Happy 4th of July 2022

This program that was shown today on Music and the Spoken Word got me in the mood for the 4th of July.  Enjoy!

You can also see the video by clicking here

My favorite song in this program is: "America, The Dream Goes On" starting at 10:00 minutes.  I felt that the pictures shown during this song are a good representation of America. 

I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so of course this picture caught my attention.

I also enjoyed seeing the statue of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima.

Starting at 13:35, Lloyd Newell gave this timely message titled:  "Self-control, Liberty, and Law" taken from the patriotic hymn, "America the Beautiful":

Self-control, Liberty and Law

There is a line from a well-known patriotic hymn: “Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law."  These principles are basic to life, basic to the eternal plans and purposes of the Lord. But sometimes we seem more to have remembered freedom than self-control, liberty more than the law.

As we come together, live together … in a world where physically we come ever closer together, always we have to have self-control, always we have to live our lives with law as well as with liberty. Always we have to consider the rights, the privileges, the comfort, the convenience of others, with an awareness that we have no right to do anything we want, to take anything we want, or irresponsibly to say anything we want, or to befoul the moral atmosphere, or the water others use, the air where others are, the peace that others have, or their rightful privacy, or to live uninhibited lives. We have to be considerate of others always. Self-control, with law, is the only safeguard of liberty; and not the existence of law only, but respect for law, obeying the law—the laws of God, the laws of the land.

Acclaimed filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille said this of laws and liberty: "We are too inclined," he said "to think of law as something merely restrictive—something hemming us in. We sometimes think of law as the opposite of liberty. But that is a false conception. … God does not contradict Himself. He did not create [us] and then, as an afterthought, impose upon [us] a set of arbitrary, irritating, restrictive rules. He made [us] free—and then gave [us] the commandments to keep [us] free. …"

To this great utterance we would add: The greatest threat to liberty is lawlessness. And the greatest assurance of liberty is respect for law. "Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law."

The above narrative is from this webpage:   https://musicandthespokenword.com/spokenwordmessages/self-control-liberty-and-law-sunday-july-03-2022/

Utah National Parks Adventure

Kathleen and I were excited to embark on a three-day, 986 mile road trip through south central Utah. We wanted to get better acquainted with our newly adopted state. 

We were joined by our good friends, Jonn and Judy Claybaugh. Jonn and I have known each other since high school in California. Our first stop was to see Cove Fort, two hours south of home. The fort was built in 1867 at the request of Brigham Young as a secure way-station for travelers through central Utah. Today, it is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.    

Senior missionaries conduct tours of this lava rock-constructed fort, the last totally original fort still in existence in the American west. Why lava rock?--timber was and still is in short supply in this region; and, it is situated not far from an ancient volcano. 

Cedar Breaks National Monument, east of Cedar City, has an elevation of over 10,000 feet where we are standing, with a depth of over 2,000 feet. It was cold!  

Heading south, we stopped in Orderville. The town was established in 1875 for Latter-day Saints to live and share freely with each other under the United Order. The Order lasted about ten years. Judy chats with the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum docent, who she discovered is a distant relative of hers! 

Cemeteries in Utah always include a mix of recent residents with original settlers. This headstone in Orderville is of Mary Benton (1810-1884). These resting places are testaments to the faith and tenacity of a people who fled religious persecution to forge new communities where none existed.    

Moqui Cave is a unique museum of ancient history located north of Kanab. Built inside a huge cave along Highway 89, it houses a gift shop, rock collections, and ancient archeology finds. It's a must stop! 

Judy points to a photo of her and Jonn's son who married into the family that owns and operates the cave.

Across the highway from Moqui Cave, in the canyon, are additional caves. These are being developed by the same family into resort venues. A tree was carved by someone years ago with a chain-saw and was just recently discovered when the heavy brush was removed.

Kanab was settled near the Arizona state line. It was a popular destination for Western movie makers decades ago, as well as now, due to its stunning landscape and vistas. 

We passed through Hatch, population 133, about fifty miles north of Kanab.  

The houses of worship in rural Utah may differ in building materials. But, whether they are from the 19th century in Kanab (top), or of modern style in Hatch (bottom), the congregants’ strong faith in Jesus Christ remains the same no matter the time period.  

Bryce Canyon National Park is one of the most popular of the national parks due to its unparalleled beauty and grandeur. Here is the largest concentration of irregular columns of rock found anywhere on Earth—its geological wonders defy description. Located at around 8,000 feet, it was cold when we arrived. 

Starting at Sunrise Point, we descended the Queens Garden Trail that connected with the Navajo Loop Trail.

Jonn pauses at the bottom prior to our ascent to Sunset Point. 

Bryce Canyon is a favorite of international visitors. Judy made friends with a tourist from Germany, while Kathleen met a Scottish traveler with whom she shares ancestry.  

Kathleen was disappointed in my choice of a Bed and Breakfast in Escalante.  (just kidding) 

Overlooking Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in the distance.

Four miles west of Torrey, we begin hiking up to Hickman Bridge, along the Fremont River. We are now in Capitol Reef National Park. 

The climb is steep up to the 133-foot natural stone bridge.

