decide to change and become better, or we can remain the same. It is all up to us. We are free to choose for ourselves. And while it’s easy to blame others for our present circumstances, in reality, as grown-ups, no one can make us do anything we don’t really want to do. In a sense, each of us is our own best critic and despite our blind spots, we know more about ourselves than anyone else does. We’ve been living with ourselves for a very long time. 



When we truly open our hearts with love and sincerity, seeking truth, we can see both our strengths and weaknesses—our accomplishments and the areas where we need improvement. Instead of avoiding the truth about ourselves, we should look ourselves “straight in the eye” as the well-known “people’s poet,” Edgar A. Guest, wrote almost a century ago:



Myself


By Edgar Albert Guest



I have to live with myself, and so


I want to be fit for myself to know;


I want to be able, as days go by,


Always to look myself straight in the eye.


I don’t want to stand, with the setting sun,


And hate myself for things I have done.



I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf


A lot of secrets about myself,


And fool myself, as I come and go,


Into thinking that nobody else will know


The kind of man I really am;


I don’t want to dress up myself in sham.



I want to go out with my head erect,


I want to deserve all men’s respect;


But here in this struggle for fame and pelf,


I want to be able to like myself.


I don’t want to think as I come and go


That I’m bluster and bluff and empty show.



I never can hide myself from me;


I see what others may never see;


I know what others may never know,


I never can fool myself—and so,


Whatever happens, I want to be


Self-respecting and conscience free.

In Times of Trouble

We all have difficult challenges in life and it’s easy to judge those we don’t understand—those that are different from us. There is an old adage that says, “Don’t judge a man until you’ve waked a mile in his shoes,” and another similar saying that states, “to know someone is to love them.” Recently an old friend said in an email, “I really believe that there are just two kinds of people: the ones you love, and the ones you don't know yet.” We need to be filled with love for all of God’s children! 



Some people are definitely more difficult to love than others.  But when we try to understand them in love, miracles can happen. I had an Elementary Education teacher in college that told us when dealing with difficult students to remember there is always something you can find to love about everybody . . . even if it's only to say, "I like the way your arms swing nicely from your shoulders!"  It was a good tip for me to remember as a parent—during those frustrating times of child rearing, and has since become a family joke when trying to deal with difficult people.

The well known poet, 

Robert Frost said, “With many things the only way out is through. Keep moving. Keep trying.”

Elder Jeffery R. Holland told the following inspirational story in a BYU Devotional on March 18, 1980. It brings home these truths about our individual worth and divine importance in God’s eyes, and how it is never to late to change! 



The brethren used to announce in LDS “General Conference” the names of those who had been called on missions to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not only was this the way friends and neighbors learned of the calls, more often than not it was the way the missionary learned of it as well! One such prospect was Eli H. Pierce, a railroad man by trade. Eli had not been very faithful in attending Church meetings. He said he had never even read more than a few pages of scripture in his life and that he had spoken in only one public gathering (an effort which he claimed was neither a credit to himself or those who heard him). Eli bought cigars wholesale—a thousand at a time—and he regularly lost his paycheck playing pool. Well, the Lord knew what Eli Pierce was, and he knew something else . . . He knew what Eli Pierce could become.

When the call came that October day in 1875, Eli wasn’t even in the Tabernacle. He was out working on one of the railroad lines. A fellow employee, once recovered from the shock of it all, ran out to telegraph the startling news. 



Brother Pierce writes, “At the very moment this intelligence was being flashed over the wires, I was sitting lazily thrown back in an office rocking chair, my feet on the desk, reading a [disreputable] novel and simultaneously sucking on an old Dutch pipe just to vary the monotony of cigar smoking.” 

He goes on. “As soon as I had been informed of what had taken place, I threw the novel in the waste basket, the pipe in a corner . . . then started into town to buy scriptures!”



Eli Pierce fulfilled a remarkable mission. His journal could appropriately close on a completely renovated life with this one line: “Throughout our entire mission we were greatly blessed.” But Elder Holland added one more experience to make the point.



During his missionary service, Brother Pierce was called in to administer to the infant child of a branch president whom he knew and loved. Unfortunately, the wife of the branch president had become embittered and now seriously objected to any religious activity within the home, including a blessing for this dying child. With the mother refusing to leave the bedside and the child too ill to move, this humble branch president with his missionary friend retired to a small upper room in the house to pray for the baby’s life. The mother, suspecting just such an act, sent one of the older children to observe and report back.



