Thoughts and stories, by Pal

  My Plans, At close to age 89!   I realize I haven't been very busy on this blog!  I went through a really difficult time during February and March, and I gradually got my health back to the place I feel normal again, except for my back and leg!     The photo below was given to me by my Navajo friends Julia and Daniel Smallcanyon many years ago..  It was taken about 1950.  The ladies are from left to right:   Big Lady, Daniel's great grandmother, Lady Yellow Hair, who is Julia's great grandmother, and Lady One Salt.  I have wanted to paint them ever since I got the picture, but haven't   got around to it.  So I did it in watercolors just earlier this summer, and took it down to Julia, who lives in the town of Washington, near St. George, Utah.  It would have been better to do it in oil paints, but that takes a lot more time and effort, and I guess I'm losing my ambition.  I have made it a practice for many years to give a...

  Why being an imperfect mother is a gift Excerpted from “To Cheer and To Bless: Celebrating 20 Years of Time Out for Women.” Address delivered by  Emily Watts   August 04, 2023 07:00 AM MDT If you read to the end, I'll mention things that show I was a very imperfect mother, especially with my firstborn son! Email Prin “One of the gifts of imperfection [is] that we get the chance to learn and to grow and to become.” Vera Livchak/Getty Images The following excerpt comes from a Time Out for Women address given by Sister Emily Watts in 2015. To read more Time Out for Women addresses, check out  To Cheer and To Bless: Celebrating 20 Years of Time Out for Women , available now at Deseret Book. This past summer, we bought a new car. Well, a new used car—new to us. We only do it about every eight or ten years. It seems like there’s always some innovation in cars; cars do things differently than they used to. And the innovation for me in this car is that when you turn it on,...

  How to be more mindful of the ministry of angels in your life By  Danielle Christensen   August 17, 2023 08:00 AM MDT Email Prin Shepherds learn of the birth of Christ through an angel of the Lord (Luke 2:9). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints YouTube screenshot We often read stories of angels in the scriptures. We know that Daniel was cast into a den of lions but was protected because “God hath sent his angel and hath shut the lions’ mouths” (see  Daniel 6:22 ). We know that the angel Gabriel visited Mary, telling her to fear not, and that she would bear the Son of God (see  Luke 1:30 ). And when the Savior suffered in Gethsemane, an angel came “unto him from heaven, strengthening him” ( Luke 22:43 ). These angels, and many others in scripture, have fulfilled important roles in helping others during their time of need. In fact, the  Bible Dictionary  explains that angels are “messengers of the Lord” who are “sent forth to minister to th...

  I've just realized I haven't written a blog since May 12th!  It has been a rather hard time for me.  I am 88 years old, 89 in October, and I have had health problems that have kept me in my comfortable recliner quite awhile!  From June 26th to July 9th I was in a care center temporarily while my son that I live with, and his wife, went on a trip to Europe -- 3 days in Salzburg, Austria, and 7 days around places in Switzerland! They wanted to be sure that I would be taken care of.  I do have children who live rather close, but they all work, or have children who need care, and it wouldn't have been wise to leave me home alone!       I had some interesting times in the care center, and I'll write about them perhaps another day!  I know that I will go to a larger care center, after my widow's benefit starts, from when my husband Wayne was in the army during the Korean War.  He was in Europe because he knew a European language - Swedish - ...

  I have been neglectful in posting new articles here lately!  I have a slipped disc in my back, and have been in pain, having physical theraphy.  I may go to a care center before Christmas.  I will try to keep posting wonderful articles that I hope you enjoy, and that are inspiring.  I particularly liked this!  I have simplified a lot of Primary songs, and actually Jackman music has for sale this book I have written. I will be 89 years old in October, and go to a Center soon after.  I have most of them as PDF's and will be glad to send them FREE to anyone who will e mail me at:  paralee.eckman@gmail.com and ask.  If you have a particular favorite you like I'll send it.  I have simplified all the Primary songs, and hymns, that are suggested in this year's Come Follow Me book. I have 80 + hymns also. This is a great article today in LDS Living, and talks about Primary songs!   LATTER-DAY SAINT LIFE https://www.ldsliving.com/4-easy-...