plowing my ground

Thank you for reading my blog.  This morning, as I continue to figure out how to apply what President Nelson said about the 25th Article of Faith to my life...my thoughts turned to this blog.  You are to be commended because...it's not eye-appealing or catchy or trendy or splashy or vying for attention along with the zillions of other blogs out there.  

Why isn't it updated from 8 years ago?  One thing is...I don't know how!  Then my precious red camera (if a camera can be precious...it was!) gave up the ghost AND my phone, that new phone that I seem to stubbornly refuse to figure out, just sits.  unused.  My 2 main excuses!

This blog is about my thoughts on my life and my take on the Gospel in my life.  So it makes sense that it's going to be looking book-like at first glance and actually all glances after that!  

Visually...I will learn to use the phone for pictures but not much else will change!

This is on my mind because of my studying that 25th Section and deciding that my little plain blog, that I have all tucked away and pretty much hid, is something that I do need to continue to do.

What an amazing thing to have President Nelson ask us to study prayerfully Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants...and to figure out for each of us what we should do to access the power of God in our own lives!  How exciting is that invitation????

I've always like this section.  I've enjoyed my study so far and intend to endeavor doing as he counseled.  For me, well, at least for me so far, I feel to pay attention to and be more alert to... 

vs.5- husband- comfort. aid in afflictions. consoling words. be compassionate. kind. meekness.  also vs.14-delight in husband
vs.7-Expound scriptures.  Exhort.
vs.8-Writing. Learning much.
vs.10-Lay aside the things of this world.  Seek for things of a better.
vs.12-The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.
vs.13-Rejoice. Cleave unto my covenants
vs.14-Meekness. Beware of pride.
vs.15-Keep commandments continually.

I'm seeking to understand what the Lord would have me know and do...as President Nelson requested.  I now have a basic outline of feelings about Section 25.  Now I'll move on to creating a sketchy outline for those other two sections.  84 and 107.  very lengthy.  very Priesthoody to me.  I need to just dive in.  Not familiar sections to me.  Nothing off hand pops into my head like the 25th did. 

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Part of President Nelsons talk....

You won’t find this process spelled out in any manual. The Holy Ghost will be your personal tutor as you seek to understand what the Lord would have you know and do. This process is neither quick nor easy, but it is spiritually invigorating. What could possibly be more exciting than to labor with the Spirit to understand God’s power—priesthood power?

What I can tell you is that accessing the power of God in your life requires the same things that the Lord instructed Emma and each of you to do.

So, I invite you to study prayerfully section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants and discover what the Holy Ghost will teach you. Your personal spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand, and use the power with which you have been endowed.

1. 
   

Really??

When I opened a new bag of Gold Medal plain white flour...it had a printed warning label of sorts!

COOK BEFORE SNEAKING A TASTE

-----------------------------

FLOUR IS RAW

PLEASE COOK FULLY BEFORE ENJOYING

So there you go!  A new fact that you never thought of before and now you know!!

Mountains...

I've been around mountains all of my life.  Mostly Alaskan mountains.  I love my Alaskan mountains...Mt. McKinley and Sleeping Lady and of course, Kachemak Bay Mountain Range.

I love the rolling hills, where I live in Washington, that are covered with fruit trees and vineyards.  If I get in the right spot on the road I can see Mountains in the faraway distance.

I'm in love with the beauty of the earth.  I am fascinated by the seasons and the variety of everything I see.  I appreciate God's handiwork...created for me to enjoy during my earth-life.  I'm awe-inspired and can just gaze and soak it up in all it's splendor.

Gaze...from a distance.  Not like Maria in Sound of Music singing Climb Every Mountain here  

A popular climb around here is scaling Mount Adams.  For some it is a rite of passage and for others an annual day long grueling event.  I enjoy seeing their pictures and hearing of their feats.

I have absolutely no desire to ever scale any mountain.  Remember- I'm a gazer...an appreciator...not a climber of mountains.

Recently I watched the most amazing talk.  This man is a non-climber also but he ends up doing a climb even though he is petrified.  I absolutely loved his entire talk and have watched it probably 3 times!  You must watch this!!!  Why Mountains?  2019 Michael A. Dunn    here

I have spent a lot of time, enjoying and thinking about a reference to a scripture at the end of his talk, when he mentions Caleb.

