Memes of The Quarantine

April 2020 General Conference -

Back in the October 2019 Sessions of General Conference, President Nelson asked us to make certain preparations for the following General Conference, which would be a celebration of the Restoration of the Church - focusing specifically on the First Vision and the Coming of the Book of Mormon. Then during the following months, the prophet asked us to study diligently, the experiences of Joseph Smith and the First Vision and the Restoration of the Gospel.
Months were spent reading and re-reading the accounts of the first vision.  I tried hard to understand what the Lord was wanting me to understand.  We were asked to fast and pray about the truthfulness of the events shared by Joseph Smith, and I took that challenge seriously.  We were asked to fast as a church, and then as a nation, for the healing of the Covid 19 virus, pleading for the Lord to remove it from the earth. 
April General Conference, President Nelson presented to the members of the church and to the world, the new proclamation of the Restoration of the Gospel and the accounts of the First Vision.  There is no longer any mincing of words as to the truthfulness of the gospel and the announcement that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the ONLY true and living church on the face of the earth.  And the proclamation is intense.  It is poignant - it is bold - and it is TRUE.
There was also the presenting of the new LOGO for the church.  Whereas it was the symbol of the Angel Moroni with his trumpet before, it is now a statue of the Savior Jesus Christ with the official name of the church underneath it. Something that was comical about that change is - currently the Salt Lake Temple is being refurbished and in that process, the workers were working on the Moroni statue and accidentally broke it, where the trumpet had fallen out of Moroni's hand.  Someone came up with the following meme which brought some much needed humor to members of the church.

General Conference was also the week of Easter and the Passover.  Much thought and comments were given to the life given of our Savior and for the crisis of the virus currently throughout the world.  I found the following quote to be quite profound.

General Conference had a completely different format - not held in the Conference Center and no members were allowed to attend.  It will be remembered for years to come, as will the rest of the events over the past 2 months.
There were eight new temples announced also.  The ones of significance were in Shanghai China, the first in the Republic of China...and then Dubai India.  Both of these temples are being announced after invitation from those countries to have temples there.  THEY invited US to have temples there.  Epic events.
The Church is true.  I miss the socializing with members - the feeling of unity with ward members as we've not been together for 7 weeks.  But the principles and doctrines of the church remain the same.  We are sustained by living prophets and scriptures.  We are sustained by our Savior and our Father who hears and answers our prayers.
This is just for a short time. But there has been much to learn during these past months that will be of significant strength to us in the coming months and years.
I don't want to ever go back to what we understood to be our normal.
I want a new normal to consist of what we have learned from the experience - eliminating the unnecessary and busyness of our lives - and living basically with needs and desires to be better people, better ministers, better servants - better parents, families children of God.
That will be MY new normal.

Testosterone Levels Are High

You wonder, when you have children, if when they grow up, they will carry characteristics and traits of one or both of their parents. I have always thought that two of my children looked like me - Michael and Kathryn.  And that Jordan and Kylie looked more like Del.  But there have  been a few times when I have posted my engagement picture or pictures of my first 5 years married, that MANY have said that Kylie looks like me.  She does.
But Jordan remains his father's son.
Over the past few years and especially with Del's facial hair, I see a few more similarities in their mannerisms and expressions.  They are currently working together on a few business projects and I find it interesting to see how they interact - how they play off each others strengths and weaknesses.  How they each contribute to conversations - their patience level with irritations, differences or lack of understanding. How they tackle home projects together - how they respect each other.
How they love each other.
You know, it wasn't always there.
Del was hard on Jordan.  Or I should say, he expected a LOT from Jordan as a son.  Even perfection.  Jordan, more often than not, did not meet Del's expectations.  Not many people did.  It's one of the hardest things about being in Del's life.  But as Jordan has grown into an adult and had a family of his own, he has come into his own worth.  He's more confident and knows and understands who he is and what he has to contribute in life and to other people.  And in the same sense, Del has realized that there was only one perfect person on this earth and he has started to give the rest of us a break.  Now Del interacts with all of us a little differently, making it much easier for love to flow more freely between parent and child.
And both of my son in laws have lost their fathers so Del has been able to slip into the role of father for them fairly easily too.  It's been nice to see the level of love and respect they all have for the patriarch of our home.

The Beauty Of Texas

These two pictures were both taken this past week.
This is the beauty of Texas.
It's about the only reason I stay here - except that my children and grandchildren live here.
Aside for those few reasons, I would be living in Utah.  But knowing that, the Lord will give me a moment like these to remind me that there really is beauty everywhere, even in Texas, to be enjoyed.

Del's Quarantine Facial Hair - Phase 3 and 4

This is week 4-5 of quarantine.  I LOVED this phase!  I thought he was a silver FOX - just very rugged and handsome looking. But before shaving it completely off, Del wanted to try a few other looks that he's never done before.

Yes - this is Jordan and Kylie DYEING Del's hair.  He wanted no grey on the side of his hair, or his beard and mustache.

So the two kids spent an hour dyeing  It was really quite funny watching the change happen before our eyes.  And you should have seen the look on the faces of the grandkids.!!!

The result of Phase 3 - same day transformation/  I could tell Del really liked it.  And when I posted the pictures on social media, the response was OVERWHELMINGLY positive to his new and improved YOUNGER look.  Many were saying it took a good 15 years off his age.  I was feeling a little old at that point.
Phase 4 was next.

Phase 4 included a regular haircut, but then reducing the full beard to a goatee. Immediately, his three children all mentioned how much he now looked like his younger brother Bert.  And he did.

Jordan was really careful and precise in giving Del his stage 4 goatee look.

