There and Back Again: Week 26 Precious Covenants and precious Grandchildren

Last week, one of my friends on our cleaning crew shared that while she was in the temple she noticed that a commandment was given, and then God said, "and to help you keep this commandment we will give you a covenant" It was the first time that thing had really jumped out at her and ME as well. It was a blessing to ponder. We thought about it. HOW do covenants help us to keep commandments? I surmised the following...If someone tells a group of us that they are going to be at the park for a service project or a party or whatever, and generally asks us if we can come help and I don't say anything...I am less likely to show up. Especially if when the time comes, I'm in the middle of a nap, one of my own home projects, or just finishing work and am tuckered out. BUT if I covenant (or promise) with that person that I will be there and I'm bringing a shovel, or a salad, or a couple other friends...then even if I'm sick I'm going to do all I can to be there as I promised. So a covenant DOES make it easier to keep a commandment because you are making a personal one on one commitment with the Lord.

We covenant to do what ever the Lord asks of us (take His yoke) and He covenants to make our burdens light. Our grandson, Emmet models this by laying a "hundred pound bag" on his tummy! LOL We had a wonderful week end starting with a Spring Fling English Country Line Dancing of the 1840's dance Friday night. I did my own hair...I was very proud of it.

Saturday I attended Emmet's farewell party for his friends (they're moving to Tennessee for his dad's medical residency). Then I took the boys home with me for Saturday night through Monday afternoon so Autumn and Aaron could celebrate their anniversary by packing...hahah! It was such a joy to be with the boys in our sacred space on this mission. We learned together about the early saints and how they worked in Nauvoo.

Emmet learned how to make bread in a fire, make candles, card wool, load a wagon (hence the "100 lb" bag) Taran helped too and helped Emmet make a rope...which was then used to tie up Elder Cullen

We had precious spriritual experiences as we explored God's beautiful world and talked about how grateful we were for the beauties of the earth.

Because of covenants Elder Cullen and I have made in the temple our family will be sealed together for time and all eternity! If you want to find out more about making covenants with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and bring more joy into your life just private message me! Have a good week.

There and Back Again: Week 25 HOLY WEEK!

Happy Easter! He HAS Risen.

This week we deep cleaned some HUGE houses. These homes are for the pagaent and performing missionaries. Did you know that could be a mission? A six month performing mission where you bare your testimony of Jesus Christ through your talents of Acting, Singing, and Dancing. Hmmmm sounds familiar! LOL These houses are SO big we have to change our tactics. So a day before we deep clean, we send a couple of our team over to do inventory and wipe out cupboards while the rest of the team cleans whatever they are tackling that day. That leaves the forerunners free to help us clean the house when we come in the next day. Some of these places have been a bit neglected due to lack of man power and also we have upped our cleaning games when we split off of the Collections Care department. So we are laser focused on just cleaning. On the way to a job I sometimes HAVE to stop and say, "WOW JESUS! You are amazing and creative and the BEST Artist ever." Look at this tree! I am floored by Spring here.

We had a WONDERFUL Easter Week and for the Week End, one of my old roomates from college came to visit with her husband and one of her sons and spent Friday Night. It was SO fun to catch up. She grew up around here and had great stories to tell about being in the "City of Joseph" Pagaent every summer. It was wonderful. That pagaent no longer exists but more are here now.

Throughout the summer, more than 1,100 missionaries and other volunteers in Historic Nauvoo put on a wide variety of live musical and theatrical performances to celebrate the history and spirit of the early Latter-day Saints who lived in Nauvoo in the 1840s. Many performance elements are based on actual people, records, accounts, and journals of the early Church members and leaders. Performances include the Nauvoo Pageant, the British Pageant, and many smaller vignettes, concerts, and shows. These performances invite visitors to experience the joy, hope, and inspiration that the early Saints found in living Christ’s gospel.

Here's the link to cut and paste if you want to find out more. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/history/sites/historic-nauvoo?lang=eng

We also got an unexpected opportunity to go to Autumn's in-laws, Mike and Bev McConeghey.

On Saturday we spent the morning with my roomate then drove an hour and 15 min to Mike and Bevs and got to do an egg hunt with Autumn's and Aaron's kids (Emmet and Taran) and eat yummy food and be back that night.

We were singing in the Easter Choir and I was teaching sunday school so we couldn't miss Sunday. Love you all! Praying that you know that because Jesus did HIS mission, you can do YOUR mission. Death has lost it's sting. He is RISEN!

