Thoughts and stories, by Pal

Although my child-raising days were long in the past, I observe daily those around me, including my own children and the raising of my grandchildren.   This article gives truly Christ-like ideas for dealing with problems with children.  I highly recommend it! How Do I Solve Those Chronic Parenting Problems? By Wallace Goddard  · August 2, 2015, in Meridian Magazine The following is a Problem Solving Guide for  Bringing Up Our Children in Light and Truth . We all feel frustrated and torn by specific parenting dilemmas at times. We feel an impulse to act in one way, but we have a nagging uncertainty: “Am I really doing (or planning to do) the right thing?” Other times, we simply don’t know what to do. That feeling of perplexity is one of the burdens of parenting. This guide is about those problems that keep recurring. I want to suggest a way to deal with those knotty difficulties according to the pattern described in previous articles about...

Help index!  Worldwide indexing event starts tomorrow!   (Actually I wrote this on Aug. 4th, and now on the 6th it really is tomorrow! I got mixed up on what date it was!)  Be a part of it!  My husband Wayne, 84 -- almost 85, has indexed 914 since August 1st, and he had an operation on his left arm last Friday and has been using just one hand!  He now is at 650,139 indexed, and 73,006 arbitrating.  His goal is 1,000,000 indexing! Help “Fuel the Find” by Joining Upcoming Worldwide Indexing Event By Family Search  · August 2, 2015  -- in Church News August 1, 2015 Become one of a record-setting 100,000 online volunteers expected to participate in the second annual  Worldwide Indexing Event , August 7–14, sponsored by FamilySearch.org. Indexing—the process of making information from historical documents easily searchable online—can be done by anyone with a computer and Internet connection. ( Learn how easy...

This is a great article for returned missionaries, with ideas on how to make the transition coming home from a mission, and utilize the skills and strengths you made while a missionary.  Also counsel on how to stay strong! How to Help Your  RM  to Adjust to Being Home by Clark and Kathleen Hinckley, Sunny Morton & LDS Living Staff  |  Mormon Life One moment a missionary is fully focused on the needs and concerns of investigators, new converts, and less-active members. They’ve worn a name tag and haven’t been without a companion for the last 18 or 24 months. Their life is so focused on inviting others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel that they cannot imagine doing anything else. The next moment they are sitting in front of the stake president, taking off the tag that has become a symbol of who they are. In the blink of an eye, they are no longer a full-time missionary; they are now a returned m...

Family History!  I have mentioned before my great interest in Genealogy -- as I first called it.  Now we refer to it as Family History, and I love the history part as much as the pedigree and family group charts.   One quote I read in my teen age years really stuck with me -- from the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The greatest responsibility in the world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead."  In D & C 128:15 is says: "Let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation.  For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as ... they without us cannot be made perfect---neither can we without our dead be made perfect."  Each prophet since him have made many statements that say the same things.   "President Gordon B. Hinclkey stated that those who wait beyond the veil for the irdinances of the gospel are in desperate circum...

Zucchini Cookies!  Another great recipe to try!  For anyone who has zucchini squash that you don't know what to do with, here is a great idea!  I will admit I haven't tried these yet, but I have some zucchini in my fridge, and that is what I plan to do with it.  This recipe looks like it will taste great!  But first we will go to the hospital tomorrow, and have my husband's same day surgery on his "fistula", which is the port in his arm to be able to handle dialysis.  It was found to have scar tissue in it, so it needs to be repaired, so his dialysis will be able to have that access.  The "catheter" near his shoulder put in 3 months ago is supposed to last only 6 months. We will appreciate any prayers in his behalf.  In the meantime, we will enjoy Zucchini Cookies!  4.5  from  14 reviews ZUCCHINI COOKIES PRINT This is a DELICIOUS way to use up some zucchini! These cookies are soft and cake like and ta...

I like to think of myself as a person who doesn't get offended, and give people the "benefit of the doubt".  This article helped me analyze myself and recognize some weaknesses I need to work on! Little Offenses: Are They Worth It? By Maurine Proctor  · July 22, 2015, from Meridian Magazine Once Scot and I were at a small social gathering when someone we considered a friend arrived. We greeted him warmly, but he did not respond in kind. Instead, he was stiff and wouldn’t speak to us, obviously leaving the room because we were there. He made it very clear that he not only didn’t want to engage with us, but that he pointedly tended to snub us altogether. We went on conversing with others as if we didn’t notice, but our feelings were hurt. Though it was a small moment, we felt stabbed and wounded. At last when it was time to leave and we were in the car alone, we were bursting with things to say to each other that we had held back for an hour. “Did ...