Thoughts and stories, by Pal

As we are still in July, the pioneer month, I want to re-post some special stories from previous blogs.  Many of you who read these blogs may not have time to look back or know which stories are very special to our family.  So I will put a few back on from the past.  This story was first posted on February 13, 2014.  I had been to the St. George Temple that morning.  My thoughts were really deep and grateful for my heritage.  Each of you has a special heritage and if you don't know now what your ancestors did to bring you the life you now have, I hope you will be able to find their stories and record them for your posterity.   In the days to come in this wonderful world we live in, there will be more trials. Perhaps the stories from the past will give us each courage and faith to live the lives we are given in faithfulness and gratitude.  I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday, today, July 26, 2014.  Yesterday I know of 3 ...

This is an article that I found on  Meridian Magazine a couple of weeks ago.  I believe it has some great ideas we can remember when we go to Church this Sunday, and look for strangers, (or our own ward members who may be lonely or having problems) -- who are visiting our Church! Thursday, July 10 2014 Soft Landings By Joni Hilton Last week in Ward Council, our bishop used a phrase that perfectly described what we can provide for tormented souls who come into our wards: Soft landings. The world provides the sorrow, the grief, the loss and disappointment; we can be there with open arms to help and heal as best we can. Raw with hurt and pain, members often find themselves in a congregation where they don’t know a single person. They may even be in a new part of the world where nothing seems familiar. Some people arrive not wearing what some might consider proper attire. Others come tenuously, unsure if they will be ...

Do you have Mormon pioneer heritage? FamilySearch has created a simple sign-in tool that will allow you to discover your pioneer heritage. After you discover more about the pioneers in your history, take the time to read their trail stories, also found on this page. The past is an amazing storybook. http://spr.ly/6185lI9X    (copy and paste!) Wayne's great great grandfather Phillip Kirk, had quite a history, and 3 of his children came 4 years before the parents had enough money to come also.  This tells their touching stories. 61. Wayne's great great grandfather, Phillip Kirk, "Burned in effigy" Today, I want to tell the story of Wayne's great great grandfather, Phillip Kirk, and his wife Mary Ann Taylor.    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 rel...

The Proctor's who are the editors for Meridian Magazine have written 3 stories about pioneer children and their adventures and mishaps.  They tell of the pioneer's desires to come to Zion, even if they had to send only one or part of a family.  Tomorrow, July 24th, I will relate some stories from our own ancestors who also sent some family members ahead, when the family couldn't afford to all come.  They showed great faith. Wednesday, July 23 2014 Three Children’s Pioneer Stories on the Trail to Zion By Scot and Maurine Proctor Those wheels west toward a distant mountain valley called Salt Lake and a dream called Zion were so much a part of the thinking of the early Saints that even the separation of family members, sending one at a time as the means could manage, was common. Just to set your foot there, for a son or brother to plant a crop and call it home, for a baby bearing your name to catch its first breath in the mountain ai...

This was published last Friday in Meridian Magazine, and I believe it has some very important warnings.  Many things that look enticing or beautiful, could become our downfall, and bring us much unhappiness. Friday, July 18 2014 Picking Flowers in the Minefields of Mortality By Ted Gibbons Thirty-three years ago I was with a tour group in the Middle East. One lazy afternoon when things were safer than they are now, our bus left Israel and crossed the border into Syria for a brief tour of the Golan Heights. The scenery was spectacular. We enjoyed the contrast of green land and blue sky and white clouds, and talked about the conflicts that had raged in this area throughout much of recorded history. After a while we noticed in the distance a purple haze covering the ground. As we drew closer, we found ourselves next to a field of globe-shaped purple flowers at the end of long stems. There were many acres along one side of the road, covere...