Time for Our Best Effort

In the year 1653 when all things Sacred were throughout ye nation, Either demolisht or profaned, Sir Robert Shirley, Baronet, Founded this church; Whose singular praise it is, to have done the best things in ye worst times, and hoped them in the most callamitous. The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. Inscription on church in Leicestershire, England 

After quoting the inscription, Jeffrey Holland spoke of our times. "This is the time for our best effort, not our worst. This is a time for our greatest hope, not a retreat into calamity." 

Pondering Pondering

I like the word “ponder.” To me it goes well with the scripture to “Be still and know that I am God.” Pondering requires slowing down, being still, and acknowledging that it is possible to communicate with God. Pondering can bring “revelation and understanding.

Recently I was pondering pondering and was surprised at how many scriptures mentioned both heart and ponder. Things of God involve the heart as well as the head. 

One of my favorite scriptures concerns Mary, mother of Jesus - 
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart  Luke 2:19

For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot. 1 Nephi 11:1   While I can’t claim to have been taken to a mountain, I can claim to have been caught away in the Spirit in a way that I knew the experience came from God and not my imagination. 

... For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children. Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continually upon the things which I have seen and heard. 2 Nephi 4: 15-16

Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.   Moroni 10: 3

A Voice

And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul  Helaman 5: 30

It's amazing, and awesome, that such a mild voice can "pierce" us even to our souls. When this happens to me, it's very quick and very intense. Somehow the communication is clear - and I know that it is from God. 

Around Town

Some of you know that I'm fascinated with the monkey puzzle tree. This one was by Kirkland's swimming pool. When I walked by the pool recently, something didn't seem quite right. As I looked around, I realized the monkey puzzle tree had been cut down. Nooooo! Why?????

All that's left are the stump and a few leaves. 

Interestingly horsetail plants are sprouting in that spot. 

It's a living fossil just as is the monkey puzzle tree. 

Coming down from the Cross Kirkland Corridor 

and heading toward the lake

The flowers are one of the most beautiful parts of 

our Wednesday markets at the lake

This year the market has many signs, yellow caution tape, 

and orange markers telling us where we can and can't go. 

Need to keep the numbers small and everyone at a distance. 

Ducks & sailboats on a windy day

The end of another day

 If you look closely, you can see the Olympic Mountains in the distance

Day is done

Trying to Capture the Beauty

Lake Washington

I'm fascinated by the light. Sometimes everything sparkles. Sometimes the light spotlights certain sections of Seattle across the lake or lights up a plant (below). 

Sunsets are peaceful even when the sky isn't spectacular.

Below - Seattle in the distance, sailboats, and ducks at the end of the day

Day is done, gone the sun

From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;

All is well, safely rest, God is nigh (Taps)

A Bit Early?

Halloween costumes at Costco already

Too early for this

When will they put out the Christmas items?

New Art on Park Lane

"This vibrant, four-piece series was funded through the King County COVID-19 Response Fund and two grants from 4Culture, and is meant to tell the story of hope, strength and resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each sculpture is unique and portrays a different message, and all are wearing face coverings to represent our current COVID reality. The pieces were crafted by two Mexican American artists, Angie Hinojos Yusuf and Carlos Jimenez, and are titled Life/La Vida, Care/Cuidate, Wisdom/Sabiduria and Hope/El Futuro.

Meant to create a space for connection and COVID-19 awareness, the pieces reflect the rich heritage, symbolism, tradition, and history of the Mexican culture."

More information here 

London High School Class of 1940

London High School Class of 1940

London, Ohio

Summer Roses

Doctor Henry Holton

Henry Caryl Holton, father of Caryl Ames Holton, graduated from the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia in 1883. Prior to studying medicine, Henry was a teacher in several small towns in Illinois. After graduating from medical school, he set up practice in Archie, then Homer, and finally Sidell, Illinois.  

