Saturday / Judy

We had a fun Saturday because Lloyd was home from work and we took advantage of it. First, we went to a matinee of "Les Mis" after eating lunch at Red Lobster. The play was outstanding with costumes and all the main characters doing their parts. I've been haunted by that music ever since. 

Then we got home in time to greet Lani, above with Grandpa, who drove up from L.A. She's been staying with her sister Michiko and wanted to see Grandpa while she was fairly close. Michiko and Brandon couldn't come because they were sick so she drove up by herself. She just stayed the one night, then left the next morning to see her uncle and then drove back. She and Grandpa spent all night (till she went to bed) visiting and enjoying each other's company. They didn't even need us, so we left them to it.

Tonight we're doing something kind of fun. Ben wrote a play and they are going to do a reader's theater kind of thing with it tonight for an audience. He asked some of his acting friends from school to play the parts and they've had a couple rehearsals so it should be interesting. We're looking forward to seeing it since he's been working on it for months.

Les Mis And A Web Site / Judy

If you've seen Hilary's blog, you know several of us (me and Michael, Kristen. Nathan and Jonathan, Hilary and Dave, and Liberty) saw the understudy rehearsal of Les Mis because Ben is understudying Javert, the villain. It was truly amazing! I have purposely avoided seeing that play because I knew it would be very sad, I mean, just look at the title. Ben was wonderful, both in his acting and also in his singing. He has a beautiful, powerful baritone voice that filled the theater.

There were several moving moments that brought me to tears, even the suicide scene. Up to that point, you don't like Javert at all, but still that scene is heartbreaking. And the ending is so uplifting and inspirational...I had no idea.

On to another topic. In the the grocery store the other day I saw a cookbook I nearly bought called "200 recipes under 200 calories." But I decided I didn't need another cookbook, although I may relent and get it later. However, there was a web site attached to it that I went to and it also has lots of healthy, low-calorie recipes and I'd recommend it. It's Hungry-Girl.com. 

More visitors / Judy

Lloyd's youngest brother, Paul, and his three oldest kids came to visit this past week since they were on Spring Break. They came on Tuesday and left Friday morning. In this photo, starting from the left is Daniel (18), Angie (16), Paul, Brenden (14), and Lloyd. 

On Wednesday Kristen and Hilary came down to visit with them, then after lunch they went to the matinee of "Les Mis" to see Ben, then had fish and chips at Pismo. Thursday they went boogie-boarding at Cayucus, then after cleaning up, they went through a tour of Hearst Castle and got back to town in time to go to the Farmers Market. 

When they left yesterday, they planned to drive to Yosemite for a couple days. I have to say it was really fun having them here and actually getting to know them, especially the kids who were a lot of fun. Grandpa loved talking to them because they were very interested in his stories and he really perked up with them around.

Ragged Point / Judy

I was premature when I wrote about our fun weekend because the fun continued on Monday, Loyd's day off. We wanted to spend the day in Cambria so we drove up the coast about mid-morning, wandered around a few of our favorite places and had lunch there. Then we thought, you know, what we really want to do is go to Ragged point and spend the night. So we did! The first picture (above) is the view from our room.

Of course we weren't really prepared. We had no extra clothes or anything, but in the car Lloyd had his toothbrush and toothpaste that he takes to work, and we bought a small deoderant, and as usual, we both had books to read, so we were good.

One problem was that our phones didn't work from Cambria north because they don't have Verizon cell towers along there. I was in the middle of a call to Jennifer when the phone went dead and the phones didn't come back to life until we returned. This made it hard to let people like Grandpa know what we were doing, and I didn't want him to worry. Fortunately, the waitress in the Ragged Point restaurant had a different cell phone (AT & T or something) and she let us call home. 

Again, the above picture was taken from our room.And this is from the fence, sea-side looking up to our room, which had a fireplace, by the way. We left the window open all night so we could hear the surf--heaven.

On the way home today we stopped at the lighthouse beach to see the elephant seals. Right now on the beach are all females and pups. We didn't see any of the big males. Notice the pup near the vegetaion on the right looking at us.

So we had a wonderful mini-vacation and floated back to earth on a sea of contentment. And now it's back to work (sigh).

