Tidbit Tuesday - Tragedy

The only real tragedy in life is sin.

The Lost Coin

Today in Sunday School our discussion favored the three parables found in Luke 15: The Parable of the Lost Sheep, The Parable of the Lost Coin and the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

As I studied the Parable of the Lost Coin I was able to see a call for us to be better examples, to open our mouths and be better missionaries, and to ultimately share the blessings of the temple - the crowning blessing of the restored gospel - with all who are found worthy!  I share with you what I learned.

First of all here is the scripture: Luke 15:8-10.

Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?


And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.

Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Ten pieces of silver = One-tenth; Tithing; one of the commandments we must obey in order to enter into the temple Doctrine and Covenants 119:4

Lose one piece = With faith and diligence, we can safely find those who have been taken captive so that not one soul will be lost Alma 16:8

Light a Candle = Be an example to others Matthew 5:16

Sweep the House = Gathering the Lord's Elect Moses 7:62

Seek Diligently = Pray for missionary experiences, for confidence to share the gospel with others Luke 11:9

She found it = Everyone that seeketh, findeth Luke 11:10

Calleth her friends = Christ will call the obedient His friends John 15:14-15

Rejoice with Me = Recognize the Lord's hand in His ultimate work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man Alma 26:16

Joy/angels = Missionary Work/Gathering Israel Alma 13:22-24

Sinner that Repents = The Lord desires His people to be worthy to enter the temple Doctrine and Covenants 109:21

Love to See the Temple

CHECK THIS OUT!!! Turned sideways, a pedigree chart is a sketch drawing of a temple!

Tidbit Tuesday - Real History

"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is a celestial institution, formed outside telestial time."

-Neal A. Maxwell

Family Home Evening - Family Prayer

Objective: The Importance of Family Prayer

General Conference Talk: Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, “One Link Still Holds,” October 1999

I don’t know how family prayer happens in other families, but in our family it seems to be the perfect time for Satan to do his work.

Because it starts the very moment my husband or I say, “It’s time for family prayer.”

And that’s when it begins:

One son winds up quarantined in the bathroom . . .

Another son decides to wield the broken light saber over the heads of his younger brother and sister – because he thought he saw a fly right over their heads . . .

Two more sons start giving each other noogies, rolling over each other to avoid being the last one touched . . .

Which results in knocking over an innocent sibling who was somewhat trying to get ready for prayer, who instinctively has to hit back because, after all, he wasn’t the one who started it . . .

And then there is the one son who is in the corner, oblivious to everything because he is so busy fitting together a 12,341 piece Star Wars Lego fighter of some kind.

And to top it off, the baby is crying . . .

Needless to say, it is by this time that our children are severely reproved with sharpness, but I can tell you - it definitely is not moved upon by the Holy Ghost.

And you’d think we’d learn . . .Oh, no.

So this evening, our lesson was not on the importance of family prayer, but more on how we come ready for family prayer.

And this incredible, heart-rending story told by Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone made tonight’s discussion on family prayer one thay hopefully we can remember during family prayer tomorrow night as well!

"It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, about 1943—I went to priesthood meeting. There was a large framed board. It had the pictures of all the young men serving in the military. Priests who had been at the sacrament table a few months earlier were now in the war. Each week it would be updated. Those who were killed in action had a gold star by their picture; those who had been wounded, a red star; and those missing in action, a white star. Every week, as a 12-year-old deacon, I checked to see who had been killed or wounded.

"In quorum meeting that morning, the member of the bishopric said: “This Thursday is Thanksgiving. We ought to all have family prayer in our homes.” Then he said, “Let’s put on the blackboard the things we are grateful for.” We did, and he said, “Include these things in your Thanksgiving prayer.” I got sick to my stomach, as we never had a prayer or blessing.

"That night at 6:30 we went to sacrament meeting. At the end of the meeting, the bishop stood up and was very tender. He told about the young men from our ward who had been killed and wounded. He talked about our liberty, our freedom, our flag, and this great country, and our blessings. Then he said, “I’d hope every single family would kneel and have family prayer on Thanksgiving Day and thank God for His blessings.”

