The Way It Was

In our recent travels I was reminded how much connectivity has changed in the last 20 years or so. When I first started traveling with a computer, I always carried a screwdriver so I could connect my computer to the Internet from a hotel room. In the old, old days, you had to unscrew the plate over the line jack so you could connect your computer to the phone line. The phone line was often located behind a bed, dresser, or desk. 

The next step was to figure out how to configure the phone number so you could get outside of the hotel's phone system. You usually needed a string of 9s or 1s or other numbers to access an outside line. And then there were the hotel phone charges! If I was lucky, I could figure out how to use an 800# and avoid the higher charges. 

How things have changed. 

image Wikipedia

Michael's Service - Joe's Remarks

MICHAEL HALL TODD

Memorial Service – July 25, 2013 – Salt Lake City

By Joe Todd

Michael’s email address name was “captainmidnight.” Captain Midnight was a radio and comic book hero of the air; fighting off villains in the late 1930’s and 40’s – he had an assistant named Ichabod. I liked to call him Captain Midnight. Sometimes when Michael was a little slow to answer the phone I would leave a message from Ichabod to Captain Midnight and he soon would respond on an upnote! - - so today, “Hey Captain Midnight! We all love you!”

The First Question is not only who was Michael Hall Todd but also who is Michael Hall Todd? He was and is a spiritual son of a living Heavenly Father and as such still lives.

The Second Question is What was Michael Hall Todd doing on this earth? He like all of us – Left Heavenly Father’s presence as a Spirit Son of HF and came to earth to obtain a human body and be born of earthly parents - - - Michael like all of us came to gain experience to learn to know right from wrong and learn to become more like Heavenly Father and His first born Son Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father sent Jesus to this earth to be our Savior,  to teach us and lead us back to our original home to live with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and our family.  - - Families can be forever.

The simple truth of the matter is no one on this earth who ever was, is or will be - - is perfect – except Jesus Christ. WE all fall short of the mark no matter how hard we try and– MHT did try also.

The third question is “Since  we all fall short of mark of being perfect, how do we get back home? The answer is through the Atonement – to  become “at one with Christ” - -.  Because of the atonement, - - the sacrifice & suffering of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and death upon the cross, - - he freed all persons from the effects of both physical death and spiritual death. He paid the price for our sins. He makes up the difference after we do all that we can do.  And, then through the Resurrection on the 3rd day, - our savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead and broke the bonds of death for all of us. He gave us all immortality and opened the gate to Eternal Life with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Someday, just like Michael and everyone else who has gone on before us, And those that come after us - - - our life on Earth will end and our physical bodies will die -  Sometimes sooner than expected –  - sometime later – - sometimes with a long illness- sometimes very unexpectedly – - But for all of us – life on this earth will come to an end - - But our spirits will not die. At the time of physical death, our spirits goes to the spirit world, where we have the opportunity to continue to learn and to progress  – at the time of the resurrection the body is reunited with the spirit -  So it will be with Michael Todd and all of us.  Jesus Christ gave us Immortality, that we may live forever and the opportunity for Eternal life, to live with Heavenly Father  & Jesus Christ along with our families.

These are not nice philosophical crutches – not just things we want to be true, not just things we cling to when faced with tragedy - -  - they are eternal truths - - -

Who Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are – Who we are, where we came from, what we are doing on this earth, what happens after we leave this earth, the atonement, resurrection, and life after death are all eternal truths we can & must know for ourselves.

They are true - - not because I say so, not simply because we want them to be true because they give us comfort,  not because we have read about them,  not because someone in authority who we respect and admire says so but because we can earnestly pray to our Heavenly Father about it and know for a surety through the testimony of the Holy Ghost to us individually that these things are true and real. We can know for our selves that these things are true!

 --- Remember, James 1:5 & 6 verses in New Testament “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

Even in the midst of a storm we can re confirm the truth - We can know for ourselves beyond any doubt that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true.- - - -  BUT, we have to sincerely want to know the truth and do something about it – we need to pray and then we need to act in faith taking one step forward at a time – even half an inch is real progress

••As Nephi put it (2Nephi 31:20 in the Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ) “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.”

However, - sometimes when we become sad or discouraged it seems as if we are in a small row boat paddling in a raging storm with rough seas toward a lighthouse on a distant shore –

When the waves splash over the sides of our row boat and things get tough and we may feel that we are going to be swamped, disoriented, and lost  - - - - in those situations the words of a hymn come to my mind – I would like to share a few of the words with you– I once saw a women come to the stand in the Hyde Park Ward, Chicago to make a few remarks, but instead she broke out into melodious song – it was beautiful - to those of you who know me or have sat next to me – fear not – I am not going to sing  – just read the words aloud.

The first words are from the hymn  - Be Still My Soul – Hymn #124

Be still, my soul:

Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past.

Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;

All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul:

The waves and winds still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul:

The hour is hast'ning on When we shall be forever with the Lord,

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,

Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul:

When change and tears are past,

All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

-----------------

Now let me close with a few of the lines from another hymn #284 – these are some of the words that help keep me going.

 

There is no end to virtue        

There is no end to wisdom

There is no end to light          

There is no end to union

There is no end to truth     

There is no end to glory

There is no end to love          

There is no end to being

There is no death above

- - - - - - - - - - -

These things I know – in the name of Jesus Christ – Amen

Children

Children -  "love them, teach them, respect them, pray with them and for them"

Gordon Hinckley

Light

Light can covey feelings of beauty, peace, love,

and give us a connection with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ

When we came out of the temple the setting sun was striking the steeple 

- giving it a beautiful pink glow

Working in our office one evening I looked out our window and saw this beautiful sky. I went outside to enjoy the beauty. This beauty was the kind that you could feel as well as see. 

Jesus said: "I am the light of the world: 
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, 
but shall have the light of life."  John 8:12

Charged

Most of us are attuned to keeping our digital devices charged. It's handy that our cell phones come with a battery charge indicator. We have bemoaned the times when we didn't heed the diminishing power and had to suffer the consequences of being out of communication. We are mindful of sources of power so we can keep these devices charged and we can communicate. 

I think this has the makings of a modern-day parable!

Mom & Julius

Thinking of Mom on her birthday

July 22

1974 at Hide-A-Way Hills

December 1971

We grew up with strict rules about manners and what was and wasn't OK at the table. Those expectations flew out the window when we all left home and Julius joined the family.  

***********

Click here for another birthday post

Babies

   

 “When God wants a great work done in the world or a great wrong righted, he goes about it in a very unusual way. He doesn’t stir up his earthquakes or send forth his thunderbolts. 

Instead, he has a helpless baby born, perhaps in a simple home of some obscure mother. And then God puts the idea into the mother’s heart, and she puts it into the baby’s mind. And then God waits. 

The greatest forces in the world are not the earthquakes and the thunderbolts. The greatest forces in the world are babies”  E. T. Sullivan* 

*(quoted in The Treasure Chest, ed. Charles L. Wallis [1965], 53)

Weight-bearing Beams

"... daily personal and family prayer, daily personal and family scripture study, and weekly family home evening are the essential, weight-bearing beams in the construction of a Christ-centered home. Without these regular practices it will be difficult to find the desired and much-needed peace and refuge from the world." Richard G. Scott

We all know the importance of weight-bearing beams to the stability of our physical homes. Spiritual weight-bearing beams/practices in our homes help with many other kinds of stability in our homes as well as our family and individual lives. 

image - blueprint for my childhood home

Mary Elizabeth aka Betty & Maude

Mary Elizabeth Neely Todd Pepper
aka Betty & Maude

April 11, 1905 - July 16, 1983

Click here and here for Joe's stories about his mother

Learning - Wide, Broad, Deep & Lifelong

The following scriptures show the depth and breadth of what the Lord wants us to study, and learn – and why lifelong learning is important to us and to the Lord.

Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich. Doctrine and Covenants  6:7

Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my  word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men.  But now hold your peace; study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men, and also study my word which shall come forth among the children of men, … until you have obtained all which I shall grant unto the children of men in this generation, and then shall all things be added thereto. Doctrine and Covenants  11:21–22

Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. Doctrine and Covenants  19:23

And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom. Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you. Doctrine and Covenants  88:77–80, 118

And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. Doctrine and Covenants  88: 118

... study and learn, and become acquainted with all good books, and with languages, tongues, and people. Doctrine and Covenants 90: 15

The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one. And, verily I say unto you, that it is my will that you … obtain a knowledge of history, and of countries, and of kingdoms, of laws of God and man, and all this for the salvation of Zion. Doctrine and Covenants 93:36–37, 53

from Doctrine and Covenants and Church History

 – Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual page 129

Christmas Thought for July

The Work of Christmas

by Howard Thurman

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone, 

......

When the shepherds are back with their flock,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost, 

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

........

To bring peace among brothers, 

To make music in the heart.

Emily Freeman ends her book "A Christ-Centered Christmas - Seven Traditions to Lead Us Closer to the Savior" with this poem.  The author suggests using the figures in a Nativity to help us focus of the real meaning of Christmas. 

There are seven sections - Mary, Joseph, the angel, the shepherd, the Wise Men, the lamb, and the Christ Child. The author gives thoughts about the figure's perspective on the birth of Christ. Hymns, scriptures, a treat, and tradition are suggested for each part of the Nativity. A family could do one a week, starting midNovember and end with the Christ child on Christmas week. 