Fun Weekend / Judy

On Friday I went to the Easter concert that Hilary was in and it was wonderful! It really put us all in the right mood for Easter. My favorite song was the women's chorus singing "Come and see"...the empty tomb. But I also liked the men's chorus singing "O Strengthen Me" because I thought how true it was that men often needed strengthening. They have to bear the weight of the family's well-being and I know it can be hard. And that's why we love and appreciate them. I sat with Dave and Spencer and at one point Spencer said, "My mom is simply gorgeous." 

Saturday night Lloyd had the day off so we went to the Melodrama, which is always a blast. The play was "The Nerd" and it was hilarious. Lloyd said although it was really funny, you didn't need so much "suspension of disbelief" as you usually do there. The place was full, probably sold out and that always makes it more exciting.

Sunday morning, Easter, began VERY early as Ben and I both woke up at 5:00 am to take him to the airport for his trip to Utah. He's staying with the Smalley's and also going to visit BYU to have an audition. He wants to get on the acting track in the drama department and he needs to audition for that. He'll be back Tuesday night.

I enjoyed church a lot and I also liked teaching my Sunday School class (16 and 17-year-olds). I used a lot of the information Lloyd gave in his blog and they seemed to respond well. For dinner, Michael and Matthew were here and also the Anderson's and the Kleinman's came down so there 9 adults and 11 children. Great fun and what a great way to spend Easter! 

Rejection of the Physical Christ / Lloyd

"The Lord himself after the resurrection took the greatest care to impress the literalness of the event on the minds of all his followers."

Introduction

Until I attended college and served a mission I thought that Christ’s Physical Resurrection was the point of Easter.  Away from home and family I encountered many folks who professed belief in Christ but who understood him very differently from what I knew him to be.

God and his Son Jesus Christ both have palpable, physical bodies of flesh and bones, as do we. And our bodies have marvelous God-like functions that we are permitted to experience in mortality. Not only are we permitted to experience them, but also we are directed to learn to channel appropriately the inherent body-associated passions, appetites, and desires that help make life so wonderfully worthwhile. 

The following are excerpts from Hugh Nibley, The World and the Prophets, and M. Catherine Thomas, “The Restoration of the Doctrines of Marriage and Atonement.” They illustrate the worldly pressure to slide from the concrete to the unknowable, especially regarding the physical nature of Christ. We begin to understand the unimaginable angry reaction to the boy prophet, Joseph Smith, who testified so clearly of a Physical Father and Son. 

HUGH NIBLEY, THE WORLD AND THE PROPHETS

The Search for God

"The thought that the Apostles might be searching for God is simply laughable. Yet that was one of the first danger signals to appear in the church—the predicted activity of those intellectuals who would be "ever seeking and never coming to a knowledge of the truth." Already, at the end of the first century, Ignatius of Antioch writes to the Trallians: "There are some Christ-betrayers, bearing about the name of Christ in deceit, and corrupting the word of the Gospel. . . . They do not believe in his resurrection. They introduce God as being unknown." And to the Smyrnaens he says: "Do ye, therefore, mark those who preach other doctrines, how they affirm that the Father of Christ cannot be known." The great crime of the heretics in general, according to the Apostolic Constitutions, is "that they blaspheme God by saying that he is unknowable and not the Father of Christ . . . but is indescribable, unutterable, unnamable, self-begotten. We, the sons of God [it is supposed to be the Apostles speaking] declare that there is one God alone, the Lord of the law and the prophets, the creator of things that are, the Father of Christ, not self-caused and self-begotten, as the Gnostics say, but everlasting and without beginning, dwelling in inaccessible light. He is not two or three or many, but one eternally, not unknown or unnamed but proclaimed through the Law and the Prophets." Irenaeus' first charge against the Gnostics is that "they say the Father cannot be known." (pgs 54-55)

“On the other hand, nothing shocked or scandalized the pagans more than the Christian insistence in knowing God; Celsus is outraged at such presumption, and to his charge, Origen replies that God is indeed unknown—to bad men. (pg 55)”

Easter

“The only real justification for the Christian Easter is the proposition that the resurrection of Christ actually took place—not as a symbol, a myth, a hope, a tradition, or a dream, but as a real event. The Lord himself after the resurrection took the greatest care to impress the literalness of the event on the minds of all his followers. Having risen from the dead, Christ came to his disciples and found them confused, perplexed, incredulous. He "upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen" ("Mark 16:14Mark 16:14), and showed them in detail how the ancient prophets had actually predicted what had happened. He ordered them to feel him and see for themselves that he was not a spirit, but that the flesh had been resurrected; he ordered food to be brought and ate it in their presence, inviting them to dine with him. He told them that whenever they met after his departure they should continue to eat real bread and drink real wine to remind them that he had been with them in the flesh. (pg 156) 

