Here's Hoping "America Can Be Great Again"...

The election is over...the votes have been counted, and we have a new President Elect!  I must say, this has been the craziest 18 months I can ever remember and I can honestly say I am SO glad it is over.  This is the second Presidential Election that I "sat out" on.  I just could not wrap my head around either candidate.  I am not a Democrat, so it was "Never Hillary" for me (and for many other reasons, as well.)  But, being Democrat was not the key issue with Secretary Clinton!  I voted for JFK, way back when, and he was a Democrat.

The hardest choice for me was Mr. Trump.  He just didn't seem sincere enough for me.  But, he did step up to the Bar and looked and sounded very much like a President last night when he accepted the country's vote of confidence.  I will continue to pray for him.  I will continue to pray he will do the things he has promised to do and make Americans proud of him and make our Country great again. I pray we will be able to see the "Shining City on a Hill" return and with respect. We have far to go.

Let us make our Country a Model of Christian Charity.  Turn in your Bibles to Matt 5:14 and read what Jesus had to say about the shining city.

God bless America...we have far to go.  And President Elect Trump, many Americans will be watching you.

So Much To Do About Nothing,..,.

 

 

 

We have an election coming up in our Country for the President of the United States, and I must say in my lifetime (and I have voted since the age of 21...some 14 times!)  There have been good candidates and there have been some not-so-good candidates.  There have been some candidates who seemed to have been made for these times...and they were; and there have been candidates that should never have held the office in the first place.

Makes one sit back and ponder what the fuss is all about.  The people will go to the polls and the people will choose their next President.  In my lifetime,  have not seen the country so divided as to who will be their choice.  The prideful and the rich will vote in troves for Sir Donald Trump, while the middle and lower class...those who like their free goodies and don't want to lose them will most likely vote for thr Queen, herself, Hillary Clinton.  The vote is pretty well divided nearly 40:40:20%.  (The 20% are the rest of us who just aren't willing to "settle" for the lesser of two evils...however, if we don't...she will get the vote!

So, here am I, I says to myself, I'm in a conundrum!  Da*^ if I do and Da*^ if I don't.  And so I look at history...not just our history but world history and even Biblical and Scriptural history.  When a King or ruler in Biblical times followed the Commandments of God and was fair to the people, and when the people in turn were of the same mindset, everything went well.

However, there have come along from time to time some Kings and Rulers whose only objective was the throne and power and the people were made subservient.  Their religion was squashed and they paid their allegiance to the King.  They were in Slavery, so to speak.

World History has repeated the pattern as well.  Henry the VIII of England; Napoleon of France; Caesar of Rome; Hitler of Germany; and the many Communist regimes around the world.  I wish I was an Historian, I could have been far more knowledgeable here, but you get the picture.

What we are heading for is what we have bought, paid for and wrapped in a perfect package for all the world to see.  Somewhere, some 100 or so years ago, we started a Progressive ball rolling that has been picking up momentum from day one and no one has stopped it.  Why do the people want Hillary for President?  Because she represents everything they have been spoonfed from diapers on up...Progressivism is the wave of the future and they are told it is good.  And these new Millenials have bought it hook line and sinker because they have been careully taught in their schools and Universities across the country.

And why do the rest of them want Donald Trump?  Well, it's because he is just a cardboard copy of Ms.Clinton...only he's taller, better looking, funnier at times, and still a Progressive.  They are the same.   Only, because he is a Billionaire who promises big things, he is different.

And so, we have a choice.  We choose a crooked Progressive, a foul-mouthed Billionaire, or one of the other Independents running on their own tickets (which screws things up royally in the end.)  Vote for Trump and pray...Vote for Hillary and she is a shoe-in...don't vote, they say that is a vote for Hillary, bur I don't know...maybe yes, maybe no.

 

 

My philosophy...Pray for Inspiration; Vote your Conscience; Pray that whoever is selected to be our President for the next four years will not run our country over the cliff.  Be Prepared for the worst; Stand Strong in the coming Storms; and never, never give up hope as long as you can still see the sun rise every morning and set every night.

 

 

I Am A Child of God...

From the time of my childhood, fair play has played a huge part of my life.  It wasn't until I was in my teens that I learned that there are a few folks out there who don't play fair.  And, I am ashamed to admit, I sometimes followed their example.  I know that I have been guilty of hurting feelings from time to time because I just didn't put the breaks on m,y mouth and I said whatever came into my head.  Sometimes, I just wanted to get even!  I am not proud of my actions.  I am not pleased with the young woman that I became.

