September 11th

Badge from fire helmet discovered in the debris post 9/11/01

 I was looking for something to post on this day, and when I read this article, I knew that this was it.

9/11 destruction allowed us to spiritually rebuild

By Thomas S. Monson

 

The calamity of September 11th, 2001 has cast a long shadow. Ten years later, many of us are still haunted by its terrible tragedy of lost lives and broken hearts. It is an episode of anguish that has become a defining moment in the history of the American nation and the world. This week, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, along with Tom Brokaw, will pay its own homage to the unforgettable events of September 11, 2001.

There was, as many have noted, a remarkable surge of faith following the tragedy. People across the United States rediscovered the need for God and turned to Him for solace and understanding. Comfortable times were shattered. We felt the great unsteadiness of life and reached for the great steadiness of our Father in Heaven. And, as ever, we found it. Americans of all faiths came together in a remarkable way.

Sadly, it seems that much of that renewal of faith has waned in the years that have followed. Healing has come with time, but so has indifference. We forget how vulnerable and sorrowful we felt. Our sorrow moved us to remember the deep purposes of our lives. The darkness of our despair brought us a moment of enlightenment. But we are forgetful. When the depth of grief has passed, its lessons often pass from our minds and hearts as well.

Our Father’s commitment to us, His children, is unwavering. Indeed He softens the winters of our lives, but He also brightens our summers. Whether it is the best of times or the worst, He is with us. He has promised us that this will never change.

But we are less faithful than He is. By nature we are vain, frail, and foolish. We sometimes neglect God. Sometimes we fail to keep the commandments that He gives us to make us happy. Sometimes we fail to commune with Him in prayer. Sometimes we forget to succor the poor and the downtrodden who are also His children. And our forgetfulness is very much to our detriment.

If there is a spiritual lesson to be learned from our experience of that fateful day, it may be that we owe to God the same faithfulness that He gives to us. We should strive for steadiness, and for a commitment to God that does not ebb and flow with the years or the crises of our lives. It should not require tragedy for us to remember Him, and we should not be compelled to humility before giving Him our faith and trust. We too should be with Him in every season.

The way to be with God in every season is to strive to be near Him every week and each day. We truly “need Him every hour,” not just in hours of devastation. We must speak to Him, listen to Him, and serve Him. If we wish to serve Him, we should serve our fellow men. We will mourn the lives we lose, but we should also fix the lives that can be mended and heal the hearts that may yet be healed.

It is constancy that God would have from us. Tragedies are not merely opportunities to give Him a fleeting thought, or for momentary insight to His plan for our happiness. Destruction allows us to rebuild our lives in the way He teaches us, and to become something different than we were. We can make Him the center of our thoughts and His Son, Jesus Christ, the pattern for our behavior. We may not only find faith in God in our sorrow. We may also become faithful to Him in times of calm.

Thomas S. Monson is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Remember when........I dare you!!!

REMEMBER WHEN:
All the girls had ugly gym slips?

These gym slips actually look a lot like my primary school winter uniform!!

It took five minutes for the TV to warm up 

 

Nearly everyone's Mum was home when the kids got home from school 

 

Nobody owned a purebred dog 

You'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny 

Your Mother wore nylons that came in two pieces 



All male teachers wore ties and female teachers had their hair done every day and wore high heels 

You got your windscreen cleaned, oil checked and petrol served, without asking, all for free, every time.. 

It was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents 

I didn't eat at a "real restaurant" until I was 13!!

They threatened to keep children back a year if they failed the school year. . .. and they did! 

When a Ford Zephyr was everyone's dream car... 
and people went steady 



No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked 

Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles?

Playing cricket with no adults to help the children with the rules of the game 

Bottles came from the corner shop without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect stranger

And with all our progress, don't you wish, just once, you could slip back in time and savour the slower pace, and share it with the children of today?


When being sent to the headmasters office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited you at home 

Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs etc.. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! But we survived because their love was greater than the threat. 
As well as summers filled with bike rides, cricket, Hula Hoops, skating and visits to the pool, eating lemonade powder or liquorice sticks. 

Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say,

'Yes, I remember that'? 

I am sharing this with you today because it ended with a Double Dare to pass it on. 

To remember what a Double Dare is, read on, and remember that the perfect age is somewhere between old enough to know better and too young to care. 

