Listening to Good Music~

I really find the Children's songs on my blog relaxing and soothing after a long day.

The guitar that plays some of the songs has a great touch. Listening to good music lifts your spirit, too.

The Primary songs are a favorite. These are great songs to listen to on an iPod while walking. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I won't mind walking, which is one of my goals. I am working on being a healthier ME!!

I look forward to Spring, which is just around the corner...whaahoo!

Marathoning Through The Book of Mormon!

This picture was taken in Chichicastenango, Guatemala~These women remind me of the mothers of the 2000 Stripling Warriors. They perhaps would have dressed like them.




I put my Book of Mormon cds in the car and enjoy listening to the scriptures as I drive around running many errands in my day. It seems that I got to listen to about ten chapters today. Now that is what I mean by 'marathoning' through the Book of Mormon. Alma 19: to 29: in a day.

I was impressed with the response that Abish, the woman that witnessed all the conversions of the Lamanites when King Lamoni was converted. It mentioned that her father was in King Noah's court and heard what Abinadi had preached and was martyred. She went about to the houses to tell everyone what she saw and heard. It seems to me that she was a missionary and bearing her testimony as she went about telling her neighbors of what happened in the household of her master, and his wife, the queen. She most likely was converted by what her father had been taught and told her. She kept quiet what she knew of that time until King Lamoni's conversion.

I picture in my minds eye as Alma went about preaching and teaching the people and judging them as Chief judge. The land was very green with trees and bushes. The country side filled with small villages and acres of farmed land, with corn, and banana trees. Those images in my mind are somewhat factual since I did see that land and area of the Waters of Mormon when I went to pick up Michael from his mission in Guatemala, 14 years ago this month, February. I arrived on Michael's 21st birthday and was there about 8 days.

I hope I can post a photo that I took myself that I call, Mothers of young Stripling Warriors at the market place. We went to the market on Thursday, which was open only that one day a week. We went to Antigua, Chichicastenango, Panahaschel, Santiago, Guatemala City and of course, Tikal where the ruins were located.

Reading the Book of Mormon is a wonderful reminder of seeing that land and having traveled both by air and by car. The ruins were especially impressive. To see them in person and wonder what all transpired there centuries before and the past civilizations come and gone. I am intrigued by the Mayan culture and how refined they had become and knowledgeable in so many areas.

Don't Push the Panic Button

Aaron and Candice went out of town for a few days. I am watching the kids for Wednesday and Thursday this week. The girls got off to school okay and I was going to take the boys for a ride to get out of the house.

Parker and Joel were in the car waiting for me to take them for a ride. Then, just as I was going to put something in the back of the car, I heard a familiar click that sounded like the car locked the doors.

Sure enough. Joel was playing in the driver's seat and the keys to the car were on the console. I tried to show him where to open the locked door or even lift the door lock that opens all the doors. NO such luck! Parker could not help since he was locked in his car seat. He is unable to unlock himself out of his seat belt either without help.

I talked to Joel a few minutes, which seemed longer than it was. Joel had a long orange plastic stake in his hands. Coaxing Joel to give the stake to Parker was not the easiest thing to do. Parker could reach the door lock near his back seat to unlock it, if the stake was easy. He managed to open the locked door with the stake.

It worked! The car door slides open, but when the door unlocked, the buzzer to the door alarm went off. I tried to push the red "panic" button, but that would not work. So then, I pressed the unlock button on the car keys that were inside the car. The loud buzzing sound stopped immediately and off we went to Aunt Tracie's!

The boys had fun swimming. They then went to stay at their Aunt Tiffiny's in Lehi. They had a sleep-over and their parents came home on Saturday evening. Grandma went to pick them up. Parker fell asleep on the way home. He was zonked!!

A Feeling of Longing for Home

A visit to San Antonio in 1952 during Easter vacation at Nane's house~



Ever have the feeling of being so alone it almost makes you feel sad or like crying?

There are days, as one gets older when I miss "home." I had this feeling of longing for home, and then, thought, "Wait a second, am I not home already where I am?"

Then I realized it was the spiritual sense of that home I left a long time ago before I was born.

Plain and simple. The Spirit comforts me, sustains me, and gives me peace. But wouldn't it be nice to just see through some of this earth stuff and get that glimpse heavenward?

I go there in my dreams, so that will have to be good enough. Otherwise I may be reluctant to see it in my awake state. I must be patience and enjoy NOW and appreciate the present. So it goes. It is sometimes ike missing my loved ones who have gone to the other side. I feel the Comforter and can bear through it valiantly.

One of my cousins called me, Connie from San Antonio today. She sounded a bit depressed and as she talked for a while, she expressed how much she missed her mother who passed away in 2009. She admitted they had a difficult relationship, but even so, she loved her mother and was missing her. I know how she feels, like an orphan, perhaps.

It seemed we as children don't realize when our parents are alive, just how much they really mean to us, until we lose them. I always let my parents know how I felt about them in my letters, or whenever I saw them for visits. It was always a joy to be with them and enjoy their company, a treasure. My only regret is that I didn't get to see them more often. I am fortunate to have most of my children close by.

I miss those who are farther away, however. Seeing them once a year is not enough. I wish many times I had the means to go see them more often.

