Come Llisten to a Prophet's Voice

Dear Friends, I just wanted to invite you to one of my favorite events of the year--it happens twice a year, and it is called General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the most awesome, inspiring and uplifting weekend of the year for me--well, one of the TWO most inspiring weekends of the year!! The leaders of our Church meet together in Salt Lake City, and for two days, they give inspired messages to the members of our church. These leaders are prophets for these modern days, just like Moses and Abraham were in the Old Testament--they are in tune with the problems and issues of today, and have great wisdom and insights. There is a lot of practical advice, whether you're a member or not, and the talks are based on following the Lord, Jesus Christ. It helps you if you are going through challenging times in your life, and helps you want to have a stronger family, and have a better marriage...and just, in general, do better in your life. These leaders are terrific, and always help me to regain an eternal perspective (so easy to lose focus when we get caught up in the mundane things of life). They are optimistic and encouraging...and the talks just help you to want to be better and to try harder. It is on twice on Saturday and twice on Sunday, and I promise you that it will help you want to be a better person. It is a renewing and revitalizing time for me, and I hope that you will tune in to watch it...and feel some of those same feelings too. May you have a great weekend. Much love always, Louise Here is the link:

Some Random Thoughts

It's about time to write again--I am such a slacker when it comes to writing in here. Now that I feel better, and that life is more back to normal, I can't think of much to write about! I DID watch quite a bit of the Republican Convention last week, and I was very impressed at what I heard and with several of the speakers. I thought Ann Romney was totally awesome, and I feel like Mitt is a great man...and would help our country so much. I am very hopeful that he will be elected. I feel like he's what our country needs. I am reading parts of his book, No Apology, and am trying to get a better feel for the things he believes in. I was very touched by the feeling of patriotism that I felt during that convention--of people who truly love America, and want many of the same things that our Founding Fathers wanted and were inspired to make as the basis of this country. I have survived since my daughter, Kelsey, went to college. Thank heavens for cell phones, texting, and emails--I'm glad I can talk to her often. We developed such a strong bond when I was sick, and I will always be grateful to her for all her service to me...and for how much she cares about people. She is such an awesome person! I have a new Church responsibility. I am working with the children's organization of our Church, the Primary, and it is a lot of work. Our Church is very connected with the Boy Scouts of America, so I have a lot of Scouting things that I have to do. There is a lot to learn and a lot to do--so it keeps me hopping. I am also still working on quilts--that is so fun for me, and such a great release...plus it is the one thing where I really can SHOW something that I have done. Cleaning, cooking and doing wash just need to be done over and over again--when you MAKE something, you have something to show for your efforts...and that is gratifying! Plus I like to sew, and so this has been a fun hobby. I've had a few health problems, but nothing too serious. I hurt my shoulder, and it is a torn rotater cuff. However, I can do some exercises, and don't need to have surgery, so that's a good thing. I've also had some chest pains, but those seem to be getting better too--so probably all those things have just been muscular problems, and some advil and a little less exercise, and I'll do all right. I have a new friend at church--a very sweet, young, newly-married girl. I just love being with her. I am always impressed with someone who befriends other people who are not at the very same stage of life that you are. I think that's great, because I think you can learn something from all different people...and they can enrich your life. There used to be a couple in our ward, who were older people, but they were friends with everyone. One time the wife told me, "We really don't know WHAT age we are--we enjoy being with people of all differnt ages." What a great attitude. It's awesome to get to know so many differnt people, and learn from them and have relationships with many of them. I'm thankful for the people in my life, and the dear friends--they are such a blessing!

So Hard to Let Them Go

I just said good-by to my daughter, Kelsey, who is leaving to go back up to school at BYU. This is one of the hardest parts of mothering for me--when my children leave to go back to where they live. I hate good-byes anyway, and I feel like part of my heart goes with them every time--it leaves a big void. It is especially hard this time because I have really enjoyed having Kelsey around this summer. She is an unusually thoughtful and caring person, and so when she goes, I can really feel it. It leaves a huge emptiness. I have been crying on and off for the last few days, in anticipation of her leaving. It is not that I don't want her to have growing experiences--it is more just a selfish feeling, that I am not so much a part of her life when she is gone...plus I just miss HER as a person. Kelsey has been blessed with the gift of sensitivity, and that really touches my heart. I just pray that she will be watched over, and that she will have an enjoyable time at school. The best part for her being in Utah, is she loves being closer to her sisters, who both live up there. She'll get to spend time with her sister, Emily, for this next week, and I know she really looks forward to that. It's just so hard to let her go. Last night we went to see the movie, "The Odd Life of Timothy Green." For some critics, it is just a sappy movie...but I guess I like sappy movies, and can cry along with the best of them (I have certainly proved that by the way I've taken my daughter leaving for college). But I thought it was a very dear movie, with a good message. I think the thing that touched me the most is at the very end, when he is talking about what his parents had done for him. He said that they had made many mistakes, but that they had always loved him. That really hit home--I know that I have made many mistakes as a parent (not handled things right, gotten angry when I should have been patient, etc.), but one thing I DO know--I love my children, and they mean the world to me...and in spite of my mistakes, I hope they will always know that. Spence and I wanted children for so long, and then we were blessed with 6 wonderful children. I am thankful for them, and pray that they will always know that I love them.

