Yesterday

 I recently re- watched the movie, "Yesterday"- twice.  I love this movie.  In fact, I've decided it is on my all-time top ten favorite movies.  Maybe even top five.  I have never actually written such a list, but I'm pretty sure it would be on it.  I just love it.  Especially the last scene:  "Ob la di, Ob la da, life goes on!"  I may have rewinded that scene and watched it 20 times.  It is genius how it is put together.  Anyway,  the movie "Yesterday" is definitely one of my favorite things.

Only Love Today

 This mantra came from an article I read on todaysmama.com.  I love the idea of waking up each day and committing to only love for that day.  Only Love Today is a great mantra.

Secrets of a Charmed Life

 

Secrets of a Charmed Life by Susan Meissner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this historical fiction novel, set in England during WWII. It made the evacuation of children from London and later, the horrible blitz so very real. This book gave me a new literary hero- Charlotte from the English countryside, who purposely chose to take in a rebellious, upset teenager who had just had her life turned upside down along with her little sister. I loved Charlotte and learned so much from her selfless charity. I loved how the book taught what we have all learned from our own lives: each decision we make can change our course and the course of those we love forever. We must learn to forgive ourselves for mistakes we make and move on. That is a powerful message from this book.
This is the second book I have read by this author. I also loved Fall of Marigolds. In both, I feel like I know and feel so much more about their historical settings.
I listened to the audio version of this book. It was very well done.

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Emily of New Moon

 

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn’t know LM Montgomery wrote so many other delightful books besides the Anne of Green Gables series. I really liked spunky Emily and her Prince Edward Island adventures.

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12 Angry Men

This 1957 classic was on a list of Best 100 Movies Ever Made, so we had to watch it.  It was old, black and white, vintage and really good.  It is a sociological study that will make you think and think long after the closing credits.  We watched it on Netflix DVD.

I had to add this picture as it is my favorite scene from the movie- a powerful, silent protest against prejudice.

We Are Free!

 Tuesday, April 13th was a very lucky day for us!  It is the day we were free! Having both of our COVID-19 vaccinations and waiting the two-week period, we were free!  We were faithful in sheltering from others and following all of the rules.  We got our reward of freedom on April 13th.  We actually jumped the gun a bit and attended a neighborhood gathering on the evening of the 12th.  

It was fun to gather and visit without masks and enjoy perfect weather and root beer floats.  Thank you to our great neighbors, the Adams, for hosting this get together. 

Stay tuned for more freedom adventures!

A Year-Long Goal Accomplished

 Soon after this shelter-at-home started, I set some goals. I didn't know how long we would be sheltering at home. I'm glad I didn't. But I didn't want to just waste time. So, I set some goals of things to accomplish.  One of those was to learn every song in this piano book and  "pass off" every one.  To pass a song off,  I had to play through it with five or less mistakes.  I finally accomplished my goal.   I practice the piano a few minutes each day.  Poco a poco/ little by little, I learned every song.  I loved it.   It brought me great joy during a difficult time.  

This is actually a book I played from when I was young and taking piano lessons.  I have pulled it out and played from it through the years, but I had not learned the majority of the songs in it.  Now I can play them all. 

We are now playing a game.  On our family group text, I asked them to name a number between 1 and 80.  They name a number, then I record the song that is on that page on Marco Polo so they can listen to me play it- hopefully with five or less mistakes!  I also challenge my grandchildren to play a song for me on Marco Polo.  It is a fun game!

April Family Meeting: General Conferece Bingo

 For our April Family Google Meet on Sunday, April 11th, we did a general conference bingo game.  Everyone made 5x5 bingo cards and put the names of the speakers from the Saturday and Sunday sessions in the squares.  Then I asked a question about each speaker and they guessed who that speaker was and put a chocolate chip or bean or marshmallow in the square.  The first to get bingo was Jacob with Caleb, Lily, Nathan, Jaron, and Sammy close behind.

Quiz on General Conference April 2021 

These first questions were for all of us to answer together:

1.      One of the choirs that sang for conference held hands as they sang.  Which one was it?  (I was surprised no one knew.  Finally, Nathan guessed the Korean choir which was correct.)

2.     The Sunday morning session of general conference had speakers and participants from all over the world.  Can you name the countries that the speakers came from?

Ulisses Soares:  Brazil

Reyna L Abuerto:  Nicaraugua

S Mark Palmer:  New Zealand

Edward Dube: Zimbabwe

Jose’ Teixeira:  Portugal

Tanela B Wakolo:  Fiji

Sam Wong:  Hong Kong

Michael John U Teh:  Phillipines

President Russell M Nelson:  United States

(They got them all- with a few hints.) 

