Seattle Views

You have probably seen this view of Seattle. It's used in movies, news programs, and other media. 

The day after Thanksgiving was a great day for family pictures. It was sunny and the Kings had a rare activity free day. They knew about a great place to get a family picture and asked us to be the photographers. We met them at Kerry Park in Seattle. 

Again, you'll have to take our word for how beautiful and handsome these grandchildren are. Since they are under 18 we don't post their pictures on this public blog. You'll have to settle with a picture of us!

Salt Lake City - Granddaughter's Baptism

One of our granddaughters was baptized November 19. We drove to Salt Lake City for this special occasion. Weather events bookended our trip. 

It's about a 14 hour drive from Kirkland to Salt Lake City. The scenery is varied throughout the journey. In the Cascade Mountains just east of Kirkland the evergreen trees come right down to the road and you drive through tunnels of dark green, or snow-covered dark green on this trip, trees. Oregon, Idaho, and Utah offer grand vistas of fields and mountains. 

Snoqualmie Pass in the Cascade Mountains can be a challenge this time of year. Here's what it looked like going east on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass. Fortunately snow wasn't a problem once we got through the pass. 

You'll have to take our word for it - Michael Todd's two daughters in Salt Lake City are beautiful little girls. We don't post pictures of our grandchildren on this public blog if they're under 18 (only one of our grandchildren is over 18). 

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints children are usually baptized after their eighth birthday. They receive lessons about baptism and make a choice. Baptism is done by immersion, following Christ's example. Then the person is given the gift of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands. 

Michael & Joe Todd

Monday we drove from Salt Lake City to Pendleton, Oregon. Tuesday morning there were reports of snow and ice at Snoqualmie Pass so we opted to go west to Portland and then up to Kirkland. It's two hours longer than going through the pass. Weather reports said there would be rain. 

If you look closely you can see a rainbow starting at the guard rail on the right side in the middle of the picture. The rainbow spanned the Columbia River along Interstate 84 going west. We could see the complete rainbow. Soon after this we headed into hard, hard rain that lasted for five hours of the six hour trip we did that day. We supposedly drove right past Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier. We couldn't see them on through the rain. 

We're glad we could be with our granddaughter and family on this special day. 

We Are Children Of God

We are children of God. With the noise and busyness of the world it is easy to lose sight of who we are, where we came from, the purpose of life, and where we are going. Some of us come to this knowledge early on, others find it later in life. Once found, we need to hold fast to that knowledge. It will help us with the challenges of earth life and help us enjoy the journey. 

Recently I read an article about a talk in which Thomas Monson, a modern-day prophet, quoted scripture, a Jesuit priest, and Mufasa ("Lion King") as he spoke with college students about who they are and why they are here on earth. To his references I've added a few that came to my mind as I pondered his message. 

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 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, 
that we are the children of God:

 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ+

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"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; 

we are spiritual beings having a human experience."*

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Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home~

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"Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. ... Remember who you are. ... Remember."^




+Romans 8: 16-17

* Pierre Teilhard de Charden; quote from Wikiquote
~William Wordsworth, Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood; quoted in Bartleby.com Great Books Online
^Lion King, Mufasa, the spirit of Simba's departed father; quoted in "Be a Light Unto the World"

Our Story - Part 2 - How Do We Know God Is Real?

WHO IS GOD?

HOW DO WE COME TO KNOW GOD IS REAL?

HOPE - BELIEF - KNOWLEDGE

PART 2 of Our Story

In Part 1 of the story of our relationship with God we told you how we starting asking questions about our beliefs in God. Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were teaching us. We knew we needed to find out some things for ourselves.

We started with very basic questions. What were our existing beliefs in God and how did we come to those conclusions? Is there a God? If there is - What’s He like? What does He teach? Where do we find Him? How do we become more like Him and do what He would do? Does God connect with individuals?

Many people have feelings and opinions about God but deep discussion reveals that the opinion is based on hope or belief but not study, answer to prayer, or even knowledge.

Hope is a good place to start. It is often replaced with belief. Personal knowledge is the next step.

There is a significant difference between “believing” God is real and “knowing” God lives. Believing implies acceptance. And that is a good thing. First hand knowledge is a step further – it implies having personal experience or information that validates what we previously believed.

Personal knowledge of God does not come simply because someone tells us He is real. A religious expert, pastor,  scholar, missionary, friend, or family member might tell us God is real. Belief and hope might come from the words of such people, especially if we trust the person. If we base our belief and hope on a person, what happens if that expert or friend or family member loses his faith or says he no longer believes what he told us earlier? What happens if the person’s behavior isn’t in line with his stated beliefs? What if some other expert unearths different information?  In addition, belief and hope, if not based on first hand knowledge, may not be enough to get us through the challenges that come along with life on earth.

