What a busy fun time we had visiting Seattle! So many people and so much activity with people milling about. Noise and talking and laughter and people all on a search for sightseeing and shopping. A different world from my normal days!
All sorts of folks from elegant to casual. homeless urine smelling men standing on corners. multiple body piercings, large tattoos, seemingly unbathed youth- sitting on steps or the sidewalk. leaning up against backpacks and rolled blankets/sleeping bags. guitars nearby. I was glad to be me.
Pike Place Market of course was not to be overlooked. The throwing of the fish. The brass(?) pig. Most beautiful of all?...the flower Market!!! Never have I seen such a huge assortment of fresh brilliant colored flowers. I was gifted with a bouquet of the sweetest smelling lavender/purple sweet peas ever!!
The vendors were so clever. rubber banded the bouquet. Wrapped the stems snugly in newspaper and left a "root ball" at the end. rubber banded that. wet newspaper until soggy. Put it in a plastic bag. put some more water in and rubber banded that. then put it in a cellophane nosegay wrap. It worked wonderful! Lasted until we got home. Unwrapped them and they are still sending off their heavenly scent.
We chose eating at Ivar's, for one of our meals, as that has been a favorite of ours. the chowder did not disappoint but the fish was not a hit. I think it was partially our fault as Terry's cousin, Patty, showed up to join us and she had brought a packet of old pictures from the early 60's of a trip we took to WA....we started looking at the pictures and let the fish get cold!! definitely our fault!!!
I'm shocked at the clothing that is available. How anyone even begins to stay modest is challenged! and the huge variety of things and the sky high prices. I saw another Coach store. It still seems so over the top to me to have a store that displays purses like jewelry in their own individual glass cubicles. The prices warrant it!!
We went into Nordstrom's and I've never seen so many shoes available!! Honestly, there were hundreds!! Bizarre to beautiful but all priced off the charts. I saw my first pair of red soled Jimmy Choo shoes. Interesting! I am way to practical for some of these things. In my younger years I was a shoe freak and loved all of the ones that I had, so I enjoyed watching my granddaughters ooh and aww over designs I wouldn't be caught dead in, at this age and stage of my life. How do people afford these things? I guess I am poor and don't understand spending so much for one item of clothing.
We enjoyed the day and even the cab ride to our Warwick Seattle Hotel from the Pike Place area. A very friendly turbaned driver from India. Engaging in conversation with our daughter seated in front. When she realized that he'd gone 5 blocks east, then up the hill, turned west and backtracked and passed where he'd picked us!....she called him on it. He fibbed and said the roads were all one way! Turns out the hotel was only 4 blocks or so from where we were!!
Terry and I ended up staying at the Hotel mid-afternoon and the 3 gals took off for more sightseeing. We enjoyed the skyline view of the buildings architecture from our 11th story perch.
Next day was more shopping and sightseeing and then visiting more family. We loved seeing our grandchildren and our 2 great-grands!!
The couple of days were jam packed with fun and great memories were made. We are thinking of making Seattle a regular summer event along with the new blueberry picking day. That is the thing about memory making...things shift and change. some things are outgrown. some things are replaced. New things enter in but the bottom line is great memories are created and new traditions arise.
Whatever your summer is turning into, I hope you are stacking up at least one fantastic fun memory or a tender sweet one but one good memory of some sort!!!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Blueberry Hill Thrills!!!
There are still things that I've not experienced in life. Simple things that are wonderful! In Alaska we had wild blueberries and across the bay in Seldovia they were plentiful but NOTHING like what I saw today! These bushes were cultivated and so full and gorgeous that the berries looked like clusters of grapes!! I buy from friends or the store so have never sought them out elsewhere until today!
I was at Gretchen's house. She is my neighbor. On her fridge she had a postcard telling that blueberries were ready to be picked. My Granddaughters had been wanting to pick them so I was happy to see the note! Gretchen copied it for me and we headed out to Wapato.
Now we have a new tradition added to our other simple pleasures...Blueberry picking!!
Huge organic blueberries! $1.50 per pound. The gracious hostess/owner told us that store bought blueberries are anywhere from 2-3 weeks old and these will last longer and freeze great!
