Thoughts and stories, by Pal

My Southern Caribbean Cruise, part 2: Barbados claims the dubious distinction of creating Rum!  The pirates loved it! The words on the sign are: This new world liquor popularized under the name of rum originated in Barbados.  The substance distilled from the molasses, a by product of sugar cane was originally known as kill devil. How the name came to be rum is shrouded in mystery.  But many believe it starts with the aged liquor stored in a barrel being sold in a tavern owned by Captain Rumball.  This unique liquor sought after by patrons took it s name from the owner and was called Rum.   I had seen Barbados on my family pedigree charts, and last night I found it again.  I had an ancestor, Alexander Skeen, born about 1690 in Scotland, who went to Barbados, married a lady there, Jemima Dewe, and his first 2 children were born there, and christened in the St. James Church, on Barbados.  (One in 1700, and the other a few years ...

Last week, from March 31st to April 9th, I was on a tour/cruise to the Southern Caribbean!  I went with "Fun For Less Tours", in a group of 12 LDS widows -- It was so fun and I learned so much!  I want to tell about that in this blog, and maybe one more.  There is so much to tell!  Michael Wilcox, (retired BYU professor) was the guest tour guide.  He gave 4 lectures, specifically about the different islands we visited, and their history.  It was fascinating!  I'll try to include some of his thoughts, as they made the cruise so much more interesting. Our ship from the Royal Caribbean, "Jewel of the Seas." On Saturday March 31st, 2018, we flew from Salt Lake City to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  The next day we entered the ship around 11 a.m.  It was interesting getting used to the ship, and getting acquainted with the other 11 ladies.  I went with my dear friend from High School, Belva Hunting Gardner....

I posted this on March 27, 2016, but it is really appropriate to post again -- Easter, and the celebration of Jesus' Atonement and Resurrection will be this coming Sunday, along with our General Conference! SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016 609. 5 Profound Insights from "The Infinite Atonement" by Elder Tad R. Callister, in LDS Living. This is from LDS Living, and is very inspirational about the Atonement. 5 Profound Insights from "The Infinite Atonement" by Jannalee Rosner  | Mar. 26, 2016 Makes You Think Next to  Jesus the Christ  by Elder James E. Talmage, one of the best books about Christ I’ve ever read is Elder Tad R. Callister’s  The Infinite Atonement . And while you can only absorb the full power of these inspired books by reading them from cover to cover, sometimes there simply isn’t time. So here are some of the most important and interesting ideas from  The Infinite ...

I first posted this 2 years ago today, just 5 weeks  after  my husband Wayne passed away.   It was  Easter Sunday that day, and this coming  Sunday will also be Easter, so  I hope this helps  you feel the spirit of the Easter time! SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016 608. Jesus Christ' Resurrection. "He is known by oh so many names, but He's not forgotten yours!" from "The Garden" Happy Easter, all you dear friends all over the world.   I haven't written for a week, and I want to write some of my thoughts today.   Yesterday my daughter Anita, and I went to a local performance of "The Garden", by Micheal McLean and Bryce Neubert.  It brought tears to my eyes.  It is such beautiful music written about Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.  The line I like the best is "He is known by oh so many names.  But He's not forgotten yours!"  That really touched my he...