Caleb was in that group of men, along with Joshua, that Moses sent to Hebron to check out the land and the possibilities, if they should move to take it over.  Moses told them to check out everything and was very specific even to telling them to bring back some grapes.  They journeyed there and found it to be a land of milk and honey.  a land of abundance.  it was all built up and fortified.  there were giants living there.  The majority of the men said it would be to hard and to difficult to overtake it and also there were the giants to contend with!  Caleb, the dissenting voice along with Joshua, said that he knew they could do it.  They could do it all.  He did not convince them.  Moses told Caleb though that when the lands were divvied up that Caleb would get Hebron.  Caleb was 40 years old at this time.

Flash forward and jump from Numbers to Joshua. Caleb is now 85 years old and the land is being dispersed to the tribes.  Caleb reminds Joshua that Moses had promised him Hebron.  Joshua had been there when Moses told him that fact so Caleb was given Hebron.

I can't get this marvelous story out of my mind.  so many things hit me.

Caleb didn't whine and complain for those 45 years of waiting but when the time was right...he stood up for himself and what he'd been told.

Moses had acknowledged in Numbers that Caleb hath followed me fully.  45 years later Caleb acknowledged in the book of Joshua I wholly followed the Lord my God.

and then...the biggie...Caleb says ...Now therefore give me this mountain, wereof the Lord spake in that day.

Caleb knew what he was getting into.  He knew in 45 years there would've been lots of growth and he also knew that giants still inhabited the land.  He declared he was just as strong and just as ready as he'd been 40 years earlier and he wanted  that challenging mountain!

My LifeExperience mountains are just as real to me and just as treacherous and just as challenging and just as devastating and overwhelming as the physical mountains, when I read of others climbing treks/adventures/mis-haps.

The other part, that really grabbed me was the word wholly.  Caleb knew he had been obedient.  I loved the confidence that he exhibited.  The self-assurance to say...I wholly followed.

Wholly...

ADVERB

1. entirely; fully.

   "she found herself given over wholly to sensation" · 
   

   [more]

   synonyms:

   completely · totally · absolutely · entirely · fully · thoroughly · utterly · quite · perfectly · altogether · downright · without qualification · without reservation · unreservedly · in every respect · in all respects · unconditionally · unconstrainedly · unrestrictedly · consummately · undisputedly · unmitigatedly · wholeheartedly · radically · stark · just · to the hilt · all the way · to the maximum extent · one hundred percent · totes · exclusively · only · solely · purely · simply · merely · alone · to the exclusion of everything/everyone else

How can we know we are doing okay, like Caleb?  He just knew.  For me, I think this is a great scripture to evaluate ourselves...it's about knowing are hearts and being honest about ourselves to ourselves!!

D&C  97:8
Verily I say unto you, all among them who know their hearts are ^ahonest, and are broken, and their spirits contrite, and are ^bwilling to observe their covenants by ^csacrifice—yea, every sacrifice which I, the Lord, shall command—they are ^daccepted of me.

Enjoy reading the amazing inspiring real story...Numbers 13:17-20, 30-33; 14:6-10, 24.  Joshua 14: 7-10, 12-15.   Just a few of the verses!

I want to be wholly Holy!!

"Double Boiler"

The clock top pulls forward (not upwards!) and I can see Mother printed....

Christmas 1976

 My "Double Boiler"

from Kipper! 

I forgot it was a Revere Ware Double Boiler she was wanting.  I do have her small one.

Time....Sometimes it seems to drag on forever and other times it just whizzes by!  

I enjoy the steady beat and rhythm of my clock.  Just like a heart beat it goes and goes and goes.  Chiming every 15 minutes it lets me know where the minute hand is.  4 notes at quarter after.  8 notes at half past.  12 notes at quarter til.  16 notes, in those combo's of 4, on the hour and then the chime!  I love the Westminster chime it is set on...very steady and certain and reverberating, as it gongs out the hour.  In it's old age...it rings one extra gong so I always minus one.

Each Saturday, I wind the 3 weights, by pulling straight down on the chains, as my Mother taught me. 

When my clock was her clock and I flew in to visit Mother--it stood on the stair-landing, to my upstairs bedroom. The clock was so bothersome.  I couldn't sleep with the 15 minute chiming interruptions plus the incessant gonging on the hour!  In kind consideration she would turn it off while I was there.

