Thoughts and stories, by Pal

The saints in Italy are doing so well, in watching out for each other, teaching their children, Young Single Adults, and families! A Latter-day Saint’s Report from the COVID-19 Frontline in Italy By  Ugo A. Perego  · April 7, 2020 ROME: Italy was the second country to be hit by the Covid-19 virus. It came as a surprise. As a scientist with some training in epidemiology, when I first heard of the epidemic in Wuhan, I immediately thought that this was not going to be just a problem for China. Somehow though, I thought it was going to have the typical ripple effect and that it would have been weeks before we would see anything in Europe. My wife teaches English online to Chinese kids, and it was back in January, at about the time of the Chinese New Year’s celebration, when her students were staying at home for that important holiday after the stay-at-home directive was issued by the Chinese government. As my wife was talking to her students, she ...

Today, in honor of the 100 year anniversary of the World War I armistice, I am reposting a prior blog about my dear father Orson Pratt Miles.  He was in World War I, and had a disability pension for life, for the trauma he suffered.  I wrote it 2 years ago on the anniversary of his death.  I hope you feel the spirit of such a kind and good man as you read this!  (And I'm posting it at 11 a.m. today!) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2016 759. My dear father, Orson Pratt Miles, passed away 41 years ago today. He was a World War I Veteran, and disabled most of his life. Great man! Today I want to honor my father, Orson Pratt Miles.  He was born in St. George, Utah on September 7, 1891, and saw this town from basically the pioneer days.    He received a pension for being disabled, after his time in World War I, and being on the front lines there.  He was such a gentle soul, and seeing people dying around him, and having to...

Today I want to honor my father, Orson Pratt Miles.  He was born in St. George, Utah on September 7, 1891, and saw this town from basically the pioneer days.  He received a pension for being disabled, after his time in World War I, and being on the front lines there.  He was such a gentle soul, and seeing people dying around him, and having to take someone else's life was just too much for him to handle, and be normal after that time. My father, a true gentleman who always wore a tie, and a hat when he went outside! A repost of blog # 37, which I first posted on December 14, 2013.      This post is a bit longer than most.  It tells of my father, Orson Pratt Miles's time in the army, and the heart touching story just before he died.  In 1987, Mavis’ son Russell was living with Ruth Miles, his grandmother, attending Dixie College.  He was in the “middle bedroom” and in cleaning out the closet he found an old box.  It contai...

This is a most touching short story of a tremendously amazing woman! The Life-Changing Words Elder Holland Told an LDS Woman After She Burned 80 Percent of Her Body by LDS Living Staff  | Oct. 14, 2016 Famous Mormons Makes You Think Mormon Life The Accident On August 16, 2008, Stephanie Nielson boarded a Cessna 177 Cardinal for a daytrip with her husband, Christian, who had recently earned his pilot’s license, and Doug Kinneard, Christian’s flight instructor and dear friend. After stopping in St. Johns, Arizona, to refuel for their return to Mesa, the small plane sped down the runway and climbed into the sky. But without warning, the plane plummeted to the quiet neighborhood below. The 27-year-old mother of four was knocked unconscious upon impact, only to awaken to the sickening smell of burning fuel and burning flesh—her flesh. “I was drowning in flames,” she recalls. “I reached for the seatbelt, but I couldn’t find it. I couldn’t get...

This is a very uplifting article, showing understanding of everyone's problems!  I saved this article from February 3, 2016, during my husband's last few difficult weeks.  It is appropriate at any time! Pain in Every Pew By Joni Hilton  · February 3, 2016 Image via lds.org Long ago I heard the phrase, “pain in every pew,” and glanced around the next Sunday during Sacrament Meeting, to see if it were true. And it was. But it was in more than every bench; there were struggles in every single family, every single person. As Relief Society President, I may have known some private matters not known to the general congregation, but every person I actually knew was facing adversity of some kind. It could be grief over the loss of a loved one, agony over children gone astray, frustration with a spouse, worry over finances, suffering due to poor health, self-pity, shame, persecution, a wavering testimony, loneliness, personal battles with weaknesses...

If you like short videos which really tell a story, you'll enjoy this article, from LDS Living.  If you need help or know someone with anxiety, depression, and other mental disorders, watching these may help you.  Turn on your sound! LDS Women Talk Addiction & Mental Illness in Brutally Honest Video Campaign by LDS Living  | Oct. 29, 2015 Ashley Sargeant battles bipolar, anxiety, and depression—and she fearlessly shares her struggles and her triumphs over mental illness. In fact, she has created a new campaign, #IAMSTIGMAFREE to spread her message of hope and healing. Recently, Sargeant created a series of interviews that she has shared to her  YouTube channel  where women have shared their own stories of addiction and mental illness in raw, heartbreaking, but incredibly inspiring videos. ►   You'll also like:  Church Releases Raw, Compelling Video Series on Addiction Recovery Last month, Sarge...