Communication the Old Way

As I walked back from my mailbox with an arm full of advertisements, bills, and junk, it dawned on me that I haven't received a good, old-fashioned letter in ages!  Come to think of it, I haven't received a letter vial email in quite some time either!  We seem to have allowed social media to become our primary form of communication and that, frankly, breaks my heart!

What ever happened to sending a friend a simple card?  When did a heart-felt "hello!  I was thinking about you" go out of fashion?  Why have we descended into this culture that embraces the hollow and superficial environment of social media to be the mode of interaction that we so often utilize?  Even talking on the telephone has taken a backseat to texting!

Look in your email inbox.  If yours is like mine, you see a lot of spam, but very few messages from people you actually want to hear from.  Take that even further and ask yourself when you last received a real, honest-to-goodness, paper letter?  Would you recognize the handwriting of a friend or family member?  I remember a time, not so long ago, when I wouldn't need to see the name or address of the sender, but would know who had taken the time to write to me just by their penmanship.  Oh, and don't even get me started on the death of cursive.  Just another casualty in the digital age of shallow communication!

So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to dust off some cherished letters from my grandmother and read them all over again and when I'm done, I'm going to send a letter of my own to my mother and my sisters and my brothers and my children, and maybe a card or two to a friend....just for old times' sake!

Happy Birthday Mom

My mother is 87 years young today. There is no birthday gift I could give her that would compare to what she has given me. Aside from birth and life, she (and my late father) provided stability and a loving home. I had a wonderful, happy childhood....something that is rare these days. My parents set the example of love and devotion in our home. They gave me four WONDERFUL siblings, brothers and sisters whom I love and cherish. They taught me Gospel principles and gave me strong social and moral values that govern my life to this day. My mother has been my greatest ally when times were hard and my greatest cheerleader when times were good. She showed me how a mother CAN be parent AND friend and I strive to follow her example with my own children. I love you mom. Happy Birthday!

With all the misconceptions in the world about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Church has decided to launch a campaign in various test markets to empower the members to dispel the myths and rumors about the Church. I'm excited to participate. If you aren't a member, but are curious, please go to mormon.org and watch some of the video profiles and read some of the written ones.

You will find that "Mormons" are not a cult. We are a large and diverse segment of the population with people from all walks of life and a multitude of backgrounds. We are Christian to our very core and Christ is at the center of all we do, both individually and collectively. There are groups out there that many people assume are or confuse with "Mormon". You will be surprised to find how far from accurate those assumptions are.

Keeping the Right Perspective

Tuesday nights are my rejuvenation night! My good friend and I attend the Temple together and it's an opportunity for me to adjust my attitude and keep myself focused throughout the week. Each experience in the Temple is unique. There is always something different that I glean from each session. This particular visit, the spiritual boost didn't come from the session or from the celestial room or from anything I would have thought would be the source. Instead, it came from my conversations with my friend. His humility and testimony were truly moving. I can't recall any specific topic or any particular event that he related, I only remember the power of the Spirit as he spoke.

I am so honored to have such people as influences in my life. We are sent here to progress and learn. We are here to strive towards perfection and exaltation that we might one day have the privilege of dwelling in the presence of the Father. Along our path, we encounter others that have been placed in our lives at the right time and place that we might mutually benefit and grow. Through these interactions, we come to understand the worth of souls and the importance of helping one another to obtain that highest of aspirations. Our Father in Heaven wants us to be mutually supportive of one another. He wants us to strive to bring those closest to us to the knowledge and understanding of the Plan of Salvation that we might all partake. He doesn't want to lose one soul and neither should we.

In General Conference, October of 1998, Elder Henry B. Eyring spoke of this very thing when he related a dream that he had where a friend that he had known for many years, met him on the other side of the veil with the admonition: "You KNEW! Why didn't you tell me?" We have the opportunity to share with those around us, through testimony, words, actions, example, what we know and why. "If it so be that ye should labor all of your days crying repentance unto this people, and bring but one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of the Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" [D&C 18:14-16]. Going to the Temple helps me to keep this objective in view. I feel that I am better prepared when the Spirit moves me to speak. If I can be instrumental in bringing one person to their personal exaltation, then my life has been well spent.

