NEW MUSIC WEDNESDAY

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION:

I have been really inspired lately and I think it may be an running theme in both of my blogs.But I want to share with you, (in case you haven't already seen it) an awesome video by our brethren Alex Boye'

My husband and I and some of our friends had an opportunity to attend a "Why I Believe" Fireside presented at the Washington DC Mormon Temple Visitors Center back in May.

What an unusual day it started out to be, but it was full of possibilities. I posed a wish, a desire to meet Brother Boye. We had all seen him perform with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in concert last year.

So a funny thing happened while we were waiting for the start of the concert. My husband and I picked up tickets early and we decided to take a walk in the Temple garden. They are so lovely, and the garden encircles the width of the Temple. As we walked along the path we said "hello" to a person we had never met. It was funny, he said "Hello, are you visiting here? I am. We told him that we were waiting for a concert to start. He was so personable, he immediately started to tell us about his day. He was from York, Pa. ( The Temple in Philadelphia is not completed yet). He came down here  to do some Temple Work for his family. He said that he realized that he would need some help but he didn't know anyone, so while he was in the dressing room, he met a very nice "black man" with a peculiar accent. So he asked the man where he was from, the man said, "I was born in England", and he told him that he was a singer. So our new friend invited this man to help him with his Temple work, and they sat together, and afterwards, he said the man hugged him and told him his name, Alex Boye'. He asked us if we knew him?   

(push play)

CALLING AMERICA: Alex Boye  ( A Song of Patriotism and tapestry from an immigrant)

So Alex sang this song for us that night. He shared the inspiration for this song as a part of his "Why I Believe" testimony. 
He said that about 10 or 11 years ago,on Sept 11 2001, he was watching the news and saw the devastation that was happening here, in New York and in Washington DC and Pa. He said that everyone in England, stopped in their tracks and left their jobs and went home. He said that people stopped in the streets to pray and weep.
His reaction was: "What are they doing to my country!!!" He knew that one day he would come here to America, and he was inspired to write the bulk of that song at that time, but he couldn't finish it. Now fast forward, 11 years into the present. In Feb 2012, he was "naturalized" an American Citizen. After he received his certificate of Naturalization, he felt the words to the rest of the song come "flowing" out of his heart. So he sang it for us.


After the concert, we were told that Alex would be available to shake hands, meet and greet.
So my husband decided that I was going to meet him and have my picture taken. I am a very shy person, so my husband literally pushed me forward, while another friend dragged me along, LOL. I got to shake hands with him and have a 5 second conversation, but in that 5 seconds, I had the sense that he was a genuine son of God and a nice person.

SUNDAY

1 Music

JAMES CONLEE: SUNDAY

Does anyone have this CD? It is lovely. I was listening to an episode of the Cricket and Seagull (streaming radio) and the host was interviewing this man, James Conlee. He also played selections from the Cd. So I had to have it. It is lovely, and spare. Most of the songs are from the Hymn book. Brother Conlee has a lovely tenor and clear falsetto voice that blends well with the instrumentation. My three favorites are "More Holiness Give Me" and Pie Jesu, in which he sings accompaniment with a "boy" soprano. I also love "Abide with Me" which is interwoven with Pachelbel's Canon in D major.All of the songs are song so spare, and sweet, LOVE this CD.

