As the world speeds up, it seems that it is getting harder to stay grounded on current affairs. We are surrounded by AI and it’s multi-use purposes driven by “who-knows?” This week in Relief Society we focused on Elder Gary E. Stevenson’s talk from October General Conference. It was ringing with the same tones that President Nelson gave us in one of his talks. It was titled, “Blessed are the Peacemakers.”

Imagine with me you are a young teenager in Capernaum, near the Sea of Galilee, during the ministry of Jesus Christ. Word spreads of a rabbi—a teacher—whose message draws multitudes. Neighbors plan to travel to a mount overlooking the sea to hear Him.

You join others walking the dusty roads of Galilee. Upon your arrival, the large crowd gathered to hear this Jesus surprises you. Some quietly whisper, “Messiah.”

You listen. His words touch your heart. On the long walk home, you choose quiet over conversation.

You ponder wondrous things—things that transcend even the law of Moses. He spoke of turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. He promised, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

In your reality, as you feel the weight of difficult days—uncertainty and fear—peace feels distant.

Your pace quickens; you arrive home breathless. Your family gathers; your father asks, “Tell us what you heard and feel.”

You share that He invited you to let your light shine before others, to seek righteousness even when persecuted. Your voice catches as you repeat, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.”

You ask, “Can I truly become a peacemaker when the world is in commotion, when my heart is filled with fear, and when peace seems so far away?”

Your father glances at your mother and answers gently, “Yes. We begin in the most basic place—in our hearts. Then in our homes and families. As we practice there, peacemaking can spread to our streets and villages.”

Fast forward 2,000 years. No need to imagine—this is our reality. Although the pressures felt by today’s rising generation differ from those of the young person in Galilee—polarization, secularization, retaliation, road rage, outrage, and social media pile-ons—both generations face cultures of conflict and tension.

In Relief Society we discussed the three ways in which we can become peacemakers; in our hearts, our homes and our communities. I loved that Elder Stevenson offers a one week Peacemaker Plan.

In summary, I offer an invitation. Peacemaking demands action—what might that be, for each of us, starting tomorrow? Would you consider a one-week, three-step peacemaker plan?

1. A contention-free home zone: When contention starts, pause and reboot with kind words and deeds.
2. Digital bridge building: Before posting, replying, or commenting online, ask, Will this build a bridge? If not, stop. Do not send. Instead, share goodness. Publish peace in the place of hate.
3. Repair and reunite: Each family member could seek out a strained relationship in order to apologize, minister, repair, and reunite.

This is such a great reminder and plan on how to have more peace in our lives. We live in contentious times and everything seems to be polarized. I need to ask myself when I am feeling anxious about situations in the world and our country that seem out of control, “Can you do anything about it?” Some things are simply too big for my heart and soul and I need to realise that being anxious, fearful and angry do not come from God. Those are Satan’s tools and I need to press forward with my faith.

This week, I received tender mercies that make me acutely aware that God knows me and what I need. Sister Whitehead and I often complimented each other on our outfits, our hair and our talents. It seems that we both love receiving words of affirmation. I wondered how I was to cope with having her gone home to Utah. On Tuesday morning, one of my fellow temple workers, Patti Clark, came into the locker room and very sincerely, complimented me on my dress and it’s color. I felt tears come to my eyes as I felt the love of the Lord in showing me that others can fill my love bucket too.

Sister Stevens had given me what I call a “Joy Jar” full of quotes that I could open up and read to bring me joy. I was saving it for some special day but then I read her instructions and it was to used any day, not just for a special occaison. Today I finally opened the first one. Maybe I was saving them because it was hard to open it and not cry about my friend being at home.

Another temple worker has a daughter who was expecting her first baby. The baby was also the first grandchild for Jen and Keith Baker. I have a quilt top made for their baby, ready to be quilted. Her daughter experienced extreme sickness throughout her entire pregnancy. A couple of weeks ago, while in the celestial room, I decided to pray for her daughter. One technique that I have learned is about imagining a brillant white light surrounding a person or targeting the body part that has pain or injury. This white light represents the pure love of God. When it is done with a pure heart full of charity, miracles happen. I mentioned to Jen that I was praying for her daughter and hoped that the last week of her pregnancy would be better. Jen reported back to me that the day that I had prayed for her daughter, she was able to actually eat a meal and keep it down, also she was well enough to leave the house and go for a drive in the car. I am so grateful that God hears my prayers and answers them.

We are shifting gears into winter now. Today we received our first snowfall. Erik went for his walk in the snow this morning. I bought some merino wool gloves and they are delightful! I don’t mind cold as long as I am dressed appropriately. With my protocol I am doing, my metabolism is ramping up and I am no longer cold. I have warmth in my hands and feet, which is so strange to me after years of freezing. We were under a winter storm watch. I think that Palmyra is in an area that gets less snow than areas to the west or east. Because of the lake effect snow, some areas can get quite the deluge.

On Thursday, we drove into Rochester for an endocrinologist appointment. Okay, true confessions… I struggle with appointments not being on time. This drove my blood pressure up, and I kept telling myself, “Calm down, everything will work out!” I first saw an endocrinology fellow for an hour before seeing the “real” endocrinologist. Things went as expected; I didn’t have my questions answered, and they just want to push drugs. I told them that I will pray about it and see what God wants me to do. They both said, “Okay.” Neither seemed put off that I said that. My sister Tracy tells me that I have a “ness” of Don’t Mess With Me! I left with a feeling of, “That was a colossal waste of time!”