There and Back Again: Week 24 Great Plan of Happiness, Life and Death

This week a friend of mine passed away. She was the mother of the friend I went to Jr. Prom with. She had 7 talented kids! She was the Elementary Music Teacher for Sequoia elementary in Pleasant Hill. She was a woman who WORKED hard, PLAYED hard, and was very spiritual and musical. Her kids were amazing. When I was attending the Winter and Spring concerts of my younger siblings, I would see hundreds of kids, well behaved, singing GREAT songs from the bleachers in the auditorium while she was down on the floor with the audience, playing the piano, standing up and singing along and directing with head motions. It was fantastic, hilarious, impressive, etc. I never dreamed of being THAT music teacher, or being any kind of music teacher except maybe a private music teacher after my "real" job was done for the day. ( I had been teaching piano since I was 15). Life is funny with it's twists and turns, I went from being a Chemist to a teacher, and suddenly one day, just to help out for a year, at the request of a friend, I started teaching music part time at Windsor Creek Elementary. I was in a learning curve, building the plane while I was flying it and suddenly I knew what to do...Nada Fluckiger came to mind and she continued to inspire my program for 15 years.

RIP Nada, I love you. Thank you for your example. The world is a better place because you came to it. I have a another friend who is about to have their fourth child...any day now actually. People are coming to and going from this planet every second. WHY do they come? Where do they come from? What are they supposed to do here? Why do they go? WHERE do they go to? Where did YOU come from? Why are you here? Where are you going? All those questions can be answered when you study God's Great Plan of Happiness for you. When I was teaching my children the answers to these questions so they would know what they were supposed to be doing here and what they were supposed to be caring about, I started drawing pictures for them. They were very young at the time I started and I felt pictures would be more useful than a bunch of blah blah blah. As they asked questions and we studied them out together in the scriptures and from conference talks by real prophets and apostles I started collecting and categorizing the information until, ten years later I hired a REAL illustrator and published the information in a book.

My friend Amy Jensen of Accent Printing helped with the layout and printed the books. They are amazing! She does such a great job. The first edition sold out, the second edition is now available and is being sold in a local bookstore here in Nauvoo. https://ebornbooks.com/locations/ Or you can contact me if you want one.

What I love about The Great Plan of Happiness is that it keeps my life's ups and down, pains and joys, fears and courageous moments in perspective: Centered on Jesus Christ. I have peace knowing God does have a plan. As chaotic as life appears (especially when I engage in the news!) God really is in control. I have a work He wants me to do and it's not hard for me and the Lord. I have no fear of death because I know what's next and that those I leave behind WILL be OK. I trust that no matter what happens to me or others (and believe me, BAD things happen to innocent and good people all the time) God can heal it and use it for our growth to become who we need to become for the next adventure after this Earth Life Test. Abraham 3:25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them. Will I be loyal to Christ even when things are unfair, painful, easy, boring, etc?

Here's a super simplified comic that outlines the Great Plan of Happiness. If you want to know more...you know how to find me! I love you, and more importantly our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit LOVE you and they are all working together for YOUR good!!! Elder Cullen and I had the opportunity to attend several Easter Season Devotionals, Firesides, and Events these past two weeks. It's been wonderful. Here are some pictures of the Easter Art and Music Festival. Finally Here are some photos I took on the banks of the Mississippi. The Sun was setting in front of me, the moon was already high in the sky and it was a magical moment!

Kite Contests, Conference and EASTER!! WHOO HOOO!!!

Yesterday we had a kite making/flying contest. ALTHOUGH our kites did not fly well, we did get prizes for prettiest homemade kite and smallest kite. HAHAH! It was a wonderful day. The morning started with lightening, high winds and heavy rain and ended in the late afternoon with clear skies, warm winds and perfect conditions for us and our friends to fly our kites! Isn't this life? It can really stink, be scary, and uncomfortable, but if you continue to be creative, support others by showing up, and maintain your relationships with God, family and friends...it will end warm and delightful. Learn more about that at conference! This weekend is General Conference, with sessions on Saturday at 9 AM, 1 PM, and 5 PM and Sunday at 9 AM and 1 PM. It is a wonderful opportunity to feel the Savior's greater love, and intentionally begin your worship this magnificent Easter season. The church continually expands the ways that we can watch and listen to conference. Did you know you can listen to all sessions on your smart speaker? Just say, "Alexa, open General Conference." Copy and paste- https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/broadcasts?lang=eng to watch conference via the church website. Copy and paste - https://www.youtube.com/@churchofjesuschristgeneralconf/streams to watch conference via the YouTube: General Conference Channel.

I read a fantastic article today about preparing for Easter. Since it's on the 20th, they have 20 quotes (one for each day in April) to hang up in your house, study, or pass along. Cut and paste this link to print off cool quotes https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2025/04/digital-only/20-inspired-quotes-to-celebrate-jesus-christ-this-easter?lang=eng