It's never too early to think about Christmas and the reason we celebrate it. In fact, our lives are much fuller and meaningful if the celebration of Christ and His teachings are part of every day. 

So - When I get out the Fall and Thanksgiving decorations this year, I'm going to pull out a Nativity also. 

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

Book available from amazon.com or hopefully your local independent bookstore


poem: Howard Thurman, "The Work of Christmas" Whole poem not included because of copyright.

image from Word

One Day - One Inch - At A Time

" ... seek heavenly guidance one day at a time. Life by the yard is hard; by the inch it’s a cinch. Each of us can be true for just one day—and then one more and then one more after that—until we’ve lived a lifetime guided by the Spirit, a lifetime close to the Lord, a lifetime of good deeds and righteousness. 

The Savior promised, “Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.” (3Nephi 15:9)

Thomas S. Monson

Independence Day - For The Bahamas

July 10 - Happy Independence Day to our Bahamian brothers and sisters

We served as missionaries in The Bahamas for a little over a year. 

We have a great love for the country and its people.

Many of the children in this photo now have children of their own.

Click here for an Independence Day message from our country to The Bahamas.

Nassau - September 1998

These wonderful women come from Haiti, Jamaica, Philippines, United States, and various islands of The Bahamas

flag

This We Know

“Having faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keeping His commandments are and always will be the defining test of mortality. …

“Our doctrine is clear; we are to be positive and of good cheer. We emphasize our faith, not our fears. We rejoice in the Lord’s assurance that He will stand by us and give us guidance and direction. The Holy Ghost testifies to our hearts that we have a loving Father in Heaven, whose merciful plan for our redemption will be fulfilled in every aspect because of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.”

Quentin L. Cook

Scriptures - Tools

Joshua said about the scriptures, “... thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:8-9) Or, as a speaker said not long after we joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1981, “Get out your Tools (the scriptures – Old Testament, New Testament, Book Of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants), bring them to every church meeting, every assignment, have them at the ready in your home – read them, study them, meditate upon the messages daily, then take action and follow the directions” – The scriptures, along with the messages of the living prophets, are your tools of life, - -  your tools will help you hold on to the Iron Rod and proceed on back to live with your Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and your eternal family!” - - - - So let us use the tools that we have been given to surmount the challenges of the day and night and be on about our Father’s work and continue along the path to our eternal home.  --- joe ************ In Sunday School I was reading something out of the scriptures when I noticed that my neighbors and I were all using the scriptures in a different format. I had the "old fashioned" print scriptures. Joe was reading along on his phone. Next to Joe the man was using an iPad. The word of God is available in so many ways nowadays. We can have the scriptures with us always.

Serving Together

Relief Society presidency

I am blessed to serve with these wonderful women

Tiffany, counselor; Maurine, president

Julia, secretary; Amy, counselor

Amy and Tiffany were recently released. I will miss our close association. They are wonderful examples of service, obedience, Christ-like love, and receptivity to the Spirit. We had some awesome experiences together as a presidency. 

A Picture, A Button & Memories

Mid1960s - celebration of my graduation from Miami University

When I scanned this picture, I remembered making the suit I wore when I graduated from Miami. Then it came to me that I still had a button from that suit. I checked the button box that made the trek west with us - there it was! Years of 4-H and coaching by Mom helped me develop some pretty good sewing skills that included an outfit like this, complete with bound buttonholes. 46 years have gone by - why in the world was memory of that button taking up space in my brain???

More pictures from graduation day

Grandparents - Hazel Floyd, Caryl & Florence Holton

John, Lee & Mavis King & Julia

(check out my hairdo - how much hairspray did it take to keep that in place?)

Don't we look young?

I'm sure Mom & Dad were there - no pictures of them for some reason

Michael Hall Todd

Michael Hall Todd

Michael's journey on earth is over. 

We wish him Godspeed as he continues learning and progressing on the other side. 

We love you Michael!

March 2013

Michael loves his girls

top - January 2012 - Salt Lake City

bottom - July 2011 - Ecuador

August 2010

November 2011

April 2010

a devoted Detroit Tigers fan

January 2012

August 2010

Joe's straw hat suits Michael just fine!

Michael loved working with roses in the greenhouses in South America. 

He felt beauty, peace, and happiness among the roses. 

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

"To every thing there is a season..." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Asparagus

Whenever I buy asparagus, I think about the asparagus bed John and I found at the house we bought on Harvest Street in Dublin. John, Michael, and I were not asparagus fans at the time so we tore out the bed and used the space for vegetables of our own choosing. For years asparagus kept trying to take over the garden, but we prevailed. 

Now, many years later and much wiser, I actually like asparagus 

- and I realize how much preparation and patience it took to establish that asparagus bed - and what a healthy and tasty vegetable it is.