Graduations

It’s June 2013. One grandson recently received a master degree in architecture from Harvard. Another grandson graduated from high school. Congratulations and best wishes to them! I’ve been thinking about my graduations.

High School

I graduated from London High School, London, Ohio in the early 1960s. I don’t have any memories of this evening. I haven’t found any pictures. It would be nice if I’d been keeping a journal back then. The program indicates our ceremony was 8:30 in the evening. That seems very late. Leonard Mann, the minister of the Methodist Church we attended, gave the invocation at the graduation.

Pomp and Circumstance was played as the seniors walked into the gym for the ceremony. I remember being coached about how to walk to this traditional music. Our class was 115 students according to the commencement program.

I don’t remember going to graduation parties. I don’t think the school had the all night parties that are now held. My friends and I were not the “popular” group and we weren’t big partiers. I’m sure there must have been get togethers but I don’t recall them.

Bachelor Degree

April 1967 Miami University

Bachelor of Arts – Miami University, Oxford, Ohio -mid1960s

Once John and I started talking marriage, we decided to accelerate my college career. I took a big load of courses and went to summer school in order to finish in three years. This way I would work while John finished his senior year of college. I need to see if I can find any more about this because I switched majors after my freshman year so I probably had to do some backtracking in coursework. I started out in paper technology and changed to German – there are many stories attached to these decisions.

We have pictures of this graduation, along with my diploma and the commencement program. Family came to Oxford to celebrate this special day with me.

Master Degree

Master of Arts – The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio - early 1970s

When I started teaching students with disabilities, I knew I needed to take additional coursework to earn certification and further qualify me to work in a field for which I had no previous training (that’s a whole other story). It only made sense to set a goal for a master degree. That would give me the knowledge I needed, help me qualify for additional certifications, and boost me up the pay scale.

I took a course or two each quarter, in the evenings, for a number of years until I earned the degree. I have my diploma and the commencement program. My memory is that I did not attend the graduation exercises. There are no pictures from Mom’s and Dad’s albums or from ours. I was very focused on jumping through the hoops and getting that piece of paper so I could move on with other goals.

Reflections

As I was going through items in my files, I found it interesting that the printed material referenced “commencement.” Most people use the word “graduation.” At the time we’re probably more focused on being finished with something, graduating. In reality we are commencing a new phase of our lives.

In high school I was part of a number of choruses. I have vivid memories of singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at a graduation. I would have said it was my own graduation but that song doesn’t appear on the commencement program. So it must have been when I was a sophomore or junior. I don’t think I would have been greatly moved by the song in my freshman year. I had only a superficial understanding of the words but something in the message reached my heart. We are never alone on our journeys here. Family, friends, and God are always with us – if we invite them along.

The Holtons are a very matter-of-fact, onward and upward kind of family. Other than birthdays, we didn’t celebrate many milestones. I continued that approach. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve often wished I’d done more to make a bigger deal of accomplishments along the way – created more memories – or at least taken more pictures and kept a journal!

I love the learning process. For the most part, I enjoyed high school and my various college experiences. Mom and Dad were great supporters of teachers. They valued and promoted education. They were wonderful examples of life-long learning. I am thankful for the opportunities I have had to go to college and to earn these degrees. I am very grateful that I’ve had a desire to continue learning throughout my life.

Clues & Offerings

Mom and Dad were not huggers and "I love you"ers. I think it was their personalities and their generation. With age, wisdom, and perspective, I am more aware of the "clues" and "offerings" they gave us to let us know how much they loved us. 

This poem reminded me of Mom and Dad and the importance of recognizing those offerings - such as the pine cone garland that Mom made and the bellows that Dad crafted. (picture above)

Offerings

The way he leaves a banana-mayo sandwich

on the counter. ...

The scratchy blue-and-green-car sheets

left folded on the hide-a-bed.

During your visit,

...

There will be no hugs, no

I love you’s when you leave.

You’ll have to scavenge for clues:

...

The way he hoses pollen from your car

before your 12-hour trip.

The way he proffers a firm handshake,

a packet of sandwiches,

a sack of bruised Red Delicious.

