Restoring Legacies and Treasures

 

Richard and I will often watch BBC’s “The Repair Shop” (here) in which patrons bring their time worn heirlooms to be restored to another time.  It’s great to see so many attached to sentiments in our throw-it-out/replace/upgrade it society.  I don’t recall having any family heirlooms.

My mom had been raised in poorer circumstances with many relics that may not have been considered antiques at the time – certainly not of value either financially or sentimentally.  We threw things away and replaced them – though I remember my brother and I both hoarding “stuff” as sentiments.  Perhaps even now.  But nothing worth restoring . . . I don’t think.

I do have a set of scriptures that belonged to my mother.  The binding on the triple combination is torn in places and many of the pages have definitely seen better days.  But it is a treasure because I see where she has marked certain scriptures and written in the margin.  That for me is a treasure – something I would definitely have restored if I lived in England and could travel to the repair shop more easily than now.

The most interesting thing I think I have seen is a coconut scraper (which I had never even heard of before, but does make sense; just something the average person wouldn’t encounter or have need for) and the most touching has been with the restoration of a painting that survived war.  You can read about (and see the workmanship involved) here for one.  There are others if you would like to research it more.

Thank you to those who have the skills to make the restorations possible and for those who choose to have their legacy live on in these items.  I love to hear their stories.  And I love watching the shared talent of others.

Short and Sweet

         In the Church of Jesus Christ there is a meeting in which members of the congregation are encouraged to make their way to the stand to bear their testimonies.  This meeting takes place once a month – usually the first Sunday of each month.  General Conference also falls on the first Sunday of the month and so testimony meeting gets moved to either the last week of the month prior or to the second week (depending on the ward or stake).  In the South Umpqua ward we have held testimony meeting the week prior – except this year.

On March 26 we had stake conference – which is a geographical boundary made of up several wards

April 1 and 2 was General Conference (which is when the meetings are broadcast world wide)

April 9 Easter program

Thus our testimony meeting was not until the 16^th of this month.

          I recall sitting through a many of sacrament meetings as a youth in which testimony meeting especially seemed to drag.  Either a person would make his/her way to the stand and drone on endlessly or else there was such a lull of space in between each testimony that the silence often seemed to account for a longer amount of time.

          There were several things on my mind.  Jaime had made a surprise visit.  I am so grateful to have her so close to home.  I have also grown a lot due to the “Come Follow Me” program in addition to my current living situation – becoming more tolerable I guess and feeling like I have become (and continue to become) a better person as I compare my own faults to the scriptures direction on how to improve.

          During the week I had asked for the Spirit to be with me that I might express my thoughts without detraining from the testimony’s purpose.  Bishop had announced that we keep our testimonies short and sweet – which this ward members seem to be really great at – and there are rarely lulls or distractions like some meetings of my past.

          I mentioned how the “Come Follow Me” program has assisted me with my current living situation and how grateful I have been for the examples each have given me.  I was then prompted to sit down. 

          “But I still have more to say,” I thought.

          I sat down without expressing my gratitude for Jaime and being at a close distance.  And so I am expressing it here.

Letting Go

 I was not on facebook at all on December 31 or January 2.  It was nice.  So many times I have considered removing myself from being connected but there are aspects I enjoy such as “Come Follow Me” and keeping connected with the ward relief society and different community pages.  More pluses than negatives if I will allow myself to look at it that way.

The only reason I had turned on my computer yesterday was because Roland wanted to send Randy a card for his birthday – which is tomorrow and will not get to him in time if we were to mail it out.  If my computer is opened I will open the internet and dabble.  Last night I saw a notification from a member in the ward who I have bonded with in some ways but do not always choose to read her posts and wish I would have gone with my first impulse NOT to click on the notification but ignore – but it was Sunday and she often does share inspirational messages.  No, last night was a question and answer about Trump being able to stay in office.  I don’t know how many people agreed with her but did recognize a few names. 

My first thought was: “Get over it!  Trump lost a long time ago.  Are we seriously going to do away with democracy so an overgrown bully can get his way?” I wonder how many would demand recounts and overpost a victory gone wrong had the tables been turned.  There's been so much bantering the entire year of 2020.  Can't we start the new year off NOT?!?

