Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL YOU DEAR FRIENDS! I wrote this last year in blog # 1304.  I'm sharing it again, as I do at Christmas time.  The experience first mentioned, happened last year in 2020.  I had a tremendously exciting experience this last week as I researched the ancestors back from my grandson's wife's parents.  I wanted to find out about the people who will be sharing a pedigree chart with me, about our mutual descendants.  I found many very fascinating things, and the next blog I will continue telling about my experiences, and new discoveries on that subject.  I'll probably write after Christmas, and begin by telling how I found a (tentative) pedigree back to 0195!  Including the kings of Ireland and Scotland -- ancestors of my darling great grandfather.  I have never seen a pedigree back that far!  The farthest back I had actually seen was back into the 1200s.   So I'll tell that first, when I get time to write it -- ...

This true story about my Christmas when I was 5 years old, is truly a favorite.  Reposted from:  #  555. A Child's Christmas Prayer Answered -- first written on December 1, 2013, on blog # 21. This a true Christmas story, from my childhood. The Christmas of 1939, here in St. George, Utah, was going to be quite humble at our house. My father had been in World War I and had suffered off and on with "shell shock", which now is called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He had been in the Veteran's hospital in Salt Lake City during the year, and my mother, Ruth, had given birth to my sister, Mavis, on December 1st. In those days, mothers stayed down much longer with a difficult birth. My mother had been allowed to turn over in bed on the 10th day, and got up on the 17th day, so Christmas found her very weak. My grandmother, Ruth’s mother, was living with our small family, and helping after the new baby. She stayed with us each winter and was a Temple Ordinance worke...

Another great missionary story from Haiti.  This beautiful Gospel truly lifts people in every way -- spiritually, intellectually and economically.   Hurrah for missionaries! Haiti: I thought the LDS missionaries were all CIA or FBI‏ By Mark Albright  · January 31, 2016 Cover image: Rousselande with her parents. Editor’s Note: Emmanuel and Lomaine Buissereth are the parents of nine children in Haiti.  The oldest son’s name is Roussel, and the next three daughters are named Rousseline, Rousselene, and Rousselande.  The five younger brothers and sisters are Emmanuela, Raphael, MedJine, Christopher, and Diana. All have grown up in extremely humble circumstances.  At great sacrifice and continuous hard labor, their mother works as a seamstress sewing long hours on a treddle sewing machine (because of the lack of reliable electricity) and their father performs mechanical repairs when he can find work, to help support thei...

This is # 562, but numbers are mixed up!  # 561 is the latest posted, today! 3 Touching True Stories That Celebrate the Joy of Christmas by Various Authors  | Dec. 22, 2015 Mormon Life The holiday season is a time of reflecting gratefully on those experiences that have drawn us closer to our family and the Savior. These touching, true Christmas stories will warm your heart and help you remember the blessings in your own life. The Invisible Christmas Tree by Carla Kelly [When] my husband lost his job at a Southern university because of religious discrimination in 1992, [we tried] to hold things together during the ensuing legal battle. Martin did some substitute teaching and worked as a van driver for a local ophthalmologist and ward member. I was in graduate school and had a part-time job at the same university that had fired Martin illegally. And to say that money was tight and hope was slim was no exaggeration. With two daughters stil...

I have always enjoyed Richard Paul Evans' writings.   This is a touching true story about his childhood.  We all have memories similar to this! If you'd like to subscribe to his blog go to this address: http://efs.richardpaulevans.com/index.php/2015/10/28/i-am-great/ HOME THE BOOKS EVENTS STORE ANGEL STATUES CHRISTMAS BOX HOUSE MICHAEL VEY ABOUT CONTACT The boy who dared to be great. Let me tell you about the scared little boy who dared to write that he was great.     I had a somewhat traumatic childhood, but 1970, the year I turned eight, was especially difficult. A Tsunami of misfortune hit my family. My father lost his job and couldn’t find work and my mother began to exhibit the first signs of severe depression. My Tourette’s syndrome manifested that year and I was ticking like crazy. In addition, I wet the bed every night, made worse since I shared the bed with my brother. With...