family

Health & Healing

| cnaglis63

The older we get, our focus can be on our health as we find that we don’t have the same agility or abilities in movement as we had previously in our lives. I still remember two years ago the Lord told me to get walking everyday not just three or four times a week. As I look back, I see the wisdom in this as our mission required stamina and strength. I wasn’t comfortable walking in Calgary in our neighborhood at certain times as well as the winter months. Erik and I went treadmill shopping and came home with a beautiful unit that made walking a delightful exercise. We both used it until we moved into our cottage and there was no room to set up the treadmill. We walked around the provincial park even on days that were bitterly cold. I remember a week that it was -37C and all you could see of us was the slits of our eyes because every other body part was well ensconced in winter gear. After 45 minutes of walking, we returned home with eyelashes covered in icicles.

While in Mexico, we go to the beach every morning where I love to do deep water fitness. Erik will swim along the coast of the bay while I am doing my exercise. Sometimes the jellyfish are in the bay and you will feel zaps of stings when they brush up against you. I wear full rash guard clothing and I only feel the zaps on my feet and my hands. I talk to the jellyfish and say, “You and I can get along because I need to get my exercise in and you can be here too without zapping me.” I stay in the water for my full 45 minutes but my dear husband needs to get out of the water earlier than me because he is being stung.

Our bodies are meant to move and so I am always thinking about what I can do to improve my flexibility and strength. I was inspired to purchase a rebounder 18 months ago and I absolutely love it. Ten minutes on the rebounder is equal to 33 minutes of running. I have built my core back up and I am happy to say that I have abs and obliques again that are strong. I had to leave my first rebounder in Palmyra with my friend Lisa and she has been using it; I am so proud of her! I purchased a second rebounder upon returning from New York and it sits in my living room where I use it and look out our rake windows to enjoy the scenery. I am still waiting for great weather to take it out to the covered verandah to use with fresh air.

You all know the saying, “Use it or lose it!” Seniors who are fit have a much better quality of life. One of my purposes in staying fit is to be in the service of the Lord; to be able to go and do whatever He needs me to do. It’s easier to go and do when you have mobility.

We came to Vancouver Island to house sit but in reality it is to pet sit our grand-cat. Her name is Inky and she may be the most delightful cat I have met. She is sweet and loving and gentle. She has an automatic feeder and we get her water and wet food in the evening. We found her cat brush because one day she came into the house full of burrs. She loves being groomed!

Last week we drove to Weir Beach and walked the length of it. It felt so good to get my feet in the sand and get grounded with the earth. We went to a couple of open houses to look at property but neither suited us. Should we move to the Island or not? That is the question on our minds. I said that I would never move to the Island because there was no temple but now the Victoria temple will have it’s groundbreaking ceremony on August 22. It won’t be a big temple so I don’t think that construction will take too long. We have been praying for clarity to know what is best to do. Two of our daughters live here and it would be nice to see them more often than once a year.

We attended the Sooke Branch on Sunday and we have met with them a few times when we’ve been on the Island. This Sunday was incredible because there was a missionary farewell and I turned to Erik and said, “This is Michael Murray’s nephew!” We knew a number of people who were there and had a wonderful time with them and catching up. We met the Stake President who has an acreage for sale and the Branch President has been doing renovations for 50 years. Then I saw that there was a Senior Missionary Fireside at the Stake Center at 6:30 pm and said, “We should go to that!” I learned from the Stake President’s wife that the Sooke Branch has a group of quilters….oh, boy, right up my alley! A couple, the Beaumont’s came from Abbottsford to do the fireside. They are in charge of the senior missionaries all over British Columbia and the Edmonton region in Alberta which includes Red Deer. We were able to talk about our mission experience and share information that they did not know.

Like Newfoundland which is lovingly called, “The Rock”, Vancouver Island is also rock. Vancouver Island is mainly made of Wrangellia, an ancient island chain that drifted across the Pacific and slammed up against North American about 100 million years ago. It’s landscape is shaped by hard volcanic mountains and soft coastal sandstone, all sitting above an active fault zone that causes earthquakes. The interior mountains are made of basalt and limestone. In Relief Society, we passed around a piece of basalt which they called the talking rock as each person shared a 30 second answer about the council question.

I was reading this week that being amongst trees is very good for your health. All along our drive, I watched the road side and imagined just walking amongst the trees. There were a number of Bear Signs warning of bears in the area as we drove. Between a serious accident and a few construction sites, we were delayed on the first leg over an hour. My patience was worn very thin with the waits but then, we were able to get out of the car and walk a bit. B.C. has stupendous forests and their majesty takes your breath away.

I have noted that when we are in Mexico, my health is very good. I attribute that to the negative ions from the ocean as well as the natural food. This trip I have noticed my health improving each day as well. Is it the ocean effect? Blood sugars are within normal range and I am thrilled about that! Could it be that I am petting a cat and listening to her purr? Whatever it is, I will take it.

I have discovered that a person needs to be proactive about their health. It doesn’t just take care of itself. I unfortunately, did not receive great genetics for some things, but on the other hand, I have great teeth and great sturdy bones. My bone density is off-the-chart high. Those Scottish and Russian ancestors were sturdy folk! Yes, there are days when I am exhausted and then I don’t push myself so hard but I never go a day without movement. My friend, Pam Lacusta, told me that she has used her Apple watch to govern her activity and I decided to take a page from her book and I have also made sure that I am moving enough according to Apple metrics. As silly as it seems, the little awards that Apple gives out for effort, I’m all over that.

There is a tapping song, that goes to the tune of “Mamma’s Little Baby Loves Short’nin’ Bread. I tap my forehead and my chest and my abdomen while I sing this little song. It goes, “Every single cell inside my body, every single cell is happy and well.” (repeat again). Then sing, “I’m so glad every single cell, every single cell is happy and well (repeat again).” Doing this has helped calm my body and helped me feel better. For a 30 second ditty to do good things is not hard at all.

We bought a grounding sheet before our mission and I really missed it while we were gone. It lays on our mattress and we place a 100% cotton sheet over it. My sleep was uninterrupted during the night and my sleep quality improved. Another factor leading to helping us have better health is our sleep.

It may be a blessing that I have celiac disease because I haven’t eaten fast food in 20 years. It’s difficult to find quality food in restaurants where they don’t use seed oils and other harmful products. By eating natural foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes and meats) we try to keep ourselves on the right path.

I love this quote because it sums up how I feel about health. Small changes can lead to big improvements but consistency is the key as with everything in our lives. I am blessed with a companion who willingly goes along with my changes in lifestyle so that we can become better people who love others more easily and in turn this shows our dedication and love to the Lord. Keeping my eye on the prize of being closer to God is my governance. Think on things that you can change or do differently to make you feel better and healthier. It is so worth it!!