Send this on to someone who can still remember the Lone Ranger and Sgt Bilko


How Many Of These Do You Remember?
Coca Cola in bottles.


Blackjacks and bubble gums.


Home milk delivery in glass bottles with tinfoil tops


Hi-If's & 45 RPM records.


78 RPM records!


Adding Machines.


 

Do You Remember a Time When..
Decisions were made by going 'Eeny-meeny-miney-moe'?
'Race issue' meant arguing about who ran the fastest?
Catching tadpoles could happily occupy an entire day?

It wasn't odd to have two or three 'Best Friends'?

The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was 'chickenpox'?

Having a Weapon in School meant being caught 

with a Catapult

War was a card game?


Cigarette cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle?


Taking drugs meant orange - flavoured chewable aspirin?


Water balloons were the ultimate weapon?

If you can remember most or all of these, Then You Have Lived!!!!!!!

Share this with someone who may need a break today
Double Dare You!

Hugs

We are spending the week at the beach.  

Some bad weather just blew through, so I am checking my e-mails, facebook, etc..

The following video was posted on a autism web site and it caught my attention.

It isn't autism related, just shared to remind everyone to have a great day!

It reminded me the importance of human touch.

My mother told me several times that one of the hardest things about being a divorced, elderly woman was the lack of human touch - hugs.

This is something that has been told to me several times by many people that I know.

You don't have to necessarily be "elderly".

It is something that can affect everyone.

How often does a simple smile.....

a wave......

a gentle touch on someones arm......

a hug.......

make all the difference in someones day?

Here is the history behind the video.

"The "Free Hugs" video is, arguably, one of the most popular on YouTube with well over 69 MILLION views but we think it's worth sharing, just one more time. 

In 2004, Juan Mann was depressed and lonely when he went to a party and was given a hug by someone he didn't know and it made him feel great. The next day he made a sign proclaiming "FREE HUGS" and stood at the Pitt Street Mall in central Sydney, Australia. It took 15 minutes before an eldery woman took him up on his offer and the rest is history. 69,000,000 views later the "Free Hugs" campaign has spread all over the world with its only goal to let people know that others care!"

 
l hope that this brings a smile to your face on this Tuesday afternoon.

And, remember to give someone a hug, a smile or even a "Hello!"  You never know when it may make a difference.

Sally-Ann

Monday.......Family Home Evening!!

This Family Home Evening is taked from LDS Living and seemed to go along with my post on change today!  Hope that it helps!

We are having leftovers for dinner - brautwurst, seafood salad, corn on the cob, potato and baked beans.  Dessert will be......BROWNIES AND ICE-CREAM......yum, yum!!

Priorities

How can we learn to tune out less important things and give attention to the things the matter most?

Conference Talk:

For more information on this topic read “Desire,” by Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May

2011, 42.

Thought:

Readjusting our desires to give highest priority to the things of eternity is not easy.

We are all tempted to desire that worldly quartet of property, prominence, pride, and

power. We might desire these, but we should not fix them as our highest priorities.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “Desire,” Ensign, May 2011, 42.)

Song:

“Seek the Lord Early,” Children’s Songbook, p. 108.

Scripture:

"Wherefore, beware lest ye are deceived; and that ye may not be deceived seek ye

earnestly the best gifts, always remembering for what they are given."

(Doctrine and Covenants 46:8)

Lesson:

Have your family look for reasons William Marks and Newel K. Whitney had

tarried in Kirtland as you read together D&C 117:1–9. Discuss these questions:

• Which of the Ten Commandments is spoken of in verses 4 and 8? (Thou shalt

not covet.)

• What was the object of their covetous desires? (Property—see verse 4.)

• What do you think is the “drop” and what might be “more weighty matters”?

(See verse 8.)

Share the following description about verse 8 from Elder John B. Dickson of the Seventy.

“As we examine a drop of water, we observe that it is not permanent and will evaporate. In this case, the men’s personal property was important by their standard of measure but was temporary in the sense that it was earthbound and could not pass through the veil with them as they departed this short mortal life.

“In our day, the dwellings we live in are extremely important in most of our social situations. They should be well-kept, comfortable places where our family can be drawn around us, but we need to realize that as we leave this life we cannot take them with us. The same could be said about our automobiles, computers, jewelry, televisions, and thousands of other earthly possessions. As much as we enjoy them and need many of them, they will stay here, remain temporary, and are but a drop when considered from an eternal perspective.