I was wondering what reference I could use from the scriptures or general conference talks – that’s what we do, right?  Those who were slaveholders used scriptures to prove how God supports slavery while those against slavery used the same set of scriptures to disprove their belief.

I heard the still small voice telling me to

“Let it Go”. 

I decided to listen.

Still I needed something that would bring peace to my own mind.  I looked up “peace” and started into different passages but not satisfied.  I remembered I had meant to look up the lyrics of Micheal McLean’s “I Cry the Day I Take the Tree Down” (here) from the from The Forgotten Christmas Carols.

I had gone into the other room where Roland was finishing up another episode of Stargate and asked if we could watch The Forgotten Christmas Carols on YouTube.  I loved this production made available in November of 2020 though filmed in 2008.  It brought me peace. 

 This year’s Come Follow Me program focuses on the Doctrine and Covenants and I read scriptures from various weeks and found the Lord lovingly chastising me as many of the words spoke to me directly – which is a good thing.  That’s how I need to read them.

Unlike the other standard works, the Doctrine and Covenants themselves do not tell a story but are a collection of revelations.  Behind each revelation is a story and the website offers references that connect and I am awed by how quickly each reference is available at the click of a button – something that our forefathers could not have imagined.

The revelations had been compiled in a book called “The Book of Commandments” but was not made available to the saints as they are today.  Those who were sent on missions were allowed to copy some revelations to carry in their pockets and possibly exchange if they met up with another who also carried scriptures that way. 

I have learned a lot already and hope to continue in the Spirit guiding me and shed the anger of darkness.

For more information see the Come Follow Me programs found here, here and here.

 

 

 

Return to Church

         We fed the missionaries on Friday though the air quality was not that great.  They did not seem to mind as we built and ate Hawaiian haystacks out on our porch and visited for a bit.  I’d given them containers to take home some food which they said they would give me on Sunday.  Sadly that was my main objective for going as I knew we haven’t returned to normal and I thought it would be depressing.  Only the speaker was allowed to remove his mask.  We were told we could sing but had to leave our masks on.  I chose not to sing as the smoke has been enticing me to cough.

Several announcements were made before the bishop talked about how many of us are opinionated and often our opinions will put us into a box. There are a wide variety of boxes that exist – in our jobs, in our community, the way we serve (he didn’t say politics – but that is one I had thought of) . . . some people, such as the Pharisees, will add layers of thickness to their boxes. We need to look to reliable sources – such as the scriptures to understand the truth – to rely on truth rather than opinions and to leave our boxes.  We should not trust sources such as social media (he had addressed this as a question rather than providing a statement that we can’t trust social media or even the local news. An example he used were that some sources the fires were started by a certain group and others say that rumor is false). The best source we have is to rely on our Heavenly Father rather than ourselves.

  A representative of the stake presidency gave a message on hope. He talked about his time at the pear farm this year and working on the platform. He said that all the platform workers were given harnesses. Many would hang onto the harness with one hand and reach for pears with the other. President Efson decided to put his faith in the harness and reach for the pears with both hands. He compared the harness to the Savior and told us to put our faith in the Savior the way he had the harness.

            We were also counseled to pray for our firefighters, those that have evacuated, a plea for a change in weather and that these hardships will help to soften hearts and heal the wounds of division that are present throughout our communities, region, and country.

The Number 40

“Forty – A Period of Testing

The number forty is mentioned 157 times in Scripture. The number forty symbolizes a period of testing, trial or probation.” – Scriptures Revealed

The article then goes on to remind us that Moses was in the desert for 40 years.  He had gone to Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights.  He was still there receiving God’s law while the children of Isreal lost their faith and built a golden calf.

For 40 days and 40 nights the Ark floated around in the water before there was sign of land.

For 40 days Jesus fasted before his ministry began. This site has a whole list of the symbolisms of the number 40. More than Roland had mentioned when he asked me if I thought this COVID thing would last only 40 days. 

