Beneath the Wraps

             As a former sister missionary I remember introducing non members to strong members to be fellowshipped. Finding strong priesthood members who would remain in the ward long after the missionaries had gone.   Wouldn’t it be more meaningful to be baptized by a fellow member and still have that connection down the road.   I remember one of my brothers making it a goal NOT to physically baptize those he taught but to pass the reign onto another.   Not that it’s a choice for just anybody to baptize.   One must have authority and has to be interviewed the same at the individual to be baptized.           Missionary baptisms are handled by the missionaries while primary baptisms arrangements are made by primary leaders and/or parents depending on the size of the ward or stake and the amount of children being baptized.   I remember making the arrangements for Jaime’s baptism bef...

                 I am so grateful for the Come Follow Me program and have expressed my gratitude towards those that share their talents through Podcast and YouTube and for the Come Follow Me site on facebook.   I am really good at following the program until about mid-May.   Summer comes and I am not near as diligent and tend to miss out.   At least   this year.   It appears I had only missed one week of the Doctrine and Covenants.   And that was in November – the week of Thanksgiving when all of the family was sick accept for Jaime.   I do have another confession – though I’ve returned to the program and some sources I have not been so diligent about the Come Follow Me page on facebook.   It used to come up in my feed when I was diligent about my research.   I need to revisit.   I need to get back to my routine. I am better with the fall.   If it would only st...

               Ever since we had acquired other services (such as Netflix and YouTube) in which we can each set up our own account,  Jenna would set up her account and do her best to safeguard it so that ONLY the shows/vids she watches will be documented.  No imposters welcome on her account.  Only Roland would often pick shows to watch regardless on whatever account he lands on.  I at least have the decency to use the guest account when I have not created one for myself or someone else has created for me.               I do understand why she gets annoyed as Roland’s feed does include some less than wholesome activity – not that he has watched it all.   Sometimes a program may look interesting and may already be documented before it’s realized that there wasn’t enough interest in the program to continue – but once it’s been looked at, it may remain in the ...

          We started off the day watching the last half hour of “ It ’ s a Wonderful Life ”.   Jenna decided that it would be a good time to put up the Christmas decorations and proceed to go out to the shed.  I followed as her last attempt at bringing in the Christmas decorations by herself ended in tears.  We brought the decorations into the house and then watched the Macy ’ s Thanksgiving Parade – which has never really been tradition for me personally.  It comes on and people come and go while the parade plays.  Occasionally we glance at what is going on.  But come on.  Three hours of parade . . . that is entirely too long.  Parades should not drag on as I mentioned in this post            Thursday ’ s parade was pretty awesome – I think mostly because it wasn ’ t the traditional parade.  Everything took place in front of Macy ’ s.  Acts were performed – floats arrive...

             Last week was nice weather wise.   High was 67 degrees.   I think that is awesome. In the morning I had posted about not having a proper Sabbath.   This was our agenda.           First of all Roland insisted we watch a movie together.   We do not have Pureflix yet and so he found an old black and white which felt like watching an extended version of a Twilight Zone episode. It was called The Flight that Disappeared . I can see this being a part of the Mystery Science Theatre as well.             We were amused with the outside pictured a prop plane while the inside featured a lot more leg room that we had just encountered.   It was back in the day when smoking was still allowed on flights and you could see smoking happen in just about every black and white movie or series there was.   We didn’t notice any restroom stalls – but the mo...

Yesterday was National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.   I noticed the flags lined up and down the bridge as we made our way to the Ward Christmas party.    We had a brunch this year.   A 10:00 morning meal is great for so many reasons.   Breakfast.   Everything is catered.   No setting up of tables, decorations and so forth just to take it all down again (at least not by the ward members) no responsibilities of signing up to bring a dish in addition to reminder calls and a hodgepodge assortment of food.   I think the greatest plus is that it is light enough to see where we are driving.   The light invites.   Driving in the dark often seems so dismal. Roland had been asked to play Santa Claus who hasn’t been a part of any ward Christmas that we have been a part of in Oregon.   Roland had memorized a speech about how our focus needs to be on Christ rather than Santa – for Santa wants to worship Christmas in a righteous way an...