Some Musings on the Media

I wrote this particular entry on July 22, 2012...even though it is a few days later right now. I have had some thoughts especially tonight that I wanted to share on my blog. These will not be popular with a lot of people, but I needed somewhere to share some of these feelings. So, if you want to comment or criticize, go right ahead, but these are some things I feel quite strongly about. I have been on vacation for the last several days, and the TV has been on a lot. I am not a TV watcher—never really have been. My mother really didn’t like watching TV, and so it was rarely on as we were growing up. My parents felt like if you had free time, that it was far better to read than to watch TV. I carried that same feeling into raising my kids, but didn’t implement it nearly as well as my parents did. I am truly appalled at what is on the TV. Nearly every show has immoral people or people who take the Lord’s name in vain, or who dress immodestly. Sexual themes are predominant, and there is nothing sacred or holy about any of the sexual content. So this generation is growing up where they make fun of sexual things, and they get very used to suggestive content in practically everything. It seems like a lot of their conversations are sexually oriented or have references to sexual things. For any of you who watch TV, which is all of us, even the commercials are disturbing in their sexual innuendos, etc. I went to church today, where there is sacred music and talks about trying to live more Christ-like, service-oriented lives, and then the TV goes on later today (which for my house, is usually avoided on Sunday), and there is nothing of any spiritual nature left. Love is mocked, and lust is basically the “name of the game.” I find it pathetic and very discouraging. If we are going to uplift ourselves, and think more noble and holy thoughts, we need to fill our lives with more truly uplifting things. One of my children asked a very thought-provoking question of a friend of mine, who had never heard of a particular TV show that they were discussing. When he realized that she had never heard of it or watched it, he asked, “So what do SMART people do if you don’t watch shows like that?” What a question—I wish we would all be “smarter” and use our “discretionary time” in a more wise, and uplifting and worthwhile way. I know I have no say pretty much about what other people do, but being exposed to some of these shows this week, has made me feel more determined to try to elevate my thoughts and my actions—that the things that I choose to watch and read and do will truly show my desire to live closer to the Spirit of the Lord, and try to do things that will bring my life more in harmony with His. There is so much time wasted watching TV. I feel like we need to do more active things also—get out and exercise and things like that. I think it’s sad that our lives are so filled with degrading things. I know that I need to strive to live a more purposeful life. I think our world would be so much better if we sought for things that are more uplifting—our conversations and actions and thoughts would just make us purer and more proactive in more worthwhile things. I wish we would all take some time and analyze how much time we spend wasting time watching TV, and determine to make better use of our spare time. I think we would all be blessed if we all would examine our priorities and use our time more wisely. I know I need to work on priorities too (FOR SURE), and just use my time in more worthwhile pursuits. Again, I realize what I say will really bother some people, but I am just expressing my views and some of the concerns that I have. So, just take it as my “soap box” for the day!

I've got Great Kids

Did you notice that title--I don't feel that way ALL the time--just like any mother, I have my "moments," but my kids have been so awesome lately that I need to pay tribute to them. RIght now my kids at home are taking dinner to their dad. He has to work late--he has had a lot of challenges at work lately, and he has had to work lots of extra hours. But my Kelsey, who is super thoughtful, decided that she would take a sub sandwich down to him and some of his favorite candy bars...because he will be working late, and probably not get any dinner. She thinks of things like that all the time--and it just makes me very happy that she does things like that. I think she is a total winner. Then, last week our daughter, Katie went through a miscarriage. It was a huge blow to our whole family. I didn't realize until this happened that when something like this happens, you experience a great loss--not only the person going through it, but also the whole family who was anticipating the birth of another child. I think this experience will make me more empathetic to others going through a trial like this. It made everyone so sad. One of my daughters just wept when she heard it--and all of them texted or talked to Katie, to see how she was doing. My daughter, Emily, went up to Logan (where Katie lives) and spent a few hours with her--took her out for lunch, and for a pedicure. Then she and her husband and son went up another night to bring dinner to Katie and Cody.They live about an hour and a half away, but knew how important it was for Katie and Cody to feel their support. Wow--I was so impressed by all the caring that went on in my family. When the chips are down, they really come through. Life is too short not to let the people we love know that we love them. I am very thankful for my children, and that they think of others in their family...and try to give support and help whereever they can. Moments like this are painful,but incredibly sweeet when you see how much families can rally around each other. We go to the beach in a few days. We are all excited to be together. Of course, the anticipation is half the fun--and we've been looking forward to this for quite a while. Hopefully, it will be as wonderful as we're all hoping.

