Remembering is a Good Choice

What is it that You Will Choose to Remember This Day?

We all remember the scenes of devastation and sorrow. 

Do we remember the love? Do we remember the kindness?
Do we remember the humanity and the selfless service
of those who gave their all to save a stranger?

After 9-11, individuals and families all across our nation
chose to remember God and to remember Country.
Is that a choice for you today?
Are you still attending your Church?
Are you still displaying your flag?
Do you still have hope
for yourself, your children, and our Country?

The Holy Ghost can bring all things to our remembrance.
Are we remembering to express gratitude to those we love,
to our family and friends?
Are we remembering to show kindness to strangers?
Are we remembering to give thanks,
praising God, and giving Him the glory?

We can choose to see evil every day,
because it is here and we can see it.

We can also choose to see love every day,
because it is here and we can be a part of it.
We can create it.

We clearly mean it when we say, “We will never forget.”
But what exactly is it that we are choosing to remember.
Will our memories make a difference to us?
Will our actions make a difference for others?

We can’t forget the insidious actions of hatred
that have taken innocent lives, on 9-11 and throughout history;
and how those cruel deeds caused pain and damage
to loved ones that is ongoing. 

But do those actions make a more indelible mark 

on our souls than the goodness that is witnessed 

during those very times? 

Light always shines through, 

and our choices can make it overpower the darkness 

in our own hearts, minds, and lives.
With that light,
we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Jesus is the Light of the World, 

and it is only through remembering Him 

that we can experience everlasting peace and everlasting life.

He died for all humanity, 

our failures, our mistakes, and even our hate.

He lives for all of us, too. 

He is the Way. He is our Bread. He is our salvation. 

Through Him our lives can again have meaning and direction. 

With His love, He provided hope for all. 

His invitation is, “Come, follow Me.”

Do we remember to find ways to 

recognize and remember God’s kindness?

What will you choose to remember today?

A scripture verse:

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the
rock of our Redeemer,
who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation;
that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea,
his shafts in the whirlwind,
yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you,
it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built,
which is a sure foundation,
a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Helaman 5:12

A message from an apostle:

O Remember, Remember

Pledging My Heart and My Hand Again

I learned this little song in Primary as a very young child. It is still a favorite. I am glad that I was privileged to learn about God and about His hand in giving us this great Country. I'm glad that my parents valued teaching me these things. They didn't set aside my learning until they thought I could understand everything or make decisions for myself. They didn't set aside my learning, giving me the “freedom” to choose to learn whatever I wanted to at some future date.

My parents are not natives to this Country, but they are Americans and United States citizens in every other way. They value the opportunities that this Country has given them in the way of religious freedom and individual enterprise. They are thankful for the privilege of rearing their family on the blessed soil granted by God to those who claimed the Lord as God. Their generation is indeed representative of the workers. And we are the beneficiaries of their work.

In third grade, I had a teacher named Miss Nakahara. She was of Japanese descent, and she was one of the most patriotic teachers I've ever met. We learned so many songs about our Country that year. Each day we would begin class with The Pledge of Allegiance and two or three patriotic songs. I learned to love this Country at church, in my home, and at school. And I learned to love God in those three places as well. I am thankful that my school teachers and Primary teachers were able to provide me moral direction.

I remember looking forward to 1976! It was a great big deal. We looked forward to that Bicentennial of The United States of America for many years. What a wonderful milestone for us to witness and to be a part of. I don't know of anyone who didn't love this great land. We rejoiced in it, in the history of it, and in those who safeguarded our freedoms.

I also remember looking forward to the Sesquicentennial of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I wouldn't describe the feelings that I had for these two events as pride; at least, not in the way pride events are celebrated today. I had a sense of security in the history and celebrations of our Country and our Church. There was a sense of belonging and unity, despite diversity. I felt a quietness and a reverence, as well as a thrill and exuberance. I still feel those things when I think about God and country and what those two things mean to me.

