Dawning of a New Era

The World was Changed Forever

I have written before about the incredible sunrises and sunsets we experience in Tucson. The past 10 days or so have been awesome. One morning as we were arriving, one of the owners said that we had a "weird sky." I told him to take a second look. With the lighting, clouds and shadows, you could look at the mountains and get a feeling for just how big the earth is. People call Montana the "Big Sky" country, but we have been seeing that now for a while.


Today while driving into work, the sun was reflecting on the clouds both in the East and the West, giving the illusion of both a Sunrise and a Sunset. I was totally astonished. It made me think of how astonished the people must have been way back 2008 years ago. The prophets had told the people that they would know of the birth of the Messiah, because of the "day, a night, and a day" of daylight.

"And it came to pass that the words which came unto Nephi were fulfilled, according as they had been spoken; for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness; and the people began to be astonished because there was no darkness when the night came.And there were many, who had not believed the words of the prophets, who fell to the earth and became as if they were dead, for they knew that the great plan of destruction which they had laid for those who believed in the words of the prophets had been frustrated; for the sign which had been given was already at hand. And they began to know that the Son of God must shortly appear; yea, in fine, all the people upon the face of the whole earth from the west to the east, both in the land north and in the land south, were so exceedingly astonished that they fell to the earth.

(3 Ne 1:15 - 17 )"

It is fitting that the Light of the World was born after a night of light. At the rising of the sun after a night of no darkness, the world was changed forever. We have witnesses of his birth, of his life, of his death, and of His ressurection. Some of the witnesses lived when he lived. But we have modern prophets and apostles who testify of the Risen Lord.

"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father-- That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. (D&C 76:22-24).

And now we celebrate His birth. Some people, in the name of tolerance or political correctness, are trying to eliminate Him from the holiday. But He lives. Whether we follow Him or not, He lives. Whether we strive to keep His commandments, or not, He beckons to us. Whether we acknowledge Him or not, He suffered, bled and died for our sins. He truly is the Savior, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, and the Redeemer of all mankind.

Gratitude for our Abundance

Family is our most prized "Possession"

We spent a few days in Utah with our children and grandchildren. It was a very precious and joyful time. We first attended Peter's Birthday party. Peter was an amazing young man, showing gratitude and excitement for any present.

We played Apples to Apples with the group assembled. I didn't do well, but we had a great time. Ben wanted us to know that he was there too.

Thursday was thanksgiving. Thanks to Tim, we achieved an excellent "Pie to Person" ratio. I had been talking about my Ice Cream salad, but we turned it into a pie. Ben and Peter helped me make it. We put the "salad" into an Oreo pie crust and covered it with Heath Bar Shell topping.
We met Tara's parents (Rock and Carol) for lunch. on Friday. I don't have a picture of them, but I do of Mike and Tara.

We were downstairs with the young boys, and I noticed how much Ben watches and imitates his older brother. In the first picture, Peter is lying on his stomach reading a book. Ben is watching. Less than 30 Seconds later, I took the 2nd picture.

We went to the park to play three days in a row. Grandpa had to go to "Time Out" for a while for bad behavior, but Peter was merciful and let him out.

And then, of course, the older boys had to have a contest to see who was better at ...whatever ?