It has now been 40 days since the students spent their final day for this school year.  It’s been 42 since the church announced no more meetings.  And not everybody was quarantined on the same day.  When would the “40” have started if his method is correct?  Or perhaps we are looking at 40 weeks?  40 months?  We may have enough food supply for 40 weeks but definitely not 40 months.  Our house is not big enough to store 40 months worth of food.

I don’t know that 40 is a symbolic number for what is taking place now.  But it is interesting to think about.   

Easter in Isolation

              Yesterday we hid twenty plastic eggs for Jenna to find.  The Easter egg hunt has always been a tradition for her.  She has participated in at least one hunt every year - and it is usually with someone other than us.  But as we are stuck inside this year and I won't allow her to go further than the mailbox, I decided to create a hunt for her.  We had purchased Easter candy a while ago and also included scriptures and other Easter thoughts so we could include the true meaning of Easter as well.

Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to. – Jeffrey R. Holland

 His Atonement makes available all of the power, peace, light, and strength that we need to deal with life’s challenges – Sheri L. Dew

For the Atonement of the Lord and His gift of resurrection—for this sublime message of  Easter  – Russell M. Nelson

To understand the meaning of death, we must appreciate the purpose of life. (…) Our Father knew that because of the nature of mortality, we would be tempted, would sin, and would fall short. So that we might have every chance of success, He provided a Savior, who would suffer and die for us. – Thomas S. Monson

 The Atonement is the greatest evidence we have of the Father’s love for His             children. – Linda K. Burton

decorated Saturday morning

hid only half of the eggs we had

The white Easter lily symbolizes purity and honesty. Some say Easter lilies proliferated in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus wept in the last hours before Judas’ betrayal.

You won’t see any mention of the long-eared, cotton-tailed Easter Bunny in the Bible, but he has become one of Easter’s most prominent (and commercial) symbols.  Seeing rabbits emerge from their burrows in spring, early Christians may have adopted the gentle, meek mammal as a symbol of Christ emerging from his tomb.

Eggs and chicks symbolize new life.  An egg can also be a                      symbol of the Tomb.

He is not here: for he is risen – Matthew 28:6

And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.    Luke 24:36

He is risen! He is risen!  He hath opened heaven’s gate.

                I wanted today to be a beautiful and spiritual Easter.  I wanted to include my family in what I felt.  It did not work out to my expectations however.  By 5:00 I was watching YouTube videos by myself expecting that Jenna would join me eventually.  I figured Roland would stay in the room and watch Sunday morning.  But it’s Easter.  Come on!  We haven’t been to church for a month yet.  Nor have we met as a family to hold Sunday meetings.  I think this is the first Sunday Jenna has not watched the “Come Follow Me” program with me.

                The first video I watched was Finding Joy in Sharing the Gospel (here) as it was the lesson we would have had in Relief Society had we met at the church.  Afterward I watched the video “Don’t Miss This” with David Butler and Emily Freeman (here). How awesome it was that they compared the first Easter to our Easter experience today.  The world in isolation.  Afterward I rewatched  the “Come Follow Me” program (Teaching with Power) with Brad Wilcox (here).

  

               When Jenna came into the room she suggested that we watch “The Littlest Angel”.  She had received a copy of the 1997 original animation of an angel sent back to earth to help two children during Easter. 

I don’t fully remember.  I wasn’t as impressed with it as she.  I liked the version I had read as a child.

Only the trailer of the 1997 was available and so we watched the full Hallmark movie made in 1969. 

That was our Easter together.  I tried getting her to watch “Saturday Night Seder” (here) with me, but she lost interest.  I didn't realize it was a fundraiser for the CDC foundation.  Good cause.  Excellent video.  Such profound words from each of the Rabbis and celebrities.  I enjoyed Judith Lights narration during Ben Platt's  performance of  "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".  I also enjoyed the narrations by Richard Kind and Debra Messing.  I also enjoyed Harvey Fierstein's  monologue on "Next Year in Jerusalem" which gave a whole knew meaning to a phrase I had heard before but never knew what it meant.