Here is a picture of me with 2 of my girls--Emily and Katie when we were in Utah

Back Home Again!

Today was Sunday--I have been gone to Utah for about 10 days. We had a roommates reunion with some of my BYU roommates, and it was awesome. They are awesome people who are tremendous examples in my life. I want to be like the Savior, Jesus Christ, and they are such wonderful examples of how to really do that in this life. How thankful I am for all of them. I should post pictures, but I haven't downloaded any of them--but they are the BEST!! Then I went to spend most of the rest of the time with my daughter, Emily, who moved from her townhouse to a beautiful home in Farmington, Utah. It is also close to horses, and the next time I visit, we are going to see those horses. I love horses, and I think it's pretty cool that she lives so close to them. I loved being with her son, SJ, who looks so much like Emily did, and is such a cute little boy. He is busy as can be, and so very smart--he learns all kinds of fun tricks. It has made me think back on being a mother, and I don't think I taught my kids all the fun tricks and funny things to say like Emily and Michael have. I think my kids do better at parenting than I did...but hopefully I did better than I remember. It was a busy week, with packing and watching SJ (grandson) getting into as much as he could. But Michael and Emily were very organized about their preparation, and it was pretty impressive to see how ready they were for this big transistion. They'll do great in their new place, and I can keep dreaming and hoping that maybe someday they'll live closer to us. (well, I can dream, can't I?) I also got to see my daughter, Katie. She came down to help us with the move, and then she drove me up to Logan, where I could meet my "grand pets," a dog and a cat. That was so much fun. She is so easy to talk to, and we are just such good friends. I loved being with her and with her wonderful husband, Cody. I am so thankful for my family! Today I taught Sunday School at Church. It was so much fun. I love to teach. I love to have people participate, and I learn so much from their comments and their insights. I was just substituting, but still it was way fun!! I love to teach about the scriptures because I learn so much in preparing. Anyway, that's an update from here. It is hot here, but it is home, and I am thankful to be back home. Good days to you all!

A belated Father's Day tribute

I can't believe I haven't written in over a month. I am one who really DOES like to write, but I haven't written anything in here. Now that I am healthy, I don't have a lot to write about that is very earth-shattering. That is actually quite nice, but I think that trials and hard times makes us think more about the things we are grateful for. When things are going along all right, we tend to get a little complacent, and probably not as grateful as we should be. We let the little things get us down, and lose sight of the "big picture." I am definitely guilty of that. Yesterday was Father's Day, and it was a good day at our house. My kids were wonderful about expressing their feelings to their dad, and that was a good thing. Just like me, they also can take things for granted...and it is good for them to think about what a great dad they have, and to TELL him that. So it was a good day for him, and he was treated very well. The most meaningful things he received were letters from some of his kids, which they had really thought about, and where they expressed some of their deepest feelings about him. I know that meant a lot to him. I thought a lot about my dad yesterday. He has been gone since 1996, so it has been a long time since I could tell him how I felt about him...and I probably didn't express to him often enough how I felt. My dad was a man of great integrity. In fact, he just EXPECTED us to be honest. I don't remember him ever telling me to be honest, it was just something he expescted of us. My dad did a lot for people--gave a lot fo service to people. One of my favorite memories was of going at Christmas to visit the families of prisoners, in an organization called The Friends Outside. My dad liked people and made friends wherever he went. I am thankful I could be his daughter--many of the things I hold dear are because of his example. I am thankful that my dad was a man of integrity. With the way things are going these days, it is not a common thing to have people who really care about keeping their integrity no matter what.That was my dad. I hope I can stay true to the principles I know are right, no matter what the rest of the world may say. In our scriptures it says that part of the covenant you make when you are baptized is to be a "witness of God at all times, and in all things, and in all places." I hope that I can live in such a way that that could be said of me. I feel like my dad, in spite of his normal weaknesses, tried to be true to what he believed in. I hope I can be like that. May you all be blessed to live true to yourself--then we can always face the "person in the mirror." Have a great day!