Take Time to be Holy

I awoke early this cold, snowy Sabbath day and turned on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for a little warmth. They sang an Irish folk hymn written in 1882 by William D. Longstaff. How I love beautiful expressions of faith and this hymn reflects the song of my heart. God bless your Sabbath and fit each of you for the weeks ahead:

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord;
Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word.
Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak,
Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on;
Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone.
By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be;
Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

Take time to be holy, let Him be thy Guide;
And run not before Him, whatever betide.
In joy or in sorrow, still follow the Lord,
And, looking to Jesus, still trust in His Word.

Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul,
Each thought and each motive beneath His control.
Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love,
Thou soon shalt be fitted for service above.

I love America!

I am disheartened by the power of money and celebrity in this country. We have allowed them to define good men and women in ways that are destructive. At the same time many fall in step as they promote those who will advance their special interests.

This promotion is clever. Good people are not willing to know substantively what stands the candidate will take. Some just want to "love and be loved". We allow ourselves to be carefully led down a path to the destruction of our liberties and freedoms.

There are three candidates from the two major parties in the race for President and Vice President who seem to me to be very honest. The fourth has been protected and covered for - promoted heavily by many in Hollywood and the liberal media - those who "really know what is best" for our country. There is no doubt who they want for our President. Are we not painfully aware at how these same people degrade and demoralize our values and liberties.

We can choose substance over celebrity!

I Remember: Blast from the Past

My niece JoDee just experienced one of those near panic situations with a missing three year old. Of course the child was enjoying herself thoroughly while momma was desperately searching. Reading her experience brought back a memory from my
young mom days.

When Carey was very young she seemed to disappear. I had been folding clothes on the kitchen table and had walked back to the bedrooms to put things away. When I came to the front of the house she was gone.

I looked everywhere in the house twice over and called for her repeatedly. To that point she had not been able to open the front door but all I could think was possibly she had figured it all out and was gone.

After what seemed an eternity I called Claigh at work and mobilized the few neighbors who were at home in the middle of the day to find her. One had seen an unfamiliar beat up van drive through the neighborhood.

When I went inside to call the police, I first knelt down in the bedroom to plead with Heavenly Father to help me know what to do. As I got up and walked down the hall to the phone, I had a strong impression to open the closet door. This was a small linen closet, shelves filled with linens and packed full. I opened the door and there she was with her hand on the inside door knob, big blue eyes looking up with glee. Really there was just enough room for her body to stand upright smashed between the door and the shelves AND she had been still there for so long! Carey was thrilled at her "hide and seek" success and I was tearfully relieved.

Children are a worry and a joy.

Back home from Salt Lake City and Ready to Get Busy -

We had a whirlwind couple of days in Salt Lake City and I am definitely ready to get on top of things here on the home front. It was good to meet two more of Alyssa's former missionary companions, Emily Olsen and Christina Early who are now attending BYU. We also got to do a delivery to Arminda who moved to Salt Lake City from Portugal recently. She and her husband Tom are expecting a baby girl in February. What a delightful woman! And her two daughters Vanessa and Nadia are every bit as beautiful as their mother. I marvel at how well they are learning English. Thanks for the bolo Arminda. A visit to the Petrie's was delightful as usual with yummy soup and bread and fresh peaches to boot. How we love this family. Unexpectedly Great Aunt Jessie and Kathy hadn't left for Canada yet and so we were blessed to have a little more time with them. (The time at the wedding was limited.)

Amazingly we did accomplish all of the "need to's" and now Alyssa has her temple clothes, a cute new outfit and new skirt and we were able to run all of the errands (which were many including purchases and gift deliveries) for those left behind in Portugal. Thankfully Zion's Bank was able to do currency conversion and we were able to find exactly the shoes one of the sisters wanted Alyssa to buy for her. Alyssa was particularly happy to find a Hindi bible for a friend whose current bible had a mix of Hindi and Sanskrit which made it difficult for her to understand. Now Mandeep will have a bible in her native tongue to enjoy. Alyssa was also able to get a Hindi Book of Mormon for a man who is Hindu that she met on one of her flights home. We covered a lot of ground for a 24 hour period of time. We were grateful Claigh was also in Salt Lake for business so we had a nice hotel room to crash in.

