Thoughts and stories, by Pal

What I Would Do Differently If I Could Serve My Mission Again by Seth Adam Smith  | Jan. 23, 2016 Makes You Think Mormon Life I served a mission for the Mormon Church in Vladivostok, Russia. If I were “re-called to serve” this mission, there’s one thing I’d do differently: This time, I would try to not hate it. A Surface-Level Missionary Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-missionary work—far from it. But there’s a fundamental reason why I once hated missionary work and why I’ve since learned to love it. In order for you to understand why I hated my mission, you must first know something about my personality. In the past, I haven’t been much of a “people person.” In fact, I  frequently  go out of my way to avoid people. My three biggest pet peeves are: people standing/walking behind me, making small talk with strangers, and having people waiting on me. Most of my personal pictures (prior to getting married) show me at a...

Getting a copy of your own Patriarchal Blessing or one of a direct ancestor can now be done on line.  The shorter explanation version is first, and a longer version below.  I plan to get blessings of my ancestors.  I found my great grandfather Samuel Miles was of the tribe of Benjamin!  The rest of us are from Ephraim!  That is so interesting!  I used to type blessings for a Patriarch when I was in college, and it was a wonderful inspirational experience for a couple of years! LDS patriarchal blessings now available online Published: Thursday, Jan. 21 2016 6:05 p.m. MST Recommended by  Lindsey Williams ,  Deseret News The patriarchal blessings landing page allows members to request digital versions of their patriarchal blessings as well as request copies of the blessings of their direct-line ancestors. Lds.org screenshot Enlarge photo» Summary Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can...

This gives us new thoughts as to what we allow our eyes to see.  Good thoughts! I Made a Covenant with Mine Eyes By Ted Gibbons  · January 5, 2016 No Wicked Thing “I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes . . . it shall not cleave to me” (Psalms 101:3). I found this verse one day as I read and pondered the book of Psalms. I read it again and again while I reflected on the young men and women I work with in my church calling who are struggling with the curse of pornography. David wrote Psalm 101, almost certainly in the years after his encounter with Bathsheba, when a walk on the roof and an inadvertent glance allowed his eyes to rest and remain where they ought not to have rested. David’s Eyes and Job’s Eyes David knew as well as anyone the consuming calamity that can come when we settle our eyes in places that can nurture wickedness. He wrote of his resolve as he looked back through the magnifying lens of experience, “I will set no wicke...

This is a lovely article, and I can totally agree that the things mentioned here will bring great joy to your parents.  I love it when our children do these things. 4 Ways Adult Children Can Bring Happiness to Their Parents By Gary and Joy Lundberg  · January 12, 2016, in Meridian Magazine As parents, we spend countless hours, days, and years teaching, sacrificing, and loving our children. We kneel by their bedsides as we teach them to pray. We take them to church and hope with all our hearts they will feel the Spirit there and want to always go. We bear our testimonies to them at family home evenings and any time the opportunity arises. We read the scriptures with them, hoping they will cherish them as we do. In endless ways we do our best to help them love the Lord and live righteous lives. We wear out our knees in prayer in their behalf. We worry when they’re late coming home. We miss precious sleep in our effort to be there for them when they do wa...