3.     President Nelson announced twenty new temples to be built.  Let’s see if we can name them.

Oslo, Norway 

Brussels, Belgium 

Vienna, Austria 

Kumasi, Ghana 

Beira, Mozambique 

Cape Town, South Africa 

Singapore, Republic of Singapore 

Belo Horizonte, Brazil 

Cali, Colombia 

Querétaro, Mexico 

Torreón, Mexico 

Helena, Montana 

Casper, Wyoming 

Grand Junction, Colorado 

Farmington, New Mexico 

Burley, Idaho 

Eugene, Oregon 

Elko, Nevada 

Yorba Linda, California 

Smithfield, Utah (the Camerons are most excited about this one as their home is on the hill above Smithfield.  They will be very near the temple and may overlook it.)

Bingo Questions

•       “My dear brothers and sister, my call to you this Easter morning is to start today to increase your faith.” (President Russell M. Nelson)
• .     We should learn and advocate the inspired principles of the Constitution” (President Dallin H Oaks)
• .     This speaker talked about the rabbit effect.  Rabbits who were fed by a certain loving caregiver did better than the others.  “When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or want to cause harm, please apply the following:  Stop it!!” (Elder Gary E. Stevenson)
• .     This speaker compared the four verses of the Primary song, “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man” pointing out that the only difference in the verses is where they built their houses and what happened to them. (Elder Sam Wong of Hong Kong)
• .     This speaker encouraged us to dramatically improve our teaching by teaching in the Savior’s way. He paid tribute to his Kindergarten teacher. (Jan E Newman)
• .     This apostle talked about Jesus Christ being the caregiver of our soul.  He showed us a picture of a couple that died from COVID-19 and quoted their son who is a bishop in Brazil, and how he got strength from Jesus Christ. (Ulisses S. Soares)
• .     This speaker told about his mother when she was dying.  She was crying because of pain.  He went into her room and cried with her.  Then she taught him a powerful lesson that it is up to God whether the pain leaves.  We must let him prevail and press toward the mark.  (Edward Dube)
• .     This speaker talked about teaching correct principles and then letting people governing themselves.  He used the example of a helm on a ship.  It is small but has a huge effect on navigating a ship. (David A Bednar)
•     This speaker talked about essential conversations we should have within our families.  A child fell out of bed.  When they asked him why he said, “I guess I wasn’t in far enough.”  (Joy D Jones)
•  This speaker talked about Unfairness.  He said, “all that is unfair about life can be made right by the atonement of Jesus Christ.”  He used the story of his wife when she was a little girl complaining that it wasn’t fair that her sister was getting new shoes and she wasn’t. “Do not let unfairness harden you or corrode your faith in God.  Instead, ask God for help.  Increase your appreciation for and reliance on the Savior.  Rather than becoming bitter, let Him help you become better.”   Dale G Renlund)
• This speaker told how he and his family were forced to flee their home twice before he was twelve years old.  He taught that God is among us. (Dieter F Uchtdorf)i99
• .  This speaker, from New Zealand, told about meeting President Nelson and him enquiring about his mother.  President Nelson said he looked forward to seeing his mum again soon.  When the speaker asked President Nelson if he was planning a trip to New Zealand, he said, “Oh no, I will see her in the next life.”  (S Mark Palmer)  PS Jared knows his mum.
• .  This speaker told about a researcher that discovered that salmon “smell” their way back home.  “One of the most important things we can do in this life is to recognize and remember the pathway back to our Heavenly Father and faithfully and joyfully persevere throughout the journey.”  (Jose’ A Teixeira)
•    This apostle told about the mighty miracle that happened when he and his wife went to Goshen, Utah to do a virtual young adult conference.  Because of a wildfire, the power went out.  A miracle was wrought and the power restored. (Ronald A Rasband)
• . This speaker based his speech on the hymn, “Hark, All Ye Nations” and talked about the “gospel light of truth and love.”  He told about traveling from his home in Argentina to Salt Lake City to be sealed in the temple.  He remembered three things: 1) the clouds out the window, 2) the funny characters at an amusement park, 3) the sealing room and the sunlight coming through the windows. (Alan R Walker)
•   This speaker addressed us from Africa.  He told about when he was a child and they were not even permitted to have dinner at the table with their parents.  But after they joined the church, their culture and traditions changed.  (Thierry K Mutombo)
• 1  This speaker spoke to us from Mexico.  He told how his dad would say “Poor little ones” in Spanish when he saw someone in need and then he would try to help them.  His message was that we need to look for poor, little ones and help them. (Jorge T. Becerra)
• . This speaker talked about the temple.  “We don’t know the details of family connections in the spirit world or what may come after we are resurrected.  But we do know that the prophet Elijah came as promised to turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers.  And we know that our eternal happiness depends on our doing our best to offer the same lasting happiness to as many of our kindred as we can.”  (Henry B. Eyering)
• .  This speaker talked about important it is that we all come to know the Savior personally.  “On this Easter Sunday, just as the Savior came forth from His stone grave, may we awake from our spiritual slumber and rise above the clouds of doubt, the clutches of fear, the intoxication of pride, and the lull of complacency.  Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father live.  I te stify of Their perfect love for us.”  (Michael John U The)
•  This speaker spoke FROM the Phillipines.  He told about learning of his sister’s death in Fiji by asking someone to deliver a package to her.  He had not been told of her death.  He taught that he learned to think of his tribulations as learning experiences.  (Taniela B Wakola)
•   This apostle talked about abortion, adoption, and the sacred decision to have children. (Neil L Andersen)
• ".“Brothers and sisters, we do see too much conflict, anger, and general incivility around us. Fortunately, the current generation has not had a Third World War to fight, nor have we experienced a global economic crash like the one in 1929 leading to a Great Depression. We are, however, facing a kind of Third World War that is not a fight to crush our enemies but a conscription marshaling the children of God to care more about each other and to help heal the wounds we find in a conflicted world. The Great Depression we now face has less to do with the external loss of our savings and more to do with the internal loss of our self-confidence, with real deficits of faith and hope and charity all around us.”  (Jeffrey R. Holland)
•  This apostle spoke about the need everyone has to belong.  He said the quorum of the twelve are very concerned that everyone feels that they belong.  “Never forget you are a child of God, our Eternal Father, now and forever.  He loves you, and the Church wants and needs you.  Yes, we need you!  We need your voices, talents, skills, goodness, and righteousness.”  (M. Russell Ballard)

