Thoughts and stories, by Pal

I have almost always prayed about any problem that has come up in my life.  I haven't kept a good journal of answers to my prayers, and I'm going to try to do that as the new year approaches.  I have had answers to my prayers, in actually small things in the last few days.  I find that Heavenly Father is quick to answer small things as well as large things, and it makes me love Him even more, to realize He cares about the small things.  I like the scripture in The Book of Mormon, Alma, Chapter 34, verses 18 to 27 -- But I'll quote only some verses: "  (20 - on) Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks.  Cry unto him in your house, yea, over all your household both morning, mid-day, and evening.  Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies.  Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.  Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them.  Cry over t...

Dear friends and family --  I hope you've had a Merry Christmas!  It has been chilly but  sunny here, and the snow fall 2 weeks ago is about melted. I have really wished that I could hear from some of you who read this blog, and know what you're thinking, or if it gives you some help and encouragement some day.  I checked and my e mail isn't listed.    You go down to the bottom on the right, where it says "Wayne and Pal".  Under it gives some information, and on the bottom is written --   "View my complete profile"  Click on that and it brings up another page.  There are words under the title which say ---   About  --- Posts  --- Photos -- Videos, etc.  Click on About, and under "Tag" on the right, I have posted my e mail.  But I will also put it in this entry.   My e mail I use all the time is:       paralee_eckman@infowest.com       The g mail is an e mail I don't...

Latter Day Light DAILY DEVOTION __________________________ The Birth of Jesus Christ Nauvoo, Illinois December 24, 2013 SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY: 3 Nephi 1:13-14 " Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the  sign  be given, and on the morrow  come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be  spoken  by the mouth of my holy prophets.   Behold, I  come  unto my own, to  fulfil  all things which I have made known unto the children of men from the  foundation  of the world, and to do the  will ,  both   of  the Father and of the Son--of the Father because of me, and of the Son because of my flesh. And behold, the time is at hand, and this night shall the sign be given ." QUOTE OF THE DAY:   Lorenzo Snow   ...

I'm putting this entry in as an extra today.   I don't want any one entry to be too long, so you can read a shorter story at one time -- I don't know how readers feel about that ?  It goes with the one today about the testimonies of the Prophet Joseph Smith.  I am including the testimonies of my parents, Ruth Allen Miles, and Orson Pratt Miles, both faithful saints during their lives.    This first story was written by my mother Ruth.  The Solemn Assembly    (Mother, Ruth, was at this Solemn Assembly.)     These stories are in the book of the lives of my ancestors.   Rededication:   by Spencer W. Kimball         I think it most fitting that I finish my personal history with the most sacred and most inspiring experience of my life -- My attendance at the St.  George Temple Solemn Assembly.  Surely I will never be nearer heaven in this life than I was in 1976 when I was invited (becau...

You may notice, I'm going to try and make my entries not so long.  One of my sons mentioned they were too long!   This morning I went again to the St. George Temple for a session, as my husband Wayne was one of the officiators at the 10:40 a.m. session.  I met and sat by a dear friend who was there with her husband.  He has a very serious pulmonary illness, and often is in pain.  He was on a mission years ago in Italy, and spends as much time as he can doing Italian Indexing, and she says it is a great blessing to him.  A few months ago I mentioned in an e mail to her that I was learning Italian indexing.  She said it was a "Tender mercy" that I mentioned it, and I subsequently sent him some helps to get started. They came to St. George for his health, and it has helped him a lot, but he still has problems.  So many people have problems that we don't understand, and treating people with loving kindness is often all we can do.   It is...

Toda y was a lovely Sunday, with our Choir doing our Christmas Cantata.  Then we had a family dinner, with our daughter Anita,and her 3 sons -- one, Sam, a returned missionary on October 29th, 2013.  The 2nd son Ben of the 4 boy family is now on a mission in Taichung, Taiwan, where they are 13 hours ahead of us.  We still are not sure when he can call home for Christmas --  He loves his mission, and has had a couple or so of baptisms. We also have a granddaughter, Skye, who just left last Wednesday, Dec, 18, on a 12 week mission, after which she will receive a formal mission call to somewhere else for the remaining 15 months. I'm including some quotes below about Christmas, by Pres. Monson, and Pres. Hinckley.  After spending a very inspirational Sunday, and it being just 3 days until Christmas, I have felt such a desire in my heart to try and improve my life, study the scriptures more, be kinder, etc. and think more about Jesus Christ, His life, and teac...

This afternoon we drove about 45 minutes north to go to the baptism of our oldest great granddaughter, Aiyona.  It was really a wonderful feeling to see her be baptized, and to see the wonderful example she is to her 2 younger sisters.  One of the quotes that the bishop made there was really worth remembering.  He mentioned that she had had problems already in her life (her parents were divorced), but he said "Life is fair, in the eternal perspective."  That is a comforting thought I want to always keep, when it seems life gives us more problems than we deserve.                    This is our darling Aiyona, when she was 9 months old. It has been a busy day baking bread to take to my visiting teaching ladies for Christmas, and getting ready for Christmas.  I can honestly say we don't do elaborate things at Christmas, at this time in our lives, either with money or time.  I know we spent many years ra...