To move beyond belief and hope to first hand knowledge, we have to have a desire to know for ourselves. And that takes consistent effort.

Prayer and scripture study are places to start. Tuning into impressions from the Holy Ghost is another important aspect of determining the reality of God.

Our experiences have been such that we know without a shadow of a doubt that God is real. He knows us individually, He loves us, and He is a very caring Father.

Joe & Julia Todd

11/15/11

Part 1 - Why are we Mormon? posted 11/17/11

Joe & Julia

November 2011

Our Story - Part 1 - Why Are We Mormon?

WHY ARE WE MORMON?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Part 1 of Our Story

What do we believe and why? This is a frequent topic of conversation between us. Even more so lately because of the “I’m a Mormon” campaign recently launched in the Seattle area. You may have seen or heard media spots or even taken a look at mormon.org. We’ve been counseled to think about who we are, what we believe, and how we will answer questions when people, hopefully, ask us about being Mormon, or, more correctly, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We’ve decided to share our thoughts with you.

Here’s a somewhat short answer – to be followed by much more detail in Parts 2 and so on.

MichaelK came home from school the end of May 1981 and asked if we were Christians. We went to the library and got books for family discussions. We talked about how you can be Christian without going to church and all that. A few weeks later missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on our door. We let them in because they could tell Michael about Jesus and we wouldn’t ever have to go to church! We were busy and just weren’t making church a priority.

The missionaries got us thinking and talking about what we did and didn’t believe. Is there a God? If yes, what are His teachings and where are they? Are the heavens closed? What do the scriptures teach? The questions just kept coming. Between us, Joe and I had many years of church experience in various denominations. Julia grew up in the Methodist Church. Joe belonged to the Episcopal and then Roman Catholic churches.

Over the summer we talked, prayed, read, talked, prayed and talked some more.  Much of the discussion took place without the missionaries. We liked the missionaries. They were nice, well meaning “boys” who believed in the message they were sharing.

We knew people who affiliated with specific denominations for a variety of reasons. Perhaps that’s where parents or grandparents attended or where their friends went or it was the “best” church in town. They might select a church based on who is the most politically correct with the current cultural trends. People might select a church based on the music, the beauty of the building, the preaching ability of the pastor – or a multitude of other reasons. Rarely did we ever hear someone say they attended a church because of the doctrine as taught in the Bible and they decided on the church after intense, long term, personal study and prayer.

We decided it was important for us to determine if we really believed in God. If we did then we had an immense responsibility to find out His teachings, build a relationship with Him, and determine which church taught doctrine that was closest to what He taught. We were baptized and became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints October 25, 1981.

We made that decision 30 years ago. We still feel it’s the best decision we’ve made as individuals and as a couple. Over the 30 years there’s been much more study, conversation, prayer, questioning – and more study and prayer. All the while we have been trying to actively live what we’ve learned about being disciples of Christ.

More to follow ……………

Joe & Julia Todd  

11/4/11

Kirkland to Seattle

We can drive from Kirkland to downtown Seattle in 20 minutes or less, nonrush hour.

We have several options for going west to Seattle. We can drive on I-405 down, around, and then I-5 north into Seattle. We can take a "short cut" and cross Lake Washington on I-90 and its bridge or go over the SR-520 bridge. 

It takes about 10 minutes to get to the I-90 floating bridge that goes over the lake, onto Mercer Island, and then the rest of the way over the lake into Seattle. The first Lake Washington (I-90) bridge was built in 1940. The SR-520 bridge is closer to us, only 5 minutes or so from here. It was opened in 1963. Both bridges are floating bridges. 

Until 1940 the shortest way to get to Seattle was by boat across Lake Washington. Ferry service between Kirkland and Seattle started in the late 1800s and continued until 1950.

Click here to read more about ferry service on Lake Washington. Be sure to read to the end of the linked article to find out the fate of the last regular service ferry boat on Lake Washington. 

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Area History - Houghton & Shipbuilding

There is a rich history of shipbuilding in this area. Click here for information about this photo of the Anderson Shipyard in Houghton. Houghton is a neighborhood that's now part of Kirkland. It's just a 10-15 minute walk from our place. 

Grandson's Eagle Project

Grandson Daniel did his Eagle project recently with lots of help from his church congregation. 29 people showed up on a gloriously sunny Saturday morning to help with the trails project at Larsen Lake Blueberry Farms, a Bellevue park. We spread mulch on trails and gravel and mulch on some low places in the trail. 

Ready to go

Reddish bushes are blueberries

The group tackled a HUGE pile of mulch that was full of steam and dust. 

Raking the mulch

Gravel was spread on low, wet spots and mulch put over the gravel.

Michael, Daniel & Joe

Daniel worked with a contact in Bellevue Parks to get everything 

organized and ready for Saturday morning. 

Part of the finished project - 

with walkers on the freshly mulched trail already. 