Dayna Patterson

I wish I'd been more in tune with Mom and Dad and their way of showing love so that I could have recognized, acknowledged and felt it more while they were here. 

*****
note: Due to copyright, I don't post the whole poem

David's Visit

 We were delighted David came to visit

 Michael came over for lunch on Friday. The Kings were getting ready to leave on vacation so we weren't able to work in a whole family gathering - next time. 

These around the table conversations are my very favorite part of getting together with family. This is precious, precious time together. 

We took a day trip to Whidbey Island.  

Mukilteo lighthouse

These deer in Langley couldn't decide which side of the road they wanted to be on. 

Drivers waited patiently for them to make up their minds. 

Had lunch in Coupeville at Toby’s Tavern. We lucked out and got a table with a beautiful view of the water. 

View from the end of the Coupeville Wharf - looking towards Coupeville

North Beach in the Deception Pass State Park was our next stop. We drove over the bridges, on to Fidalgo Island, and then to the mainland. 

On our way home we stopped at a berry farm and bought fresh strawberries, raspberries, and two small berry pies. All were scrumptious. We topped off the day with salads at Hector’s in downtown Kirkland. Other outings included the farmers’ market at Juanita Beach Park and Padria for dinner. Of course, we had to have gelato at Sirena. We also wandered around Marina Park one evening. 

Click on the "Washington" or "Travel" labels to the right to see more pictures of Whidbey Island. 

God Is My Fuehrer

A Memory From One Neighborhood I Lived In - - -  Joe Todd

I lived in the Hawthorne Hotel across from George WashingtonUniversity student union from 8/1956 to 8/1958. It was only about 5 blocks from the White House.  I was in the U.S.Navy at the time.

I came across this poem by Rev. Martin Niemoller when I was wandering around the neighborhood one sunny Saturday morning.  I found it while leafing through a book on a stand outside a used bookstore.  My mind was immediately imprinted with its implications.

 God Is My Fuehrer - - -

First they came for the Communists,

and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn’t speak up,

because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn’t speak up,

because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time there was no one

left to speak up for me.

Niemoller  (1892-1984) was a German Lutheran minister who opposed Nazi injustice.

Rev. Niemoller could have added after each time he said “and I did not speak up” . . . “and I am not responsible for those people and their problems.” But instead, he realized he was responsible for all humans’ well being and acted upon this conviction to follow God’s will and he did speak up. He did speak up and spent WWII from 1937 to 1945 in Dachau concentration camp. He did follow God.

I heard Niemoller speak a number of years later in about 1963 at Ohio Wesleyan University while doing my internship in school psychology at the Delaware Public Schools. “God Is My Fuehrer” - his talk made a significant impact upon me.

What is the implication & responsibility for each one of us in our own daily lives? To love God and to love my neighbor.

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”  Matthew 22:37-39

God is my priority and leader above all other authorities, factors and influences in my life.

 “We ought to obey God rather than men”  Acts 5:29

“I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded” Nephi 3:7

Joe Todd

June 2013

Family

“The most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home.”  

Harold B. Lee

Time Flies

I'm still a paper planner person. Writing on paper appeals to me. For my daily planning and note taking, paper is much more useful than making electronic notes.

Each month I pull out the blank, clean, uncluttered pages for the upcoming month. Sometimes I stop and think about what these pages represent - opportunities, choices, disappointments, frustrations, surprises, and happiness. You just never know what a new month will bring.

I contemplate the month that is ending. I look at the pages that are cluttered with plans and notes. Some things worked out, sometimes even better than I hoped. There are always unanticipated events - some full of joy, some with disappointments and frustrations attached. The notes about thoughts that came into my head about things to do and people to serve always add up to more time than I have - and thus require pondering and praying about priorities and choosing between good, better, best. 

Seems like every time I turn around a week has gone by, then a month, then a year. I remember hearing "old" people say time went faster as you aged. Now that many would consider me one of those "old" people, I can say that time really does go more quickly than it used to. I'm sure it's because I'm getting closer to the end of my journey here on earth and I'm very aware that time is a precious gift. It's up to me to choose wisely how to use the time represented by those clean, unmarked pages. 

