Memorial Day

Today is a day for remembering.
We need to remember to thank the Lord for the this amazing land and all the other blessings we've been given.
We need to thank the men and women, past and present, who give their time, talents, energies and lives to give us freedom.
We need to thank our families and friends for loving us and putting up with our peculiar behaviors and idiosyncrasies.
We need to thank our husbands and wives for being our friends, partners, and loves.
We need to thank our children for bringing entertainment, love, joy, and even challenges to our lives that makes us stronger.
We need to thank our employers, even the ones we don't like, for giving us an opportunity to work and for those who don't have jobs, thank the people who are willing to help, serve, and get them on their feet if they choose.
We need to thank those who have gone before us, who have fought, lived, and loved their children enough to want a better country.
Memorial Day is for remembering. Even if it is simply remembering the one act of kindness that made you smile, please remember.

I have a good friend who shared her story and I would like to share it with my readers.
This Is My Story.

Today I remember, so tomorrow I can live with gratitude.

Dear Editor

Dear English Language,

I never really understood just how complicated and complex you were until I started writing novels. I am amazed at how many different versions or words and phrases there are and to make things even worse one word can have multiple meanings that will confuse and distort even more. 

Cheers to the millions of people in the world who have mastered you and cheers to all my English teachers throughout elementary, middle, high schools and college. Wow. Yep that's it, wow!

Sincerely,

Author

P.S. First off I have never done a ps and you should be honored. Second, I'm sorry but because of my imagination I'm afraid I have invented new words. :)

Dear Keyboard,

What is up with you. Are you getting hot or overworked or something? Seriously, I am waaaay too busy for you to be acting up and you are waaaay too new to be having issues. Snap to it now, let's get to work.

Tap, tap, tapping on the keys,

Typist

Dear Seranea,

Oh, honey, I'm so sorry you had to be poisoned, but I'm glad we have new dimensions to work with in the people you are now associating with. Who would have thought...elflins. Also you really don't have too much to complain about. Talk to Eridale and she'll tell you what pain really is.

Sorry again,

Imagination

Dear Storm,

Ha Ha! I have finally managed to subdue your evil counterpart, the prequel series, and have actually been able to focus on the dryads. Back back ye stormy fiend, I shall triumph yet!

Fighting Fingers,

Challenged

Dear Elvish,

I know there are so many writers out there who have invented their own elvish language and I am very excited to now add my scattering of words to that mess. Although I think I like my elvish best of all, but that is probably just a pride thing.

Theloil per-oithe (I enter in peace),

More Conference means more spirit.

So I have been reading and listening to (thank you church app) several conference talks and there are two that I most definitely suggest reading and/or listening to. Though it is pretty awesome to listen and read, I seem to get a lot more out of it.

The first one is by President Thomas S. Monson, Obedience Brings Blessings. President Monson quotes the Hymn Oh Say, What is Truth, no. 272.

Tho the heavens depart and the earth's fountains burst,
Truth, the sum of existence, will weather the worst,
Eternal, unchanged, evermore.

In Doctrine and Covenants 93:24 he quoted:

Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come. ...
The spirit of truth is of God. ...
And no man receiveth a fullness unless he keepeth his commandments.
He that keepeth [God's] commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things.

Wow. That is totally amazing. I love the truth and I love it when the scriptures really lay it down for you. President Monson goes on to say:

"There is no need for you or for me, in this enlightened age when the fulness of the gospel has been restored, to sail uncharted seas or to travel unmarked roads in search of truth. A loving Heavenly Father has plotted our course and provided an unfailing guide--even obedience. A knowledge of truth and the answers to our greatest questions come to us as we are obedient to the commandments of God."

What a promise to use to remain obedient in all things and we will gain knowledge and truth!!!

The second talk is by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Lord, I Believe. Elder Holland shares the story of the man who came to the apostles to seek help for his son, but they were unable to give the service. The Lord then told the man that all things were possible to them that believe and the man immediately replied 'Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.'

Elder Holland then explains "We are told that [belief] is good enough for a beginning." We must "hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge come." And when question and problems come to us, "do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your unbelief...I am asking you to be true to the faith that you do have."

What wise council this is for us in our day where there are so many people and ideas out there that challenge what we know and believe, that challenge the truth, trying to dress it in the false ideas of the world.

I am grateful for truth, for the power of MY beliefs, and the faith I have gained, and the knowledge and faith I will continue to gain as I progress.

