"The last days are not for the faint of heart or the spiritually out of shape. There will be days when you feel defeated, exhausted, and plain old beat-up by life’s whiplash. People you love will disappoint you—and you will disappoint them. You’ll probably struggle with some kind of mortal appetite. Some days it will feel as though the veil between heaven and earth is made of reinforced concrete. And you may even face a crisis of faith. In fact, you can count on trials that test your testimony and your faith.

The simple fact is that our Father did not recommend Eve or Moses or Nephi or countless other magnificent exemplars for this dispensation—He recommended you and me. Do you think God would have left the last days to chance by sending men and women He couldn’t count on? A common theme of patriarchal blessings given to men and women your age is that you were sent now because our Father’s most trustworthy children would be needed in the final, decisive battle for righteousness. That is who you are, and it is who you have always been.

God wants a powerful people. No one better understands that Satan is real and that he has power. No one better understands that none of us is smart enough or resilient enough to spar with Satan and survive spiritually. He is a snake, in every sense of that word.

We have access to the greatest and grandest of all power. And when we have the power of God with us, we truly can do all things—including everything we were born to do. And we were born to lead. We were born for glory."

-Sheri Dew ("You Were Born to Lead, You Were Born for Glory," Speech given at BYU Dec. 9, 2003) 

I found this on facebook this morning, I like the message a lot!

"Have you ever noticed how in the scriptures men are always going up into the mountains to commune with the Lord? 

Yet in the scriptures we hardly ever hear of women going to the mountains. 

But we know why — right? Because the women were too busy keeping life going; they couldn’t abandon babies, meals, homes, fires, gardens, and a thousand responsibilities to make the climb into the mountains!

I was talking to a friend the other day, saying that as modern woman I feel like I’m never “free” enough from my responsibilities, never in a quiet enough, or holy enough spot to have the type of communion I want with God. 

Her response floored me, “That is why God comes to women. Men have to climb the mountain to meet God, but God comes to women where ever they are.”

I have been pondering on her words for weeks and have searched my scriptures to see that what she said is true. 

God does in deed come to women where they are, when they are doing their ordinary, everyday work. 

He meets them at the wells where they draw water for their families, in their homes, in their kitchens, in their gardens. He comes to them as they sit beside sickbeds, as they give birth, care for the elderly, and perform necessary mourning and burial rites.

Even at the empty tomb, Mary was the first to witness Christ’s resurrection, She was there because she was doing the womanly chore of properly preparing Christ’s body for burial. 

In these seemingly mundane and ordinary tasks, these women of the scriptures found themselves face to face with divinity.

So if — like me — you ever start to bemoan the fact that you don’t have as much time to spend in the mountains with God as you would like. Remember, God comes to women. He knows where we are and the burdens we carry. He sees us, and if we open our eyes and our hearts we will see Him, even in the most ordinary places and in the most ordinary things.

He lives. And he’s using a time such as this to speak to women around the world."

Original 🖌: Heather F.

I will misunderstand, especially about things I have no experience with!

So, it really was 81 episodes in an hour. Every minute ~ 1.3 stops, every 44 seconds stopped breathing enough to wake myself. Not that they were spread out evenly, but math IS my thing...so if I can work numbers, I'll work 'em!

The CPAP really does help, the understaffed Sleep Study Department is a pain, I am sure with the ability to actually talk to a doctor more than once or twice a year it would help even more. Once last year, once this year. She left the practice so my May appt didn't happen, calling them tomorrow to schedule with the new person, unless he can't see me before July because Then I will be Medicare and everything will have to be redone. No, I do NOT understand Medicare, I was just warned by the previous doctor that they would require an appt to verify the situation/diagnosis.

Weekly study of the New Testament has us reading Joseph Smith - Matthew 1; Matthew 25; Mark 12-13; Luke 21   Finally I understand the parable of the wicked husbandmen.  I was listening to a talk by Mark E Peterson, given in the April 1972 General Conference, and it just "clicked".   https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1972/04/a-people-of-sound-judgment?lang=eng  about 6 minutes into his talk I go "OH! The servants that were beaten and/or killed were the prophets (in various dispensations of time), the son, of course, is Jesus Christ, and the wicked husbandmen were religious leaders that didn't want their hold over the people to be broken."