The next morning, my scripture reading opened with Mormon 8: 26 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak from the dead.

Last year the Lord promised me that my healing would be wonderful and miraculous. I loved the reminder in that scripture. Again, it let me know that His promises are sure and He is aware of me.

Bread baking had to happen last week. I made a gluten free loaf for Erik and a grain free loaf for myself. Because of humidity, the loaves were baked but had a high moisture content. I let the loaves cool and then slice them, bag them and freeze them. It seems that moist bread likes to stick to itself and it was better to just put the loaves in the fridge rather than try and pry apart frozen slices that didn’t want to leave their friends behind.

It’s going to be time to start some little sewing projects for our Spanish Branch for Christmas. I’ve got some ideas, so we’ll see how time marches on. There is a Christmas store in the town of Lyons that I would dearly love to visit. Our Branch President called me today for some ideas to share love to members in our Branch. I gave him a couple and he thought they were good. We will discuss with the other leaders on Sunday.

We have a “Visa Waiter” in our Branch who is waiting on his visa to go to Peru on his mission. He will get a good start on his Spanish with our two Elders who serve in our Branch.

I was able to see Sister Jill Cosman from my home Ward of Lacombe. She came to the temple with a new member to do baptisms. Sister Cosman gives the best hugs! She shared news from home and I know that she will be blessed because of her mission that she is serving.

I saw a lady at the temple with a dress that had a red poppy print. I mentioned how appropriate that dress is for this time of the year. Everyone in the waiting room seemed confused and that’s where I found out that Americans do not wear the poppy as a symbol of remembrance for Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day in USA). When I explained it’s significance to me, they all wished that they had that in the USA. I forgot to bring our poppies from Canada. From being raised in the military, it is important to me. Here is the link to help you with the wearing of poppies.

https://www.legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy/how-to-wear-a-poppy

Have a lovely week; stay safe and know that God is fully aware of you and your needs. Sometimes He uses earthly angels to do His bidding, sometimes it’s angels from the other side of the veil. You are special to Him and His love knows no bounds.

This past week was full of projects that needed to be completed. I was madly pushing myself to finish quilts to gift to the departing missionary couples. Three couples are finishing their six month temple missions. I wanted to make something special for them to remember Palmyra. After all was said and done, I made three table runners with a floral fabric that depicts seasons and I called them, The Flowers of Palmyra”.

As well, I needed to finish a baby quilt to gift to my friend, Wanda, who is soon to be receiving her first grandson. Her daughter is due in 5 weeks and we’re praying that all goes well. Our local quilt shop in Palymra has a quilting service, so I had them quilt the baby quilt and what I call, “Penny’s Big Girl Quilt”.

I quilted the table runners myself and thought that I would mark the grid that I wanted for quilting. Well, that took way too long for my liking so I sat for a couple of minutes and a thought came to me. I have painter’s tape in my art supplies and decided to try marking the lines with it. That went so well, that I carried on with that method. I had premade the binding for all the projects but realized that I needed fabric to make the quilt labels. Then I was running out of white thread and Jenn (shop owner) graciously lent me a spool of white thread so that I could finish quilting the runners. She has been so delightful to work with!

It took me awhile to think about the coming week where our friends return to their homes because I was so busy with the task at hand. I was suddenly hit with sadness realizing that my friends won’t be at the temple working alongside us any more. There will be a slight adjustment in the scheduling for our shifts and we will be working with Rick and Tonya Gurr as well as Glen and Bev Parker.

The temple president’s house has a large room in the basement that they offered to us temple missionaries to have our last get-together in. Charlie made the chili con carne, I made a 7-Layer salad and the Stevens’ brought dessert. There was also cornbread and rolls provided by Parkers and Mexican layered dip made by Kinnersleys. Gurr’s looked after the drinks. We had a great time and after the temple president and his wife finished their meeting, they came down to join us.

The funny thing that happened was when Dan accidently spilled a drink (we’re on carpet), Eileen jumped up and got a tote that had rags and carpet cleaner in it. She came prepared!! Eileen has a cute saying about, “When I was domestic…”, well, her domestic side definitely rose to the surface.

We took photos, cleaned up, put the tables and chairs away, and were off for the night. I learned that Glen Parker is quite knowledgeable about genealogy. He did some amazing things while they were on their mission in Denmark. Neither him or Bev speak Danish but they found great information to fill in the blanks and correct a lot of the work.

On Saturday, there was a Halloween Trick or Treat event in the afternoon going down Main Street of Palmyra, and the businesses were handing out candy. It made it tricky for parking when I went to pick up Penny’s quilt. The kids seem to be having fun though; it was about 10 C. Another thing that I found funny was that it was warmer in Alberta than here in New York.

Apple harvest has finished and we are getting to try varieties of apples that are amazing. We have been recommended to look for different varieties. There is one I tried that was spicy and sweet, wow, it was delicious. It may have been a “SnapDragon”. Erik went to help the Wilson’s with some power washing as they are preparing to leave for their mission in eastern Europe. They still have apple trees on their acreage as well as ten acres that they lease out (full of apple trees). Erik brought home a bag of apples for us and they have been delightful.