I think I’d taken Jenna to a Passover before.  Of course she does not remember it.  It wasn’t even a Jewish Passover, but a Passover that would pay homage to our Jewish ancestors but emulate Mormonism as well. It was nice that I had a little understanding of Passover as I watched the performances that were so well edited and had been written up and posted in such a short amount of time.  It was mind-blowing really.  I highly recommend watching it.

                I missed having the opportunity to attend it for a while.  Our friend Beth was going to invite us to her Passover one year, but we have failed to get together and it didn’t seem possible this year.  But I know of other families who engaged in the traditions.

                After Roland got up, he started cleaning the kitchen and strongly suggested that Jenna watch “The Ten Commandments”.  The problem is it’s just so darn long.  She cannot sit still long enough to watch it.  So thus far we have watched only half of it.  She is now in her room watching online lectures and Roland is watching a recorded episode of “The Profit” – some great ways to spend your Easter, right?

                So I am now recording my thoughts on Easter meaning for me this year.  I like the parallels of the things I have watched and heard.  And I wonder if the amount of time that passed between the initial Passover (before the 10 commandments) and the Atonement and Resurrection was the same amount of time that passed between the Resurrection and Covid 19. 

The First Day of Spring

          There were several signs of spring before it the equinox made (or will make) it official.  So many trees in pink and white blossom and all the daffodils and allergies.  

Though my eyes appreciate the view from a distance, I have a hard time with spring up close as my sinuses go ballistic.  My ears tear and my nose runs.  Allergies.  I’m not sick.  I’m annoyed.  I need more moisture than the air has been providing me with lately.  Time to bring out the humidifier – which always seemed like an oddity for this part of Oregon.  But with Roland always being cold at night, the electric heat is really not agreeing with me right now.  

          It’s the heat.  It’s not a virus.  I’m not sick.  Even if I do get sick, I won’t admit it.  I’m not going to the doctor’s or hospital.  There are sick people there.  They don’t allow visitation.  I’m not going to spend my isolation in a hospital where I’m really not isolated as there will be other patients and staff in masks.  Not me.  I’m staying home.  Even if I do get sick or break a body part or puncture myself.  I will weigh it out at home with my loved ones around me.  I am NOT going to go to the hospital.

          Parent Teacher Conference was supposed to be held tomorrow and Spring break officially starts on Monday.  This morning Jenna and I did her last seminary assignment for this week.  Seminary won’t start back up until March 30.  They will try meet two days a week online but the students are on their own for the remaining three. Jenna still wants us to study each morning whether there’s seminary or not.  We are cruising through the Book of Mormon and the Come Follow Me Program.  

We are ahead of where we would be if we were meeting on Sundays for Sunday School.  Looking forward to General Conference.  We were told it would be unlike any other.  We didn’t know why then, but many have figured out why now. 

Beginning of Isolation

This morning my alarm went off as I had set a reminder to meet with the bishop this morning.  Of course that never happened.  It is weird not going to church on Sunday.  The dismal air outside mirrors the way Jenna and I feel with summoned isolation.

Jenna and I watched a “Come Follow Me” video before reading Jacob in its entirety.  

She still plans to study independently according to her daily schedule starting with seminary and each class that she has – except for maybe one of her math classes as she has no reference from the school.  I told her to watch math videos during that time.

I did get a message from the friends of Myrtle Creek library.  They may be staying open as they are not considered to be a public library.  However, the library is still in a city-owned building and so the decision may not solely be left for patrons and volunteers of the library to decide.

This is such an odd reality – or is it?  Are we just guinea pigs in some political scam in which the media blows everything out of proportion?  I’m not worried.  I’ve got more pressing things going on in my life.  Worry is not one of them.  Que Sera Sera.

Let’s Compare

         Compare means estimating or measuring a difference or similarity.  For instance, you may compare the prices that are in one store compared to the prices in another.  Or you may notice the name brands generally have higher prices than the brands you have never heard of.  Albertson’s used to have a knock off brand called Janet Lee and Smith’s Food King had actually marketed one called “No Name” if you can believe that.  Today the most common knock off that I am familiar with is “Great Value” found at Wal-Mart.

