Gratitude - Day 1

Because we were traveling and in the midst of some intensive training, we didn't spend much time on social media, thus missing the opportunity to participate in the 7 Days of Gratitude, requested by President Russell M. Nelson. We decided to post each day up until Christmas Day the things that we are grateful for.

Day 1: GRATEFUL!! It's great to be married to your Best Friend! #GiveThanks

Tidbits about Me

What are some of the things your father was especially good at? His special talents and abilities.

     I have been blessed with two fathers. My dad was great at making people laugh and he had a quick wit about him. He would welcome our friends and make them feel comfortable.

He was good at doing things for others. He was a good friend to many. I loved to make my dad laugh and I miss him terribly. He was one to always laugh at my jokes and wit. He didn’t let us talk back to our mother and even though he struggled with being kind to her on occasion, he made sure that we knew we were supposed to be kind to her.

What my father lacked in financial responsibility, he would try to make up with recreation fun. He would take us camping and fishing and riding ATV’s. I remember one time we went up to Hyrum Dam and we had a few friends with us (after I was married) and he would pull us around on a weenie float tube behind his boat. He exceeded the recommended speed and would dump us.


My dad was all about fun.

     After my mom married Stan, we inherited another wonderful dad!

He has been so good for the family. He has brought stability to our lives. He was always so good at putting family first and has worried for years about fitting in. He has been such a great addition to the family and we don’t know what we would do without him! Krampa is such a great supporter for everyone. He encourages people and he is very complimentary to everyone.

He has a wonderful talent for service work and working in the yard. He, along with my mom, has made their yard so beautiful. He has struggled through lots of illnesses since joining our family and a few of them have been life-threatening, but he always seems to have a positive attitude.

What a wonderful, kind and patient man and we love him.

Tidbits of my life

If you had to pinpoint three main values that your parents lived by and tried to instill in you, what would they be?

There are many things that my parents taught by example, good and bad. The first thing is, when I was growing up, “Little House on the Prairie” was a popular TV series. I remember feeling like Laura Ingalls and my father being Charles Ingalls. My dad was not perfect but I do remember how he liked and accepted everyone the same way Charles Ingalls did. He and my mother seemed to welcome all my friends and my brother's friends. They had their favorites and saw through some of the friends that were “fake friends” and not very kind to us as well.

My mother tried to teach us how important it was to save money and not spend frivolously. Even though I watched her try to make up for my dad’s financial weaknesses and temptations, I didn’t understand that much until I got married and had to pay attention to my own finances. Finances should be a joint effort in a marriage and MUST be discussed and agreed upon. I also learned that a budget and living by a budget is crucial in a marriage and in life in general.

The third thing was to support one another as a family. I remember going to each other’s ball games, practices and whatever else we were involved in. We may not have sat and watched everything, but we did go to the parks with each other. I remember one time that my brother played little league football and I was a cheerleader. My mom made my cheer leading outfit, that I still have. Other times my mother helped coach my softball team and taught me how to pitch. Even though my dad couldn't run very well with his half foot, he always encouraged us to get involved and he cheered us on! He even cheered my mother on when she played softball.

Tidbits of my life

By Jody

I gave a challenge to my parents to answer a question a day and said that I would do the same. So it begins…

What did you love to do as a kid, before high school?

One of my most favorite things to do was play night games with the neighborhood kids. Within 2-3 blocks we had a bunch of kids, mostly grade school age. Each summer we would congregate in one area of the neighborhood and play all sorts of night games. We would play until dark or until we heard our parents yell for us to come home. Most of these neighborhood friends lived in the same area until about the time I moved, just before Jr. High. We moved several blocks north of my original childhood home and after I was married, we moved back a few blocks south. Some of the families are still there but many have moved on or passed away.

Doran's Letter

Dear Ward Members,

A number of years ago, Jody and I bought a book to listen to while driving in the car. It was an excellent book and I highly recommend it to youth and families. The book is by Brother Gerald N. Lund. It is called “The Guardian”. The Guardian is a story about a teenage girl named Carruthers, but her father nicknamed her, and she always went by the name “Danni”. Danni was a young girl who had special gifts.