And then, I met Jesus.  He turned my life around.  How did I meet him, you ask?  Through reading Scriptures.  I have read the Bible through once, and studied it over the years in classes taught by inspired instructors.  I found Jesus in the Scriptures.

I have also read The Book of Mormon...probably 20 times over my lifetime and alsi studied it with instructors who edified what I found there.  And what did I find?  I found Jesus.

Jesus saved my life.  He saved my soul.  The more I read, the more I found the amazing reality of His Atonement.  He went through all of that agony not only for me, but He suffered all of your pains as well.

Why am I writing about this today?  Because I have had two experiences recently which have brought the teachings of the Scriptures and more importantly, of Jesus Christ to the forefront.  Someone very near and dear to me is suffering very deeply with the choice of going through a very severe repentance process.  I told this friend of my own experience nearly 50 years ago when I walked that very same path.  No!  It is not easy.  It wasn't meant to be easy.  But what I learned from my experience was that it is better to go through the pain and suffering of deep, brokenhearted repentance now than have to go through far worse pains in the hereafter, risking your eternal reward.

My son called me this morning and was distraught with events in his new little family that are causing him great concern.  With Dean on the phone, we all talked and tried to come to some fair conclusions.  While on the phone, Billy confided in us of a dream he had last night which involved Jesus Christ as our Savior, the long, straight and narrow path, the iron rod and the filthy pit of fire and brimstone beside the path.  He said he saw a devil-like (even Hitler-like) figure rise out os the pit spewing fire from his eye.  He said it was Donald Trump and he feared for the fate of our country if he should become President!

I reminded him to keep his focus on the goal at the end of that path...the Tree of Life (God's Love) and eternal life.  This life is but a moment and our focus must be always on our goal.  I love my son and am so proud of him remembering his teachings from Seminary.  He, too, has read his Scriptures.  And I love his beautiful wife and her two beautiful daughters.  They are teaching me that even though we don't share the same faith, we share some of the same beliefs and goals.

This has been both an amazing day and a day of prayer.  May the Good Lord keep these great souls closely enfolded within His arms.  Lead them upon the right paths and bring them home to Him.

How very grateful I am for the teachings of my youth and for those who ingrained those messages into my very core.

Whole...In Spite of Our Holes...

Holes!  When I close my eyes, as I am doing right now, I picture a variety of holes that I am acquainted with!  I picture that great hole in the street, called a "sink hole," where a bus just fell into.  Honest...it was on the news a few days ago!  Those holes are to be avoided!  I think of holes in the desert which I have been told are homes to various desert inhabitants...even snakes.  I do not examine these holes, because I do not like snakes.

There are teeny-tiny holes in the sand on our beach made by the little sand crabs that evade us by escaping into their holes.  There are holes in Swiss Cheese that I am told are supposed to be there due to the process of aging.  I have seen holes in my mother's bread which occurred either in the raising process or the baking process...I forget which.

Though I have never seen a "black hole" (see the above photo), I have enough faith in Science and the process of discovery that I believe they are there.  A few years ago, I had to have brain surgery to remove a rather large head bleed and now I have 2 extra holes in my head.  One is about the size of a  quarter and the other one about the size of a pencil's circumference.  Apparently, I did need "another hole in my head!"  I am also sporting a few more holes in my skin as the result of Skin Cancer surgeries.  That is the result of my love of the sun in good old Sunny Southern Californiaa where I grew up.

Throughout my life, through the process of experience, I have acquired some holes in my very existence.  There are holes in my heart from the losses of some of the most important people in my life; and there are holes in my Spiritual Path because of some of my life's choices.

I remember two very vivid things that happened to me as a child.  One was the umpteenth time I tripped and fell, scraping my hands until they stung so bad, tearing a hole in my jeans and creating a huge cavern in my knee.  Like the many other times I had stumbled and fallen, I ran home to the comfort of the only person I knew who could calm me down and fix the hurts...my Mother.  I knew I could count on her to "fix things!"  She always did!  Like the time I stepped on a nail which was still attached to a board.  It went clear through my foot!  I pulled my foot off the nail and the board, limped home, sporting a hole clean through my foot and there was my mother ready to soak my foot in Epsom Salts and bandage the wound.  She was there for my knee, as well.  She washed my hands and scrubbed my knee (I objected loudly!)  Mom always dressed our wounds with something called "Oil 'O Sol," which I swear smelled much like the Melaleuca Oik that I use today!  Hmmm.

