Families Can Be Eternal

August 5, 2026 | cnaglis63

Using my rebounder while we are camped at my sister’s house.

The month of July was full of travel, family and making new connections. We experienced the Lord’s hand in our lives in a miraculous way. I love the feeling of calm assurances and knowing that we are on the right track. Along with that comes the stress of what lies ahead. How do we make our transition to another province? It’s the logistics that are enormous because of our circumstances.

In the meantime, we also prepared to attend a family reunion. My great grandparents on my dad’s family are Victor and Susan Hatch. My grandmother (dad’s mom) was Lois and she was the fourth of twelve children to Victor and Susan. I bear the distinction of the being the oldest grandchild and the oldest great grandchild. This put me in an awkward position age wise. I often felt, especially in the teenage years that I was between generations. I was too old for the babies and too young for the next generation.

It is so interesting to me that we all have different memories and versions of our ancestors. On my mom’s side of the family, her grandmother was widowed at 35 and was pregnant with baby number six. My grandparents took her into their home for the last 30 years of her life. Whenever we went to visit Grandpa and Grandma Dennison, Great Grandma Mitchell was also there. I was always a little afraid of her; she came across as very stern to me. On the other hand, my next younger sister, Patti, had a fabulous relationship with her and has very fond memories of Grandma Mitchell.

I have a few memories of Great Grandma Susan. She had beautiful gardens and so many colorful flowers. Great Grandma was a prolific canner of foods and loved to make quilts. She had buckets of stretch candy in her freezer. It was in a multitude of colors and flavors. I did not grow up with treats in our house and I was astounded that there was something besides the bare necessities in a house. When I was twelve, we stopped to visit our great grandparents. I had cut off shorts on and Grandma Susan commented as she was wondering if I wasn’t too cold in those shorts; they seemed a little too short. I felt like I didn’t measure up and not having enough self esteem, it was not a good memory to have. Yet, other members of the family have very fond memories of Victor and Susan. I loved great grandpa Victor. He was gentle and kind.

Grandpa Victor breaking candy into pieces

There are three remaining children from Victor and Susan; Edith Claybert, Opal Greep and Neldon Hatch. They are the three youngest. Neldon’s wife Priscilla would do a demonstration of making stretch candy at each reunion. Everyone looked forward to this treat.

Stretch Candy

2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 pound butter for greasing surfaces and hands.

Instructions

You will need a candy thermometer for this recipe.
1. Stir together the sugar, water and vinegar in a heavy saucepan. Clip on candy thermometer and don’t let it touch the bottom of the cooking pan.
2. Heat the sugar syrup until the candy thermometer reaches the hard ball stage or 260-265 degrees. Don’t stir while it is cooking.
3. Slowly pour the syrup onto a buttered surface like a large cutting board. Be very careful — this is a molten mass of hot syrup. DO NOT scrape bowl. Just let whatever candy comes out, come out. Allow candy to cool for a few minutes.
4. As soon as the syrup is slightly cooled, scrape it into a large ball. If you are going to add any flavorings like vanilla or peppermint, now is the time to do this. Flip the ball of candy over several times using some sort of scraper like a candy scraper.
5. When it is cool enough to handle, gather the ball of candy into your well-greased hands and pull the candy using both hands until you have reached as far as you can. Fold the pulled part over and repeat. Do this for about 4-5 minutes or until the candy is getting stiff and has turned a beautiful white color.
6. Once this happens, pull out a long rope of candy about 1/2″ thick. You can twist this if you want a twisted look for your candy. Lay it out on waxed paper to cool.
7. When it has thoroughly cooled, break it into 1 1/2 ” pieces. Wrap each piece of candy in waxed paper and store in airtight container. If candy is sticky, store it in the refrigerator.

Notes

This candy is messy to make – but it is worth it. There also seem to be MANY different Pull Candy recipes on the internet, and they are all a wee bit different.

This summer is to be the last reunion for the Victor and Susan Hatch clan. It seems that some of the twelve kids have been having their own reunions because of the large number of people now as generations have come along.