I now realize that was a sacrifice for her to turn it off, as I know how much I enjoy it's signalling me and letting me know that time is passing by.  She had that pleasure, such a love-gift from Daddy, for 23 years.  This is now the 20th year of my enjoying it.  

Sometimes during the day...I don't hear it at all.  Then I focus and I hear it.  At night, I will fall asleep to the sound and eventually not even hear it at all until I start to stir awake... or I wake up in the middle of the night and concentrate on the notes to figure out what time it is and suddenly I know.  It's a comforting sound to me. 

This clock is so special to me.  I realize that my feelings and awareness of the clock is akin to my feelings and awareness of the Holy Ghost.  Sometimes very clear and easily understood.  Sometimes muddled or missed entirely and not even heard or felt.  Sometimes confusion ...did I hear that right?  Sometimes sleeping through things and other times on high alert. 

And...just like trying to find what Mother had written inside the top enclosure...no matter how much I tugged and lifted and insisted that it reveal the message...I was going about it all wrong!  It was the gentle tug forward that moved the entire top casing to reveal her writing.  That is certainly how I live my life at many times- with forced determination and struggling- instead of calmly accessing the situation...thinking things through...letting go of my will and being open to a new & different way of accomplishing my whatever!   

My personal time?...Right now, I'm back on track in still trying to figure out- what to let go of, to make better use of the allotment of sand left in my hourglass! ...ever seeking a NewNorm!

Picking up the beat...sort of!

Yesterday was my sweet hubby's birthday!  I baked his first Cocoalight Cake (original recipe on the blue-labeled tin Crisco can) when he turned 18.  A very long time ago.  Yesterday he turned 81.  The reversal of those numbers is an entire lifetime...of both of us.  Time marches on!

And as time marches on, we aren't the high-steppers that we once thought ourselves to be.  We still hold hands and it's more a steadying of each other than a romantic gesture of warmth and affection! There is an extreme comfort to have spent our individual lifetimes together.  There are no pretenses that we feel obligated to hold up ...acceptance of our flawed selves, by each other, is comforting and sustaining.

This isn't about an anniversary!  This is about his birthday!

This was a birthday that wasn't some big hoo-haw.  This was a birthday that I felt gratitude that he is physically doing better. 

I thought our journey of a downhill battle began 6 weeks ago on Labor Day but when I double checked the date this morning...Labor Day was 7 weeks ago!

A downhill battle while sliding backwards down an steep icy mountain...unable to find a foothold...nothing leveling out to where I could get a grip on the happenings.  It started with that big seizure on Labor Day and that started the slide! and in that lighting speed plummet...a weakening of his body...speech slurring increase every day...balance loss noticeably from the time he got up until bedtime...diagnosed with 2 fatal rare diseases and then thankfully having a Neurologist take those off of the table...body just fading- a melting down when standing...a fading...a collapsing...Brain scans and EEG and on and on- all producing nothing! 

Just at the time our 5 kiddos were wanting to come home and as we were all trying to figure out what to do...it got figured out!  It was the Rx he was given at the Hospital to stave off further seizures!  From the get-go Terry had said he didn't like how he was feeling with it.  He was right!  The neurologist had us decrease off of that Rx and put him on another one and the change was nothing short of a miracle!  The last 3 days, of that 7 weeks, was startling in how rapidly his speech cleared and balance came back to where it had been or maybe even a bit better.  (someone is going to ask...what was the Rx...so here is the name for you curious souls!...Levtiracetam)

He now has PT, here at home 2x a week...still has health issues but nothing like we were dealing with for those 7 weeks!

Why do I share this now?  I have no idea except I just did.  I guess it's about life sometimes just takes over our plans, our grand personal plans of living our lives.  Sometimes our life plans that we are crafting and planning and excited about, are put on the back burner, while we in rapid fire order figure out how to survive daily life living on quicksand!  Such was my life for 7 very intense weeks.

You have experienced your own pressure cooker experience.  It's a part of life! 

The gospel and the gift of the Holy Ghost and the power of prayer and the kindness and the goodness and the love of encouraging friends plus the dynamic of our family have been so uplifting and appreciated.

