Beneath the Wraps

                 Our Sunday School lesson focused on the latter-day prophets and apostles.  Before getting into the lesson we were asked to share any encounters we may have had with any.  Melodie told about seeing Pres. Monson at a Jazz game and waiting for the elevator with his party.  They were dressed in suits at the Jazz game.  They are dressed in suits every time they are in public.  It’s an image that we perceive.  Could we view them as God’s mouth pieces if they were dressed in tee shirts and jeans?  Perhaps.  They are human beings with their own thoughts but do represent so much more.           Long before being ordained as president, the then Elder Monson had come into Snelgrove’s ice cream parlor with some companions.   Burnt Almond Fudge was a popular ice cream with the general authorities.   President Benson would order a dish of BAF –...

            The first time I remember meeting Ben (not his actual name) was at one of the schools.   There was concern about safety with gang violence and other criminal activity.   After the presentation there was a QA session and Ben provided three phone numbers to call.   One was the local police department, one was for the Sheriff’s office and the last one he gave he said was his personal number.   I had programmed all three into my phone but had only used one and never the other two. Ben had run for office as the Sheriff head cheese – which was not the official title but he had worked under the Sheriff head cheese not as a deputy but an acting sheriff and had run against the head cheese I don’t know how many times.   He was running the year I dragged my husband to an adjoining neighborhood to support his campaign.   I remember liking his facebook page which I guess at the time qualified me as an automatic member of ...

                I don't know for certain how many children Raone had, but suspect there were at least eight.   Leisel was among the eldest.   Roane was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was diligent in her callings and offering service.   Leisel did not recognize her mother's great efforts.   Instead, she grew up resenting her mother's choices with neglecting her own family and blamed the church.   When she was eighteen, Leisel moved out of the house, she never had her name removed from the records of the church, but had stopped attending meetings and I believe disconnected herself from the family that she had helped raise.             I remember meeting her only once.   She was nice enough and seemed to have her act together - perhaps not financially.   She remained positive so long as c...

        We went to get the car washed yesterday.   Though not an automatic carwash, it brought up memories - though not in chronological order. Memory 1:         When Kimball learned to talk, he'd talk with such excitement that he'd often stumble over his words and came across as stuttering;   he would also put himself in third person.   Kimball LOVED vehicles, dump trucks, cranes, cherry pickers, tractors . . . you name it.   He really did know the names and what they did.   My mom thought he would be fascinated by the car wash as well.   He wasn't.   He was actually very freaked out.         "I'm sorry, Kimball," (once in the automatic car wash has started, the driver needs for it to finish before exiting) "but I really thought you might like the carwash."         "Kimball doesn't li-li-like the carwash. ...

         One of the gifts that I opened on Christmas was the Chicken Soup for the Soul "Positive Thinking"   stories full of reminders not to give up and to do whatever it takes.         As I read I think of examples from my own life:         Karyn was agoraphobic.  Her son had gone to a mission in Brazil and had developed feelings for a certain young lady.  After he had gone back to visit, he announced that he and this girl would be getting married and living in Brazil for a while.  Knowing that he needed some support from the family, he wanted his parents there, of course. Karyn and her husband had enough money for only one plane ticket. And because of her fears of dealing with crowds, it was decided that her husband would go.         His job seemed to complicate the situation as far as the date was concerned.  It...

Recently my brother Corey experienced a problem with his car.   Instead of complaining about it, he wrote a list of   things that he was grateful for about his situation.   He posted his list to facebook.   I tried sharing his post with my friends – though I think the only ones who might actually have an opportunity to view it are those that Corey is friends with already.   I just really like the attitude he has incorporated into his life. He was grateful that his car had died in the parking lot and not on the crowded streets of Las Vegas. He was grateful that the break down didn’t happen on the way to taking Joh or himself to work.          He was grateful to get roadside assistance through his insurance. He was grateful that the weather was not typical of this time of year, but much cooler to wait in than the normal July heat. Neither he nor Joh were on a schedule in which they had to b...

