Hard Times

Sometimes the going gets rough. What follows are some quotes and thoughts about the challenging parts of our journey here on earth. 

I took a picture of the above sculpture because it reminded me of what happens to us sometimes. Pulling a handcart is hard enough. Pulling it in the cold and snow is even harder. Sometimes it seems like our challenges just pile up.

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Reality is that we often learn more from the hard stretches of our lives than from the easy parts. Challenges stretch us. They remind us to turn to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Spirit. If we rely on them for comfort, counsel, and peace, we can deepen our relationships with them. After we get through a difficult situation, we can almost always look back and appreciate what we’ve learned. That said, it can still be very hard.

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A little boy said to his mother after a scary time in a snow storm, "Hope Ya Know We Had a Hard Time." Quentin Cook has some wise thoughts on getting through hard times. Christ is there to help us through scary times. 

"At times when we may feel to say, “Hope you know, I had a hard time,” we can be assured that He is there and we are safe in His loving arms."

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Our hearts ache when loved ones go through tough times. We don't want it to be hard for anyone we love. But sometimes life is just hard. When it is, I often think of Dad and his saying "Onward and upward." Just keep going. 

I love this quote about the way we can help each other during difficult times. 

"... we reach out to each other. Hands often speak as voices can’t. A warm embrace conveys volumes. A laugh together unites us. A moment of sharing refreshes our souls. We cannot always lift the burden of one who is troubled, but we can lift her so she can bear it well.” Elaine L. Jack

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Sometimes a situation seems especially bitter and our challenge is to experience the "bitter cup without becoming bitter." Neal Maxwell eloquently speaks about this and how Christ's Atonement can help us in such times. His talk is especially poignant because he was battling leukemia at the time he gave the address. Read it here. 

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"... peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment" Doctrine and Covenants 121: 7

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"... [L]et us remember that through any illness or difficult challenge, there is still much in life to be hopeful about and grateful for. We are infinitely more than our limitations or our afflictions!"    Jeffrey R. Holland

Called To Serve

Prior to going to The Bahamas on our mission we spent several weeks at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah. The MTC was filled to overflowing with hundreds and hundreds of missionaries preparing to serve all over the world. Those of us who were older stayed and trained at a nearby "campus" in a converted motel. Once a week we went to the MTC for a devotional held for all missionaries in training. 

At the devotional they moved the old folks to the front of the line and seated us in the front rows in the huge auditorium so we wouldn't get lost in the stampede of youthful energy. As we waited for the program to start we talked among ourselves and were vaguely aware of people coming in behind us. 

The opening song was "Called to Serve." This hymn is sung often in church, usually with great energy and enthusiasm - so it was very familiar to us. 

Called to serve Him, heav'nly King of glory,

Chosen e'er to witness for his name,

Far and wide we tell the Father's story,

Far and wide his love proclaim.

Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;

Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;

Forward, pressing forward, as a triumph song we sing.

God our strength will be; press forward ever,

Called to serve our King.

Called to know the richness of his blessing—

Sons and daughters, children of a King—

Glad of heart, his holy name confessing,

Praises unto him we bring.

Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;

Onward, ever onward, as we glory in his name;

Forward, pressing forward, as a triumph song we sing.

God our strength will be; press forward ever,

Called to serve our King.

This time it was different. The sound and feeling were electrifying. We turned around and saw several thousand missionaries. We intensely felt the reality and awesomeness of our mission call. We felt we were truly part of God’s army - called to serve.

What a blessing it was, and continues to be, to be part of God's army - called to serve. Each of us can heed that call.

Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings "Called To Serve"

photo - 1996 at the Missionary Training Center, Provo, Utah

hymn text: Grace Gordon, alt.; music: Adam Geibel, 1855-1933

Veteran - John Caryl - Revolutionary War

John Caryl, resident of Grafton, Massachusetts, enlisted in 1777 as Surgeon's Assistant under Dr. Crosby in the Massachusetts Militia and served for three or four months.

In 1778 he enlisted as Surgeon's Mate in Colonel Ezra Wood's Regiment, Massachusetts Militia and served eight months.

John married Eunice Willard October 3, 1779 at Grafton, Massachusetts.

The "Sister Hotton" referenced in the letter has to be Nancy Caryl Holton one of John's and Eunice's children.

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This 1924 letter is filed in the Case Files of Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Applications Based on Revolutionary War Service (at the National Archives). A Mabel McCallum of Onendaga Valley, New York wrote for information about John Caryl

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John & Eunice Willard Caryl are parents of Nancy Caryl

Nancy Caryl married Leonard Holton and are parents of Leonard Caryl Holton

Leonard married Helen Dudley and their son was Henry Caryl Holton.


Henry Caryl and Urania Ames Holton had Caryl Ames Holton (my grandfather)

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Click the military label to the right for stories and pictures of our family who have served in the military.