There in that secluded chamber the two knelt and prayed fervently until, in Brother Pierce’s own words, “we felt that the child would live and knew that our prayers had been heard.” Arising from their knees, they turned slowly only to see the young girl standing in the partially open doorway gazing intently into the room. She seemed, however, quite oblivious to the movements of the two men. She stood entranced for some seconds, her eyes immovable. Then she said, “Papa, who was that . . . man in there?”



Her father said, “That is Brother Pierce. You know him.”

“No,” she said, matter-of-factly, “I mean the other man.”

“There was no other, darling, except Brother Pierce and myself. We were praying for baby.”



“Oh, there was another man,” the child insisted, “for I saw him standing [above] you and Brother Pierce and he was dressed [all] in white.”



Elder Holland said, “Now if God in his heavens will do that for a repentant old cigar-smoking, inactive, swearing pool player, don’t you think he’ll do it for you? He will if your resolve is as deep and permanent as Eli Pierce’s!”



Elder Holland closed by saying: “In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil, and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike—and they will—you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection. They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham’s seed.” 
~ Elder Jeffery R. Holland (“In Times of Trouble,” BYU Devotional, March 18, 1980)



“I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels 
round about you, to bear you up.” ~ D&C 84:88

The Marshmallow Experiment

In the late 1960s, a four-year-old girl with long brown hair, was invited into a game room at the Bing Nursery School, on the campus of Stanford University. Although the room was little more than a large closet, containing a desk and a chair, what took place was one of the most astounding psychological studies in self-control ever performed!

Little Carolyn was asked to sit down in a chair and pick a treat from a tray of marshmallows, cookies, and pretzel sticks. Carolyn chose a marshmallow. The researcher then made Carolyn an offer: she could either eat one marshmallow right away or, if she was willing to wait while the researcher stepped out of the room for 15 minutes, she could have “two” marshmallows when he returned. He further explained that if Carolyn rang the little bell on the desk, he would come running back—allowing her to eat one marshmallow immediately, but forfeiting the second. Carolyn was left alone in the room pondering her decision of delayed gratification.

Carolyn was able to resist the temptation to eat the marshmallow immediately. However, Carolyn’s older brother, Craig, who also took part in the experiment, displayed less fortitude. Craig still remembers the torment of trying to wait. “At a certain point, it must have occurred to me that I was all by myself,” he recalls. “And so I just started taking all the candy!” According to Craig, he was also tested with little plastic toys—he could have a second one if he held out—and he broke into the desk, where he figured there would be additional toys. “I took everything I could,” he says. “I cleaned them out. After that, I noticed the teachers encouraged me to not go into the experiment room anymore.”

Footage of these experiments, which were conducted over several years, show the children as they struggle to delay gratification for just a little bit longer. Some cover their eyes with their hands or turn around so that they can’t see the tray. Others start kicking the desk, or tug on their pigtails, or stroke the marshmallow as if it were a tiny stuffed animal. One little boy looked carefully around the room to make sure that nobody could see him. Then he picked up an Oreo, delicately twisted it apart, and licked off the white cream filling. With a satisfied look on his face, he returning the cookie to the tray!

Most of the children in the experiment were like Craig. They struggled to resist the treat and held out for an average of less than three minutes. “A few kids ate the marshmallow right away,” Walter Mischel, the Stanford professor of psychology in charge of the experiment, remembers. “They didn’t even bother ringing the bell. Other kids would stare directly at the marshmallow and then ring the bell thirty seconds later.” About thirty per cent of the children, however, were like Carolyn. They successfully delayed gratification until the researcher returned. These kids wrestled with temptation, but found a way to resist!

After this interesting experiment, professor Mischel moved on to other areas of research, for, in his own words, “There are only so many things you can do with kids trying not to eat marshmallows.” But as time went on, he decided to keep track of the children. He collected surveys over the following years from the students, parents, and their instructors. He began to notice an interesting correlation: the children who could not wait struggled later in life and had more behavioral problems, while those who waited tended to be more positive and better motivated, have higher grades and incomes, and have healthier relationships!