I had to tell about my mother's role in healing my wounds, because I think it is a metaphor for how I have managed to heal the other holes in my life.  Those that injure the heart, soul, spirit and psyche, need a higher power to help heal them.  I was having a conversation with my daughter, Heather, the other day and she made a comment that started my wheels turning and thus the inspiration for this writing.  I had said to her: "I have a couple of holes in my life that I wish had never happened..."  Her reply to me (and I have her permission to quote her) was this: "We all have holes mama!...I think it's what we do in spite of those holes, that makes us whole."  Wow!  Whole, in spite of our holes.

My relationship with my mother was important.  My faith in her led to my healthy relationship with my Heavenly Father and Huis Son, Jesus Christ.  Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are promised wholeness...our holes will disappear...when we display Godly sorrow and repent.  I am so grateful for that cleansing process in my life.

Life is Learning the Art of Balance...

We all have days when we feel like we are balancing on a tightrope.  I know I do.  Everything exists within that narrow margin of balance.  When you were a tiny baby, you had to learn to balance your head...else it would "fall off your shoulders!"  All through babyhood, there were many skills you would learn that revolved around balance.  Walking, climbing, learning to keep your peas on your spoon were some of the hardest ones to learn.  Oh my, no...I take that back...learning to ride a bike, stand up on ice skates, ski downhill, or turn that flawless pirouette were my hardest!

Lately, I have been confronted with some very interesting balancing acts.  When I first got married, oh so many years ago, I learned to balance a checkbook, balance my chores so that at the end of the day, every single one would be completed, and balance my time between my husband and myself.  As the children kept on coming, (I have 6), my time-balancing-act got crowded.  Some days I was successful, and some days I was not.

I learned that you balance your emotions through the "better or worse" experiences.  I learned that life can be just as happy during the "poorer" times as it is during the "richer" times.  I learned that there is a beautiful spiritual balance between those "sickness and health" challenges in our life.  Grateful am I for these experiences, because without them life would be shallow and empty.

Of late, I have been devastated with an emotional battle between depression and panic/anxiety attacks; and I am learning to balance not only my life and my actions, I am learning to balance my thoughts, as well.  Mental health is vital to learn how to battle the deep caverns we find ourselves stuck in sometimes...and when someone throws you a life-saving rope, do not hesitate to grab on as if your life depended upon it...because it does!

Life is the tightrope.  The pole you hold on to for dear life that gives you balance is the Word of God.  Gravity would pull you down off of the rope if you let it...don't let it.  It is that awful adversary who tells you, "You don't need balance in your life...no one does!  Just let it all go and 'fall!'"  I have heard his voice.  But the voice that tells me to hold on, take a deep breath, let God hold you steady is a stronger voice and the one I choose to listen to.  As long as I have breath in my body, I choose to hold on to the rod, stay balanced and reap whatever rewards are in store for me at the end of my journey.  I prat you will do the same.

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Only For Now...

This is the story of two paths which for a lifetime have traveled in the same direction, side-by-side, seemingly to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way and each other's company.  One path, though the way was not always straight or without bumps, was reaching very near to its end and spent its days enjoying the lovely trees, flowers, streams, ocean shores and mountains along the way.  The other path found only playful fields and waves to splash in and enjoyed a very different world view.


One day, the two paths came to a seemingly high mountain to either clime or go around.  The one path, seeing the peril that awaited a climb over the mountain, chose to go around it in a much safer direction.  The other path chose to go over the mountain.  The two paths stated their views, but still the decision was made and they parted.


This is the way life is.  We think we know a better way, when we throw everything we have been taught in our early journey over the cliff and take the perilous road over the mountain.  Those of us who cling tightly to our values and the teachings of our youth choose to travel the better way, skirting around those perilous cliffs which can lead to our undoing.


Why am I writing this?  Because I see in these "end of times" days, many relationships ending in this manner.  I see our nation being torn apart by conflicting views...by those who want to ignore the values of the past and travel the hard road!  I see this in marriages that are torn apart by selfishness as one partner sees a better adventure over the mountain.  And I see families in distress, one pitted against the other with conflicting views.