Time.  This has been a rough time, punctuated by the goodness of the reality of my testimony that nothing escapes the eye of God.  He is aware and was aware and He gave me strength when I felt there was none left.

Time.  It just ticks away.  Today I'm thinking of the Grandmother Clock that I have.  It was my Mother's and I love it!  I'm glad it's not a huge Grandfather Clock because our place is way to tiny for that but this clock is perfect for us!

In 1976, my Mother wanted a Revere Wear pan.  That December, close to Christmas, a knock on her door and a man with a clipboard and his delivery truck in the driveway, said he was there to deliver your clock.  My Mother explained that he was wrong...she had not ordered a clock.  Even though the name and address were correct...it was not hers.  The man then said that he was to tell her...this is your Revere Ware pan! 

Yes.  My Dad!

The top of the clock comes off and inside, written in my Mother's neat penmanship she called the clock her Revere Ware pan.  I just tried to lift the top off and I can't do it!  sometime I'll have one of my sons lift it off and share her note with you.

I'm feeling more upright and back on a track that is less slippery and not as downhilly!!  I'm getting a grip!! Sort of!  Kind of!

In the drivers seat...

When our daughter was preparing to hike the entire Camino de Santiago trek...a month of walking across Spain!...she prepared as best she could.  Her dedication to that advance preparation paid off in many ways.  There were other ways that she could not foresee until she was in that very moment.  There were still other ways that she chose to not follow advice from experienced travelers and on that painful realization, even though late in coming, she made adjustments.  (leaving behind her extra heavy guide book, that told about each and every nook and cranny, was a real sacrifice for her plus clothing and other extras)

We all have regular times of preparing for something.  Even if it's just grocery shopping or what to cook for dinner or juggling varied schedules or planning vacations or whether to do laundry and on and on.  Routines of daily living are familiar to all of us.

It's when the un-familiar, the unknown, the un-experienced life experiences loom- that we plan as best we can.

Right now I'm in that realm.  I'm looking into a vast fog with only my imagination and intuition and spiritual prompts to plan for the unknown...scanning my invisible book of possibilities that could very well end up probabilities!

Still waiting for a couple of more tests.  Tomorrow he has an EEG to measure his brain waves and next day, MRI results.  We now have a PT coming in our home 2x a week.

Already our life has shifted to a different level even not knowing the above results yet.

Trying to maximize my use of time and trying to follow the Prophet's counsel has been a motivational challenge.  I'm really enjoying it and still working hard at it.  Making headway for sure.

I am the driver in my own LifeVehicle!  a lot of years and wear and tear on this vintage wagon, for sure!  Four tires...all inflated but not in balance.  Some have to much air.  Some lack the right amount of air.  I am sometimes filled with hot air!  So it's a breezy bumpy ride!  I'm endeavoring to achieve balance in all 4 of those tires.

The four areas from Luke 2:52 have always appealed to me and I know I've blogged about it before.  somewhere in this sporadic posting that I'm wont to do!  Anyhow...I'm focusing and embracing those 4 areas and I love that the Children and Youth Program is that very thing.... Spiritual/Physical/Social/Intellectual.

If I end up more home-bound, than I presently am, that will be a constant reminder 24/7 of the happenings in my life.  If that becomes the challenge for me to figure out...I've decided to just blog about it.  Whatever ends up being on our reality list...I just can't imagine relating it over and over.

******************

Yesterday, Terry and I enjoyed our time in the NT.  Some of my favorite verses from Paul and then these 2 great talks!  Terry wants us to listen to them again today.  They are powerful!  We were buoyed!

Philippians 4:7,11,13  and Alma 33-23

Elder Uchtdorf  here  grateful in any circumstances

President Nelson  here  joy and spiritual survival

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PS- I mentioned our daughters trek earlier in this post.  If you'd like to take a peek...here is her introduction.  I adore my daughter!  She is an angel! you will enjoy this!  guaranteed!! 

 Jeanee  here   and     here    

Paring back!

 Good morning!

In my desire to evaluate how I'm spending time looking at things and how many things are stacked in the seemingly invisible pile of  things in my limited world of technology...I'm surprised!  Surprised at how I proclaim that I am not techy!  True I do not know the inner working of computers and data and fixing problems and all of that but also true...I know enough to have linked up with so much stuff that I'm really surprised!

