General Conference

the last day of March

How thoughtless of March
To have brought us more snow.
We distinctly asked for the sun.
And the wind! How rude
Of those gales to intrude.
Who requested the wind? No one.

Now, did anyone sigh
For this dreary gray sky?
Or implore the snow to remain?
Who ordered the border of puddles
And mud,
And this dismalish drizzle of rain?

Have you heard from April?
From flower or bird?
Is she coming at all?
Has anyone heard?

News. Send us news.
From petal or wing.
Where in the Universe,
Where is Spring?
~Claire Boiko

President Thomas S. Monson:  We come together as one, speaking many languages, living in many lands, but all of one faith and one doctrine and one purpose. This great cause in which we are engaged will continue to go forth, changing and blessing lives as it does so. No cause, no force in the entire world, can stop the work of God.



President Boyd K. Packer: The ultimate end of all activity in the Church is to see a husband and his wife and their children happy at home, protected by the principles and laws of the gospel, sealed safely in the covenants of the everlasting priesthood.



Cheryl A. Esplin: The Lord doesn't just say to teach the doctrine, but to teach children to understand the doctrine. (Doctrine and Covenants 68:25, 28).



Donald L. Hallstrom: Sometimes we use the terms "gospel" and "Church" interchangeably, but they are not the same. The Church was established by Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry, built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets. But the gospel is even more than the organization of the Church; the purpose of the Church is to help us live the gospel.



Paul E. Koelliker: As we more clearly understand our Heavenly Father's plan for us, we begin to acknowledge our responsibility to help others learn and understand His plan. Closely tied to helping others remember is the way we personally live and apply the gospel in our own lives. When we actually live the gospel in the pattern taught by the Lord Jesus Christ, our ability to help others increases.



Dallin H. Oaks: Members are making sacrifices of their own time and priorities.

- Lay membership
- Missionaries
- Temple workers and patrons
- Caring for the poor; contributions
- Donating professional skills
- Mothers and fathers in service to families

"As you sacrifice for each other and your children the Lord will bless you."



Henry B. Eyring: Choosing the right creates the solid ground under one's faith. Our choices, hundreds in most days, prepare the solid ground on which our edifice of faith is built. The framework around which the substance of our faith is poured is the gospel of Jesus Christ with all its covenants, ordinances and principles.



Jeffrey R. Holland: God's concern is for the faith you arrive with when you come rather than the time of day... (as in the parable of the laborers, of whom Christ invited some to work in the vineyard as late as the 11th hour and paid them in full). "However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made, or talents you think you don't have, or distance from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love."



Robert D. Hales: Come to ourselves at last, as did the prodigal son in the parable Jesus taught. Prepare to worthily partake the Sacrament, obtain a temple recommend and sacrifice to serve one another and lift.



David S. Baxter: Single parents, your journey through life has had bumps, twists, detours and turns. In the kingdom of God there are no second-class citizens. When you move forward, Providence will move with you.



Ulisses Soares: "You can't be right by doing wrong. You can't be wrong by doing right." (President Monson)  If we exercise faith and are diligent in obeying in the Lord's commandments, we will easily find the correct direction to follow, especially when we face our day-to-day choices.



Quentin L. Cook: In tune with the music of faith... And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.



Richard G. Scott: As you continue to live righteously you will always be prompted to know what to do. Sometimes the discovery of what action to take may require significant effort and trust on your part. Yet you will be prompted to know what to do as you meet the conditions for such divine guidance in your life.

City Creek

I guess I've been around here long enough to wonder about how Salt Lake City compares with other big cities in the U.S. On her roadways I can see she's not as crushed, pushed around for space as Atlanta or Cincinnati, both of whom I've driven parked in in rush-hour traffic - no thank you. She sprawls. She's a little square... but would you say she's at all classy, chic...? Or provincial mostly? Or a fusty old lady?



Well whatever... this afternoon Kent and I wandered through City Creek Center, one of the largest mixed-use developments in the United States. Rising out of our downtown! Touted as "sustainably designed, a walkable urban community of residences, offices and retail stores spread across three blocks in downtown Salt Lake City," it's turned our little big city into just plain sexy gorgeous!

from the internet


my pics

Hello spring!

