Thoughts and stories, by Pal

This article was interesting to me, and gave me thoughts about reasons it is good to take care of our health --- not only for ourselves, but for our families.   The article below came from Meridian Magazine, today.  I have condensed it.  I've put in photos of members of our family, to show some of the people that are my reason for living.    It's A Family Affair: The 5 Best Ways To Lose Weight For Good  By Carolyn Allen Could it be that what we need most is to gain a testimony that to embark on and embrace a healthy lifestyle is  not so much a personal matter  but a  priceless gift for our eternal families  that adds value, protection and joy to the present  and  future? Let me explain what I mean.  Years ago, a friend was in the hospital for a short stay and shared a room with a woman that was battling lung cancer.  She was an unwilling witness to a heart-wrenching conversation where the woma...

      First -- it is interesting to know about how surnames started -------      Prior to the dark ages, the Roman civilization identified people with only one name.  By 1100 A.D., the European population had increased so that many villages found that many of their male population had the same name, John, William, etc.  To distinguish one John from another, a second name was needed.  As people started using a second name they came from four sources: Occupation:  Names such as Carpenter, Cook, Miller, Taylor. Location:  The John who lived over the hill became John Overhill, or near a stream could be Brook, or Atbrook. Patronymical: such as Williamson, Jackson, etc. Characteristics:  A small person may be Small, Short, Little, or Lytle.  Large may be Longfellow, Large, Lang, or Long.  Persons with animal characteristics could be Fox, Fish, Dove, etc. It is thought the name Atterbury evolved from atte Borough -...

Today, I want to tell the story of Wayne's great great grandfather, Phillip Kirk, and his wife Mary Ann Taylor.  The story comes from the book we have written about Wayne's parents and ancestors.  Mary Ann was 17 years old when she married Philip Kirk, 20 years old. They had 10 children, four of whom died young. Early in the 1840’s, Mormon missionaries had been sent to England to tell the people there of a new religion in America.   In 1849 some traveling Elders found the Philip Kirk family in Arnold, Nottingham, England.  He was then a baker with a pastry shop.          His conversion to the Latter Day Saint religion was the result of a dream.  He dreamed that as he was standing by his gate, he saw two men coming down the road toward him.  He then awoke.  Several days later he saw the two men of his dream coming down the road toward him as he stood by the gate.  They told him they had a message for him and he asked t...

I think tonight I'll talk a bit about the Old Testament.  That is what we will be studying this year in Sunday School.  I have always loved the story about Adam and Eve, especially since I began going to the Temple.  It is interesting that human nature is the same yesterday, today, and forever!  Of course the culture and circumstances we find ourselves in are different, but there are always people who are kind, or not kind, are congenial, or argumentative.  There are people who want to ignore the wisdom from our Heavenly Father, and try to "prove" their own ideas are better, etc. etc.  Also, there are always people who want to be obedient, and are reaping the blessings that come with it.  Yes, that choice group of people often have unusual challenges and adversities, but the peace of the Gospel supports them in all aspects of their lives.                                 ...

This year we will study the teachings of President Joseph Fielding Smith.  I remember President Joseph Fielding Smith when he was an apostle.  We had the vague impression that he was very strict, and that he would be that way if he became the Prophet.  NOT SO!  He was so kind, and perhaps the reason we misunderstood him was that he was so obedient, it seemed unbelieveable.  I really enjoyed the article about him in the new January 2014 Ensign.  I'll quote a bit from it: When 33-year-old Joseph Fielding Smith entered the Salt Lake Tabernacle on April 6, 1910, to attend general conference, an usher said to him, “Well Joseph, who is the new apostle to be?” “I don’t know,” replied Joseph. “But it won’t be you and it won’t be me!”   As the names of the Twelve Apostles were being read for a sustaining vote, Joseph suddenly received an impression that his name might be the next one mentioned. It was, and he was then sustained as the 12th man in t...

I mentioned on Sunday Dec. 9th, 2013, in blog # 29 that I would write about my grandfather, William Gustavus Miles, who was 11 years old when his family moved down to be pioneers in 1862, in St. George.  (They were called 1 year after the original settlers came -- as a support group.  His wife Paralee's family were in the 1861 group who first came, -- when she was 4 years old.) I'll include some of his history here from his history written by his daughter Sarah, my father Pratt's sister: INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM GUSTAVUS MILES WRITTEN BY HIS DAUGHTER, SARAH MILES WALLACE. William Gustavis Miles was born at Salt Lake City, Utah, the first child of Samuel Miles Jr. And Hannah Colborn Miles.  He was born of goodly parents, his grandparents on both sides being faithful Latter-day Saints until the day of their death, as was his parents.  His father Samuel, was only seven years of age at the time the family joined the Church and when ten years of age Samuel ...

Today I have been feeling especially thankful for all my blessings.  I know there are so many people in this world struggling in one way or another.  There are those without the necessities of life, and those who are struggling with relationships, job problems, family stresses, loss of comforts of life, etc.  I am so grateful when I am able to help someone with their problems in one way or another.  My life has had many problems, ups and downs, and now I have come to a point where I realize that I have had the help of the Lord in every day life, as well as the big problems that have come in life.     I know that everyone in this world can have the same blessings of peace in this life.  If we try to face each day, and make it the best we can, the future takes care of itself.  I guess Wayne and I are optimists!  I do believe that the problems that come to us "give us experience," and are for our good.  And by doing the best we can w...