In our little Branch we have a couple who were married on Saturday. The Branch put on a wonderful celebration for them as well as gorgeous photos on the beach at Lake Ontario. Then on Sunday, we had Compartir and the cultural hall was decorated for them as a reception. The thing I have learned about Latinos is that they love to decorate for any party or occasion. The decorations are always great and festive. I had signed up to bring a dessert and I made those squares that I posted last week. They turned out well according to the members of the Branch. It was great to give them away to missionaries as well. More contraband is gone from my household, haha!

Sunday evening, the temple missionaries were invited to attend a devotional with the Historic Site missionaries and a member of the Presiding Bishopric, Elder Budge. His wife is orginally from Ithaca, NY and she was excited to come along on this trip. We met in the newly renovated Hill Cumorah Visitor’s Centre in the theatre room. The last eight sister missionaries will be leaving to their new assignments this week and there were tears shed during their last song. Wanda turned to me and said, “Oh, oh, they’re done!” They are all going to different areas in the USA for the remainder of their missions.

Elder Budge explained the role of the Presiding Bishopric and what they oversee. The Presiding Bishopric is a council of three men who work under the direction of the First Presidency. They manage such matters as humanitarian aid, welfare programs, tithing and fast offerings, physical facilities, and the organization of membership records, among others. They also travel frequently to minister to Church members around the world. He talked about meeting with the First Presidency weekly and trying to resolve their issues with the temporal things that the church is experiencing. The First Presidency says, “If you have an issue, come with some solutions so that we can discuss them.” Oh, to be a fly on the wall! He did open the floor up to questions and my hand shot right up. I wanted to know where the two new missions are going to be in Canada. He couldn’t remember because there was 55 new missions announced. Well, I learned that the Halifax Mission is getting resurrected as well as a new mission in Toronto.

One of my favorite couples, the Cruz’s have received a job promotion with the Facilities Managment for the church. They just moved here 9 months ago and are now heading to Florida. They are orginally from Brazil and are what I call, “True and Faithful Servants”, full of honor and a desire to serve the Lord. We will really miss them!

So there you have it, many of us are finishing up assignments and moving on. We’re finishing up projects so that we can move along. I have my next baby quilt to start because the baby is due in a week. It’s progress and makes me think about what’s next for us. We still look at real estate listings trying to find something but then we also look at the next mission opportunities available.

I can attest to this because most times I am amazed at how I accomplish things. Knowing that the Lord helps me as well as sending others to help keeps me humble and full of gratitude. These days, I feel like we need all the help we can get and because He is most powerful, I willingly take His hand.

Choose your goals and be a finisher! Your faith will grow not by chance but by choice.

Enjoy your week, stay well and use your heavenly angels to help you along. Te amo!

I was saying this to someone this week because each of us are the same but different. Everyone has a story that is unique to them. We come from different circumstances and yet have experienced similar hurts and traumas. You can’t necessarily look at someone and guess their life story. We dress up, we dress down, we wear costumes to depict our lives and how we wish to be seen. If you could see my sweater that I have on right now, you could see that I’ve had a day 🙂 I’m not planning on going out in public with this sweater; it is headed to the laundry this evening. It tells my story of what I did today.

This morning started with last night because a friend who I know from the the temple, suggested that I make my own almond milk in my blender. I was disheartened by all the additives in commercial almond milk. I bought a nut milk bag for straining and put a small amount of almonds to soak in filtered water in a glass jar. We don’t have a glass bowl here in this apartment (off to Marshall’s I’ll go). Erik shakes his head but I tell him, “Hey, it’s cheaper than buying a nut milk machine!” Almonds need to soak 8-10 hours or overnight.

I drained the almonds this morning and gave them a rinse a couple of times. Into the Vitamix they went along with more filtered water, salt and a wee splash of vanilla. If you want it sweetened you could add a couple of dates. I don’t like sweetened, so plain it is. I blended the mixture for 1 minute and then used my strainer bag over a bowl. After squeezing the pulp fairly dry, I poured the milk into a jar and put it in the fridge. I spread out the almond pulp on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for 3 hours at 175 F. I actually forgot about it and it went a little longer. After letting it cool, I put it back into the blender and more finely ground the pulp. Now I have almond flour! No waste and fresh delicious products are ready to use. Part of my protocol is to not consume dairy. My only thing I wish I had was cheeses, particularly, French cheeses. I do eat sheep cheeses and enjoy those. I was not a milk drinker so I do not miss that. My dehydrators are at home and those can be used to dry out the almond pulp as well. Remnants of almond flour dusted my sweater.

I was fortunate to be able to sew today and if you know, you know. There is a saying, “You can tell a quilter by the threads she wears.” I am adorned with colorful threads as well. Then supper was created and I am so tired that a forkful ended up hitting my sweater before landing on the floor. So, I have salsa bits and refried beans on me as well. What a hot mess! Does it define who I am? Not usually, but I need to be more concerned with how the Lord views me.

An interesting thing has occured. Two days this past week, I was so tired that I couldn’t keep my eyes open, so I sat back and had little naps on those afternoons. Very curiously, my blood sugar dropped into normal range on both those days. I will continue the experiement. Rest is vital for healing and I’m hoping this is part of my healing journey.

We had an interesting family come to the temple which follows the adage about not judging a book by it’s cover. Grandpa became very wealthy from a company he developed and the lovely thing was that if you don’t know them, you would never know their story. The grandchildren were polite and treated us with respect. It was a joy to serve them.