• This speaker talked about rappelling into a deep cave and then the lights went out.  (Timothy j Dyches)
•   This speaker told about their brother being killed in an earthquake in Nicaraugua.  (Reyna L Aberto)
•   This speaker talked about walking the covenant path.  He quoted J Golden Kimball:  Elder J. Golden Kimball is purported to have said, “I may not have [always] walked the straight and narrow, but I [try] to cross it as often as I [can].”  (D Todd Christofferson)
• This sp eaker told the story of loud knocks on their door at night.  Their house was on fire.  They were helped by passesrby who warned them.   He also showed pictures of beautiful stained glass.  (Gerrit J Gong)

 Such a fun family meeting! We were so proud of our smart, spiritual grandkids!   But I forgot to take any pictures.  Darn.  I was too busy moderating.  We closed by reading the following quote:

“For the next six months your conference edition of the Liahona should stand next to your standard works and be referred to frequently.”  Ezra Taft Benson

Leave No Trace

I wasn't sure I was going to recommend this one.  Not because it is objectional in any way.  But because it was a bit slow.  But the more we thought about it and discussed it, it really is a quietly powerful movie.  It is based on a true story of a war veteran that simply cannot live in society, yet has a daughter that he loves and wants to care for.  It addresses the very difficult problem of PTSD.  I have ordered the book it is based on as I want to read the real account.  We watched it on Netflix DVD.

What Did the Prophet Ask Us to Do? April, 2021

 

As I like to do, I have combed through the prophet's talks, writing down anything he asked us to do.  I compiled this list from April, 2021 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

What Did the Prophet Ask Us To Do?  April, 2021

Saturday Morning:  Welcome Message

As we listen to the messages, pray to identify the debris you should remove from your life so you can be more worthy.

Priesthood Session:  What We are Learning and Will Never Forget

1.       The Home is the Center of Faith and Worship

Do what you need to do to make your home a sanctuary of faith.  Between now and the time the Lord comes again, we all need our homes to be places of serenity and security.  Continue to make your home a truly holy place and be not moved from that essential goal.

2.      We Need Each Other

If you know anyone who is alone, reach out- even if you feel alone too!

3.      Your Priesthood Quorum is Meant for More Than Just a Meeting

Seek revelation from the Lord.  Humble yourself!  Ask!  Listen!  Whatever your priesthood office or calling, let God prevail in your commitment as a member of your quorum and in your service.

4.      We Hear Jesus Christ Better When We Are Still

Discipline yourself to have time alone and with your loved ones.  Open your heart to God in prayer.  Take time to immerse yourself in the scriptures and worship in the temple.

Sunday Morning:  Christ Is Risen, Faith in Him Will Move Mountains

My dear brothers and sisters, my call to you this Easter morning is to start today to increase your faith.  This takes work.  Increasing your faith and trust in Him takes effort:

1.      Study.

2.      Choose to believe in Jesus Christ.

Stop increasing your doubts by rehearsing them with other doubters.