The Adventure Continues

| cnaglis63
Cold Lake marina

Staying in Bonnyville was a wonderful opportunity to see a few family members. On Monday we drove to Cold Lake to walk the pier and eat some lunch. We found a Latino restaurant and I tried some pupusas. Erik enjoyed fajitas and we had the best server. This young man came from Nigeria when he was seven years old and was raised in Cold Lake. He had his Bio Chemistry degree and was about to walk in two weeks. Then he was accepted into Pharmacy and was working hard at this restaurant being the sole server. He was delightful and I tested his Spanish but he said that he probably should be learning it.

We headed back to Bonnyville to see how my dad was doing. The smokers are just outside the doors of the hospital and I feel like you have to run the gauntlet to get through the doors. The culture of smoking has been strong in Bonnyville and I wonder if it’s because there are so many French here who smoke. Total supposition on my part but it’s been my experience. Dad was doing slightly better today. My sister Tracy showed up after her work and she was a great help for dad.

French Bay

On Tuesday, we went to French Bay which is the bay of Cold Lake that we grew up swimming in. Now, to give you some clarity, Cold Lake is on the 54th parallel; we’re 300 km north east of Edmonton. The lake has that name for a reason but French Bay has a shallow shelf that allows the water to warm a little more than usual lake temperatures. Cold Lake was first recorded on a 1790 map by the name of Coldwater Lake. Around 1877, the Hudson Bay Company established a fur trade post at Cold Lake. They traded with the Chipewyans from the Cold Lake First Nation. When we lived in the Cold Lake area, there were three distinct communities; Cold Lake, Grand Centre and Medley (the CFB Airbase). In 1996, the three towns were joined to form Cold Lake North, Cold Lake South and this area is known as the Tri-Town. But, in my brain they will always be the original names.

In the water of French Bay on Cold Lake

I removed my sandals and decided to dip my toes into the water and feel how cold it was. Considering that this was May 26, it wasn’t too bad. Erik convinced my to go farther in and I did it. For someone who is spoiled by the waters of southern Mexico, this was a big deal! This was most likely the earliest that I had ever been in the lake. When we had walked the pier in Cold Lake, you could feel the cold coming off the water. The ice has just left the lake and there were only 3 or 4 boats in the water at the marina. Both Erik and I would love to have a boat there to explore the shores of Cold Lake. This lake sits partly in Alberta and partly in Saskatchewan. It is one of the deepest lakes in Alberta with a maximum depth of 325 feet. Fishing is a big deal on this lake and the species here are: walleye, sauger, yellow perch, northern pike, lake trout, lake whitefish, cisco, burbot, white sucker and longnose sucker.

When I was 14 years old, our Young Women’s camp was a canoe trip for a few days leaving from French Bay. We camped at this one beach that was pristine sand and the Bishop came out with a ski boat to take us girls waterskiing. I received a fine sunburn on my backside because I fell asleep on an air mattress in the water. That made life uncomfortable for a few days. My partner on the air mattress was laying face-up and she burnt the front of herself. What a pair!

We drove the back road to Cherry Grove and as we were cruising past the new chapel, I said that we should go to the cemetery. Well, one house that we drove past, the people waved to us and I realized that they were relatives. So, Erik turned the car around and we pulled up to their house. It was Shay and Maria Hatch with their parents, Dennis and Merlene Hatch. We got out and had a lovely visit with them as they showed us the drawings for an addition that they are building onto their home for Dennis and Merlene to live in.

Stopping at the Cherry Grove Community Center was fun because it was the Farmer’s Market and we were able to see our nephew, Kyler. He was selling bison meat that their family raises. We also saw my cousin Kirby Claybert and had a quick chat.

We carried on our way back to Bonnyville and completely forgot to go to the cemetery. As we hadn’t seen my sister Patti yet, we went to Extended Care, where she lives. She was in a chair outside the nurse’s station having a snooze. We were able to visit for awhile and then we headed over to the hospital to see my dad. While we were there, we were able to also see my nephew, Kevin and his fiancé, Thea. Having these visitors was good for dad and he enjoyed having conversations with us all.

A funny thing that I noticed was my dad’s feet. I realized that I don’t ever remember seeing them before. Dad told me that the last time he had bare feet was probably when he was twelve! As much as I don’t like touching feet, I pay attention to feet. One day, I saw my brother-in-law’s feet and was shocked because they are exactly like my husband’s feet. Strange; I know, hahaha!

Wednesday morning, we packed up and started our journey south to Leduc to go to the Costco there. I had a Zoom appointment, so Erik went in to do the shopping. With a tank filled up with gas we were ready to go the last hour to home. Unpack again and do more of the unpacking from Palmyra. One day, we’ll have some sort of order in our little cottage.

We had an appointment with our Stake President on Thursday evening to be released as missionaries. It was great to see President Higham again. He told us that he received our packet twice because our original date to return was two months ago. I had received a concerned email and a call from the Stake Executive Secretary about our return and that the Stake President needed to release us. I had told him that we were still actually on our mission. Our temple president has authority to extend us by one month and that meant that Salt Lake didn’t know that we weren’t home yet either. President Kimbler wrote a lovely letter to President Higham telling him what we did and how we served while in Palmyra. As we left the office, there was a group of young missionaries sitting and waiting. I told them that we had just been defrocked and were ready to start the next mission application.

One thing we discovered on our journey home was that we would do better in an RV for travelling. Being celiac, it is much safer to cook my own food, which is hard to do while travelling for any length of time. On Saturday, we decided to go to Red Deer to see what the options are. It was an eye opening trip. I did make Erik get in one of the RVs that had a wet bath. He couldn’t even turn around in it. I told him that my caboose certainly wasn’t going to get in that space capsule!

Our Red Deer Stake had an Emergency Preparedness Fair on Saturday and we decided to attend. There were booths set up all around the cultural hall with a great variety of topics and demonstrations. Outside, Brother and Sister Coutts were doing Dutch Oven cooking and had samples for people. The Stake was serving hot dogs for lunch and Erik made sure to get in on that. The fair was very well done with a lot of information to help encourage people to be prepared for any eventuality.

Whilst on a mission, you receive a protection from the world to a degree. On Friday, I had my own adventure in the Co-op in Lacombe. After shopping and heading to the till, I unloaded my cart and suddenly heard a commotion behind me. I looked and saw the store manager and an assistant manager as well as a couple of other people. Voices were stern and I was wondering what was happening. I turned back to the cashier and suddenly I was being leap frogged over by a man. I know that I’m short but seriously! There was a man trying to get out of the store and I realized that he was a perpetrator that was cause of the stern voices. I paid my bill and headed out to the foyer. There was a slew of store employees gathered around and I made a comment about the peanut gallery showing force. The perpetrator was on a bike and they weren’t letting him leave as the police had been called. I loaded my car and heard sirens heading my way. Two police cruisers arrived on the scene and dragged the perp off his bike. Then as I was driving away, two more police cruisers arrived. I thought, “It must be a slow day in Lacombe if four police cruisers show up for a bandit on a bike!”