Sadly, even though I did remember to bring the camera, I forgot to get it out and take pictures. :o( There was just too much packed into a very short time but the memories are wonderful.

Will we ever catch up on sleep?

It was an exhausting weekend and yet absolutely wonderful! Saturday was full with preparations for the Sabbath. We had to rush out and get Alyssa something to wear for church as her luggage has yet to arrive. Thank-goodness for Kohls! Early that evening Alyssa and I went to the General Relief Society meeting and "Chocolate Extravaganza." It was wonderful to hear President Uctdorf speak. He is a favorite of Alyssa's. The wide variety of chocolate treats was incredible.

Later that night the door bell rang and at our bidding, Alyssa went to answer it. Surprise! There was Alyssa's former missionary companion, Shannon Egbert from Preston, Idaho. Shannon spent Saturday night with us. The girls stayed up late talking and playing "beauty shop." Shannon is a marvel at doing hair. Alyssa now has a cute cut and highlights. Once again we were short on sleep but what a way to go!

Alyssa, Claigh and I were at the Stake Center at 7:45 for Alyssa's report to the High Council. A young elder from the stake had just returned from the Arizona Mesa Spanish speaking mission so we got to hear two reports. It just doesn't get any better. Following the High Council Meeting, Claigh and Alyssa headed home to pick up Shannon for church and I headed for my class room to set up for Sunday School.

In Sacrament meeting, Alyssa spoke on obedience, faith and power. She shared how the three are interconnected. One of her earliest experiences in Portugal strengthened her resolve to be faithfully obedient. Alyssa did extensive work with members who were less active in church attendance. This was a work she truly loved. In her first week in Portugal she and her companion had been working hard all day looking for a member who had moved. It was getting close to the time for going home and they were tired and had been unsuccessful in any way for the day. There is a seven point process they needed to complete to find the person they were looking for. It would have been very easy to just stop and cut the day a bit short but they chose obedience and decided to work till the last minute. As a result, while they did not find the person they were looking for, they found Alice who was very excited to see them and wanted to hear the gospel message. Being new to Portugal, Alyssa felt very inadequate in speaking the language but she found that the Lord strengthened her enough to meet the need. For that few moments she was able to communicate with Alice. From this her testimony was strengthened in the truth that power comes through obedience and faith. This set the tone for the rest of her mission. She also noted that sometimes obedience is a result of faith and sometimes faith is a result of obedience. However, the promised blessing is "power."

"And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them;" 1 Nephi 17:3

Alyssa and Claigh left following Sacrament Meeting to see Shannon off and I headed to teach my Sunday School class. I was so exhausted I wasn't sure that I could put thoughts together coherently. Earlier in the week there were those who suggested I could get a substitute for that day but I felt that if I was going to be there, it was my responsibility. Thanks to the teachings of my mom and dad, I just couldn't feel right about not being where I was committed to be. The result - a further testimony of that which Alyssa had spoken in church. That 45 minutes was truly the brightest of my day. I was very alert and able to present as I had prepared. Comments from the class contributed to the teaching. (We have a remarkable ward.) As the amen to the closing prayer was said, fatigue washed over me again.

"And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me." Moroni 7:33 (another scripture from Aly's talk)

I know that our Heavenly Father is mindful of our every day needs and is ever ready to respond to the prayers of his children. I know the Savior lives. I know the power of healing in his wings. I am grateful for the gift of the Spirit. I am grateful for young people who put the world aside to serve and love whomever the Lord calls them to minister to. I am thankful for Alyssa's mission. I am thankful to have her home again.

