Category: Health

That which relates to our physical well-being.

Shake It Up

Jeanne 1 Comment

Wow, I finally got an image to upload..what is with that?

These have been troubling times in many ways. The pandemic seemed to start it all; then, here in Magna, Utah, on March 18th we had a 5.7 earthquake. For those of us who are not used to the earth shaking, it was both startling and unsettling, especially since we are still having aftershocks even up into the 4’s!

So, we’ve been advised, even ordered to stay safe and stay home. This has been an eye-opening experience. I’ve come to see that much of the ‘stuff’ I spent time on, when I could move about freely, just isn’t that important–almost like I was doing it to distract myself from things that matter most. I don’t know if all that makes any sense, but I’ve struggled to convince myself that I have ever contributed much positive to anything, any one, or any cause.

And, I have come to realize that tomorrow may not be just like all the other days I’m used to. It is so easy to believe that you are in control, because you are the boss of what you say and do, and where you go. And that leads us to believe that we really don’t need anybody, especially God. If that’s all I can take from this, then it will leave me a better person than I was before.

Be sure to check out all the good stuff on www.churchofjesuschrist.org

Sacred Memories

Jeanne 1 Comment

Since my last post, I’ve been trying to add some photographs and links, but find that I can upload absolutely NOTHING ! Discouraged, I convinced myself that I cannot post, and that worked for a few days, until my mind kicked into the new thinking we are all doing; thinking born of new realities for all of us….of working at home….of staying at home…of not going to church….not gathering in groups…..limited shopping….not going to school….and the list goes on, and sometimes changes every day.

We have to start thinking, not about the things we CAN’T do (like upload), but of what we CAN do. I can post words.

Last Sunday I tuned onto “Music and the Spoken Word”..a broadcast of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square here in Salt Lake City. It’s a weekly TV thing at 930am MST. Since we are not congregating as a church, I made this MY church, and what a comfort and reward it was! I wanted to share it, but it wouldn’t upload. Perhaps you could view it (and I would highly recommend it) log onto thetabernaclechoir.org and see if you can’t bring up the broadcast from March 20, 2020 (#4723)

The choir sang a number from “Oliver” that spoke to my soul about being warmed and strengthened by our making of and remembering past times. I won’t quote the whole song, but here’s a few of the lyrics that packed such a strong feeling:

Who will buy
This wonderful morning?
Such a sky
You never did see!
Who will tie 
It up with a ribbon
And put it in a box for me?
Who will buy
This wonderful feeling?
I'm so high
I swear I could fly
Me, oh my
I don't want to lose it
So what am I to do
To keep the sky so blue?
There must be someone who will buy
Must be someone
who will....buy

And now, I’ll add our poem, entitled “Sacred Memories”

Sacred memories that touch our minds, sometimes fade into the dust,
Unless we store and cherish them, they wither and they rust.
Let's take the time to write them down, each day when they occur.
Meditate, appreciate and remember how they were.

Sacred memories, like my Mother's last living, dying words:
"Son, be good to your family", sacred words forever heard.
Or my Father, when he died and returned beyond death's veil.
He told me to search for truth along life's thorny trail.

Sacred memories keep us safe through life's joys and life's woes.
Sweet warm memories of our loved ones warm us as cold winds blow.
From brilliant rainbows, to buffalo swimming rivers at first light
Coming through the morning mist to our soul's delight.

We each savor special memories and store them in mind and heart.
They come in joy and sorrow.  Write them down--is how we start.
Meditate on those that lift us, as we fast and search, seek and pray
And thank God for sacred memories!  Gather more each passing day!

p.s. sorry about no photos or links :C

March 19

Jeanne 2 Comments 
First day of Spring
My steps should be light,
With mind full of hope.
But, alas, reminders everywhere
Of sickness sweeping o'er the earth,
Who shakes and trembles,
Filling minds with fear;
And just in case
We manage to forget--
It shakes again, and again,
Reminding us
And holding us fast
In it's grasp.

Not I.   
I will Avert my gaze
From pressing fears
To look up.
I see the clouds
Unchanging  and steady
Blue sky
Beckoning to take my thoughts
And fling them far away,
Replaced with fresh
Breeze, or rain, or sun--
Wrapping me
With that love
Always there,
But often masked.
Today I will let it in
To warm my heart
And renew my hope
Expand my view
And see all the love around me.

Birthday Miracles

Jeanne 1 Comment 
Dawn calls us through a window (freed from ivy vines)
Through the labor of my best friend with her heart, body and mind.
God gives us each talents and watches what we do.
We each have our agency to choose what we want to.

The Son's gold touches the sky.  The clouds catch His first rays.
I rose up slow and careful and stretched my pain away.
I gave my thanks to Heaven, to live just one more day--
rose and dressed and slipped away, as my mate slept on today.