“There was need to make this lesson perfectly clear, for men have always been reluctant to believe it. Matthew concludes his gospel with the report that "when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted" ("Matt. 28:17 Matthew 28:17). The Apostles had to rebuke members of the church who simply would not believe in the resurrection, and John noted with alarm that "many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" ("2 Jn. 1:72 John 7). "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead," writes Paul to the Corinthians, "how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?" ("1 Cor. 15:121 Corinthians 15:12.) (pg 157)

Anti-resurrection trend in the church 

“Next, the writings of the so-called Apostolic Fathers, the oldest texts to survive after the time of the Apostles, show the spreading and deepening of the anti-resurrection trend in the church. Two charges are constantly brought against church members by the Apostolic Fathers: 1) that they are ashamed of the crucifixion, and 2) that they deny the resurrection. "I know that Christ had a body after the resurrection," cried Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, "and I believe that he still has." (We may note in passing that there is no thought here of a "mystic" body.) Ignatius pleads with the Trallians to believe that Christ "really and truly was born, and he ate and drank, and he was really and actually sentenced under Pontius Pilate, and was actually crucified and died. . . . And that he really and truly was raised from the dead. . . . But if as certain atheists, that is, non-believers, say, he only appeared to have suffered . . . why am I going to fight beasts?" In the longer version Ignatius rebukes those who do not believe in the resurrection; others that say God cannot be known; others that think Christ was unbegotten; others who claim that the Holy Ghost is not a reality; and others who say that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are the same. (pg 157)

“The sorrows and alarms of the Apostolic Fathers were followed by the perplexities of the doctors. Most of the early doctors of the church were ardent Hellenists or Neoplatonists, and there was no place in such schools of thought for a God who contaminates himself by contact with the physical or limits himself by taking the form of a man. "We are stunned with the greatest amazement," wrote Origen, perhaps the most influential of all Christian philosophers next to Augustine himself, "that this the most eminent of all natures, putting off its state of majesty, should become a man. . . . It is utterly beyond human comprehension that the Word of the Father . . . should be thought of as confined within that man who appeared in Judea. But that the Wisdom of God should have entered the womb of a woman, and been born a baby, and cried and wailed just like other crying babies, and then suffered death and said that his soul was sorrowful unto death, and been led off to the most undignified of all deaths . . . seeing such things the human intellect is stopped in its tracks, so stunned with amazement that it knows not where to turn. . . . It is far beyond our powers to explain. I suppose it even goes beyond the capacity of the holy Apostles; nay, it is quite possible that the explanation of this sacrament is beyond the powers of all the celestial beings." 

"Not only does Origen not know what to think about the Lord's physical presence on earth; he does not even know what to believe about it, and in his explanations is careful to specify that he is presenting only his "suspicions rather than any manifest affirmations." And so he speculates on the resurrection of the flesh: only the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost can live without bodies, he tells us, "because it is right and proper to think of the Trinity alone as existing incorporeally." But then he considers that if one thing can live without a body, others can too, and if others, why not all? "That being the case, bodies will be dispensed with in eternity, there being no need for them. . . . To be subject to Christ is to be subject to God, and to be subject to God is to have no need of a body." Commenting on this, St. Jerome writes a century and a half later: "If all things, as this order of reasoning compels us to believe, shall live without body, the whole universe of corporeal things shall be consumed, and return again to that nothing out of which it was created." (pgs 157-159)

Educated vanity trumps humility

“Note the vanity of the schoolmen in Origen's remarks: What he cannot conceive of because of his limited experience must necessarily be beyond the grasp of Apostles, angels, and all celestial beings! It is this sublime confidence in the adequacy of one's own knowledge and the finality of one's own experience that makes the resurrection of the flesh the principal thorn in the incorporeal minds of the schoolmen. According to St. Augustine, the resurrection of the flesh is the one thing that the pagans cannot take, it is the one thing with which the philosophers have no patience, and is above all the one thing that distinguishes a Christian from a non-Christian. 