          I’ve compared my life to Salt Lake with the one I have in Oregon.  I’ve compared the library systems, the transportation, the road conditions, and education.  I am always comparing the weather to itself.

          We may test the waters by first getting our feet wet.  We may practice for events that may or may not come to pass – for example, we have prepared backpacks in the event that we do have to evacuate with only a moment’s notice . . . we haven’t had to use them however and don’t really know if we are as prepared as we think we are.

    

     

          Sometimes the actual event does not have the same results as did the drill.  For example, the fire drill compared to the evacuation that I discussed in this post

          We compare how we think we should feel to how we felt or would like to feel.  We compare how we look  - we compare to ourselves, to others, supermodels, celebrities.  We compare our brains to others.  We compare our lives. We compare our size, our shape, our skin tone, our weight, our hair . . . .

          We compare the time we spent in school learning a trait or skill to finding a job in the real world where your schooling time does not count as “years experience”.  We compare others success or luck to our own.  There have been a few days in my life which I have compared to Alexander’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

          I have noticed different personalities within different cartoons.  For example, I think the Peanut Characters all represent a different personality.  Lucy is the uptight controlling personality.  Charlie Brown is the one who may allow himself as a doormat; his intentions are noble, but he often allows himself to get bullied. Schroeder is so focused on his music that he doesn’t pay much attention to anything else.  Linus represents wisdom – even with his blanket.  I have also compared Winnie-the-Pooh characters to different personalities in this post.

          We compare the taste of food.  We describe the taste by comparing to familiarity.  We compare how food is prepared.  We compare cooking styles.  We even compare how it looks to how we think it should look.

          We liken the scriptures to our own lives.  Often instructors will teach with a modern day twist comparing the scriptures to the latest movie or works in literature.  Jesus made comparisons through parables.  We make comparisons to help ourselves learn – to grow and develop.  We use analogies.

          Speaking of scriptures,  I like having two or three open books to compare verses side by side . . . there are some of us who still use books.  And how many times have we compared books to tablets or modern day technology?  Finding information on Google is less time consuming than looking up information first in the card catalog and with finding the book and then in finding the information in the book itself.

          In 2016 somebody compared our libraries to being on life support.  Voting “no” on the November ballots would pull the plug while voting “yes” would keep the doors open.

          We tend to compare the past to the present and find the pros and cons with each.  We compare the growth, the technology and the paths we have taken as individuals, as a country, as the human race.

          Two comparative posts that really stood out to me are this one as I felt had a lot of good quotes about self esteem and self worth.  I love the quote about not comparing “our behind the scenes moment to somebody else’s highlighted reel”.  So often we measure ourselves by how we are seen by others.

        and This one as it compares Christmas symbols to our beliefs in Christmas – though many are just legends it is great to have “meaning for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear” to verify the reason behind a symbol that is used such as the candy cane and Santa Claus

          I suppose I don’t really need to explain further or give more examples.  We’re all guilty of comparing probably often.

The Power in Position

My initial post is costing more time than I am able to give for the moment anyway.  Guess this one will have to tie my readers over:

            The meeting ended early today and so the bishop decided to call a few members from the congregation to come and bear their testimonies.  I smiled as I thought about how often meetings were based on impromptu due to short meetings or just lack of speakers.  In this post I mentioned the majority of youth had their favorite impromptu meeting which was sharing one's favorite hymn and a little bit about why it was/is our favorite (or one of our favorites) and then we would sing that hymn as a congregation.  I think that is something we could do in this ward with our regular pianist, but I know there several in the ward who would not be comfortable playing some hymns out of the blue that they hadn't practiced for a while.

            Singing hymns brought reverence to our meetings and some of the reasons behind the individuals' liking the hymn was inspiring.  I related this to Jenna and she said she would like that opportunity.  I suspect the youth in this ward may know the hymns better than in my last ward when I lived in West Valley.

