Thoughts and stories, by Pal

Watch: Elder Holland’s powerful message of hope might be just what you need in 2020 by Lindsey Williams  | Sep. 03, 2020 From the Church Makes You Think Speaking in April general conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland testified that “the future is going to be as miracle-filled and bountifully blessed as the past has been.” A new inspirational video released by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thursday morning pieces together segments of Elder Holland’s conference address into a beautiful 3-minute video. “We  can  hope, we  should  hope, even when facing the most insurmountable odds,” Elder Holland said. “So, when our backs are to the wall and, as the hymn says, ‘other helpers fail and comforts flee,’ among our most indispensable virtues will be this precious gift of hope linked inextricably to our faith in God and our charity to others.” In his message, Elder Holland spoke specifically about current events...

This is very interesting, and encouraging! Pfizer Head of Anti-Viral Has Good News on COVID-19 By  Maurine Proctor  · July 9, 2020 Richard Hutchins is not speaking officially for Pfizer nor any other organization in this article, but merely sharing the latest information about vaccine development. The more we are stuck under masks in public gatherings and stay in when we want to go out, questions multiply about COVID-19. News reports give us mixed messages, cases spike when states open up, and people talk about the “new normal” as if we will spend a lifetime looking at each other mainly as carriers. The question that haunts us most is “When will this ever end?” Or will this virus just mutate into new and more contagious forms, so we are isolated indefinitely? We took some of our questions to someone we knew could give us authoritative answers and what he told us was the most optimistic news we’ve heard yet in this fight to defeat COVID-19. Look...

This is great information, and may save you a lot of problems.  READ IT! Coronavirus Scams: Be Aware By  Carolyn Nicolaysen  · May 5, 2020 Scams continue and are getting more insidious as time goes on. Be informed and protect your family by knowing what to watch for. The government WILL NOT ask you for your bank account number, credit card number, pay pal information or social security number in order for you to get money from the government. Don’t respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government. This is a way for scammers to access your online profiles and information and your personal correspondence. There are NO test kits for the virus except the ones provided by medical professionals. The only approved tests require a prescription from a doctor. Scammers are selling kits online and door to door, but they are fakes and will not detect the virus. A text message scam impersonating the U.S. Department of Health and Huma...

I have a daughter and granddaughter who are both nurses.  I believe I would have loved being a nurse!  My mother always wanted to be a nurse, and in those days you had to travel far away to get training, and she couldn't do that, so she was an amazing school teacher for 40 years!        I was so busy raising nine children, I wouldn't have had time, but perhaps I did qualify as a nurse on one or two occasions!   This article is really heartwarming, for many to fly into New York City to help.   We all hope this is resolved much sooner, than later!  My son-in-law went through a 6 hour operation on his injured elbow today!  Prayers are a help!   Thank You, dear people who are a ll kinds of  medical workers!   Latter-day Saint Nurse Shares Experience Treating COVID-19 in New York City by Morgan Jones  | Apr. 23, 2020 I’ve thought a lot about those on the frontline...

This is a most unusual time to be living, it seems.  But although it is new to us, this type if problem isn't new to mankind!  Read blog # 1185, posted back on March 15, 2020, and read about when my mother was 10, and they had the flu epidemic in 1918.   And they didn't have computers and the helps we have now!  Will our teens be the same after the pandemic? By  Jody Young Steurer  · April 21, 2020 I recently read an opinion piece by CNN columnist Scottie Andrew, titled “Why Teens May Never Be The Same After The Pandemic,” where she highlights the losses teens, especially graduating seniors, face as they wrap up this school year in quarantine. [i] She’s right. Our graduating seniors may never be the same after the pandemic. All 2020 classes, proms, and graduations have been cancelled. End of year sports banquets, final dances, music performances, and academic competitions have all suddenly disappeared without warning. And he...

This is such a dramatic example of living faith, which happened just last month during the beginning of the Corona Virus saga! In the Time of the Virus: The Parting of my Personal Red Sea By  Lynne Perry Christofferson  · April 15, 2020 Photography by John Derek Perry. There will be many stories told of this time–of the days when a powerful virus jumped oceans and swept across continents. When life as we knew it came to a shuddering halt, and we incorporated new phrases into our vocabulary: social distancing, self-quarantine. Though my own story is not earthshaking, I feel compelled to tap it out in sentences that will one day speak to my grandchildren, telling them of the parting of my personal Red Sea in the time of the virus. I awoke Thursday, March twelfth, in a hotel in Casablanca, having arrived in Morocco with my brother John just the night before. Squinting at my phone to check the time, I found a text from my oldest son: “Did you he...