Sometimes we wear masks to protect ourselves, sometimes to fit in with our peer group. What message are we trying to portray? Sometimes we don’t realize that we are trying to portray a persona that isn’t in best form for us in the long run. What best serves your needs in the eternities?

Both Erik and I like to be active and try to stay healthy. He bought a 30 pound weighted vest for rucksacking. He noticed that his heart rate wasn’t getting up as high as he wanted with the 20 pound vest. I am still bouncing but noticed that I can spring up into sitting and standing positions easily because of developing my core muscles.

We are getting to the time when the six month missionaries will be heading home. It will be different without them as they return to their normal lives. Erik was plotting out a route for us in April when our mission is finished. There are a lot of temples on that route and it would be really nice to see them.

It was great to be back with our Spanish Branch on Sunday. It had been a month since we had been together with them. I have been doing some more French lessons lately and have switched to another app for Spanish. I was worried that I would be too rusty without speaking Spanish for the past month. All is well, my middle-aged brain still remembered Spanish, haha! We will be having Compartir next Sunday after meetings. I signed up to bring dessert (postre). It gives me an opportunity to remove contraband from my pantry and feed it to others.

https://cookiesandcups.com/caramel-stuffed-krispie-treats/

Life-Changing Paleo Chocolate Cupcakes

Now, these cupcakes are legal for me and I can’t wait to give them a try. I made some pumpkin cupcakes this past week that turned out like little pumpkin pies. Oh, they were delicious! My dear husband has a contraband cupboard above the stove that has food with gluten in it and sugar. This week he fell victim to a little pumpkin pie (mass produced) and brought it home to his stash. He said that it was better than he expected and I’m glad he enjoyed it.

Despite what you wear or how you wish you looked, these ten ways to succeed in life are a good list to have as a guide or to check ourselves. The Lord reminds me every so often about number 7. I try to live joyfully, but there are days when injustice makes me want to go crazy. Having a cheerful countenance and not complaining does help my heart. I do know that it is my weakness and I need to guard against complaining in my conversations.

Have a fantastic week! We love you and wish you many blessings and happy days.

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.

This week was a time for rejuvenation and rest (to a point). We had our usual duties with extra things thrown in for something different. Monday was coming back to the USA. It felt so good to be back in our own vehicle and the huge sigh of relief after crossing the border with a feeling like, “Ah, we’re home!” Seeing the New York license plates again felt good. It was a sense of, “You’re where you are supposed to be.”

We did some laundry upon arriving to our house after unpacking everything. Erik and I were exhausted and went to bed early. I think it took us a few days to get our mojo back after our whirlwind trips. Tuesday morning we went to our shift at the temple and it was so fun to see everyone again and see the improvements that were made in the temple. The weather is still so glorious and we will enjoy it while it lasts. This week the weather has been in the high 20’s celcius and we are still using our air conditioning.

On Wednesday, it was lovely to see our shift coordinators return after four months off to recover from health issues. We filled in for them and was awesome to see them come back, looking better than ever.

I called the pharmacy to refill the sensor prescription. They don’t usually have them in stock, so I call a few days before the last one ends. This way I should have uninterrupted usage.

It felt great to be back on the rebounder after our travels. Bouncing moves things in your body and gets the lymphatic system draining. Ten minutes on the rebounder is equal to 33 minutes of running (as for the benefits). I like to do thirty minutes on the rebounder and always feel great afterwards. One of my heel wounds from my wedding shoes is still not happy. The ankles are looking better but the poor achilles area is not healed. I’m back to putting a bandage on it. War wounds, I call them.

I had the opportunity to visit with my cousin, Shannon on Zoom on Thursday. It was so good to see her face and hear her voice. She has the most wonderful smile that reminds me of when we were children.

Friday took us to Auburn for me to get bloodwork done. The ladies who run the lab love me and told me that they wish all their patients were as pleasant as I am. I believe that when you treat others with respect and love, it will come back to you. We went to a very large Wegman’s for groceries. It was amazing! The managers do a great job at stocking the store.

On the way home, I said to Erik that it would be fun to stop in at a Bass Pro Sports in the USA to see the difference from Canada. Erik was able to purchase a couple of long sleeved shirts and I found some warm socks. We wanted to see the hunting area and headed to the gun section. My mind was blown with the array of arms. There is a handgun that I wanted to buy when I received my PAL but Lyndon reminded me that it was prohibited in Canada. Well, I got to see something very similar to “The Judge”.

It was fun to see the camping section with all the cooking opportunities; smokers, pits, barbeques and flat tops. We did see the salt guns to be used on flies, but as my cousin says, it’s not for her house because it leaves a little salt pile while doing the fly in. I did see a funny little shooter that has a string attached.

Isn’t that a hoot? It sells for $4.99. I’m not a fan of flies AT ALL and this is something that could be handy.

This past week has been difficuilt emotionally because of the passing of President Nelson but especially because of the hateful vitriol spewed at our church resulting in deaths and injuries and the loss of a building. Some days I feel like it’s getting more dangerous to be a Christian depending on what part of the world you live in. People are being killed who believe in Christ.

The best thing to happen this weekend was General Conference. While rage consumes extremists in Africa, Africa is also seeing huge growth in Christianity. In the past three years, nearly one million people joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints around the world. I have always felt that as Christians, we need to band together in prayer and love to thwart the advances of the adversary. If we struggle with what other Christians practice and believe, it’s harder to follow the Savior’s teachings. He taught us to love one another.

