Showing posts with label persistence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label persistence. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Is This An Exciting Day For LaVerkin Or What?


La Verkin                                                              Zion Canyon Corridor
About eight years ago, we held a series of well attended community meetings where citizens were asked what they liked about LaVerkin and what they would like to see happen in the future.  A recurring theme mentioned was to beautify and improve State Street, particularly around the main intersection where the state highways  leading to Zion Park meet.

 At 5 pm today we held a ribbon cutting to celebrate a little park/monument we've built at that intersection.  It is something that means a lot to me, and I hope you'll enjoy this photo journal of it!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Day 12 was very good.  The allergies are still here, but I only am needing half the antihistamine I did a week ago.  So I am getting a little more energy each day, which I'm really enjoying!  I was tired for a moment as I was leaving the hospital, and at 11 I was thinking I needed to go home for a nap.  I decided to eat lunch a little early, and that gave me more energy.

I have been eating quite reasonably.  Small amounts of meat, generous amounts of vegetables, and overall I am gradually becoming satisfied with small portions.  I am pretty active each day, but haven't been able to go on walks for a month.  I am still looking forward to starting those again and think I will able to soon.

Tomorrow is another treatment, I go five days a week, Monday to Friday.  Because of Memorial Day, I will have three days to rest and recuperate instead of two this weekend.  But so far, I am quite thankful to say that this week has actually been a little easier than last week.  I am so appreciative of this!  I know this may change, which is one reason I take one day at a time.  I am also quite aware of my blessings each day, and am thankful for them day by day. 

Many people, of a variety of faiths, backgrounds, and beliefs, have told me they are praying for me.  I truly feel the strength of these prayers, and I'm so very grateful for them!  I know this is blessing those offering  the prayers as much as it is me, and that realization makes me smile.

I am listening to the Old Testament on CDs in the car and reading lessons in the LDS Institute manual when I get home.  My son-in-law Darin Ragozzine wrote a weekly reading plan at the first of the year that keeps pace with the Sunday School class lessons and also allows the reader to complete the Old Testament in a year.  I am finding the combination of listening, reading the lessons, and checking out scripture references in the lessons very helpful in better understanding and feeling the spirit of the Old Testament.   I'm behind Darin's pace, but staying with it and really enjoying it!

Melissa Fisher, a member of our ward, was in our home tonight.  Willyne is teaching her the missionary lessons.  I'm helping her along with our ward mission leaders, Eldon and Claudia Pierce.  Tonight we talked about baptism and how the sacrament allows us to renew our baptismal covenants each week.  Melissa's smile is growing each week and there is such a sweet spirit in these lessons.  I am very grateful to be able to share in that spirit.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Back Home In La Verkin

I loved seeing the Ragozzines and the Jacksons, but the plane ride home was tough.  Tonight I feel like I had a five hour ride inside the spin cycle of a washing machine.  My back hurts, especially my tailbone, and I am stiff.  But the trip was very worth it, I so loved seeing everyone!

I did walk about a mile today between the two airports.  :)

I read about half the way home (the other half, Willyne and I did the two crossword puzzles in the airplane magazine).  One thing in particular that I read really touched me. It was by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland about receiving divine inspiration about making important decisions . . .

" .. . once there has been genuine illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing.  If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now.  Don't give up when the pressure mounts"

(Ensign magazine, April 2010, page 24, quoting a 1999 BYU devotional address.)

Friday, April 23, 2010

Magnifying the Concept "Endure to the End"

Today was a "chill" day after all yesterday's excitement at Disney World.  I only walked to the laundry building and back to get a newspaper (a quarter mile round trip).  I got to play with Maggie and Emma when Willyne went off to see the Gator Store with Rachel in the morning, and again in the evening with Willyne when Rachel and Terry were able to have an evening together.

I have Willyne to thank for a good thought for today, this comes from President Uchtdorf's October 2007 conference talk "Have We Not Reason To Rejoice?", she shared it with me from LDSNuggets.com,

"Enduring to the end, or remaining fathful to the laws and ordinances of the gopel of Jesus Christ throughout our life, is a fundamental requirement for salvation in the kingdom of God . . . Therefore, enduring to the end is not just a matter of passively tolerating life's difficult circumstances or "hanging in there".  Ours is an active religion, helping God's children along the strait and narrow path to develop their full potential during this life and return to Him one day . . . Enduring to the end is a process filling every minute of our life, every hour, every day, from sunfise to sunrise.  It is accomplished through personal discipline following the commandments of God."

I often wish the phrase "Endure to the End" was worded "Faithful to the End", after reading this I am thinking I need to strive to be passionately and steadily faithful every minute to the end.  :)

Thursday, March 25, 2010

I'm so Happy for Jacob and Hilary!

Little things really do turn out to be the important things!

It's so great feeling the joy bursting from Jacob this morning when he found out he got an 89 on his math test.and better yet in his realization that his persistence in studying something he passionately dislikes and had no confidence in -- has helped him really understand the material!

Yea to Jacob and also to Hilary this morning for her help in so many ways that made this possible!

Willyne and I love you both very much!

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I had a nice phone conversation with my brother Glen today. It is his 55th birthday today. We talked about a wonderful pencil drawing of President Spencer W. Kimball of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that Glen did as a missionary thirty years ago, and how much I enjoy Glen's spirit and President Kimball's spirit that you can feel as you look at it. It now hangs in my mother's living room. I hope he will take up drawing again, Glen has a real gift for it!

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Today's tweets

I'm so excited 4 Jacob this morning!He got an 89 on his math test&is realizing his persistence is helping him understand!Yea for him&Hilary! via txt

Jacob's experience reminds me of a favorite story-The$5Lawn!Check it out! http://emp.byui.edu/SmithS/GradingTheCountessandtheImpossible.htm via txt

http://twitpic.com/1axiwv - Our newest client :) via TwitPic

I 8something that kept me headed to the facilities steadily4 24hr.Just feeling well enough now to walk,did2laps in the terminal.Persistence! via txt


http://twitpic.com/1axjtg - In line headed from Reno to Ontario stopping in San Jose on the way,Hi Jacksons! via TwitPic