Well life is going on in Boise. I am back to teaching and Grandpa will be starting at the cannery this Tuesday.
We continue to hold sacrament service at the retirement home every Sunday afternoon, and we are loving it. Grandpa has found his calling. He loves these old people and they love him. Our church time has change to the 11:00 a.m. time (we love it) so now when we get done with church we come home and grab our stuff for the retirement home and go there. We use to have to wait 2 1/2 hours when we went to church at 9:00. This is soooo much better.
I have started teaching the Teacher Development Lesson during Sunday School. This was my second week, both weeks we ran out of time before I was done with the lesson. I will have to work on that.
Then I also had to give a talk in sacrament meeting today. It was to be biased on Elder Perry talk in the October conference. I am sending the talk if you are interested in it.
Once upon a time there was a princess who had a servant that takes care of all of her daily need. He got up early in the morning to take care of the animals so the princess could sleep undisturbed, he fixed her lunch for her to take out in world on her adventures everyday. When the weather was bad the servant would warm up the princess’ carriage and remove the ice before the princess went out into the cold. While the princess was out for the day, the servant would clean the house, sweep, mop, vacuum, clean the bathroom, kitchen, make the bed, to the yard work and take care of the animals and grandchild if need. When the princess came home he would sometimes have dinner ready, other times he would help the princess cook a meal for the two of them, and then he would do the dishes while the princess rested in her recliner. If she wanted anything she did not have to get up and get it the servant to get it for her a drink, a blanket, her sudoku game. At bed time he would make sure the bed was warm and ready for the princess to rest her head and the day would start again. This sounds like a great way to reduce your stress doesn't it. In the October confers Elder L. Tom Perry spoke on simplicity and obtaining relief from the stresses of life. He told a story of am man that move to the banks of the Walden Pond in 1845 for two year. He was not a hermit but he lived independent of time. He studied nature, and wrote books, but also visited the town most days and had people to his cabin for company and conversation. After two year he left his cabin according to Elder Perry the man felt her had accomplish his purpose. That of EXPERIENCING THE SPIRITUAL BENEFITS OF A SIMPLIFIED LIFESTYLE, in his two year he concluded that people only really need four things: food, clothing, shelter, and fuel. The first requirement he spoke of is food (one of my favorite subjects). We are all familiar with the 89th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, the section we refer to as the Word of Wisdom. We know that the Word of Wisdom has a promise that if we keep all the things in the Word of Wisdom we will what?________ (run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint). (This doesn’t work for me any more, if I run I will be more than weary) But in the verse just before that is another promise that is often skipped over when we teach the word of wisdom that in the eternal perspective has even greater relevance. Verse 19 say: And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures. Food is to sustain life; it should not be our focus in life. This does not mean we shouldn’t have food that is prepared well, or with variety, but in our life where we don’t have to always be wondering where our next meal is coming from or if there will be a meal, we have greater treasures to be searching for. Second was clothing. Elder Perry stated and I quote “Our dress and grooming sends a message to other about who we are, and they also affect the way we act around others.” I would like to add it affects the way others act around us also. Our daughter is a school counselor in Riggins. This is a new school district for her and quite a change in lifestyle from the Twin Fall area she and her children moved from. When we were all together at Thanksgiving we talked about her work and how she is trying to help the student in Riggins be prepared to go to collage or some type of trade school to better the life. During the conversation she said when she is working with the Jr. and Sr. High schools she has really noticed how differently the students treat her according to how she is dressed. If she wears a dress or nice pant and a suit jacket they are more formal around her, however on the few times she has worn jeans because it was a SPIRIT day or such the students talk and demeanor towards her was totally different and she had trouble controlling the class. Third was shelter. Housing is a very big topic in the news now. The man in Elder Perry’s story built his cabin by tearing down an old railroad shanty he had bought and rebuilding it on his land. Today we are not expected to or in most cases able to do this ( I would hate to live or see the house that Ken built, he uses a chain saw for trim work). We can learn to live in a smaller area, or not have all the things you might think you need. When Lehi was commanded to leave Jerusalem, he left it all: his house, his land, gold & silver and precious things. What did he take or really need 1. His family. 2. Provisions (food & clothing). 3 Tents. We haven’t been commanded to leave everything but the prophets have been telling us for years to live within our means. Don’t go into debt. Sometimes we say why do they keep preaching about the same things? It’s because we aren’t listening. Like when my student are tired of learning the same concepts in math or reading and I tell them as soon as you show me you can do it we won’t have to keep working on it. The last was fuel, in his talk Elder Perry talked about spiritual fuel. How we each need to be filling our own fuel tanks with spiritual fuel. We can’t be like the 5 foolish virgins and wait until it is too late and expect someone to fill our tanks. We need to do it on a daily biases. Matthew 6:31-33 and 3 Nephi 13:31-33 Matthew 6: 31.Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32.(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Back to the princess and the servant. He takes care of a two of the needs listed in Elder Perry talk, food, shelter (cleaning it), he would have taken care of the clothing by doing the laundry however the princess has forbidden him, and the spiritual fuel is something that has to be done by the individual. Other can lead and guide but they can’t do the fueling for someone else. I know not everyone is a princess like I am and you have to take care of all 4 items for yourself and maybe others but if we remember to keep it simple we can reduce the stress in our life, by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
These are some photos we took this past summer when we drove down for the open house at the Twin Fall Temple. We also stopped at the falls. The young lady standing by your Dad is our neighbor Mandy. She is a school teacher also and is Ririe.
