Memorial Day 2014 Tribute to Four Brave Men

Once again Music & The Spoken Word has a way of presenting just the right words at the right time. I love to watch and listen to the messages given by Lloyd Newell in the weekly broadcast on Sunday mornings. It sets the tone and mood for me. i was particularly touched by this story of the four chaplains. [See 'fourchaplains.org/story.html]

"Honoring Our Heroes"

On February 3, 1943, the U.S. Army troopship Dorchester, part of a naval convoy, steamed steadily across the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean en route to World War II's European front. On board were 900 soldiers trained at military facilities like this one, Camp Williams, in Utah. The seas were rough, and the stretch was treacherous; German submarines were known to lurk below in what was called "torpedo alley."

At 12:55 a.m. a German submarine fired three torpedoes at the Dorchester. One ripped into the middle of the ship, and it swiftly began to sink. Chaos erupted on board. Several soldiers were killed; several more were injured. Some men jumped overboard. Four army chaplains-Protestant ministers George Fox and Clark Poling, Catholic priest John Washington, and Jewish rabbi Alexander Goode-were among the first to reach the top deck. Doing what chaplains do, they immediately began providing comfort, guidance, and hope. Calmly and systematically they distributed life jackets and, when the supply ran out, took off their own life jackets, handed them to the panicked soldiers, and pointed them to waiting lifeboats.

As the ship slid beneath the surface, soldiers in lifeboats caught one last look at the chaplains standing on the hull of the ship, arm-in-arm, praying. Rescue ships pulled 230 to safety that night, but almost 700 died.

The four chaplains were not among the survivors.

John Ladd, one of the survivors who witnessed the chaplains' selfless acts, later said, "It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven."1

As we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country, we remember that faith and selflessness are fundamental to honorable living. Their examples teach us where faith and selflessness lead and what courage, compassion, and sacrifice really mean. May we recognize and value these qualities in others and strive to develop them in ourselves.

1. See "The Saga of the Four Chaplains," fourchaplains.org/story.html.

Note: You can YouTube this broadcast in a oouple of weeks when posted to view.

Accepting a Chalenge for Good Works

We have a new ward and we feel a part of it already! Our new home has brought us new opportunities to grow, learn and get acquainted with our ward family. Their friendliness is boundless and they go the extra mile to make sure we feel welcomed. The bishop called us one evening just after we moved in and invited us to a ward dinner activity at the park behind the ward building that we probably would not otherwise have realized to go ourselves.

Then the bishopric came to visit us as well and again we felt welcomed and got to know who they are and they to know who we were too. I attended Relief Society each week and love the teachers' lessons and participation with them. We were recently asked as members of the ward through an announcement to get involved in doing Family Search Indexing. They announced that they have about 25 Family History Consultants for the Family History Center. They also asked if we would be able to do Family Search Indexing at home. The supervisor,( Verona E) for that [project] came over to show me how to do the Obituary project the Church is currently doing. She is our bishop's wife and such a fine, delightful person to get to know. She reminds me of one of my former bishop's wife, Sister England.

The Stake Relief Society had a women's seminar in April, called "What A Holy Woman Do?" It was a beautiful challenge for the stake sisters to try an experiment for three days to ask ourselves the question, "What would a holy woman do?"
The R S Stake board did that since January and reported to us what they experienced. It was so uplifting and the reported how it changed so many lives as they chose to live those words. The idea came from a book written by Kristen W Nelson, the wife of one of our Twelve Apostles. It is a short book but very full of counsel and encouragement. They gave us each a spiritual "gift card" with the same words, "What Would A Holy Woman Do?" I decided to accept their suggestion to try the experiment.

I started reading the eBook of it and put into practice. I found it helped be be more attuned to the guidance of the Holy Ghost and listen to the still small voice in accepting a new church calling that made that experience so sweet. I figuratively went from night to day in my perspective in that decision. It was nothing short of a miracle. My husband and I went to the temple during that week of contemplation. I received a sweet confirmation and witness of what a holy woman would do and was convinced of the blessing it would become in that acceptance. I felt so much peace, love and support all around me that I have never known regarding the steps to accept what the Lord would have me do in this instance. I know I had a 'mighty change of heart' that would have missed had I not taken the time to really search for the answer I sought.

I hope anyone reading about this challenge will seek out the book and see the miraculous effect it has upon each of you. It is an incredible, life changing event.

No Casual Conversatoion

I love my husband. I learn something from him every day. I learn who he is and how he has come to be who he is. We were having lunch and I had a question that I had pondered in my mind for a long time. We talked about when Jesus performed his first miracle with making water into wine at a marriage in Cana of Galilee.