We have been having reunions for as long as I can remember. Our family moved back from New Brunswick when I was eight years old in 1971. In 1972, we had a reunion in the Okanagan valley. We were at Camp Woods on the lake and it was idyllic for the family. My grandma told my parents that I needed to get out of the water but they said, “Oh, she’s having a good time, she’ll be fine!” Well, blond, blue-eyed me, didn’t fare so well and I ended up with sun stroke and my grandma Lois thought that I was a goner. We also had Sacrament meeting in a cherry orchard amongst the trees on a hillside. It was so wonderful!

In 1974, we had our reunion in Cherry Grove and MacLean’s magazine sent a writer to do an article on the Hatch family. We are in Volume 87 No. 9 issue in 1974. I love seeing the photo that was taken of the family. My great grandparents must have been so proud of their progeny and their ability to gather together. The article is called, “The Hatches of Alberta”. The writer was Herbert Harker and he had been a neighbor and had watched the mass exodus of the Hatch family as they left Glenwood and headed to the Cold Lake area. They had nine children at that time and drove five wagons. They also took 17 horses, 25 cattle, 300 sheep, 2 pigs and 12 chickens. I do remember seeing a photo from the start of their journey and they also had dogs and cats. They were headed out on a 600 mile journey to homestead in a new area. Their whole entourage was a quarter of a mile long. They left on May 1, 1933 and it took them 60 days to get to Cold Lake.

Their family endured many hardships but persevered and came out the stronger. There are so many stories about growing up in that family. Aunt Edith has told the story about the gas powered iron.

She was a teenager and needed to iron her skirt. Her mom warned her about leaving a window open to do the ironing. Well, she fell asleep and ended up blowing the roof off the house. Thankfully, no lives were lost in this incident but definitely the house suffered structural damage as well as a fire that started in the clothes that needed to be ironed.

On my great grandparents 55th anniversary, all twelve of their kids made it home to celebrate. When Aunt Edith asked if they needed to go to church on Sunday, her dad replied that it was not often you saw a couple with all twelve of their adult kids at church and he was able to introduce them during Sunday School.

The legacy we carry is enormous and I am proud to be adopted into it. I remember two years ago when the reunion was held at the Spring Glen campground. I heard some voices tell me as we were packing up, “You are coming home.” I replied, “I have never lived in southern Alberta!” The next day as we were driving into Glenwood to buy ice, my relatives again said, “You are home.” I replied, “You know I’m adopted, right?” They said to me, “You are sealed to us in the temple and you are ours!” Okay, they had me there!

So, this was to be the last reunion and I wondered who I would see again because some of these cousins, I only see at reunions. We all live far apart and these reunions were great at bringing us together. My grandma worried that her family would drift apart after she was gone and she started having her own family reunions with her 5 children and their families. Between health issues and age, things are changing for each family. As I attended church at Cherry Grove ward on Sunday, I wondered when I would be here again. Seeing family with memory loss and the effects of illness is hard but still having compassion and love for each other softens the effects.

I know that our family is eternal and through Christ and His resurrection we will be renewed and shed the perils of our earthly probation. We are here to learn and become more like our Savior.

When I am with my family, the joy and love definitely transcends everything else. It is wonderful to spend time together and catch up on each other’s families plus meet with new little cousins. I met two beautiful little girls from the Stonehocker/Low family. Penny was 2 years old and such a sweetheart. Her sister Pepper was also beautiful and they were such a delight to be around at the reunion. I will miss seeing all the new members of the family as they continue to grow. Those who have passed through the veil get a view of us all, coming and going!

Grow Through What You Go Through

July 21, 2026 | cnaglis63

I have been seeing this quote in multiple places and to be honest, I have to groan because I know what this means in my life. This month has been a month of huge change for us. We somehow decided to relocate our lives and I’m not really sure how we came to that decision except that we both feel good about it. We attended the temple last week and we both received sure assurances that we are doing the right thing. Change does not come without effort. Two years ago, the Lord told me that I needed to get moving and walk everyday. In hindsight, I see that He was preparing me for a mission where we were on our feet on marble floors each day. Our legs and joints needed to be strong and resilient. We purchased a treadmill and both of us used it until we moved to Gull Lake. At our cottage there was no space to set up the treadmill and we were walking through the trails of the Provincial Park. Eighteen months ago, I purchased a rebounder to continue my strength training and core building. All of these choices led us to change what we had been doing previously and to try and better ourselves. I remember my first day on the rebounder; I only bounced for 5 minutes. My experience taught me that if I go too hard and fool myself into thinking that I can do much more, the pain that ensues stops me from progress for a few days. After a month on the rebounder, I could go for 20 minutes and after two months, I was doing 40 minutes.