She's Home!

Yes that is right! Alyssa landed in the Pocatello airport last night at 9:45 after 24 hours of travel through Germany, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City. The amazing thing is she looks great! Imagine - no sleep and looking fine. (As Hoops and YoYo would say - Yum!) While Aly made it, her bags never even got to Atlanta. She had many gifts from Portuguese friends packed in the lost bags and that has been her main concern. However - good news - they have just now located them and they will be in Idaho Monday. Too bad we will be in Salt Lake again on Monday. :o) We are a very happy family.

Jaelyn and Leslie's wedding in the Salt Lake Temple was a wonderful start to yesterday. Claigh and I felt blessed to share in the whole experience. And - we got to hug Cathy and Aunt Jessie who we haven't seen in far too long and Randy who I haven't seen in for even longer! It was wonderful to meet Randy's wife, Debbie and Wendy's daughter Charlene and her husband Cory. Jenna, Brad and children are a beautiful family. Jyllian and Joel are as wonderful as ever. Terry and JoAnn - fabulous. BUT the best of all were Jaelyn and Leslie. This is definitely a match made in heaven.

Celebrate Maxwell

Jump and Jive - Maxwell's Five!
Sara and Jared's youngest!
Dark Blond Curls
Blue Eyes
A smile as bright as his mother's
Great Laugh
Good Reader
Gentle Heart - Giving Spirit
Loves to tell jokes
Seth's buddy
One year till kindergarten -
Oh my - then what will mom do?

Happy Birthday Maxwell Isaiah Anderson!

Maxwell Fun

Happy Birthday Sara

Today marks another milestone in the Jensen Family as we celebrate Sara's 31st birthday. Born September 18th, 1977 Sara took no time establishing her self as the family princess. Older sisters Cameron and Carey (six and four years old at the time)were quick to determine this baby to be the best baby ever. They truly doted on her.

When Sara was fourteen months old I was wondering if she would ever walk? One day Carey called me into the hallway and said, "Look mom." She laid a skipping rope lengthwise in the hall way, stood at one end with Sara sitting cute as ever at the opposite end. Sara crawled over to the skipping rope, took the handle in her hand and stood up without anything to pull her self up on. Carey began to walk backwards and Sara, holding onto the other end of the rope walked forward behind her. UNREAL! The child could walk!! Who knew!!! A family council was called and big sisters were forbidden to carry little sister or get things for her or do anything she could do for herself. They were sure this was absolutely unreasonable. But mom prevailed and Sara became the family "instant" walker/runner. There were no toddling steps for this one.

Sara has a natural wit that truly entertains. She has the ability to see the humor in day to day life and expresses it cleverly without hurting or poking fun at others. I love it! A highlight of our week is to read from her blog and not only get a sense of what is happening at the Anderson household, but have some comic relief. Claigh and I have gone the range from gentle chuckles to uproarious laughter.

As a toddler, Sara loved her bottle. We had a pretty good supply of bottles but they began vanishing. In 2008 Sara Jensen baby bottles would have made the endangered species list. One night as things were winding down and Sara was ready for her "before bed milk" we found the bottle situation had moved from endangered to extinct. After scouring the cupboards and puzzling over the lack of bottles, I explained to this ready for bed too cute little miss that I just couldn't find a bottle for her. She beamed her adorable smile and took my hand and walked me into the living room. She walked over to the drapes and gently pulled one to the side to reveal a partially filled bottle with curdled milk. With that she gave a little laugh. We "found" a few of the MIA's that night.

Not only has Sara a good eye for the humorous, she as the gift of a profound understanding of spiritual truths. As her mother I have marveled at her ability to express the heart of gospel principles. This heart is not only revealed when she is asked to speak but it is seen in her deep sense of goodness towards others. It is rare to hear her speak unkindly of anyone. This is not to say that she does not note something that isn't right or express disappointment when hurt. She is just not "blustery" or "vicious" in any degree. She is a tender soul and tends to pull back until she can get things into better perspective rather than "duke it out." Most of what Sara has to say is meant to encourage or build in genuine ways. Flattery is not her thing. Remarkable.

