The Grandparent Chronicles

  CHRISTMAS ON TEMPLE HILL At Christmas time, the world sees Christ more clearly through the symbols of Christmas. The Star, a symbol of his birth, the evergreen tree reminds us that we can have “eternal life” through Jesus Christ, Holly with its’ thorny leaves and red berries reminds us of the crown of thorns and the blood Christ shed for us. Even the gifts we give each other remind us of the gifts of the wise men but more importantly, the gifts Christs offers to each of us. Lights and candles, poinsettias, wreaths, bells, candy canes and even stockings all remind us of Christ and Christmas. The scriptures remind us that all things testify of Christ. (Moses 6:63) “And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual;…all things bear record of me.” Here on Temple Hill all things really do “testify of Christ”.   A path through lighted trees reminds us that He is the...

  AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE   The story is told of a man who got up on his roof to adjust his Television antenna. (Yes, they really did have TV antennas on the roof which needed a manual adjustment from time to time, I’ve participated in this ritual myself!) His roof was steep and he was very cautious but in spite of his care, he began to slip. As he slid down his roof he uttered a verbal prayer. “Dear Lord, save me!”   Just then his trousers got stuck on a nail which, for no logical reason, was sticking up from his roof in a strange location. It was big enough that it stopped his rapid descent and as he came to a stop he looked heavenward and prayed again.   “Never mind Lord, this nail stopped me!”   So, was it just a lucky coincidence that the nail happened to be in the right place at the right time to save him or was it an answer to his 1 st prayer? We may never know, but we should always be quick to give thanks to God as we are convinced that he is in th...

Why do they call it Fast day when it goes so slow?   WHY FAST ??   This month’s Grandparent Chronicles explores the question Why Fast ?    Hopefully, you’ll discover, as we have, that great blessings await those who sincerely pray and fast with a purpose. President Russell M. Nelson (April 2020 General Conference- “Opening the Heavens for Help”) said; “As you know, members of the church observe the law of the fast one day each month. The doctrine of fasting is ancient. It has been practiced by biblical heroes from the earliest days.   Moses, David, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Isaiah, Daniel, Joel and many others fasted and preached of fasting. Through Isaiah’s writings, the Lord said: “Is this not the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free?” The Apostle Paul admonished Saints in Corinth to” give yourselves to fasting and prayer.” Carl B. Pratt (1 st Quorum of the 70) in General ...

  W H O    C A N    I    T R U S T    ? Have you ever participated in the group activity where you fall backward and hope the group members catch you?    Its’ purpose is to develop TRUST in the group.   It can be a scary proposition to trust to that point, especially when you think about how it might hurt if they don’t catch you! If we put our trust in others who are not trustworthy, the results can be painful physically and emotionally.   Who can we trust?   Who should we trust? The scriptures can help us know where it’s safe to place our trust. Nephi tells us who he trusted. “O Lord, I have Trusted in Thee, and I will Trust in Thee forever.   I will not put my Trust in the arm of flesh…” (2 Ne 4:34)   Proverbs reminds us to “ Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”   ( Proverbs 3: 5-6.) ...

                         OH SOYEZ SAGE, QUE PUIS-JE DIRE DE PLUS ?   This phrase- “ Oh soyez sage, que puis-je dire de plus?”   may not be a recognized phrase to our grandchildren but should be very familiar to our children!   This is a French phrase, actually a scripture in French.   It is the French translation of the Book of Mormon scripture found in Jacob 6:12 which reads in English- “Oh be wise, what can I say more?” This phrase became to our family like a family motto. This was our “go to” phrase when our kids would go out with friends or on a date reminding them to be wise in their choices and actions.   Having served a mission to France and Belgium, this French scripture became a unique way to remind our children and to help them remember to make wise choices. They were being reminded in a way they knew what meant but one that they were ...

IN AS MUCH AS PARENTS HAVE CHILDREN IN ZION Last month’s Grandparent Chronicles ended with a question- “If we don’t teach these true principles in the home, where else will our children learn them? In a time of world-wide pandemic and limited church gatherings, this question becomes even more important.   We are happy to report that since then, we have had the privilege of staying with most of you and have enjoyed with you wonderful family home evening lessons, family prayer, sacrament meetings and beautiful family time with you and our amazing grandchildren. As a Family we aren’t perfect yet, but heading in the right direction.   We can all improve with our personal and Family scripture study. We hope that you will all prayerfully consider how to improve in this and anyway other way you can help your children. We think that overall, you are better parents than we were. Please know that we tried.   As a family, we were pretty good at meal- time and family ni...