You'll laugh at my constantly picturing morning over our mountains and the look down my street, this same-old-same-old view from my driveway, rain or shine, winter or summer. I have to have to rush to photograph the sky when it floods with color on a morning - earlier and earlier these days - never mind I've seen it before... have to it's so beautiful.

Though I can never capture the awe I feel. Here's the view several days ago. ↑

But in the exact week since this picture, spring has come!

I wandered lonely as a cloud that floats on high o'er vales and hills... when all at once I saw a crowd - a host of daffodils.~William Wordsworth

In one week our little trees have leaved! Shrubs and bushes and ornamental trees all about this hillside are clad in spring finery while of course daffodils are up and waving!

Come listen

When I conducted Relief Society last week I accidentally said our lesson next week will be taught by... oops, actually, our lesson next week is taught by the Prophet himself!

Meaning, Conference is coming! We'll hear in a few short days from President Thomas S. Monson.



I have a sincere testimony, a witness, that Thomas Monson is God's prophet in our day. A unique LDS belief is that we do take direction from men whom we believe to be living prophets. We believe that God's prophet is always an ordinary man called by Him to speak His mind and will for our day. Every member of the LDS Church makes this choice through baptism into the church, and as an active member is given continual opportunities to signify support.

To sustain living prophets is a key component of every faithful Latter-day Saint's testimony and membership.

Elder David B. Haight taught in October 1994 General Conference:  “When we sustain the President of the Church by our uplifted hand, it not only signifies that we acknowledge before God that he is the rightful possessor of all the priesthood keys; it means that we covenant with God that we will abide by the direction and the counsel that comes through His prophet. It is a solemn covenant.” (see here).



As well as holding to this knowledge that President Monson speaks for the Lord I hold on for deal life to doing what he says! For doing what he says is doing what He says - Jesus Christ, whom I worship. Apart from anything in this world to teach me about happiness, I look to Christ. Thank goodness God the Father sent his Son into the world to show us the way to our heavenly home - to be the Way - and I testify that after His ascension into heaven and a long, long darkness His voice is literally heard again on the earth. Through his servant, the prophet.

I'm listening for it.

Uphill climb

Walked up the street from the neighborhood early this morning with Marcia... does this look like much of an incline? Well it is...

from the Internet


and around the golf course at the top, and

for the first time ever in over a year   

made it without stopping. To pant and clutch onto such a thing as the signpost you see in the picture above. Later the light post way beyond that (see it?) and almost to the top (out of sight) a tree limb in someone's yard. Gasping, hands on my hips, red in the face, looking down the hill where I've walked, and moaning a little. Whew! Going up's hard, and it's up again around that golf course. Love the downhill stretch, easy on the chest and heart but jarring. Anyway I'm practically euphoric to walk steadily uphill without once stopping.

Now I couldn't talk to Marcia while we went up - no, she had to do all the talking. But that's okay, she has a lot to say since we've last seen each other. Laws she weighs probably thirty pounds less than I do and can motor! And talking about pounds, I'm almost 20 pounds lighter now than last summer which is why I can walk up the mountain without stopping. But I have another 20 to to lose to walk up (without stopping) talking.

Another chapter

I went back in my photographs to this date in time in 2011, 10, 09, 08, 07 and... voila! Where there were pictures last year of us getting our new carpet in and in earlier years all the blooming things in my yard in Georgia (you've seen a zillion times here) or, erm, nothing... well, in 2006 here is our first grandson Joseph celebrating birthday number ONE! I happened to be there then.



03-26-2006


You know I didn't even start blogging til 2007; it's way fun to go back this far. I've been thinking about Joseph because I have books to take to him probably today after he gets home from school, ones Laura gave me off her own shelf for him.

03-26-2012
He's seven now - his birthday was a couple of weeks ago - and he's reading two or three grades ahead of his first grade class; so Amy and Laura talked and Laura offered chapter books he might like to get into. "Henry and Mudge," "Nate the Great." And more - she put a "Junie B. Jones" in the pile, not to mention some picture books with long paragraphs about bugs, dinosaurs and beasts. Wolves. There's snakes in one book! I hope he likes 'em; reading longer will blow his world wide open. I think he's ready!