In the book Danni’s grandfather taught her about four important things, that if she remembered them, they would always guide her in her life.

These were called “the Four Remembers of Life”. They are:

1. Remember - YOU are unique.
2. Remember - YOUR life has a purpose.
3. Remember - YOU are free to choose who you are and who you will become.
4. Remember - YOU are not alone.

Remember – YOU are unique.

YOU are a unique son or daughter of our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. You have been born into this world and have had individual experiences that have shaped your life and has made you who you are. You have had, and will have, trials and tribulations as well as happiness and joy. Your family dynamics, your associations with friends and others, and your life experiences, whether in or out of the church, have been unique to you.

Remember – YOUR life has a purpose.

Because you kept your first estate, and chose to follow Christ, you have been born into this world with the purpose of attaining exaltation. Our Heavenly Father has a purpose for you in the roles you play in your family, in your associations, in your friendships, in your community, and only YOU can fulfill YOUR purposes. “My life is a gift; my life has a plan. My life has a purpose; in heav’n it began” (Watkins, V. 1981, I Will Follow God’s Plan).

Remember – YOU are free to choose who you are and who you will become.

No matter your age, you are free to make choices that affect your life now and in the future. Our Father in Heaven has given you the blessing of making choices now to correct mistakes of the past. Good or bad, the past can have an affect on us but does not have to define us. Because of this freedom of choice, YOU have the power to dictate who YOU will become.

Remember – YOU are not alone.

No matter what your current situation is, Heavenly Father has blessed you with people in your life to support and sustain you. You may be blessed with ward family, with friends, with co-workers, with loved ones on both sides of the veil, with angels to attend you, with the Holy Ghost, and especially with the Savior, Jesus Christ and your Heavenly parents. No matter what you may encounter, Remember, YOU are not alone.

Brothers and Sisters, we recognize that this has been, and is, a challenging time in our lives. Yet it has been, and is, a time of great blessings, a time in many ways to slow life down and see the great blessings from our Father in Heaven. We have all seen many changes in the past months. Some of our beloved ward members have passed through the veil and are, and will be, missed very much. We need to be mindful of those loved ones who remain here with us. Our high school seniors have graduated in a year that will certainly be memorable. We love them and wish them the best. Although in many ways it may seem that the world has gone crazy, we need to have faith in the Lord, and to be encouraged by the optimism of our beloved prophet Russell M. Nelson. And as President Thomas S. Monson taught, “YOUR future is as bright as YOUR faith.”

Love,

Brother and Sister Shelley

Doran's Letter

Dear Ward Members,

On this beautiful Mother’s Day my thoughts are with my Mother, my Wife, and all of the other Mothers out there who have had such a great influence on their families. To all the sisters out there I express great reverence and thanks for all you do, and for all you mean to the families of our Heavenly Father’s children.

As I contemplate the situation we are all in, with “Home Church”, in many aspects I am grateful that we can focus this Sabbath day on the dear Sisters in our lives. How grateful I am for the example and influence that the Sisters have, not only in my life, but on our Heavenly Father’s kingdom as a whole. Women have many characteristics of such importance to the salvation of mankind that exaltation would not be possible without them. Elder Matthew Cowley was quoted at saying, “You sisters belong to the great sorority of saviorhood. You may not hold the priesthood. Men are different, men have to have something given to them to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. You are the co-creators with God of his children.” Jack R. Christianson said, “You, as a woman, whether or not you have the opportunity to bear children, belong to the sorority of saviorhood. I don’t know of anything more beautiful than that.”

Sisters, and Brothers also, we often feel we fall short in our efforts to be all that we can and should be. Six years ago, as I was preparing to speak on Mother’s Day in our ward for a high council speaking assignment, I had been praying to know what I should say to the sisters in the ward. About 2:30 A.M. on the morning I was to talk, I was awakened with a thought that was so powerful to me that I had to get up and write it down before I forgot what it said. It was this, “Your imperfections may be exactly what your children need to help them come closer to God, and to help them get to the Celestial Kingdom.

