Happy Mothers' Day!

Some Bunny Loves You

Luv

Jack

Frogner in the early 70s

John and my Aunt Lillemor
at Frogner Park

Okay, I wasn't going to make Throwback Thursday a "thing" on this blog, but I find I'm often unable to control myself when these photos come my way.

John is one of the kids I grew up with in Phoenix, and the only kid I grew up with in Phoenix who ever went to Norway and met any of my Norwegian family.

These photos were taken at the Frogner Park in Oslo, which also happens to be one of my favorite places. The sculptor Gustav Vigeland filled this park with some truly wonderful statues in stone and bronze..

John and his mom visited Oslo following his LDS missionary service in Germany in the early 1970s. John went on to become a high school counselor.  He married a lovely woman and together they had a gazillion kids.  They are now grandparents.

My delightful and kind Aunt Lillemor passed away in 1999.  Time marches on.

The statues are still there in Oslo, delighting folks as they have now for more than half a century.  The world around them is much different. They haven't changed a bit.

                               

Bringing Sabbath Worship Back

The way we keep the Sabbath day holy is an outward manifestation of our covenant

to always remember Jesus Christ.

To many people, Sunday is just another day in the weekend for additional relaxation and entertainment. However, ancient and modern revelation has taught the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy. In the January, 2014 New Era, Larry M. Gibson, first counselor in the Young Men general presidency, discusses the important role of Sabbath day observance. Brother Gibson says, “The way we keep the Sabbath day holy is an outward manifestation of our covenant to always remember Jesus Christ.”

The Sabbath day should become the foundation for our remembrance of Him for the other six days of the week.

Sunday is a day to slow down, pause, and remember. 

We attend our Church meetings; reflect on our blessings, strengths, and shortcomings; seek forgiveness; partake of the sacrament; and ponder the Savior’s suffering on our behalf. We try not to be distracted by anything that would prevent us from worshipping Him, for “on this day,” as the Lord has said, “thou shalt do none other thing” (D&C 59:13). Any activity we participate in during the Sabbath should be in keeping with the spirit of remembering Christ. If anything we are doing on any part of the Sabbath takes us away from remembering the Savior and ministering on the Sabbath as He would minister, then perhaps we should reconsider what we are doing. Remember, the Sabbath is a day appointed not only “to rest from your labors” but also “to pay thy devotions unto the Most High” (D&C 59:10).

We must plan our lives in such a way that there is no excuse for taking away from the sanctity of any part of the Lord’s day. It is a day to be about His business, a day on which our whole lives can be blessed and renewed by having sacred experiences individually and with our family. It is a day for the enrichment of our spirit.

Spend some time today creating a thoughtful plan of things that you will do to really make the Sabbath day a sacred and holy day in your life. Then act on your plan.

Remember the Lord’s wonderful promise to those who properly honor the Sabbath: “And inasmuch as ye do these things with thanksgiving, with cheerful hearts and countenances, … the fulness of the earth is yours” (D&C 59:15–16). Can we afford to forgo these blessings in our lives and in the lives of our family members?

I believe in honoring the Sabbath day.

I boldly but humbly bear witness that observing the Sabbath day is a commandment of our God, who lives and loves each of us. I testify that if we will follow and live the divine mandate to keep the Sabbath day holy, the Lord, in turn, will bless us, direct us, and inspire us in solving the issues that confront us.

Exodus 31: 12-1712 ¶And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

Jesus Christ
Savior of the World and Jehovah of the Old Testament

April Snow...

April Snowman

My nephew Daniel writes from Ottawa, Canada, that it was still cold enough a couple of weeks ago that there was enough snow for the kids to make a snowman or two!

Livia and Fred playing out on their deck

I had to post this, because it's been so darn hot here and I needed a break from the heat!

Snow People are fun to make!
Holly helps her son put a hat on their snow person

I doubt there is any snow left in Ottawa now.  I think they're finally enjoying some spring weather.  But it looks like Fred and Livia had a lot of fun while it lasted!

Cool.

 Hope you have a great day!

Conchords

The Conchords Rehearsing
I love this photo!

The Conchords Chorale was founded in 1982 as a community choir, drawing members from the greater Portland Metropolitan area.  They meet weekly to rehearse a wide variety of music.  They do public performances all over the Portland area.

The Conchords grew out of a choral class at Portland Community College.  Some of the class members wanted to continued singing together and decided to meet privately.  Over the years the group has expanded to more than 50 voices, and feature the technical and artistic support of a director, an accompanist, a percussionist and a sound technician.