My favorite “Welcome Home”

Sunday was a great day to be in the Lacombe Ward. They had a special sacrament meeting where different members who spoke a foreign language were asked to give a short testimony in the language. We also had two members use ASL to give their testimonies. You can feel the spirit despite maybe not knowing that language that they were using. Erik and I were asked to share a quick testimony about our mission as well at the beginning of the testimonies. At the end of the meeting, we were again brought up by the Bishop to receive our plaque commemorating our mission. We did learn that we will be giving talks on June 14th to share about our mission experiences.

Having the opportunity to be with family members near and extended was a blessing to me. My blood sugar settled down and my body was at ease. My nephew, Kevin gives such good hugs! A good hug can help you in ways that you may not know that you need. Being given the opportunity to visit with my dad when the health professionals thought he was done, was a wonderful blessing. Even though I feel my mom is calling for him, his time on earth is not quite done. Our cousins, Dennis and Merlene gave Erik and I a tour of the new chapel. We received that blessing because we stopped to visit and their calling is as the facilities managers of the building. Family is everything! We receive their love on both sides of the veil and what a blessing that is! Another nephew is the maintenance man for the hotel we were staying in and we were blessed to have a chat with Alex too. The Lord filled my cup and I am grateful for that.

God Knows You

| cnaglis63
Turtle on the log
Turtles near the canal in the wetland.

As I pondered the Come Follow Me lesson for the past week and my experiences, I know that God knows each one of us. We are his children and he loves us. We may have moments of wondering if that’s true when we seem to be wallowing in the pits of despair. Life can feel impossible sometimes and we think about how we got into a certain situation as well as where do we go from there.

Like most everyone, I’ve had some difficult experiences in my life and the one thing that I have figured out is that “It’s not over until it’s over.” I just do an about face and look at things from a different perspective. Many years ago, I started saying to myself, “What does God need me to learn from this.” When I step away from the emotion of a situation, it allows me to have perspective and find a solution that wasn’t the way that I had been proceeding. God’s ways are not our ways and if something feels strange in that it isn’t the way you normally handle something, maybe getting a little uncomfortable is what you need.

I have gotten a LOT uncomfortable to be able to learn many skills. I don’t fear failure, I look forward to learning something new. I love languages and I think the reason why is that I enjoy communicating with others. Every day I practice at least two different languages to keep my brain learning and progressing. Because of that diligence, I am able to communicate with people and I feel good.

I reached a 3000 day streak on Duolingo this past week. Plus I use Spanish Dictionary to keep my Spanish going.

This came in handy on Saturday at the temple. Patrons have the opportunity to do temple ordinances in their language of choice, by wearing a headset with the translation. A patron asked me for a headset to be able to use Arabic for her ordinance. Later on, I was able to help her with a language card and I know that God put me in her path because of my language skills. I don’t read Arabic but I was able to follow along with her to help her. There have been unnumberable tender mercies given to me as I have served in temples.

Many years ago, I was going to have my Swiss friends bring their horses and wagon to Olds for the Mountain View County Fair parade. I was going to decorate the wagon with my quilts from my store and basically advertise my business. At the last minute, my friends received a request for their horses and their fancy wagon for a wedding party. They arranged for me to borrow a tractor from a local dealer and pull another wagon. I arrive at the farm implement store and go in to discuss my predicament. The gentleman at the desk asked me if I knew how to drive a tractor. I replied, “No, but I’m about to learn!” He rolled his eyes and took me outside to the tractor. After some instruction, I climbed up and with the wagon hitched, I drove to the parade route line-up. During the parade, one young lad yelled out, “HEY, Girls don’t drive tractors!!” I yelled back at him, “Well, this one DOES!” It was a great day and despite being thrown into a tricky situation, I was able to learn and progress.

This past week, I made some chocolate covered strawberries to take to the Wednesday evening shift. They were a big hit and only one strawberry was left to take home. It was also a night to do some training for the Allred’s to take over from us.

Dark chocolate strawberries

Have you ever seen such a large roll of toilet paper? My goodness!

Thursday was Erik’s birthday and we had a gift certificate for The Cheesecake Factory to be used so off we went and were pleasantly surprised at how gluten free friendly they were. Then we headed to Wegman’s for some groceries. The Wegman’s in Pittsford is their flagship store and it’s massive. I was buying a cake and ice cream to take to the temple for Erik’s birthday. There were so many people running around with their faces glued to their phones and shopping carts whipping by as if the zombie apocalypse was immanent.

My big strong handsome man!
Here’s the old man in him struggling with his phone (haha)

On Friday, we went with the Allred’s and the Bliss’ to take them to Sauder’s Mennonite store and to the Whitmer Farm.

Elder Allred & Elder Naglis
Sister Allred and I trying out the gliders.

Check out the ice cream; NFL team with their own flavor of ice cream!

Later on we headed to Cafe 19 (XIX) for lunch. Their Mexican salad was delicious.

Allred’s , Naglis’ and Bliss’ at the Whitmer Farm
Whitmer Farm

Sunday morning snow was coming down which was quite shocking after our lovely 24C days previously. We headed to Auburn for church. Where we sat, in front of us was Dottie with her service dog, Sam. Dottie’s daughter says that Sam is quite spoiled. He was quite content to make googly eyes at us and smile all the while.

Sam the service dog

Remember that when you have an extraordinary moment that makes your heart sing, that is God’s way of letting you know that he is aware of you and loves for you to be happy.

Have a fabulous week!

Service

| cnaglis63
Palmyra temple

This past week started with a task that I put off time and again for the past month. If you have ever seen a meme that says, “Don’t ask me to hem your pants; I’m a quilter!” Well, I offered to help one of my fellow temple workers with a special project for her husband. He had a couple of worn hoodies that he loved and didn’t want to throw out. Both needed the zippers replaced. I was first a sewist before I became a quilter. I do know how to hem pants and sew curtains, make clothing and so on. I even made some replacement cushions for a friend’s travel trailer.

Kristy brought the hoodies over with a replacement zipper and a zipper pull. Unfortunately, both zippers needed replacing, so we spent our visit ripping out the old zippers very carefully. When I finally decided that I better get cracking, I discovered that the zipper was not a separating one, which you need for a jacket. In the USA, JoAnne’s the fabric store closed across the states last year and it’s not easy to find sewing supplies. I saw an ad for a place called Wawak Sewing Supplies and opted to order two zippers for the hoodies. I was able to get the correct size plus some fabric glue to baste them in place.

