My boy!

So not only is my brother the 1st counselor in the single's ward bishopric, but my son is the first counselor in his ward bishopric. These two Dave's are too much alike! Love them both!

Princeton University

Princeton

visit to princeton

Princeton

U2

It's not if I believe in love
But if love believes in me
Oh, believe in me

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

The Edge himself...up close and personal.

the circle of lights lowers and opens up.

OK. so it's blurry. but you get the idea.

U@ concert at Giants Stadium NJ 9/24/09. We were much closer than it looks here.

Words of wisdom from Wendy and Sheri at the international congress on families in Amsterdam

Wendy Watson Nelson, Ph.D., wife of Elder Nelson, also spoke at the gathering about the need for families to have increased spiritual strength. “We need families who look to God and who remove anything from their lives that is spiritually corrupting,” she said. “Families who are spiritually strong are the only hope for the future of our nations.”

Also speaking at the conference was Sheri L. Dew, who formerly served as a counselor in the Church’s general Relief Society presidency. Dew said: “A virtuous life is an easier, more fulfilling life. And it is one of the most powerful keys to strengthening families and therefore to strengthening our world.”

You're not getting older...you're getting better?

My Honey in his much younger years as a surfer, beach bum/

shopping revisited

So I went to Nords yesterday after having my hair cut and colored. Could that possibly make a difference? I had a random sales person in a department I obviously could not shop in but was walking through actually speak to me. Huh! Dunno.
Maybe it's all in how I feel. Of course that's it. If we stand up to the mirror full cupped what comes back is positive. People tend to treat us the way we present ourselves to them. If we present "I am no good. You wont' like me, why should you?" that is what is reflected. If we present "I am a beautiful, wonderful person who deserves to be loved" that is what is reflected. It has nothing to do with clothes, weight, beauty. The best way to become empowered in order to present that image to the mirror is by seeing oneself as the Savior sees you. He always sees you as beautiful, wonderful and deserving of His love.

Ewww Ick

I really should post something just so that picture won't be the first thing you see on my blog! Mike went back to work. He is so brave an buff! It has been difficult but he is a real trouper. The hole in his arm is getting smaller but seriously I don't get how it will ever heal.

We are off to Tennessee to spend a week with our 7 grandkids (ages 9,7,5,4,3,2 9.5 mos)...and their parents. So excited. HMJ asked his mom "what's a cousin?" first time we have all been together in 4 years and HMJ is 4! Will post pics when we return.

Seriously...should I post?

Almost a month. Mike is hoping to go back to work next Friday. I am now the sunBLOCK nazi! see why....I mean what good did those Frankenstein staples do?---except under the steri strips which looks really awesome. Too bad you can't see it.
I know...it's gross but at least I chose the small picture and not large! :)

Give me a break!

It has been one traumatic week. Seriously I hope you never have to go to an oncologist and hear how they are going to dig 1/2 your arm (or any other part of your body) out as well as inject radio active isotopes near your tumor and search for sentinel lymph nodes to remove. But even after hearing that and standing by while my hubby goes through it all I hope even more that they got all the cancer today!

A Half of Stick of Gum

Sunday our High Councilor spoke. I had an amazing experience. It had been a really painful week. Someone had said something to me that really hurt and caused me to question what on earth to do with such information. Talking to them was of no use. As usual I just had to deal with my feelings and forgive.
So at church our speaker talked about this scripture:

Alma 56:15-17 15 "And these are the cities which they possessed when I arrived at the city of Judea; and I found Antipus and his men toiling with their might to fortify the city.

16 Yea, and they were depressed in body as well as in spirit, for they had fought valiantly by day and toiled by night to maintain their cities; and thus they had suffered great afflictions of every kind.

17 And now they were determined to conquer in this place or die; therefore you may well suppose that this little force which I brought with me, yea, those sons of mine, gave them great hopes and much joy."

My immediate thought was "I need someone to fortify me...to reach out and strengthen me. I hurt." But even as I thought it another thought replaced it "you know that's not how it works. You are healed as you reach out to others." I know but sometimes you just long for someone to reach out to you.
The speaker then went on to quote from the baptismal covenant in Mosiah 18:

8 "And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life— "

Yes, I thought, that is the covenant I made and that is how I want to be. Sometimes it's just a little harder than other times.

Next he spoke of the new commandment our Savior gave to his disciples found in John. Our Savior knew that what they would miss most when He was gone was His love. That is what we all miss but rarely recognize it.

John 13:33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

We feel His love for us as we share His love with His children.

He went on to quote from Matthew which I have quoted here before:

Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you ^crest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Ah...there's the key. We can be comforted and find strength to be healed even in the midst of great adversity if we "come unto" Him. And as Neal Maxwell taught "Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity."

As I was contemplating all of this a little boy, about 2 years old, left his family on the other side of the chapel from where I was sitting and came over to me. He handed me a half stick of gum and walked back to his family. I sat and marveled. A minute later he walked back over and shyly stood at the end of the bench where I was sitting. I motioned to him several times to come over but he didn't. Finally he walked to me and whispered "do you need more gum?" "No" I said. “I am fine. But thank you!" and he walked away.

The speaker ended his talk with a quote from Elder Holland's conference talk of October 2008. I love this:

“My beloved brothers and sisters, I testify of angels, both the heavenly and the mortal kind. In doing so I am testifying that God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face. “[N]or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man [or woman or child] upon the face thereof to be saved.” On occasions, global or personal, we may feel we are distanced from God, shut out from heaven, lost, alone in dark and dreary places. Often enough that distress can be of our own making, but even then the Father of us all is watching and assisting. And always there are those angels who come and go all around us, seen and unseen, known and unknown, mortal and immortal.

“May we all believe more readily in, and have more gratitude for, the Lord’s promise as contained in one of President Monson’s favorite scriptures: “I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, . . . my Spirit shall be in your [heart], and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.” In the process of praying for those angels to attend us, may we all try to be a little more angelic ourselves—with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and “the covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.” Perhaps then we can be emissaries sent from God when someone… is crying,.. .”

Now it's true that our mission is to know the Savior so well that we can reach out to His children in love and compassion like Him, for Him but He loves us and will send angels when we really need them. They may come in the form of a loved one calling to chat, a co-worker telling us we are doing a great job, a friend who waves as they drive by our house, a speaker in sacrament meeting who listens to the spirit and speaks to our heart. Or they may come as a little child offering a half stick of gum.