It’s cute to see the memes pop up immediately after a session of conference. People are paying attention and being filled with joy at the messages that are delivered. We love our leaders of our church and I look forward to each conference with such anticipation.

Families have conference traditions for snacks. We found a bag of churro chips made by Siete. They are grain free and were delicious for a little snack. Even the apostles have bowls of snacks for conference. There are always a few speakers who touch people’s hearts so strongly with their enthusiasm and “joie de vivre”. Are you a note taker? Sometimes I am and other times, I crochet while listening to talks. I love to ask people what their biggest take away is from conference. It’s great to hear someone elses’s perspective. Did you have a question and receive an answer? This conference I did not have a question. I felt that the question that I had was answered previous to conference.

Elder Cuvelier talked about being a disciple of Christ and being called by the name of Christ. He said that the greatest sermons are not heard but seen “in the quiet, unassuming actions and deeds observed in the lives of ordinary people who, trying to be like Jesus, go about doing good.”

“Our identity isn’t defined by the world,” he said. “But our discipleship is defined by the ordinances we receive, the covenants we keep, and the love we show to God and neighbor by simply doing good.”

I believe that we can continue to do good whereever we are and show love to the people we meet. I look forward to the conference issue where all the talks are printed. I felt like I needed to read some talks to unpack them more fully.

I have ordered these journals from Deseret Book, and they are great for making notes and studying the talks.

This painting by Julie Rogers shows the love our Savior has for us individually and I know that one day I will see Him face to face and will rejoice in our reunion. Meanwhile, I will try to live a life of charity and compassion until that time.

Have a great week and remember to choose God!

It’s been a very busy two weeks. The Palymra temple went into it’s two week maintenance which is scheduled twice a year. We had asked for permission to go to Calgary for our son’s wedding as well as to go to Vermont to see Joseph Smith’s birthplace. As well, two weeks ago, I was asked to do a 30 day gratitude journal where I write three things each day and no days are to be repeated.

We headed out on Tuesday the 16th to go along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail towards the Thousand Islands. The plan was to only be gone for two days on this trip because of getting ourselves ready to go to Alberta. The road we took was the I-90 towards Syracuse and then took the I-81 north to Watertown. I vividly remember seeing Canada across the water and getting excited. We were so perplexed over a very high arching bridge that we missed the exit to highway 12. If we had gone farther across the bridge too Wellesly Island, we were going to end up in Canada. Although, without passports, we wouldn’t have gone very far. Thus, it was a backup to the exit and then we went to the Welcome Center for a bathroom break and information. The guide there told us that she usually drives straight east into the Adirondacks. By going north is was going to be a longer journey. We wanted to see everything so, we headed north. It was beautiful to see the St. Lawrence river and we actually saw a tanker ship along the way.

I had a Zoom meeting at 2:30 pm so we were looking for a place to pull over that would have a cell signal. Massena seemed to be the place for everything to work out. We pulled into a park along a little river and ate lunch. The town boasted the Massena Springs, a pair of sulfur springs, one hot and the other cold, reputed to possess healing powers known to the Native Americans before European settlement. In 1820, an Army veteran, Captain John Polley, hoping to capitalize on the properties, opened a hotel and began to advertise them. By 1858, three hotels, numerous rental cottages, a bathing house, and a plant that bottled and sold the spring water, had been built. By about 1900, the Springs’ status as a popular resort had faded. We could still smell an odor of sulphur where we were. My meeting only took 45 minutes and then we were on our way.

From Massena, we headed south going via Brasher Falls. As we headed to Fort Jackson, a very curious event occured. We were supposed to cross the St. Regis river but the bridge was being reconstructed and of course was impassable. Erik stops the vehicle and says, “This has Panama vibes!” Back story: We were in a van with friends after doing a week long cruise. Our group wanted to find a beach on the east coast of Panama. It turns out that the waters and beaches were filthy and strewn with so much garbage (definitely not swimmable). Then we came upon a bridge which had collapsed in the middle into the little river below. Erik and I got out of the van and made a determination that we could quite possibly drive the van across the broken bridge without getting hung up. All the buses could not cross because of their length. Keith was driving and we encouraged him to give it a go. The women in the back of the van were yelling and saying NO!! Keith proceeded with all the bally-hooing going on and we did make it!

We got out at Fort Jackson to take photos of the bridge and right beside the river was an old cemetery (the cemeteries in New York are all old). I was drawn to a gravesite with one large headstone and then smaller ones on either side depicting the adults and children.

I looked at the main headstone and was drawn to Sarah who was Orman’s second wife. I said to her, “Hey, Sarah, you and I are nearly birthday twins!” Her birthday is two days before mine. Her birth year was 1829 which was my phone number for 25 years. I wondered why I was drawn to her and decided to look up her information on Family Search. All of her ordinances were done in the 1950’s in the Salt Lake temple! I will check on her children as well to see what has happened with them. A very curious experience to be had that day because as I say, “We’re in the middle of Podunk-Nowhere and I come across this!”

Onward we went after the detour and ended up on highway 30 heading south again. We had entered the Adirondack mountains. I have always loved geology, and of course, I had to see what made up these mountains. In October, the vistas are going to be stunning with the fall colors. The Adirondacks are a massif of mountains in northeastern New York, which form a circular dome approximately 260 kms wide.

