*Monday Memos*

*MONDAY MEMOS*

   

 (If pictures are too small, just click to enlarge) 
Weekly recap of my rather crazy, insane, but fun and rewarding life!

dear monday, today it was really chilly outside and so I bagged my walk. Also, my ankle was still hurting and so I figured I needed to give it a rest.  The Covid 19 quarantine continues. It's still crazy. 719 cases in Utah so far and 3 deaths. I'm not sure what the USA stats are right now. But it grows each day. We need a vaccine or a drug that works against it F A S T! Carson Facetimed me several times again today. He is a hoot. I can't always answer it - but I do when I can. 

I didn't work on the blog books AT ALL today. I am so burned out! I only have 2013 to go and then I am done!  Well, I thought I was done but discovered I didn't add our Puerto Rico vacay in 2010, our Hawaii trip in 2011, Alaska in 2012, and Kona 2014 and I haven't discovered the rest that I left out. Very frustrating because I have already printed those books.  I am thinking of just doing a vacay book. But honestly, I need a break!There is no way I can do all those vacays at the moment. I just don't have it in me right now! It drives me crazy after working on them for more than four hours now. And I need to finish 2013 which is going to be huge because I didn't blog any "life" stuff before September. Nothing!  So I am going to go through my pix and just add the pix without much journaling. My deadline I have been shooting for is tomorrow but I wrote the company and they extended it until April 30th!  Whew!  I plan on getting them done ASAP though because I just want to be done!  I have found so many mistakes too but like I keep saying, DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT!  What a relief to have them done! It will be worth it!  I needed a break from it today though. I will hit hard again tomorrow. Maybe. LOL  It is going to be painful to get 2013 done. I am sure it will take me at least two days. 

It was my friend Lynda's birthday today and I got a text asking to do a drive by at 3:30.  It was pretty crazy to think this is how we have to do things. There was a long line of cars ahead of me.

 I gave her a little gift. Six feet apart of course.

Then I went to the Dollar Tree for Sarah but they didn't have what she wanted. Since I was out, I hit Walmart. There was more on the shelves than usual. However, still ZERO TP, paper towels, Kleenex, Detergent, hand sanitizer, or rice. It is kind of eery to be out and see very few cars and people. I am still in disbelief this is happening. I never expected to see anything like this in my lifetime. Everyone is basically staying home at all times...with the exception of going to the grocery store and those who must work. Dave got home early today because he's not very busy. People are finally obeying the orders and staying home.

I made McKay a Keto mac and cheese with cauliflower. It was tasty. I basically cleaned out the fridge for dinner tonight. It needed it. 

For FHE we watched one of the Book of Mormon movies (Abinidi). Carson had facetimed me and so he watched via Messenger with us. I am so behind on this!  I think I am three solid weeks behind. The President does an update every single day on TV. I see it on Facebook. I honestly haven't watched ANY TV in weeks and weeks. I have been reading so many books since I joined Deseret Bookshelf, that I get so excited to listen to my books instead. I have never watched much TV (with the exception of when I was laid up last year- I think I got my fill then!) I do like This Is Us and Poldark, but the seasons are over I believe and I think I watched two or three at the most episodes of each. I am so behind. I have no idea what is even on TV anymore. I would think now I would be watching more but my list of things to do is so long that it isn't going to happen. 

I posted on our Homemaker's page for next week. Pretty crazy, but we will try it this way and see how it goes.

dear tuesday, I got out on a walk/run today but it wasn't too long. I practiced the harp. Yay. I researched ideas for tomorrow for April Fool's Day. I ran into Smith's to get my refund on the cauliflower they overcharged me for and I was in there forever.  Dave only worked half a day today. I worked on my blog book pictures, but not as long as I needed to. Taylor helped me make chicken bundles. It was fun doing it together. He has made them for his dinner group in Yakima and he said it is everyone's favorite. They are tasty!

 Carson face-timed me about 10 times today. He is so funny. I chat with him for quite a while. I feel so bad for him. I know he is bored out of his mind. He made a cute playground (Jungle Gym) for his hamster Bamboo. So cute. 

Not sure what else happened today. 

 The turkeys decided to join the deer today. Kind of like looking for Waldo, but they ARE there!

