Thoughts and stories, by Pal

This is fascinating!  I hope you enjoy it.  It goes along with 3 Nephi Chapter 16, verses 1, 2, and 3.     "And verily, verily, I say unto you that I have other sheep, which are not of this land, neither of the land of Jerusalem, neither in any part of that land round about whither I have been to minister.     For they of whom I speak are they who have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself to unto them.     But I have received a commandment of the Father that I shall go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold and one shepherd; therefore I go to show myself unto them." And also in John 10: verse 16:      "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."  Did Jesus Visit Russia After His Resurrection? ...

This is a great article on how to stay cheerful and happy, and be able to help others do the same.  As the holidays are over, and we again go back to our usual routines, this will help us keep that happy spirit we had during the holidays!  (Hopefully!)   This is another article I saved, first posted on Meridian Magazine on May 25, 2015. PERSONAL VOICE What ‘Sighs’ Are You? By Joni Hilton  · May 25, 2015 “Uh-oh.  You’re sighing.”  This observation by my husband usually follows repeated efforts on my part, to get something to work.  It could be anything from a machine to a recipe, but eventually my frustration reveals itself in a sigh. And we’ve all done it.  We’ve exhausted our reserves of effort, patience, or sheer stamina, and there it comes: The sigh.  Scientists say we do it to reset our breathing, after a long spell of monotony.  They also say we sigh for negative reasons far more often than the sigh of...

Great article I saved for a day like this -- where we all can use some inspiration, and learn to listen to the Lord -- and the Spirit of the Holy Ghost. Listening to the Lord By Ted Gibbons  · May 26, 2015 I had an interesting insight last week as I was studying D&C 63-65.  The first verse of D&C 63 looks like this: Hearken, O ye people, and open your hearts and give ear from afar; and listen, you that call yourselves the people of the Lord, and hear the word of the Lord and his will concerning you (D&C 63:1). The material sounds like a lot of other material in the D&C, but I noticed something.  Here is the verse with some parts emphasized: Hearken , O ye people, and  open your hearts  and  give ear  from afar; and  listen , you that call yourselves the people of the Lord, and  hear  the word of the Lord and his will concerning you (D&C 63:1). At the beginning of this reve...

These are great stories that appeared in LDS Living this past year of 2015.  You can click on the links and read more about them.  Some of them I have put in this blog throughout the year.   Today, on New Year's Day, 2016, life here in the Wayne and Paralee Eckman home is not normal, to say the least.  Wayne's health seems to be on the edge almost every day, and he is at this moment, at dialysis.  We hope he survives this year, but with heart, kidney, lungs, and cancer problems, we just pray the Lord's will to be done.   We have a daughter and a grandson now living with us.  How many of you out there have a family member living with you?  Life isn't easy for many of us, and our posterity.  We have a grandson coming home from his mission in Indonesia in August.  We have a son who is engaged, and will be married this year.  Life is continually changing!  Some days have many problems, and others are true joy!  This...

 Pres. Thomas S. Monson quote, and  an article from Meridian Magazine:  "15 New Year's Resolutions from the Prophets for 2015."  I posted it last year, and it's great for this year also! At the advent of a new year, I challenge Latter-day Saints everywhere to undertake a personal, diligent, significant quest for what I call the abundant life—a life filled with an abundance of success, goodness, and blessings. Just as we learned the ABCs in school, I offer my own ABCs to help us all gain the abundant life. A in my ABCs refers to attitude. B is for believe—in yourself, in those around you, and in eternal principles. C is for courage. Courage becomes a worthwhile and meaningful virtue when it is regarded not so much as a willingness to die manfully but as a determination to live decently. 15 New Year’s Resolutions from the prophets for 2015 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve speaks at general conference. (Im...