Ever ready to be helpful, Sara has the ability to sift through reams of information to assess a variety of angles on an issue and give some solid recommendations on all sorts of matters ranging from buying a new bed to delving into a medical issue to bowling on Wii. If Sara puts her mind and heart to something, she achieves. She has what I admiringly call "stick-to-it-ness."

Sara and Jared are devoted parents to three fortunate boys. They insist on considerate and respectful behavior. These children are loved and secure. As one who didn't enjoy security as a child, I can't begin to say how deeply I appreciate this blessing for my grandchildren. Many children today ache for a mom and a dad who work together to build a loving home. Sara teaches with clarity as she sets boundaries.

Now that our daughters have established their own homes, we will not have a two cake week in Idaho. However, as I eat my flax seed and yogurt today I count another of my best blessings. I love my Sara! Thank-you Heavenly Father for beautiful daughters.

Fun Times for the Weekend

Fun and Friends - What a way to go! We ended our very warm Saturday with an evening Dutch Oven cook-out gathering with church friends. Yum! The corn on the cob was especially good. We enjoyed the fresh air and good conversation. I must adjust my thinking however. Regardless of how hot the afternoon is, the temperature takes a quick downturn as soon as the sun begins to sink. New Jensen Family rule: Never leave home without a jacket and some blankets in the car. If you do, you will freeeeez! Thankfully, the family whose yard we were gathered in had a nice fire pit. You can guess where I spent my time!

Sunday was another day for friends and conversation. Following church we served five guests dinner to break in our new dining table. Prish Mordan just moved here from Virginia. Her husband is a contract worker for the government in Saudi Arabia. She is overseeing the completion of their home preparing for their retirement here. John Smith moved to Idaho Falls from Connecticut a few years ago. He is retired from teaching Spanish and working with Special Ed kids. Wendall Bunnell recently lost his wife to a long fight with cancer. And Jean and Gary Meikle, neighbors who were first to greet us when we moved here last May rounded out our little gathering. Gary is an attorney. What a joy to get to know everyone more personally. I love to hear other people's experiences in life. It just doesn't get any better.

Early this morning when I met my walking buddies and noted the jacket Marilyn was wearing I knew I was in trouble. I have worn a jacket every morning but this was the first time Marilyn has had one. It was quickly apparent that I need to step up the layers soon. Brrrr! Thank-goodness for the generally sunny days.

Tonight we are off to Pocatello for a gathering of LDS Family Service employees from that office. I look forward to getting to know them better. Claigh has often expressed how fortunate he is to work with such great people. Life is good.

Old enough to have a daughter that is 37?

Yup - That would be Claigh Hugh Scherer Jensen and Wendy Lorraine! September 14, 1971 changed our lives forever and for the good. How blessed we are to have Cameron Leigh Jensen Stewart such a wonderful part of our lives. I have always maintained that 1st children earn special points for breaking in novice parents. Cameron is a joy and she did and does her 1st child responsibilities very well.
I am grateful for Cameron's sense of fun and her willingness to go the extra mile to enjoy life. Thanks to her, Claigh had a 56th birthday celebration. This could have gone by the way with Robert's death and our need to cut short Cameron's vacation to Idaho and head to California. However, Cameron makes things happen. This act of nurturing lightened a burden and put in place a wonderful memory for birthdays to come.

Cameron's willingness to be inconvenienced for the blessing of others is remarkable. When Grandma Jensen was in a very desperate situation Cameron and Collins opened their home and hearts to her. This was no small undertaking. Not only is Cameron a blessing to her family, her heart has been open to many others who have crossed her path. She take notice and she does something! She genuinely loves and gives care to those some might pass by.