They often perform at senior care facilities and have been featured many times as part of the Portland Rose Festival.  Many of their members also volunteer for the Rose Festival.  Members also often serve as volunteers at high school a capella competitions as guides, photographers and other capacities.

I first heard about the Conchords through my friend Mary Wardell.  She got involved with the group about five years ago after her son started taking voice lessons from Don Anderson.  Don is also the director of Conchords, and he eventually invited both Mary and her son to join.

Mary performing a solo

Mary tells me she loves this group. She writes that they have "an amazingly deep pool of wonderful singers". Mary has even begun singing solos the last few seasons.  (Good for you, Mary!)

Members of the group come from varied backgrounds and ages.  The age range is from early 20s to 80s!

Mary tells me she gets a lot of joy from her participation in this group.  She plans on singing with the chorale for a long time to come!  (If I lived in your area, I'd be right there with you, Mary!)

The Conchords have a spring program of Disney music that they are currently rehearsing.  If you love music and live in the greater Portland Metropolitan area, check out their website for concert dates!

Visit:  http://conchordschorale.org

Photos: Mary F. Wardell

My Boy by the Window

My guy Jack loves to just sit and look out the window

Jack!  I'd like to take a picture of you!

Mom, please note that rainstorm last Friday night
did nothing to improve the visibility out my window!

Thanks! Very good, Jack!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Throwback Thursday: Shuttle Landing 1982

Yours Truly, Meldee, Robin, Jill and Patricia
 (Photo: Elaine)

Where were you in 1982?

November 16th of that year I was at Edwards Air Force Base in California for the landing of Space Shuttle Columbia.

We have been lucky enough to attend a couple of Space Shuttle landings through the years.  What a wonderful experience!  I was sad when NASA recently retired the shuttle program.

Space Shuttle Columbia - STS-5
(Photo: NASA)

The STS-5 crew included  Commander Vance D. Brand, Pilot Robert F. Overmyer and Mission Specialists Joseph P. Allen and William B. Lenoir. 

The crew
 (Photo: NASA)

There is an interesting story that goes along with these photos.  My friend Meldee and I were living in Phoenix, Arizona at the time.  Our friends Robin, Jill, Elaine, and Patricia were all living in Southern California, in the Los Angeles area.

Meldee and I were driving over from Arizona, the others were driving up from L.A.  The idea was for us to meet at Edwards for the landing.  In order to facilitate us finding each other, the girls from Los Angeles promised to fly the Jolly Roger.  

(This was around the time that Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta Pirates of Penzance had been highly successfully resurrected on Broadway. We had recently driven out to see it on stage with the same group of young women.  The Los Angeles production was wonderful and starred Barry Bostwick, Andy Gibb and Pam Dawber.  We were feeling very pro-pirate during this time period, as I recall.)

Robin, Jill and Patricia with the Jolly Roger

I remember Meldee and I saying an earnest prayer that morning that we'd be able to find our friends.  It was a long drive to California.  We knew these events were well attended, but had no idea at the time the sheer volume of people that would be converging on the desert base.  As we got closer to Edwards, we were in a long line of cars.  It seemed improbable that we would be able to hook up with our friends.

As we got to the base itself, there were scores of people directing the traffic into vast parking areas.  Long lines of cars stretched out as far as the eye could see.  There were in the neighborhood of 100,000 people, and I'm not sure how that translates into vehicles, but you get the idea.  It was just an incredible sight!  I remember Meldee and I despaired that we'd be able to find our friends at all in this zoo of humanity.

There was a real carnival atmosphere to the event.  There were so many people there - folks of all shapes and sizes and ethnicities, old and young, all filled with excitement for, and love of, the space program.  It was so much FUN.

As we were directed into a parking row and swung into our designated space, however, what should we see about two rows ahead of us?  Yes!  The proud Jolly Roger flying on Jill's old blue Ford Galaxy 500!  They were pulling into their spot about the same time as we pulled into ours.

What are the odds of that?  

You can do the math, if you'd like, but I prefer to just be astounded at how that simple prayer of ours was answered.  That we found each other at all was nothing short of a miracle, given the situation, in an age without cell phones, and the completely different directions we were coming from.

I'll also never forget the awesome feeling of seeing the shuttle appear in the distance and watching it come in for a landing that day.  It defies description.  I still get goose-bumps thinking about it.

Rockwell had put out a tee-shirt some years before this with the slogan, "A Space Ship Has Landed On Earth: It Came From Rockwell".  I still have that shirt.  

What a great memory.