Our lives experiences shape us to a great degree. We form a schemata, our personal knowledge storage bank. The things that we learn in our first few years of life can become important tools to us throughout life. The guidance that we receive from parents, leaders, mentors, and teachers can be an invaluable endowment in aiding our ability to form into healthy and happy human beings. Ultimately, it is our personal choices and desires to do well that can propel us forward in our path and progress. If we are taught to love both God and Country, if we are given healthy doses of scripture and history, will these things help mold us into better people, or will they serve to trap or indoctrinate us?

Were my rights infringed upon because I was taught to love God and Country? Absolutely not. Because I had the security of knowing God, of feeling His love for me, and because I had the assurance that this land was a blessed land with a moral destiny, I had the calmness and peace of knowing that I myself could succeed and be happy.

As a very young child, I'd place my hand on my heart and sing the words, “I pledge my heart;” then, I would draw my hand out away from me and sing, “I pledge my hand;” continuing on, “to God, and to my native land. To both of them, I will be true; for, that is what I ought to do.” I could feel the truth and power that these words invoked back then. I could feel the peace and security of making a covenant with God back then, a covenant concerning being faithful to Him and faithful to the cause of freedom that He ordained for me in this great land. I feel it still.

May we all bless the name of our God, and may God bless America.

I am Passionate About Education

I am passionate about education. My greatest joy in life has been watching my children learn and sharing in that experience, and learning right along with them. Watching a child’s eyes light up when he learns something new, especially when he is sharing with you what he learned, is an incredible experience. Parents who think that they are not smart enough to teach their own children are WRONG. Parents, of necessity and by right, are their children’s first teachers; and, you are their most important teachers, along with the Holy Ghost. You must teach your children to recognize the Spirit so that they can learn truth for themselves.

Living in today’s world is a huge plus for education. There is so much light and truth and goodness, and there are so many resources available for teaching and learning. Never, at any time, have we been blessed with so much light and learning available. Also, never, at any time, have we been bombarded with so much darkness and potentially corruptive material. In most places in the world today, parents have the choice on how and where to educate their children. Ultimately, parents are responsible for the teaching and training of their children, and they should be supportive and involved in the educational path of their choosing. If they aren't, it is time to make a new choice and then be involved.

In ages past, many communities had families, churches, and schools all working together to help children become moral and productive members of society. Today the schools blame parents for all societal ills, and parents blame schools; and, most leave religion and God out of the equation. Without our children being taught about God, His love for them, and what He expects of them being first and central in their training and education, they are NOT receiving the education that they need most--the path and plan that can lead us all back to our Heavenly Father’s presence. Parents cannot rely on schools to teach their children to live godly lives; neither, can they be dependent upon churches to do so. In the same breath, I must say that parents cannot rely on outside sources to solely educate their children in the three R's and beyond. It is ultimately the parents' responsibility to follow through and make certain that their children are learning. Sometimes this requires extra help from outside sources; all the time, there should be parental support and involvement.

You cannot know what is happening in your child’s education, if you are not present. Your young child lacks the necessary skills to impart to you what is going on at school. Also, he has most likely been taught at home and at school to have respect for adult authority; and, therefore, if he is belittled or reprimanded at school inappropriately, he most likely will not tell you about it, because he is confused and fearful. I can personally attest to many incidences where my own children were treated inappropriately at school; and, as a result, they were confused as to what exactly is appropriate. In saying this, I am no way claiming that nothing inappropriate ever happens in the home; but, in the home, there is usually constant love, and acceptance, forgiveness, redirection, and respect for a child’s age, learning style, and learning capacity. I also am not saying that all educators lack respect and the desire for our children’s best good. You, as parents, just need to be involved; be alert, be watchful, and know what is going on in your child’s school. If you are present and seek to establish rapport with the teachers and school staff, you can become a necessary link as a mediator in your child’s educational experience. If you don’t think you have time to do so, you better rearrange your priorities and make time.