3.      Act in faith.

What would you do if you had more faith?  Think about it.  Write about it.  Then receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith.

4.      Partake of the sacred ordinances worthily.

5.      Ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, for help.

Sunday Afternoon:  COVID-19 and Temples

Do all you can to bring COVID numbers down in your area so that your temple opportunities can increase.

Keep your temple covenants and blessing foremost in your minds and hearts.  Stay true to the covenants you have made.

Two Little Lovebirds

 Ken's brother, David called him on Easter Sunday to tell him that someone had posted this picture on a Hurricane resident Facebook page asking if anyone knew Kenneth Hinton or Thora Gifford. She had purchased a bunch of chairs when they tore down the old school that included this one.  There were many comments and some were really funny.  Ken did date Thora in high school, but he swears he did not carve this.  Many commenters confessed to knowing both.  Thora's cousin posted that Thora married Kim Eager and had 10 children and now have over 30 grandchildren.  Others told what they knew about Ken and Thora and many teased them.  David asked the chair's owner for it and she gave it to him.  Not sure why he wanted it?  Maybe we will be getting it for Christmas?  Anyway, it was fun to see and laugh about this blast from the past!

Easter Weekend

 We had a nice Easter weekend.  Tradition has us go on a picnic on Easter weekend.  We went the same place we went last year, when the pandemic was just beginning- out to the beautiful pavilion near a new church in our stake.  It was the perfect, beautiful day for picnicking and going on a little walk.  There was absolute peace.  We held still for a minute and listened to absolute silence.

We love when general conference comes on Easter weekend.  This was such a great conference.  

I really liked Elder Thierry K. Mutombo's talk on light.  He exuded it.

Our view out our window as we watched.

Didn't you love this sweet choir from Korea?

Joan's newest grandson was born on conference Saturday.  That made it extra special.  I love my sister.

Our Easter dinner:  ham, funeral potatoes, egg salad, asparagus

The Next Best Thing to Robert Redford for dessert

We are grateful for our Savior and all that Easter means.  

Then Sings My Soul

 

Then Sings My Soul: 150 of the World's Greatest Hymn Stories by Robert J. Morgan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I love hymns and have made a life-long study of them and their histories. Knowing that, a friend gave me this collection of 150 Christian hymns and the histories behind them. I played through each hymn as well as reading the histories. That took a while to get through them all. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There are three hymns in this collection that move me a lot and I wish that they were in our church’s hymnbook:
1. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
2. Holy, Holy, Holy
3. Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
I love those beautiful hymns and their powerful message. This book introduced me to some hymns I have never heard before. I loved reading the stories and histories. I made many notes and markings as I read. This will be a nice reference book to have.


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Bear Town

 

Bear Town by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wow! This was not at all what I expected when I chose to read, or really listen to, this book (very well read, by the way.) I thought it would be a sports story, but ended up being so very much more. I think it addresses a social problem in our society in such a powerful, memorable way. Are sports stars above the law? They seem to think they are. Because of the revere and honor we give them; they seem to think they are a law unto themselves. This one will make you think.

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The Shell Collector

 

The Shell Collector by Anthony Doerr
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The beautiful, almost poetic prose and description sets this collection of stories apart. As is always the case with a collection of short stories, I liked some better than others- but all are well-written.

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The Days of Wine and COVID

 

The Days of Wine and Covid by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an audio book on Scribd that took only a little over an hour to listen to. It was a slice of life of a retired couple getting through the COVID epidemic together as they shelter-at-home. It was funny. I could relate with a lot of it. I wish she hadn’t included the political parts. It kind of turned it into a huge political statement instead of the cute, funny commentary on COVID it started out to be.

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Searching

 We loved this movie we watched on Netflix DVD.  It was "edge of your seat" exciting from the first minute to the last.  It is one the best movies we have watched in a long time.  5 gold stars from us!

Sammy Turns Five!

 Kristen and Jared's Samuel turned five on March 31st.  I cannot believe it has been five years since he was born.  He was born while we were on our mission.  Just the day before he was born, the branch president and his wife in Tsuruoka had a baby boy as well. We call them twins and each year I send them a picture of Amame kun's American twin and she sends me one of Sammy's Japanese twin, Amane kun.  

Sammy is the most expressive child in the world.  It was fun to celebrate his birthday virtually.  I just wish that all of my pictures didn't have a glare.

He got a new fishing pole

And a new bike

We gave him this fun art set.

He likes it!

We also gave him this encyclopedia.  He asks a lot of questions.  Maybe this book will answer some of them!

And we gave him a new Paw Patrol shirt.

Kristen made him this amazing Paw Patrol cake.  

Happy birthday Sammy!  We sure do love you!