All of us were fascinated with the beauty of the bushes and the size of the berries! They give you as many buckets as you want, show you which row to start picking and away you go!! You could just hold a cluster in your hand, give a little tug, and they would just fall off into your bucket! We picked 4 buckets in nothing flat!!
I have a new jam recipe that we will try. It doesn't have very much sugar, compared to some recipes, so we should get a real pure blueberry taste. It sounds wonderful!!
I was at Gretchen's house. She is my neighbor. On her fridge she had a postcard telling that blueberries were ready to be picked. My Granddaughters had been wanting to pick them so I was happy to see the note! Gretchen copied it for me and we headed out to Wapato.
Now we have a new tradition added to our other simple pleasures...Blueberry picking!!
Huge organic blueberries! $1.50 per pound. The gracious hostess/owner told us that store bought blueberries are anywhere from 2-3 weeks old and these will last longer and freeze great!
All of us were fascinated with the beauty of the bushes and the size of the berries! They give you as many buckets as you want, show you which row to start picking and away you go!! You could just hold a cluster in your hand, give a little tug, and they would just fall off into your bucket! We picked 4 buckets in nothing flat!!
I have a new jam recipe that we will try. It doesn't have very much sugar, compared to some recipes, so we should get a real pure blueberry taste. It sounds wonderful!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Secretly Simple Blueberry Jam
(juicy homemade preserves that can be made
without canning equipment? spread the word!)
5 cups Blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
~In a medium saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice,
and salt. mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon until the berries
have released their juices.
~Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture
has thickened, 18-25 minutes. Transfer to containers and refrigerate for
up to 1 month or freeze for up to 1 year.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blueberry Hill Berries
1520 West Wapato
Wapato, WA 98951
509-961-3001
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Let us oft speak kind words to each other!!!
I'm having fun with family and in and out and my little blog is getting minimal attention. I really enjoy blogging and I love the contact with each of you. I'll get back into full swing after all the party and playing is over!! In the meantime I'm going to share some favorite thoughts.
Recently someone shared that their spouse had been criticized about how they are doing their Church calling. Stuff like that just drives me bonkers!!! Come on!!!! Shape up!! Stop it!!! Look for the good and share it!! I could quote scriptures on not speaking mean etc. You know them already!! Let's all be nice!!! Speak kindly!!
I Know Something Good About You
Poet: Louis C. Shimon
Wouldn't this old world be better
If the folks we meet would say -
"I know something good about you!"
And treat us just that way?
Wouldn't it be fine and dandy
If each handclasp, fond and true,
Carried with it this assurance -
"I know something good about you!"
Wouldn't life be lots more happy
If the good that's in us all
Were the only thing about us
That folks bothered to recall?
Wouldn't life be lots more happy
If we praised the good we see?
For there's such a lot of goodness
In the worst of you and me!
Wouldn't it be nice to practice
That fine way of thinking, too?
You know something good about me;
I know something good about you.
I know something good about you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words
Hymn- # 232
(sung earnestly)
1. Let us oft speak kind words to each other
At home or where’er we may be;
Like the warblings of birds on the heather,
The tones will be welcome and free.
They’ll gladden the heart that’s repining,
Give courage and hope from above,
And where the dark clouds hide the shining,
Let in the bright sunlight of love.
At home or where’er we may be;
Like the warblings of birds on the heather,
The tones will be welcome and free.
They’ll gladden the heart that’s repining,
Give courage and hope from above,
And where the dark clouds hide the shining,
Let in the bright sunlight of love.
[Chorus]
Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live
And sunshine forever impart.
Let us oft speak kind words to each other;
Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.
Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live
And sunshine forever impart.
Let us oft speak kind words to each other;
Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.
2. Like the sunbeams of morn on the mountains,
The soul they awake to good cheer;
Like the murmur of cool, pleasant fountains,
They fall in sweet cadences near.
Let’s oft, then, in kindly toned voices,
Our mutual friendship renew,
Till heart meets with heart and rejoices
In friendship that ever is true.
