Thankful Me

John and I outside the Seattle Temple on our wedding day. Let's take a look back, shall we? Thirty-three years ago, two young people got married and began a life of adventure. While the love and adventure remain, so much has changed in the world since that time. Today's Ten Things of Thankful will either be a walk down memory lane, or a history lesson, depending on your point of view  age.  1. Every so often, after carefully saving our money, we would decide to go out to a "sit-down" restaurant. As we were greeted by the host or hostess, we would be asked, "Smoking or non-smoking?" We always chose non-smoking. I'm thankful that the haze of public places is now a thing of the past.  2. Living in a new state, miles away from extended family and friends, meant that communication had to be long-distance. Calling someone meant using a phone physically plugged into the phone jack. When to call and how long to talk had to be carefully considered, becau...

A goldfish swims in a new aquarium Monday morning, I was awakened by John saying, "I'm sorry to wake you up, but there is a puddle in the family room." The twenty-gallon aquarium somehow sprung a leak and was draining its contents on the carpet. As we have had experience with leaking aquariums before,* I knew exactly what to do. I grabbed the shop vac from the garage and brought it to John. While he started in on vacuuming, I got a woefully-small glass fish bowl, scooped some of the water from the leaking tank, and dumped the goldfish into the temporary new container. Besides the obvious item of gratitude (1. I'm thankful the fish didn't die), there are several other bright spots to this scenario: 2. The leak didn't start earlier in the night, which would have resulted in a wetter floor and possibly an empty tank. 3. Somehow we forgot to turn off a light in the family room on Sunday night, so John was able to see the problem. (I normally feed the fish, ...

The full moon sets over the mountains, with trees and a lake in the foreground The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and blossoms are starting to appear on the trees. I spent last weekend glued to my television, as I listened to the April general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This coming Sunday is Easter, a joyful holiday of hope. All in all, there are so many reasons to be thankful.  Conference was filled with messages of hope: With billions of words online and in a marketing-saturated world constantly infiltrated by noisy, nefarious efforts of the adversary, where  can  we go to hear Him? We can go to the scriptures. They teach us about Jesus Christ and His gospel, the magnitude of His Atonement, and our Father’s great plan of happiness and redemption. Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the wo...

Low-lying clouds float in the canyon between the mountains, while a red barn stands in the foreground March came in like a lion, then the whole zoo took over! Snow and Corona and earthquakes, oh my! However, even though it snowed a little bit two nights ago, COVID-19 is still impacting daily life, and the nearby Army Depot decided to detonate old ammunition (which made it feel like we were experiencing aftershocks), there are still plenty of things to be thankful for. Here is what I have noticed this week: 1. Middle daughter's birthday. Though we are miles apart, we stay in touch via phone calls and mail. 2. General Conference weekend is this week. Last October, President Russell M. Nelson said " general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable."  That is definitely the case, and it hasn't even started yet! The music has been pre-recorded, and no one will be in the Conference Center except for those who are speaking, saying t...

John takes a selfie with a statue of an alligator, which is on a brick wall in Baker City, Oregon I love to laugh. Humor has always provided relief from stressful times. During my 3rd pregnancy, I spent the six weeks prior to my son's birth in the hospital, in an effort to prevent an extremely early delivery. (He managed to wait until 30 weeks--still very early, but much better than 24.)  Every night, I would be hooked up to a fetal monitor to see how he was doing. I would use that time to watch sit-coms on TV. More than one time, the nurse would come into my room to make sure everything was OK, because my laughter was causing the monitor to read strangely. I tried to sit still and behave, but I also welcomed the emotional relief that laughter brought to my situation. Collectively, we are experiencing some stressful times right now, but there are many individuals who are helping--in lots of ways, including comic relief. I thought it might be fun for this week's Ten Thing...

Photo: Clouds turn pink, orange, and yellow as the sun sets behind mountains S oft words, spoken with a sweet smile, silence my racing thoughts, A nd I know that I need not  F ear. E xternal forces outside my control can storm and rage, but T his--our family, our faith--remain firm and unshakable. With Y ou by my side, we can live by the refrain: "Come what may, and love it."* *from a talk by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Linking up a Six Sentence Story this week with Denise over at Girlie on the Edge .  Disclaimer: Just to be clear, we are following the state recommendations during this pandemic, and are doing our best to do our part to control its spread. 

A bright yellow daffodil blooms next to a tree trunk How are you? If you are like me, you are feeling a little unsettled, trying to adapt to a new routine as what used to be OK is now forbidden or impossible. However, even in the uncertainty of how many more changes there might be or how long they might last, there are things that I am firmly certain of--things that I am thankful for--and no one can take that away from me!  Come review my week with me, and I'll explain what I mean. Last Sunday John and I attended church--and it was just the two of us, in our family room. In an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on March 12 that worship services have been temporarily suspended worldwide. Local leaders have been given the responsibility to determine how to make the sacrament available to members at least monthly. Our bishop authorized priesthood holders to administer the sacrament in their homes, (and arrangeme...