“Our children must be taught that the ‘more weighty matters’ help them qualify for and ultimately enjoy eternal blessings. While there is nothing wrong with certain possessions and wealth, righteously attained and handled, we must teach our children that the weighty matters include the gospel of Jesus Christ, His Atonement, the family, the priesthood, Christlike attributes, knowledge, and gospel ordinances and covenants.

“We need to teach them never to give up eternal blessings in pursuit of the temporary things of the world. . . . We must teach our children never to give up those things that matter most in pursuit of those things that matter least.” (Ensign, September 2003, 12.)

Discuss with your family what family priorities may need to be altered in light of Elder Dickson’s advice.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants,

[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 204.)

Story:

Let’s talk about some of the consequences of seeing yourself first, foremost, and always as a

Christian. The first consequence is that the juggling stops. If you think of all your tasks, jobs, and roles as balls that you somehow have to keep in the air, then your religious service is just another ball to add. Sooner or later, you’re going to drop the balls, because no one can juggle forever. But if you are a Christian, then that is your permanent identity and everything else is temporary. Think of this example.

You dash into the grocery store to pick up some ice cream for supper. You’re a harried mom, a frantic shopper, eager to get in and get out. Other people are in your way—the person stocking the shelves,  the people ahead of you in the checkout line, the checker. You’re even more frazzled when you reach the car.

But suppose you go in as a Christian disguised as a shopper. You see other people on your way to the ice cream, excuse yourself and smile when you reach past the person stocking the shelves, comment on the weather to the person standing in front of you at the checkout stand, and thank the checker who whisks the ice cream into a bag for you. You reach the car having had three very pleasant encounters and feeling good.

If we see every place, every job, every responsibility as an opportunity to be with another precious child of God who needs our ministry, the ministry we can bring as a Christian and as a disciple of Christ, then even a very busy schedule doesn’t feel like juggling any more. Something has taken the fragmentation out of it and given us a unified purpose.

(Chieko N. Okazaki, Aloha!, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1995].)

Activity:

Family members line up standing side-by-side, separated by the distance obtained when players stretch their arms sideways. Fingertips should touch between players. The first player in line takes and inflated balloon, and bats it towards the second person in line, who bats it to the third person, on down the line and back again. The only rule is this: once the players have taken their stance, they may not move their feet. If a balloon falls to the floor, or if someone moves his feet in an attempt to reach the balloon, the first person in line must run and get the balloon, and take it back to the starting line to begin again.

Refreshments!  Yummy brownies and ice-cream

Sally-Ann

Change, Change and Change........

Ever had a feeling that there is change coming into your life?

Anyone hate that feeling as much as I do??

Or do you embrace the feeling of change and run with it???

In my current mood about the thought of change, that could be like running with scissors!!

Now, don't get me wrong, there have been times in my life where I would go running off, arms flaying wildly, scissors in hand.........the points up, ready to impale me at the slightest stumble.

But, at this time in my life, I have come to not enjoy change as I once did.

Why?

I don't really know why.

One reason is probably Samuel.  He doesn't do well with changes.  We have to prepare him as much as we can if there is going to be a major change in schedules, etc..

Even small changes get a countdown.

"5 more minutes and then it  is time to go to the car."

All the way down to 0 minutes.

Samuel does great with a schedule.

Another reason could be that I am just getting old aging gracefully getting old.

I am set in my ways.

Like Sam, I like a schedule!

I also think that we often get comfortable with the way things are.

Complacent.....

Even a little lazy......

Because, after all, change takes an effort.

Change for the better is something that has to be worked for and at.

How many times do we say that we are going to change?

How often do we give up without really trying to make a change.

I mean REALLY trying.

I don't know if there is going to be a change in my life or not.

There has already been one major change this week, so maybe that is it.

Sometimes a change needs to be jump started.

So, I have been looking around to see where I need to make a change.

I have been trying to be more organized. 

It is a constant battle to keep the house organized.......my quest for organization has even spilled over to Jim's office.

But, I also want my spiritual life to match-up with my new quest to be organized.

A few years ago I read "21 Days Closer To Christ" by Emily Freeman.

It is a beautifully written and illustrated book.  I remember how I felt when I completed the book and I want those same feelings......and maybe something more.