**sharing a repost**:

I cannot tell you what a testimony builder this COVID 19 experience has been. Everything our governments are doing is reactive. They are trying to handle the situation as it develops, in varying stages of success.

However, almost everything our church has done has been proactive. Today, the church closed all the temples completely. On the outside, it seemed reactive. However, I see now that the Lord prepared us for this.

Less than one year ago, the church announced that couples no longer have to wait a year to get sealed if they have been married civilly. I just shrugged at the time and thought it was a great policy. However, today I see that the Lord knew the temple closures were coming and He took away the waiting period for couples who had no choice but to get married civilly while the temples were closed.

It solidified my testimony to know that Lord, through our Prophet, is not being reactive. He is being proactive.

*Come Follow Me - giving us time to become familiar with Sunday School-type study at home (even if we are not perfect).

*General Conference - “going to be different” (even if it wasn't in any way close to our speculations)

*Closing all Temples - but already having a policy in place for couples whose lives are held in limbo!

*Age of witnesses being lowered - baptisms can be witnessed by non-priesthood holders so with 1 priesthood and 2 women, the baptism can still happen.

*Ministering - no longer focusing on visiting people in their homes but, just a general, personal caring connection.

*Online Seminary classes - An amazing tool to have that allow High School kids to continue to learn without having to physically attend class.

*Youth Changes in age - Young Men who were turning 12 this year have already received the priesthood at the beginning of the year instead of after the pandemic (hopefully) ends making them able to pass the sacrament in their homes under the direction of their bishops.

*Also, so grateful for Personal Revelation, Emergency Preparedness and Food Storage always taught by the Church.

Today there was a 6.5 magnitude earthquake in Boise. Kevin and Tori live there but they are fine.

dear wednesday, HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!  
One of my favorite holidays of the year! 

It feels like it's been it for a month now. Kind of a joke what is happening in our world. I LOVE this holiday! 

I got up at 6:30 a.m. and worked on my two first victims Taylor and McKay. I went pretty easy this year. All I did was make it look like someone had an accident in their bathrooms. It was still pretty funny, in a crappy sort of way. Haha

 Such a waste of perfectly good candy bars!  But it was worth it!

Taylor said he when he saw it the first thing he thought was it was Mr. Cat. hahahah  Or Dave. heheheh  McKay wondered to himself if he had been sleep walking!  Bwahahaha!!!  I also put FOR SALE signs in their new car windows. That would have been funnier if we weren't quarantined. Oh well. It's the thought that counts. 

I put tape over Dave's mouse so it wouldn't work with a photo of me on the back giving him "that look".  

For the littles, I got some cookies but took out the cookies and put Brussel sprouts inside instead, and then glued it shut. For Carson I did the same thing but with Gold Fish crackers.

For Bryce and Sky, I put a violation card on their windshields. Once again it would have been better if we weren't all stuck at home. I had a hard time coming up something really good. Mainly because they are all onto me. 

The first thing Dave said to himself today was to not believe anything I say all day. Taylor the same...but I did get him for about 30 seconds with the toilet thing. He saw it and wondered if the cat had done it or maybe Dave??? LOL  He is hard for me to get each year because is always waiting for something from me. McKay wondered if he might have slept walked in the night. So that one WAS good.  I was laughing the whole time I was doing it. I couldn't help it. 

I just love April Fool's Day. I think I am funny. hahaha I am sure I am the only one that does, but I do get a kick out of it!
My FB post:

Dave said they had a nurse today that had been exposed and around someone with Corona and then worked the day after before she knew. Great. She is now quarantined and thankfully she wasn't his nurse that day!  Geeze!  He would've been out again. NO JOKE!

                                                  This was a bad joke!  LOL

Dave came home today and was extremely worried. The new predicted rate of deaths in America is now 1.4%. That is 1 out of 100 people! That would be three people from our ward dying. That means everyone will know several people that will die from this. Even if we do everything right, the death toll is predicted between 100,00 to 240,000! These are the real stats. Not some scare tactic. And they could even be higher. Things are getting real now. We are going to have to be even more vigilant than we already are now with everything.  Fewer trips to the store and no more letting Sky and crew come over. It isn't worth it. The worry is Dave sees so many people each day and they say 25% of people that have it have no symptoms. Not good. I really hope the stats are not accurate. But right now, no one really knows. China lied about the amount of cases and deaths and so it's really a mystery as to how far this will go.
Our local newspaper's front page (and basically every article inside) was ALL about Corona.