Father's Day

This Father's Day, I have been reflecting on memories of my own father who passed away when I was 14 years old. I always knew that he was a wonderful man, but it wasn't until he died that I found out how wonderful others thought him to be as well.

Dad was born on March 27, 1918 and was an avid fisherman and hunter. He grew up in Wayne County Utah so we would spend a lot of time in Bicknell, his hometown, because it was his favorite spot for his favorite activities. Of course I was raised on venison, elk and trout, so to this day, I love those foods! We would stay at my grandmother's house in Bicknell and I was always struck by how good my dad was to his mother. He set such a good example for all of us about the importance of honoring his mother. He didn't have the privilege of knowing his own father because he died when my dad was very young, but he always treated his mother with love and kindness.

Dad had quite the workshop in his garage, which he built himself I might add, and he would always be out there tinkering on one project or another. He acquired an old boat and brought in all the Venture Scouts to refurbish it. They completely gutted and reconstructed the entire boat! I remember how proud those boys were with what they accomplished. At one point, dad decided he would love to have a pop up camper, but couldn't really afford one. His solution? Build it himself, which he did! He even sewed the canvas tent all by himself!

He was such a gifted man, not only in carpentry and electrical areas, but musically as well. He played guitar completely by ear. He could play any instrument you put in his hands after a few minutes of "tinkering" with it! It was his singing voice though that mesmerized me. He sang like a cross between Eddie Arnold and Jim Reeves. He was so good in fact that when he was in WWII, his captain, a music producer in civilian life, offered him a recording contract. My dad declined because he felt his music was something he did for himself, but that didn't stop his captain from hounding him for many years after the war.

My own personal interaction with dad will always be cherished though it was relatively short-lived. When I was younger, I was very small and petite and my parents actually thought I would stay that way, so they enrolled me in all the things petite girls do....ballet, gymnastics, etc. I was very good too! I was on the gymnastics team in junior high and we would practice very early in the morning. My dad would wake me up, fix me breakfast and we would talk together during this quiet alone time. He would then take me to the school for practice. Along the way, he would honk at Chuck who ran the gas station and Chuck would wave back. This was their morning ritual. At my dance recitals, my dad was always front and center with his 8mm camera at the ready! He would smile the broadest and applaud the loudest!

I have far too many memories to list in this blog, so I will cut to the chase. I thought I knew what kind of man my dad was, but what I knew about him barely skimmed the surface. I later found that he had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross in the war. Grunt's Military gives the criteria for this award as follows: "The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the Armed Forces of the United States, distinguishes himself by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. The performance of the act of heroism must be evidenced by voluntary action above and beyond the call of duty. The extraordinary achievement must have resulted in an accomplishment so exceptional and outstanding as to clearly set the individual apart from his comrades or from other persons in similar circumstances. Awards will be made only to recognize single acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement and will not be made in recognition of sustained operational activities against an armed enemy." How dad came to receive this medal will always be a mystery because he would never speak of his war experiences and anyone who had knowledge of the events didn't survive Midway...where the events likely took place. There are no records either because of the fire in the National Archives in St Louis in 1973. (2011) Distinguished Flying Cross, Grunt's Military, retrieved from http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/dfc.shtml.

At his funeral, we learned many details about events none of the family ever knew. People would come up and relay a story about some selfless act he had rendered them or a family member or friend. There were tales from acts of service to outright bravery. His funeral was held at the stake center in Kearns and the chapel and all overflow facilities were full as well as the lobby. Parking went as far as the eye could see up and down the three streets surrounding the building. With this many people in attendance the stories went on for hours.