Book - The Covenant

The Covenant by James A. Michener

"The novel is set in South Africa, home to five distinct populations: Bantu (native Black tribes), Coloured (the result of generations of racial mixture between persons of European descent and the indigenous occupants of South Africa along with slaves brought in from Angola, Indonesia, India, Madagascar and the east Coast of Africa), British, Afrikaner, and Indian, Chinese, and other foreign workers. The novel traces the history, interaction, and conflicts between these populations, from prehistoric times up to the 1970s.

Michener writes largely from the point of view of the Afrikaners, descendants of Dutch settlers and French Huguenot immigrants who traveled to South Africa to practice freedom of worship in the Calvinist tradition, and other European groups (such as the Germans), all of whom were absorbed by the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch Reformed Church. The Afrikaners, whose Dutch ancestors first established a trading and refueling stop at Cape Town in the 17th century to service ships moving between Holland and Java, and whose ranks were augmented by Huguenot and other northern European immigrants, considered themselves the "New Israelites". They found in the Old Testament verification for their belief that God favored their conquest of the new land. Their strict, fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible supported them through the Great Trek of the 19th century; battles against Zulu and other Bantu tribes, who also laid claim to lands to the north; the Anglo-Boer War (when small guerrilla bands of a few hundred Afrikaner farmers were able to hold off tens of thousands of British regulars); and their institution of Apartheid in the 20th century, when they insisted on racial purity, separatism, and white supremacy, per the moral expectations of the god of Israel in the Old Testament and their own determination to keep political power in the hands of Whites of European descent." (wikipedia)

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I first read this book decades ago and enjoyed it so much that I read most of Michener's books. I like the way he covers the whole span of history of a specific place. 

This time around I decided to purchase a copy instead of borrowing the book from the library. When I went to Kirkland’s independent bookstore, the cashier (who is also the owner) gingerly questioned me about the book – what interested me in it and so forth. I could tell she was being careful with her questions. As we spoke, she finally revealed that she was born and raised in South Africa. She and her husband decided to bring their children to the States to raise them in what they felt was a safer environment. 

If you've ever wondered how apartheid could come to be, this book will give you hundreds of years of history that led to apartheid. 

Click here to read interesting insights written by the man who helped Michener research the book. 

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Now I'm rereading Michener's book "Caribbean." 

Perspective

"We need to be constantly reminded of the eternal reasons behind the things we are commanded to do. The basic gospel principles need to be part of our life’s fabric, even if it means learning them over and over again. That doesn’t mean that this process should be rote or boring. Rather, when we teach the foundational principles in our homes or in church, let the flame of enthusiasm for the gospel and the fire of testimony bring light, warmth, and joy to the hearts of those we teach."    Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Keepsake - Heidi Doll & Book

My mother wrote her name and June 20, 1936 inside this book. Mom was about 9 years old in this 1935 picture.                                     

In 1993 she typed the story of the Heidi doll.

Albert and Lili Vogt were good friends of my mother's family. 

The doll's body is wood and has jointed legs. 

Mom and Dad - They Made a Difference

Through their community service and open door/open table policy Mom and Dad met, served, and listened to many people throughout their lives in London. Years after their deaths we still hear about Mom and Dad and the impact they had on others. 

When my sister went to her high school reunion a few months ago, a number of people told her they appreciated how open Mom and Dad were. All were welcomed and listened to at Oak Street. 

At my recent 50th high school reunion, I was reminded of how Mom and Dad helped others. A friend related two stories that I didn't remember at all - one involves Mom and Dad. My friend's mother and my father went to school together in London and were in the same graduating class. After she married my friend and her family were back yard neighbors to my parents.

My friend talked about the time she went with us to Ohio University. Mom and Dad were taking me to see the campus and invited her to go along. She gushed about how much she appreciated being included and that she never would have been able to see the campus if Mom and Dad hadn't taken her. She even remembered that we went in Grandpa's Cadillac. I don't remember anything about this adventure.

She filled in a  memory about another car trip together. She, another friend and I went to Miami University to check out the campus. That would have been Friday, November 22, 1963. The reason I remember the date - I was in an interview with the head of the Paper Technology department when someone burst into the room and exclaimed that President Kennedy had been shot. The only other thing I remember about that trip is listening to the funeral on the radio on the way home. That means we would have been on campus Friday evening, all day Saturday, Sunday, and some of Monday. Did we really stay that long? Or am I remembering radio coverage on the way home and not the funeral? What did we do? Where did we stay? I need to ask her more about that trip. I had forgotten that she was with us. My memory included the other friend, the interview, the assassination, and the ride home. 

My Dad bought this Degas print and framed it for another friend. All these years later, my friend still has the print in her home. 

The stories about Mom and Dad, who they helped, and the difference they made, could go on and on. Mom and Dad, thank you for the legacy of caring and serving - and making a difference in people's lives. 

images of Mom & Dad - about 1950 & December 1982

others October 2014