Thoughts and stories, by Pal

40 years ago today, our dear father, Orson Pratt Miles, passed from this earth into his Eternal Life. There are many stories about his life that you can find in the "Labels" list under "Miles Orson Pratt", and "my father Pratt".  Today I'm including parts of previous blogs which include memories of his last days and moments, and give both my parent's testimonies.  Also below is a treasured hand written letter with his testimony. Below are my parent's testimonies, written in blog # 318. (First my mother's) Ruth Allen Miles , "I intended to spend the rest of my life in the Temple.  This I have done as much as I can.  My walking isn't too good and I sometimes have to be taken in a car.  I am now 85 years old. I want you all to know, that I know the Gospel is true.  I know, that I know, that I know it is true, and I know that my Heavenly Father, knows that I know it is true.  That Joseph Smith Jr. is a true prophet of God to...

More family Christmas stories is a blog I repeat each Christmas.  It was published last year as entry # 304, and I have added more pictures this year.  More Family Christmas Stories, first published Dec. 3, 2013. This was posted last year on December 3, 2013, as blog # 24.  I hope you enjoy these family Christmas stories. The "Pull Out The Rug" story down a bit, is about our son Allen when he was about 8 years old.  The picture above is when he was a navigator in the Air Force, and his wife, Holli.  He served for almost 7 years, also in Desert Storm. There are several stories about Christmas in our family, and you may enjoy these: ----  (The photos are different from last year.) My mother, Ruth, was just 6 years old when her father passed away.   In the summer of 1914, her father, John Butler Allen, got a sliver in his eye.  Later a horse switched his tail and a long hair cut through his eye again.  These accidents c...

This a true Christmas story, from my childhood. The Christmas of 1939, here in St. George, Utah, was going to be quite humble at our house. My father had been in World War I and had suffered off and on with "shell shock", which now is called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. He had been in the Veteran's hospital in Salt Lake City during the year, and my mother, Ruth, had given birth to my sister, Mavis, on December 1st. In those days, mothers stayed down much longer with a difficult birth. My mother had been allowed to turn over in bed on the 10th day, and got up on the 17th day, so Christmas found her very weak. My grandmother, Ruth’s mother, was living with our small family, and helping after the new baby. She stayed with us each winter and was a Temple Ordinance worker in the St. George Temple, spending her summers in the cool town of Panguitch, near the beautiful Bryce Canyon in Utah. My parents had followed the admonition found in Doctrine and Covenants s...

This is a lovely true story by Richard Paul Evans, given in his blog today.   Have you ever had a spiritual vision? There are two men at a BYU – Notre Dame football game. One man said to the other, “Could you please sit down, you’re blocking my vision.”  The other man replied, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were having one.” Do you believe in “visions”? Have you ever had one? We live in a world that’s skeptical about spiritual gifts, yet I can’t deny my own experiences. I would be lying if I did. The idea for this blog came to me because of an experience I had this week. I ran into a woman I haven’t seen for nearly twenty years. What was most peculiar about the experience is that I had just been talking about her to a group of nearly two hundred people. After my talk she came up to me, told me who she was, then said, “I can’t believe you remember our miracle from twenty years ago.” There’s no way I could have forgotten. The miracle she’s talking a...

It is so important to magnify our talents, whatever they are.  Besides the obvious talents in music, art, dance, etc., there are many talents -- in homemaking, handwork, mechanics, etc. for both men and women.  We can work on the talents we know we have, and try other areas we are interested in.  It takes work, and time, and practice to develop any useful talent!  Also included is a quote from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Blog. This is from Latter Day Light. Talents Nauvoo, Illinois September 29, 2015 SCR IPTURE OF THE DAY: Matthew 25:20-21 "And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents,  saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained  beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good  and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make  thee ruler over many things: enter thou into...

For those of us who stress ourselves trying to be too efficient, and prepared, and wear ourselves out, this is a great article.  This is especially appropriate around Christmas time!  I have had to learn the hard way as it says in Mosiah 4:27---   "And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man (woman) should run faster than he (she) has strength."     You can find blog # 4, written Saturday, November 16, 2013, just after I started this blog, which tells part of my story.  Look under "exhaustion" and/or "balance" in the labels on the right, and it will come up. Are You Weary in Well Doing? By Joni Hilton  · December 2, 2015, in Meridian Magazine A doctor once said to me, “I never ask anyone if they’re tired. Everybody’s tired.” We laughed, but there is great truth in what he said. We live in a push-and-shove world where everyone’s trying to get ahead, and also get their childre...