Thoughts and stories, by Pal

I have articles saved, and so I'm posting 2 of them today!   Trying to get caught up!       I have such respect and appreciation of Larry Barkdull, the author of this article!  He had faith in me when in 1989, when he then owned Sonos Music, (later sold to Jackman Music) he analyzed and then published some simplfied music books I had written!  The Simplified Primary Song book is still published by them.  The others are out of print.     But I want to offer to any of you who are interested -- I have PDFs of about 80 hymns and 60 Primary songs, and Christmas hymns and songs which I have simplified, and will send free to anyone who would like them -- just write to:   paralee.eckman@gmail.com    and I will send you a Table of Contents in each book and be glad to send you copies you choose which you can print out at home. The Difficult Challenge of Enduring to the End By  Larry Barkdull  · November 28, 2022 Befor...

  I saved this from almost a year ago.  It is appropriate today also! How Can We Survive This Disaster? By  Joni Hilton  · September 30, 2020 Last week my husband and I drove to San Francisco, about two hours from our home. My ongoing cancer journey includes doctor visits there. And, not surprisingly, it took us through an eerie stretch of hills blackened with soot and the charred remnants of the deadly wildfires that have ripped through California. Dozens of blazes have shattered previous records as flames ravaged more than 3 million acres and claimed 27 lives. Quietly, we stared at the destruction, the twisted tree trunks, the gloomy, lifeless ground. And then I saw it.  They were almost imperceptible, but there they were: Tiny shoots of green grass pushing up through the ashes. Barely a sprinkle of life, but life nonetheless. My heart leapt. Somehow, through complete devastation and ruin, nature finds a way. The Earth yet lives. Grass, shrubs, and wildlife wi...

This has some very thoughtful ideas from an LDS Psychologist.  Latter-day Saint psychologist: Navigating the (sometimes) rough road to happiness by Dr. David T. Morgan, Contributor  | Jul. 02, 2021 Our youngest child just graduated from high school. It was a strange experience, sitting in the same football stadium where we had watched her five older siblings celebrate the same accomplishment. Walking to the car, my wife and I reflected on the rapidly approaching end of our full-time parenting. There have been times of joy. There have been times of sorrow. There have been times when I wished I could crawl into a hole and not come out. There have been times when I gushed with tears of gratitude for the privilege of being a father to such amazing children. Coming to the end of this portion of the journey, I can truly say the overall experience has been happy and blessed. So, if my destination was joy, why was there so much difficulty, grief, and sorrow along the way?  The an...

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 ...

The other entry I posted today was about getting to know people of other faiths, and learning from them.  I'm putting them both out today, as I believe they are related, and in getting to know our neighbors, and those of other faiths, we can truly "Love Our Neighbor" -- especially at this holiday time, and Christmas time! How witnessing 2 neighborhood tragedies led this man to connect with others through bread by LDS Living  | Nov. 12, 2020 Makes You Think In this week's episode of   This Is the Gospel ,  three storytellers share what the gospel of Jesus Christ looks like in action. After witnessing two neighborhood tragedies, Ben decides to reach out to his neighbors through a new weekly practice. Read to find out how Ben applied the gospel of Jesus Christ through something as ordinary as a loaf of bread.  An adapted excerpt from the story is below. You can also  listen to the full episode here  or  read a transcript here . Last May, I was asked ...