If you are not passionate about education, change your mind and your heart, and become passionate. Assess the pros and cons of each educational choice. Why do you want your children to attend public school? Why do you want them to go to a private school? Why have you chosen to school at home? Are you are sending your children to public school merely because you think that this is the best environment for socialization? Think it through again. You should be aware with whom your children socialize and how they are being socialized. Are you sending your child to private school because you think there are fewer problems there than in public school? Think it through again. Have you thoroughly checked out the school your student attends, with your presence, and assessed its strengths and weaknesses? Have you checked out the private school to see if it has anything better to offer? Sometimes parents move children with extra disciplinary needs to private schools. Are you schooling at home? What is your motivation to do so? I believe that if you are going to teach your children at home, you should be doing so for some extremely good reasons. Do you want your children to have a cutting edge in the world? Do you want your children to be taught correct Christian principles all throughout the day? Do you want your children to be able to do extracurricular activities that do not extend their workday into many additional hours beyond the regular 6 ½ hour school day? Do you want more productive and bonding family time? Are you listening to what your child wants, plus teaching him to make his choices through prayer and the power of the Holy Ghost? Are you also seeking the Holy Ghost’s guidance in relation to your family’s educational choices? Most importantly, you must realize that you can make your own choices about education and you should rely on the Holy Ghost to direct you in doing so. You do not have to send your child to a brick-and-mortar school just because it’s a tradition. Follow what is best for your child and your family.

My children all learned how to read at home and how to enjoy learning. I guess I'm selfish that way. Why would I want someone else to hear my child read his first words? That would be like having someone else watch him take his first steps. If you must send your children to public school, you needn't let them take away the bonding moments of joy that rightfully belong in the home. Read everything with them: scriptures, fairy tales, library books, etc. Sing with them; talk with them; discuss everything; listen, love, learn together. One of my adult daughters gave Bob and me the greatest compliment. She said that we had a humanitarian house, because it has been filled with good books and music and parents and children that shared these things together on a regular basis. In other words, realize that you must become home-schooling parents even if you send your children away to school for 6 ½ hours every day.

While I am passionate about education, I am also passionate about agency—the right to choose. This right to choose properly belongs with the parents and the families. We should all respect each other’s rights in choosing our educational paths, and we should realize that most parents love their children and want what’s best for them.

My four oldest children attended public school, but that does not mean that they were not schooled at home. We always had magazines and workbooks that interested them. We took advantage of the year-round-school schedule and had many fieldtrip days filled with fun and learning. The month periods where they were off-track always helped to put our family back on track. Overall, these four had a great educational experience at home and in the public school. They were all honor students, and two of them were Valedictorians. Even so, there were some tragic happenings along the way that were not consistent with our beliefs or methods. And many times, our children were not afforded due process that should have been their right as U.S. citizens.

Our youngest attended public school for Kindergarten and 2nd grade; she skipped first. Since she was the youngest, I was extremely involved at her school. Here I observed “the good, the bad, and the ugly.” She had two really fine teachers. But, when she began 3rd grade, and because of the year-round-schedule, she hadn’t turned 7 yet, it became apparent that this was not the educational environment that she needed or that was best suited to her learning style. Her 3rd grade teacher is a wonderful lady, but we decided to school our daughter at home. It was the best decision. (By the way, her principal and many teachers also told us that they thought it was a great decision.)


My daughter just graduated high school this past June. She graduated as a Valedictorian from California Virtual Academy’s 2013 Class. Since 7th grade (and maybe earlier), I have asked her what she wanted to do at the end of every school year concerning the upcoming year. She chose to continue schooling at home, and she was happy doing so. This afforded her the opportunity of volunteering two mornings a week at the environmental learning center in a library close by. She wouldn't have been able to do that had she been in regular public school. She was also in a church youth group. So she had plenty of socialization. Do I regret that she didn't have some of the positive experiences I had, or my other children had, in public school? Of course, I do. But she may not have had any of them anyhow. Am I glad for the extra family time and bonding and moral teaching that were available to her in our home? Yes. That counters any negative.