Finally, the day arrived and I set up everything to get the job done. First hoodie, the gray one, was not a problem but the second one, the Quik Silver was the “problem child”. I put that zipper in three times. Working with old fabric that is worn and extra stretchy gave me a run for my money. The first time, I installed the zipper, I was horrified because nothing lined up. Erik takes pity on me when it’s time to rip stitches and he offers to do it for me. Finally after a quick plea to God, I was given instructions on how to proceed. What a joy to have the job done!

Gray Hoodie
White Hoodie
Elder Naglis doing the “Frogging”

We were still experiencing snow flurries last week. It was quite chilly with brisk winds and made me not want to go for walks. It is getting better this week because the Japanese Cherry Trees are in bloom.

This past week was very busy again at the temple with Spring breaks ongoing and we were able to meet many people from far off places. One sister from Australia came in with bare feet on a chilly, rainy day. She explained that in Australia, she’s always in bare feet. This dear lady, carried a pair of flip flops in her hands to wear in the temple to the change room.

It’s been fun working with the new temple missionaries; the Allred’s and the Dayton’s. This week we will have three new couples starting their service here. One of the young temple workers has been set apart for her mission and has done home missionary training this past week. We were invited to their home after church for lunch. It was so fun to meet most of the Chalupa family. Sister Chalupa is going to the California San Bernadino mission (Spanish speaking) this month. As we were leaving their house, the three year old runs out to say goodbye, “Bye, bye, We love you!” My heart!!

The Missionaries

This past Friday was my mom’s memorial service. I made a video talk to be played for the service. Unfortunately, the Zoom camera for the Cherry Grove Ward was not working so one of my nephews held a phone to record the service and then I could watch it on YouTube. I am loving having my mom’s photo as my screen saver on my phone so that I can see her whenever I want. I don’t think of my mom being dead, because I know that she is alive on the other side of the veil. She’s busy doing family work on the other side. Her spirit is just separated from her body until the resurrection.

I am the oldest of four girls and I had to be responsible and took everything seriously. My parents gave me a lot of leeway and didn’t put restrictions on me. When I was late teens (17), it was a trend to get a streak of color in your hair. I told my mom that I wanted to get a streak of blue in my hair. This was the only time that my mom put her foot down with me and replied, “Absolutely NOT! People pay a lot of money to get their hair the color of yours. You are NOT dying your hair!!” End of discussion in my mind because my mom was quite adamant. I did not become a big hair dyer, haha! Now my blond is turning a light blond-gray.

On Sunday midafternoon, I wanted to go walking in the Sacred Grove and asked Erik if he wanted to accompany me. Off we went. We didn’t see another soul on our hour in the Grove. The birds were chirping in the reedy area before the Grove; the Song Sparrow, American Goldfinch, American Robin, Northern Cardinal and the Red-winged Blackbird. As we entered the Grove, it became quiet and we enjoyed seeing what was sprouting up. Daffodils were blooming.

We walked through the Smith farm, past the homes and the barns. There is a small apple orchard and we found deer snacking as we approached. I told Erik to get into stealth mode so that we could get close.

Sign showing the farm layout
On Alert
Nibbling
Farm wagon
Daffodils

The farther into the grove we went, I saw patches of greenery and then they were everywhere. Wild Leek was growing profusely. They are also known as Ramps. Ramps are one of the first spring wild edibles. They are also called wild garlic, wild leeks, or wild scallion and are a relative of wild chives. These delicious leaves burst from their bulbous bottoms around the time your daffodils bloom. Their timing also coincides with the emergence of fiddlehead ferns. And like fiddleheads, the life of ramps in their wild edible prime is brief. Within a couple of weeks, the wild garlic will flower and the tasty leaves will wither. Ramps grow in moist hardwood forests or near shaded stream beds. They thrive in wet loamy soil. April and May are the peak months for ramp collection in the Eastern United States. Where we were was perfect for growing them and there were acres of them. Erik broke off a leaf and tasted it, then I had a bite. I was delighted as I am a huge garlic fan. I picked my own leaf and really enjoyed it.

Ramps
So many Ramps

I am already a fan of wild foraging and now I have added another treat to my list. I love Lamb’s Quarter, Dandelions, and Nettle. I haven’t tried Cattails yet.

Between Palmyra and Auburn is the Montezuma National Wildlife Reserve. They have a 3 mile driving tour in the reserve. This time of year the Bald Eagles are hatching and I saw a lot of cars on the trail as we were driving down the thru-way. Our friend Bruce Allred is a bird photographer and I have a feeling that he would really enjoy some time at the reserve.

This sculpture of the Bald Eagle is 21 feet tall and has a 20 foot wingspan. It was installed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Bald Eagle Restoration Program. It is magnificent and easily seen from the thru-way. It was created with steel, stone, wood and glass by artist, James Seaman.

It is wonderful to see signs of Spring and feel a warmer air on our faces.

I love to be among the trees and look at their majesty. It’s always thrilling to see animals, birds and plants. We are going to be celebrating Earth Day soon. People will be planting gardens. These all give me hope of things to come. While the world really seems to be going mad everywhere, I need to be in nature to feel peace and bring serenity back into my soul.

Enjoy your week, peace be upon you all!

Levelling Up

| cnaglis63
I

I have given myself grace for the past two weeks because I have been reflecting on our mortal existence. The older you get, you will find more of your friends and family who pass onto their next estate. My dad said, “Well, Cheryl, the older you get, you will find more of your friends passing away.” My reply initially was, “Well, I don’t have to like it!” As of this writing, my mother is preparing to pass through the veil. My mom has not had an easy life and I am in awe of her and how long she has withstood the trials and pains of her mortal existence. I am thrilled for her to shed this body that has given her pain and discomfort for decades. We don’t want her to suffer anymore but we do understand that she is in God’s hands.

I want to tell you about my friend, Darrell. I met Darrell through our service this past year at the Palmyra temple. I try to take time to visit a little with everyone so that I get a better understanding of their lives and what formed them. Darrell and I formed a special friendship because it turns out that we shared extraordinary spiritual experiences. It was so joyous to share the special things that we have lived with and know that each other understood how beautiful these experiences are. Darrell was very kind and was somewhat of what we call a renaissance man. He was skilled in many areas. He loved aviation and was a private pilot as well as a licensed aircraft mechanic. Darrell could build or fix just about anything. He was blessed to help construct the Palmyra temple. He had many sacred experiences during the construction of the temple. This past year, his dear wife, Cindy had started having shortness of breath and ended up having heart surgery. After her recovery I was so thrilled to see her back at the temple. Then we received news that Darrell was having heart issues.