Since time is the one immaterial object which we cannot influence 

-- neither speed up nor slow down, add to nor diminish -- 

it is an imponderably valuable gift."  

~Maya Angelou

To this I say, "AMEN!"

Frigate - Lesson Learned

"There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away." 

Emily Dickinson

This quote is seared into my brain because of an experience in high school. I think it was my senior year (1963-64). Miss Long, our English teacher, put this quote, from a poem we had not read in class or for assignment, on a test. We were supposed to tell what frigate meant (without the aid of the illustration). In hindsight she wasn't looking for an exact answer (although I'm sure that would have been good), she was looking for our ability to discern what the poet was trying to convey.

I remember totally freezing up. I was unaccustomed to this kind of test question. I did fairly well with facts that I could memorize and spout back. Thinking and analysis were skills that would come later. I was so incapacitated because I didn't know the "exact" answer, that I couldn't even make a good guess. 

That was almost 50 years ago and it's still a vivid memory. And a lesson learned. 

**********************

Parkplace Books is a wonderful independent bookstore that's a 10 minute walk from our place. 

Margaret Long, 1961 London High School yearbook

Fancy Cars

We had a fun adventure with the Kings at this facility that stores and restores cars for clients all over the world. They want to remain low key so they asked that we not use their name or location.  

This Ferrari was Joe's favorite.

Joe loves race cars

This was a fun afternoon

Journeys

Our family has been taking photographs and making scrapbooks for at least three generations. We are blessed with a true abundance of photos that give glimpses into our family's lives. There are so many pictures and so many albums that our family decided we need to digitize and reduce the volume of scrapbooks and pictures. How many photos of the Grand Canyon in faded 1969 prints do our posterity really want to see? Probably not very many. 

Over the last few years I've been going through Mom's and Dad's scrapbooks and our photo albums. I hope I live long enough to complete this project :) 

I had photos from our 1966-69 album spread out, trying to decide what to keep and what to toss. On the work table I noticed the copy of Dr. Seuss' "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" I am using it for photo projects for our graduating grandsons. They are at the early part of their journeys and will hopefully compile scrapbooks of some sort along the way. Here I was disassembling scrapbooks from our life's journey and determining what to leave for the next generation. It was a bit ironic to think about this. 

To Our Grandchildren - Oh, The Places You'll Go!

From us - Oh, The Places We've Been!

It Was There All The Time

From Kirkland we can see some of Seattle's downtown buildings on the other side of Lake Washington. I've looked for the iconic Space Needle but hadn't seen it in the two years we've lived here. I figured I couldn't see if because of the hills, elevation and all that. 

In early March we were coming home from church. Our route was slightly different from usual. We stopped at a stop sign about a block from our house and I COULD SEE THE SPACE NEEDLE! We circled the block, parked the car and I took a picture. It had been there the whole time. I just wasn't looking in the right place! The picture above was taken on that day. 

From that point on, almost everywhere we go in Kirkland, I can spot the Space Needle. Here it is from the Juanita Beach Park - far left side of the picture. 

Heritage Park - It's in the middle of the picture below.

All these pictures were taken with the zoom, but you could clearly see the Space Needle with the naked eye. 

Can you feel the spiritual tie-in coming on? 

God and His work are all around us. 

"Seeing many things, but thou observest not; opening the ears, but he heareth not.

Isaiah 42: 20

Ray Pepper - Birthday & Bible

Ray Pepper

Joe's friend, hero and father (step)

June 19, 1915 - September 20, 1996

December 1978

Ray Pepper was in the United States Army Air Forces. 

June 17, 1944 he purchased this 1803 Bible in England. 

He wrote on the bookplate - 

"Property of - 

Ray E Pepper, USAAF 

Purchased in England June 17 1944 

 for 3S. 6d. or about 70 cents."

The leather, the embossing, the paper, the message 

- everything about this book is beautiful.

To learn more about this special man click here, here, here, and here

Marriage

"In the happiest marriages both the husband and wife consider their relationship to be a pearl beyond price, a treasure of infinite worth...They understand that they walk a divinely ordained path. They know that no other relationship of any kind can bring as much joy, generate as much good, or produce as much personal refinement...the best marriage partners regard their marriages as priceless." 