Today, I am going to make a change.  A change of my own doing.

I want to make a spiritual change

So, I am still going to blog about the things that are going on in my life, but I am also going to share this beautiful book with you.

Sally-Ann

Crunchy Granola

I love granola. 

 I haven't had any for a very long time. 

 I love to eat it with yoghurt.

So.......

Today I am going to make some, and this is the recipe I am going to use.

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen It most resembles the recipe I used to make, but I can't find  my recipe.  When it finally turns up, I will have to compare the two.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
• ½ cups Chopped Pecans
• ¾ cups Slivered Almonds
• ¾ cups Brown Sugar
• ¼ cups Water
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ½ teaspoons Table Salt

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line two large sheet pans with parchment paper.
2. Combine oats and nuts in a large bowl.
3. In a small, microwavable bowl, combine sugar, water, vanilla, and salt. Microwave on high 2-3 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved and the mixture resembles maple syrup.
4. Pour syrup over oats and stir until oats and nuts are coated.
5. Divide mixture among the two pans and spread into a thin, even layer.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden and a bit crispy.
(You can stir the mixture occasionally so that it browns more evenly and the nuts don’t burn. I also rotate my pans between oven racks a few times during the baking process.)
7. Let cool completely before storing in airtight containers or resealable bags.

Enjoy, I know I will!
Sally-Ann

Are you a Cheater???

Yesterday I found a new blog that I really enjoy.  It is on my favorite blog list, but if you want to go and check it out, it is called Seven Cherubs

Today, Naomi did a post called

Living with a family of Cheaters

It really made me stop and think.  It actually made me think about something I already knew, but she has a wonderful way with words.

Samuel loves to play board games.  His favorites at the moment are Connect Four and Chess.  He will play other games as well, but he likes to win.......so.......sometimes he will try and cheat.  He then declares, very proudly I might add, that Sam has won!

Connect Four and Chess are different.

Samuel has his own rules.

Samuel plays them his own way.

If we try to intervene and play these games according to the written instructions, we are told,

"NO!  NO!!  NO!!!"

We are cheating at the game he has made up.

Sam is autistic.

Sam has autism.

I am still not sure what is considered the correct way to say it.

To me, the most important thing is that Samuel is MY little boy.

Because of the autism so much of his life revolves around therapy.

Revolves around helping him find his place in this world.

As Samuel's mother I try to join him in his world.

I try to see things as he does.

I try to play Samuel's games by his rules.

I try really hard not to cheat.

CONNECT FOUR

 The Connect Four pieces are placed in groups of 2 on the sofa and other places as well, but, typically they need to be on the sofa,

 Two Connect Four pieces are placed on each sofa cushion.  The pillows are placed behind each set of two.  Usually, there are two purple bears on the edge of each sofa cushion.

But, today, they are otherwise engaged......

 Today, the bears are hanging out on the clock.

Earlier this morning the purple bears were playing chess with the garden gnomes.

 Did you think I was lying???

I may cheat at my children's games and not play by their rules....

But, I don't lie!

Especially about garden gnomes!

Samuel hasn't quite grasped how to play chess yet.

But, he sets up the board perfectly.

I have no doubt that my 5-year-old will soon master the game of chess....

his rules or the rules according to the world around us I am not sure.

We need to listen to our children.  They have a lot to tell us.

Sally-Ann

Mooooonnnnddddddaaaaayyyyyy!!!!!!

Today has been a very good day so far and I don't foresee it turning into a bad day.

Sooo.......HAPPY MONDAY!

This morning we all woke-up wide-eyed and bushy tailed.

Well, some of us not so wide-eyed!

First thing this morning, Jessica headed off with her Dad and finally, finally, finally go her

DRIVER'S LICENSE.

Insert the sound of a heavenly choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus.

I drove Samuel to school.

After dropping Samuel off at Sydney's School for his camp, I met Jim and Jessica at the Westshore Mall.  It had been a very long time since we had taken Jessica anywhere with just us and her, so, today was the day!!  We had decided to go to the movies and see the last Harry Potter movie.

We all enjoyed the movie, all though, the claim that
"IT ALL ENDS"
was a little scary!!
Of course, I know that it refers to the series of movies and books, the battle between Harry and the guy who's name can't be spoken!
But, at first glance.......