The soul they awake to good cheer;
Like the murmur of cool, pleasant fountains,
They fall in sweet cadences near.
Let’s oft, then, in kindly toned voices,
Our mutual friendship renew,
Till heart meets with heart and rejoices
In friendship that ever is true.
[Chorus]
Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live
And sunshine forever impart.
Let us oft speak kind words to each other;
Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.
Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live
And sunshine forever impart.
Let us oft speak kind words to each other;
Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.
Text: Joseph L. Townsend, 1849–1942
Music: Ebenezer Beesley, 1840–1906
Ephesians 4:29–32
Proverbs 16:24
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Have you seen this new movie yet? about Restoration. Amazing!
Related Links
A revised version of the full-length film Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration is now available online at mormonchannel.org/Joseph. It is the first time the Church has made a full-length film available online. It is also available as a free download in various formats, including HD.
The original 2005 version depicts events in the life of Joseph Smith that help explain the Church's belief in modern prophets and Joseph Smith's role in restoring the Church of Jesus Christ to the earth.
The new version stays true to that original purpose but uses reedited footage from the original film as well as some new footage to create a product that is more understandable for the wider Internet audience. About 40 percent of the film is new material.
Read more about the new release on Newsroom.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
What a great day!!!!
We had the best July 4th day with our family.....parade, games, crafts, picnic meal, fire for s'mores, fireworks, visiting, laughing and just overwhelmed with gratitude for our children and their children!!! Most especially just loving America and being an American. Being moved to tears, at the sight of flags and seeing veterans. especially the ones from WW 2. I hope your day was filled with being with family or thoughts of family and that you share my feelings of tremendous gratitude.
What a GREAT day!!!!!
Enjoy singing these songs!!!
AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832
My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.
Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!
Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.
Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!
Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!
America, The Beautiful Lyrics
by Katharine Lee Bates - 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
God Bless America Lyrics
by Irving Berlin
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
What a GREAT day!!!!!
Enjoy singing these songs!!!
AMERICA
My country, 'tis of Thee Lyrics
by Samuel F. Smith - 1832
My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.
My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.
Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.
Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!
Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.
Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!
Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!
America, The Beautiful Lyrics
by Katharine Lee Bates - 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassion'd stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev'ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!
God Bless America Lyrics
by Irving Berlin
God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Happy 4th of July!!!
This article is written by Janice Kapp Perry. I hope you enjoy how she came to write 2 of her patriotic songs. What a talent she has and wow!....she shares it and uses it all the time! The 2 songs are on this post so that you can listen to them. Enjoy!!
I love the Fourth of July! This is the month of celebration that reminds us of our blessings as Americans and gives us a chance to express our deep gratitude for our freedom and what so many have done to ensure it. I recently read the words of a Dutch immigrant who came to America as a small boy and said he can still remember the excited throngs on the ship shouting America! America! as the Statue of Liberty came into view. This is especially significant to me as my own grandparents were teenaged Dutch immigrants who came to America for religious freedom. They saw this same statue beckoning them to a new life of opportunity and freedom. They met and married some years later in Ogden, Utah and eventually sent two of their sons to war knowing they might not return.
I was there at the train station as my grandmother, Pieterke Kapp, waved goodbye to her sons, calling out “My boys! My boys!” as they disappeared from view and then fainting to the ground from emotion. Grandpa Jacob Kapp was more stoic believing there was a price tag on liberty, and that price tag is to accept responsibility for defending it. One of their sons returned from war gravely wounded and spent one and a half years in the hospital in Brigham City.
My Father’s Patriotism
My father was a married man and therefore was not called to service during the war, but because of his father’s attitude and the service of his brothers, Dad was deeply patriotic throughout his life.
He was a farmer, a quiet man of strength, uneducated by the world’s standards, but a man of great wisdom. My brother Jack stood beside him at a parade one day and noticed that Dad stood and put his hand over his heart for every flag that passed by in the parade. Jack said, “Dad you only need to stand for the first flag.” Dad said, “I know, but I like to stand for every flag I see.”