The word Adirondack is thought to come from the Mohawk word atirǫ́·taks meaning “eaters of trees”. Another early use of the name, spelled Rontaks, was in 1729 by French missionary Joesph-Francois Lafitou. He explained that the word was used by the Iroquois as a derogatory term for groups of Algonquians who did not practice agriculture and therefore sometimes had to eat tree bark to survive harsh winters.The Mohawks had no written language, so Europeans used various phonetic spellings of the word, including Achkokx, Rondaxe, and Adirondax. The Adirondacks were thought to be uplifted by a hot spot in the Canadian Shield. As we cruised along and I saw the rocks, I kept saying, “Hello Canada!”

We stayed in Lake Placid for the night. This was the location of the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980. It reminded us of downtown Banff, very bougie and lots of interesting people walking the sidewalks. Our room had a lovely view of the lake and a bed so comfortable that I wanted to stay and get more rest. I slept incredibly well that night.

We arose and headed to catch the Essex Ferry to Vermont. We arrived too early because they only run once an hour during off season, so we went to Willsboro to find a restroom. This is another lovely picturesque village. Again lots of bougie homes because this is where Lake Champlain is. This lake is shared with New York, Vermont and Quebec. It is the thirteenth largest lake (by area) in the USA. Whilst waiting in line for the ferry to arrive, Erik was asked (because we wear missionary nametags) about the ferry and how safe it was. He wanted to say, “Don’t park in the front or the back because those are the ones that go off the ferry in the lake!” Alas, he only shared those words with me.

Lake Champlain

Driving north to Burlington, we then took highway 89 to get to Sharon, Vermont. We drove past the capital city, Montpelier, which is the smallest capital city in the USA. It has a population of less than 8,000 people. The landscape changed to a more rolling hills scenario dotted with farms.

As we found our way to the Solomon and Lydia Mack homesite, again I was struck as to the small rural area that it was in. Very, very beautiful woods are to be found and it was such a joy to wander and see the foundations of the buildings. The memorial was erected for the 100th anniversary of Joseph’s birth, December 23, 1905. The granite stone was made 38-1/2 feet tall for the years of Joseph’s life. The granite shaft weighed 99 tons and a miracle had to happen to get it erected on time. We saw the hearthstone from the home as well as the front step stone. We were invited to drive through the woods to the Solomon Mack home foundation. It was so beautiful! Later we ate our lunch at a picnic shelter on the land.

It was to be a very long drive back to Palmyra that day. We stopped at a rest stop for a bit and were able to see a boat going through the lock there. Again, people were piloting the boat for the owners. It was quite a large vessel and would be quite comfortable to do the Great American Loop in.

By the time we got home we were pooched and ready for bed. The next morning, Erik feels prompted to go to the temple to see if anyone needs his help with anything. I stayed home to hem my dress for the wedding. Erik, indeed found a project that would take him a couple of days to complete. He met some interesting people who get assigned to travel to temples for maintenance. One couple does all the painting touch-ups for wood. Another fellow does the reupholstery and comes with a portable industrial sewing machine.

On Saturday, the 20th, The Purple Painted Lady Festival was starting so we made our way to it. It is a massive undertaking with nearly 400 vendors and 25 food trucks and 5 bands, held over two days. Around 14,000 people come to this festival which is held on her farm. My dear husband patiently attended with me and let me see the sights. I purchased an embroidered tea towel for Lyndon that talks about Rochester’s “Garbage Plate”. We also found a gentleman who builds pipe organs but does some wooden laser cut maps of the Finger Lakes. I purchased one that shows all the lakes. It definitely was quite the experience to see it all and the impressive organization of this event. Trish also has a store front called The Purple Painted Lady full of eclectic items to peruse.

On Sunday, September 21, we had an incredibly special experience in the Sacred Grove with Elder Bednar and three Seventy’s (Elder MacKay, Elder Martinez and Elder Bednar Jr.) who joined him. We were able to spend an hour at the Gathering Place in the Grove to hear Elder Bednar speak. He told us (Senior missionaries) how grateful the Brethren were for us leaving our homes to go and serve. He understood the sacrifice it is to leave children and grandchildren behind to go around the world to serve others. Then we go home, love on our grandchildren and children and go out on another mission. Elder Bednar wanted to look into the eyes of each of us who were there. September 21 is significant because it is the anniversary of angel Moroni coming to visit Joseph Smith. Then Elder Bednar left to rededicate the Hill Cumorah Visitor Center which had been updated and rejuvenated. We had to get on the road to Hamilton, Ontario to catch our flight to Calgary, so we listened to the broadcast on our phone while we were driving.

We spent the night in Niagra Falls (Canadian side) with a view of the falls. There are fireworks at 10 pm that are short but gorgeous. As well, lights are projected onto both American and Canadian falls. In the morning, we headed to the Hamilton airport for our flight. Porter Airlines was something I wanted to experience and our flight was a tad hellish. A family of five was seated directly behind us and the oldest child was constantly hitting the back of my seat as well as all the screaming, it was misery. Four and a half hours… I was done! The tender mercy at the end of the flight was the family in front of us stood and I asked them if they were from Calgary. They said that they were from Hamilton but had recently moved to Airdrie. They returned the question and I explained that we were serving a mission for our church at the temple in Palmyra. The mom had noticed our nametags and told us that they had been sealed in the Toronto temple and later left the church for twenty years. They decided to come back to church and were very happy to be in Airdrie with friends at church. The youngest daughter is going to be 12 next year and is excited to be attending Young Women’s and going to the temple.