I made this meme above ↑ because it's one of my favorite quotes.
My parents came by to bring us some plants they bought at J&J's today. They also called before they came and asked if wanted anything at Maddox. Taylor did. Of course. My dad said they would leave it on the porch but when they came we went out and chatted (keeping our six feet apart), but then my mom got out of the car and after we talked about staying six feet apart, she said, "I am not sick! I can hug the boys if I want to!" 

Yeah....  I tried to explain that it is HER we don't want to get sick!  She didn't get it and hugged both of them!  

My dad was just shaking his head while smiling. She is funny that is for sure. That my folks is why this thing keeps spreading. Aaaagh!  Gotta love her though.

Today I went to Walmart because I heard they had alcohol (I could use some of that right now! JK). I also scored TP and Lysol wipes!  A four pack!!!  They were still in the case but the lady gave me one. Success! We were completely out of those!  

 This was a MAJOR score! We were OUT!  I shared with Sky.

The TP shelves were not even empty! 

SCORE TODAY!

I never thought a day would come when I would be excited about getting TP!!! I also got some Kleenex. I got some crafts for the littles and some groceries. I felt like I was in there forever. I disinfected myself really well and dropped some stuff off at Sky's. Carson gave me an card and inside was some green sand. That was his April Fool's joke. He is so cute. 

He facetimed me a lot today. I think he needed it. Some days he does a lot and other days hardly at all. He is the cutest. I showed him some pix of himself when he was little on the computer. We had chicken fajitas for dinner. Dave and I got into a bit of a "discussion" tonight because I think he needs to wear a mask and gloves for every patient, as well as a gown. He said he is six feet away from them, but even still I think he needs to because we have to protect our family, especially those at high risk.  I was beat and so I hit the hay early. Early as in 11 pm. I have been staying up past midnight every night. 

Memories from FB:

After the day was over I thought of the PERFECT prank for today but it was too late!
Dang!  I used to cover a roll of toilet paper in frosting (or whipped cream) and add some flowers and decors. It would have been so perfect for THIS year!  DANG! DANG! DANG!

dear thursday, I feel like I am living GROUNDHOG DAY!  I honestly can't remember what day it is from day to day. I thought it was Tuesday today most of the day.  

What is going on is unprecedented for our time. I guess in the back of my mind I always pictured times like these, mainly from the scriptures prophecies of the last days, but I never really thought I would be a part of it. I never thought I would live in a time where things are rationed out (you can only buy ONE thing of toilet paper and basically all paper products (tissues, paper towels, napkins, etc) as well as most cleaning supplies. Happily things like potatoes and most produce are back in stock. Rice is still hard to find as is a lot of pasta, canned goods, frozen veggies etc. But the shelves are still basically bare for those items. If you happen to be at the store when they are restocking, then you scored big time!  Like I did yesterday with the Clorox wipes!  Today I actually went to the store AGAIN!  I know!  I need to plan better. But our salad mix went bad even though it was only a couple days old and since we took in soup to Dave's parents for dinner, I NEEDED salad mix. So I hit Kent's. It was so empty!  I loved it! I didn't feel like I had to watch out and keep my distance because it was pretty empty. I also scored some paper towels. Not the brand I like, but I was happy to find some.  I got food for several meals. It's been tough because McKay is on Keto and so he can't eat most of what I make right now. But he is managing, though I am trying to plan around him if I can. 

Tonight we had Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden copy cat) soup. It turned out so yummy but McKay is not a soup fan. Never has been.  We took dinner into Dave's parents as well. It was really cold this a.m. and so I didn't get out on a walk/run. I have become a wimp to the cold.  We actually woke up to snow on the ground! 