"Since it is the one doctrine that makes Christians Christians, it is alarming to learn from St. Augustine that in his day "in nothing is there so much conflict and controversy among Christians themselves as on the subject of the resurrection of the flesh." "On no other matter," he writes, "do they disagree so vehemently, so obstinately, so resolutely, or so contentiously as on the subject of the resurrection of the flesh. For as far as the immortality of the soul is concerned many a pagan philosopher too has argued about that and bequeathed us vast heaps of writings to the effect that the soul is immortal. But when it comes to the resurrection of the flesh they won't argue, but dismiss it out of hand as impossible, and that on the grounds that it is impossible for this earthly flesh to aspire to heaven." (pg 159)

“I cannot resist noting here that the objection of the pagans to the resurrection is not a physical or a biological but a philosophical one, and it is the very same objection which the Christian world today makes against the Latter-day Saint conception of God: that there can be nothing of a bodily nature in the celestial. Yet the resurrected Christ was God. Is it any wonder that the Christians could never agree among themselves on this, the central doctrine of their religion? The doctors of the later church only touch lightly upon this theme, and with obvious embarrassment. 

"St. Augustine had far more to say on the subject than any other father of the church; he speculates that the body may become spirit in the sense of acquiring unlimited mobility, but he is not sure; he does not know exactly how to take the doctrine, very popular in his day, that the resurrection was a resurrection of the spirit (anima) only, and again, he says he would like to know how he is to think of a "spiritual body" such as ours will be after the resurrection, but he does not know how, and would be glad to find someone who could teach him. This was exactly the puzzled and hesitant attitude of Augustine's great eastern counterpart, Origen. (pgs 159-60)” 

M. CATHERINE THOMAS, “THE RESTORATION OF THE DOCTRINES OF MARRIAGE AND ATONEMENT” 

“An apostate group among the earliest Christians called Docetists (from Greek dokew, "seems") claimed that Christ only seemed to be physical. This idea invaded mainstream Christianity. Hilary of Poitiers, a fourth-century Christian theologian, wrote of Christ's suffering that "He felt the force of suffering, but without its pain," as if a weapon were to pierce water or fire or air. "The body of Christ by its virtue suffered the violence of punishment, without its consciousness. . . . He had not a nature which could feel pain." (pg 88)

“Once God lost his body and could not suffer, the mainspring of the Atonement was effectively removed. A substitute for the Atonement was devised in a practice called penance . . . Doing penance meant self-punishment rather than actually acquiring virtue. Assigned to penitential tasks by a celibate clergy, women and men sat in sackcloth and ashes at the church door, groveled at the feet of the clergy, or abstained from marital relations, sometimes for months. Through these punishments, early Christians expiated their sins. The practice of penance replaced the true doctrine that Jesus suffered and paid off the law of justice, releasing to women and men a great divine enabling power to pursue the divine nature. (pg 88)

“If we had the full text of what constituted the original Bible, I think we would see that changes have been made in at least two main doctrinal areas: first, in the doctrine of the Atonement, especially the accessibility of the grace of Jesus Christ, and, second, in the doctrine of the body of God and the relationship of the Father and the Son; and as corollary, the doctrines of the deification of mankind, eternal marriage, and eternal procreation. 

“These changes in doctrine influenced the whole subsequent development of mainstream Christianity, as we can see today in the enduring practices of penance and celibacy and perhaps in our own possible discomfort in thinking of Jesus in a married relationship. (pg 88) 

“Because the doctrine of God's body is so pivotal, it is often the first doctrine that has to be restored before an apostasy can begin to be healed. In the Sacred Grove, Joseph could obviously see that there were two separate, glorified, anthropomorphic beings in the Godhead before either of the Gods had said a thing. In a split second Joseph grasped a truth that could end eighteen hundred years of speculation and pointless philosophizing, centuries of making mysteries out of plainness." (pgs 88 – 89)

Random Musings / Judy

Last weekend Michiko and Branden came to visit and they were all excited about seeing conferenced at home on TV. On Saturday Brandon took Grandpa to the priesthood session, which was nice for him. It was fun to have them here; I'm glad they live close enough to visit once in a while.  As usual, conference was wonderful. Probably my favorite talk was Elder Holland's.

We had a sad thing in our ward lately. A week ago Saturday, the 45-year-old daughter of a friend of ours died of Leukemia, then on Monday (9 days later) our friend's husband died. I think he died of a heart attack and I wonder if it was brought on by the death of his daughter. I feel so bad for my friend; talk about a one-two punch.

Tonight is the opening for "Les Miserables" at PCPA and Ben has been working hard on it. He grew his hair long and now has mutton-chop sideburns, which actually don't look as wierd as you'd think. Also, he's been putting in long hours writing a play that some students will put on in a couple weeks (like a reader's theater) and Lloyd and I will be able to go see it. 