The simple experiment that originally began with children and marshmallows, became a landmark study suggesting that the ability to wait—to be patient—is a key character trait that may predict later success in life. As parents, it brings home the need for us to help our children learn patience—encouraging the self confidence that comes from working for goals or monetary desires. If we are to teach it effectively, we must learn to delay our own instant gratification—planning for the future, being willing to wait for life’s great rewards.

We live in a world where everything is instantaneous and we love it! Waiting can be hard. We have high speed Internet, fast food, and instant messages. The answers to our immediate questions can be instantly achieved with a click of a computer mouse. We have an unlimited resourse of ideas and shopping—availavble at our fingertips, no longer neccessitating the need to “let your fingers do the walking through the yellow pages.” We want it now! And we can get it! However, in doing so, life can feel like a race we’ve entered—one we must win at all costs, like the sign humorously found on a bumper sticker: “He who has the most toys, wins!”



President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has said, “Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter. Nevertheless, without patience, we cannot please God; we cannot become perfect. Indeed, patience is a purifying process that refines understanding, deepens happiness, focuses action, and offers hope for peace.” (General Conference Priesthood Session, April 2010)

Walter Mischel’s famous marshmallow experiment is a great reminder of the need to learn to delay instantaneous gratification in a world of gain—to get the most goodies. In our rush to succeed, let’s remember the Chinese Proverb, “Good things come to those who wait!”

“Until you make peace with ‘who you are,’ you’ll never be content with what you have!” ~ Doris Mortman

The Whole Truth and Nothing But

Most of us consider ourselves to be people of integrity—living a life of honesty with strong moral convictions, striving to always tell the truth. We consider ourselves a step above the occasional politician or celebrity, revealed to be leading a secret life of corruption and deceit. But what would our world be like if everybody ALWAYS told the truth? What if we simply blurted out every single thought that popped into our heads, without editing the content—the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

Recently I saw a movie called, “The Invention of Lying.” It’s not a movie I’d particularly recommend, as it was slow and poorly written, occasionally resorting to sexual humor to get a laugh. But the idea of not being able to lie—EVER, is an interesting concept to explore. How would it change our world?

The movie takes place in a fictionally based world where “lying” has not yet been invented. People openly express all their thoughts and ideas, living life on facts—things seen. Faith—belief of things not seen, is not a hypothesis yet perceived. For example when main character Anna, played by actress Jennifer Garner, is asked on a date, she says something like, “I’m not particularly attracted to you, but I’ll go because I know one day I’ll lose my looks and I’m terrified of living my life alone!”

Mark, played by comedian Ricky Gervais, is a quirky, sexually unattractive, screenwriter, about to be fired due to his boring script writing—much like this movie he wrote. He is of course in love with Anna, who judges him by his outward appearance and considers him a real loser. However, everything changes when Mark tells the first fib—an invention that he soon discovers can open doors for him that were formerly closed. He finds power and influence that he’s never experienced!

One of the interesting moments of the movie occurs when Mark’s mother is dying. Because their world is based on absolute fact and truth, the medical personnel caring for his mother, along with his mother, have no belief in an afterlife. The doctors are brutally frank when explaining the situation and make no attempt to soften the blow. Mark is distraught watching his mother suffer, who is fearful of her impending death—terrified of the unknown. So Mark calms his mother by telling her she has nothing to fear. He tells her that she is going to a beautiful place where she will be greeted by all her loved ones who previously died—a place where she will be young again, able to run and move freely. His mother relaxes and peacefully passes away. Meanwhile the doctors and nurses are completely astounded with this “new truth” and beg to know more. Soon Mark is mobbed by television reporters and crowds of people desiring the whole truth.

However, with this new theory of God—a man in the sky that can make good things happen, comes the realization that God might also be responsible for the misfortunes that also occur in their lives! No one is prepared to except the complete truth, and they quickly reject God as truth.

The movie does make you ponder the good of living in a world of complete truth. Do we really want to know the answer to, “Does this dress make me look fat?” Or are we happier living with a little less reality—a world where we decide what truths should be shared?