I worked on my blog (pix for 2013) pretty much all day. I'm still not done. It takes FOREVER! That was the year we lost Kilo. It is getting harder and harder for me to sit at the computer and go through pix and my blog. I have to get this done so I can just be done!  I had big plans to practice the harp as well. But that didn't happen. I did deliver some fun stuff to Haylie and Bryce and kids. I just left it on their doorstep in case they were taking a nap. I did knock softly but no one came to the door.  Haylie was excited. She is a very grateful person. She sent me the sweetest text yesterday telling me how much she loves us and that my checking on her every day made her cry because she felt so loved. I truly was worried sick about her.  I am so grateful she is okay  now. I thought for sure she had it but thankfully her test came back negative. It's just hard times for everyone. It is hard to keep kids cooped up all day inside and for moms to home school. It's hard to stay sane for most people. As far as me personally, I have to admit I am kind of enjoying it. I am an extrovert for sure and I need to be around people and be social, but my list of things to get done is so long that I am grateful for the time that I have been given to just focus on it.  Still, I am not sure how the days fly by. I would think they would drag on and on, but it is just the opposite. I am not sure how to explain that.

 McKay had to go to Logan to get some of his stuff. Taylor had an idea to send him to Crumbl. Curbside of course. So we did!  Mmmm..

My friend posted this on FB!

I really need to get the family newsletter done in one week, but I am not sure that is going to happen!  I am not sure I really want to send one out this year because no one wants to hear from us once Christmas is over. But I do have to write it so I can have it as our history. I could combine this year and last year, but that is always a pain. Not sure what to do.  Now is the best time because I have time. Other than I don't right now until these books are done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Just so I NEVER forget..... April 2, 2020
#documenting

Gas price a mile from home was $2.24
School cancelled
Self-distancing measures on the rise.
Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.
Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.
Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.
Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.
Entire sports seasons cancelled.
Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.
Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
No masses, churches are closed.
No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 5 or more.
Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.
Children's outdoor play parks are closed.
We are to distance from each other.
Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.
Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.
Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.
Shelves are bare.
Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.
Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.
Fines are established for breaking the rules.
Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.
Press conferences daily from the President. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.
Government incentives to stay home.
Barely anyone on the roads.
People wearing masks and gloves outside.
Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.
Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.
5.4 Earthquake hit Utah (Magna) March 18th 2020.
6.3 Earthquake in Idaho March 31 2020
This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Why, you ask, do I write this status?

One day it will show up in my memory feed, and it will be an annual reminder that life is precious and not to take the things we dearly love for granted.

We have so much!
Be thankful. Be grateful.
Be kind to each other - love one another - support everyone. Be gentle so many people have lost so much.

We are in this together ! ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

dear friday, another Ground Hog day! I did not get out on a walk again! Nor did I get to the harp! I worked on my books non stop nearly all day! I am determined to get them done this weekend! I did get my Homemaker's article and posts done though. And I stayed home all day I think. I might have run to the store. My house is falling apart in the meantime. But it's okay because no one comes over. Haha  The numbers keep going up:

It has been so fun to be with the boys. Taylor and McKay are so funny together. They love to tease each other and it's hilarious. I do feel bad McKay is on Keto right now because we are doing a lot of cooking and most of it he can't have. But he is really good about it. I do try to make him something he can eat.  I made Keto chocolate chip cookies because I was making regular ones per Taylor's request. They were pretty okay. Not my thing, but not too bad. 

Taylor had a social distancing video party with his friends against my advisement. Hmmm.... They were all in separate rooms but still. 

I LOVE porch drop offs!  

dear saturday, I just heard that Walmart has now made it so only 35 people can go in at a time! You have to wait in a long line outside for your turn. Great. Pres. Trump also ordered we have to wear masks now outside of our homes. 

Today was the GENERAL CONFERENCE!  I have been looking so forward to it! It was amazing!  Here are some pictures of what it looked like. Crazy!  

How grateful I am for a living prophet of God!  We are so blessed to have a spokesman for the Lord! We are so blessed to have the gospel and to live in this time of the restoration of all things. I am so grateful for these blessings!  I am extremely grateful for technology and that even though we can't carry on as usual, we can still hear the messages of our Lord's servants!  So blessed!

I got in a walk/run finally between sessions!  I only ran one mile because I am not sure how far I dare push it now after last week. It felt pretty sore at first but loosened up after. 

Bryce and crew stopped by for a second. They stayed in the car and I gave the kiddos some treats. They were so cute. I miss them! 