And that is all that is happening around here--hardly enough for a decent post, but what can you do?

My Working Retirement / Lloyd

Atascadero State Hospital: A half-mile of main hallway

Atascadero State Hospital: Group discussion

I suppose that I could look ahead and be discouraged.  At age 65 I have a working retirement with 15 years to go before I qualify for full benefits.  I’m a shift lead at a maximum security forensic psychiatric hospital, where I coordinate the efforts of 7-10 colleagues in caring for 32 high-acuity patients. Often patients harm themselves and other patients, and sometimes staff.

Yet I do not despair, rather I am grateful.  First, I have been prompted that this is where Heavenly Father wants me to serve.  Second, each day presents new challenges with interesting situations to confront and solve. Many times I have thought, “This can’t be done.” And almost always, by the end of the shift we have found successful closure and we return home unharmed. 

Most important of all, I know we’ve been blessed beyond our own ability.  I can say quite clearly, “We doubt not the Lord nor his goodness. We’ve proved him in days that are past.” So I find that I look forward to work, interested, intrigued, and delighted to see how Heavenly Father will see us through the predictably unforeseen and unexpected.

Without this overriding purpose each day and hope based on experience I could see myself lingering in bed, not sleeping to rest but sleeping to escape and never ever feeling rested. I could see myself dithering away my life as I allowed insignificant routines and rituals to fill the day and wonder why nothing of importance ever got done. My rheumatoid arthritis and allergies and depression, like so many weeds, would gradually take over, and ill health and lack of energy would become the focus of my life. I have allowed this to happen before.

Without my challenges and opportunity to work and serve I too easily could become like a character in one of my favorite books, the cautionary tale Dead Souls by Ukrainian novelist Nikolai Gogol.

Really, enduring to the end means serving to the end, not moping to the end.  Consider this scripture that either happiness or unhappiness will be restored to us in the resurrection:

And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still. (Mormon 9:14) (Emphasis added)

I appreciate President Monson’s comments today in General Conference, “Fear not, be of good cheer. Your future will be as bright as your faith.”

Ben Channels Grandpa / Judy

Today one of the kids at PCPA had a USO party and everybody dressed up like the 40's. Ben wore his khaki pants, and I found an Army shirt and tie at the Army/Navy store. Then he went up into the attic and found Grandpa's uniforms, and that's what he wore to the party. It was pretty amazing that he could fit into the jacket and the hat, but he let everybody know how authentic they were. I guess the only anomaly was his beard, which he's growing for Les Mis. Here (and below) he is with his friend Brianna.  

Notice the ribbons on the jacket: the blue one on top is the combat infantry badge (given only after being in combat), below that on the right is the WWII service ribbon, and on the left is the purple heart. 

At the party they played Glenn Miller and Big Band CDs, which Ben brought, and he says because he knows how to swing dance, he danced with everybody and it was great.

When he was trying everything on a couple nights ago, he was showing Granpa and it was really quite moving. Then Ben added to the feeling when he said, "Grandpa, I'm so grateful that you were willing to go through all this for us, so now I don't have to go to war myself."

When Ben came home, he told Grandpa that his uniform had a few more hours of really fun dancing.

Stent-free! / Judy

Last Friday, the doctor FINALLY removed my stent and I feel like a new woman. It's so wonderful to be pain-free and feel good again and actually be able to do stuff. Now, since I'm completely out of shape after three months of not moving, I need to start getting my act together and doing all kinds of things. Also, the house has suffered during my time of inactivity so maybe if I can clean it thoroughly I can get in shape at the same time.

Yesterday on Lloyd's day off we went again to the bay for lunch and then we saw the movie "Duplitiy" at the Bay Theater. It was a fun movie with lots of twists and turns, but surprisingly I didn't have trouble following it. 

P.S. I hope my sad experience has inspired everybody to up their intake of fluids!

Grandpa's Gone Turbo / Judy:

Here is Grandpa and Michael with the new wheelchair. We're excited about his new wheels because now we can go anywhere, and plan to. The chair only weighs 20 lbs. and is very portable. 

Looking at this picture made me think about how grateful I am for a couple things. First, it's wonderful to have Michael here with us most of the time. He's always helpful and also, he's fun to be around. The two of us were very close as kids and I'm glad we have that back now. Second, how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful place. I owe a debt of gratitude to my folks for letting us grow up here and every once in a while I'm overcome with joy about being able to live here again now. 