Blueberries bushes line both sides of the trail. 

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The parks representative mentioned several times how impressed he was with the number of people and the speed and quality of the work – and how everyone worked together so well. He said he oversees a lot of volunteer projects and he’s never seen one go this well and so quickly. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do so many service projects that they tend to know how to self organize and get the work done well and quickly. Michael said there’s a core of people in the ward, many of them empty nesters, who consistently show up to help with Eagle and other service projects.  

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Michael commented that Daniel’s Eagle will be the fourth generation in our family. Scouting started in the early 1900s in this country. I don’t think my grandfather, Caryl Holton, would have had a chance to be a Scout or earn an Eagle in tiny Sidell, Illinois. He would have been almost too old even if Scouting did reach Sidell. So Dad, William Holton, was the first generation of Holtons that could have earned an Eagle. Dad earned an Eagle as did my brother Tom, and then Michel earned his Eagle. Now Daniel will join the convocation (term for a group of Eagles, had to add that in memory of Dad) – after he completes his report and has the Court of Honor. Another grandson is on track to receive his Eagle after he completes his project. My brother's son also earned an Eagle. 

Joe The Optimist

This man is an optimist. 

It's the beginning of winter in Seattle 

and he just bought a solar powered, wireless keyboard! 

Speaking of solar powered -  46 solar powered trash compactors were recently installed in downtown Kirkland. With winter on its way, that's optimism or someone did a great sales job! 

PS - According to Joe, once the keyboard is fully charged, it will work for three months in the dark. Hope we don't have to test that out. 

Abundant Life

An Abundant Life - so says the plaque. These women are a huge part of the abundant life I had in Central Ohio.  One of the wonderful aspects of our life in Columbus was that it included three generations of our family. We enjoyed each others' company and made time for get-togethers. There is a wonderful combination of mothers, mothers-in-law, daughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law - you get the idea - and young children - and I don't want to forget the male side of the family. This good-bye brunch at my sister Jan's home on February 26 was just for the girls in the family.  All the youngsters joined us also. 

Angie, Sally, Jan, Julia, Christen, Betty, Gayle, Kathryn, Jenni. Missing from this picture is Rosie. She's in the picture below. Vicky & baby Zane couldn't join us due to illness. 

Angie, Christen & Rosie

Celia & Julia - Celia is named for her Great, great grandmother Celia Cathcart Holton and has the Holton red hair. 4 year old Celia has Batten Disease. 

Celia's mother blogs about their journey here. 

Angie, Julia, Jan, Betty & Gayle

Jan & Betty

Jan is my younger sister. Betty and I have been friends since second grade. 

Up To Snuff - Origin Of Phrase

Every once in a while I hear a familiar phrase and wonder about its origin. Recently I was in the temple and one of the workers commented about training. She said she had to be "up to snuff." This struck me as humorous, especially in this setting. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints don't use tobacco. 

Here's what I found about about the origin of the phrase.

"UP TO SNUFF: Originally the expression ‘up to snuff’ meant ‘sharp, keen, wise, all-knowing.’ Presumably it got its meaning because a person who has just sniffed some snuff would have a brief sense of exhilaration and might feel that he was a lot brighter than other people. Gradually the term came to be applied more and more to a persons [sic] physical condition. If you feel ‘up to snuff’ nowadays, you feel that you’re in good shape, in normal health." 

From Morris Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, quoted on the Wordwizard

From the Phrase Finder   'Up to snuff' originated in the early 19th century. In 1811, the English playwright John Poole wrote Hamlet Travestie, a parody of Shakespeare, in the style of Doctor Johnson and George Steevens, which included the expression.

"He knows well enough The game we're after: Zooks, he's up to snuff." &

"He is up to snuff, i.e. he is the knowing one."

A slightly later citation of the phrase, in Grose's Dictionary, 1823, lists it as 'up to snuff and a pinch above it', and defines the term as 'flash'*. This clearly shows the derivation to be from 'snuff', the powdered tobacco that had become fashionable to inhale in the late 17th century. The phrase derives from the stimulating effect of taking snuff. The association of the phrase with sharpness of mind was enhanced by the fashionability and high cost of snuff and by the elaborate decorative boxes that it was kept in."

See more information here. 

Most of the sources said the phrase now means "up to the required standard."

PS - ABC News Radio indicated the phrase has to do with hounds being able to track down or sniff out a fox. It's the only place I found that meaning. 

*I searched and searched to see why the term flash "clearly shows the derivation to be from snuff." Perhaps one of you can find the connection. 

Image: The Phrase Finder

Christ's Invitation To Follow Him

"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Luke 9:23

 “The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.” St. John 1:43

 “And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphæus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.” Mark 2:14

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“His invitation to follow Him is not just to ‘hang out and see what happens.’ It means to do the things He has done – to become as He is.” (Walter Selden)