My children all attended an early morning religion class throughout high school as well. I am thankful that they had the opportunity for spiritual instruction and were empowered thereby to deal with the battles that they faced in high school. I believe that if you choose to send your children to public school, you must be diligent in supplying them with the tools that they need to fight the battles of the day. You must also develop great communication skills so that your children will be able to tell you what is happening in their lives. You might find it necessary to take time to try to undo the things that shouldn't be taught or happening at your children’s school. In other words, know what is going on in your child's life. You must be intimately involved in his or her education, whether that takes place at home or in a building we call school.

I think that too often we think that we can change the system while we are molding ourselves to the system. It doesn't work well. So you need to know your values, stand up for your values, teach your children your values, and teach them to stand up for their values. More than anything, whether you send your child to school or school at home, realize that you must be a home-schooling parent! You MUST. Also, realize that you must take a lead in the proper socialization of your children. Pay attention to the friends they choose from the time they are small, and help them make good choices. Build your own co-op of support with your adult friends and their families. Take your children to church and help to strengthen your own family and other families. Wherever your child attends school, wherever your child goes, be involved. Be a teacher. Be a parent.

Post Note, prompted by discussions during the day:

I have a whole lot of respect for those who have attained college degrees, and professional degrees in education. So many wonderful teachers, counselors, and school personnel have influenced my life, the life of my husband, and the lives of our children. Two of my children actually have degrees in education. Cathy is one of them; John is the other. John's wife is also a teacher. I believe that we can all be passionate about education without thinking it's my way or the highway. We should all make educated choices about our educational paths and those of our children. When we study out what is best and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we will know how to best meet the needs of our own children. And we should not feel inclined to patronize those who choose differently than we do, nor diminish the positive educational experiences we have received, because of a few bad encounters. Like I said in the above post, I am passionate about both education and agency.

Yet in my own experience, I often said when my four oldest were small, if things got worse, I would homeschool. Well, things got worse, so I did. It was the right choice for our family.

Sunday Morning Stake Conference, 3-24-13

3-24-13 Sunday Morning Stake Conference

(These are my notes; they have not yet been revised)

President Kinser—sustainings

President Garvin

Deep appreciation; thankful for kind acts of service. Spirit bore witness of Elder Garne’s goodness and the necessity of following his counsel.

Daughter developed interest in ice skating. Impressed with symmetry of paired skaters. Wife had interest in BYU ballroom dancing. Pairs impressive. Unity expressed in step moving at times. These cannot approach husband and wife working together with in harmony with the gospel in their homes and raising their families. Synchronized swimming also impressive. The beauty and greatest of a family working together acting in harmony with the gospel. Some families find themselves under water, but they continue to work together as one.

We have the tools to work together in harmony.

1. Come unto Christ effort.
Family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the blessings of church activity.

Rodgersons—recently sealed in the temple. Together than can weather adversity well, and they can come off conquerors.

Remember the times when all of us knew that home was a part of heaven, and the dews of heaven distilled upon our family.

Prayer is, as it were, the breath of life to my soul. President Garvin

Tears shed in happy unity of purpose.

Grateful for the scriptures; iron rod that has blessed my life. Reread chapter in Book of Mormon over and over again; received strength to do what previously had seemed impossible. Comforting assurance that we can achieve the oneness that is expected of us. Blessings will come as you see your children married in the temple. (Gold medals) As you join with them in blessing their children. Etc. Surely there couldn’t have been a happier people.

Sister Amy Shellhouse

God lives and we are His children. Christ lives and has made it possible for us to return to Heavenly Father. Standards. The church stands as an anchor in a world of shifting values. D&C 115:5: Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard to the nations.

Rise to higher ground. Be so sure of our faith that there is no room for any doubt.

President Monson admonishes youth to build testimony which will keep them safe. Be firm in faith, so when trials come, we will know what we believe. My beliefs define who I am.

Truly felt Savior’s love and her testimony was strengthened. We never know who we can touch. If even one is touched, the trials are worth it. We can be the difference, and we can bring the change. I know that God lives, and I am His daughter. I know that Christ lives, and that He is my older brother.