I love when Cameron comes home and has time to sit at the piano and play the beautiful hymns. Her clear sweet soprano soothes the soul. One of my favorites to hear is "Come Thou Fount." The Stewart babes are fortunate to have music fill their home.

Cameron has a strong moral compass and passion for living the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a blessing for us as parents as we desire happiness for our children. And it is a tremendous blessing for her children as she and Collins gather them to read from the scriptures and pray each day. As she corrects she encourages them to be aware of their impact on others.

I enjoy Camie's keen intellect and love of learning that is only eclipsed by her love of helping others learn. As a teacher she infuses her enthusiasm into what ever she is teaching. Just the right spark of humor brings needed perspective.

From her youngest years, Cameron has enjoyed cooking and creating wonderful meals and treats for others to enjoy. As a matter of fact, she ran through her whole semester food budget by October that first year in college. Many fellow students ate well those two months and Cameron survived on Ramen Noodles the last couple of months. Perhaps the tasty repasts she served up to others had something to do with her being named "Sweetheart" for a fraternity on campus :O)

It is a delight to see Cameron as a mom. Again I admire her sense of fun. She knows to put other things aside when needed and join in with the family for fun. She puts extra touches into any family celebration that delight. She is our Pizazz! When I count blessings Cameron is right up there with my bestest!

Happy Happy Birthday Dear Cameron!!

Our First Trip to Craters of the Moon

As a young girl I took particular note of the highway sign pointing the way to "Craters of the Moon" whenever we would travel I-15 in eastern Idaho. I had no idea what "Craters of the Moon" was but I have always longed to actually go and see it. The name intrigued me. Yesterday was my day! Not only did I finally make it but I was blessed to enjoy it with Claigh!

I had spent the morning preparing for Sunday School and Claigh puttered around the yard and washed the car. At 2:00 p.m. we headed out for what Claigh was sure was just a 1 hour drive. Not so! It actually took us 1 1/2 hours to get there but the drive was pleasant. Much to our surprise we found Craters of the Moon to be a National Monument. This massive lava field is believed to have been formed from volcanoes that erupted an estimated 2000 years ago. There is a 7 mile road that winds through the monument with stops at various sites. We really should have had a full day to explore.

With limited time we headed straight for the caves to catch onto the end of the last cave tour of the day. The caves were created as the lava flowed forming lava tubes. Many of the caves have collapsed but there are still some wonderful ones to explore. The climbing is tenuous but if you are careful it is not too difficult. It is hard to imagine that there is anything in the lava fields to sustain animal life but we did see some very healthy chipmunks and there were white spot evidences of birds. I was very surprised to learn from our guide that the blue bird is the state bird of Idaho. Who knew? I have missed the beautiful small eastern blue birds of our Virginia back yard and this was a pleasant discovery. Honestly though, I have only seen birds brown and birds gray since our move here but I digress. . .

Some of the cave walls have some lichen. Beauty cave even has a little moss but for the most part they are barren lava rock. To walk the paved paths through the lava field from one cave to another was pretty neat. I never cease to be amazed at the variety of beauty in God's creation. Great expanses are completely barren and then you come to an area with bits of sagebrush struggling for life in the cracks of the lava. There was even a bright green 8 inch fern frond peaking through the rock in one spot.

We next headed for the cones knowing that would the end of what we could actually see for the day. The Snow Cone which isn't even that deep still has snow in it due to the steep sides that do not allow the sun in.

I loved the Inferno Cone which is a cinder mountain. When we drove to the base of the mountain the sign said "1/2 mile to the top." It just didn't seem that far up. We began our trek straight up the cinder. I took a very quick pace. Imagine my surprise as we crested what from the bottom looked to be the top of the mountain only to find that there was even a greater distance to go to reach the true top. This I took a little slower! It was definitely worth it all. The view from the top was incredible!