In my quest for life simplification...readying myself for whatever is going to be the outcome of Terry's tests (still not certain in that area)...and desirous to follow the Counsel of President Nelson- I decided to see what I was into online subscription-wise that I could eliminate and free up some time... feeling that those one or two things gone would be beneficial for my goal.   To my surprise...the list ended up being at least a mile long!!

I unsubscribed from all the NYT news.

Then I decided to check the one or two Churchy things I looked at.  Another surprise...There were oodles and boodles of Churchy things and a lot of them were very lengthy.

Then I decided to check on the one or two personal improvement things I followed...like Simplifying/downsizing/dejunking... yesiree- same findings!  several and then all of those have highlights that will take me into more sites.

Of course, I did not read every single thing but I did read a lot.  Lots!  I didn't even count my checking FB or email or recipes or the likes. I already know that it too will be overboard!

Feeling to revamp things...I eliminated many of those oodles and boodles and kept a sensible amount for my life.  I want this information to be a part of my life but I acknowledge it was more than a part of my life.  It was consuming way more time in the allotment of hours I have each day.

The long list of things I deep-sixed doesn't amount to a hill of beans to anyone else but it has really been an eye-opener to me.  It has helped me in my effort to revamp my life and create, yet one more time, a NewNormal.  My NN's do not seem set in stone!  Shifting sands is more descriptive.

I've read so much in trying to figure out what I need/want to do and I have little jottings all over the place.  Below are a couple of things that really inspired me.  I hope you enjoy them...AGAIN!!  I keep being drawn back to President Nelsons talk and keep reposting parts of it.

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Am I the only one that goes down rabbit holes that aren't always beneficial in the long run?

Used especially in the phrase going down the rabbit hole or falling down the rabbit hole, a rabbit hole is a metaphor for something that transports someone into a wonderfully (or troublingly) surreal state or situation. On the internet, a rabbit hole frequently refers to an extremely engrossing and time-consuming topic.

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President Nelson...here

Part of this endeavor will require you to put aside many things of this world. Sometimes we speak almost casually about walking away from the world with its contention, pervasive temptations, and false philosophies. But truly doing so requires you to examine your life meticulously and regularly. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.

As you shift your focus away from worldly distractions, some things that seem important to you now will recede in priority. You will need to say no to some things, even though they may seem harmless. As you embark upon and continue this lifelong process of consecrating your life to the Lord, the changes in your perspective, feelings, and spiritual strength will amaze you!

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Elder Uchtdorf  Of Things That Matter Most  -  Oct 2010 CR