It is not easy to live away from your grandparents, like I had to when I was growing up and lived in Chicago. I am grateful my grandmother, Anita came to see us, and moved where we lived whenever we moved to a new place. Our family was able to go for a two week visit once a year around Easter break to see our relatives in San Antonio.

A Blast From The Past

This last week, since doing the vicarious temple work for our Mexican ancestors I have had the desire for "heritage food." It reminded me of the time I had an anniversary dinner a year after I was sealed to my parents.

I decided to make tamales and have everyone over for dinner. It was on a Sunday, October 20, 2005. Michael and Matt were not aware of our get together. I called them on Monday to tell them about the family party. Each one told me that both said, Michael and Joanna had a craving for my tamales the day before. Matt and Beth said the same thing not knowing what we had for our dinner. I thought that was a strong witness of the influence of our family link to our family on the other side.

So, the feeling I had of the tamales this week was similar the day I was in the temple. It brought my ancestors the the forefront. I had some extra tamales dough and meat filing in the freezer from the holidays when I last made them.



Then, when this craving for tamales came I took the frozen food out to thaw. I made them in a few hours of the afternoon on Thursday. They were delicious, beside to top off the feeling, I made homemade Mole. I cooked a couple of chicken breasts in the crock, and while steam cooking the tamales, I made the Mole sauce for the chicken. I make by taste and by trial and error. It comes out almost the same each time, even though I have written down a recipe in our family cookbook.

I made it that time and wrote down what I put into it. Sometimes it is a little sweeter. I used the Abuelita chocolate "cakes" with the sugar and cinnamon seasoning that are store bought. I sometimes make my own mixture out of powdered chocolate. I could not tell you how much I used, since I start mixing and tasting as I go. You know, that is how good cooks do it!!

Nevertheless, I had a bit of that with the nostalgia about my maternal grandmother that I wrote about last. I definitely see the connection even now. Hindsight.

I have been very blessed over the years to have the photographs, and documents, and stories about my ancestors. I am so thankful for the motivation it gives me to keep on writing, researching and bringing my family up to date about them all.

I truly cherish my heritage. I am thankful for the influence they have all had on me, even now. Their lives are important to me, and I believe they are all around me and assist me in my day to day life. The veil is thin and they are aware of all of my (our) needs, and as we search them out, they show their gratitude for our remembering them and bringing them the same blessings we enjoy.

The Spirit of Elijah is the chain and link to our past and blesses our present and future, as well as my taste buds.

Paying it Forward and Backward

My grandmother, Anita in 1940

The thought just came to me how I continue to do service to those around me.
Many times I have had opportunities that arise that I was unable to be at a certain
place, or at a certain time. But, time has a way of taking its course.

My maternal grandmother, Anita had reached an age where her body and mind were slipping away from us. She had developed a type of Parkinson’s disease. Her husband and she were in their eighties. She, being born in 1900--it is likely that this occurred in around 1980-82. I was unable to be there after she went into a care center.


I found myself, ironically--ten years later attending college classes that brought me into the field that gave me the experience and training to give time and comfort to those in care centers in their later years. Many times in my visits in my work, I would picture my grandmother, Anita in her room, unaware of those around her, being cared for by her care givers.

It is twenty-four years since then, and I cannot rewind the tape to go back and be at her side. But I am paying it (backward) and forward now in the time and service to others who wait for me to come see them as often as time allows. I know God understands and has brought me the understanding to make the best use of my time to serve.

I am grateful for being given another chance and serve those who need it. I am the one blessed as well.

Finding a Missing Glove & Sauerkraut

What do these two things have in common?

Let me explain. I went to get a manicure this afternoon and wore my gloves to drive there since the weather was below 20'. I think anyway. The steering wheel was very cold, so I wore my gloves. I was about a minute late so hurried out of the car when I parked.

Then, as I was leaving to go back home, I looked for my two gloves, that were fleece and warm to cover my hands. As I drove away from my parking space, I could only find ONE glove! I thought, I better turn around and go back to find it in case it dropped out of the car.

Well, as I was nearing where I pulled out, there was my glove, but it was in the aisle, and not near where I was parked. Then the prompting came, someone may have seen the glove on the ground by the car and placed it on the top of the car. Not seeing it as I drove away, it flew onto the ground where I found it!! That happened before once at another location. I was grateful for a caring soul to put it where it would likely be seen when I got back into the car. However, I did find it and felt the Holy Ghost prompting me to go find the lost glove.

Then, a few minutes later, I went to the grocery store, Ridley's that used to be Albertson's near the house. Looking for Sauerkraut was not easy. I looked down the aisle for canned vegetables, and even asked a clerk working that aisle. She couldn't find it either. I later realized she had never heard of sauerkraut!!

I went to another place she suggested and wound up going back to the aisle and thought,"If I was that sauerkraut, where would I be?" Then, within a few seconds, there it was, hidden but on a bottom shelf. The clerk crawled under to get the jar and gave it to me. It was on sale, and the tag on the end of the shelf had the better price. I was thrilled.

After I explained to the girl what it was good for she learned how good it is for you and thought she might try it. There I was, sharing the information stored in my head (memory bank) again.

Some days, I cannot help what I know and pass it one to some unsuspecting soul eager to know just how good sauerkraut can be for one's stomach and liver!!!

I came away, thankful for the Holy Ghost that helped me find my glove, and the sauerkraut.