Roland gave our middle son, Tony, the nickname “Donald Duck”.   Too often Tony flies off the handle about situations he can’t control or doesn’t understand.   I told him that he needs to pray more often.   That didn’t seem to go over too well. Prayer has been a part of my life forever.   I always had example of prayer.   My sibs and I were taught to pray.   We said individual prayers.   We said family prayers.   We prayed over the food.   We’d start family home evenings with prayer and end with prayer.   We said morning prayers.   We said prayers before we went to bed.   Before and while on vacation.   It was just something conditioned in me.   I don’t know that I ever questioned it.   Perhaps I didn’t always understand it, but I do now and have for such a long time that it’s hard to remember if/when I questioned prayer. Oh, perhaps there were times I prayed for something specific and felt my pra...

I don’t know when the boys had lost touch with their mother’s family. Roland supposedly had her number on file, and the boys would constantly ask, “When can we see Aunt Judy again?” I figured it should be up to Roland to provide the number, put in the phone call, make an effort to get in touch. It took me two years to realize that if the boys were going to get in touch with Aunt Judy, they would have to come up with another source. I knew we wouldn’t find her under her maiden name and asked them one night to provide me with the first and last name of her husband and then we would look her up. I was surprised that there was only one Van Ball in Layton. I called Judy and introduced myself and learned that her father’s funeral had taken place only three days prior. She took down our name and address and sent out three programs (one for each boy). Even though the family had been out of touch, the three missing grandsons had still been named as honorary pallbearers. ...

          Recently I was googling Individual Worth in search for a proper definition to use in one of my posts.  As I went searching I pulled up a few blog sites with inspiring stories which I would like to share and reference.           I came across an object lesson given by Stephanie Waite in which she laid out various belongings on a table and asked her class what each object was worth and what made them valuable.  Some of the objects were perhaps expensive things and some objects may have been more valuable to one than to another.  But the particular object that may have seemed worthless to most individuals was probably the most valuable thing on the table in the eyes of its initial owner.           It actually reminded me of an object that is close to Jenna – a stuffed dog she’s had since she was 6 months old – though the...

          Last week my husband spotted a wallet in the parking lot of a shopping complex.  His arms were full of groceries and he asked Jenna if she would bend down and pick it up.  Excitedly, she retrieved the wallet and announced that it must be returned.  I am so happy that it was such an automatic decision for all three of us to turn the wallet in.  Oh, and we could have so used any money it may have contained.  But I’ve been in that situation too many times where I have been the one that has lost whatever – and if the roles were reversed, it is exactly what I would want the finder to do.   As the grocery store is the largest – it is where we ended up taking the wallet.  The owner frantically entered the store only moments after we turned it in.  We told him where it was.  With gratitude he gave Roland a half embrace. Jenna was a little bit disappointed that there weren’t an...

There are several variations of what may come to one’s mind when visualizing his or her perception of a hero.  There are comic book heroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, or even Word Girl . Many people have benefitted from the heroic actions of the police, firefighters, soldiers, etc.  It is the uniformed men or women whom they see as heroes.  And they are, and deserve to be recognized.                     There are “heroes” who do it for the glory – just to be recognized as heroes.  And there are the silent heroes who work behind the scenes, who don’t ask for recognition, many who would prefer not to bask in the glory.  These are the true heroes.           Roland is one of those heroes.  He does things out of nature – not because he’s seeking a reward or glory.  He just does things because th...

          Last May the bishop (leader) of our ward (Church boundary) had some major health problems along with his second counselor.  My husband, who was serving as the High Priest Group Leader, said to me that if the bishop had passed away during that time, the mantle would have been handed to him and he would have had to step into the bishop’s shoes (metaphorically speaking) until a new one was called.           I don’t know how soon the first counselor (at the time of our ailing bishop) was called to take over the position of bishop.  But my husband was called as his first counselor.  It was to be his fourth calling in less than two years.           But his second counselor holds the record of short lived callings.  He had been called as a Sunday School teacher – I don’t know for how many months.  He was released in order to serve ...