There is a beauty and clarity that comes from simplicity that we sometimes do not appreciate in our thirst for intricate solutions.

~~~~~~~~~

My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most.

As we turn to our Heavenly Father and seek His wisdom regarding the things that matter most, we learn over and over again the importance of four key relationships: with our God, with our families, with our fellowman, and with ourselves. As we evaluate our own lives with a willing mind, we will see where we have drifted from the more excellent way. The eyes of our understanding will be opened, and we will recognize what needs to be done to purify our heart and refocus our life.

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President Nelson... here
Strength comes not from frantic activity but from being settled on a firm foundation of truth and light. It comes from placing our attention and efforts on the basics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It comes from paying attention to the divine things that matter most.
Let us simplify our lives a little. Let us make the changes necessary to refocus our lives on the sublime beauty of the simple, humble path of Christian discipleship—the path that leads always toward a life of meaning, gladness, and peace. For this I pray, as I leave you my blessing, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Trying to figure things out!

I'm determined to do something along the lines of that last talk at the Women's Session of  GC given by President Nelson plus incorporate what the others said over the two days!  Everyone said something that resonates with me on a level to either do something or decrease something or even stop something!  For me, it's figuring out what do I want to do to incorporate the counsel and try my level best to figure out what works for me....what I need to do to feel that I'm following the Prophet.

There is so much information available through the Church and the World News and the TV and all of the social media and I have to figure out...where am I in the throng?  Am I where I want to be or need to be?  Just for me personally.  Not what others feel to do or not do.  For me.  Am I where I need to be?

What do I want????

I'm hurrying to set up a little plan of personal action with the goal to be measured in April 2020 GC

There are a lot of luxuries in my life time-wise and lots of challenges time-wise.  That is the lot of all of us, isn't it?

Luxuries? I am my own boss as to whether I watch soap operas and eat bon-bons all day.  I can sit all day if I choose.

Challenges?  Terry's health.  My health.

 I have total freedom on what I do with my time.  True that health challenges sometime eats into luxury time.  Plus...eating is a challenge with me!

And that is really paring it down with identifying those two areas but there would be all sorts of sub-titles.

Right now I'm trying to quickly revamp my doings of time expenditure.  Not trying to add on top of what is going on.  To exchange or replace current time use and get things more in alignment and balance with what needs to be done around here and also within me. 

What do I need to do to feel the Spirit?  What do I need to do to feel I can receive personal revelation?  What do I need to stop doing?????

So right now I'm checking out things I read on a real regular basis.  Maybe I don't read everything but I definitely read a lot.  So I checked and unsubscribed to those 6 NYT  articles and the 2 People articles.  a good beginning.  I'm seriously evaluating my use of social media.  I'm am so non-techy but I really identified with Brother Owen's true confession at the opening session of GC.

I have never checked FaceBook and just looked at friends or family ONLY.  I will check out someone that I don't even know!  I'm barraged by ads and sometimes I think- that is so clever. I want to order this!  Just thinking on that one...about what to do with FB.

And Roku that provides me with Netflix and YouTube and PBS and Amazon Prime and on and on.  Just because I can binge watch...is that a good way to spend daylight hours???  And how many times do I really need to check out the British Baking show????  Hey!- Today is Friday!  There will be a new episode today!  Friday!  Hey! -Also a new Book of Mormon video today! 

Yes...I claim to be a non-techy and compared to the modern generation...I truly am clueless BUT I use up a lot of my daily time allotment in sipping swamp water and putting the glass of pure living water on the back burner.  Guess I'm into draining my own personal swamp!

Naughty or nice?....making a list and checking it twice!!

Books adding up...yesterday I ordered all 7 Harry Potter books.  I've never read them.  Have had absolutely no desire to read them but...Elder Uchtdorf mentioned them so I figure he read them or at least one (Chamber of Secrets) so yes...buh-bye NYT and hello to Harry!  I also added to the pile A Marvelous Work and a Wonder.  Another addition on the heap...At the Pulpit. Indulging my love of actually holding a book I have the hard copy but somehow or other there is a Church App and I think you can get it for free.  I will be reading a lot book-wise but I won't be reading a lot screen-wise.

A lot of things in my life are moved to my Scarlett O'Hara thought...Fidddle dee dee, I'll think about that tomorrow!!  I know that mis-use of what seems to be harmless use of time, watching things, leaves a lot of things undone in my life!!

Here is that wonderful talk...   by Steven Douglas Owen  ...Be Faithful, Not Faithless

Here is the part that hit home with me.... (also his quoting Elder Packer.  Loved that!)

Not long ago I woke up and prepared to study the scriptures. I picked up my smartphone and sat in a chair next to my bed with the intention of opening the Gospel Library app. I unlocked my phone and was just about to begin studying when I saw a half dozen notifications for text messages and emails that had come during the night. I thought, “I’ll quickly check those messages, and then I’ll get right to the scriptures.” Well, two hours later I was still reading text messages, emails, news briefs, and social media posts. When I realized what time it was, I frantically rushed to get ready for the day. That morning I missed my scripture study, and consequently I didn’t get the spiritual nourishment I was hoping for.

