Thoughts and stories, by Pal

Originally this was blog # 120--updated a bit. I guess from time to time I should tell some about our own lives, Pal and Wayne Eckman.   Actually my full name is Paralee Miles (maiden name) Eckman, and Wayne's is Wayne D Eckman.   I was born Oct. 6, 1934, in St. George, Utah and Wayne was born Sept. 18th, 1930, in Murray, Utah, just south of Salt Lake City, in the same valley.  I have noticed some of our readers live in foreign countries, and that is fascinating to me!  How small our wonderful world is!   And I truly feel love and friendship for each one of you, whether we have met or not.  That seems to be something that comes with membership in the true Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints!      This photo was on our wedding day, Sept. 24, 1955.  Since then we now have nine children, 29 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren. I grew up in St. George, when it was only about 5,000 people, and the Temple was on the so...

This beautiful true story I found on Meridian Magazine.  I believe we can learn so much from this tender story -- and apply it to our children and grandchildren, and even ourselves.  We must not give up learning something we really have a desire to learn -- or do.   Today I listened to a DVD of a concert in which I accompanied some talented young people in our local Tabernacle on June 1, 2013.  Today I sat with tears in my eyes, longing to be able to play the piano again, but with my right arm in a restrictive sling.  The operation I had on my right shoulder just over 2 weeks ago will take months to heal, and if I am careful and don't try to use it too soon I hope to be able to return to accompanying.   Life often gives us challenges we don't count on, and hopefully we will get up each time we "fall", (or have an operation or period of time we are ill.)   Wednesday, September 10 2014 Getting Up Each Time We Fall By Daris Howard ...

This is exciting news!  We are really looking forward to General Conference in just 3 weeks from this coming Sunday! REMEMBER TO USE "TRANSLATE" ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THIS BLOG ! 12 languages you might hear at general conference September 9th, 2014 |   Elder Edward Dube addresses LDS Church members in English at general  conference in October 2013. All speakers will be given the option to  speak in their first languages during the upcoming conference. (Photo  courtesy LDS.org) LDS Church spokesman Dale Jones announced Monday that general conference speakers “whose primary language is not English now have the choice to deliver their talks in their native tongue.” If speakers elect to do so, English subtitles will be shown in the Conference Center with live English interpretation provided for all English-language broadcasts. Exactly who will speak in this October’s conference is still a mystery, but at least 12 general ...

This was sent to me by my daughter.  Her own daughter served on a 12 week mission before being called to her current mission in California.  Her missionary testimony on Mormon.org can be found in entry # 210. THIS WAS FOUND ON A "MISSIONARY MOMS" SITE.   (WHAT IN THE HECK IS A) TWO TRANSFER MISSION?!  (WRITTEN BY A MISSIONARY ABOUT HER OWN EXPERIENCE.) You probably got a call from your Stake President asking to meet with you because you hadn’t received your call in the mail like most future missionaries do. The Stake President sat across from you and read your call. Speaking from personal experience, I was filled with TONS of questions and knew other people would be too. Turns out, I wasn’t the first one to do this. These missions are rare, but hopefully this post can answer a few questions for you and many others. What is a two-transfer mission? A two transfer mission is a 3 month period of a proselyting mission. The...

Today my dear father Orson Pratt Miles would be 123 years old.  There are many stories about his life that you can find in the "Labels" list under "Miles Orson Pratt", and "my father Pratt".  Below is a treasured letter with his testimony.                                                                  Dad in World War I                       Above is a treasured letter giving his testimony.                                                                                                      Da...

Friday, September 05 2014 The Quitter As Hero By Darla Isackson We as a people seem to have a deeply engrained belief in the nobility of perseverance. Winston Churchill’s famous words “Never, never, never give up” have been canonized in the minds of many. Yet giving up something good for something better is what life is all about. The book  Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why , by Laurence Gonzales includes that thought-provoking quote, “A secret to resilience is quitting.” The author explains, “It’s a matter of looking at yourself and assessing your own abilities and where you are mentally, and then realizing that it’s better to turn back and get a chance to do it again than to go for it and not come back at all. We are a society of high achievers, but in the wilderness, such motivation can be deadly.” Such motivation can be deadly spiritually as well. The thesis of this article is that appropriate quitting is vital to our ...