2 . A psalm for Nephi

" I love You, O Lord, my strength." Psalm 18:1

3. Quote 

FAMILY HISTORY

BATMAN & ROBIN

So last night I re-launched my "Family History" quest. I started this process about 2 years ago and I was able to complete ordinances for my grandparents, some cousins and uncles and aunts and some in-laws.So then I stopped, mainly because I didn't have a computer.( Another story, another time). But the Lord has seen fit to bless me with a really nice Laptop and a printer and just to keep my husband happy a "NEW TV!!". You know the ones, the "man size", just right for football games, fishing and hunting shows,etc.
So last evening my best friend "Thelma" asked me to meet her at the Family History center, because Stake Temple Day is coming soon.
She asked me if I had any pending ordinance requests. I couldn't remember any, so we left. We logged in on my new computer and I remembered an Aunt, whose requests were ready, but when I submitted them at the Temple, I was not able to get the "pink" card. No explanation, just no pink card. Two years later, I am going to try again because there was no plausibe explanation given why I could not continue with my Aunts work. I looked at a record of my dads older brother. His work is done for him, but I realized that he had a wife in his mortal life, my Aunt. Maybe I should look her up, and I did. There she was, she appeared and with all of her info. So now I have 2 Aunts waiting to have their work done, one Aunt who can be sealed to her husband. Wow.!!
So why the picture of Batman and Robin? Well I remember one evening when I was at least 5 and my Dad and I were taking an evening walk. We were discussing the Batman and Robin show and I asked him who was his favorite? He liked Batman, I loved Robin. I told him that I wanted an autographed picture of BM&R. He asked me how was I going to get them. Gleem toothpaste had a offer, send in 1 toothpaste box or label with 1.00 and in 6-8 weeks we could get an 8x10 black and white glossy. This is the picture. What a great memory of my dad.           

BE THE SPARK

LIFE LESSON #10

Start creating your own happiness.

If you are waiting for someone else to make you happy, you're missing out. Smile because you can. Choose happiness. Be the change you want to see in the world. Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow. Happiness is often found when and where you decide to seek it. If you look for happiness within the opportunities your have, you will eventually find it. But if you constantly look for something else, unfortunately, you'll find that too. 30 things to start doing for yourself

Need to Breathe...."More Heart and less AttacK

Why is happiness so elusive? Or rather, why do we think that it is? I can't find a concrete definition of happiness, but I can find what you can do to attain it. Can you list something that made you happy today? I can

1. My dog's smile. You didn't know that dogs could smile. If you give them a big meaty bone, they will grin from ear to ear an then try to share it with you.   

Is it possible to improve yourself in 30 Days?

My boss sent me an email with a list of ways to "improve" myself or my job performance. The list is impressive and thought provoking. None of that stuff about organizing your check book or purse or whatever. But I do have an idea for keeping the contents of one's purse under control. I change purses at least twice every week, and if I am not careful, I usually end up taking 2 bags to work. I am going to make a" hard" list of everything that must go into the purse and should not come out, such as keys, wallets, etc. The "soft list" is all of the stuff like tissues, Chap Stick, pens, etc., that can be duplicated from purse to purse. The soft list items will stay in each purse and the hard list items will move. I digress.

So there are about 22 days left in January, I chose this one:

• Get rid of one thing a day for 30 days. – We have so much clutter surrounding us at any given moment (at the office, in our cars, in our homes) and we have become so accustomed to it that we no longer notice how it affects us. If you start cleaning up some of this external clutter, a lot of internal clutter will disappear as well. Choose one needless item each and every day and get rid of it. It's that simple. It might be difficult at first, so expect some resistance. But after some time you will begin to learn to let go of your packrat tendencies and your mind will thank you for your efforts.
  

Do you think this suggestion includes items in bulk? Like 30 bags of used clothing? How about a small hoard of craft items, books and a stash of cute, but impractical shoes that will never fit (no matter how much weight I lose?) How easy is this? I have already raided my walk-in closet which should be called "stumbled in". I know that my behavior will improve during this venture. I think that I may be able to appreciate the things I have and use them and not waste time and money on impractical ideals, like cute but ill-fitting shoes. I'll keep you posted.

100 WAYS TO SAY THANK YOU

LIVE LIKE YOU MEAN IT

“Doing what I feel like” versus “how can I do that when I have been given so much”? Redhead hostess

ONE HUNDRED WAYS TO SAY THANK YOU

Thank you is another word for I love you

1. I am thankful for Agency; that I used to choose the Right

2. Baptism

3. The Holy Spirit, which was received by me as the best gift;

4. The Savior

5. His Atoning Sacrifice, which mere thanks cannot begin to express my gratitude

6. A new heart, that continues to experience the “Mighty Change”

7. The countless pairs of Missionaries who knocked at my door for a year, who again knocked for another year.

8. My wonderful friend Sister Jenny P

9. Our very first Home Teacher, who taught us about the love of God.

10. The Priesthood and a very special Priesthood blessing that saved my husband’s life

11. My husband and eternal partner

12. Our first Gospel and Principles Teacher

13. Bishop Dan Anderton, bishop of our ward (A remarkable person, patient, kind and fair)

14. My first Visiting Teachers, who showed love and generosity to me

15. The Temple; a truly awesome and holy place

16. The Sealing Ordinance

17. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and my once in a life time opportunity to see & hear them in concert this year.

