Glenn Beck’s Tribute to Gordon B. Hinckley

Filed under: Culture, Current Events, Inspiration, Relationships, Religion , death, funeral, Glenn Beck, Gordon B. Hinckley, Mormons, passing, President, prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Pachelbel Rant

Filed under: Culture, History, Humor , boroque, classical, Comedy, copy cat, crazy, Funny, guitar, Humor, music, Pachelbel, Penn State, Rob Paravonian, Taco Bell, theme

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Watch this great video of wonderful memorabilia.  Including several sets of Burma Shave Signs.  The only one I actually remember from my childhood went:  Darling, Dear, your photo came, but your doggone beard won’t fit the frame, Burma Shave.

Filed under: Culture, History, Humor, Travel , advertising, Burma Shave, Humor, memorabilia, memories, nostalgia, road signs, Route 66, Travel

Thomas S. Monson

What I am about to say may be shocking.  If it startles or offends you please read on.  For I am not a heretic but a believer and have a faith filled observation to make: 

During my life I have always felt a bit squeamish when Thomas S. Monson comes to the pulpit.  He seems to have a tendency to “toot his own horn,” which has always put me off.  Had it been up to me, he might not have come to the position that is about to be placed upon him.

 That said, I am presently prepared to sustain him as the new President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with all my heart.  Let me explain why.

1. I am more fully aware of President Monson’s life, teachings, service and history (largely because of his tooting) than I have been with regard to any of his predecessors as they approached the office.  His life has been truly exemplary from a very early age.  He was called to be Bishop at the age of 22.
2. He is not the first of the presidents of the church, with whom I had personality conflict that put me off in some way.  Yet my experience has been that the conflict seemed to evaporate as I observed them accept the mantle of prophet leader of the church.  I don’t pretend to fully understand why this has happened in the past, but it has occurred often enough that I fully expect it to occur again this time.
3. When I filter out the horn tooting, there is nothing in the teachings of this great man that are not inspiring, uplifting, beneficial, plain, simple and true.  In all these years, he as taught only correct principles of life and living and the gospel of Jesus Christ.  His loyalty to the truth is unmistakable.
4. His reputation for kind, thoughtfulness is irrefutable.  He clearly walks the walk, not merely talking the talk.
5. His life is characterized by doing what God wishes, rather than what Thomas wishes.  I take that back, it is clear that Thomas only wishes what God wishes.  I just meant that he is careful to consider the wishes of God and then to do them.  He is clearly, long practiced in hearing and heeding the promptings of the Spirit.  And….it occurs to me that the Spirit has quite likely required him to “toot his own horn” on many occasions.
6. If God had not wanted Thomas S. Monson to be in the position he is presently in, that of soon being called to serve as Prophet and President of the church, he simply would not be here.  The system of succession in the church is flawless, entirely in the hands of God, consistent and confidence building.  None of these men have sought the positions in which they serve.  They simply lived worthy lives and answered the call.
7. I have no expectation that any of the prophets are, or will be, during their tenure, perfect human beings.  They are good, fine, loyal, righteous people, to be sure, but I do not expect them to be flawless and neither does God.  All that is expected is that they do their best and that they humbly rely upon God to compensate for their weakness.  Perhaps that is the chief characteristic that qualifies them to serve in such positions – they have learned humility, through which God is able to strengthen them sufficiently to make magnificent use of them.
8. Finally, and under-girding and overarching all the rest, I have prayed and asked God for a personal affirmation that this man, Thomas S. Monson, is truly Heavenly Father’s choice to lead His church through the coming years.  I have received that affirmation.  An undeniable witness in my heart that God continues to direct the affairs of His church.  That personal revelation is the rock upon which His church is founded.  In the present and coming days millions upon millions of Latter-day Saints (and any others who would) will quietly plead with their Father in Heaven to confirm in their hearts the witness that President Monson is His prophet, their prophet, and He will answer.

There is a fine biographical sketch of President Monson in the Salt Lake Tribune.

Filed under: Current Events, Inspiration, Relationships, Religion , apostle, church, flaws, God, Gordon B. Hinckley, Heavenly Father, humility, imperfection, Jesus Christ, kindness, love, Mormons, perfection, Power, prophet, Service, succession, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Holy Ghost, Thomas S. Monson

Act Your Age?

You Act Like You Are 22 Years Old

You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you’re optimistic about life. You feel excited about what’s to come… love, work, and new experiences.You’re still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can’t wait to explore many of them.

What Age Do You Act?

Looks like I’d better grow up a little……naw!

Filed under: Culture, Humor , age, Behavior, evaluation, maturity, personality, quiz, traits

Uncle Jay Explains the News!