On our trek up the cone, Claigh picked up a piece of the pumice that was about 2 inches in diameter. It was a feather light rock. I tossed it and it was caught by the Idaho wind and blown sideways in its fall. Amazing! Actually as we reached the top we were being blown sideways!

My favorite thing of the whole day was the rustic tree on top of Inferno Cone. It's roots were gnarled and must have sunk deep into the rock. Truly it seemed a miracle that it had been able to take hold and survive. It was a good size and looked like a wizened old man who had weathered the storms of life with great tenacity. The lesson I had been preparing for Sunday was on "Rooted on the Rock" and so my spirit was tender towards this old tree. It was a great metaphor for the strength and power that come to us as we are rooted in the Rock of our Redeemer. For me the truth of the capacity and strength of the Savior to help us withstand the great trials of life is very real. It may seem odd but I wanted to hang out with the tree for a while. You could say I am a tree hugger I guess!

As we drove away from the Inferno Cone we saw that the back side of this great black cinder mountain looked like it had a case of chicken pox. The whole south slope of the cone was spotted with buckwheat. These close to the ground little clumps were about three to four inches in diameter and spaced about two feet apart - quite an intriguing site. I wonder if this is "the" buckwheat we love so much in our pancakes?

All too soon it was time to head home. I look forward to another adventure at Craters of the Moon. It is perfect for a visit in June or September. I can't imagine walking for miles over the barren black rock in the heat of July or August even if it is just "Idaho" heat. We arrived home with a specimen of every Idaho bug plastered on our windshield and grill. Sorry Claigh :o)

FYI there is a small camp grounds in the park - first come first serve for the most part with a few reserved spots available.

"Rooted on the Rock"

I Remember: Happy Sunday

I love Sunday. When I was a girl everyone kept the Sabbath. No stores or businesses were open and families attended church together. In my small community there were three churches, United, Catholic and LDS. Not bad for a community of 500 people. Of course there were the farmers and their families that lived throughout the prairies who also joined in the sabbath day worship.

Our LDS congregation was a pretty good size and our white church house seemed very large to me. However, looking back I realize it was really quite small. The upstairs of the church held the foyer, chapel, bishop's office, bathrooms and a couple of classrooms. There were no cushions on the benches of the chapel but I don't remember ever thinking they were uncomfortable.

The basement was our recreation room with curtains that could split off four classrooms from the main room. There were shuffle board courts painted on the wood floor that we could use for activities. There was also a kitchen downstairs which doubled as my classroom when I was six years old. My junior Sunday School teachers at that time were my two great aunts, Aunt Lucille Stanford and Aunt Leah Rogers. How blessed I was to have these two incredible woman in my life. To this day I remember the lesson they taught on "The Good Shepherd." They had what was called a groove board in which they could stand figures. They had a figure of Jesus and then many lambs. They stood Jesus in the center of the board and then one by one they added the little lambs. There was a lamb to represent each one of us children. My life at that time was very sad and I will never forget that lesson and the comfort it was to me. To sense that I had a Father and a Savior who loved me was carried deep into my heart. I don't remember a time when I did not have this faith.

One of my dearest memories of my old Coutts church family is of Brother Fred Ortlie leading the music. He brought his family to Coutts from Switzerland. Their youngest daughter Susie was just a year older than I. Anyway, back to the music, Brother Ortlie didn't use the regular conducting patterns but would lead according to the feel of the music. It was truly beautiful. We didn't have air-conditioning in our building and so in the summer time the windows would be open to let in the cool breezes. We would sing with all our hearts fully drawn out in praise and devotion "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me." and "Come come ye Saints." and my childhood favorite "Onward Christian soldiers marching as to war." I wondered if the whole town could hear. I was sure we sounded magnificent. My faith grew as I joined my young voice with those dear saints in Coutts as we lifted our voices of testimony. How grateful I am for a faithful grandmother who saw to it that I had the privilege of going to church.