Perhaps when all is said and done in this world we presently live in, where integrity is constantly at risk of becoming extinct, we must first be honest with ourselves—accepting responsibility for our own choices. We may ask for advice or be given counsel from others, but ultimately we have the free agency to choose for ourselves. It has been said that, “The truth will set you free—because living a lie is no life at all.” I have great respect for all those who choose to speak the truth—the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We are inspired by their truth. They make us want to be more—become better than we are. They are life’s true heros!

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“Memories inhabit our stories, make them breathe, give them life. So we learn to live with the reality that what we remember is an imperfect version of what we know to be true . . . Her counterfeit identity gave her a new life, but it also took its toll, requiring her to nurture the deceit, to learn the art of lying—not merely how to tell a lie, but how to live a lie, because lying was the route to survival, lying was safety. But always, always, she lived with the fear of being discovered.” ~ Quoted by author, Steve Luxenberg, in his novel “Annie’s Ghosts,” a true story

“Mom never shed her secret, and it also defined her. She did what she had to do. I suspect that Mom never intended for her secret to last a lifetime. Most of the time, we make a decision based on the circumstances at the time . . . [But] just as a cure can be worse than the disease, revelation can be more devastating than reticence. That’s the fear that seems to drive many of us to embrace silence or deception. But too often, we’re just telling one more lie, this one to ourselves.” ~ Quoted by author, Steve Luxenberg, in his novel “Annie’s Ghosts,” a true story

Definition of a Hater

The word “hate” is associated with an intense feeling of dislike. It may occur in a wide variety of contexts—hatred of inanimate objects, hatred of oneself, or hatred of other people. But a “hater” is a person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. Hater’s might not even desire to be like the person he or she hates, but taking them down a notch, with a derogatory comment or two, somehow makes a hater feel better about themselves. Rather than being happy for the other person’s achievements, a hater makes a point of exposing another’s flaws.

Don't worry about your haters or why they hate you. It’s not your problem . . . it's theirs! Just pray for them, that their life can be fulfilled. Watch out for haters . . . but most of all—don't let yourself become a hater!

Maya Angelou, an American autobiographer and poet, has been called “America's most visible black female autobiographer.” She is a new kind of memoirist—one of the first African American women to publicly discuss her personal life. Maya Angelou has became highly recognized and respected as a spokesperson for women of all races. In discusing her road to success she said, “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.” ~ Maya Angelou

Here is Maya Angelou’s famous poem depicting the definition of a “hater.” Let it be a reminder to us all to remember who we are—divine children of God, discovering our true purpose here on earth. Fulfill your dreams!

Hater
By Maya Angelou

A hater is someone who is jealous and envious and spends all their time trying to make you look small so they can look tall. They are very negative people to say the least. Nothing is ever good enough!

When you make your mark, you will always attract some haters . . . That's why you have to be careful with whom you share your blessings and your dreams, because some folk can't handle seeing you blessed.

It's dangerous to be like somebody else . . . If God wanted you to be like somebody else, He would have given you what He gave them! Right? You never know what people have gone through to get what they have.

The problem I have with haters is that they see my glory, but they don't know my story . . . If the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, you can rest assured that the water bill is higher there too!

We've all got some haters among us! Some people envy you because you can:

Have a relationship with God.
Light up a room when you walk in.
Start your own business.
Tell a man/woman to hit the curb (if he or she isn't about doing the right thing).
Raise your children without both parents being in the home.

Haters can't stand to see you happy. Haters will never want to see you succeed. Haters never want you to get the victory . . . Most of our haters are people who are supposed to be on our side! How do you handle your undercover haters?

You can handle these haters by:

1. Knowing who you are and who your true friends are—VERY IMPORTANT!!
2. Having a purpose to your life. (Purpose does not mean having a job. You can have a job and still be unfulfilled. A purpose is having a clear sense of what God has called you to be. Your purpose is not defined by what others think about you.)
3. By remembering what you have is by divine prerogative and not human manipulation. Fulfill your dreams!

You only have one life to live . . . when its your time to leave this earth, you ‘want’ to be able to say, “I've lived my life and fulfilled ‘my’ dreams . . . Now I'm ready to go HOME!”

When God gives you favor, you can tell your haters, “Don't look at me . . . Look at ‘Who’ is in charge of me!” ~ Maya Angelou

“When we know better, we do better.” ~ Maya Angelou