Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  I am 86 years old, and in about 6 weeks I will have a right hip replacement. I have been quite sedentary for a few weeks, and haven't kept up well with writing blogs.  But I've listened to and watched many inspiring videos recently. Today I have had a most interesting morning.  I was looking on my tablet in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints site, and at the "Come With Me" section.  I checked it out, and watched a video telling about Oliver Cowdery coming to help the Prophet Joseph Smith, and be his scribe.  I was really touched while seeing the video.  I must check out much more on various places in the information there!  I encourage any of you to check several of those sections, on the Gospel Library site, and you'll be very thrilled, and it will increase your testimony, and also your family's testimonies. My son who lives in Oceanside, California texted me this morning, with a video of some hail they were receiving this morning....

In our Family Zoom meeting last Sunday, we talked about the Prophet Joseph Smith.  My assignment for a few minutes was to talk about our ancestors who knew the Prophet Joseph Smith personally.  Between my husband and I we had 19 pioneer ancestors who knew the Prophet, some more closely than others, but at least met him. First is Hiram Dayton, my husband Wayne D Eckman's great grandfather, born  November 1st, 1798, in a small town in the middle of New York State.  He and his wife Permelia Bundy Dayton had a fine home in Parkman, Ohio.  They had large peach and apple o rchards, and a good farm with many horses, and stables. During this time when everything was going good, the Prophet Joseph Smith came to Parkman, and taught him the Gospel.  He baptized both him and his wife Permelia on February 18, 1832, the very first of our ancestors to join the Church, less than 2 years from when it was organized. After this, people who had been friends and neighbors ...

Last October, I went down to the Mesa, Arizona area, to see my newest great grandchild, and beautiful baby girl, 3 months old, and also her first cousin, a year old now.   I was fascinated with the ancestry these two sweet baby girls have, combined with mine.  Their grandfather on my grandson's line was Italian, and the grandmother's line came partly from Lithuania.  I wondered just who my posterity would have on a pedigree, shared with my and my husband's name.  My husband, Wayne D Eckman, an identical twin, had ancestry on his father's side from Sweden, and New England and in the 1600s from England. I took some pedigree charts down with me, and my son-in-law's father, of Italian ancestry just 2 generations back -- filled them back as far as he could remember.  I did find sources which verified them after they had immigrated to the United States, but I couldn't trace the ancestry back into Italy.  I left a pedigree chart with the mother of my grandson's wi...

 Dear friends, Well, in 2021, I plan to write my own thoughts and feelings about what is happening, has happened, or may happen! Many years ago, perhaps 20, my husband Wayne (passed on Feb. 21, 2016) and I were standing in a line at either a funeral or wedding -- remember when we used to be able to do that, and enjoy seeing good friends at the same time, and visiting. Someone asked me how we and our family were doing.  As I have 9 children, and numerous grandchildren (and now--great grandchildren,) I said "Well, at this time everything is going quite well!"  The person who asked me said "I'd be careful!  Something is bound to happen!"  Sure enough it did!  But I can't remember what.  There always seems to be something going on with someone in our family (happy and sometimes sad)! I was feeling really good when I painted this in October for a granddaughter. About 2 months ago, even though we were -- and still are -- in the middle of the Covid pandemic, ...