One night a man seated two rows in front of Dad at a ballgame didn’t remove his hat during the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner”. Dad politely asked him to remove his hat, but he ignored him. He asked a second time, receiving no response. Then Dad walked down two rows and quietly removed his hat for him saying, “If my brother can be sent around the world and be shot up in defending this country, the least you can do is take your hat off for our flag.”
Every flag ceremony is a time for remembering the people, places, events, and lives lost in ensuring our freedom. We must guard against the temptation to take these things for granted just because we are generations removed from a historic event.
Listen
Put Your Hand Over Your Heart - Album – “Heal Our Land”
(Orrin G. Hatch, Janice Kapp Perry)
Remember all the braves ones
Who fought the battles, won the wars
Remember all the heroes
Who wore the colors, bore the scars
Remember all the patriots who loved our liberty
Remember ev’ry life laid down to keep our country free
chorus:
And put your hand over your heart
When the flag goes by
Put your hand over your heart
When you see Old Glory fly
Face that star-spangled banner
And when the music starts
Put your hand, put your hand
Over your heart
Remember all the children
Whose father’s heard their country’s call
Remember tears and anguish
From those who saw their comrades fall
Remember all the families
And what their loved ones gave
Remember every flag-draped box
Beside an empty grave
(Repeat chorus)
Hear the cries of fallen soldiers
Crying from the dust
Praying we will not forget
Their final gift to us
(Repeat chorus)
Collaborating with a Patriot
During the decade of the ‘90’s I spent considerable time collaborating on patriotic songs with US Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Through my association with him and my own research I gained a much deeper respect for the principles that guided the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In January 1997 I was honored to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the second inauguration of Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt in the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, and heard him say this about the Founding Fathers:
They believed that a nation based on divinely ordained values could endure.
That is the reason every time we pledge allegiance to the flag we say, ‘One
nation under God. . .’ and why every coin in our pocket [says] ‘In God We
Trust’. . . . Our society has developed a misplaced politeness which says we
shouldn’t talk about God because it might offend someone. Heaven help the
society that is too polite to speak about God! (1)
That same year Brittany Salmon, a junior high student and patriotic essay contest winner, said:
“[Our national motto] ‘In God We Trust’ feels right to me. It helps me feel safe and secure to know God is looking over us and we’re looking to Him. I’m grateful that our country believes in God and I hope it stays that way!” (2) I add my voice to hers: I hope it stays that way!
Listen
One Nation Under God – album – “Freedom’s Light”
(Orrin G. Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry)
America has welcomed all
From many distant lands
Brave pilgrims seeking liberty
Who crossed the water in God’s hands.
Ev’ry honest, freedom-seeking soul--
America has welcomed all
The heart and might of this great land
Is found in our beliefs
Our faith in God’s unfailing hand
Will help preserve our liberties
And we invite all men who gather here
To worship God and feel no fear
We’ll sing the song of liberty
With voices strong and clear
We’ll seek for God’s protecting care
Upon this land that we hold dear
For He will guide us through our darkest hour
If we will trust his sovereign power
When we are one nation under God
Our freedom will endure
One nation under God
Whose promises are sure
He will bless and keep our land
Safe by His almighty hand
This is the hope for which men fought:
One nation under God!
Our Responsibility
What can one person do to honor those who have paid such a high price for the freedoms we enjoy daily? It may not be required of us to give our lives but in one way or another we can do something. We have an obligation to preserve and pass on the great gifts we have received. If we want to change the world we start with ourselves, our families, our communities. We honor the laws of the land, we vote, we speak up against injustice, we pray for our leaders—the list is endless.
In 1997 I performed with the Tabernacle Choir at a special convocation at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. Former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker.
His speech was dynamic and touching as he told the stories of several everyday heroes in our nation who had made a positive difference in their neighborhoods, and often far beyond, by giving their time, their means and their hearts to worthwhile projects.
I love the Fourth of July! This is the month of celebration that reminds us of our blessings as Americans and gives us a chance to express our deep gratitude for our freedom and what so many have done to ensure it. I recently read the words of a Dutch immigrant who came to America as a small boy and said he can still remember the excited throngs on the ship shouting America! America! as the Statue of Liberty came into view. This is especially significant to me as my own grandparents were teenaged Dutch immigrants who came to America for religious freedom. They saw this same statue beckoning them to a new life of opportunity and freedom. They met and married some years later in Ogden, Utah and eventually sent two of their sons to war knowing they might not return.