The graduation program says Henry's thesis was on "Physiology of the Blood"

Cadet Joe

Joe as a cadet at Howe Military School

Howe buttons & pins 

6th and 7th grades - 1945-46 & 1946-47

The W is for White Hall, the dormitory for the "Lower School" boys

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While searching for information recently, 

I discovered that Howe has closed after 135 years. More here

Prayer

Sometimes I get too casual with prayer and forget the power of prayer. I forget that I can and should talk with God. I don't know why I do this because I know that prayer can open a channel directly to Heavenly Father. I know that it is possible to have a "conversation" with God when we pray. Over the years I've seen prayers answered - sometimes quickly, sometimes with the answer "not now" or "not that way." 

Virginia Hinckley Pearce has some powerful counsel about prayer.

I believe in prayer, …this small and simple practice by which great things are brought to pass.

Prayer is certainly the most basic religious ritual—of all faiths. All those who believe in God seek him in some form of prayer. It is the earliest religious behavior we teach to our tiny children. And yet, the process of prayer cannot be fathomed by the human mind. None of us understands how it works, even though we may have had a lifetime of experience with it.

“Ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.”  2 Nephi 32:9 

Prayer works. It does indeed call down the powers of heaven. It reconciles our will with the will of the Father. It consecrates even our most adverse experiences to the welfare of our souls. Through combined prayer we experience love, unity, and power that are impossible to describe. ... And along the way we experience tender mercies over and over—those unmistakable messages from him: “I am here. I love you. You are living your life with my approval. Everything will work together for your good. Trust me.”

Read the complete talk here

Closure or Renewal?

 This time of Covid-19 has brought many closures, restrictions, and changes in many of our routines. 

Since I live by myself and I'm in the vulnerable age group for the virus and its complications, the restrictions, cautions, and logistics on where I can go and who I can see, have changed my daily life and other plans in major ways. I've felt disappointment, frustration, trepidation, and many other emotions since March. 

I've had to be more mindful of ways I can stay in touch with people if I can't see them in person. I have more time to focus on several major projects I can do at home, like building our digital family memorial library.

I've had to prayerfully figure out how I can feel the same connection with God that I feel attending church with family and friends or being of service in-person without concern for anyone's health. How can I experience these feelings when there are so many restrictions and concerns?

What am I to learn from this time of closure and restrictions? Gary Stevenson talked about using such times of closure as a time for renewal. He used the closure of the Salt Lake City Temple as a framework for his comments. 

"I envision it more as a time of renewal rather than a time of closure! In a similar way, we might ask ourselves, “How could this extensive renewal of the Salt Lake Temple inspire us to undergo our own spiritual renewal, reconstruction, rebirth, revitalization, or restoration?”  Gary Stevenson 

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Back here I wrote about the Salt Lake City Temple 

being closed for four years for seismic upgrades. 

Foundations & Safe Zones

Types and Shadows – The Salt Lake City Temple closed at the beginning of the year for planned seismic upgrades that will take about 4 years to complete. The plan and the process provide parallels for our own lives. 

"The renovation of the temple includes the installment of a base isolation system to help the building withstand a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. … this system connects the base with the temple roof through secure rods and cables in the towers to protect the building from further damage. We create a safe zone around the perimeter of the building where that building can move,. …It allows the building to move with the earthquake up to four or five feet in any one direction.”  Paul Lawrence of Jacobsen Construction  The temple’s stone foundation needs to be strengthened before the base isolation system can be installed. 

Gary Stevenson talked about this strengthening of the foundation of the temple and likened it to our lives. “What are the foundational elements of my spiritual and emotional character that will allow me and my family to remain steadfast and immovable, even to withstand the earthshaking and tumultuous seismic events that will surely take place in our lives? These events, similar to an earthquake, are often difficult to predict and come in various levels of intensity—wrestling with questions or doubt, facing affliction or adversity, .... The best defense against these lies in our spiritual foundation. What might spiritual cornerstones of our personal and family lives be? They may be the simple, plain, and precious principles of gospel living—family prayer; scripture study, ... and gospel learning... " 

Strong foundation and safe zone – I am designing and building in a way that I can withstand the seismic events that come my way.