We picked up our rental car and drove to Lethbridge to see Lyndon, Jasmin, Henry and new baby, Penny. On Tuesday morning, Erik and Henry harvested the grapes, washed them, bagged them and into the freezer they went. I have to say that I absolutely love having conversations with a nearly three year old. Henry later took us on a walk around the neighborhood with his wagon. When Lyndon came home from work, the three of us drove to Calgary to the AirBnB.

It was a blast to be with our children in Calgary. Leah figured that it had been six years since we had all been together.

Wednesday was river rafting out of Canmore. Eleven of us were on one raft and it was uber cold! I think it was only 9 C to start. We saw Elk in the river watching us as well as a Bald Eagle fighting with crows over a carcass. Our river guide Dino gave us interesting facts about the Canmore area and history. This time of year, the river is quite low, so there was not a chance of going overboard.

Our group was bused back to Canmore and we headed to lunch at the Flatbread Company. With all of us crunched in tight it was going to be hard not to get glutenized (didn’t work out so well in the end). Afterwards, we went to Lovely (which is completely gluten free) for ice cream. Then it was off to a little hike through town to get some steps in. Canmore has cell towers made up to look like trees and I found a sprig of what looked like a fake Christmas tree and realized that it probably came from the cell tower. A train came through town as we were crossing the tracks and Mason (13) pumped his fist for the whistle to blow and the engineer came through, much to Mason’s delight.

Erik and I and the grandsons drove back to Calgary along the 1A and saw some beautiful sights. The horses on the side of the road were so pretty. We also saw a herd of Big Horned sheep on the side of a mountain along our journey.

Thursday was a rehearsal dinner at Kaitlin and Brian’s new home in Altadore. Braeden smoked a brisket and some of Katina’s family came to. We finally got to meet her brother and sister-in-law as well as their son. Her dad’s youngest brother and his wife came. Katina asked her uncle to walk her down the aisle as her dad had passed away. He was so honored to do so because his children are all boys. We went to the park with Finn and Ainsley. Mason and Carter were worn out by playing with the little cousins. That night, Mason said to me, “Oh, I’m already sore!”

Friday….Wedding Day!! Erik and I made a fatal error by leaving too late for the wedding which was being held at the zoo. We realized that Deerfoot Trail was absolutely the wrong road to take to get there because of construction. We were sick to our stomachs and couldn’t believe the pickle we were in. Everything went well and the flower girls did so well. Leah was the matron of honor and Kaitlin was Braeden’s Best Woman. Katina looked stunning in her dress with her flowers. Dinner was at Grazers in the zoo and between the ceremony and the dinner, guests were able to visit zoo exhibits. Katina had the entire meal made gluten free and then after a short program, we danced and I was able to meet guests from Katina’s side of the family. We delivered Kaitlin back to her house as Brian had left earlier with the kids. I saw one of the flower girls (2 yrs old) with a steak knife under the table trying to stab people and cutting at the chair while my grandson, Charlie had a table knife to his dad’s jugular; so crazy!! Back to the AirBnB by midnight.

Unfortunately, we were all thrown out of bed at 7 am because the guests in the basement were burning food and the smoke alarms throughout the house were going off. What a rude awakening! We all wanted to do something so Erik found out the the Fish Hatchery was open and off we all went. Braeden and Katina joined us and we were able to see other wedding parties getting photos done in the park beside the Hatchery. Another beautiful fall day, considering that you never know what the weather could be in September in Calgary.

Renate left Saturday morning for her flight back to Victoria. Leah left Saturday night for her flight back to Victoria. Lyndon and Jasmin left for Lethbridge right after the wedding dinner. Our flight was an hour before Meaghan and Dallin’s flight on Sunday. We were trying to figure out all the food that needed to be eaten before leaving. Dallin’s friend, Russell joined us at the hatchery and for dinner at the AirBnB.

We checked out and headed for the airport. We missed the entrance for the car rental for our company and went in another way. We were going the wrong way and one gentleman took pity on us and lifted a pylon so that we could sneak through. I had my window rolled down to ask him how to get to the Thrifty car return. As he lifted the pylon, he said, “I’m only doing this because of this beautiful woman.” Well, I thanked him and we made it to the return.

Everything went smoothly on the return flight, including being able to hook up to Porter’s wifi on the flight. We chose emergency exit seats and the relief was immense. I didn’t feel claustrophobic and anxious because we had a little extra room. Porter uses the Embraer 195-E2 planes as well as Dash 8-400. The seating was 2 by 2 which I like because I sit by my husband.

We had wanted to zoom in on our Branch Conference in Rochester but they couldn’t get the wifi connection strong enough. We are looking forward to General Conference this coming weekend. Two weeks of adventures is a lot to write about and takes quite some time. Hopefully, I don’t have to do this again before the end of our mission.

This past week was all about family and carrying on our connections. We made hay while the sun was shining!

I know this to be true. There can be a lot of experiences with families that can either build or destroy relationships but it takes everyone pulling their part of the rope to get the family farther along the path with unity. I love my family, both near and far and look forward to the eternities with them.

