Donna's Journey

Today was the Primary program…yes I cried through the entire thing. I had been the teacher of so many of them. They grow up so fast!

My husband was asked to address the joint Relief Society and Priesthood session on the topics of getting out of debt, saving, and budgeting. Perhaps I will post it.

After church I renewed my temple recommend for the new changes.

I came home and made dinner. One of my closest friends, for the last 14 years, moves to tomorrow. So we invited their family to join us for dinner. They are moving across the lake. He runs a recording studio from their home and they have out grown it. Jennifer has been a great example. She is always trying to learn new things, improve her gifts, and serve. I will miss her dearly! After dinner we had a deep discussion, If faith is a gospel principle of power, what are the other principles of power? Obedience. Agency. Submission. Sacrifice. What is Godly power? Service. Healing. Blessing. It was obvious what the counterfeit is. The adversary would have us believe that power is control of others, and money is its chief vehicle.

I look forward to the written format of The Relief Society General broadcast so I can experience it on a deeper level. I really liked Julie Beck’s comments on doing the essentials and learn the difference between essentials and nice to dos. Sister Thompson’s remarks on the difference between stable families and dis-functional ones. Elder Thomas S. Monson helping us to see that the hand the rocks the cradle and the things women of the church need to be doing…

This afternoon I attended the baby shower, with Mary, for my niece Ailee. She was so radiant and lovely. My sister and her 13 year old son will be flying in from Hawaii this week, to be with Ailee.

After the shower I hurried home and got there in time to see Jeremy leave on his first date, dinner (made by the guys) and the homecoming dance. He got home before midnight. He had a good time. The group he was in were sharp guys. The guys made the dinner. There were about 20 youths in their dinner group.

I went to Relief Society, we probably had 380 women there for the dinner and more arrived for the General broadcast. Many of the speakers addressed issues that I have included in my thesis. I was grateful for the messages.

Yesterday, Roger and I drove Julia to Cedar City. Then we drove up the Canyon and over the top to Highway 89. We were looking for colors changing. We saw pockets of color. We drove up Fairview Canyon and almost all the leaves were brown.I relaxed and Roger drove. We made it home about 30 minutes before our home teachers got her.

I visit taught this afternoon. When i got home, Roger and I drove to Allred’s barn in North Provo and order 6 bushels of Jonathan apples. They will be ready Monday. Then we will can applesauce and pie slices. On the way home we saw an old orchard and stopped and knocked on the door. We met a delightful couple in their 80s. They told us we can pick all the apples we want. We will go back on Monday. I love autumn and the smell of fresh apples!

Tonight, I went up to the Stake Center and helped set tables and decorate for 400, for the Stake Relief Society dinner, tomorrow before the broadcast. It took 10 of us about 45 minutes to cover the tables, set them, and decorate them.

I am still so exhausted for having been so ill, for so long. While I was doing Relief Society Jeremy went to the Homecoming game with his date for the dance and her friends. I saw her earlier and she seemed happy. I think it was a first date for them both.

Yes, Happy Birthday son. Adam is 29 today! I reminisced on Saturday, as we watched the BYU vs Air Force football game for BYU’s homecoming. 29 years ago, Tuesday 26 September 1978, I had my first son, Roger “Adam.” That following weekend BYU played Air Force for our homecoming game. Adam went to the game with us and he was a few days old. He slept in my snuggly carrier, through the whole game. I confessed to my doctor later. He laughed and told me that his wife had a baby the day after I did and they were at the same game! That boy is now a 6′4” father with two sons of his own. They grow up.

Today is also the 233rd anniversary of the birth of my favorite folk Hero, John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed. He was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, 26 September 1774. He was a real person. A statesman, in that he saw needs and inserted himself there. Whether it be the need for food, or the need for peace, between white man and Indian. He saw the need for settlers to have food, as they moved west. He would collect seeds from the cider presses, plant them and nurture seedlings, so settlers could have healthful food producing trees. He was a friend of the Indian and the white man. He would warn the settlers if he caught wind of a pending attack. He was also a Swedenborgian and shared his beliefs with those who would listen. He died in Fort Wayne Indiana in March of 1845. I was born in Fort Wayne, and as a child remember going to the park like area where he was buried.