Del liked the look with his cowboy hat

Everyone was also comparing him to this famous actor.

The goatee look.

I think Del will keep this for another week or two and then right before it's time to go back to church, he will shave it off to just a mustache, take a picture and then shave it all off the same day.  I don't think he wants to be longer than a day or two in just the mustache look.  But who knows, he may look enough like Tom Selleck to me, that I will convince him to keep it a few extra days.

Doing Our Best to Follow The Rules

We have just finished week 6  of Staying and Sheltering at Home.
We have literally stayed at home except to go grocery shopping and pick up medications.
That is, except for Del.  He has been more brave than I have and he has gone to the grandkids houses and taken them horse back riding.  Otherwise, they have come over to our house, where we have experienced more snakes, swimming, swinging, new baby chicks, working in the garden and doing outdoor chores.  I have watched a lot of movies, read a lot of books, watched PAST Olympics and tried to be patient waiting for the quarantine to be lifted.
Our Texas governor just announced today that the Stay at Home Order will be lifted THIS Friday.  That will make a total of 7 weeks that we have stayed isolated from others (except our families). It has been difficult both mentally and physically to be isolated, especially from attending church and members of our ward.  It's been restricting - and even after Friday, we still won't be able to meet together as a ward yet - not until the band is lifted throughout the United States. 
In the meantime, every Sunday, the 4 of us here in our home, have our Sunday Sacrament Services - with music, prayer, Del and Ammon preparing and serving the sacrament, and then having a gospel discussion about Come Follow Me in the Book of Mormon.We've enjoyed a beautiful spirit between the 4 of us and it's been really good to see the strengthening of Ammon and Kathryn's testimonies.  But I DO feel a disconnect from the ward and the stake. And it's a very lonely feeling for me. I have pushed the rules on the sheltering away from others, especially when it comes to my children and grandchildren.  I think if I had followed the suggestions of the state and nation about appropriate distancing from my children and grandchildren, that would have put me into a pretty serious depression.  I just couldn't be THAT obedient.
So we'll have to see when happens after this Friday - what re-opens, what still stays closed etc..I don't think Kathryn's doctor's office will re-open yet, or any dentist offices etc.  I think restaurants and retails stores will be re-opening but only allowing 25% capacity.  But there are still no salons, schools or other things open yet.  I've given up weeks ago on keeping my nice nails, and I'm only one of thousands who have needed a haircut WEEKS ago!!  Many of us have hairstyles that no longer have any shape or body to them at all.  I guess that's the least of our worries as there's no-one to see us anyways.  We're all in the same boat...a sinking ship.
But I can see a light at the end of this world wide dark dark tunnel.  And we have come out of it still alive, healthy and not lost anyone we love to this terrible virus.
Not everyone can say that.
And for that, I give my Father in Heaven thanks.

We Were EGGED

The Burton Family has been having as hard a time as we have not seeing each other.  But their kids came over and EGGED out house - hiding Easter Eggs around our yard with goodies inside them.  I, In turn , gave them some ice cream cones, which they loved.  Every week, I do try to stop by their house and drop off either cookies, bread or eggs from our chickens.  We do the same with a few other families that we truly love and miss.  It helps a little with this not seeing our friends every week at church.

Girls Night IN

The mom's left their kids at home with the husbands and all of us ladies had a night IN at my house.  We made carmel popcorn and watched the movie EMMA and just laughed and loved spending some relaxing time together.
Good Times during our quarantine..

Reaching Out To God in My Own Sacred Grove

This picture is of The Sacred Grove where Joseph Smith prayed and received a visitation from Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ.  I have never been there, but I hear that it truly is beautiful and as peaceful as it appears in this picture.
It is considered a sacred place because of what happened there.
But like I said, I have never been there.
So, where is MY sacred place?  Where do I go when I want to reach out to my Father in Heaven?  I have learned over the years that I have found myself pleading to my Heavenly Father for answers to my prayers whenever I need Him, not necessarily wherever I need Him.  Or both, really.  I have learned that it's not WHERE I am praying but what happens there WHEN I'm praying.
It's most often in my little office off my bedroom.  I would call it my Sacred Grove.  I read my scriptures here.  I read church news and all church material here.  I say my prayers in hear.  It's a room of peace and solitude.  There are no trees, or bushes or outdoor beauties.  But it has, on it's walls, things that are beautiful and sacred to me.  I feel the spirit in here. My Sacred Grove.
And I come here every day and spend much of my day in here.  I'm loving the HAVING to stay at home, so I find myself drawn to this room even more than usual.
Peace inside the four walls of my home.

Time For Character Assessment as We Shelter in Place

This Talk by Elder Holland was in the recent Church News.
And it was good.
Since most of us throughout the world are living a Stay at Home and Shelter in place order, it leaves us isolated with just those that live in our homes.  Of course, that includes Kathryn and Ammon for our household.  Both Del and Ammo work from home so that leaves Kathryn and I with a lot of alone time together, or actually, alone.
I have taken some great time for scripture study and also for socializing via facebook and texting.  I have tried to think through some of my feelings and habits, digesting what is important and not important in my life.  This is certainly a time where I have realized things I was doing previously during my free time, is basically unnecessary and a pure waste of time - excess sleeping, watching tv, etc.  Now that ALL my time is free time, I have found that I enjoy reading more, studying more, baking and writing.  When I have more free time than I can do something with, THEN I do try to take a nap.  But I am trying to think and answer the questions this talk asks of me -
Do I like the company I am keeping when I am the only one in the room??
Character Assessment - who am I and what really matters to me??