This week’s word is Stimulus.

Filed under: Culture, Current Events, Humor, Politics , Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Boston Legal, Cloverfield, Dow Jones, eBay, economy, George Bush, Harry Reid, Hillary Clinton, Law and Order, Monsters, Nancy Pelosi, Recession, South Carolina Primary, Starbucks, State of the Union, Stimulus, Wal-Mart

A Tribute to President Gordon B. Hinckley

Thank you James for showing me this in your comment on the previous post. 

Filed under: Culture, Current Events, Inspiration, Relationships, Religion , death, dying, faith, Gordon B. Hinckley, Inspiration, LDS, Mormons, President, prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, tribute

Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Mormon Church, dies

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has announced the passing of it’s President.  Gordon B. Hinckley, 97, died today of circumstances incident to his advanced age.  He served as President and Prophet of the Church since March 12, 1995.

He has been a vibrant, inspirational leader of the church.  President Hinckley has lead and inspired those of us who follow him for many many years.

 I personally met him in 1969 at which time he was an Apostle of the Church.  Our meeting was impressive beyond measure.  I knew then and know now that he is a man of God.  He will be greatly missed.

We Mormons are not apt to do much weeping and wailing at his passing.  He has led a marvelous and wonderful life and has gone on to a glorious reward.  We will most certainly miss him and mourn his absence, but mostly we will celebrate his life, teachings and example from which we have all been richly blessed. 

As there is no politicking to determine his successor, we are not going to be found speculating or lobbying to determine who will follow.  God has established an orderly and careful plan for succession.  A system that rewards no ambition, allows for no intrigue or ladder climbing.  We already know Thomas S. Monson will succeed him as President of the Church.  God has selected him, prepared him and acquainted us with him.  We will sustain him as our new leader with confidence and love that already exists.

I have loved, admired and followed President Hinckley for many years.  I thank God that He gave this fine man to us, for we are all better for having followed where he has led.

Filed under: Current Events, Inspiration, Religion , apostle, death, funeral, Gordon B. Hinckley, leader, Mormons, President, prophet, Religion, Salt Lake City, Temple, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson

Saturday Superlative – This Kid Can Skate!

glumbert – Korean Freestyle Slalom Rollerblading

Filed under: Achievement, Culture, Inspiration , Achievement, athletic performance, Korea, Roller Blades, slalom, youth

Big Foot On Mars?

The top photo was recently released by NASA.  It was captured by a Mars Rover.  Pretty odd looking rock; or is it Sasquatch?  The last image is the first reversed.  Perhaps even a female Sasquatch.  Just about as likely there as here I should think.  Read NASA’s explanation.

Filed under: Astronomy, Culture, Current Events, Humor, Paranormal, Science , Big Foot, Funny, Humor, mars, Martian, NASA, Paranormal, rover, Sasquatch, Science, Space, Yeti

Mischief!

Filed under: Earth, Nature, Science , agility, danger, fear, foolishness, luck, mischief, monkey, risk, skill, tease, tiger

What Is Your Best Quality?

What’s Your Best Quality? Your Result: Personality Your best quality is your personality! People like you because you are an all around good person. You have good manners and values. You also like to express your personal style and interests.
Intelligence
Loving
Sense of Humor
Out-Going
Ambitious
What’s Your Best Quality? Take More Quizzes

Go here to find out.

Filed under: Culture, Relationships , personality, qualities, quiz, Relationships, traits

Trimming the Weight of the Economy

We’re doing more with less. That’s good for planet Earth.

Since 1977 the value of the U.S. economy has doubled, yet the amount of physical stuff it took to supply all the needs and wants of Americans fell from 1.18 trillion pounds to 1.08 trillion pounds. Even more astonishing: the “weight” of the economy fell while U.S. population grew by some 55 million people.

Read the entire article at  Reasononline.

Filed under: Culture, Current Events, Earth , consumption, demand, Earth, economics, economy, environment, green, production, Talent, trim, weight

Bill Clinton has uh, dream!

 

Bill caught nodding off during a Martin Luther King Day gathering – watch the video

Filed under: Culture, Current Events, Politics, Religion , Bill Clinton, civil rights, Dr. Martin Luther King, Politics, Sleep, sleeping in church, spin

Ships Going Back to Sails?

A cargo ship pulled by a giant, parachute-shaped kite will leave Germany on Tuesday on a voyage that could herald a new “green” age of commercial sailing on the high seas.

Read about it in the Telegraph.