Last month, Darrell was slated to have heart surgery to replace a failing valve that was replaced eight years ago. He was losing energy and struggling to get through his steps. We usually attend the Thursday morning Endowment sessions as patrons and we had two weeks with Darrell on these sessions. As I watched him in the celestial room, I noticed that his countenance was changing. He was becoming a different man; having peace and calmness. I was touched to realize that he knew that his mortal existence was coming to an end. He was getting up to leave the celestial room and he came over to me and took me by the hand, saying, “It’s so good to see you.” Then the following week on our regular Tuesday morning shift, he came out of the change room and came over to me while I was the greeter. He took me by the hand again and said, “My buddy”. The following day he had an angiogram scheduled to see if anything else was needed to be done while they were replacing that valve. On February 19, his surgery lasted eight hours but it was his time to pass through the veil. I am in awe of his peace and serenity that graced the last few weeks of his life.

It has been an interesting and humbling experience to watch this play out and see God’s hand in Darrell’s life. We all will have different ways to see this happen in our lives and the lives of our family and friends. I have reflected quite a bit, thinking on our mortal probation and what lies beyond.

I just listened to Elder Bednar talking to a group of people about how we are doing better than we think. The dramatic spiritual experiences are not usual or normal. Living day to day going down the wrong road and then backtracking is normal. We read in the scriptures about dramatic events that changed peoples lives but then there are people who did not change because of dramatic events. It’s the small consistent efforts that may seem humdrum but those efforts are the ones that keep you going. Striving to keep your covenants and pressing forward is great! I do not know why I receive the dramatic events but I laughingly told Erik, “Hey, I’m not normal!”

This past week I finished another baby quilt. This one is for one of our shift coordinators who are expecting their first baby in April.

I am finishing up some other projects and then it will be time to pack up the sewing supplies. With only 2 weeks left of temple service, we will be busy serving and doing our best. Erik is continuing with our journey home and the spreadsheet. We are sad that many temples are also on their Spring maintenance and will be closed but we will go to as many as possible along our path.

I tried another Loopy Whisk recipe, this one is for stacked cinnamon loaf; similar to monkey bread but even easier.

https://theloopywhisk.com/2024/11/22/gluten-free-cinnamon-pull-apart-bread/

I was an award winning cinnamon roll baker. Then the celiac kicked on and those days were over, or so I thought. Erik misses my cinnamon rolls and one day, I saw this recipe and thought that I would give it a go. I have learned that stress makes me bake. It turned out really well but I can’t eat much because of the sugar. The flavor….oh, the flavor, brings back the memories of cinnamon rolls!

It will be an absolutely joyous reunion for us with our family and friends in the eternities. I can’t wait to hear what everyone has been doing. I personally know that I have been ministered to by heavenly angels and my Grandma Lois has done some miraculous things for me to ease my suffering when I have gotten myself into a pickle.

My mother will be so joyous to run, jump and be agile again while she waits for her eternal companion. She will be busy in heaven meeting up with all the people who she has done name extraction for. She was unable to continue because of her health when she was 2500 names short of a million. Those million people also have families which add up to millions more that will greet her. I’m pretty sure that she will be an instrument in family research on the other side of the veil.

Have joy in your journey while you are preparing to level up. Progression comes little by little but you will make it!

Having Joy

| cnaglis63

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) I love to witness the moments of joy in my life and give appreciation for them. When you look carefully and thoughtfully, you will find joy in your life. I witnessed this throughout the past week.

Having joy is a choice to find deep contentment in faith, rather than a denial of pain. I love these scriptures because to rejoice always is an invitation to find strength in God during trials like stress, fatigue or conflict.

To pray continually gives me a constant connection to God’s strength. Giving thanks in all circumstances is a practice that I found to shift my difficulties to gratitude. Through this practice I have helped myself build maturity, patience and a deeper more resilient faith.

As taught by President Russell M. Nelson, true joy is a spiritual state, not merely fleeting happiness, that can be maintained regardless of whether one is experiencing a bad day, week, or year. 

We had the opportunity to assist a family who were being joined together in marriage this past week. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that families can be together forever in the eternities. While the couple were being married, the youngest children were getting impatient and could hardly wait to go into the sealing room. After the sealing of the family was done, the children were heard exclaiming, “THIS is the BEST day of my life!! We are an eternal family now!!!” I was so touched by their gratitude and joy at being joined together. I don’t remember seeing such joy from children before as they understood the importance of being together forever.

As well, the grandparents were so grateful and full of joy, and that joy spread throughout the temple. Family had flown in from across the country to be together and witness this marriage and sealing of family. What a beautiful day! Another miracle was that the sun was shining and they were able to take photos outside the temple together. The sun doesn’t shine very often in the winter here in New York. One person told me that this sky color is called “New York Gray”.

Here we are; best of the goofing around photos

Our home Ward has asked us for a photo of the two of us and a scripture to go on a plaque to commemorate our mission. Erik and I never sit for a professional photographer and thus we kept forgetting to get a photo done. We wanted one outside of the temple, but the weather didn’t cooperate. We finally went next door to the Gurr’s and asked them to take a photo of us. The next problem is that we don’t seem to take photos very seriously and it’s more of a comedy scene than anything else.

It’s hard to take this seriously!

Erik has been fine tuning his spreadsheet for our journey home. If there is anything you have seen in the USA that you would recommend for us, let me know. So far, we are planning on going to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to see a play at the Sight and Sound Theatre. This year the play is called Joshua. I’m really looking forward to it!

Sight & Sound® began nearly 50 years ago in rural Pennsylvania when a dairy farmer went from producing milk to producing live entertainment with a purpose. Now with two state-of-the-art theater locations, an online streaming platform, and a film studio, Sight & Sound brings powerful stories from the pages of Scripture and history to life on stage and screen.

Whenever I think of Gettysburg, I think of Bruce Blumell. Bruce has a deep love of history and for one Empty-Nester family home evening get together, he gave a presentation on Gettysburg. I have been to Germany to the concentration camps and felt the horrors of those places so I have mixed feelings about Gettysburg which had over 51,000 casualties in three days. This was one hundred years before I was born. This battle was the turning point in the American Civil War.

I am on the final projects for quilting and Erik is starting to get nervous that I won’t get them done. Today I have the final large project ready for the long arm quilter. Binding is made and ready to apply to the quilt when it gets back to me. I laid out fabrics for the next two projects and am feeling confident.

The lost sock

My missing sock has been found!! I bought some socks from North Carolina and they are based on using recycled wool. Each pair is made with the same pattern but the colors may not be in the exact same places in each sock. I was sad, wondering where my sock could have wandered off to. Erik (the official laundry person) said that it was probably stuck inside of some piece of clothing. Today he decided to cut up one of his collared T-shirts and found my lost sock inside of it. I am so grateful that he didn’t cut the sock!!