            Danny was not at church today, but did send her laptop and a cheesy video about Ester - a musical that we would not be able to finish - and didn't.  I interrupted some of it to say "Hey, I just want to let you know what's going on"  - and relate the Biblical version of Ester instead of just the video.  I do believe in the power of music, but I think this particular version took some liberties with their interpretation.

            We're not going to be able to watch starting January as lessons are now going to be only 20 minutes long as well as singing time.  There will no longer be a sharing time.  Church will only be two hours instead of three.  I am personally looking forward to the change.

Somewhere Between Eden and Gethsemane

        A garden, by definition, is either a cultivated plot of ground or a gathering place such as a park which is generally adorned with plants and trees.  I guess I have never considered the definition until quite recently.  We had our Stake Conference this weekend, and one of the speakers mentioned two specific gardens found in the scriptures and discussed the symbolic differences between them.

          The Garden of Eden, as mentioned in Geneses,          is outlined as a paradise.  We see paintings of fruit and vegetation, peace and waterfalls, a beautiful place where everything is tranquil.  I guess it represents a kind of perfection.

          The Garden of Gethsemane, as portrayed by each of the gospels, does not have the same appeal.  Paintings often depict a drab setting with perhaps a few barren-looking trees, a hard rock or boulder, uncultivated dirt - it appears to be the opposite of the Garden of Eden.  There is no tranquility.  It represents hardships.  It represents trials.  There is sadness in Gethsemane and it takes faith to endure just being there.

          My youngest son seems to live in Eden for the most part.  He allows discouraging thoughts to roll off his back.   He tries to coax others to come into Eden by waving to them and showing them what the garden has to offer. Sometimes I have questioned whether he has been to  Gethsemane.  I know he's seen it. I don't know he's willing to leave his comfort zone to physically pull others out of Gethsemane.  I could be wrong.

          My middle son fluctuates between the two gardens.  He seems happy and content with one, but then something will set him off and he will mope around in the other.  And then there's my eldest who unfortunately has spent too many years in the Garden of Gethsemane and continues to delve deeper into the garden instead of trying to get out.

          Often his way of thinking (or lack thereof) remind me of John Steinbeck's character "Lennie Small" from Of Mice and Men.  Lennie is sweet for the most part, is seen as uneducated and slow-minded.  He doesn't mean to be harmful to anyone, but sometimes he gets frustrated and defensive when he is unable to communicate his thoughts to others.  I don't think that Biff is quite that far gone, but he tends to forget things he once believed. 

        Often our conversations are (and have been) like beating our heads against a brick wall.  I do believe that he would become bored with Eden in a matter of time, but I don't enjoy watching him struggling in Gethsemane, and I don't know how to help him.  Nor do I know how to comfort his mother-in-law who has visited Gethsemane more times than I have.

          I understand the need for trials.  I understand the need  for peace.  I'd like to see all of my children find their common ground between the two gardens.  I'd like that for everyone.

Let the Hunt Begin!

         Khonie uses ideas and outlines from Printerest and Sugardoodle.  She presents them in such an awesome way that we all learn.  The theme for primary this year is "I know the Scriptures are True"

With our latest sharing time, the children were introduced to a treasure map

and were given bags

Khonie made several bags and will be making more
 (as our primary has gotten bigge)

to fill with charts,

reading material

and a "message in a bottle"  

which included directions for parents and child to help their children, and the first reading chart

(Jenna ended up with 2nd Nephi - I think because her class may have already read 1st Nephi before this "treasure hunt" sharing time was introduced.

         In the future we will be given clues that will help us find the treasure. 

         I don't if there will be one treasure box for each child or a joint treasure box. 

         I understand each jewel will have a letter on it, and at the end of the year, the children can take their jewels and arrange them to make a puzzle - (or scramble/rearrange the letters) another clue?  or perhaps the treasure (answer) itself.

          Either way, Jenna will start YW in April and will not be participating in the primary sharing time.  But perhaps I can still participate in her behalf. She is reading and will continue with her primary class.

         How great it is to have a world full of creative minds.  How awesome it is that modern technology allows others to share and continues.  Thank you to all of those who have contributed to so many of our activities.  You're awesome!