I love our family tradition of baking pies for Thanksgiving. I took this picture of my husband David with our grandson and granddaughter (twins) proudly showing off the pumpkin pie they baked together here at our ranch this year! Traditions are what pulls at our heart strings and bonds us as one, kind of like being stuck together with “Crazy Glue,” with our family and friends. Yes, some of our traditions are kind of crazy! Some make us smile, some make us laugh, some make us a little teary-eyed.
Read MoreI like to dress up for Halloween! This year I was visiting at my daughter and son-in-law’s house, so I looked around to see what I could find to make myself a costume. I found a black satin sheet lying on a bed, which I knew would work for my main costume. After searching through my granddaughters’ dress up boxes, I found a fluffy little skirt and put it around my head. I thought I looked great! My grandchildren all laughed at me and asked, “What are you?”
Read MoreAfter I spoke, we had the best part of the seminar! The choir director for Cody High School and Cody Middle School, Anissa Bree, had 70 of her choir students there. The singers had our song, “There’s a Reason to Live” memorized, and they all sang it with great feeling. They only had two weeks to learn the song, and they took it seriously. Anissa Bree had performed a miracle! It was amazing to see the Grizzly Hall in the Library packed with choir students and their family and friends who came to listen to them. When the song was over, many people were in tears.
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Our celebrations continue… The first activity of the day was a “Guided Courtship Tour” so David and I could show our family where we dated in Provo and where we lived when we were first married! Our tour began at BYU where we bought ice cream cones for everyone at the Cougareat. It was a great bonding experience to walk together across campus and other places in Provo in our matching yellow and blue t-shirts, which were our wedding colors! Such a long, fun afternoon!
Read MoreExcerpts From My Journal
I wanted to plan a big celebration for my 70th birthday, which was on June 29th and also celebrate David and my 50th wedding anniversary, which had been on March 30th. Our celebrations lasted a week—June 28 – July 4! It started in Provo, Utah, and finished in Cody, Wyoming! David and I wanted to begin our celebration by attending the Provo Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because we know that the Sealing Power of the Priesthood and our temple covenants provided the foundation for our 50 years of a happy marriage!
Read MoreDavid and I were never actively involved in politics in the past. We did our own research, discussed different candidates between ourselves, and then we voted. We avoided all controversial discussions that other people were having, and we chose to just listen to their opinions without expressing our own opinions. We always desired to avoid any kind of contention that usually arises in political conversations.
Read MoreYou must believe in yourself. You must believe that your life really matters, and the universe really does need you. It needs your personality. It needs your talents—the ones you have now—and the ones you don’t even know about yet that you will develop throughout your lifetime—much to your surprise! Right now, you have no idea what great gifts are hibernating within you or what amazing experiences are awaiting you up ahead. You must believe in yourself!
Read MoreMy desire this year is to become more like Jesus Christ and to build a better life by using Him as my one sure foundation. I want the true meaning of Christmas to linger with me, day after day, week after week, month after month, throughout the whole year. When I read the article, “Jesus Christ—Our Firm Foundation” by Donald L. Hallstrom, I gained new insights on how I can build a spiritually strong foundation through “vision, commitment, and self-discipline.”
Read MoreAs we sat around the table for our family’s Thanksgiving feast, we all took turns saying what we were most grateful for on this special Thanksgiving Day. I shed a few tears as I spoke of the miracles of God the last few years, both big and small, which had allowed our family to be together this day. Without His divine intervention, we wouldn’t have had this day of rejoicing with our family and friends.
Read MoreI sometimes have problems sleeping. I can usually fall asleep okay, but I often wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling back asleep. I’m not sure what the reason is (it doesn’t seem to be stress) as I usually go to bed feeling quite content and happy! I recently found some interesting, new information in a lengthy article, which I hadn’t read before. I decided that what I needed to do was to incorporate, slowly but surely, all 20 of its suggested “tips” into my daily routine!
Read MoreI went home and looked around my kitchen and decided to start learning to love being there much more. Instead of thinking about my kitchen as a place of drudgery where I had to do chores, I started thinking about my kitchen as a place to create happy memories and teach my children to enjoy making and eating nutritious food.
Read MoreI hope you will take a few minutes to watch this incredible music video, “Strong,” which was written for Sarah Frei. I’m sure it will be as life-changing for you as it has been for me. I believe that Jesus Christ can help each one of us to be STRONG.
Read MoreI admire John Hancock’s leadership, tenacity, and desire to use his wealth and influence to help America withstand the pressures it was facing and become the great country it is today. As men and women who live in the United States of America at the present time, it is now our turn to stand up and continue this legacy of faith.
Read MoreI have always tried to carry one-dollar bills in my purse or pocket to give to those in need. I know not everyone agrees with my attitude of giving to the poor, but I feel in my heart it’s the right thing for me to do. My son Jonathan was homeless at different times in his life, and I know he stayed alive from the handouts of other people. Whenever I give to someone in need, I think of Jonathan.
Read MoreI want to say how much I love being a mother and a grandmother! I made many mistakes with each of my children, and I’m grateful they have been so understanding and forgiving of me. This cycle of life is God’s plan. It truly is, “The Plan of Happiness.” I’m so happy I can be a part of it!
Read MoreHowever, having a few successful experiences of breaking through my fears did not bring me great courage. It was still not one of my emotional strengths. It was only through the pain of many disappointing experiences, where I totally lacked the courage I needed, when I resolved to change. I believe we can all learn to be courageous people who know how to, “DO what needs to be done WHEN it needs to be done WITHOUT hesitation.”
Read MoreFrom 1863 to our present day in 2021, not much seems to have changed since Lincoln’s time. With the passing of 158 turbulent years, our country could still be described with his words, “Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient….” Hopefully by our examples and teachings, we can help people in our communities, country, and even the whole world to embrace Abraham Lincoln’s ideals. His vision of peace and unity, along with his fervent proclamation to turn our hearts to God once again, can still be realized.
Read MoreI was looking online to see if the 1985 music tape, “Bounce Back!” still existed because I wanted to share it on my blog. I FOUND IT! I was so thankful to Jason Poole for taking the time to remaster this tape! I cried all the way through the last song on the album, “You’re Not Alone,” which had given me so much strength and the courage to keep going on years ago.
Read MoreI have a friend who was planning to be with her daughter when she had her first baby, so she asked me if I had any suggestions for her—since she knew I had done it so many times myself! (In 2021, we are now up to twenty-nine grandchildren with a new granddaughter born on January 14th and a new grandson born on March 16th!) I typed up my suggestions for her, which I am now passing on to others as well. Whether you are a mother, mother-in-law, sister, aunt, cousin, or special friend, there is something you can do to help make life a little easier for a mother with her new baby!
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I watched a weekly podcast entitled “Unleash Your Inner Goldilocks: How To Get It Just Right” that was put on by Dr. Kasthuri (Kas) Henry. She invited my sister, Robin Litster Johnson, to join her as they discussed the subjects of Gratitude and Resilience. I was so inspired by what I learned from these two amazing women that I wanted to share about Dr. Kas Henry on my blog.
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