Writers

So on my hubpages account I have discovered an amazing writer. Well I didn't actually discover her. She became one of my followers and then I started reading her stuff and I love the way she writes. So this is my plug for her to check out her stuff.

Sunny River on HubPages

Happy reading!

Dear Editor

Dear Apostrophe,

Do you understand just how obnoxious you are when I have to type you over and over again. Seriously. I know you have many uses, but I can only type Mother's Day so many times before I get tired of adding you in.

Seriously Annoyed,

Daughter

Dear Realize (as in the word realize)

So I just read through several books and I realized that I use the word realized way too many times. How much can one person actually realize in one book. Obviously a lot. So thank you realizations, but I have realized the mistake of using you too much and I am going to realize some other options.

Registering, perceived, discerned, noticed, understand, grasped, comprehended, see, recognized, worked out, fathomed, apprehended, savvy, figured out

Enlightened

Dear Storm,

So I just perceived (I can't use the word realize anymore, or at least for a month) that there is going to be a lot more of you in the future. I don't know if I will ever be able to finish with the dryads because you are so prevalent in my mind lately. Not even just as a prequel. I'm totally thinking full novels and series. It's crazy. You will seriously be keeping me busy for years to come. I'm almost exhausted thinking about it and yet I get very excited too. Crazy!

Intrigued and Inspired,

Dear Writing,

You are my passion, my love, my future. I just wish I had more time to give you you and better pay from stroking the keys of my laptop. (sigh)

Cheers,

Author

Dear Dryads,

I have left you out in the cold to fend for yourselves, but hopefully you will be anxious to continue when I am finally ready to return to your beautiful forests.

Soon to be yours,

Writer

AWESOME MUSIC

So I have a very good, very talented friend who has now put together a CD that is available on itunes. He has some great music that he wrote. Check it out at:

Ryan Sandberg-How Can I Complain?

I'm really excited about this because he totally deserves to have his music out there for people to buy.

Mother's Day

So Mother's Day has been kind of hard since my own mother passed away a few years ago. I usually attend church ready to cry and miss my mother, but today was really awesome.

I attended a young single adult (YSA) ward in Oregon and they were absolutely amazing and welcoming. Instead of focusing on Mothers (which most of us singles aren't) we talked about the Priesthood. It was an amazing day and I was really glad that I had read my scriptures this morning because a few of the things we discussed in Sunday School and Relief Society meetings applied to what I had read this morning.

It just makes me grateful to a Heavenly Father who knows what I need. This day is totally what I needed for Mother's Day.

But not to put down Mother's Day, I want to wish a very heartfelt and happy Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life who have helped, guided, loved and been there for me. Especially I want to thank those very close friends who have been like mother's to me after my own passed away. I appreciate all of you and I hope that you have a very special Mother's Day!!!

And to my own Mother, who now resides with the angels in heaven, I love you and miss you so much and I wish I could see you right now and tell you in person, but that wasn't part of God's plan for us. I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day flying like lightening across the sky to check on each of your children. I love you, Mom!!!

In loving memory of Judy Mason

So apparently I've been busy...

Well things have been a bit on the crazy side for me. I had a lot of flying at the end of April and then I transferred domiciles, again, and then I drove my car from Phoenix, AZ to Portland, OR.
We stopped briefly in Redding, CA and took pictures at the Redding temple. Now I have visited all of the temples in CA except for Sacramento. It was too far out of the way. :(

And now my car is in Oregon

Mount Shasta on the drive

Wait a minute! We left Phoenix two days ago! Did I make a wrong turn?

 Once I arrived in Portland I got to spend a fun day with my best friend on her birthday. We went into the city and saw some cool things. We rode the tram up the hillside.

It wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be.

Portland, OR from the tram. Pretty cool!

 And I got to go inside the awesomest book store ever! Powell's books. It goes on and on and on and on...

On our way into the city we stopped by the Portland, OR temple. It is so beautiful. I just love temples.

And check out this amazing view from the house where I get to stay with some wonderful people.

Overall it has been a crazy two weeks and thus I haven't really added much except to finish The Shadow. Now I know all my readers are just dying to have another story, but I'm not going to get your hopes up. I am working on a project that is taking all of my time and so it might be a while before I have another story to add. Keep posted. There will definitely be some Dear Editors and maybe even some sneak stories. 

Happy Day and Amazing Week!!!