Thoughts and stories, by Pal

Living Up to Our Privileges: A Consecrated Life By  Meghan Decker  · November 19, 2019 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE Every time I hear the quote from Brigham Young about living beneath my privileges, I experience FOMO—fear of missing out. While that can feel like an underhanded marketing trick when I’m convinced to buy something “While They Last!”, Brigham Young’s insight invites me to think about whether I am fully living the life that can be mine: There is no doubt, if a person lives according to the revelations given to God’s people, he may have the Spirit of the Lord to signify to him his will, and to guide and to direct him in the discharge of his duties, in his temporal as well as his spiritual exercises. I am satisfied, however, that in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges. ( Discourses of Brigham Young , p. 32) Those are invaluable promises: the Spirit of the Lord will help me understand God’s...

My dear husband Wayne --Sept. 18th, 1930 to Feb. 21st, 2016 -- singing !  This was taken in our living room during a family celebration for our 60th wedding anniversary, in September, 2015.  Also some pictures of him in the army in the 1950's Wayne always got along so well with kids!  This was taken in Austria.    This was taken when they went to an army retreat, and got to wear civilian clothes. An example of times when they were out on manuvers. I've always loved these pictures, most of which he sent me when we were writing letters at that time.  

I haven't written for a few days, as I've been supporting family members who have had some real problems.  Today I want to share this very important article from LDS Living. Jonathan Decker: The  Jonathan Decker: The Tragedy in Mexico, Our True Enemy, and Compassion in the Last Days by Jonathan Decker, LMFT  | Nov. 08, 2019 Author's Note: I wrote this in place of my "Ask a Latter-day Saint Therapist" article this week. It was written for those both within and outside of our faith. My normal column will return next week. For news coverage of the  Mexico Massacre on Deseret.com . I've been thinking about the tragedy in Mexico, in which a cartel brutally shot and burned alive American women and children. Having a wife and kids who mean the world to me, the reality of it hit me hard. I actually cried about it uncontrollably yesterday. And yet, I have heard some people claim that these people deserved their fa...

If You Think You've Messed Up God's Plan for You, Read This by Tommy Johnson   | Oct. 21, 2019 Makes You Think Mormon Life To anyone who thinks they’ve messed up God’s plan for them—you have not. More importantly, you cannot. God is the author of eternity. We have the ability to choose, so we are ultimately the commanders of our fate. But no matter what we do, no matter how much we may feel we've distanced ourselves from God or lived a life we believe He wouldn't be interested in helping, this is not true.  Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught , "There is nothing . . . that you have done that cannot be undone." If you believe you've ruined God's personal plan for your life, you may feel hopeless or helpless. Your pain is real and strong and valid. However, although it may sound unbelievable now, our Heavenly Parent's love for you is real and stronger than anything we know. To gain a better idea of how divine...

The thoughts in this article are very perceptive.  I enjoyed reading and thinking about it! Epiphany: How to “Un-Judge” Your Neighbor By  Anne Hinton Pratt  · October 23, 2019 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE We’re all in this earthly school trying our best to learn to be like God. There are times in our lives when a lesson hits us squarely in the face, and we begin to see things from a different and enlarged perspective. That happened to me, and I’d like to share the amazing, elevating things I learned: Spiritual Jolt Years ago, I was in a church meeting with my husband, and noticed that he kept nodding off. This wasn’t new. In fact, it happened quite often. This particular Sunday though, my self-righteous self raised its ugly head and I felt indignation that he could allow himself to do this.  I didn’t buy into the “I’m just resting my eyes” story. I nudged him several times to wake up, and privately f...

This is wise advice I wish we had many years ago.  It could have saved us many impulsive decisions! Simple Counsel From a Stake President that Changed My Life Forever By  Chris Hall  · October 20, 2019 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE I clearly remember that day back in the summer of 1968. My husband and I were sitting in Sacrament Meeting in our student ward at BYU, when we received counsel that has profoundly affected my life.  Our Stake President was speaking, and what he taught us is one of the few life lessons I still remember from our four years of university life. It has influenced countless decisions that my husband and I have made, prevented us from making unwise decisions, and given us the strength to hold on just a little longer when we were about to say something we should not have said. I have, on occasion, wondered how different our lives would be if we had been out of town that weekend ...