Next Sunday, Erik and I have been asked to give our final talks in our Branch. We will be talking about the blessings of the temple. When an English speaker uses a translator, the time is as if there were two talks given, so, we will have to be cognizant of the time (well, Erik will have to).

Tonight we are going to join up with the Historic Site missionaries for a Valentine’s Day meal. Their new Mission Leader for the Historic Sites will be joining us. There has been a two week break between the last Mission Leaders leaving and the new leaders arriving. Next month the new sister missionaries will start arriving as well to prepare themselves for the tours. They memorize the scripts for the tours and do a fabulous job.

I found an Instagram page called “mormon_food_review”. It’s really cute because these men who drink beer and cook chili decided to feed the missionaries. They edit their salty language but it’s so nice to see people being kind and helping the missionaries. They are from New York (Rochester) and I recognized two missionaries who have served at the temple. One of the videos show them in a restaurant being fed “Garbage Plates” which are famous in Rochester.

https://www.instagram.com/mormon_food_review/

I am bringing my seven (or more) layer salad to the dinner tonight. Erik cooks the eggs and the bacon and opens the can of water chestnuts for me. I chop and grate and get the salad put together. The good thing is that I used up two jars from the fridge, plus a can, haha! The Gurr’s showed us their food left and it’s not much at all. They are doing much better than us at reducing our food pantry. We’ll get there eventually!

I may sound like a broken record but I really believe that where we focus our lives will determine the joy we experience. The world around us is going to pieces, we need to be a righteous people who will receive the Lord when he returns. I encourage you to be part of creating Zion, having joy, keeping your covenants and stand ready to have Zion in your hearts.

Have a joyous week!

Breathe

| cnaglis63

It is an odd thing when Upstate New York is colder than Alberta. We were sitting at -15C here in New York and Alberta was having above zero Celsius temperatures. With the cold here comes very dry air. I am over the sensation of getting zapped every time I get up to go do something. I had packed a little diffuser for essential oils but we have been running it constantly just to put a little moisture back into the air. Still….Zing! Uncomfortable but I know that one day it won’t happen anymore. Oh, glory be!

I am including this photo that Erik took a couple of weeks ago. This is our church parking lot in Greece. It looks very frosty but it is entirely covered in salt.

Our house developed huge icicles hanging from the eaves. If one of those fell, it would kill someone. We were wondering how to deal with them and I suggested opening the laundry room window and using a broom, try to knock off the icicles. Erik tried it and it worked. It’s getting treacherous to walk on our stoop stairs because of all the melting, dripping and refreezing. On the other side of the house is our bedroom window and while I was sewing, I heard the thud of ice hitting the ground. Erik was again using a broom to knock off the icicles. I was worried about them falling because the air conditioning units sitting below the bedroom.

We finally were able to make it to Jon’s Sewing Machines in Wolcott. On Thursday we left early and made it with clear roads. They carry a small selection of fabric but I was able to find the New York State panel that has been sold out everywhere. They were able to reorder some and I was thrilled to find it. I want to make a quilt of the places we visited while in New York and many of the panels depict these places. Jon expanded his shop to have a huge repair area and so my Bernina is in for some spa time. On the way home, we hit a snow squall right before highway 14 and so we turned south and went to Lyons.

While in Lyons, we went to Aldi’s to pick up some veggies. We saw an Amish couple shopping there and when we left I had Erik take photos of their ride.

Our son Lyndon sent us a little video of our grandson, Henry opening his birthday present that we mailed to him. I found a quiet book of the Old Testament stories. When Henry asked his mom what it was, his dad replied, “Those are the brass plates.” Henry then said, “They sure are, they sure are!” Toddlers are so cute! He has now decided that he needs to wear a tie to church to go to nursery class.

Salt laid down by the snow removal company.

This past week, we experienced the onslaught of salt on the temple grounds. It’s very pretty and looks like sea glass but unfortunately it does get tracked into the temple and then melts into the carpets and makes blue puddles on the floor. Thus the presidency decided that we should encourage the patrons to remove their outer footwear before coming into the main foyer. We have four little cloak areas to hang coats and place footwear. It really helped to keep the temple cleaner and safer for everyone. This photo shows how much salt is on the sidewalks.

Palmyra temple by C. Fazio

My friend Christine loves to take photos and she’s really good at it. This photo is one of hers on a day where we actually could see blue skies.

On Sunday, we attempted to drive to Greece for church but as we were leaving Palmyra, the snow started picking up in intensity. By the time we reached the west side of Macedon, it was coming down so thickly that we thought that it might not be a good idea to proceed. We passed 3 big snowplows heading out in a row to the freeway and that sealed the deal. We turned around at Egypt and came back to Palmyra in perfect time for church.

This was my first church meeting in English in nearly a year. The first Sunday of the month, we have the opportunity to share our testimonies of the Savior. Members go up to the pulpit one at a time and share their thoughts. Near the end of the meeting, I saw out of the corner of my eye, a young lady going to the front row to wait her turn. I was on the opposite side of the chapel and couldn’t see who she was but my spirit was so drawn to her and I wondered who she possibly could be. When it was her turn, I gasped when I saw that she was a young lady from our 5th Branch that I hadn’t seen in months. Her parents are divorced and she had decided to spend some time with her mother. This young lady is very special and is so, so sweet. She has a very kind soul and looks to help others. I couldn’t wait to see her after the meeting. I turned to Sister Lau, who I was sitting with and said, “That’s why we were sent back to Palmyra today!” This darling girl and I exchanged contact information and had lots of hugs and a great little catchup. I love her like she is one of my grandchildren. This was a great lesson in knowing that God has plans for us and we just need to listen.

I have been asking the Lord about what’s next after the next. He told me that I am getting ahead of myself and that I need to breathe. So, I place my trust in Him and know that all will work out for my benefit.

Take your time to breathe and pause. Especially in these times with all the chaos going on around us, it can become overwhelming. Step back to reclaim your peace and serenity. I love the quote, “Don’t trade God’s timing for your deadline.”

In John 14:27 we find: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Go forth with faith, not fear and know that you are loved and God’s timing is perfect.

There’s No Time Like the Present

| cnaglis63

I have been blessed with confidence to try new things, new experiences, new skills and this was not so early in my life. When I tell people that I used to be uncomfortably shy, they are in shock and can’t believe it because of how outgoing I am now.

I’ll share something that may make you uncomfortable but know that we all go through hard things in our lives. The first two years of my life were really rough with torture and abuse from my biological father. I quickly learned that if you tried to make yourself invisible, the abuse might not be so bad. If I cried out, it escalated but if I laid still, it might be the end of that session of beating.