That must be growth! I have learned to take baby steps and build myself slowly rather than have the expectations of an eighteen year old. Our brains aren’t interested in living in constant pain. How do we accomplish this? The term “Grow Through” is a way to reframe “Struggle”. It’s a shift in perspective. Instead of viewing obstacles as unfair setbacks, you treat them as catalysts for self-discovery. We can embrace the duality of life; we have both joy and pain. While pain is uncomfortable, it teaches us empathy, deepens our understanding and builds emotional stamina.

Active participation involves doing the work. It is the active choice to no longer be incapacitated by pain, but to let it shape and mold you. Every time I encounter adversity, I stop and say to myself, “What do you need to learn from this?” There is a mantra about pain, “Name it to Tame it!” Taking the time to recognize what emotion the pain is been driven by, will aid you in building your emotional stamina.

Driving home from British Columbia, we decided to stop at Three Valley Gap for the night. It is a beautiful spot and was an adventure all on it’s own. For most of our lives we have driven past this quaint little spot as it is along highway 1, as you drive from Alberta to the coast. We have stayed in Chase a couple of times and this time decided to try Three Valley Gap. It is incredibly picturesque with lakes and surrounded by mountains. Behind the hotel was a spot on the mountain where rock climbers were trying their hands at conquering the mountain. A number of guests were watching the show. We didn’t have time for the Ghost Town experience but did go to the restaurant in an attempt to find food that wouldn’t kill me. An amber alert sent everyone’s phone off in the restaurant. Our waitress was kind and we enjoyed our time. The things that I found funny were that there were no restrooms in the lobby. There was no Wi-Fi in the rooms but there was Wi-Fi in the lobby. There was no air conditioning in the rooms either. It was like a person stepped back in time.

I found the bed very comfy but my dear, husband struggled with the light coming in the room and when we set up the fan with the sliding door open, there was a lot of train noise and traffic noise coming in the room. My ear plugs saved me!

When we were children, one of my sisters was complaining that she couldn’t go to sleep because it was too light out. This was in Cherry Grove, where the sun doesn’t set until well after children’s bed times. My dad’s response was, “Well, you have to close your eyes to go to sleep!” Soooo, you know that I tell Erik the same thing!

On our way home from Vancouver Island, we received a message from Meaghan, who sent a link to a listing for a house in the area that I would love to live in. Erik looked at me and said, “Should we turn around!?!” I said that we should just keep going and think on it. We were driving through dense smoke because of a forest fire and I wanted to get through it.

I liked the look of the house and we made arrangements for Meaghan and Dallin to go look at it for us and see what they think. During the viewing, they both agreed that the house would work for us. If you don’t know, I have an industrial quilting machine and her name is “Miss Elaine”. Even the realtor learned this and was asking us during house tours if “Elaine” would fit in the house. Miss Elaine needs a LOT of space; at least 20 feet by 12 feet. Dallin made us a couple of videos to show us the house as well. It was really difficult to get the full scope of the house and we agreed that if we made an offer it would be contingent on us going back and viewing it in person.

Last week on the way home from Edmonton, we were passing a semi truck hauling a backhoe. A sizable rock loosened from the track of the backhoe and struck our windshield leaving a huge mess. I used a German word to express my dismay; Scheiße! I should have used Sheibenkleister! Unfortunately, I learned some bad words from my dear mother when we lived in Germany. There are days where everything seems to go sideways and I want to say, “Alles Kacke!” Yes, there is pain and joy because the rock didn’t go all the way through the windshield and kill us. We’re still here to tell the tale.