"My heart ached. I thought, How can we have family prayer? I wanted to be obedient. I hardly slept all Sunday night. I wanted to have a prayer for Thanksgiving. I even thought I would say it if someone asked me, but I was too shy to volunteer. I worried all day Monday, and all day Tuesday, and Wednesday at school.

"Dad did not come home on Wednesday until early in the morning. Thursday we all got up. There were five boys and two sisters. We skipped breakfast so we would have a real appetite for Thanksgiving dinner. To work up an appetite, we went to a nearby field and dug a hole six feet deep and six feet wide. We made a trench to it as a hideout. I remember with every shovelful of dirt, I thought, Please, Heavenly Father, let us have a prayer.

"Finally at 2:30, my mother called us to come and eat. We cleaned up and sat at the table. Somehow Mom had managed to have a turkey with all the trimmings. She put all the food on the table, including the turkey. I thought my heart would burst. Time was running out. I looked at my father, then my mother. I thought, Please, now, someone, anyone, please can’t we have a prayer. I was almost panicky; then all of a sudden everyone started to eat. I had worked hard all morning and afternoon to work up an appetite, but I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t want to eat. I wanted to pray more than anything else in this world, and it was too late.

"Beloved youth, be grateful for parents who have prayer and read the scriptures. Prize family home evening. Be grateful for those who teach and train you."

Talents Shared

This scrumptiously delicious cupcake arrangement, along with the homemade cupcake stand, was hand-delivered to me this afternoon by my dear friend Blue.  (You just have to click RIGHT HERE to see a gallery of pictures showing off the pure talent this woman possesses.)

I have a pretty short list of things I can do.  Just FYI: Decorating Cakes and Crafts is on the very top of my five-mile long list of things I cannot do.  Nope.  I wasn't given the talent nor the patience for doing either.

So before we happily consumed DEVOURED those Oreo-cream filled chocolate cupcakes topped with mint frosting and bits of mint Oreo cookies, I took this photo to remind me of a few important things:

1. How grateful I am for dear friends and lasting friendships!
2. Enjoying the talents I do not posses comes when others share their incredible talents with me.
3. And boy, am I happy that chocolate was not one of the avoidable items in the Word of Wisdom!

Thank you Blue and Bunch and Gator!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

To the woman who taught me that praying with faith can find lost contact lenses, misplaced keys, open locked doors, soften bully boys' hearts, help three year olds park over-sized wagons and prevent rain from falling until the last bit of tarp has covered the roof of a house under construction.

To the woman who sees the very best in the most cantankerous member of her ward, gives Books of Mormon to perfect strangers, totally rocks at making the very best chocolate cake this side of the Mississippi and who kicked Stage 3 Breast Cancer in the butt!

To the woman who has loved and protected her four children more devotedly than a Mama Cub (sorry, Sarah Palin), is a living legacy to 20 adorable grandchildren, and, after all these years still puts up with my Dad (hee hee).

My mom instilled in me a desire to follow the Savior, a love for dark chocolate, the familiarity of the faith-filled stories of the Book of Mormon, the ability to accompany vocalists, and the expectation to let my "light so shine."

Happy Birthday to my amazing Mom!

Limerick on Motherhood

Cocoa from Chocolate on my Cranium gave an assignment to write a limerick on Motherhood.  Here is my feeble attempt.

Please don't accuse me of being a sinner.

When my children feel certain they're thinner.

"We're STARVING!" they claim.

I say, "What a shame!

"But we just barely cleaned up from dinner!"

I'm BAAAAACK

I'll just say this: This post partum recovery has thrown me for a LOOP!

But I'm back and I'm happy to report that on this day I was able to get in and out of Costco with only four gallons of milk and one ginormous can of baby formula.

Nothing else. . .

Okay, I did taste every, last yummy sample Costco had to offer today . . .

So I did take a few extra calories out with me, too. . .

But not bad.

Not bad at all for shopping at Costco.