Wearing "P"

Tonight is Young Women's night and we are instructed to wear as many things that start with P as Possible. Shayna and Daddy helped me make uP quite an imPressive list of things.

I started with Powder and Perfume and liP Plumper. Then I Put on Pants, Pink ones, and a Paisely Purple and Pink shirt. I Pinned on a Pink rhinestone Pin. I Put a Pen and Pencil in my back Pocket. I Put my hair in a Ponytail with two Pincurls and Pompadoured my bangs. It's kinda Pretty, though the Ponytail is Plain. I Put on a Pearl Pendent. I Placed Plastic Pink earrings on my lobes and, Polished my toes. I Put my Phone in my Pocket and a Pink Paper Post-it. Finally, I Put Platform shoes on and I think I'm ready for my P night with the Young PWomen. I'll let you know if I win anything. :-P

The Past, Present, and the Future

Next Saturday Anthony Larson will be visiting Saint George. He's the author of The Prophecy Trilogy. This is a set of books that your Dad and I read almost thirty years ago together and had quite the paradigm shift in regards to our understanding of last-days revelations and prophecies.

We read everything we could after this first introduction, including Immanual Velicovsky's works. Man I struggled through those! I had to read things over and over to make sense of it. I can tell you I was a far better reader after that experience. Velicovsky was not writing to the masses!

Daddy and I never really taught what we learned from our studies. We felt it was more important for each of you to be prepared spiritually for what is to come first. We don't know if these books are right on in every detail. If they are not, that's ok. That won't shake our faith in God. But we believe that the coming destructions as catalogued in the Book of Revelations are literal and easy to understand in that way. We believe that God will orchestrate the heavens to perform his works by sending comets, et al, just as Joseph Smith Jr. said that he would.

I want to recommend that you find yourself a copy of Larsons trilogy and read it, each of you as couples. Discuss it and pray about it. I think it might be important. I tried not to teach you anything I didn't know as gospel. You know I was very obsessive about that. I didn't even preach Santa Claus, as pretty as that one is for children. So I hope you put the weight of this behind it that it means to me. I think you should know what your Dad and I think is coming. I think you should decide for yourselves what you believe.

Ceremonies and Rituals

This week Layne and I were able to attend two funerals. One was for a dear friend, the other for someone we didn't know but we were asked to sing two songs for the graveside memorial service.
I was just thinking about the purpose of ceremonies and rituals in our lives. I'm just thinking out loud here but why are they so important that we go miles out of our way to attend them?
We have to put aside our usual daily grind to come together for an acknowledgement of more important concepts than work/play etiquette. Oh you know what I'm talking about; 'life is precious', 'family is everything', that kind of stuff.
The same concepts are always voiced, maybe there's even memorized phrases. There's music and visual imagery to encourage contemplation and unity. I wonder if people could really remember what's important if we didn't have these time-outs from all our personal, self-absorbed fuss.
I guess there's prayer and scripture-study to bring us out of ourselves everyday. But are these too, in the private ceremony/ritual category?
I've heard the elite/intelligentsia types speak contemptuously of rituals in general. 'I guess this stuff is just for us stupid people who need crutches to help them get through'. But then why is Yoga and meditation so popular? Are these also rituals?
Doesn't that make the point that human beings are engineered to need certain things if the vast majority seems to need them?
I believe these 'ritualized quiet coming togethers' give us opportunities to reach out to each other with love and understanding. I believe they are an acknowledgement that we need each other, and that every life matters. I believe this need for ritual is a gift to those who are willing to accept it.

I missed things

Today is Saturday. I'm sitting at the receptionist's desk today and on her computer because she went home sick. The weather is lushious outside. I can see the trees blowing in the wind, and I'm missing it.
This week my first little grandbaby, Alissa, graduated from kindergarten. Her brother, Kenz and her Mom, Staci both had their birthdays, and I missed them all. On each special day I thought about them and called them. That's the best I can do right now I guess.
I got to take Mom Joyce to Relief Society and play Cranium with a bunch of fun people. Mom really did have fun too. She amazed me.
Last night Layne and I took her to the Ward party - a service scavanger hunt. Each group had to do a list of kind acts and we had to ask our neighbors to let us do their windows or pull their weeds.
It was a lot of walking for Mom, even with the car, but she had a blast. She seems to love the activity lately. Maybe it's the wonderful weather that's encouraging her happy, active attitude.
I know it's encouraging me to play sick too. If only I dared.

Something good

I love this time of year here. I awaken to a cool breeze wafting through the window. I say hello to the fish and the cats and Grandma and feed them in that order. Then I sit down to the news and the family sites. I guess I get to do pretty much what I want every day. Work is pleasant. There's enough sunshine to keep me happy but not enough to make the temperature insane. I guess I'm just feeling content and comfortable today. I hope and pray for each of you and know that the Lord is holding you in His very capable hands.

Gather to the Garners

Family and friends gather in and make yourselves at home. I'm not going to write often, preferring to spend my spare time readingeverything that's going on in YOUR lives. I so appreciate hearing the little tid-bits and seeing the videos. Thanks to all of you for keeping me in the loop.