We booked flights back to the island to see the house. We flew out on a Friday and flew back on Saturday. The small airports make flying reasonable and everything went smoothly. The tiny glitch was the window seat occupant. She had perfume on and I couldn’t sit next to her so Erik did and I used the emergency procedure card as a fan to blow the air away. Our realtor picked us up from the airport and we stopped at a farmstand along the way to pick up fruit. Then we met up with Dallin to see a boat that he was interested in. At last we made it to the house for the viewing. After our time there, we walked down to the ocean to get a view of what we would be living next to.

Meaghan and Dallin took us to Witty’s Beach. The tide was out so we made our way down from Tower Point to the beach. This is an expansive beach and we were able to walk through tide pools and watch people with their dogs. It was windy but I believe that any day at the ocean is a good day, wind or not. I am looking forward to bird watching there. Witty’s Lagoon is a designated bird sanctuary with over 160 species of birds documented there including the Great Blue Heron. At Tower Point we saw so many harbor seals basking on an island taking in the sun.

At the Edmonton Airport, we met the mission president and his wife from the Edmonton Mission. I guessed that they were headed to Yellowknife to meet missionaries. When we passed in the line up again, they did say they were headed to Yellowknife. We had a lovely visit with them before heading to our gate.

Dallin drove us back to the Victoria airport and we had lupper (lunch/supper) before boarding. The plane wasn’t as full so Erik and I had our row to ourselves. I sat in the window seat and all was well until I heard the pilot talk about preparing for landing. I looked out the window and saw tornado skies. I had been receiving notifications on social media about what was coming up through Rocky Mountain House, weather wise. As we hit the big cumulous clouds, I knew that we were about to go on a roller coaster ride. The turbulence was fun. Erik could see everyone’s heads going up and down throughout the plane. I was laughing and the lady across the row was also smiling. I did learn that airtime is from wheels up to wheels down. We were scheduled to have flying time of 1 hour 21 minutes but did the trip in 1 hour 10 minutes.

The drive back to Gull Lake was like being pushed around because of the strong winds coming from the south west. We watched the skies and by the time we got home there was another wave of the storm coming through. Our home was safe, praise the Lord! There were trees down along the highway in the morning on our way to church. We were so grateful that we followed the prompting to take out some big old trees on our property.

Now Erik has some tree sections to split to make room for moving our trailers back onto the property. The time has come yet again for more downsizing. Marketplace will be my friend again.

I know that we will be facing more adversity but as we approach it wisely, we will receive grace and happiness.

In honor of our pioneer ancestors, I found a quote from James E. Faust. “In the heroic effort of the handcart pioneers, we learn a great truth. All must pass through the refiner’s fire, and the insignificant and unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our faith bright, intact and strong. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. Yet, this is part of the purging to become acquainted with God.

Stay strong and remember that adversity is not disfavor from the Lord or a withdrawal of blessings. We all must pass through the refiner’s fire and emerge stronger and brighter.

Making Friends and Memories

July 8, 2026 | cnaglis63

Life for me is much more fun and fulfilling with friends and great memories. I do love my alone time to reflect and listen to inspiration but I also enjoy meeting people and creating memorable times in my life. I have learned that every person has their own unique story and it’s fun for me to listen and learn about people’s lives.

One of my favorite things to do is watch and learn from other cultures. I enjoy seeing how and why people do the things they do in their day to day lives. The interesting thing is that, for the majority of us, we want the same things in life. We want a safe place to live, education for our children, happiness, security, health, peace of mind, relationships, a sense of belonging, having fun, knowing that your life has a purpose, continuous growth and financial stability. We may prioritize these things differently but we share a commonality in these needs. Where ever I have travelled in the world, I love to watch and learn.

My first foray into a Spanish speaking culture, I decided on day two that I would learn five Spanish words per day. We were in the Dominican Republic on a humanitarian trip. As we landed in a little airport in Santo Domingo, I was held back by one of the officials. He was asking me where I was from (in Spanish). I told him that I had just flown from Miami and he said, “No, no, no!” Ahhh, I realized he wanted to know where I was from. I replied, “Canada.” He was satisfied and let me go but in the meantime, he was holding onto my arm and looking at it. Of course, I thought that this was really strange. My travel partners, who were much more knowledgeable in the traditions and ways of travel, explained to me that the locals don’t often see someone who is so blonde and has no hair on their arms. They said that locals where ever we go will want to touch my hair. Once I understood that, I was okay with it. Sure enough, all along our journey through the country, I was approached by people.