Stick together and be like plywood; strong together meanwhile one ply is weak and breaks more easily. When you have the strength of family, you can overcome and be buoyed up with love and counsel that helps you.

Have a fantastic week! Stay strong and don’t let the outside world drag you around like a merry-go-round out of control. Your strengths are greater than you know. Lots of love to you all!

The past week was incredibly emotional on so many fronts. Mid week, I looked at what had happened thus far and it literally felt like I had been on a roller coaster; huge highs of joy and then ocean bottom depths of sorrow. We are constantly being prepared for the days ahead that will definitely sort evil from good. I was reading my patriarchal blessing (this is a specific blessing given to each person and gives advice, counsel and direction for their lives). As I was wondering about the timing of this mission, the Lord reminded me that I would be kept safe because I was in His house. Sure enough, my patriarchal blessing confirms that very thing. It was a great reminder to me to know that God loves me and knows of my devotion to Him.

On Monday, the Clay’s invited the temple missionaries to come to their home for a pizza party and a boat ride around their lake, Owasco Lake. Owasco is the third eastern most lake in the Finger Lakes and the sixth largest. The name is derived from the Iroquois word dwas-co, meaning bridge on the water. It was a beautiful day and we drove out with the Gurr’s. Marc Clay is a sealer at the Palymra temple, so we’ve gotten to know them by working with them. The Clay’s home sits lakeside and has incredible views. Eight of the temple missionaries made it to the party and were in for a wonderful evening. Marc loaded us on their pontoon boat and gave us a tour of the lake and where certain family members resided. We loved the viewing of the homes and some of us picked out homes that we would dream of living in.

After our cruise around the lake, we headed to the kitchen to make pizza. The Clay’s have a pizza oven that cooks a pizza in 90 seconds. I stayed in the sunroom to avoid getting “glutenized” and watched as everyone created their pizzas. We contributed by bringing salads. Kathy had something special for dessert for everyone. Great conversation flowed and plenty of pizza was had. For dessert, Kathy made her famous cream puffs. It was so cute, because she was telling us how she makes them and Marc didn’t want her to share her recipe and techniques. She covered the tops of the cream puffs with ganache and they looked beautiful. Erik was able to bring an extra one home because I couldn’t eat them.

Tuesday morning at the temple, our preparation meeting was quite possibly the most spiritual prep meeting that I had ever been in throughout my years as an ordinance worker. Tears were flowing from a number of us as we discussed how the temple has impacted our lives. We were being completely enveloped in the spirit of the Lord. Afterwards, a few of us were talking about how beautiful the meeting was and we felt like something momentous was going to happen in the world. Tuesday was a day of utter joy and gladness.

Wednesday was spent being busy doing our duties at the temple. We arrived home and I received a text from my son, who was fervently asking me to pray for Charlie Kirk. I didn’t know what was going on because we had been in the house of the Lord for the day. The roller coaster loop was taking a dip and I was in shock. The momentous event has been put in motion. We were about to see the reactions and the fallout. On Tuesday, while assigned to the Celestial room, I asked the Lord if there was anything that He wanted me to see or know. He showed me a magnificant lion roaring and said the Savior is about to roar. So many world events are occuring that show the population changing and wanting changes. I cannot be thrown off course by these because I know where my faith lies and that I am protected. I refuse to allow myself to be afraid and worry about everything. I am not in charge and I will continue with what I know to be true in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I spent five and one half hours on Friday, sewing quilt blocks for Penny’s quilt. I was having a struggle because the pattern had errors and I had to purchase more fabric and then keep cutting patches to sew. My goal was to get the entire quilt top put together for Saturday and take it to be long armed. Well….another fatal error in the pattern had me cutting the sashing the wrong size, ugh! I had to resign myself to the fact that the quilt top wasn’t going to be put together and I hit a funky sadness that my goal wasn’t going to be met because the “math wasn’t mathing” in the pattern. All things for a reason and I realized that I was tired from sewing so many hours the day before.

My latest doctor visit (I sound like an old person), had the doctors perplexed and they have now referred me to an endocrinologist, which I will see early November. I am staying the course with my AIP protocol and waiting on the Lord’s promise for a wonderful and miraculous healing.

On Sunday, I actually volunteered to give the opening prayer in Relief Society (Sociedad de Socorro). I probably shocked the Relief Society president, haha! A little growth here, a little growth there, helps Cheryl become a more rounded person. Next Sunday we will be on the road heading to Hamilton for our flight to Calgary. The following Sunday we will be at the Calgary airport flying back to Hamilton while our Branch has Branch Conference. The next Sunday is General Conference and then it’s Stake Conference!!! We won’t be back with our Branch for a month!

We are being prepared for our Savior to return and we must not delay our preparation. Many people have commented to me, “You are a great example of doing what the Lord tells you!” The caveat in my patriarchal blessing is, “Don’t fail Him!” With that admonishment from the Lord, I try hard to do as He commands. I recognize my petulant attitude which can creep in and quickly repent so that I am on the right side of my Heavenly Father. Constancy is my comfort and as the world is spinning and seemingly out of control, I am always trying to find my footing to stay upright. It’s why I make sure to get my water in each day, do my exercise, read my scriptures, pray, create nutritious meals and love my fellowman.

Stay strong, my friends and family. We love you and pray for your well-being!