It's a Crazy Crazy world!! A little heavy...

So - I don't know about you, but it appears to me that people are getting crazier as the days go by.  Not only are they hyper about Covid (not to say it's not something to be concerned about, but so is the flu...and lots of other things in the world right now) and insisting that people wear masks, social distance and businesses had to close for a LONG time...  (As I do face painting and my hubby balloon twisting, we've had NO events thus far this year, which is a scary thing.  Good thing we don't depend on it for our lively hood at this point...)  we have friends who do face painting and balloon twisting for a living who are barely squeaking by...didn't qualify for business help, and are scrambling to find a way to do business.  

But there is also the whole race bit going on, with rioters taking over.  I can't believe the amount of damage being done to public property in the name of history correctness.  :(   I guess I could see the confederate flag being offensive, and having NASCAR ban it (which will be interesting as that's a southern based venture and most of the south used it in their car decor, lol.  I guess they'll be banning Dukes of Hazard next, right??)

Let's face it - it's not like my blog is the I Ching of information, and the center of popular reading, lol.  I've accepted that long ago.  However - that being said, I still feel driven to share my thoughts and express my feelings about current times and issues as they come up.  I don't kid myself that my regular readers are interested in my in-depth thoughts, though they may like what they read.  :)   I also feel that I need to share the hope that is in Jesus Christ and His gospel and how it can help us during these crazy times.  See?  It's all good.

So - that being my caveat, I feel compelled to say that people are being driven by every wind.  They are not thinking clearly, they are not seeking true guidance, and they are letting mob rule get into their brains. What logical thought says that statues of Roosevelt, or Christopher Columbus, or Ulysses S.. Grant is damaging to the history of our people??  What makes them think that destroying items of history is going to change the past?  We are supposed to LEARN from the past, so we don't make the same mistakes.

These people that statues were created for were at some time admired, or had part in creating history.  Now that we look back and decide some of that history was a mistake, or poorly handled, doesn't mean tearing down those statues will change any of it.  Rioting and vandalizing and killing and all of what is going on right now does NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.  It only makes things worse, and creates more chaos.  The people that are promoting these things want for that to happen, believe it or not.  They hate America.  They hate the idea that the United States of America was founded on Christian principles of right and wrong, founded on the idea that the individual has rights; that the community has rights and that we were bound under that union to keep the government from overruling those rights.  

Our founding fathers hoped that we would have more freedom than any other country had held, that God would be our guide and that we would stand firm.  Our military was founded on the hope to protect those rights from other countries who would dominate and dictate and remove those freedoms.  Since we have been successful so far in avoiding that, they have been working from the inside out.  If they can destroy what we hold dear through our OWN people, then it won't be so hard to take us down.

The whole thing is so sad.  Almost every day that quote from MIB goes through my head... "A person is smart, but people are dumb, panicky dangerous animals..." 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WPMMNvYTEyI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And each day we see that played out.  Our youth are brainwashed by the internet and the fake news into thinking that this is the way things need to go. Those who are my age are ignored because we have no say. Just because we've seen much...and those older than myself had seen even more...  Just now I watched the planes from Hill going by in the missing man formation.  How many missing men do we have now?  How many have died because of the stupidity of people??

There are many times my husband and I have discussions about our Father in Heaven and how is it He doesn't just destroy the earth right now. Send the Savior to end it all and stop the horrors. How can He stand by and watch all the awful things that His children are doing to each other? Then again... think about our own situation...our children that make stupid choices and we have to stand and watch them do it.  We have to let them learn and take on the consequences.  The Come fallow Me study last week with Alma and Amuleck speak to this very thing.  They had to watch the faithful who would not deny their faith be cast into a fire.  So those actions will be borne against those men in the judgement...the Lord's judgment will be perfect. 

People think that the things they do here, own here on earth have such large effect.  Mean so much.  But they don't.  What matters is what we learn and grow and develop and care for others.  LOVE is the only thing that is going to continue on for good.  Everything else is going to dust.

So what can we do now?  We can try to be the difference ourselves.  We can love our neighbor, and serve and try to talk with them.  We can support our local governments in their attempts to protect us from the riots and vandalism.  We can be active in the elections of our country and strive to get good men elected. Unfortunately, at this point, I'm not sure a good person would get far. I used to think Mr. Romney was that person, but has since lost my confidence. There is no one running for president that would be the perfect person.  That person wouldn't come forth at this point in our history without ...I don't know.  I just don't think they'd get elected.  To many corrupt people abound, and control and there is only so much we can do.  At this point we have to have hope that our vote counts, that we can move things forward as best we can where we are.