L. Whitney Clayton

Read the complete message here 

Father's Day

 “… a father’s calling is eternal, and its importance transcends time. It is a calling for both time and eternity"

Ezra Taft Benson

Happy Foods

Our bodies welcome food that's good for us. 
A dear friend, who had many health problems towards the end of his life, became very aware that certain foods made him feel better. He called these "happy foods." 

I thought of him and happy foods when I read this scripture. 

"Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; ...for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul."  Doctrine and Covenants 59: 18-19

"Please the eye, gladden the heart, strengthen the body and enliven the soul" - happy foods!

Hold Fast To What You Do Have

“In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. … When those moments come …, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. … The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know.

“… I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have.

"...Honestly acknowledge your questions and your concerns, but first and forever fan the flame of your faith..."

 Jeffrey R.Holland

Mary F. Holton Inspirational Teacher Gift

Mom loved learning and wanted others to be excited about learning too. She was a great advocate of teachers and felt teachers didn't get enough recognition and support. 

When Mom died, the four of us and Dad donated money to the London Schools Foundation. The interest from the money enables us to give $500 to a high school teacher each year. Each Spring high school students nominate teachers who inspire them to develop a love of learning. The teacher with the most nominations receives the gift.

According to the principal, school board members, and friends, truly deserving teachers have been recipients through the years. 

Tom and Jan went to London High School the end of May to present the gift to Amy Hiles, a science teacher. 

When we give the check to the teacher we tell her/him that Mom's instructions are to spend it on something for her/himself. It is not for school supplies. If Mom gave a cash gift to family, she often did so with similar instructions. She felt that every once in a while you need to spend the money on something just for yourself. 

In addition to the check, the teacher receives an inscribed memento as a reminder of the valuable work and service done as a teacher. 

2007 Paul Edward (Ed) Maynor, 2013 Amy Hiles, 2010 Hana Wiegel, 2012 Todd Boyd, 2006 Tim Coudret, 2011 Stacey Hallowes, 2009 Benjamin (Ben) McCoy, 2008 Stephen Clines (not pictured - 2005 Mary Dietz, retired)

Click here for an article about 2009's presentation [July 2014 link no longer works]

Press Forward

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."   2Nephi 31:20

************

The words in this verse are powerful and descriptive. We are to press forward. How? With steadfastness and perfect brightness of hope and love of God and all men [and women :)] As we press forward we are to feast on the word of Christ and endure to the end. 

Why do we do this? So that we might have eternal life - life with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. 

This is great guidance for our journey here on earth. 

In This Together - Forever

37 YEARS – AN ETERNITY TO GO

August 1976

There are no pictures of us on our wedding day, June 10, 1976. That seems very strange in this family that has literally thousands of pictures spanning four generations. Did everyone really leave their cameras at home? We were pretty matter of fact about the whole proceedings – but, no pictures??

Joe and I each had previous marriages. We'd had showers, church weddings, receptions, pictures, and all the traditional things that go with weddings. With our June 10, 1976 wedding, our timeline focused on taking care of the formalities and getting moved in before school started. It was sometime in April 1976 that we decided to get married. We figured it would take all summer to sell my house on Harvest Street, find a house in Worthington, and get settled before school started for Michael and David.

My house on Harvest Street sold quickly so we had to find a house, get married, and move – all several months faster than we’d planned on.

Joe and I tend to be rather low key in our approach to life and its major events, Joe even more so than I. Every once in a while I remind Joe that he never proposed marriage to me (nor was there an engagement ring). He simply assumed we were getting married and made statements that we were moving forward with marriage. Obviously I was on board with the plan. At the time I didn’t realize this was a huge clue about Joe - quick transitions and no flourishes. I would be in charge of the extras if they were going to happen. That took me years to learn.

Hmmm – as I type this, I’m reminded of our move from Ohio to Washington. Joe’s not much for long transitions. Once he decides to move forward, he does – very quickly.