I was there at the train station as my grandmother, Pieterke Kapp, waved goodbye to her sons, calling out “My boys! My boys!” as they disappeared from view and then fainting to the ground from emotion. Grandpa Jacob Kapp was more stoic believing there was a price tag on liberty, and that price tag is to accept responsibility for defending it. One of their sons returned from war gravely wounded and spent one and a half years in the hospital in Brigham City.
My Father’s Patriotism
My father was a married man and therefore was not called to service during the war, but because of his father’s attitude and the service of his brothers, Dad was deeply patriotic throughout his life.
He was a farmer, a quiet man of strength, uneducated by the world’s standards, but a man of great wisdom. My brother Jack stood beside him at a parade one day and noticed that Dad stood and put his hand over his heart for every flag that passed by in the parade. Jack said, “Dad you only need to stand for the first flag.” Dad said, “I know, but I like to stand for every flag I see.”
One night a man seated two rows in front of Dad at a ballgame didn’t remove his hat during the singing of “The Star Spangled Banner”. Dad politely asked him to remove his hat, but he ignored him. He asked a second time, receiving no response. Then Dad walked down two rows and quietly removed his hat for him saying, “If my brother can be sent around the world and be shot up in defending this country, the least you can do is take your hat off for our flag.”
Every flag ceremony is a time for remembering the people, places, events, and lives lost in ensuring our freedom. We must guard against the temptation to take these things for granted just because we are generations removed from a historic event.
Listen
Put Your Hand Over Your Heart - Album – “Heal Our Land”
(Orrin G. Hatch, Janice Kapp Perry)
Remember all the braves ones
Who fought the battles, won the wars
Remember all the heroes
Who wore the colors, bore the scars
Remember all the patriots who loved our liberty
Remember ev’ry life laid down to keep our country free
chorus:
And put your hand over your heart
When the flag goes by
Put your hand over your heart
When you see Old Glory fly
Face that star-spangled banner
And when the music starts
Put your hand, put your hand
Over your heart
Remember all the children
Whose father’s heard their country’s call
Remember tears and anguish
From those who saw their comrades fall
Remember all the families
And what their loved ones gave
Remember every flag-draped box
Beside an empty grave
(Repeat chorus)
Hear the cries of fallen soldiers
Crying from the dust
Praying we will not forget
Their final gift to us
(Repeat chorus)
Collaborating with a Patriot
During the decade of the ‘90’s I spent considerable time collaborating on patriotic songs with US Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Through my association with him and my own research I gained a much deeper respect for the principles that guided the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In January 1997 I was honored to sing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at the second inauguration of Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt in the Capitol Building in Salt Lake City, and heard him say this about the Founding Fathers:
They believed that a nation based on divinely ordained values could endure.
That is the reason every time we pledge allegiance to the flag we say, ‘One
nation under God. . .’ and why every coin in our pocket [says] ‘In God We
Trust’. . . . Our society has developed a misplaced politeness which says we
shouldn’t talk about God because it might offend someone. Heaven help the
society that is too polite to speak about God! (1)
That same year Brittany Salmon, a junior high student and patriotic essay contest winner, said:
“[Our national motto] ‘In God We Trust’ feels right to me. It helps me feel safe and secure to know God is looking over us and we’re looking to Him. I’m grateful that our country believes in God and I hope it stays that way!” (2) I add my voice to hers: I hope it stays that way!
Listen
One Nation Under God – album – “Freedom’s Light”
(Orrin G. Hatch and Janice Kapp Perry)
America has welcomed all
From many distant lands
Brave pilgrims seeking liberty
Who crossed the water in God’s hands.