Our eyes have been opened as we have journeyed through the southwest area of Vancouver Island. Seeing how people have a home perched on a rock or new friends of ours explaining that there was blasting on their home site for 33 days to create a spot to build a homestead. It is beautiful here and I have been loving the beaches and the hiking trails. It’s a grand thing to place your bare feet on the sand or rocks and ground yourself to the earth.

We don’t have enough time to do all the things that we would love to do here. Vancouver Island is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. The vistas are amazing and the scenery takes your breath away. I enjoyed chatting with a few ladies at church on Sunday. The Victoria Stake was having a special fast for missionary work and world wide we were having a fast for religious freedom around the world. It was great to get to know these ladies a little better. I met some serious quilters!!!!

When we took the ferry from Tsawwassen terminal to Swartz Bay terminal, I met some short term exchange students from Japan. There was a little group of girls huddled together and I knew that they would love to practice some English. I approached them and said, “Hello, Girls!” They all turned around so quickly and started talking. They were so excited and one of the girls was braver than the rest, so she lead the pack. I asked them where they were from and other questions. Some of the girls had to use a translator on their phones to communicate but here’s what I learned.

It was only a 5 day exchange (homestay).
They were from Tokyo.
They were going to Butchart Gardens.
They were 16 years old.
Almost all of their parents both worked; only 1 mom was a homemaker.
They all had different favorite classes at school.
They had a least 1 other sibling. One girl had 3 other siblings.

They wanted to make a TikTok with Erik and I and I could see the unease in Erik’s face and so we settled for photos instead. They were so much fun and will be a memory that I cherish.

We have been to Weir beach twice and to Albert Head beach with the family. At Albert Head, we brought barbeques to the beach along with umbrellas, chairs and paddle boards. Leah and Cory have chairs for their paddle boards and they looked super comfortable. I met a couple who had really interesting boards that were really thin. Of course, I had to go talk to them and ask about their boards. It turns out that they are great training boards for surfing and are very popular in California and Hawaii. They are called Prone Boards. You lay on your stomach and paddle along with your arms. They zoomed along quite nicely. My grandson, Carter went out to a kelp bed on a paddle board and pulled up a Bull kelp and brought it back to the beach. Two little girls saw it and started dragging it away. The older sister kept stepping on the kelp and that brought upset from the little sister.

One day we went on a drive to get the lay of the land and happened upon a development that had an open house for one of the condos. It was a two bedroom unit with a great layout. The realtor offered to take our photo on the deck.

In B.C. there is a boat load of yard work to be done. Dallin invented his own ladder with the direction of his wife Meaghan to be able to reach the tall hedges. He also built a tripod to hold a cocoon swing. He’s a handy guy to have around!

Yes, we all walk different paths. We can help each other along the way.

This has been a hard one for me because of being the oldest in the family. I was always cognizant of trying to be an example for my sisters. Along the way, it is easy to get lost in perfection and forget that the Savior covered all our imperfections with His Atonement. It’s our intentions that lead us to do good and be good is more of what counts. May we all have joy in our journeys, where ever they take us. Make good memories, love where you are and love who you surround yourself with. As Elder Holland said, “Think the best and hope the best and have faith in the future.”

Health & Healing

June 30, 2026 | 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

June 2, 2026 | cnaglis63

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.

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.

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!”

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

April 20, 2026 | cnaglis63

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

April 14, 2026 | cnaglis63

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!

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!!

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.

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.

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

March 2, 2026 | cnaglis63

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

February 16, 2026 | 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.

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.

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!

	Truda Whitfield on Northward We Go
	Truda Whitfield on The Wheels on the Car Go Round…
	starstruckthoroughly… on The Wheels on the Car Go Round…
	starstruckthoroughly… on The Roller Coaster – La…
	optimistic138a6b53b7 on Levelling Up