June 10, 1976 - There were no flowers, no special flourishes. I wore one of my work dresses (I remember the dress). Joe and I went to a judge’s chamber in downtown Columbus. He pronounced us married. I don’t know if his script included “til death do you part” or if he just pronounced us legally married. We used my Great Grandmother Carrie Johnson Clark’s gold wedding band. “June 5, 1885,” their wedding date, was inscribed inside the band. We inscribed “6-10-76.” Carrie was the mother of Florence Clark Holton, Dad’s stepmother. We then went to the Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Columbus for a “blessing” of our marriage. Father Taylor wouldn’t marry us because we’d been divorced. But he would bless the marriage. Family and friends joined us at the church for the brief ceremony.

At that point in our lives neither Joe nor I were church-going people. We didn’t have anything against God or church; we just weren’t making time for them in our lives. Previously we had been very active in churches, but that’s another story. Why did we chose the Trinity Episcopal Church? Joe and Jane had attended Trinity after they left St. John’s Episcopal Church in Worthington. Joe liked Father Taylor.

Joe’s and my memories were foggy about who was there and where we went afterwards. I wasn’t keeping a journal at that point in my life. If I was using a planner or calendar of any sort, it hasn’t survived. The only written record I’ve been able to find is a paragraph in Dad’s weekly letter. I am increasingly thankful for Dad and his weekly letter writing – and for family members who saved his letters.

“Monday June 14. ……..Thursday afternoon Julie & Joe were married in a civil ceremony, and then the marriage was blessed in a service at Trinity Episcopal Church in downtown Columbus. The preacher had David and Mike stand up with their parents, which made a nice touch. Betty Young, Connie Miller (one of Julie’s friends), and Joe’s parents were the only other ones there. We had a round of drinks at the Top of the Center to celebrate before leaving.” Interestingly Dad mentions stopping in West Jefferson for dinner on the way home. So – this must have been mid to late afternoon and didn’t even include dinner together. I obviously wasn’t in high gear with my planning mode at this point in my life J

After the ceremony we went to the Top of the Center, Stouffer’s Top of the Center – 24^th floor, 100 East Broad Street, across from Capitol Square. Until we found Dad’s letter, I thought we’d gone to the Christopher Inn. Joe thought we went to the Sheraton. This validates the importance of letters and journals. Memory can get a bit foggy. 

That evening Joe, MichaelK, David, and I picked up Jennie, MichaelT and Patrick, went through McDonald’s drive through and had our wedding dinner with all the children at Harvest Street. The children had a slumber party in the family room. That weekend we moved into the North Street house. No honeymoon for us – there was stuff to do!!!

The next few years were filled with getting to know each other and figuring out how to create our family. Working with Jane and Jon, and John and Shirley about time with children wasn’t always smooth sailing. All of us had much to learn about making this work. Some things we got right –and we feel good about those times. Other things we didn’t get right, and we regret those poor choices.

Five years into our marriage MichaelK came home from school at the end of the school year and asked a question that changed the direction of our lives. “Are we Christian?” We explained how you could be Christian without going to church. We went to the library to get books and we started family discussions. David had moved out after graduating from high school. A few weeks after Michael’s question, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints left a pamphlet at our door and later followed up with a knock on our door. They said they had a message about Jesus Christ. We listened. We talked, we prayed, we pondered, we asked questions. Joe, MichaelK, and I were baptized October 25, 1981. This decision forever changed our lives and set the stage for our next wedding.

We learned, and believed, and knew, that God’s plan is for marriage to transcend this life and extend into the eternities. Jesus Christ explains this to Peter in Matthew 16:19. Christ gives Peter authority that extends into heaven. “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

The authority to bind marriages for eternity has been given to “sealers” who perform this holy ordinance in the temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We had to wait a year after our baptism before we could be married in the temple for eternity. This time was used for learning about the doctrines, talking and praying about this commitment we were going to make with each other and with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We wanted to make that commitment to each other, to God, to our children – and our ancestors and posterity. We did not want death to dissolve our marriage. We were in this together – forever.