In the distance is one of the the white domes of Navajo sandstone that resembles the dome of the Capitol building in Washington, DC—the origin of the name of this national park.

Near the trailhead to Hickman Bridge, we view the petroglyphs carved in the rock by the pre-historic inhabitants of this area.

Goblin Valley State Park is a strange and mysterious valley, unlike any other in Utah, featuring thousands of hoodoos, referred to locally as goblins. The formations of mushroom-shaped rock pinnacles are the result of gradual erosion of sandstone, deposited 170 million years ago when the area was next to an ancient sea.  Wandering through the goblins, I imagined myself on the set of the 1965 television show “Lost in Space”. 

One goblin resembles a duck; the other a French artist wearing a beret.

Our last hike was up Little Wild Horse Canyon, five miles from Goblin Valley. 

This is a slot canyon that is so narrow in some sections that only one hiker can pass between the sheer walls of stone.

Returning home via the I-70, we stopped to enjoy the panorama of the San Rafael Swell at the foot of Ghost Rock. 

The fastness of the valleys and canyons below once were hiding places for outlaws, including Butch Cassidy.

The temple in Manti was completed by local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1888. It dominates the Sanpete Valley, and can be seen from many miles. Near this spot in 1977, as college students, we attended an outdoor temple pageant. Of course, being with Kathleen I didn’t watch much of the pageant— we were engaged two months later.

Why is the temple an important part of our worship of Jesus Christ? 

Northeast of Manti is Spring City. Although it is still largely a farming town, Spring City is becoming increasingly known for its many examples of 19th century pioneer architecture. The 1899 old schoolhouse is an example. In 2010, Forbes magazine identified Spring City as one of the prettiest towns in America.

It was a fascinating three days of travel and learning with dear friends. 

My Mother, Carlene Buchanan Harris

My mother was born 89 years ago this month.  

She was raised in Bountiful, Utah...

...and was the valedictorian for her high school. 

She met my dad at the University of Utah.

They raised their family in Concord, California.

Every summer we traveled to Utah to be with our extended family.

She dearly loved her children and grandchildren!

Every two years we had a Harris family reunion.

Six years ago in April my mother passed away.  

Being the only daughter, I inherited her jewelry.   

What to do with all of her costume jewelry from the 1950's?

You google "jewelry Christmas tree on velvet" and get to work.  

This "jewelry Christmas tree on velvet" hangs in my dining room 

and every day when i see it, I think of my mother... 

....and I am reminded daily how blessed I was to be raised by her.

"Where Can I Turn for Peace?"

"On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, one of its neighbors to the southwest, marking a major escalation to a conflict that began in 2014. Several officials and analysts called the invasion the largest conventional military attack in Europe since World War II."  wikipedia.org

A man walks past a building damaged following a rocket attack in the city of Kyiv

image from forbes.com 

Feb. 25, 2022

What's gone on since February 24, 2022 has been unsettling to me.  When I have unsettling feelings about what's happening in the world, I look to the Prophet of God (Amos 3:7) and my church leaders to give me direction and peace.  The other day I found this statement written by The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:  

Published Friday, Feb. 25, on Newsroom

“We are heartbroken and deeply concerned by the armed conflict now raging. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has members in each of the affected areas and throughout the world. Our minds and hearts have been turned toward them and all our brothers and sisters.

“We continue to pray for peace. We know that enduring peace can be found through Jesus Christ. He can calm and comfort our souls even in the midst of terrible conflicts. He taught us to love God and our neighbors.

“We pray that this armed conflict will end quickly, that the controversies will end peacefully and that peace will prevail among nations and within our own hearts. We plead with world leaders to seek for such resolutions and peace.” 

I remembered that a temple was dedicated in Kyiv in 2009.  I love this documentary of the Kyiv Ukraine Temple Youth Cultural Celebration and how it shows all the nations from eastern Europe coming together in peace and love of God.  

You can also see the video by clicking here.  

What a Difference 2 Years Makes

Two years ago, our twin grandbabies were in the NICU fighting for their lives.   

Click onto the arrow to see how they are doing now.......

We are very blessed.  

Seminary Memories

This post is reappearing from one of my Seminary Teachers Facebook pages dated January 15, 2016.  I think it is showing up because we are studying the book of Moses in Come Follow Me Sunday School manual this week and I think people are going to the # of Moses 7.  For whatever the reason, I'm enjoying these seminary memories.  

#Moses7:18 #ScriptureMastery Moses 7:18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

Yesterday our class was reviewing scripture mastery scriptures. They pulled the card for Moses 7:18 and without any prompting, my students grabbed each other's hands and one student snapped this picture.

This post is from January 19, 2016:  

I'm glad that these feet brought my students to seminary this morning.  My students make it a great way to start each day.  This morning we talked about how the Children of Israel had a hard time making correct choices because of wicked influence of the Canaanites and that we need to keep wicked influences out of our lives.

....a post rom February 2015:

My seminary class rocks!  D&C 87:8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places and be not moved...

One more seminary memory that I don't want to forget.  This video is nothing official.....It's just a group of early morning seminary teachers welcoming their students back to a new seminary school year.  I enjoyed showing this on the first day of class after our summer break  (before our opening prayer, of course).  

Double click onto the arrow to watch.