Our fellow Canadians are celebrating Thanksgiving today as I write this message. I worked on a baby quilt for a friend’s newest grandbaby that is coming and I sent Erik to the grocery store with a list. While not getting together with our family, the next best thing for me to do is service for others. When we lose ourselves in service, we also lose sight of our own infirmities and sadness.

Erik roasted a chicken, while I prepared the veggies and we had a nice meal together. Tomorrow, I will focus on the pumpkin pie. Eating super clean makes a person think outside of the box to create tasty dishes that are also nutritious.

Last week was anniversary week for three couples who are temple missionaries; Mark & Wanda Stevens were on the 7th, Erik & I were on the 9th, and Rick & Tonya Gurr were on the 10th. The Stevens were celebrating their 9th anniversary. We were celebrating our 43rd and the Gurr’s were celebrating their 50th anniversary. I wanted to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary and told Erik that we would bring cake to the temple for their shift on the 10th.

The Stevens told us about Dinosaur Barbeque in Rochester and said it was a really interesting restaurant because it is in the old train station building overlooking the Genesee River. It took me a bit to get excited about going out on our anniversary, but once we were there, I was glad that we came. We parked on the bridge that crosses the river and saw the Central Rochester Public Library across the road from the restaurant. It is impressive! Built in 1936, it is known as the Rundel Memorial Library building. We found the meal delicious and I had leftovers for later.

On Friday, Erik wanted to go to the Priesthood Restoration Site in Oakland Township Pennsylvania. It was a 2-1/2 hour drive to get there and we left at 8:45 am. The final exit to get to the site was closed so we drove an extra 9 miles to the next exit ramp. We filled up with gas and then took a back road to our destination. I can’t tell you enough, how much I love the back roads of America! I saw one home that would have me moving there in a heartbeat; it was so idyllic.

We arrived at the Visitor’s Center and waited for the next tour which included two reconstructed homes, statues, and historic landscapes. Erik and I also walked to the McKune Cemetery where Joseph and Emma buried their first child, a son. His grandparents, Isaac & Elizabeth Hale have headstones are next to his headstone.

This is Joseph and Emma’s first home. It is on a piece of land (13.5 acres) that Joseph purchased from Emma’s brother and father. It was wonderful to be in the place where much of the translation of the Book of Mormon took place. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints website has information on the Priesthood Restoration site and all the components. We learned more about the history of the Hale family and the events that occurred in the translation of the Book of Mormon.

It was interesting to Erik and I that Isaac Hale made his living hunting and selling venison. That was a lot of work to do and we imagined what it entailed.

We then drove to the Susquehanna river where Joseph and Oliver Cowdery baptised each other. It was a lovely quiet place to contemplate the return of the priesthood to the earth.

The Susquehanna river flows at quite a clip and was the source of shipping goods. At 444 miles long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the United States. It’s historically significant as an ancient route for Native American tribes and a crucial transportation and trade artery for early settlers. The river is also celebrated for its natural beauty, scenic landscape, recreational opportunities like kayaking and fishing, and the numerous islands and historic sites along its banks.

We stopped in Auburn to pick up a couple of cakes to celebrate the Gurr’s anniversary and headed straight to the temple to drop them off. A 50th anniversary deserves celebration!

Saturday was upside-down sky day. The clouds had the sun shining from the bottoms, and everything looked upside down. To an artist’s eye, it was unusual. We did our morning shift, went home for lunch, and then returned for a special baptistry booking at 6 pm. A ward came from Connecticut to do a group session. The youth said they had been travelling for seven hours! Saturday night was spent at a couple of AirBnB’s.

Sunday was Rochester Stake Conference. The Whiteheads drove and we were their passengers to the Stake Center. Charlie and Eileen attend the Batavia Branch. There was a Primary Choir during the meeting and they sang, “As I Have Loved You” in English, Spanish and then ASL. While they were signing, the congregation sang the words. Three Primary aged children spoke and three youth spoke in conference. They all did such a good job. I was impressed that a young man was asked to say the closing prayer at the beginning of the meeting and he did it without balking!

One of the most interesting things I saw was after the conference was over. To preface this, when we arrived to the parking lot, parking lot attendants were directing traffic. One man was holding a big sign that said, “Tailgating? Flash your Headlights!” The four of us were wondering what on earth that was about. Later we learned that if you were going to tailgate, you were directed to park in a certain area of the parking lot. This all started when a mother brought food for her family because they lived quite a distance from Rochester. Then the Stake President said that if any one wanted to participate, they could. It is now tradition to tailgate after Stake Conference. People open up their vehicles and share food and visit. Personally, I think the concept is brilliant because there is no cleanup of tables, chairs or dishes. Everyone is responsible for their own garbage and cleanup. Unfortunately in Alberta, Stake Conference time is not particularly great weather for tailgating unless you are extremely hardy. Well, come to think of it, we dress for ice fishing and other winter activities. Just throw on some snow pants over your dress and Bob’s your uncle!

My prayers are always full of gratitude. I truly am grateful for all things, come what may. Life doesn’t always turn out the way you thought. I’ll bet if you look back at the past fifteen years of your life, you probably couldn’t have guessed at how it was going to go. Despite all the hardships and trials that we endure, it is important to have gratitide. President Nelson expressed this very well.

I’m over a month into my gratitude journal. Everyday had to be three different things to be grateful for and nothing could repeat. It has been simple as I know to be grateful for the little things.

Enjoy your week! Consider journaling your gratitude. Think on these things to be able to rise above the world and the loss of values in society. Keep your heart in line with goodly virtues and you can find joy and happiness.