The evening meeting for everyone this time. Two youth gave talks. That is a first! It was so nice to just all be home and listening. We had burgers after. I got a lot done on my blog books today. Almost to the finish line!  Not quite, but close! 

dear sunday, I don't even know where to begin!  This General Conference has been MORE than memorable and unforgettable as Pres. Nelson prophesied it would be last October. His opening remarks yesterday were, "Little did I know, when I promised you at the October 2019 general conference that this April conference would be 'memorable and unforgettable,' that speaking to a visible congregation of fewer than 10 people would make this conference so memorable and unforgettable for me!,".  He continued, "We pray that this conference will be memorable and unforgettable because of the messages you will hear, the unique announcements which will be made, and the experiences in which you will be invited to participate."

In all my life, I have never felt the spirit more strong at a General Conference than I did at this one.  I would have not have been one bit surprised if the Savior Himself, entered the building and went up and put His arm around the prophet. Social distancing or not! ☺ I have no doubt He was there. I thought this conference was going to be more about Joseph Smith since it was the 200 year anniversary of the First Vision, but it was all about the Savior. I wonder how many references to His name there was. My testimony has been strengthened these past months as I have studied about Joseph Smith and the First Vision and the history of the church. I truly love Joseph Smith and all he did. He is completely amazing to me. I am in awe of all he did and all he suffered so we could have the restored gospel. I am so grateful to him. I am also grateful the emphasis was on the Savior bringing the gospel back and Joseph was the chosen one to be His prophet as it was done. 

I think my main takeaway from it all was that personal revelation is SO important and we need to learn to HEAR HIM. That is possibly the most important thing we can learn. If we learn how to hear Him, we will have the solution to all of our problems and concerns. He will listen to us and He WILL speak to us, if we but listen. 

Today President Nelson said, “It has never been more important to know how the Holy Ghost speaks to you than right now.”

We had our traditional German pancakes. Mmm....

 Robin and Grant delivered these that I took the chocolate melting cake in.
Mmm..

 Puzzle companies can't keep puzzles in stock right now. 

SO many things made this conference unique. 

The main ones for me were:

*No one attended in person. It was broadcast virtually. The speakers sat six feet apart and spoke to an empty auditorium. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, general conference was broadcast from a small auditorium on Temple Square. Attendance was limited to the First Presidency and those assigned to give talks and prayers for each session.
*The choir and music were all previously recorded.
*The prayers were POWERFUL. Much more so than usual. I don't usually get teary eyed in every prayer but this conference I did. 
*The spirit was so STRONG and it never left.
*President Nelson calling for a second world-wide fast for the pandemic on this Friday April 10th which is Good Friday. 
*A new symbol for the church. Bye bye angel Moroni. Hello Christus!
*President Nelson introduced a new proclamation, "The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World."
*Having a Solemn Assembly and doing the Hosanna Shout for the first time in General Conference and hearing the choir sing the song Hosanna was piercing to the soul! It felt like we had been translated to heaven and the choir were angels in heaven singing to God Himself. *Singing The Spirit of God at the end with a worldwide choir. At the conclusion of conference, clips of Latter-day Saints from all over the world were shown singing, "We Thank Thee, O God, For A Prophet."
*Eight new temples announced including Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. WHAT?! I am STILL in shock over those two!!!!
*Youth speakers at the Saturday night meeting!
*Not a soul walking around Temple Square.

President Nelson left us with at the close of general conference.

“Dear brothers and sisters, I express my love for you,” he said. “During this time of tension and uncertainty, and invoking the authority vested in me, I would like to confer upon you an apostolic blessing.

“I bless you with peace and increasing faith in the Lord. I bless you with a desire to repent and become a little more like Him each day. I bless you to know that the Prophet Joseph Smith is the prophet of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness. Should there be illness among you or your loved ones, I leave a blessing of healing, consistent with the will of the Lord.

I so bless you, adding once more my expression of love for each of you, in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

The talks brought peace. They didn't overly focus on the Pandemic, and most didn't even mention it all, but the overall feeling and spirit was of love and peace. It was just incredible. And then the prophet pronounced an apostolic blessing on all of us. WOW!  It was so powerful! We are definitely living in the last days. I can feel it. There is a change in the air. Then I read this:

Another one: Today (Palm Sunday) That Palmyra means palm tree, and is named after an ancient city in Syria. I think that is so interesting that Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem with palm leaves, AND he appeared to Joseph Smith in Palmyra, New York.