Wonderful!

Published Friday in the Deseret News (link) and here on the Church web site (link) is this:

LDS art competition winners 'Make Known His Wonderful Works'

I took a screen print of this (link) which includes every entry in the art competition. Each thumbnail at the bottom of the screen of course shows the full image when touched, so I browsed a while. This image I stayed on of Christ beckoning his disciples to eat with Him on shore (John 21) is practically my favorite - yet there are many here as emotional and beautifully worked.

I re-remember looking at these how important it feels to me to elevate my thoughts every day. You'll not be surprised that happens by what I pick up to read; talks Laura and I or others have routinely; segments of time with good music or programs on TV; a walk along the mountain or even my own sidewalk; fixing a good meal. I hope you do this too.

Here's an invitation for your day with a promise: Come away for a few minutes from whatever you're doing. Follow the link above, touch on these images. I promise you'll return to your work lighter and happier, fuller of joy. It's all about Christ, whose own work is our happiness. Here's another of my favorites!

Partake Of The Fruit 

Leslie Vaun Martin, b. 1955, Idaho

Leaded, stained glass door

“Behold, I have dreamed a dream” (1 Nephi 8:2), Lehi proclaimed to his family. He then described a tree whose bright, white fruit filled his soul with great joy. With the feeling of a tender parent, Lehi entreated his family to partake of the fruit of the tree—the love of God. In this piece, the tree of life feeds on the fountain of living waters. Its gnarly trunk, rooted in the rock of revelation, gives foothold to all who climb to partake of the fruit. Light enlivens the roots, leaves, and fruit. Righteous desire starts us on the path; joy is our reward.

copyright 2012 Leslie Vaun Martin

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Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people

(Doctrine and Covenants 65:4)

Hello today

Day before yesterday was a crazy day. Laura and I each had things to do with/for mom and dad for various reasons, Laura more than me. I did a hair appointment that took a couple of hours also that day; visiting teaching after that. The afternoon with mom and dad. The night before for me had been busy with visits to sisters in our ward and visiting teaching even earlier in the afternoon. Kent had left early that morning to visit his parents. I didn't sleep well.

There was a trip to the grocery store late in the day with a shopping list from dad and, well we don't mind confessing, Laura and I bumped into each other there as I finished paying and was leaving. I carted her right off to Cold Stone across the street where we ordered big dishes of ice cream and sat outside in the last of the afternoon sun, enjoying. Positively indulging! Then off with dad's groceries and, once there, supper to eat, laundry to pack up, some TV watching; mom had been sick all day yet it was decided I didn't need to stay the night with them... so goodnight hugs and kisses to give and get before I got to go to bed myself.

Before I got to go to bed last night I thanked my Heavenly Father for his blessings to our family. His care over our parents and our children and grandchildren. Over us - His perfect mindfulness of my own needs - who and what he sends into my day to relieve me when I'm worked up, or when I'm down, or when I'm going and going and everything's alright but just busy! Consequences for when I'm selfish (and the learning curves), and tender mercies just because. There's no end to the blessings we receive. To be able to get into my own bed at the end of the day feels like one of the best.

Yesterday I got a text first thing from Robert: Just wanted you to know I was thinking of you and hope you are doing well and Grandma is feeling better. I wrote him back thank you for your kindness and all your love. The world needs your good medicine!

Blessings from Father and kind words from friends and family are what I notice when I look up and say hello today! Hello to life - these keep me going.

Heartfelt

As I heard the eulogy and other sweet talks at Jessica's funeral a couple of days ago I got that squirmy sensation you get when you hear remarkable things about a person. You totally agree with how angelic the loved one is, you really do. You so do that it becomes breathtaking in the moment how bravely they've fought their fight; stolidly have persevered, or wondrously have loved and are loved. And you have this little wiggle room in your brain where you wonder if you're doing enough yourself in this mortal coil. You'll be eulogized some day and you consider what'll be said then and there.