My mom, who also was being abused by him, was able to get away from him shortly before I turned two years old. An unlikely person took us in and when my mom met a fellow who came to help her move, he told me that he fell in love with me when he saw me. He knew that I was his little girl. Yes, he married my mom and then adopted me. I was a scared little rabbit, afraid of loud noises and quick movements. I hid behind my parents at every outing until I was fourteen years old. Everyone always commented on how shy I was. In reality I was terrified of everything.

My friend, Opal, one day said to some people, “She’s not as shy as you think.” I went home and started thinking about my life and my fears. I asked myself, “Do you always want to be hidden away and never be brave?” It was easier to stay in the background and work hard at home and try to stay out of harm’s way. How was I to learn? How was I going to get out of this cycle?

I told myself that I was going to have to try something and be braver than I’ve ever been. Try talking to someone by initiating conversation, try learning something new. I remember in grade three, we had song books and they were full of folk songs of the day. I loved going outside behind the big propane tank and singing my heart out. After the age of fourteen, I started really breaking out of my shell and it continues to this day.

This past Thursday, our shift coordinator, texted me to see if I knew ASL (American Sign Language). I don’t but we had a patron coming to the temple who requested ASL. Here’s where my trust in the Lord comes into play. I told the coordinator that I would look after it. Then I contacted my friend, Margaret, who learned ASL in college. She made a video for me showing me how to do the signs for the ordinance so that I could interpret for the patron. I learned it in about 10 minutes and then that evening went to my assignment. I was able to interpret for the patron with no issues. Erik was very proud of me and the other workers were stunned that I only learned it that afternoon. I was pretty excited and thought, “HA, a new skill unlocked!!” Many thanks to the Lord for helping do His work.

This week I was working on special gifts for departing missionaries. My sewing machine broke down mid project. My frustration was peaking and I was plotting out a course of action to carry on. I started by taking the front case off of my machine to see what was the issue. Then I called Jon’s Sewing Machine Repair in Wolcott. They thought they knew what the issue was but I thought that it would be better to take it in for some spa time.

My sewing machine that I brought on our mission.

Here’s where the timing gets tricky. The USA was about to be blasted with a huge storm and Wolcott is 45 minutes away from us. This was Wednesday and Erik checked the highway cameras (later finding out that they were the wrong area for where we were going). It was partly cloudy skies in Palmyra and we jumped in the vehicle by 9 am. We headed north through Marion and by the time we were in Marion the snow was coming down quite heavily. The roads were snow covered and I was really rethinking our life decisions. We turned onto the 104 and were driving northeast. The snow came even thicker and after halfway to Wolcott, we made the decision to turn back. We were in whiteout conditions and there were other vehicles who also decided to get off the highway. We turned south onto highway 14 and pulled into someone’s driveway. Suddenly a snowplow was driving south and I told Erik, “Quick, follow that snowplow!” We followed the snowplow to Lyons and by then the snow had tapered off to nearly nothing. Erik said, “The things we do for quilting!”

On the 104 heading east and it got progressively worse.
Driving south to Lyons. Such a difference!

The clock is still ticking and I am not making progress on projects that need to be completed. I received inspiration to ask one of my fellow temple sisters, if I could borrow her sewing machine to get this work done. She agreed and low and behold, the machine is a Bernina which is the same brand I brought on our mission. Today I was able to use my walking foot on her machine to put the binding on Penny’s quilt. Tender mercies!

Penny’s quilt
Front of potholder
Back of potholder with my custom made temple fabric.

Whilst “Snowmageddon” is raging around us, I have inside work to be done and we are grateful for heat and power that has not waivered. Our landlord has a snow removal service clear our parking lot and he has been busy. I have run out of my Russian pickled cabbage salad and my herring potato salad, alas! It’s going to be time to try to get to a grocery store again.

On Friday, we decided to go to the temple to do work for our own ancestors. We printed out names and headed to the baptistry. After completing the work for those names we were able to head to an endowment session and get more work done. I was thinking about the timing of the next year and about where we will live. We will submit our next mission application later this year and the Lord told me that I was getting ahead of myself and not to worry.

I love our friends and family who send us real estate listings for us to ponder. Looking at listings and thinking if the layout suits us or would we need to to do extensive renovations. I look forward to the day when we will not be nomads. It has been ten years since we had a home base. For now, I will follow the Lord’s command and go where He wants me to go.

Okay, I have questions for you. Do you each have a book of remembrance for your family? I have to tell you about the one that made such a huge impact on my life. When I was 11 years old, a book was published called the C.F.B Lybbert History. This was the size of family tree sheets and was pivotal in influencing my life. In this book was a collection of impactful stories from members of the family and their downline. There were family tree sheets, photos, and important documents. It was truly a labor of love and it was published 52 years ago.

This is from the introduction to the book: Christian Frederick Bernard Lybbert (1834-1923) was born Flade, Horns herred, Hjorring amt, Denmark, the son of Joachim Frederick and Margarethe Elizabeth Wilhelmine Evart Lybbert. He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1854 and served a mission for the Church. He married 1) Marie Anderson (1833-1906) in Denmark. They immigrated to Utah in 1865, with his mother. He married 2) Anthonette Marie Olsen (1845-1932) in 1866 in Salt Lake City. They had eleven children, 1867-1890, born at North Ogden, Spring City, Levan, Vernal, and Naples, Utah, He died at Logan, Utah. Marie Andersen Lybbert died at Naples, Utah; and Anthonette Marie Olsen died at Vernal, Utah. Descendants listed lived in Utah, Alberta, Canada, and elsewhere.

Includes ancestors, chiefly in Germany, and ancestors of Anthonette Marie Olsen in Norway.

Waldemar Christian Lybbert (1869-1944) was born at Spring City, Utah, the son of Christian Frederick Bernhard and Anthonette Marie Olsen Lybbert. He married Ella Dora Darnell (1875-1964), daughter of Martin Van Buren and Susan Katharine Nickles Darnell in 1892 at Logan, Utah. They had eleven children, 1893-1917, born at Naples, Utah, and Frankberg and Glenwood, Alberta, Canada. He died at Glenwood, Alberta. Descendants lived in Alberta, Washington, Idaho, and elsewhere.

There haven’t been any new books published that I know of and it made me consider that it’s time to make a new book that would include our family from my grandma Lois and all her progeny. My grandma had five children and there have been four more generations. Books of remembrance can include anything of importance to your family history. While watching “Come Follow Up” on BYU TV on Sunday, the lesson talked about books of remembrance. A guest author was on the program who was from Pakistan. He brought his book and showed parts of it. I loved that the Punjabi alphabet was illustrated like how we would do in English, “A is for Apple”, “B is for Banana” and so on. There was also a beautiful photo of his grandmother. I called my sister Tanya and asked what she thought of doing this for our family. She agreed and is going to produce a sheet of interest and get people’s juices flowing. We could include recipes because these are an important part of our family history.

