10 Years Ago...9-11

Ten years ago today I remember waking up hearing something about a plane that had flown into one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center in New York City. At the time they were not sure what size of plane nor if it was on purpose. I jumped out of bed and turned on the T.V. it wasn't more than a couple of minutes when the second plane flew into Tower number two... I remember feeling sick to my stomach wondering what just happened, but deep down knowing that something terrible was going on, this was no accident.
My eyes were peeled to the television as I got ready for work and then at work I watched as the evil fires of hatred brought down tower number one and then tower number two. That day is burned in my memory forever.
I remember the feeling of uncertainty, the over all feeling of uneasiness, some fear, some anger. That day we became a new country. That day we were the United States of America. We were all New Yorkers. We were all Americans. We set aside the petty political bickering and we prayed... We sang God bless America, and we meant it.
That day more than 3,000 people lost their lives at the hands of evil. 3,000 lives is hard to imagine when you are watching the metal and debris, but you don't see any bodies. It seems unreal...like a number is just a number. Your mind goes numb to the concept that in one fateful event so many innocent lives could be lost.

Oh, how our memories are so short. How easy it is to forget who the enemy really is.

Today we commemorated the 10th Anniversary of that fateful day.We as a family decided we should go to the Healing Fields in Sandy. There we began to understand what 3,000 lives really means. It was an emotional, spiritual experience. Flags were placed about 6 feet apart 28 wide and 110 deep, it was a quarter of a mile to walk from front to back. Each flag had a tag with a name and a brief story about the individuals who the flag represented. Many had tears in their eyes, including myself, as we read about those who lost their lives.

The world Changed 10 years ago. It will never be the same, but it is yet to be determined whether the world will be a better place or not...That is up to us.

I personally am grateful to know how the story ends... There is hope!

The Eternal Christmas Gift Of Forgiveness

The greatest gift we have been given is not the gift of forgiveness but the gift to forgive. God sent his only begotten son to make it possible that we not live with the guilt of being a victim. When we forgive others it is not releasing the offender from responsibility, but releasing us from the offender so that we can be healed. As we celebrate this Christmas let us not forget that the greatest gift given was not wrapped in fancy paper and laid under a tree, but was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The master gift giver is Our Father, whose gift was and is eternally ours.

Christmas Trees

When I think of Christmas, presents are not always the things I remember the most. Yeah, I remember the time we snook into one of my siblings rooms and played with our Pfisher Price Barn and Airport. I remember sneaking into mom and dads room to discover their hiding places, but when it comes to the real spirit of Christmas I remember when we would hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. A couple of years we got a permit and cut our own tree down. Oh yes, the hot cocoa and chili, tying the tree to the top of the van, smell of pine sap on our hands, left a lasting impression upon my mind.
We would take the tree home and decorate it with ornaments, usually the glass balls of varying colors. It was exciting and it was my dad's way of ushering in the Christmas Season. He was not much of a present buyer, I suppose I grew up to be like him in that way.
I don't remember what we did on my mission for a tree. We spent most of our Christmases at members homes and talking to family as they celebrated at home. It was good.
Getting married was a new adventure in Christmas. Our first Christmas tree was a sad little house plant that made Charlie Brown's tree look majestic. We wrapped garland around it and tried putting ornaments on its branches, but it would have none of that. The next few years we had no money for trees, so we waited until a couple of days before Christmas when the tree lots would abandon their lots leaving trees behind. We were so happy to have what ever we got, it was so much fun.
 A few years later we could afford a tree so we bought them, but the prices seemed to be going up so we would search all across the valley to find the best cheapest tree we could find, and we brought it home. I think the funnest part of the Christmas tree was hunting for one. Then one year after discussing the price of trees we decided to commit a near unpardonable sin...we bought an artificial tree. it looked real enough when we bought it but it certainly did not smell real and I kinda ached inside whenever we brought it out, but really did not detract from the season too much so we used it
Then one year my reminiscing of Christmas tree permits brought about the desire to go for a live tree again, this time instead of putting money into the tree lot we would buy a permit and spend the money on a new adventure. So, for the past four years we have gone back to the real Christmas trees, and the adventures in mountains for trees.
Christmas trees have always been apart of our Christmas celebration and I will always remember them for the memories we have created along the way. Someday when the children are grown I hope they will take with them those memories that will lead them to honor the tradition of the Christmas tree.

Family A Christmas Gift

God intends us to be happy eternally. We often times think of the challenges we have in this life as cruel and unusually, as God's punishment for our bad behavior.
 I do not believe that God seeks to punish us. He loves us. He wants us to succeed. Our agency is our greatest asset to perfection as well as our greatest obstacle to perfection. We can not reach our full potential without the full potential to fail.
The greatest potential source of happiness comes from our family. Is it any wonder that such a source of happiness might also be such a source of equal pain and heartache. Is it any wonder that as a reward God would extend that happiness eternally? Our marriage need not end at death, but may continue on through the sealing power of God's priesthood. It only makes sense that as we are a child of God we would grow up to be like him.
This is just one more Christmas gift, made possible through the atonement of Christ.

When I Think Of ThanksGiving

Bountiful harvest, warm fire, turkey, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, warm apple cider, family, friends, colored leaves, afternoon nap, and heart full of thanks to everyone.... That's what I think of when I think of Thanksgiving.

I was challenged to pray without asking for anything. At one time that would have been unthinkable. Approach God without asking for something??? Since I have found that when I offer a prayer of thanks I often receive more answers faster than when I approach my Heavenly Father with demands. This Thanksgiving I challenge you to offer at least one of your prayers as a pure prayer of gratitude, and see what happens.

Be Good, Be Happy, Be Grateful, and Enjoy!

Happy ThanksGiving!