Ev’ry honest, freedom-seeking soul--
America has welcomed all
The heart and might of this great land
Is found in our beliefs
Our faith in God’s unfailing hand
Will help preserve our liberties
And we invite all men who gather here
To worship God and feel no fear
We’ll sing the song of liberty
With voices strong and clear
We’ll seek for God’s protecting care
Upon this land that we hold dear
For He will guide us through our darkest hour
If we will trust his sovereign power
When we are one nation under God
Our freedom will endure
One nation under God
Whose promises are sure
He will bless and keep our land
Safe by His almighty hand
This is the hope for which men fought:
One nation under God!
Our Responsibility
What can one person do to honor those who have paid such a high price for the freedoms we enjoy daily? It may not be required of us to give our lives but in one way or another we can do something. We have an obligation to preserve and pass on the great gifts we have received. If we want to change the world we start with ourselves, our families, our communities. We honor the laws of the land, we vote, we speak up against injustice, we pray for our leaders—the list is endless.
In 1997 I performed with the Tabernacle Choir at a special convocation at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. Former President George H. W. Bush was the keynote speaker.
His speech was dynamic and touching as he told the stories of several everyday heroes in our nation who had made a positive difference in their neighborhoods, and often far beyond, by giving their time, their means and their hearts to worthwhile projects.
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Trip of all Trips!!!
6/20/11 Memory Making Summer Fun!!!!! (this is a PS to this post!)
Sorry I missed your email earlier - I haven't been very attentive to it this past week.
Our trip - can't believe that it is finally almost here. I know we will be taveling in comfort and with all of the modern conveniences but it still feels somewhat like a trek of sorts.
We are so excited to be heading out on our adventure this week and grateful for our children who have been our cheerleaders from the very beginning and my siblings who will be staying here with Mom. Their support that has made it possible. Aren't families wonderful and isn't being a grandparent the greatest!!!
Maurine R.
Hi Nancy -
Sorry I missed your email earlier - I haven't been very attentive to it this past week.
Our trip - can't believe that it is finally almost here. I know we will be taveling in comfort and with all of the modern conveniences but it still feels somewhat like a trek of sorts.
We have ten children, four of them with teenagers. We have 9 grandchildren ages 12-17 (3 girls and 6 boys) and our single daughter who will be traveling with us. These aren't just any grandkids - they are the greatest in the world. We love them so much!
We are hitting the road in an old (1988) 34' motorhome that we have been working on feverishly to get clean and dependable. The grandkids nicknamed it "Harvey, the RV" and my sister made great big vinyl letters that we will put on the back end introducing him to everyone we pass (or rather passes us) along the way!
We have reservations at KOAs along the way - Nate and I and the girls in Harvey and the boys in tents. Each of the kids have daily assignments for the trip ranging from daily devotional chairman to sanitation engineer to historian.
We have some special dietary challenges as 7 of them have celiac disease (can't eat anything with wheat, rye or barley), one is diabetic (no sugar) and one has cystic fibrosis (has to eat high fats and salt). That will make meals challenging!
We are picking up grandchildren in Billings, MT (the Idaho and Utah ones will meet us there) and then go on to Wisconsin where we will pick up two more. Then we will backtrack a little to begin our trip touring the church history sites from Missouri to New York (Independence, Adam-ondi-ahman, Nauvoo, Kirtland, Palmyra, etc.) over a two week period, ending up at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. Our climax the day after the pageant will be a sunrise visit to the Sacred Grove. We will take a short detour on the way home to see Niagra Falls!
We have been planning for almost a year. The kids have each earned some of the money which they sent in monthly to our trip savings account which was then matched by their parents and then we matched that total to finance the dream.
Each month I gave the kids assignments to help prepare them so that the trip will be more than just a vacation. We are looking forward to having experiences that will bring us closer together and sink our gospel roots deeper. I have always felt connected to the pioneers and drawn to early church history. Nate and I have visited the sites before and dreamed of sharing what we felt with our family. We hope these next few weeks will help our grandchildren learn more about who they are and who they can be as we share this experience.
We are so excited to be heading out on our adventure this week and grateful for our children who have been our cheerleaders from the very beginning and my siblings who will be staying here with Mom. Their support that has made it possible. Aren't families wonderful and isn't being a grandparent the greatest!!!
Maurine R.
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