Filed under: Current Events, Earth, Inspiration, Science , container ship, kite, MS Beluga, parafoil, Telegraph, wind power

Uncle Jay Explains the News!

This week’s word, boys and girls, is REALITY.

Filed under: Culture, Current Events, History, Politics , American Gladiators, American Idol, Barack Obama, Candidate, election, Guitar Hero, Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, New England Patriots, Paula Abdul, Political Idol, Push poll, Randy Jackson, Reality, Reality show, Sanjaya, Simon Cowell, Supreme Court, Telemarketing, television, TV, Voting, William Hung

Consider the Ant….

The structure of this ant colony covers 538 square feet and travels 26 feet into the earth. In it’s construction, the colony moved 40 tons of soil. Billions of ant loads of soil were brought to the surface. Each load weighed four times as much as the worker ant, and in human terms, was carried over 1/2 mile to the surface.  

In the video scientists pour 10 tons of concrete into the colony to learn about it’s structure.

Amazing!

Filed under: Architecture, Earth, Science , Ants, biology, colony, excavation, fungus, fungus garden. carbon dioxide, Science

Mrs. Hughes Is Soooo Funny!

Warning! This material is for MATURE Audiences only. If you are under 50, move on.

Filed under: Culture, Humor, Parenting , Adolescence, Al Gore, Comedy, Dale Evans, Dr. Mengele, Global Warming, Grandparenthood, Hot Flashes, Humor, Marriage, Menopause, Mrs. Hughes, Parenthood, Piercing, Womanhood

Speaking of Pastry – Check Out My Chicken Pot Pie!

 

We practically raised our kids eating those easy, cheap frozen pot pies from the grocery store.  But, I’ll bet I haven’t eaten one for ten years.  After a while they just didn’t do it for me.

Lately though, I’ve had a hankering for one.  I decided to make them myself.  I wanted something special.  Having never had any other than those cheap store bought ones, I don’t have a standard to shoot for.  But, hey, how hard can it be?

I decided to give it a go and after making it twice in a week, with nothing but rave reviews from all eaters, figured it was time to share my recipe.  Find it at Fiddling With My Food!

Filed under: Culture, Food , Chicken Pot Pie, Cooking, eating, Food, Kitchen, Recipe, Taste

Caring for the Ill and Aged

  

I just returned from across the street.  It is a bitter sweet moment.  My friend Raymond is headed for the local Care Center.  Ray has Alzheimer’s.  Mary has cared from him wonderfully for the past two years, during which he has gradually become more and more debilitated.  I wrote more in detail about this in a post on a personal blog called Candleman.  For now, suffice it to say, she is at once, broken hearted and relieved.  His care has become a huge burden.  She had Home Health come in each morning to help get him up and bathed.  Still she called me most days and sometimes twice to help her get him off the floor after he’d slid out of his chair, or for some other problem.  I loved doing it.  She loved caring for him too.  Inevitably though, it became more than she could do.

I am 57 this year.  Not all that old, but I live in an older neighborhood full of wonderful folks from the generation previous to mine.  I see this kind of thing a lot.  Down the street lived a couple I visited frequently.  She had diabetes which resulted in the amputation of both of her feet.  He was strong and able and determined to keep her home and care for her.  Whether it was the stress or not, who knows, but suddenly he became very ill and could no longer care for her.  They found a space in a rest home for her after an arduous search, but it was 90 miles from here and became an added hardship.

One more story; there are dozens.  A younger friend I visit is bed-fast with MS.  His dear wife has cared for him for years.  Recently though, he has developed a bed sore that won’t heal.  It has been determined that the sore has to be surgically removed.  Recovery will require him to spend some time in a Care Center as well.  Fortunately he will be able to be near home during his recovery.

These things happen and have me a bit concerned.  I’ve done a little research into this and found an excellent web site focused on caring for friends and family in these difficult circumstances.  I have discovered discovered a resource for finding care homes.  Bettercaring has information on methods and equipment and resources for assistance in the care of your loved one.  There is advice on money issues.  They will help you find services and facilities near you.  My favorite part is their forum, where you can communicate with other care givers.  You’ll discover you’re not alone, learn ways to give better care, and learn to care for yourself along the way.

Clearly there are burdens and challenges associated with care giving.  But there is joy, love, companionship, satisfaction and peace in it too.  I have not been a primary care giver, but watching so many who are or have been, my sympathy and concern is often greater for them.  Bettercaring has masterfully addressed care of the care giver as well.

Filed under: Culture, Health, Inspiration, Relationships , aging, Alzhiemer's, Amputation, assisted living, care homes, Diabetes, Health, health issues, home care, home health, MS, Muscular Schlerosis, rest home