Don't feel badly for Samuel, he had fun

Samuel played "Memory" with Miss Katelyn.  Samuel turned over matching "umbrellas" and then proceded to make an umbrella out of the memory blocks.

Samuel also designs microwave ovens in his spare time!

There is a little bit of trampoline jumping in his new Crocs.

A frog and a bumblebee!

For my Sharing Time at church on Sunday, I made play doh for all the Primary kids so they could build Temples like the Mormon pioneers.  For Family Home Evening, we are going to build our own temples with the left over play doh.  Then rice pudding for a snack.

A good Monday.

Sally-Ann

Firebolt

For all the Harry Potter fans or those who feel a little different!

Enjoy.......



Silence......or lack of it!

A few days ago a friend posted this on their blog.......

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." ~Aldous Huxley

After reading that quote, I had one of those "AAAAAAAh" moments.

Why?

Because for several days before this quote was posted, I had been thinking about silence and contemplating turning it into a blog post of some sort! 

The trouble was......and still is to some extent.....I couldn't write my jumble of thoughts down in a way that I was happy with.  The thoughts wouldn't go away, so I will attempt to share my "wombat in the belfry" thoughts on the subject!

In reply to the above quote, someone posted, "What is silence?"

Good question!!!!

I posted the thought that I had straight after reading the quote.

 ".....after the loss of our little girl, the silence of grief was nearly overpowering in our home. When I sat and played the piano the silence was washed away and a little bit of my heart healed. That is what came into my mind after reading that quote. Music is a great healer."

Silence can be a very good thing, but it can also be a glaring reminder of something lost.  Sometimes the expression, "The silence was deafening," can be so very true.

I had the sheet music for "Jessica's Sonata #2" and I would sit at my piano and play it over and over again.  It just seemed to be the perfect piece of music to block out the crushing silence.  I could put expression....feeling into it.  I only play it occasionally now.  As much as I love this piece of music, it takes me back to a very sad, dark and.........silent time in my life.

Our home has always been fairly calm, organized and orderly.

Not silent.......peaceful would be a better word.

Joshua was away at college when Samuel was born and didn't get to see him until that Christmas.  I laughed when Joshua commented, "Our house isn't a quiet house anymore!"  No, it wasn't isn't wasn't.

I don't think it will ever be again!

I was trying to think of the last time our home was blessed with silence.

The wonderful, glorious sound of silence......

Nope.

Not in recent memory.

Instead, we have had a house full of family and friends.

We have a little boy that is talking, singing, yelling, being contrary.

We have a big yellow dog whack, whack, whacking the furniture.....our legs....with his tail.

We have me screaming in terror as my daughter peels out of the church parking lot on two wheels........no, wait, that is fodder for a different post.

At night we have silence.......kind of.

At night, I lay in bed listening to the silence of the house.

But, even then, there isn't really silence.

The thoughts swirling around in my head are to loud for there to be silence.

Even when we do have the silence of sleep descend, it is usually broken at midnight, or 2am or 4am, by the voice of a little boy saying in his little voice, "Daddy, move." or, "Hello Mummy."

Snoring.....I will say no more on than subject.......

Sometimes I think people need to learn when it would be a good idea for them to be silent.

Advice wasn't asked for, so don't give it.

Sometimes body language can scream volumes.

Sometimes we all need to be silent.

We need to listen.

Listen to what people are saying.

Sometimes people are silent.

Sometimes their silence speaks volumes.

I am not a fan of snow.

It can be very beautiful.

I do love the silence of snow.

When we lived in Minnesota and South Dakota I loved the early hours of the morning right after a snow storm.  The ground is covered with white and nothing has left its mark yet.

It is silent.

I sometimes crave for silence, but I don't think it is really the silence I want.

Maybe a bit of solitude?

Though.........maybe you have been listening to the same thing, whether it is talking or whatever, a little bit to long when it becomes intelligible, like the adults on "Charlie Brown".  Remember the "wha-wha, wha-wha?"

I think we all have these moments!!!

Ultimately, I take all the sounds of silence in my life, filter out the unwanted and put them under the "Wah wa Wah" catagory.

The sounds that make me happy are many....

One of the first songs I taught myself to play is "Sounds of Silence."

Seems appropriate to have it on my blog today.

 

Sally-Ann