Spiritual Nourishment

I’m sure many of you can relate. Modern technologies bless us in many ways. They can connect us with friends and family, with information, and with news about current events around the world. However, they can also distract us from the most important connection: our connection with heaven.

I repeat what our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has said: “We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.”

President Nelson went on to warn that “in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”¹

Rectitude....

President Nelson said....

But my dear sisters, your ability to discern truth from error, to be society’s guardians of morality, is crucial in these latter days. And we depend upon you to teach others to do likewise. Let me be very clear about this: if the world loses the moral rectitude of its women, the world will never recover.

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rectitude

[ˈrektəˌt(y)o͞od]

NOUN

formal

rectitudes (plural noun)

1. morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness.

   "Maddie is a model of rectitude"

   synonyms:

   righteousness · goodness · virtue · moral virtue · morality · honor · honorableness · integrity · principle · probity · honesty · right-mindedness · trustworthiness · truthfulness · uprightness · upstandingness · good character · scrupulousness · decency · fairness · equity · justice · principles · ethics

   antonyms:

   infamy · dishonesty

Putting things aside....

Apologies right up front...somehow or other I can't get this aligned.  Sorry.

I've listened to President's Nelson talk a few times just trying to figure out how to do what he is asking and exactly what is he asking???  It seems to me that there is so much in it, and the other talks, that I need to figure out my plan and go for it.  I'm pretty much isolated from things of the world in my thinking and I thought about his sentence...

Part of this endeavor will require you to put aside many things of this world.  
Also he said...You will need to say no to some things, even though they may seem harmless. .

and I thought what can/should I put aside?  After a lot of thought I decided to unsubscribe from a NYT email that I get on a regular basis.  Headline news.  I know the NYT is liberal but I just read the headlines and then chose what I wanted to read about.  I didn't read the entire

huge paper just sort of glanced at the headlines but I decided to do away with that one little thing.  

Turns out it wasn't one little thing.  Turns out I ended up canceling from the NYT several items!...Daily Briefing/Top Stories/Breaking News/10 free full length articles a month/Morning Briefing/Well.  Each of these had all sorts of things to be accessed!  Some had 40+ items!  I really liked Well.  The current Well had at least 20 articles!  and there were several I was tempted to just stop unsubscribing and start reading about the danger of baby powder (and I'd already read about that a long time ago!)

I also canceled 2 People.com segments...People- Royals and People- Breaking News.  Each of these I enjoy but they do take me down a seemingly bottomless rabbit hole!  It's sort of upper crust voyeurism?  Cost of gowns and cost of rings and life in Palaces.  God save the Queen as she is not going to have me checking out her latest wardrobe!  and my fascination with fascinators will be curtailed.  Yes...I'm free to re-subscribe to any of this at anytime I choose but for now...buh-bye.

I did choose to keep Simplify Magazine and State of Faith by Kelsey Dallas on the Deseret News.

here is a part of that talk from President Nelson....

Your personal spiritual endeavor will bring you joy as you gain, understand, and use the power with which you have been endowed.

Part of this endeavor will require you to put aside many things of this world. Sometimes we speak almost casually about walking away from the world with its contention, pervasive temptations, and false philosophies. But truly doing so requires you to examine your life meticulously and regularly. As you do so, the Holy Ghost will prompt you about what is no longer needful, what is no longer worthy of your time and energy.

As you shift your focus away from worldly distractions, some things that seem important to you now will recede in priority. You will need to say no to some things, even though they may seem harmless. As you embark upon and continue this lifelong process of consecrating your life to the Lord, the changes in your perspective, feelings, and spiritual strength will amaze you!

Making my list....

I know I say it every year...at least it seems so!...but this Conference was the best ever, don't you think?  I'm making a list of what I want to accomplish by next April Conference.  So much anticipation on so many levels.  I ordered a copy of The Hobbit today...will see what else makes the reading list but Elder Uchtdorf's relating the story made me want to read it.  I'll make a list of reads and re-reads.  Read the Book of Mormon and mark the references to Christ.  I read it on that last challenge with the quick read and confess that I did not mark those references as had been suggested/requested but I will this time.  So far- I'll be reading the Pearl of Great Price-the Joseph Smith account of First Vision...watching the Book of Mormon  videos...study sections 25 and 84 and 107...and on and on.  I really have no idea exactly what all I want to do or what will actually happen but I will fill my personal spiritual 6 month work-order based on the recent Conference talks.  I find it exciting!

