Thoughts and stories, by Pal

This is truly an amazing story!  You just know it wasn't an accident that this young kidnapped child in India ended up in a loving LDS family.  I am so impressed with what his adoptive parents did to help him remember his native language, etc., and how they were so happy he found his birth parents! How a Boy Kidnapped in India and Raised LDS in America Miraculously Found His Way Home After Nearly 20 Years by Jamie Armstrong  | Dec. 14, 2016 Makes You Think Mormon Life Comments Kidnapped from his village in India and sold to a Christian orphanage. Adopted and raised in Utah by a loving LDS couple who was told his parents were dead.  Taj Rowland’s incredible journey  is filled with twists and turns that would rival a blockbuster movie. And just when he had given up hope of ever seeing his birth family again, the Lord led him down a path that would defy all odds and guide him back home. On a snowy night in...

This photo of Wayne doesn't go with the article, but I really like it.  This was when he was writing his memoirs for our life story book.  He found the cap from the "Gripsholm", the ship he sailed in to and from Sweden for his mission there in 1950-1953.  Also, Jasper, sitting in the chair, is what Wayne found at a yard sale once, and he loved to put him out on St. Patrick's Day.   13 Different Ways to Practice Mindfulness – And the Difference it Can Make Posted by  Karen - Hey Sigmund What if there was something that could give you a stronger, healthier brain, lower your stress, help protect you against anxiety and depression, give you a better sleep, and improve your mood – all without any side effects except a happier, healthier, calmer version of you? What if science could back it up its restorative, protective, healing powers with countless research studies? And what if this remarkable, restorative gem was in your hand...

This true story about my Christmas when I was 5 years old, is truly a favorite.  Reposted from:  #  555. A Child's Christmas Prayer Answered -- first written on December 1, 2013, on blog # 21. 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 worke...

Today I want to honor my father, Orson Pratt Miles.  He was born in St. George, Utah on September 7, 1891, and saw this town from basically the pioneer days.  He received a pension for being disabled, after his time in World War I, and being on the front lines there.  He was such a gentle soul, and seeing people dying around him, and having to take someone else's life was just too much for him to handle, and be normal after that time. My father, a true gentleman who always wore a tie, and a hat when he went outside! A repost of blog # 37, which I first posted on December 14, 2013.      This post is a bit longer than most.  It tells of my father, Orson Pratt Miles's time in the army, and the heart touching story just before he died.  In 1987, Mavis’ son Russell was living with Ruth Miles, his grandmother, attending Dixie College.  He was in the “middle bedroom” and in cleaning out the closet he found an old box.  It contai...