It was a twinge, not a squirm actually, I felt on the pew listening. Michael McLean got up to sing for us. He's been Jessica's friend eleven years since she was 13. He was heartbroken in places as he sang, and hopeful and inspiring, and in other places made us laugh. I cried through his medley of familiar tunes.

And I calmed down when I heard him sing the words "heart in the right place."

So I guess there's no telling you just how much
one heart in the right place can do

That went straight to my heart. It's what makes sense to my inner self, my spirit, fidgeting often about how to live this human life. Keep my heart in the right place and the results will speak for themselves in the end.
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Dearest Jessica:

No one can tell, though at times they might try,
what it means to have been touched by someone...
So there's no way of telling you just how much
your heart in the right place has done.

In the road I'll stop and turn

Remember the words to this song "Homeward Bound" the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings on one of their albums?

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red,
When the summer's ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime,
When adventure's lost its meaning - I'll be homeward bound in time.
Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow,
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.

If you find it's me you're missing, if you're hoping I'll return,
To your thoughts I'll soon be listening and in the road I'll stop and turn;
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end,
And the path I'll be retracing when I'm homeward bound again
Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow,
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.

Read between those lines - oh so poignant lyrics - and what do you hear? Don't answer that - follow Elder Maxwell from his talk "Becoming a Disciple."(link)

"When Jesus took upon Himself the heavy, atoning yoke in order to redeem all mankind by paying the agonizing price for our sins, He thereby experienced what He Himself termed the 'fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.' (D&C 76:107). The phrase itself makes the soul tremble."

"Jesus also volunteered to take upon Himself additional agony in order that He might experience and thus know certain things 'according to the flesh,' namely human sicknesses and infirmities and human griefs, including those not associated with sin (see Alma 7:11–12). Therefore, as a result of His great Atonement, Jesus was filled with unique empathy and with perfect mercy."

"In turn, He who bore the atoning yoke has asked us to 'take my yoke upon you, and learn of me.' (Matt. 11:29). So the taking of Jesus’ yoke upon us constitutes serious discipleship. There is no greater calling, no greater challenge, and no greater source of joy—both proximate joy and ultimate joy—than that which is found in the process of discipleship. "

In the road, I’ll stop and turn.



“Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die? Wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” Ezekiel 18:30-32

Face plant

I'm frequently using others' words to write with and giving them credit. Here's a little something posted by Jack Andrews last October on his blog "CTR."

Someone once said, “character is what is developed after the 4th, 5th, or 1,000th time.” Said President Gordon B. Hinckley, “You have not failed until you have quit trying.”

Life provides its fair share of knock downs, and consequently, the opportunity for an equal share of get ups. If you’ve made a mistake, get up! If you’ve been knocked down by a friend, a co-worker, a personal or family tragedy, a disheartening circumstance, a break-up, a divorce, a recession, a relapse, a rejection, a loss of a loved one, a chronic debilitating illness, a wayward child, a natural disaster, or any number of such inevitable trials in life, get up! Reach out, and reach up, and allow others to help you up. Then, help others up! Get up! Throughout life, you will taste the mat often. Just don’t stay down long enough to eat it.

Get up!

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Notes on Mom

Last night I went through a three-ring binder cookbook of mom's I'm keeping here looking for the recipe for Mississippi Mud cake. Couldn't find it. (Hadn't I got the recipe from mom?) Drat. Well I did find it finally on my own computer, Marshmallow Brownies, (mom's recipe indeed) and baked it, a half portion, for Kent and me. Ooey, gooey good. (Kent ate the end where there are no marshmallows.)


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I mellowed as I turned these pages, looking; I mellowed seeing magazine cutouts she's taped or glued onto plain sheets; the Xerox copies and handwritten pages (and half pages) hole-punched and inserted between pastel dividers. Isn't every mom's cookbook a work of art I guess? I started feeling sentimental.

This recipe is old as dirt. I think it was Nana's, mom's mom's.



This is typical - I was accustomed to finding mom's recipes on cards when I was a kid.



I'm so happy to "feel" mom tonight turning these pages and watching for her handwriting, familiar as a caress.



She was used to making notes while she cooked, and I follow any recipe with her additions - always!



Oh mom, I miss these times and miss you... so much!