             When it was announced that church meetings would be cut back to only two hours on Sunday so that the third hour could be spend with families, neither Jenna nor I believed it would last.   It has been left up to each family or individual to study the "Come Follow Me" program to prepare for the following Sunday.   I could hear Jenna's moans - wishing that would happen but predicting that it would not.                 Like many New Year's Resolutions, there is diligence within the first month, perhaps a couple, but then we start to taper off from what we started and had every intention of keeping.   Jenna and I have been pretty good about going over the manual first thing when we get home.   She stops me and asks lots of questions or rewords the message (or scripture) according to her own understanding.   During the ...

Here is Carisa's article in News Review: Children, adults enthusiastic at Myrtle Creek Library reopening CARISA CEGAVSKE Senior Staff Writer The News-Review Carisa Cegavske Jul 3, 2017 MYRTLE CREEK — On the Myrtle Creek Library’s reopening day Monday, Tanner Reed, 5, was enthusiastically transforming a Minions T-shirt into a book bag that he could use to take home a pile of books about dinosaurs, unicorns and monsters. Tanner didn’t like to think about what would happen if the library closed again. “I’d feel really sad,” he said. Tanner was one of a dozen kids who turned up for the first day, not just of the library’s summer reading program, but also of its reopening after a three-month closure. Like the other smaller library branches of the former Douglas County Library System, Myrtle Creek’s doors were shut April 1. It’s the fifth to reopen, and it’s operating with an all-volunteer staff. The kids were thrilled to have books to check out and fun a...

I did not watch the voting reports on November 8.   I was at a Relief Society activity sharing my life story – making a plug for gratitude, because even when circumstances seem to be at their darkest, there is still a glimmer of light.   We need to focus on the light and good things that were dished out along with the bad such as mentioned in this post         I had invited other sisters to share their stories also.           A few shared experiences related to failed health and how other family members were affected and the pluses that continue still.   One sister shared her testimony on faith and gratitude about contributing to the building fund raiser (back in the day when members were required to help raise monies to build temples and ward houses and such) She baked bread and collected Susan B. Anthonys.   It was really quite touching how she described how the money was rai...

I remember watching a documentary with my mom in 1991.   It was called Age 7 in America.   At least I think that’s what it was called.   I don’t know who’s responsible for making it.   It looks like it may have been created by Christopher Quinn patterned after an idea done in Britain?   I don’t even recall which network sponsored the program.   Quinn (who also narrated the film) told us that the plan was to follow a number of children from different backgrounds and upbringings and interview them every seven years. I remember looking for “Age 14 in America” but not finding it.   I don’t know what prompted me to look it up on YouTube this year – but I did find it.   Age 7, age 14 and age 21 (thank you Orletta Crichlow) and watched Up 21and was really quite impressed. Years ago, when my mom and I had been watching, there were three girls wearing school uniforms.   As they were being interviewed, the one in the middle...

I remember hearing a story about a child visiting grandparents – noticing that “grandma” is much taller than “grandpa”.   One day the child asks why grandma had married when there was such an obvious height difference.   The grandma responds with, “Your grandpa and I fell in love sitting down, and by the time we stood up, it was too late.” Often there are people look for a partner in which to share a life.   Sometimes they base their interests on appearance or personality.   And then there are others who develop a love without even trying.   And sometimes the situation may seem challenging if acted upon – some may accept the challenges while others choose not to go there due to an orthodox view of race or religion.   Others may accept the challenges that they face and try to make a go at it.   Sometimes the constant battles will make a couple stronger.   Sometimes it ends up tearing them apart. Recently I watched a movie called ...

         This year the weather has been awesome enough for me to drive in.   As I was returning home from Jenna’s school, I stopped to get gas.   It was under 20 dollars to fill my tank.   I was stunned.   It wasn’t that low the last time I drove for real.            Last year when Jenna’s school held their Christmas performance, and the weather was rotten, not only did I miss the program, but Tony had as well.   He and Rochelle had just moved back after living in Texas.   Tony surprised Jenna this year when we both showed up just as her class was lining up out in the hall.            There have been some years when I know she hasn’t been able to find me in the audience.   I have taken pictures of her program just to prove to her that I was there.   This year I had my new camera but was very far aw...