I hold fast to my path.  I hold fast to the teachings of my fathers...both those of our nation and my own family.  This is what I believe:
     (1)  I believe in God, the Eternal Father, who is Sovereign and reigns supreme over His children.  He is my guide and holds not only the Keys to His entire Kingdom, but he holds my welfare in His hands.
     (2)  I believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth as a Sacrificial Lamb to teach us the truths of His Father's Gospel, and then to Atone for the sins of all the world.  And, not only the sins, but also all if the illnesses, distress, anguish, heartaches, whatever ails mankind...He took these upon Himself and in doing so, He bled from every pore as He poured out His heart to His Father in the Garden.  He asked for the "Cup to be removed from Him," but He knew He must go forward and do the Father's will.
     (3)  I believe that God, the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to a 14=year-old boy in a grove of trees in upstate New York in answers to the boy's fervent prayer for answers to his questions concerning religion.  And from that first vision of the boy, Joseph Smith, sprang up a gospel that would spread throughout the whole earth.  A Gospel restored, even by Jesus Christ himself.
     (4)  I believe in the sacred covenant of Baptism by emersion by those having the authority to do so.  I believe that repentance is necessary to receive forgiveness of sins.  I believe in the Gift of the Holy Ghost, conferred upon a baptized person, by one having the authority to do so by the laying on of hands.
     (5)  I believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is led today by Prophets who love us and lead us by the inspiration and gift of prophecy.  I believe that they walk and talk with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and that they are given instructions pertaining to the governing of the Saints in these latter-days!


There are many, both inside and outside of the Church, who would question most, if not all of my beliefs.  Be that as it may, I have lived through enough of life's difficult challenges to KNOW that what I profess is true.  I have had visions of my own and I have felt my Savior's loving arms around me on more than one occasion.  I have knelt in fervent prayer to ask to know these things and to ask forgiveness for my sins...both of commission and omission.  It was then that I felt His loving arms around me and He said, "Peace.  All is well." I have felt my dearly departed husband's hand upon my forehead when I prayed for forgiveness and to know he had forgiven me.  And I heard these words, "I do forgive."


And so, my path continues around the mountain, enjoying the beautiful vistas before me.  I don't know whether I shall meet the path that traveled over the mountain again, but I shall say my prayers for the other path, and perhaps on the other side, we shall meet again.

"A Sentimental Journey..."

Once in a great while, I like to take a little journey backward, reflecting on experiences of the past. I took such a journey the other day, back to my childhood and curiosity led me to search for pictures of the two houses I grew up in in Santa Monica, California.  I suspected there would be changes, but was taken aback at just how many changes there were.


The first house I remember we lived in was at 2205 Ashland Avenue.  Dad bought this house shortly before he ventured into the restaurant business.  I can't be sure, but I believe they paid all of $6,000 for it.  It was a cozy little 2-bedroom, 1-bath home with a single car garage and a  huge backyard.  I spent my formative years there, enjoying friendships with just about every kid on the whole block!  I can still remember some of their names: Joan Tommasino, Ivan Anderson, Suzie Klein and a couple of boys who lived on the farthest corner house.  Most of the other houses were occupied by only adults.


I learned to roller skate, ride a bike, grasped a little taste of independence by earning an allowance by cleaning the bathroom and my bedroom and later, the living room and doing dishes.  Oh, and practicing my piano every day.  My dad was a great teacher and led me to know the value of a dollar.  I could spend it foolishly and pay the consequences later, or spend wisely and save a little here and there.  Mostly, I spent my dollar foolishly for things like candy and ice cream!


My early childhood was full of fun and friends and laughter and sometimes, tears.  I skinned my knees innumerable times, stubbed my toes relentlessly, and stepped on uncountable nails because I refused to wear shoes!  Our huge backyard was a little girls dreamland.  Mom and dad had a "Victory Garden," planted after the end of WWII.  There were all sorts of vegetables that I could pick and eat.  And farthest from the house were two avocado trees.  One didn't bear any fruit, but the one that did was always loaded with avocadoes--my favorite!  The branches of this tree hung down to the ground and was a perfect hiding place whenever I wanted to get away from my brother.  Later, it would serve as my "girls only" meeting place.


I don't have a picture of what it looked like when I lived there, but here is a picture of what it looks like today.