Our journey to the temple had a hiccup. From a letter I wrote to the family for the weeks of January 18 & 25, 1983. I noted on Saturday, January 29, “This was the weekend that we were to go to the Temple in Washington. But, due to a mix-up with the couple we were going with, we didn’t go. Joe and the other guy made the arrangements – Joe for the last weekend in January and H... for the last weekend in February! We didn’t find out until this week that they were talking about different months! We think that we might go during Michael’s Spring break in April.” [Julia & D... were talking and discovered the mixup.]

In April 1983 MichaelK, Joe, and I drove to Washington D.C., the closest temple at that time. Our friends, H... and D... met us there. 

This marriage, fittingly, was better documented than our first, “til death do you part” marriage. By this time I was keeping a personal journal and we had started a family journal. From the family journal on April 18, 1983 in Julia’s handwriting – “We were sealed as a family at the Washington Temple on April 8, 1983. Joe & I were also sealed. The Temple was beautiful & very quiet. When we were ‘checking in’ three or four different people assumed that Michael was leaving on his mission & was at the Temple for his endowments. He looked very grown up in his suit & tie. The ceremonies were beautiful.”

I was keeping a personal journal then and have great detail about our trip to Washington D.C. I have wonderful notes about our drive there, our hotel, the touring we did in DC, the places we ate, the weather, and our visit with Tom, Gayle, and Jason. I had just one sentence about the temple - saying we went there and the H... took us out to dinner.

April 8, 1983

On April 8, 1983 we went “through” the temple and performed the ordinances, made the covenants, but it took time for the temple and all that happened there to go “through” us and become an integral part of who we are and how we lived our lives. We didn’t have any earth (or heaven) shattering spiritual experiences at the time. We were new to the church, new to the temple, new to the awesome spiritual side of ourselves and our lives on earth. We knew we were doing the right thing with this eternal marriage. The spiritual confirmation and understanding came with time, prayer, and pondering. 

Our first marriage to each other, performed by a judge, was a legal contract, done for this life only and fulfilled the requirements of the law. It would be null and void when one of us died. Our second marriage to each other added God to the contract. Thanks be to God for the opportunity to have an eternal marriage.

Now we’re celebrating 37 years together and contemplating the eternity before us. We've learned some lessons on our journey. 

We are a team.

A successful and happy marriage takes consistent, hard work.

The focus should be on the needs of others, spouse and children. There’s no room for
  selfishness in a happy marriage.

Building a marriage and family is part of God’s work. It’s His way to prepare us for
  life with Him and Jesus Christ in the eternities.

Flexibility and patience are better learned and practiced sooner rather than later.

Including God in our marriage has added a depth of love that cannot be articulated.

Sharing spiritual beliefs and commitments to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, is a

  precious gift we give each other and to God.

The first five years of our marriage we thought we were doing what was best for each other and our children. If asked, we probably would have said we were living “good” lives. Our decisions were affected by what the world was saying was “right,” by what had happened in our previous marriages and how that affected each of us, and by what we sensed was the right thing to do. Looking back we sometimes ask ourselves, “What were we thinking?" We weren’t making what we would have called “godless” decisions, but we were definitely following the world more than considering what was right in God’s eyes. If asked, we would have called ourselves Christians.

Then we were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Making Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ part of our marriage and committing to being together eternally put a totally different perspective on our marriage. So many irritations, aggravations, and frustrations were not going to make any difference in the eternities – so why get riled up over it now? Eternity is a l-o-n-g time. We’d better become the very best we can be in order to make that eternal life together as pleasant as possible and so we'd be able to continue doing God's work. 

God’s principles are unchanging. Following them will lead to happiness and life with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Challenges and hardships will still come our way – and they do – massive ones sometimes. With God, we better know how to deal with the challenges and can feel His peace and love in the midst of the fear, chaos, and the unknown. The world’s principles or values change. God’s don’t.

***************

May 2013

Joe and I have had fun going through our memories to put this together. About the proposal, ring, flowers, and all that, Joe said, “It’s not about the ring, dress, flowers, the pictures, honeymoon, the flourishes -  it’s the commitment. It’s getting on with what’s important.” Joe’s always been issue-oriented. That’s a big part of what attracted me to him – and those eyebrows. :) We’re in this together – forever.