Sister

Isaiah 2:2-3

Mountain of the Lord. We go to the temple to receive revelation, our own endowments, others endowments, to have our prayers answered.

D&C 87:8 Stand in Holy place and be not moved. Stand strong. Don’t let things of world pull us away. Remember that we have made covenants and that we must keep our covenants.

D&C 97:15-16 Don’t suffer uncleanness in Lord’s house. Glory will be upon it. See God.

We need to keep the commandments and do our best to live as disciples of Christ. Striving for perfection.

Howard W. Hunter—Temple loving people. Hasten to temple as time and means allow.

Place of beauty, revelation, peace, house of Lord, holy to Lord, should be holy to us.

Mosiah 2: People gather together, go up to temple. Pitched tents round about with door towards to temple. We need to center our lives around the temple. Do we center our lives around Jesus Christ and around the temple?

Sealed as family in Mesa Temple. Second experience travelling with youth from San Diego to Mesa for baptisms. (Her husband was on one of those buses, but they didn’t know it.)

Stand in holy places—for it cometh quickly saith the Lord. Timothy 4:12. Gather together and stand in holy places.

President Faust says we stand in so many unholy places; strive to stand often in holy places. Temples, place of holiness and comfort. Take our families; search for records of kindred dead. Holiness is a strength of the soul—faith and obedience.

Fear not, I am with thee, O, be not dismayed.

Draw near unto me, and I will draw near unto you.

Sister Godwin

Grateful for people in this stake and how good we are to the missionaries.

Painting of person carrying so many things. Rod of iron over his head. He can’t let go of any of his possessions to grab the iron rod.

The missionaries let go of the things of the world when they come out to serve the Lord. It is difficult for them to do that. But they have a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s why they come.

Blessings and physical evidence of miracles in missionaries lives because of their level of commitment. Their commitments are intensified with the experiences that they have. “This diligence and obedience stuff that you are always talking about is finally kicking in.”

We are all away from home for a season. We need to realize our commitment as well, and let the things of the world go behind.

Mormons believe in Christ. We believe in living prophets. Do we remember what he has said?

Little boy wanted to shake the prophets hand; Sister Kapp shook his hand so he could say that he shook hands with someone who had shaken hands with the prophet.

We have the opportunity every week to take the sacrament.

President Godwin

Touched in heart when President Garvin said this will be their last Stake Conference here.

Elder Ballard in Hisperia: lifted hand and asked everyone else to; then they shook hands together.

Alma 29: O that I were angel. Missionaries are a trumpet crying repentance and love.

Faith—the first principle of the gospel. Faith is an oasis in the heart that cannot be realized by a caravan of learning. Faith comes from experiences in which you have hope. Faith—things that are hoped for and not seen. Declare our hope, our desire for something. Go about doing something to bring it about.

Exercising faith is more than having faith. Physically manifest it. Holy Ghost can testify of truth of something you are doing. Holy Ghost will testify, not as we are thinking about it, but as we are doing.

Missionaries—be prepared to teach a lesson and go to that lesson. If they weren’t there, there would be someone else very close prepared to receive that message. The missionaries went about 200 yards to teach the very lesson to a man in an apartment building. Tears came; they brought an answer to his prayer. They left him a Book of Mormon and passalong card to Mormon.org. They went back the next day. He had read 36 chapters. He went to Mormon.org for 2-3 hours. What did you learn? I learned that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth, and that the prophet Joseph Smith was called to restore the gospel, and that there is a prophet on the earth today, Thomas S. Monson. I know by what you’ve taught and by what I’ve studied that these things are true and I want to be baptized. He was baptized 3 or 4 weeks later.

Matt 14—Savior teaching on desert hills. 5 loaves and two fishes. God and feed the multitude. 5,000 men + women and children. They fed everybody. 12 baskets of fragments left. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; He said go and do, and they did.

