Thought of the Day

 "I testify that bad days come to an end, that faith always triumphs, and that heavenly promises are always kept." — Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles

Happy Birthday Mom!

 Happy birthday today, Mom.  You made it another year.  I hope you have a wonderful day today.  I love you!

Thanks for being the best mom!  Happy birthday.

Happy 75th Birthday Dad

Today would have been my dad's 75th birthday.

Unfortunately he graduated from mortality nearly 2 years ago.  I still miss him dearly every day.

I was going to add a bunch of pictures but my computer froze up as I was working on it this morning.  So this is all you get.  :-)

Visiting Elvis' grave at Graceland.  2002

Aboard the Lisa Marie.  2002

 Love you Dad!  It's hard to believe you entered mortality three quarters of a century ago.  Happy birthday.

Reunion/Memorial Run Shirts

We got all of the reunion T-shirts and MHS Memorial Run shirts finished and packaged into family packets.  All ready to distribute on July 23 and July 24.  It was a lot of work but they turned out awesome!  I did all the design work and Lisa pressed and packaged them.

I wanted to put photos of the final product on here but everyone seems to think it should be a surprise.  :-)  So, all you get are pictures of the packets in the box.

I hope you all are practicing your talents for the talent show.  And of course training for the Myron Hampton Stone 2 Mile Memorial Run.

That's my two cents.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  I have the best mom ever.  Here are a few photos of her throughout her life.  Sorry, they put them in the opposite order of chronology.  Well, I guess we'll go backwards.

Thanks Mom for your selfless sacrifice in all you've done for me throughout my life!  You're the best!

I love you!

Mom doing what she loved to do.  192.

Christmas 1976
mom is pregnant with Michael.

Grandma Sylvia and mom.
Dressed up fine today.  1966

I believe mom was pregnant with me in this photo.
925.  Orem, Utah.  1970?

Little Darleen, already practicing her mothering skills.

Maternal line.  Three generations
Delpha, Sylvia, baby Darleen

I love this quote by sister Sheri Dew about motherhood.

 “Motherhood is more than bearing children. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our very identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our [Heavenly] Father gave us.”—Sister Sheri L. Dew, “Are We Not All Mothers?”

Happy Mothers Day Everybody!

Counsel with the Lord

This morning, as I was listening to my scriptures, I heard this passage once again.  This is one of the well-known verses -- Scripture mastery -- that we all are familiar with.  I've heard it countless times.  But still, it resonated with me.

Alma 37:37 

Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.

It's a simple verse yet full of wonderful counsel.  Here's what it means to me.

To counsel with the Lord is more than just a one-sided conversation.  When we pray, we talk to the Lord.  but do we also listen?  He counsels us through the Holy Ghost, through Scripture, through personal revelation, and sometimes through others. 

The prophet Alma is counseling his son, Helaman, in this Scripture.  But he is also counseling us.  He is teaching us to pray to the Lord in all our doings.  At night, in the morning, and throughout the day.  We should constantly have a prayer in our hearts.  If we do, the Lord will direct us for good.  He will watch over us in our sleep.  We should also remember to thank Him and not just ask for things.  It's easy to take for granted our blessings from above.

The first thing we should do after waking up is pray.  Thank the Lord for his blessings.  Last thing we should do before we go to bed is pray.  And all throughout the day in between we should pray.  And then quietly listen.  Read the Scriptures.  Let the Lord counsel us through the Holy Ghost.

I have had prayers answered immediately.  I have had prayers answered years later.  And some prayers, I'm still waiting on.  But I know that our Heavenly Father hears our prayers and answers them in His time.  Sometimes the answer is no, sometimes yes, sometimes we get an immediate answer, sometimes it's delayed.  But he is always listening. He hears our prayers.  He weeps with us, He rejoices with us, He loves us unconditionally.  And He answers each prayer in His time.

I love the promise at the end of the verse.  That if we keep an open communication with our Heavenly Father through prayer, that we will be lifted up at the last day.  When the Savior comes again to cleanse the earth of wickedness, those who counsel with the Lord in all their doings and keep a prayer in their hearts continually, will be lifted up with the righteous and not be burned as stubble with the wicked.

I honestly don't know how people can get through mortality without praying multiple times a day.  That's what gets me through the hard times.  I can't imagine not having that support.

If you currently don't pray -- or don't pray often -- try it.  It certainly can't hurt and can be a tremendous help.

That's my two cents.