I went out our front door and drove to a special place
Above the wake-up noise of each soul's fleeting race.
I watch the Son's miracles caress each cloud on high,
And gaze in awe-struck wonder, of this earth, clouds and sky.

From deer to bunny rabbits, to the birds that praise each dawn,
Each miracle reflects God's eternal song.

Now I sit again, in silence as my mobile turns before my face,
Reminding us of each precious goal; each family's special in time & space.


Bob wrote this on his birthday–July 20. Here it is, almost September, and I’m supposed to post a poem every Monday. Well, that hasn’t happened this summer. We’ve really been on the run and have not been home-based. But I suspect there aren’t many of you who race to your computer on Monday morning to catch the newest post, do you? If I lived for comments, I’d be dead! So that’s a scolding for both of us.

This is China Cove…one of the places that has distracted me from the blog this summer.
If you only had one more day, what would you do?Download

But, You Can!

Jeanne 1 Comment

If I wrote about a vacation, who would want to read it? Is there anyone as interested in the details as I am? I don’t think so….I think I write for me; kind of making a road map of life events that somehow allow you to take that road again–maybe not in the car or on the plane–maybe so, but maybe not. You don’t have to because you’ve already been there. You’ve already seen the show and it slips into one of those folders in that huge filing cabinet small enough to fit invisibly in my mind, or is it my spirit?..It must be because it’s not tangible. But I can open up that folder at will…that’s why I write. That’s why I take photos; otherwise, I fear the folder might be empty–what then?

Then I can’t achieve a ‘state of being’. I can’t dance to the music again. I can’t skip down the street. I can’t sparkle inside. I can’t absorb the saturation of excitement, and it can’t lift me, can’t give me wings….ah…but my folder isn’t empty, and so I can! You see, I don’t have to really come home to stay. Neither do you. Just take that smile , vision, thrill, tear, that time when you held your breath and when you held so tight, sang so free, felt so glorious, and heard their wonder, exhilaration, awe, fulfillment…it’s all there. It’s a state of being, bolted and bonded, never to really ever slip away. Isn’t it wondrous?

DRIFTING

Jeanne Leave a comment 
Drifting on the Sea of Life is such a risky thing.
Without a  chart & compass, the rocks & reefs of life can sting.
The treacherous waves await us, with every wind that blows.
The sirens of lies & deceit can blind our troubled souls,

Confusing truths direction, depending on our goal.
Without a map & compass to God's light, how can we know
A safe & clear, proven coarse, upon life's troubled sea,
Unto that safe, sure harbor, awaiting you and me?

There is a perfect captain, who calls to every soul,
Across the endless waves of time & space to help us grow.
His motive is our welfare.  He guides us from on high
To bring us safely home to Christ's harbor, if we will serve and try.

He gives us charts and maps to guide post rocks and hidden reefs.
His compass is the scriptures;  prayer calls Him to our relief
Past rocks of sorrow & tears, and reefs of hidden deceit,
Unto the peaceful harbor, where life becomes more pure and sweet.

I've done my share of drifting, with no set place to go.
I've sailed through deep depression of body, mind and soul.
I've wrecked upon the rocks & reefs of pride's dark vanity.
I felt the emptiness, as my sins washed over me.

I called unto my Master:  "Please help my sin-torn life!"
He reached his hand beneath life's waves, as I drowned in my strife.
He guided me to others, who understood life's maze.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches of His ways.

Past all the rocks & hidden reefs, as we follow the Holy Son
Through storms of all our trials, Christ helps us work as one.




2012-04-3001-jesus-savior-pilot-me-360p-engDownload

The above link will open a file to hear the song “Jesus, Savior, Pilot Me.”

Don’t Go Faster

Jeanne Leave a comment 
Don't go faster than we have the strength to go.
Don't feel guilty for needing to go slow.
We need to be wise about what we can do.
Don't be afraid to ask the Lord to help us make it through.

When someone asks us for help along their way,
Weigh each circumstance with what we do today.
It's better to do one thing well, than two things badly.
Time is a precious gift.  Spend it gladly. *

We each have things we care about.  Dreams we want to do.
Only those who watch their time, will make good dreams come true.
When someone asks for a dime, let us give them two.
A generous soul receives again; good deeds bring God's love through.

Remember, be slow to say, "I will." So we won't break our word.
Only when the spirit calls can we truly serve.
Don't run faster than we have strength,
Or life can get absurd!

*D&C 123:17--Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all 
things that lie in our power; and then my we stand still, with the utmost
assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.




Early settlers to the Bear Lake Valley built this old cabin in Fish Lake, Utah. Pioneers have always been fascinating to me. The ones who came to Bear Lake Valley in 1863 were sent by Brigham Young from the Salt Lake area. Just think. The Salt Lake Valley wast first settled in 1847 at great sacrifice to build homes, plant gardens, and to just try to stay alive. I’m thinking that those early settlers would have thought they were running faster than they had strength, but perhaps it was a matter of survival. Then, after having been there for only a few years, perhaps just enough to build that home and clear land for a farm, they were asked to move again to a colder, less hospitable place. And they went. They were asked to do something that I believe may have seemed too hard, too much.