Yes, certainly autumn is here. With the temperature dropping I made homemade potato soup and chunky cream of tomato soup for our luncheon today. One mother brought a homemade chicken rice soup, and another brought apple crisp. We discussed different reactions to the readings. All of our mothers worked. We talked about the generational attitudes toward domesticity. Men have their issues as well. Hopefully, as we embark on this journey, we can discover and pass on, what our generation seems to have missed.

Boy, did the weather change. I woke early to drive my son to the seminary to drop off a note for his date to homecoming. It started to sleet! Mt. Timpanogas wears a veil today. The clouds hung low. I parked my van on the street because winds threatened and I was concerned of branches dropping. No sooner had I crossed the thresh hold of my home, than the skies opened and poured out white little pea sized hail. I sat on my sofa and watched it bounce on our deck. It is 48 degrees outside and a cozy 68 degrees in our home. Cozy with my warm socks, fleece slacks, and sweater.

Time to cook up pancakes!

My Inner Abundance Plan for Today:
My Heart of Faith– Read in Alma, second thought, I think I will pursue the topic of Godly womanhood in my scripture study.
My Mind– Revisit my Prospectus, lay out my reading plan
My Tabernacle– Drink Water, Stretching Exercises
My Connections– Cottage School Morning, Family Home Evening
My Blessings– Work on my “Price Book”
My Stewardship– take time to view my day, calendar with the family

Autumn came with winds and storm. The temperature has dropped over the last twenty four hours, to the cool 60s. Gee, I grew up in the 60s, it was a cool time. OOps, wrong 60s, I am talking the lazy days of summer are behind us.

Apples should be ready for canning this week. Leaves should start changing color! That means it is crunch time. I love to kick leaves and rake leaves into big piles, and it is bring out the hot cocoa and spiced cider time.

The real crunch time is working on my thesis- book, and getting my bid in for the stained glass art piece.

The health issues of September really slowed me down.

Along with everything else I need to take care of my inner abundance of my soul, each day:
My heart of faith… that deep down inside of me, part of me that is eternal.
My tabernacle of flesh.. the body that houses and holds together the rest.
My mind… that needs care and feeding to create and contribute.
My blessings… the material stewardship that God entrusts to me.
My stewardships… of which time is the thread that permeates it all.
My connections… family, aren’t we all?

Many of the areas dovetail of my Journey to Zion.

Today was the last day of summer and the rains came and washed everything fresh and clean. Today was rough, health wise, but I am on the mend. This has been one long siege, one thing after another.

I have the ionizer on in my room and am sleeping better. I hope to start walking again this week. It will be hard, as Julia is going to Cedar City this week Wednesday. Oh, but I will still have Candace to walk with.

I have not felt well enough to concentrate on anything, long. So I decided to go through old magazines and get rid of them. I have been going through them tearing out things that resonate with me, I watch as this creative energy unleashes something in me. I am enjoying the space this is creating. Less you think I had stacks every where, I did not. However, I did have several neatly located stacks that were not obtrusive. Removing them, gleaning the epiphanies, on letting them go, is great. When I am done with the magazines, I have a few things on my desk to take care of. Then I will have an inviting creative place to set up my lap top and work in the afternoons. It is nice to have a night stand that is neat and spare. The spare is more tranquil, less crowding. I go to bed with a clean house, clean kitchen, clean laundry, clean sinks, even though I was very sick this week.
No one open the fridge! Yikes. That will have to wait until next week.

Our lawn mower died this week, but they were able to repair it. So, My lawn is mowed! James and Jeremy asked Roger to cut their hair, so he did.

Well, its of to bed for me;) I treasure my rest and live for Sundays, where the pace slows way down. A time for contemplation.

Friends, this blog was began on 7 February 2006. By 13 March 2006 I posted my 100th post. We are now at 600 posts. I never did my 100 favorite list when I blogged 11, I may add it this week.

When I was 500 months old I had a 500 monthaversary party. I missed my 600, which was my Hawaii Five O.

Everyone check this out, Retired by 50: What it Really Takes One of the five couples mentioned in this article is Janine and Brad Bolon. I just reported here, on her books. Those books will be the reading for the Art Queenship class in November. Kudos my friend!