Thoughts and stories, by Pal

What happened to the brothers of the Prophet Joseph Smith? h On June 24, 1844, the Prophet Joseph Smith, with his brother, Hyrum, and in company with 17 other men, left Nauvoo for Carthage. This statue depicts the brothers beginning that fateful journey.   (By Pal: My 2nd great grandfather, John Lowe Butler was one of those 17 other men.  You can read about his life in blogs: # 66 posted on Jan. 10, 2014, and # 206, posted on August 7, 2014) Susan Evans McCloud For the Deseret News Joseph Smith Jr. had five brothers who lived to adulthood and each made a contribution to the work, and each had a unique relationship with their prophet-brother. What was each one like? There were six Smith sons who lived to adulthood, with Joseph Smith Jr., who was named for his father, born in the middle. What happened to the brothers of the Prophet Joseph, who died in Carthage when he was just 38? The two eldest, Alvin and Hyrum, were both born in Fe...

This is a touching story, as told in LDS Living, today, Feb. 24, 2015.  I remember reading about this just a year ago today.  Our prayers go out to her and her brother Ian, and anyone else who loses a dear one, especially suddenly. Missionary Whose Family Died While She Served Reflects on Tragedy One Year Later JENSEN PARRISH -  While I was serving as a missionary in the Vancouver Washington Mission, my family at home—including my father, mother, and two brothers—died from a carbon monoxide leak. But there’s hope for healing that can only be found through the gospel of Jesus Christ. On August 24, 2013, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came to visit our mission. All the missionaries gathered in a church building, anxious to meet him. He spoke with such power, and I remember the Spirit testifying to me that he was indeed an apostle of the Lord and that anything he said would be of God. I remember he gave each of us a promise. He said, “As you serve your missions...

FAMILY HISTORY Elder Neil L. Andersen Issues Temple Challenge to “Children of the Promise” By Scot and Maurine Proctor  · February 19, 2015 “One of the most magnificent doctrines of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is that every man, woman, and child who has ever lived upon the earth, who has breathed the air of this world, will have the opportunity to clearly understand and to accept or reject the life-giving doctrines of the Savior. No one will be set aside or coerced. No one will be forgotten,” said Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve at a Family Discovery Day at RootsTech 2015. “It’s not an assignment for the faint of heart. How vast is the work before us? It will touch every person who has ever lived. How many have lived upon the earth? We honestly don’t know. One scientist has estimated it could be as high as 100 billion.” This number is staggering in its scope, and it is not a work for the fainthearted, but just as rema...

This was in Meridian Magazine one week ago today, Feb. 15, 2015.  It is the talk of one of the special guests, Laura Bush, and how important family has been to them.  I think you'll enjoy it. I just got back from spending time with my husband Wayne, who is in a rehabilitation center here in St. George.  It was a week ago tonight, in the middle of the night, when he was unresponsive and incoherent, and had to go to the hospital in an ambulance.  He has had pneumonia, weak lungs and kidneys and heart, and his carbon dioxide level in his blood was poisoning him.  After 2 days in intensive care, with a breathing tube down his throat one day, and 2 other days in the hospital, he was taken to the rehab, and is slowly recovering.  He will probably be there around 2 weeks.  He is 84 and a half, and in the past has had open heart surgery, prostate cancer, a hip replacement, and pneumonia 3 or 4 times.  It is such a blessing for him to be as well as he i...

This is so interesting!  Donny Osmond was a speaker in Rootstech this last weekend.  His story will touch your heart, and make you want to know more about your own ancestors, and what traits of character you inherited from them! FAMILY HISTORY How Donny Osmond Takes His Father Wherever He Goes By Scot and Maurine Proctor  · February 16, 2015 This week on Meridian we will bring you the key events from the RootsTech 2015 conference, held Feb. 11-14, the largest family history gathering in the world. It was sponsored by FamilySearch. Donny Osmond’s entire life has been documented and recorded from that first moment when as a five-year-old he sat on Andy Williams lap and sang, “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby” before a national television audience. He has the recording of “One Bad Apple” and the story behind sitting with his brothers one Sunday morning surrounding a radio listening to Casey Kasem’s Countdown. The week before the Osmond’s song h...