The most amazing thing is that the Christian Frederick Bernard Lybbert book is available as a digital version on Family Search. I will enjoy reading through it as an adult. I really believe that it is important to record your life. I know that my children don’t know a lot about my life or their father’s life. I too have questions for people who are dead and it’s too late to ask. Okay, it’s not too late to ask but will you get the answers you are looking for?

There’s no time like the present to start preparing your life history so that future generations will know you better and have an understanding of where they came from. This summer I learned about my biological father’s side of the family. I have loved connecting with them and one of my cousins has been instrumental in helping me understand my ancestors. I understand on where I get some of my features, my likes of foods, my love of handwork.

Not everything is going to be wonderful and perfect and our progeny need to understand that we did not live perfect lives; that we had struggles and trials. There are many mysteries to be unraveled but that may be for the future after the coming of our Savior. This past week I received an incredible sacred experience in the temple. I know that He lives and that He loves us. Hold on tight to what you know as truth and righteousness.

I feel this strongly! We are part of something greater than ourselves. I love my family and look forward to spending time with them again. Enjoy your week, staying warm as needed. My sister told me that they had an experience of living with no power for 12 hours and they see what they could do better if needs be.

Much love to all!

We’re Not Trunky

| cnaglis63
The church we live behind; originally a Methodist church.

I have to laugh while typing the title of this post. I am starting to think about things at home that I have missed; king size bed, Soda Stream drink station, a sewing room and the list goes on. We have two months left of our mission. Our last shift will be on March 14. I was taking some salad over to Tonya (our next door neighbor) and Rick, Tonya and I were looking at the calendar at the dates of what we are doing in the next two months. They finish at the same time as us.

I have enjoyed having a dishwasher (our cottage does not have one). It is a Samsung brand and definitely has issues but if you hold your tongue right, the cycle might come out okay. The large capacity washer and dryer have been lovely. When the washer is on the spin cycle it sounds and feels like a Chinook helicopter is right over the house! We had an Electrolux washing machine and dryer in Calgary and it was the cat’s meow; I adored those machines. At the cottage we have a European stacking set but apartment sized, thus small loads are what we can do. Give and take…

We had a fun moment this past week when we went shopping. We first went to BJ’s for bulk items (it’s like a Costco style store) and gasoline. Then we went to Wegman’s for things we had on our shopping list that weren’t available at BJ’s. Finally, we ended up at Walmart to get windshield washer fluid and a couple of grocery items that Wegman’s didn’t have. Three stores!!!!! The fun part was seeing missionaries in Walmart. There were two sister missionaries and I went up to them to say hello. They serve in the Palmyra area. Then Erik came up and asked the sisters if we could buy their groceries for them. They were hesitant and graciously thanked us but no, they were fine. We insisted and I told them the story of when our son, Lyndon was on his mission in Arizona and was approached by a lady who wanted to buy groceries for him and his companion. Lyndon ran off to grab a jug of chocolate milk and a bag of cherries, while his companion grabbed some cereal and milk. When they met back up with her, she looked at what they had chosen and said, “Oh, no, that’s not nearly enough!” She grabbed them each a cart and then went up and down the aisles filling their carts with groceries. She explained that her husband played NFL football for the Cardinals and they could certainly afford to buy these missionaries groceries. At the check-out, she also purchased gift cards for restaurants for them. What a huge tender mercy! So, I told the sisters that we wanted to pass along this kindness to them. Thanks to the example of Deuce Lutui and his wife, other people are being blessed. It was fun, to shop with the sisters as we headed to the cosmetic area for face cream and sugar scrubs. I acted like a Mama Bear and tried to influence the girls to choose better quality products with less chemicals. They were worried about cost and I was telling them that it doesn’t matter; buy what’s best for you.

We had some beautiful weather this past week and the snow has mainly melted. A cold front is moving in and this week on my birthday it will be forecasted for -4C. I say, it’s in honor of the Canadian living in New York state, hahaha!

One day when it was 9C, I told Erik that I was going for a walk and he decided to join me. It was brisk at first because of the wind but as we moved along, it was just fine. We love looking at the historic homes in Palmyra and especially the big ones with carriage houses in the back. It’s fascinating to think about life here 150 years ago.

We stopped in at the T-shirt printing shop and I had questions for them about what they can print and how they do it. I have so many ideas spinning through my head and if I want to implement anything, I need to step on it and get cracking.

Walking past a tattoo shop, I had a good giggle at their sign. When Erik texted it to our daughter-in-law (a tattoo artist), she said, “Yup, those are the rules!”

Them’s the rules!

At the Palmyra temple we do training meetings for the workers for two weeks at a time. Everyone gets the training and it leaves out very few people. This session is about emergency procedures and practices. When it comes to dealing with a tough situation, I could imagine my husband saying, “Let my wife, the wolverine, deal with it!” I realized how well trained I am because of all my leadership training with being a Girl Guide leader. They had a comprehensive training system to help leaders be great with the girls and keep their health and safety at the forefront. I had to be trained to be able to take girls camping and so on. Many of the practices meld well with my life in working with the public. I have great understanding of how to deal with emergencies and how to stay calm.

This past week, my cousin, Crysta gave me some more information about my ancestors. This brings up a point where I have so many questions and all the people to ask are dead. Ask the questions while your relatives are alive!! There are gaps where I don’t understand or know where or why this person lives here or what they did with their lives. It’s so important to keep a journal of your life.

A really exciting and cute piece of news came out of our temple this past week. Brother and Sister Pace have been called to be mission leaders in Guatemala City Center, starting July 1. Also Brother and Sister Mayo are called as mission leaders in Sweden. In the locker room at the temple, I asked Sister Pace to later tell me the details of her call. There was a lot of excitement in the locker room. Suddenly she turned to me and said, “When you are finished with your mission, you can apply to go to Guatemala City for your next mission!” I said, “I see what you’re doing there!!” Sister Pace said, that now that the news is out, she is shamelessly going to be recruiting people to serve in Guatemala.

We are excited to serve again. Who knows where it will be but we will be happy to be out serving again. Being late to church on Sunday was so bizarre because that it not how we operate. We have the sister missionaries back in our Branch and I was super excited to see Sister Parr again. There is a sister from Washington state who is a “visa waiter” going to Peru. Her last name is Law and when we checked our Family Tree app, it seems that we are 3rd cousins! Next week is Compartir and I signed up to bring a salad.

It’s a lot of fun to be good and do good.

Have a happy week of service where you can. Today as I was cutting my husband’s hair, he had a smile on his face. I asked him why he was smiling and he said, “It makes me happy when you are doing something for me.” It doesn’t have to be a grandiose gesture of service; any small act affects in big ways that you may not see. Love to you all!