No, his topic was not that (or any) parable, but I have been studying and reading this week and as he recounted the history of prophets being ignored, ridiculed, killed...it clicked for me.

Matthew 25:31-46 ...as ye have done it unto the least of these... ties to Mosiah 2:17 and keeps reminding me that being in the Nursery has a purpose. Le assured me I can share my scriptural insights with my class, DJ (21mo.) and 3 'older' boys (2-3 years old). It would be interesting to see what they told their parents, at least two of them can talk. The third little boy only came once and spent the time in his mother's lap watching the others.

Adding songs to my profile has me listening to a Bread Greatest Hits album via YouTube. lol A song that didn't get on the list, but will soon, is "Stay with Me" Michael McLean  It is at the 21:20 minute mark on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1eE330FiAM  also really awesome is "Safe Harbors" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqYwNo5L9RA

I will have sleep apnea - yep

I got a call from the sleep study people Monday. I had 81 episodes in a time period they want no more than 5. I  think I slept 10-4, 6 hours, so 13 episodes an hour, or every 4 minutes. She said 81 in an hour but I would be a zombie if that were true.
They want your oxygen to be 90 or above, my low was 79. They will need me to come in for another study to establish what will correct me, they are scheduling appointments for early December right now so January isn't that much later than if I were home.

I will take time to not only Be grateful but to Journal my gratitude.

2018 has been BUSY, all four days of it! As I begin the fifth day of 2018 I decided I want to put in 'writing' at least one good thing about each day.
1 January  LeAnna is getting more yellow (jaundiced) but she is not in pain like she was. We were able to get paint and start taping my room. Le did the high, along the wall/ceiling for me.
2 January  The doctor contacted Le and she was admitted to Providence Hospital in Everett WA. I am relieved that she is being seen. Cutie Baby/ I did well thru the night. Aunt Rosie had her half the day.
3 January  The doctors are hung up on the fact Le is not in excruciating pain so have redone all the tests, all the results agree, the ERCP will be done this afternoon. They removed "a huge stone(s) and lots of sludge" from the biliary duct, had to cut something so it took longer and is more serious, but she is so much better. I and Cutie Baby went to Everett, she and Daddy spent the night at Aunt Cora's, I spent the night with Le and Tiny Man in the hospital.
4 January  I came home alone midday, showered/ Napped. It was heavenly. The refrigerator is in at the new house, Le is home, packed the shoe tree, sewing machine, current projects. Updated planner
5 January tbd Off to a good start xoxoxox

I will finally get Google results!

I have been looking for this since my daughter in law posted it year(s)? ago, and got brave enough to try an image search today ;-} The idea appeals to me strongly. I can see Father in this circle protecting one of us. He believed absolutely that those we love on the other side of the veil are interested in our safety and progress and intercede in our behalf.

I will be blessed to help people by being a tool in the hand of the Lord.

I was working tonight with a patron well versed in FamilySearch, she trains new missionaries as they transfer in on how to use FamilySearch on their mission. This was her third attempt to solve her problem with the system acting up. She had emailed previously but was unable to explain clearly what was happening so tonight she decided to call.  We dealt with her problem by verifying the system was NOT working as designed, and she then showed me a work around for it.

Because of her comments re: helping missionaries to understand the effect that family history can have, I shared a great experience I had tonight with a patron who was in tears when we had corrected his problem in the tree. I felt a bit guilty about staying on the call essentially just visiting about the impact of the work, etc. when the subject of adoption came up.

Her husband's adopted family's work was thoroughly done by his mother so she was trying to find his biological family for him to work on. He had gotten copies of his adoption paperwork but most of it was redacted. From a signature on the paperwork they had gleaned his mother's name might have been Taylor but didn't know if it was a maiden or married name. They were aware that his mother was married but he was not her husband's child.

I asked if she knew that My Heritage had announced a few weeks ago that they now had adoption records. I hadn't gone in to check exactly what was available or for what locations but had found it interesting since my mother is adopted. She said she had not heard but was signing in as we spoke.

I said something unimportant/ on topic and she suddenly said “I don't believe it! My husband is not going to believe this!” His name and birth date in the adoption database in My Heritage brought up his record and his mother's maiden name was Palmer.

We were both very emotional (I was crying), it was not an accident I saw that announcement weeks ago or that I received her call tonight. She needed to know about those records in My Heritage.