As we exercise our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, He will make all things possible.

He will prepare us to return to Heavenly Father.

Patriarch Stehmeyer

A wonderful feeling to be standing before you. Opportunity to serve in this stake for 53 years. He’s seen Patriarchs whom he has thought very highly of. He never thought it would happen to him. He knows, like Nephi, that he’d never be called to any calling to which the Lord would show and help you with the calling.

He has a testimony. He asks for our prayers. That through the Holy Ghost those who receive a blessing will know that it come through Heavenly Father.

Coming up on 60 years of marriage. “The Lord will guide you. You will do whatever the Lord will ask of you.” “And I’ll try. I’ll humbly ask for His help in fulfilling this calling.”

Testimony.

Sister Garnes

No ‘greater gift that you can give to your parents than to be a faithful son or daughter of God. Align yourself with the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that you may give that sweet gift to your parents.

Heavenly Father is aware of our burdens; He knows our journey, and He knows what we need.

We are led in this church by a prophet of God. Elder Garnes watches the 7 presidents of the Seventy and does what they do. Prophet entered jovially. As that they came in, they stood; when they sat, they sat. Prophet peered around and winked at her. Great sensitivity that prophet has is real.

We have the true gospel of Jesus Christ led by prophets, seers, and revelators that are in tune with Heavenly Father’s plan. Obedience—first law of heaven. If we follow, we will be blessed.

She didn’t hear her husband’s command to move; the boat lost balance, and they all went under.

They prayed. A boat came out of nowhere. Two young men; they saw the children and came. One of the men helped right the catamaran.

Grateful for healing power in her life. Miracle to be healed of cancer. She prayed that the Lord will glance her way. She told the doctor that she knows that there is a God in heaven, and she knows that there is a Savior, and that they answer our prayers. We need to bear witness of them, no matter what the answers will be.

Be faithful, follow the prophet, we will be blessed and our families will return.

Elder Garnes

Godwins real dedication and consecration to the Savior. He was still Stake President as he became a Mission President.

Faulty—the more righteous we are, the fewer trials we’ll have.

The Lord will not take trials from us. Although, we will feel the Lord’s blessings for our righteousness.

He thought one little piece of sheet metal was insignificant to his car, but once there was a little strain, he realized differently.

If we are neglecting the little things, when trials come, we will not be prepared. We will overheat; something is going to happen and not work out. It is by the small and simple things that great things are brought to pass and that we have the strength to deal with the challenges in life.

The Lord has a line; it does not move. Hopefully, our line is moving closer to the Lord as we live His commandments.

The little things that we do in life, and try to justify that it’s okay; not the way it works; the Lord has a standard, and it isn’t okay to leave the little things out.

How does prayer fit it?

Youth curriculum—assuring that they have experiences that will develop faith and deeper conversion. They are being asked to take a step in life—not only knowing what is right, but being what is right. Youth are being asked to step it up and be prepared earlier. What does that mean to the rest of us?

D&C 88 I will raise up elders and send them unto you. I will hasten my work in its time. President Monson is fulfilling prophesy. We have a responsibility to be a part of this. We have a responsibility to make this happen, make sure that they are prepared.

We are not just seeking transfer of knowledge. We need to provide experiences that will change lives; that they will know in their hearts that the Savior lives and their testimonies strengthened. Change our ways and increase our capacity.

Obedience. The key to success here and throughout eternities. Hallmark of all great prophets, and source of their strength. The prophets understand the plight that we are in.

Mosiah 3:19: The natural man is an enemy to God. Become a saint. Willing to submit to all things as a child submits to His father. He understood how we feel today.

Paul –For the good that I would, I do not. But the evil which I would not, that I end up doing.

We can do it. The Lord will bless us with that strength.

Luke—those things that are impossible with man, are possible with God.

We need the Lord to be able to do the things that we should do.

Prayer of Faith

Please help me that I will be able to do more than I can do on my own. Our Heavenly Father is waiting in the wings to help us do those things that we cannot do on our own.