Miscellaneous Musings / Judy

Last Monday, on Lloyd's regular day off, we went to the bay. We wanted to have a nice day before my terrible, horrible, awful, very bad day. We ate at the Hofbrau Haus, which has the best fish and chips in the whole place, in my opinion. Then we went outside where I took this picture of Lloyd. We planned to go all over and take lots of pictures, but right after this the battery died in my camera--so this is the only one we got. But it's nice.

I wanted to say something more about Battlestar Gallactica. I watched the first two seasons, then decided not to watch it anymore. Basically, it's too depressing. It has no leavening moments like my beloved Star Trek, or SG-1, or even Star Wars. It's just one bleak situation after another. In every episode, the worst thing that can happen, does happen. So enough is enough.

I'm feeling pretty well today, meaning I haven't had to take any pain pills since last night. Lloyd stayed home with me yesterday but he's planning to go to work tonight. We'll see how the day progresses...

Malady Update / Judy

Caution: Venting ahead

So yesterday I went to the hospital, expecting to finally, FINALLY, have my stent removed. I knew I'd be completely alseep with anesthesia, but I still was not looking forward to the ordeal. Then after I'd changed into my paper gown and was lying in bed while they did things like blood pressure, etc. the nurse tried to put in an IV. If you've ever had one, you know it's like putting a steel straw into the vein in your hand. It hurt like crazy...then it didn't work and she had to take it out and put it in my other hand. 

At that point I started to cry and pretty much didn't stop all day. The nurses kept asking me, "What's wrong?" I felt like saying, "Hello! Would you like to change places here?" But what I told them was that I was scared about the whole thing and knew I'd wake up feeling like crap. Which of course is what happened. My throat was sore and raspy because they said I had a tube down in it and I kept having VERY painful spasms in my ureter. Talk about a world of hurt. 

Then to add insult to injury, Lloyd came in and told me they had to put the stent back in (!!). They showed me a little jar full of the stones they got out. Before, I got little pieces like coarse sand, but these were like gravel. So the reason I still have the stent is that there are still more pieces up in my kidney---aaarrrggghhh! 

To feel a little sorry for myself here, it seems like in the past few years I've had several physical ailments. First there was the cough that lasted forever. Then there was the  hyperthyroidism that had me weak and shaking and miserable. Now these kidney stones that are SO painful. I have to admit though that right this minute I'm not spasming so I don't feel too bad as long as I don't move around much. I just wish I could learn the darn lesson I'm supposed to learn from all this already and get on with my life. 

Unexpected Treat / Judy

Today Lloyd has the day off and he had to go to his doctor for a shot so I went with him and we planned to eat at one of our favorite restaurants in that little town. Fortunately, today Dave works at that office so he could come to lunch with us. Then he called Hilary and she could come too--Yayy!! Here we all are (except Dallin who wouldn't come into the picture) on the steps of the restaurant. I'm not really hiding; I just couldn't fit next to Hilary because of the pillar.
Sometimes one day off can be like a mini vacation if you do something fun together.
Waiting for our delicious food.
This is the neatest place, all cozy and attractive. It doesn't have an extensive menu, but what it does have is wonderful. We usually sit outside on the porch, but it was a little chilly today.

By the way, have I mentioned how much I LOVE my camera? I keep wanting to do more stuff with it. Obviously I still have much to learn because I edited these pictures but somehow the edited versions didn't make it to the post. 

Gratitude and a little whining / Judy

FIRST, THE GRATITUDE. I took this last week and it shows how everything is blooming around here. Like Grandpa famously said, "Well, it is February"

And this is one of my favorite views in the world--from the top of Johnson Ave. I once read a poem called "The Low Green Hills of Home," and for a few months out of the year, that describes this place. 

Another good thing about living here is that the price of tomatoes is only $.88/lb. right now. Of course I had to buy some and then I had to make salsa. It isn't as out-of-this world delicious as the full summertime stuff, but it's still pretty good. 

I have recently discovered a great TV show—Battlestar Gallactica. I know it's been on a while, but since I don't like to watch TV with all their commercials, I haven't paid attention to it. But now I've discovered the DVD's of the show and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Turns out it's as good as people have been saying it is.