18. The Prophet, specifically Gordon B. Hinckley who helped me to “believe” that God calls prophets in this modern day and time.

19. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

20. The callings I have been entrusted with, and I hope that I didn’t lead anyone astray

21. Every single day

22. Our house, which was a gift from God, which literally dropped out of the sky.

23. Freedom from chronic migraines

24. Dr Jennifer Beitler, a wonderful, kind Dentist who believes in “pain free” as much as possible.

25. Dr Amir, the best periodontist (root canal man)

26. My cardiologist, who believes in saving the whole patient,

27. The Book of Mormon

28. My mom, Mae who taught me a lot things, that I am just beginning to tap in to

29. My dad James, who was one cool guy.

30. My stepmother, River, who is so generous with her time and love for me and my brother.

31. My present job, which I found during a 2 day suspension from a previous job.(It fell out of the sky)

32. Opportunities for “Do over’s”, when needed.

33. My good friend K. Miller, who is Thelma to my Louise

34. Cowboy target shooting, dressing up like cowboys and spending fun time with my husband.

35. The Prophet Joseph Smith

36. Dr Martin Luther King

37. President John F Kennedy

38. “Sofft” brand shoes, which carry really beautiful and comfortable shoes in my size

39. My first official job in the US Navy, where I got to travel and do things that I would have probably not have had the opportunity do.

40. Oprah; (No matter what you think of her, the Lord works through her and countless people have benefited from her generosity)

41. The 3 pair of jeans that finally fit, and I will probably wear them to shreds

42. The New York Times on Sunday morning before church

43. Breakfast (Truly my favorite meal of the day, I sometimes eat for dinner)

44. The History Channel on TLC, I have learned a lot about our world (ancient & modern)

45. My dog Max, who makes my husband happy

46. My blog friends

47. The man who has repaired our air conditioning and heating unit; he makes house calls and he is reasonable.

48. Any opportunity to speak the gospel of Jesus Christ

49. To be born, and living at this time.

50. All of my friends and family, past and present, and hopefully many more to come.

51. My temple recommend

RE-LAUNCH

Ok, if you have opened your email and reading this and wondering, what is this? Don’t touch that delete button and

You are cordially invited to the Re-launch of my 2nd blog, "THE JOURNAL OF LOST THINGS"!!!!

FOUR THINGS OPRAH KNOWS ABOUT STARTING.....

I have been procrastinating, actually trying to talk myself into relaunching my 2nd blog. I found some good advice on the Oprah Winfrey Network. (She should know because she had just started a whole new THANG for herself)  

1. When Grand Plans linger in the daydream stage, there's always a risk that they'll die there. Going on the record is one way to keep them alive.
2. Whatever your goal you can draw enthusiasm and ideas from like-minded dreamers.
3. You might think that projecting certainty will get your loved ones to buy into your goal, but often it's being honest and vulnerable about the stakes that can really activate your support system
4. If help isn't forthcoming ask yourself: 'Is there another way to make this happen?

If you have visited my profile, you have probably seen this little 2nd blog sitting there wanting to entertain you but not being able to.I realized that this little blog has a lot of potential and a lot to say. Previously she was a little frustrated as to how to begin, so she began in the middle, which is not a good way to start. A favorite Helen Keller quote (sic Robert Frost) is “The best way out is through…”

So, I am inviting you to a BLOG PARTY. I would like invite some of my fellow bloggers and readers to “guest blog” and post concerning finding those lost things.I have found that to lose, or become lost can be a physical, mental and spiritual state. But the opposite and triumphant result of lost is found.

So I am sending out this one time invite per your email. Click on to the link and scroll down the blog, there is a space that invites you to follow by email. If this is something that you would like to do. please sign in. I promise not to reveal your email address to anyone, unless you say so. Or if you would like to follow me the old fashioned way, please sign up.

I am so happy that you have chosen my blog ‘THE 72HOUR RULE”, and this blog “The Journal of Lost Things” promises to be just as much fun, even more irreverent, and more interactive with you my blogging friends and readers.