My FB post:
A historical General Conference for sure! This is only the second time in the history of our church that we have not gathered together in person for our world-wide general conference. And even though we are listening as we are gathered separately in our own homes as we obey the quarantine rules, I cannot say I have ever felt the spirit more strong than I have during this very unique but inspiring and uplifting conference!
I am so grateful for a living prophet and for the restoration of this blessed gospel 200 years ago! Technology is amazing!
#hearHim #memorable #unforgettable
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts…

 “As we speak, we are waging an ‘all hands on deck’ war with COVID-19, a solemn reminder that a virus 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand can bring entire populations and global economies to their knees. We pray for those who have lost loved ones to this modern plague, as well as for those currently infected. When we have conquered it — and we will — may we be equally committed to freeing the world from the virus of hunger and freeing neighborhoods and nations from the virus of poverty. May we hope for schools where students are taught — not terrified they will be shot — and for the gift of personal dignity for every child of God, unmarred by any form of racial, ethnic or religious prejudice.” -Jeffrey R. Holland

GREAT ARTICLE HERE by Elder Holland with the Church News: Here are a few of the highlights:

Elder Holland said quietly, “We are always talking about not having enough time to think about such things,” said Elder Holland. “Well, we have some time now.”

With that time, members can be “immersed in things of the soul that we always want to address, and know very well that we should, but sometimes in the hubbub of daily life don’t seize the opportunity to do.”

Lamenting the pace of our modern era, Elder Holland recalled, “Ralph Waldo Emerson said once, ‘Things are in the saddle and ride mankind.’”

“Let’s realize this is one of the times we can take the saddle off our backs, a time when not quite so many demands are made and we can address edifying, eternally important things.”

The other side of the coin, he added, “is how rewarding it has been for me to have a little more quiet time” to “do a little more searching of my own soul rather than somebody else’s.”

When we are engaged in society, a person’s mind is often consumed with matters of current affairs and chatty conversation, he said.

“But when we’re alone, those are times of character assessment. That’s when you think about who you really are and what really matters.” It is “a sobering exercise to be quiet, to be alone with yourself. The obvious question then is, Do you like the company you are keeping when you are the only one in the room?”

“This is a rare time of enforced solitude when we don’t have a lot of trivia or superficial busyness distracting us from considering the truly important things in life,” said the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “Such times invite us to look into our soul and see if we like what we see there.”

“The Spirit is not blocked by a virus or by national boundaries or by medical forecasts.” There are “gifts from heaven that are not limited by trouble in the land or illness in the air. . “He who created this marvelous world in which we live can say to any of the elements in it, ‘This far and no farther.’ That is what He will say to this blight we are facing. In the presence of His majesty, even subatomic-sized creations must bend—if only figuratively—and each in its own way ‘confess’ that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the great Redeemer of all. Under the direction of His Father, the Savior is in charge of the destiny of this world. We are in very sure and loving hands.”

dear random, 

Maybe so, Maybe not. We’ll see.

There is a Chinese Proverb that goes something like this…

A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the mares and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The villagers cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all the able-bodied boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, still recovering from his injury. Friends shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”

The moral of this story, is, of course, that no event, in and of itself, can truly be judged as good or bad, lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate, but that only time will tell the whole story. Additionally, no one really lives long enough to find out the ‘whole story,’ so it could be considered a great waste of time to judge minor inconveniences as misfortunes or to invest tons of energy into things that look outstanding on the surface, but may not pay off in the end.

The wiser thing, then, is to live life in moderation, keeping as even a temperament as possible, taking all things in stride, whether they originally appear to be ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Life is much more comfortable and comforting if we merely accept what we’re given and make the best of our life circumstances. Rather than always having to pass judgement on things and declare them as good or bad, it would be better to just sit back and say, “It will be interesting to see what happens.” - Dr. Marlo Archer

My friend Cindy sent me this to send to Dave's dad. She said her  little girl thought he was her real Grandpa not just her doctor. So cute.