I pray that the Lord’s choicest blessings will be with you at this time. Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Love,

Bother Shelley

Coronavirus

Today is Tuesday, April 28, 2020. (Posted on FB from someone and reposted by Audrey)

- We are (at average) at 43 days of social isolation. In the US alone, there are just under 1 million confirmed covid19 cases with 55,000+ deaths as of this morning.

- Schools have been closed since March 16th and are teaching remotely on-line. Schools will not reopen for the 2019-2020 school year.

- Only “essential” retail stores are open such as grocery stores, hardware stores, and pharmacies. Amazon delivery windows average 3 - 4 weeks when they used to be max. 2 days. No gyms are open, and it’s almost impossible to find weights, exercise equipment, bikes, etc.

- All extra curricular/ volunteer/business meeting and other gatherings are now on virtual meeting platforms i.e.(Zoom, House Party, Go to Meeting, Whatsap, Webex, Google Duo) the list goes on. Hang in there, life will continue and eventually, all together, we will get to a new normal!

- There are lines / tape inside the stores on the floors to keep people 6 feet apart.

- Bars and restaurants are open only for takeout, home delivery & drive through.

- Playgrounds and sports fields are closed. Most beaches, parks and cemeteries are closed to the public. No visitors are allowed in hospitals.

- All major and minor league sports competitions have been canceled as well as kids' sports. The NFL draft was done virtually this week.

-American Idol was done virtually this week.

- All festivals and entertainment events have been banned.

- Weddings, family celebrations, and graduations have been canceled. Funerals limited to 10 people graveside.

- People are doing drive-by parades to celebrate birthdays.

- Young kids can’t understand why they can only see grandparents and; other extended family and friends on a screen or thru a window if someone visits in person or on Facetime online.

-Visitors are prohibited at nursing homes and assisted living residences.

- Hugs and kisses are not exchanged.

- Places of worship are closed or online.

- We have to stay away from each other more than six feet.

- Shortage of disposable masks and gloves in hospitals.

- People are wearing masks, some places REQUIRE that you wear them to enter! People are even sewing their own cloth masks for sale or donation to medical facilities. Illinois announced that as of May 1st, face coverings are required in public over the age of 2 where social distancing cannot be maintained.

- Toilet paper, hand sanitizer, bleach, antibacterial wipes and anything Lysol or Clorox is in short supply and limited per person.... IF you can even find them! (This goes the same for flour and yeast).

- Stores are closing early to disinfect everything. (24 hour stores are even closing by 6,8 or 9 pm)

- Store check outs, pharmacies and even fast food drive thru windows have added plexiglass between the employee and the customer. Have to reach around or under to pay!

- You can't find isopropyl alcohol easily. .. the supply per person is limited.

- Australia, USA, Canada and Europe have closed their borders.

- Western Australia has been divided into 9 territories & an instant $1,500 fine issued for crossing the border without a valid reason. (Transport workers, Essential services etc)

- No one is traveling for leisure. Airports empty. Tourism has the worst crisis in history.

- Wi-Fi and cell phone providers have extended their limits to provide connection to the Internet for people to continue to work from home and for students to learn from their teachers.

- Many public pool access, concerts and summer activities will not be allowed/take place.

- We don't know if baseball seasons will start, hockey season will continue/end or any summer camps, etc. will run. Lots of teen/college summer jobs are up in the air.

-Colleges have not made definite decisions about whether to take their classes online, in person, or open at all for the fall.

-K-12 is being done strictly online and plans to open for the fall have so many unknowns, social distancing, new guidelines for keeping everyone safe. How will it be scheduled? Can sports and activities continue as they have?

- Society appears to be divided about whether or not we should continue to isolate or open back up and get the economy going. It's an election year and politics are messy and complicating this issue.