I think that we, as mothers, are sometimes asked to go too fast; to do too much; to spread ourselves way too thin. But we do it. Why? Because we love. Is that bad? You tell me. Should the pioneers have said, “No.”? When are we really justified to say no? Think about it, and let’s come back an finish this. PLEASE COMMENT!

The link below is entitled “Just a Mom” Click on the ‘red’ to view..It’s only a couple of minutes.

2018-01-0020-just-a-mom-360p-engDownload

Can We Be Prepared?

Jeanne Leave a comment

Can we be prepared for famine, floods, fires and other forces that test our grain?
Violence, greed, pollution, dishonesty, and pornography all try our heart & brain.
Can we prepare for disaster, like our FATHER’S awesome fire?
When high winds carry infernal flames through our homes we much desire?

Can preparation help all these disasters that come in different ways?
Only our testimony of JESUS CHRIST, helps us through our darkest days.
We can learn from the HOLY GHOST, how to choose our safest path.
Only through our LORD’S true church can we grow strong through heaven’s wrath.

When we’ve felt the flames of wrath and lost all that we own,
Our hearts are stretched beyond ourselves, as we lose house or home.
Our tears flow more free for others grief; we see through deeper eyes
The heart-torn pain of strangers caught in devastation’s cries.

Disasters come in many forms: tsunamis roar, to lightning storms,
Volcanoes erupt, freezing rain, famine’s starvation, to war’s dark pain.
Please, LORD, help us to have eyes to truly see
The suffering of all caught in these last days tragedys.*

Remember, every trial we face is here to help us grow.
From war we learn the true joy in peace, from hate, we see love’s glow.
From the loss of precious loved ones, we can learn true empathy.
For others caught in sorrows song, our LORD’S charity gives us clarity.

We thank Thee LORD, for sorrow; it helps us past our pain.
We thank Thee, LORD, for heartache; it gives us deeper grain.
We thank Thee LORD, for clarity to see, taste, touch and feel,
That when trials pour upon us, we can serve, help and heal.

As oceans over jump their bound and armored insects roar,
On air fields and on freeways, we see men’s faces soar.
As jets and choppers shoot fire down at souls on land and sea,
We see the faces of those souls in the armored dragons of insanity.**

As earthquakes in diverse places increase, as heart attacks do grow,***
We hear John’s revelations play upon our heart, mind and soul.
May we remember JESUS CHRIST, and pray each dawn through eve,
And be prepared through these troubled last days; May we give love and receive.****

* Matthew 5:44
** Revelations chapter 9
*** Matthew 24:6-8
**** Luke 10: 30-37

The devastation of the camp fire in Paradise, California, has been foremost in our minds lately. I’m sure it has to do with our family, who were evacuated, and then learned of the total destruction of home and property. We live in a world full of pain and suffering, but we cannot allow this to immobilize us and to take away our hope. May God strengthen us to be His hands.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-05-22-o-remember-remember?lang=eng&_r=1

Crossing Thresholds

Jeanne Leave a comment

Crossing Thresholds

Unlike all previous posts, I inserted a text document. Just click on the above link and open the document. I’m curious to see how this works for you, and would really appreciate feedback. I suspect that you will not like this new “easy for me” style–too many clicks. Let me know.


I cried when I viewed the following link that shows a married couple and how they dealt with physical obstacles. I think that mental obstacles are also demonstrated. To me, it shows the unspeakable things that dwell deep inside the heart. No words are spoken because it doesn’t need any. Love trumps everything, doesn’t it?

www.lds.org/media-library/video/2013-06-010-enduring-love?category=mormon-messages/mormon-messages-2013&lang=eng

Dreams

Jeanne Leave a comment

It’s been a week of feeling old…I finally admitted to myself that I should get my hearing checked, and I was told that I have hearing loss, which is no big surprise because that’s why I went in. By the time I got done, I felt stupid for going in at all, and dismayed at the costliness of hearing aids, and their apparent short life. Accepting limitations is a tricky road to walk.

When the distance behind is greater than ahead.
And we measure that which might have been,
Against the clock of hours left,
And find we face an unkind choice of holding on
To dreams we know will never fly as we had hoped,
Or sweeping them from our view–under carpets–forgotten,
Until the day the house is cleaned,
When remembrances will prick the heart,
Where fragments of forgotten loves,
Have lain dormant for too many seasons,
And now have lost the strength to grow and flourish,
Never to match the youthful vision
That so powered mind and body in days gone by.


http://www.lds.org/ensign/2018/03/i-still-have-something-to-give?lang=eng
The link above is an article about feeling old and useless. I loved the lines from the poem by Leonard Cohen.