NOW FOR THE WHINING. I still have the stent in and it's still very uncomfortable almost all the time. On top of that, at least once a day I have a very painful episode and have to take vicodin. Tonight our friend Steve said what is probably happening is that stent is causing the ureter to spasm because I don't think I'm still passing any stones. And I'm not scheduled to have it taken out until March 16--over three weeks after the doctor originally said I could. So I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself right now; I didn't think I had to be humbled to THIS extent. I probably could use a lesson in patience, although I could be very patient if it didn't hurt so much.

Mental Illness--leave myths at the door / Lloyd

Alexander B. Morrison of the Seventy became acquainted with mental illness through an afflicted family member. He speaks widely in the Church and is published in Church Magazines on the subject.

In "Myths about Mental Illness," Ensign, Oct 2005, Elder Morrison introduces the subject of Mental Illness and then discusses and sets straight 7 common myths and misconceptions that increase the burden for sufferers of mental illness and often impede treatment.

mental Illness

"In the Book of Mormon we read that the Nephites, who had been obedient to God’s laws, "lived after the manner of happiness” (2 Ne. 5:27). What a wonderful and insightful thought: if we are obedient and follow God’s commandments, we will be happy.

"It is important to understand, however, that happiness does not imply the absence of endurance: “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things” (2 Ne. 2:11).

"Among the most painful trials an individual or family can face is that of mental illness. By mental illness I do not mean the temporary social and emotional concerns experienced as part of the normal wear and tear of living. Rather, I mean a disorder that causes mild to severe disturbances in thinking and behavior. If such disturbances are sufficiently severe and of sufficient duration, they may significantly impair a person’s ability to cope with life’s ordinary demands. These illnesses may even threaten life itself, as in severe depression, or be so debilitating that the sufferer is unable to function effectively.

". . . We still do not know exactly how the brain works nor exactly how and why parts of it may malfunction. One thing is certain, however: no individual, family, or group is immune from the effects of mental illness. Furthermore, we are learning that many mental illnesses result from chemical disorders in the brain, just as diabetes results from a chemical disorder in the pancreas. Why, then, is there still such misunderstanding and fear surrounding mental illness?

myths and misconceptions

"Myths and misconceptions about mental illness unfortunately are found among Latter-day Saints just as they are in the general public. These harmful attitudes include the following (see the article for the complete discussion):

1. All mental illness is caused by sin. 

2. Someone is to blame for mental illness.  

3. All that people with mental illness need is a priesthood blessing.  

4. Mentally ill persons just lack willpower.

5. All mentally ill persons are dangerous and should be locked up

6. Mental illness doesn’t strike children and young people.

7. Whatever the cause, mental illness is untreatable."

More recently, in "The Spiritual Component of Healing," Ensign, Jun 2008, Elder Morrison clarifies the roles of medicine and of faith in the healing process for both physical and mental illnesses.

the role of medicine

"We should not believe that all who suffer from illness, whatever the cause, need only receive a priesthood blessing to have their burdens lifted, perhaps permanently. I am a great advocate and supporter of priesthood blessings. I know from  many personal experiences that Jesus Christ, and He alone, has ownership of the precious “balm in Gilead” (Jeremiah 8:22) needed for final and complete healing. But I know also that God has given us wonderful knowledge that can be of inestimable assistance in dealing with suffering. We must, I believe, take every advantage of such God-given information.

"Some persons who are ill, who have received a priesthood blessing and have prayed fervently that their burdens might be lightened, may feel that they suffer from a lamentable lack of faith if they seek professional help for their affliction. They may even stop taking prescribed medication, thinking erroneously that their faith will replace    the need for it. Such thinking is quite simply wrong. Receiving and acting upon professional advice and the concomitant exercise of faith are not in conflict. In fact, exercising faith may require following the advice of experienced health professionals."

the role of faith

"Faith on the part of the recipient is the great prerequisite of healing (see  Nephi 26:13; Mosia 8:18; D&C 35:9). Faith—“the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1)—is a gift of the Spirit, bestowed as a reward for personal righteousness (see 1 Corinthians 12:9; D&C 46:19–20). Without faith, the miracle of healing cannot occur. “For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith” (Ether 12:12).

". . . Faith in a loving Heavenly Father and in His Son, our Savior—coupled with  the understanding that we are literally God’s children, with a divine opportunity to strive to become as He is, and a realization that His love for us is eternal and unchangeable—brings peace to our lives. That peace persists even if the medical, psychological, or social dimensions of illness—be they physical or mental in origin—remain as “a thorn in the flesh.”