Month: August 2018

Inspiration Comes

Jeanne Leave a comment

When we look unto Jesus Christ; to His wondrous redeeming love,
Look for a quiet, secluded place, and ask for guidance from above.
Inspiration comes when our hearts and minds are still,
And our worries are replaced by our Lord’s sweet peaceful will.

Pray for Christ’s pure and honest grace to protect us so we may be
Free from Satan’s wiles and wrong thoughts, poisoned by our own insanity.
Ask God for ears and eyes to hear and see, and a heart to understand,
Then listen with a child-like faith, with broken heart and contrite hands.

Ask God to clear our mind and heart, to hear His sacred word,
Then listen with a humble soul and write what we have heard.
Life’s trials come with many parts we just don’t understand.
Our Father wants to enlighten us to His eternal plan….

Of light and life, hope and truth, happiness and peace,
Of wisdom beyond all our thoughts, that we may each increase.
It matters not our circumstance, in war’s hell, or in peace,
When humbled with a child-like faith, Christ’s light will increase.

I think the biggest roadblock to our receiving guidance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost, is distraction. There are so many things. Things to do, things to see, things to entertain us, things to do around the house. Many of these things are needful and should not be ignored, but I think perhaps we loose the ability to filter out the needful things from the ones that simply fill up time.

My mind goes back to the account in scripture where Jesus is visiting the home of Mary and Martha. Martha is busy doing those things that we all do when we have guests: fixing meals, cleaning up…but, Mary chooses to engage in a conversation with Jesus. Martha notices this, and asks Mary to help her with her ‘tasks’. This story, I can really relate to. then Jesus kindly rebukes Martha saying, “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

Are we able to recognize a precious moment and drop whatever we are doing to capture it before it’s gone?
Do we practice the ability to evaluate our activities?
Can we spot the time-wasters?
Can we identify those that have the potential of improving us in some way?
So we often look beyond ourselves to see the needs of others?…And do something about it?

Now, back to the poem…Like Mary, do we seek the things that build us? Do we stop long enough to see the ‘big picture’?
And to realize that life offers us peace and joy and contentment, IF WE SEEK IT.
IF WE ARE ABLE TO TURN OFF THE TV, STOP THE GAME, and spend some time fine tuning our lives by inspiration from Him who knows exactly how to make our lives more meaningful, peaceful and happy.

“Be still, and know that I am God..” (Psalm 46:10, D&C 101:16)
The following link is 58 second thought on stillness and revelation:
http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-06-1440-reverence-invites-revelation?category=topics/holy-ghost&lang=eng

When Changes Come

Jeanne Leave a comment

Recently I came to know of a pending divorce in our family. Those most close to the couple expressed the hurtful feelings. Anger, fear and heartache are companions to a failing family. Divorce hits at the very roots of all that which brings us happiness. I have reflected upon the good fortune of having a companion. Our activities, both daily and others which require more planning, such as vacations, are richer when shared. What do we do when we see or experience something grand, or beautiful, or delightful? We seek to share with someone else. Somehow, this enhances the experience for me. When I look at my vacation photos, it’s just not a whole lot of fun to do it alone. And when I reflect upon what makes me happy, it usually involves family. There is a real power and bond there, and when it is broken, we are cut off from that which is intended to bring happiness.

How sad that it is such a common thing. What can we do to protect ourselves from falling victim? What makes some marriages so successful, and others not so?

When changes come, are they bad, or could they help us grow,
Through life’s storms and troubled tests, we feel for those we know.
When death comes with saddened eyes, we feel for those we love,
When sickness comes we long for days when health smiled from above.

When changes come, we try to cope, no matter what they are.
Through each trial, we each must strive to reach our own star.
When our journey brings us to an unfamiliar place,
We have a chance to start anew, within life’s fleeting race.

When changes come, we each must try, our best to grow,
To strive for greater knowledge, God’s wisdom helps us know.
For within each changing moment, we can become more whole.
For changes are tools that mold us within life’s wondrous show.

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2009-07-28-marriage-and-divorce?lang=eng

Alaska!

Jeanne 1 Comment

I’m finally getting around to putting together a scrapbook of our cruise to Alaska last month. On the cruise, Bob would get up early, as he always does, and go up to where he could watch the water and coastline. Here he would pen a poem for each day, and I have included the verses that deal with our fjord cruising of the Sawyer Glacier just south of Juneau. The views were 100% gorgeous, as you will see in the photos below.

As we take the inside passage
We watch life in every move.
Then on we sail up the fjords
Within the glacier’s ancient groove.

We arrive in eyesight of the glacier
Where ice has blocked our way,
So our captain takes us west to
A narrow fjord today.

We sail to the glacier’s western arm up this narrow pass,
The captain stops the ship near, as we look and gasp!!
Then turned that giant ship around
Smooth and slow as another hour passed.