One such story was how dad, an electrician by trade, was called in the middle of the night because an elderly widowed woman's heat had gone out in the dead of winter. The company wanted him to go on the call first thing in the morning, but dad would not allow the woman to suffer through the night. Once he had repaired her furnace, he refused to take payment from her. She and her grown children all came to pay their respects and relate the experience to my mother.

When I was very young, I remember dad coming home with bandages on both arms all the way up to his elbows. When asked what happened, he shrugged it off and said he got burned a little at work. It wasn't until he died that we learned the details. He was working at Bennet's Glass and there was a power struggle going on between two foremen. One of them had the circuits off to enable him to work on the power lines. The other one didn't bother to ask why the circuits were off and decided to turn them on again. The foreman on the lines was literally being electrocuted! My dad stepped in and pulled him away, injuring himself severely in the process.

Because this is becoming an extremely long entry, I would just like to finish up by saying that dad was a very humorous man and people loved his wit. He was well loved by everyone who knew him, but most especially his family. I look forward to the day when my children will meet their grandpa on the other side of the veil.

Eternal Families

Recently, I was attending an evening Temple session with a friend and we met a woman and her family that were all gathered for the same session. The woman's husband had just passed away two days before and all but one of her children, along with spouses, were in attendance with her. I was struck by the example of the eternal bond and nature of the family by this very fitting and moving tribute to a loving patriarch. To say that the Spirit was strong in this session would be a gross understatement.

In my own life, I have not been blessed with a lifelong spouse that honors and respects his covenants, but that doesn't lessen the commitment that I feel to those covenants. I still hold out hope for the eternal bond between husband and wife and a righteous posterity.

There was a time, not so long ago, when my sites were not as focused on these things as they ought to have been, but my life and dedication have been restored to these aspirations with renewed vigor. I plan to keep it that way. The turning point for me was the conference address by Elder Richard G. Scott, this past April. I was moved to tears by his account of his life with his wife and the bond that they had shared during her life and will continue to share in the life to come. I realized at that very moment what was of most importance in my own life and what I needed to do to obtain it. This is now my focus and my daily endeavor.

The covenants that I have made in the Temple with Heavenly Father have been an anchor and a strength to me in times of trial and they have also been a source of immeasurable joy. I know that these very covenants have given me the strength and the guidance I have needed along life's journey. One day, I will have the privilege and blessing of sharing them again with a worthy companion, but in the meantime, they are a reminder to me that Heavenly Father does not forsake or abandon and that His love is enduring. He hears and answers my prayers and I feel His love for me every day of my life. Even when my needs might seem trivial or insignificant, He addresses them. The very best way that I can show Him my gratitude is to serve Him often in His holy house.

Christlike Love and Forebearance

Today in Gospel Doctrine, we discussed the traits and attributes of the father in the parable of The Prodigal Son. Of course this is a similitude of our Heavenly Father and an example of pure and unconditional love, but more importantly, it is an example of how we should govern ourselves in our own interpersonal relationships. When the son, who had squandered all that was given him, returned to beg only to be a servant in his father's house, that same father rejoiced and celebrated and restored to the son all the priestly status he had once known.

When others trespass against us, but through genuine contrition and penitence, seek our forgiveness, do we cut them off and erase them entirely from our circle or do we humble ourselves and show them the love that our Heavenly Father shows to us? Alma 41:15 reminds us "For that which ye do send out shall return unto you again". It is therefore important that we remember that when we seek the cleansing power of the Atonement in our quest for forgiveness, we must remember to demonstrate that same Christlike love and forbearance when we are called upon to forgive those around us. "For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (Matthew 7:2)

In the course of our day to day interactions, do we show an increase in love and mercy when called upon to do so? Reacting with harshness and condemnation and refusing to reach out to those who are seeking our forgiveness puts ourselves in serious spiritual jeopardy.

The Savior is the ultimate teacher and example. When we doubt or question what our response should be, we should look to him and his actions and do all that we can to emulate them. He in return will increase our understanding and our compassion and bless us with a greater portion of His Spirit.