Saturday we drove by the temple...  It's been so hard not to go there every week as had been our practice.  It's been three months now since we've been able to enter those doors.  We miss the spirit of the temple sooo much.  We watch the building of the Layton temple with much anticipation, it's only 2 miles away!!!  We are so incredibly blessed...especially when there are those who still live hours away, and some long journeys away.  I know we're all praying for them to re-open to all work soon.

Yesterday we celebrated Father's day.  I was upset initially for my husband...it didn't start very wonderfully by our children, though he probably enjoyed his morning with just me.  ;)  But by the late afternoon and evening, all the children that could be here, were here, and things went well.  

We did our best in raising our children, and trying to instill in them the values we thought were important.  It feels like we're still working on the adults that live at home...  but it's their choice now.  We've done what we can.  My hubby is a wonderful man, and sees things more cut and dried than many of our children.  Things are right and wrong...and it's hard for him to see people pushing for the gray.  I am so thankful that he's a righteous man that believes in God and supports me in all I do.  I mourn that my sons aren't following in his footsteps, though at least a couple of them are faithful, just different.  Which is what life is, and how it works out.  They are their own person.

It's hard to see pictures of us and see the gray and realize we don't look the same on the outside that we fell inside, lol.  When did that happen??

I feel greatly blessed to be on this earth, and to have been blessed with this man at my side, and the talents the Lord has given me.  I mentioned yesterday to my children that I love our little spot on the earth.  I love where we live and the feeling that no matter what is going on outside our little bubble, we still have a measure of rightness here.  A piece of paradise that is still a work in progress, but wonderful, nonetheless.  

Well, if you've read this whole thing, you're awesome.  You deserve a prize!!  lol  It is my hope that perhaps you have taken something away from this bit that inspires you.  I'm thankful.  

                                       Remember all things are possible through Christ.

Have a wonderful day!!! 

Happy Summer Vacay! sort of...

So - I've been home off work for three weeks now, and it's gone by soooo fast!  I can't believe it's the middle of June already.  We took a weekend the first week and went to Brian Head.  I've never been there, and it was fun, but the condo we rented was SO small...  the bathrooms were a closet (as far as the toilets) and the 'deck' was only big enough for the decorative table and chairs that no one could sit in, lol.  But it was gorgeous as far as decor, and we spent most of the time going down to Cedar City or going to Bryce Canyon, so it wasn't a terrible thing.

It was fun to have the time with my daughters, if it was only two of them.  We did a video chat with the third one, so that was kind of fun, the four of us for a couple hours.

But you know, I think that's kind of the way of life.  You have lovely daughters that you raise and try to dress cute, and do curls in their hair and bows and all...and then they start growing up and suddenly don't like you very much and then leave the nest.  They get married, have their own children, and suddenly you discover that you have precious granddaughters to cherish as you did their mother.  And as those daughters grow and mature, they come back a little, until you hear them tell their children that she likes to hang out with her mom as much as they like to hang out with her.  

It's an awesome feeling - knowing that your children love you as much, possibly, as you love them.

And then my hubby brought the grandkids down on Saturday so we could spend the rest of the weekend together.  We took them to Bryce Canyon, and it was soooo windy!  But it was perfect weather.

The last day as we were leaving, was a snow storm.  I had to laugh...we were way up high.  Brian head is almost 9,000 feet.  Where else in June, right?  

One of the rules of the weekend was no politics and no Covid 19 talk.  There had been sooo much of that the week before, and we just wanted to disconnect from everything.  It was hard to come back and I did avoid the computer for a bit.

Now we're a week later, and I realized that I hadn't written to all my friends in a while, so figured I'd better get it done.  We have been very blessed in this land, and now it's coming apart at the seams.  I hope all of you reading this (which I know isn't many, but still) are healthy, and safe.  I hope you have faith and are holding onto the Lord and His peace, because there's nothing else out there that's going to help us.

Take care...keep smiling, and remember that family is all, and love keeps us all sane.

Last Friday we went to the "poppy fields" which turned out to be a small group in a roadside bit north of Brigham City.  I'll leave with some of those pictures...  Enjoy!