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Terry's appointment today got moved to later in the week and I will let you know when all of the tests are done and what the result is.

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This morning, I was thinking of how lives can change in handling serious health issues...our own or other family members.  I was thinking of lack of sleep sometimes around here and also thinking of one of the Conference talks that mentioned about cutting things back or cutting things out. (I can't remember who said it but something like that was said and it really hit me.  I'll find it when I get into studying.)  Anyhow I was thinking of things that might need to be changed for me...by me.  I like to set an alarm and get up quite early for quiet private time to think and ponder and pray and study and etc.  As I mulled things over in my thoughts about lack of sleep at times, I thought...I'll stop setting the alarm and just get up when I wake up.  The instant that thought occurred, the Spirit said very clearly...Continue to set your alarm and get up early.  Then immediately I just started having tears galore!  I acknowledged that I would continue to set my alarm.

I figure I'll be told when to stop using the alarm but until then...I'm setting my alarm and doing as I've done in the past. 

Besides that, I can go back to bed if I need a bit of a snooze!  Unless I'm told to stay up!!

Lots of homework!!!

Last night I listened to the Woman's Conference session of Conference again and realized President Oaks mentioned the prophecy by President Kimball- not President Nelson.  Still exactly the same feeling for me and I'm still just excited within!  I corrected it this morning.

The feeling of this great and grand gathering of all the women from 8 years old and up is almost palpable.  So exciting!! 

There was so much information presented and so many things to be studied and understood, such as...how it applies to me on a personal level....what it all means...what I'm to do...what we are to do.  I was startled to be told by the Prophet to read Section 107.  It is so Priesthoody.  Like completely!  When I went to it...only vs 3 and vss. 22-23 are red penciled.  that is out of 100 vss!  In Section 84 I have quite a lot marked of the 120 vs.  Anything though would be considered quite a lot compared to the 3 vss. in Section 107!  Section 25 is a section I'm familiar with, have always enjoyed it and accepted/realized it is for all women so it's really marked up.  But Section 107?  I've always considered it totally Priesthood!  Section 84? several applicable things in that one that have impacted me.  I also remember when President Ezra Taft Benson told us, the Church at large, in April 1986,  that we were under condemnation for not reading the Book of Mormon (vss 54-58)!  Connecting those vss. with what President Nelson said about the upcoming April 2020 GC plus all the suggested ways to study and to be able to watch the new Book of Mormon videos plus the course of study for the entire Church in 2020 will be the Book of Mormon...lots of changes in 33 years!! 

Lots to prepare for!!! 

Like you, I will listen to all of the Conference sessions again (I love/appreciate technology that allows me to do that!!!) and the first thing I will really get into and ask how it applies to me is Section 84!

To say I'm excited is an understatement!!!!!

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Dr. appointments this week for Terry.  Will share when something is concrete.                               

Surely this takes the cake...

Those 3 talks by the First Presidency at the Women's Session of General Conference yesterday!!  Oh, yes!...takes the cake!!  Tears were streaming here!  The Spirit testified to every word spoken by them!

As I mentioned before, things are hectic here right now, and I actually watched those 3 talks this morning at 5am.  It was the only part of GC that I hadn't yet heard!  So there I was...alone in the quiet early predawn hours watching and crying.  To hear President Oaks talk about this time, is the hour of that prophecy, by President Kimball was breathtaking to me.  You know I've blogged about that Prophecy so many times.  If you would like to hear/see that original talk?...here  I loved the way his wife read it!!!!

I've waited 40 years to hear those words that President Oaks pronounced!  It was just overwhelmingly amazing and beautiful to me.  The Spirit just washed over me.  It remains at this moment.

October Fest!!! GC!

Our life has been hectic around here and I don't want you to think I've fallen off the planet.  Not so!  silly me- waiting for things to calm down so I can blog all the things that I think about sharing and it looks like things are really not going to calm down!  So...once again...here I go!  And...once again...sorry sorry sorry- to be so up and down and here and there.  No promises but I can't resist saying that I will attempt to be more dependable.  I think when someone makes the effort to access a blog then the blogger needs to keep their word.  'Nuff said!

Per usual- so excited about the GC tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What on earth will be coming down the Pike????  The announcement of women/girls being witnesses to baptism etc.???  Wow!

Our granddaughter and her husband will be singing in the choir on Saturday afternoon.  Britta will be on the left hand side of your screen.  outside row.  4th row up.  she has reddish hair.  she will be sitting next to a woman that has longer than shoulder length hair.  David, her hubby, will be on the right side (of course!).  2nd row up.  on the aisle seat.  he has dark rimmed glasses.

Our life is being turned upside down with Terry's health.  I will share when the final results are all in.  Probably next week.  A mountain looms on the horizon.

We are looking forward to hours of GC.  Pot roast and mashed potatoes and gravy will be our fare plus some sort of cake (that I will make.  well, I plan to do it.  that may be wishing on a star.)  

we will now get ready to hibernate around the telly!  You too?