I am in awe of the workings and miracles that Jesus performed while he was on the earth. We are reading the New Testament and are into the lives and writings of the Apostles. Some of those writings are not as easy to read as I would like. Nevertheless I continue to be touched by the "miracles" that Christ performed, as told and quoted by his apostles. His first miracle was noted at the marriage at Cana in Galilee.

It was a social gathering (a wedding) and the hosts ran out of wine. Mary came to Jesus to tell him there was no more wine. Then she told the servants to do whatever Jesus asked of them after she begged him to help as there was a need for wine for the guests. I thought about her insistence and realized that she knew in her heart her son was capable of making wine from water, no ordinary request.

He was obedient to Mary's request and instructed the servants to fill the stone pots to the brim with water. The next thing you know, there are pots of delicious wine served that even the ruler at the marriage gathering commented on the quality of the wine they were served.

Not much is said about how the actual wine was made, but the results of the crowd deemed that the wine served before was "not as good" but the "thou hast kept the good wine until now." John 2:1-11

Ron and I talked about what other miracles were performed and was pleased to hear his explanation with depth and understanding. I saw in him for that moment the instructor and professor he had been teaching me and answering my questions.

It was like drinking from a well of pure water that quenched the very thirst I had to know what he knew and taught me. I am most grateful for the scriptures and the blessing it is to study them with Ron.

Our New Home

We are enjoying the warmer weather in our new home in Mesquite, Nevada. Ron has the garden plot in and a few rows with tomato plants, Anaheim peppers, egg plants, with seeds planted for cantaloupes, and Crenshaws. Our garden here at home he's planted a few tomato plants, and seeds for cucumbers.

He has been focused on having our front yard become an orchard. So far he has planted several trees. 2 pomegranate, one apricot, one peach and two fig trees. I even requested a Bouganvillea vine. He installed the drip irrigation system out front. (See photos)

He has been busy!

Happy Easter!!

So love these beautiful flowers we got yesterday. The smell of Spring flowers takes me back to the years in elementary school. They remind me when I went to school at Wm Penn Elementary school in Chicago.

Spring is always a wonderful time of the year especially after a long winter and its lack of sunny days. It is almost as if the Earth is asleep in the winter and wakes up to Spring!

Hope Springs eternal and the newness of life begins all over again. Much like the earth is being resurrected each year. The burst of Spring brings the daffodils, tulips and pansies are my favorite signs of Spring at last.

Easter is also part of that promise of life eternal and its beauty abounding wherever you look. The grass is green again, the skies are clear and blue. What more can be said?

Keys to a Happy and Successful Life

Matt. 6: 33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
3 Ne. 13: 33
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

The older I become, the wiser. . . ? I read recently where a person who learns the lessons of life and acts on them the greater they understand their purpose in life.

The journey that Lehi and Sariah took into the wilderness can be liken unto us. We follow the words of the Savior ]hold onto the Iron Rod] and make those words to live by and our lives become meaningful. I am so grateful for those lessons of life that have given me room to grow and the refinement it has been to me personally. When we come into this world, we get our bodies and live. Are we not "unpolished" stones at birth, that over time we are hewned and ground to eventually become those beautiful polished stones we admire so much?

Children love picking up rough rocks that have attracted them and put them into their little hands to feel, touch and experience what that rock has within it. But if you take those same stones and put them in a rock tumbler, those stones are rubbing with other rocks and in time they come out more beautiful and shiny than they could ever imagine. Our life's experiences are much like the sand inside that tumbler that rolls thousands of times to get the results when that rock becomes so beautiful and polished.

But look where and how it came to be. Each trial that comes makes us a little better if we "get it." Otherwise we have to relearn those same trials unless we get it right along the way. Lessons can be learned easy, or they can be harder to learn. It is up to us and how we perceive ourselves.

It has been my observation over the years that those who are obedient and willing to be easily entreated and guided by the Holy Ghost they have found that KEY that brings peace, happiness and Joy. Our father in Heaven has a plan for us, and that is to follow our Savior Jesus Christ. God gave us his only begotten Son, who was born, suffered and died at the hands of others and gave his life for us as we come to know him, and embrace his atoning sacrifice and go forward. He has willingly paid the ransom the rue for us in FULL.

You, WE Never Walk Alone

A gentle reminder that we are NEVER alone. God is there for us and willing to take us by the hand and even carry us through the storms of life. May this uplift your day and carry you through always.

You'll Never Walk Alone - Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Uploaded by Mormon Tabernacle Choir

Purchase "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the album "Showtime! Music of Broadway and Hollywood": Amazon:

http://amzn.to/TVSul4 iTunes: http://bit.ly/UcPP94 Deseret Book: http://bit.ly/UcPQtD LDS Store:

I tried to cut and paste this link. You can go into youtube to the MoTab site and listen to this song.