Thoughts and stories, by Pal

June 8, 2017 Second Coming SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY Moses 7:65-67 "And it came to pass that Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, in the last days, to dwell on the earth in righteousness for the space of a thousand years; But before that day he saw great tribulations among the wicked . . . And the Lord showed Enoch all things, even unto the end of the world; and he saw the day of the righteous, the hour of their redemption, and received a fulness of joy. " QUOTE OF THE DAY Joseph Smith "Yea, lift up your heads and rejoice, for your redemption draweth nigh. We are the most favored people that ever have been from the foundation of the world, if we remain faithful in keeping the commandments of our God. Yea, even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, beheld our day and rejoiced, and the prophets from that day forth have prophesied of the Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and rejoiced at the day of rest ...

Today, I am sending a letter back to a dear friend of Wayne's that he had written to Wayne while he was in the Korean war and Wayne was on his mission in Sweden.  This friend was my dear husband Wayne's best friend from high school to the end of his life, along with his twin brother Blaine.  When Wayne was able to go on a mission to Sweden from 1950 to 1953, Arlen, his friend, had to go into the army and he served in Korea.  At that time only 2 young men could go from each ward to serve a mission.  All the rest were drafted.  The photo below is of Blaine, left, Arlen, and Wayne.   They played baseball and other sports together as young teenagers, and were friends forever. Since I have moved up to West Bountiful to live with our son Wayne and his wife, Julie, I have been going through many papers, etc., that I brought with me, but hadn't really gone through.  One box included the letters which Wayne's parents had sent to him while he was on hi...

I have been to Carthage Jail, and felt the Spirit there.  First I want to include the history from Latter Day Devotion, of what happened the day before--on June 26th.  The story is truly a testament from both Joseph and Hyrum Smith!  I had a great-grandfather, John Lowe Butler, who was an ordained bodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith.  He rode with 17 other men to Carthage, but were told by the Prophet to go back home.  He said they rode back in silence.  You can read many inspirational stories about John Lowe Butler by looking under his name under "labels" on the right side, on the blog. This is what happened the day before Hyrum and Joseph were murdered. 1844  - After breakfast, Mr. Stigall, the jailer, moved the Prophet Joseph and those with him to an upstairs bedroom in the Carthage Jail. It was much more comfortable for the men, however, it did not have a lock on the door. The Prophet met with his lawyers and agreed to a request for a change...

This is great advice for marriage, at any stage!   What do we dwell on?  The good characteristics that we fell in love with, or those few things that we don't agree on?  Sometimes even those married a long time wish their spouse would change something that seems to be a part of themselves!  I speak from experience!  In our marriage of 60 plus years, I'm sure there were some minor characteristics in both my husband and myself that we wish would change.  This article gives so much wisdom for all of us! A Common Mistake Even LDS People Make in Marriage By Wallace Goddard  · June 19, 2017 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE The following is part of Wallace Goddard’s new series,  “Discoveries: Essential Truths for Relationships”. To see the previous installment,  click here.   While out jogging in central Provo, Nancy and I found our dream house—a stately, historic craftsman...

This article would be important to read if your husband has a time-consuming calling as Bishop, etc., or if the wife also has a calling such as Relief Society President.  Very helpful and inspiring ideas! Side by Side: How Your Marriage Can Survive Church Service By JeaNette Goates Smith  · June 22, 2017 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE Many years ago my husband was called to serve as the bishop of a seriously struggling ward. He spent many hours at the church, late nights visiting troubled members and endless hours on the telephone. It felt our marriage wouldn’t survive. During a time of deep despair I attended a professional seminar with other Marriage and Family Therapists. This was a seminar where they arranged for some small group interaction where we could be therapeutic resources to one another. There was one woman at the seminar who wasn’t even a therapist and I kind of eyed her with suspicion and wo...