They have converted the garage into a Master Suite and added a second bathroom.  They have bricked in the driveway...a feature that I love.  That big lawn in the front was there in my childhood and I remember practicing cartwheels and back-bends endlessly,  And when my brother was finished mowing the lawn, I would scoop up the grass cuttings and form my own little house for my little tiny babies to live in.  (Yes, I was a crazy kid!)  I don't have any pictures of the backyard or the inside, but I was able to take a virtual tour of the whole house.  My, my what beautiful changes have taken placer here!  All of the floors are wood.  I don't know whether they are the original wood floors or not, but they are beautiful.  They have opened up the kitchen with a pass-through bar into the dining room and extended the kitchen into where mom's washer and cleaning sink was.  It is truly an improvement.


There have also added a  family room behind the second bedroom with open vaulted ceilings.  The back yard now has a covered patio next to the house, a concrete area and a new 2-car garage which is accessed from the alley.  All of the landscaping is California coastal and they have done a very nice job.  But, the avocado trees are gone!  This house holds many happy childhood memories.  It was a wonderful trip down memory lane for me. 


The second house I lived in in Santa Monica, from 1950 to 1957 (when I graduated from High School and went off to College), was located just one block from my dad's restaurant, Pickle Bill's.  This is the house that has undergone an interesting transition from a lovely, quaint 1940's Spanish Style home with arches on the front porch and over the driveway.  It was a flat roof design with the red Spanish tile showing only on the outline of the roof.  I loved this house.


I grew up here, from childhood to my teen years.  I went through an ugly puberty, turning into a selfish, self-willed teen that my mom and dad had to suffer through.  I was lonely here.  There were no children that I knew on the block...and all of my friends went to a different school.  I was shy and unsure of myself as I approached my teen years.  The only three things I had that brought me joy, were my dancing lessons, my piano lessons (yes, I loved piano!), and tending my baby sister, "Teenie!"  It wasn't until I got to Jr High School that I finally made friends.  I was impressionable and at times, my choices of friends was not what my parents approved of.  So, I suffered through either rejection by my parents or acceptance from my new friends.  Unfortunately, I chose the latter.


The only thing that saved me during my tumultuous  teen years, was my activity in my Church.  Here, I found new friends who pointed me in the right direction...though I still felt like the middle of the rope in a "tug o' war" contest.  Which side would win?  I found my Savior in that activity in church.  And even though there was a war going on inside of me, I always managed to choose the right side of the issue.  I chose Christ.


I "grew up" in this house!  I learned that my parents were the greatest gift I could ever ask for.  And, in the end, are the very best friends a girl can have here on earth.  Oh, my selfish nature still creeps its ugly head into my behavior from time to time, but deep in my heart I knew which path I want to follow...I want the one where Jesus will sometimes carry me and sometimes let me fall.  But it always was and has been a comfort to know that He is always there.


The house on 26th Street was transformed recently, and I found a picture of its transformation.]

To say I like the change would be a lie.  I like the old architecture!  There was no virtual tour for this house, so I have no idea what that new two-story addition looks like on the inside.  They have changed the entry from a side door off of a porch, to a front door off of a new walkway.  A few years ago, before they did these changes, I visited the property and there was a really intriguing Japanese style garden on the entire front lawn.  All of that is gone now.  I don't have the picture I took on this computer, but the house was still the old one!


Like the two houses I grew up in, both have undertaken many changes and so have I.  In some respects, my life has blossomed into something beautiful, like the first house, and I have evolved into a modern world, learning new directions, new ways to give and get love, new respect for my family and friends and even those I have never mer.  I have grown to love history and both of these homes represent a vital part of my history.  I am grateful for the memories I have and the experiences that brought me to where I am today...all through the living and loving in these two homes.  I pray their current owners will also experience such love while they occupy their respective homes.


Thank you Santa Monica for giving my parents two homes that, if their walls could speak, would testify to the world, that "here lived a good, happy family."  Thank you 2205 Ashland Avenue for giving me laughter, tears, love and the beginning of my journey to find Jesus.  My friend, Joan, taught me the verse in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son."  I memorized that part and kept it in my hart.  Thank you, 2318-26th Street for giving me growth, both in finding and accepting Christ into my lifer and creating in me a thirst to know more; and the growth in physical and emotional stature, as well.  I am so very grateful for my journey so far and for the formative and growing years that taught me to be strong, have faith, and to know love--both the giving and the getting of it.  I am grateful for these and so many more memories that encircle my life every day.