Thanks-giving...

How is it that we can live in "the best of times" and at the same time live in "the worst of times?"  As my daughter, Kim, reminded me recently, "our day has been prophesied."  The Prophets of old saw our day and they saw tumultuous times everywhere in the world.

But, they also gave us a key and a promise.
``````````````The key is that we follow the Prophets, spend every single day reading and pondering the scriptures, keeping the commandments and basically, living righteous lives.
`````````````The promise is that we will be blessed to be able to get through these troubled times and return home to our Heavenly Father, which is the ultimate goal of our journey through life.

I have a strong testimony of the truthfulness of these things and how grateful I am today for my parents who taught me "to question with boldness" and take my questions to the Lord, who will answer them and give me peace in my life.

I was pondering the other day remembering another tumultuous time in my life.  I was but a small child, age 2, when WWII threatened to come to our shores.  The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor!   It was December 7, 1941. As the war with Japan wore on, their reconnaissance and fighter planes flew over the entire west coast of the United States.

We lived in Santa Monica, California, and I remember black-outs and planes flying overhead and huddling in our living room with nothing but a candle for light.  The sound of the planes scared me, but I had a loving mother, just like a mother hen, who took her children under her wings, comforted us and told us to pray.  When we prayed, we received comfort.

My dad was an Air Raid Warden and when the sirens sounded, he donned his hard hat and kissed his family goodbye and went out the front door.  I was scared for him!  He was our strength and our protector...and he was protecting us by monitoring the streets and skies and doing his job.

My parents were the salt of the earth.  They were my examples that I patterned my life after.  Families are the core unit of this country and we need to protect our families at all costs.  I would give my life for my family.  As I walk the path at the end of the road, I have a lot of time to look back and this memory was just one of many that I don't want to forget.  My stories, though personal to me, need to be passed on to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  I love you all so very much.

Give thanks this coming Thanksgiving day for family!