The Grandparent Chronicles

  GO FOR THE GOLD!    We love the Olympics! Originating in ancient Olympia Greece some 3,000 years ago, the 1 st modern Olympics took place in 1896 at Athens Greece. Since 1994, summer and winter Olympics have alternated every 2 years in different parts of the world. Every Olympic is a competition of the world's best in every Olympic sport. Each is there to do the best they can for their country, family, and self. Many go home disappointed but all return home having tried to do their very best. The athlete that many call the “greatest Olympian of all time” was a black American named Jessie Owens. Although other track and field Olympians have won more medals, Jessie won 4 gold medals and set 2 world records- in front of Adolph Hitler in 1936. Hitler spent his life promoting the false idea of a “superior race.” Jessie proved that people of all races can perform superiorly, that we all have God given talents and that anyone can be capable of accomplishing amazing th...

  OUR OWN GARDEN OF EDEN EXPERIENCE    Last January 2021, we sent you a message about “starting over again” and encouraged you to regularly use the wonderful gift of repentance. In January 2020 we reminded you of the importance of seeing spiritually with “2020 vision.” (we encourage you to reread these still timely messages.) This month of January 2022, as we start yet another new year, we thought it might be beneficial to go clear back to the beginning of humanity on this wonderful world of ours to Adam and Eve to see what lessons we can learn from their beginnings to observe any correlation to our own lives that might help us succeed. You know the biblical story. Adam and Eve find themselves in a new world, naked and vulnerable.  God gives them two commandments, there are two trees of importance, the serpent tempts them to partake of the forbidden fruit, they eat, are removed from the garden to live now in the “lone and dreary world.” Have you ever put yourse...

THE   G R E A T E S T   G I F T The story is told of a humble man who owned a nice piece of property with a little stream flowing through it.   He was happy but not content.   He wanted more.   One day he was down by his little stream and noticed something shinny in the stream bed.   He picked it up and admired it’s ability to reflect light, so he put it on his fireplace mantel and in time, forgot about it.   It wasn’t long before he decided to sell his place to finance his desire to seek riches.   Doing so, he left his little piece of heaven on earth and off he went to seek his fortune.   Not long after moving in, the new owner noticed the shinny rock on the mantle and was also struck by it’s glitter.   Curious where it had come from, he began to explore his property until he discovered several more in the stream.   He placed them on his mantel and proudly showed them to all who visited. One such visitor recognized the rocks on...

  DENNIS ROY STONE- TRIBUTE TO A LIFE WELL LIVED            February 9, 1935- November 6, 2021 On November 12, 2021 family and friends gathered to pay tribute to a life well lived.   I first met Dennis Stone when I began dating his oldest daughter Annette but I knew his family much sooner.   Doxey and June (Dennis’s parents) lived at the corner of 12 th St and Porter Ave. in Ogden, Utah just a few blocks away from our home on 14 th St. We all belonged to the Ogden 7 th Ward. His brother Roy was my brother Byron’s age and Colleen (Dennis’s oldest sister (yet younger than him by 14 years) was my age and we all attended the Old Mound Fort Jr High and then Ben Lomond High School. When I started dating Annette, Naomi, Annette’s mother     was expecting Chad. Grandpa Phipps   (Naomi’s father) was living with the family at the time.   I remember Dennis as a young, handsome, athletic guy who loved basketb...

Cindy and Don Staheli Mons,Belgium 1970 ( branch activity) Elder Wade, Elder Staheli & a member “…and behold, this was a joyful meeting.” (Alma 27:16) You are probably familiar with the Book of Mormon account of Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah.(Mosiah 27).After persecuting the church and being called to repent by an angel, Alma followed in his father’s footsteps and became a leader in the government and the church.   The sons of Mosiah went on a mission to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the Lamanites. After 14 years of service, having endured many hardships but also having had much success, they encounter Alma the younger as they were returning home.   The scriptures record this chance reunion and describe it as “a joyful meeting”. Recently, I had such a joyful meeting!   51 years ago in Mons, Belgium, I served with a wonderful missionary named Don Staheli. That’s not a very common name so when we discovered that an Elder Staheli was serving in ...

             B E C A U S E     I    S A I D    S O !   Discipline is not something most parents are good at.   When frustrated by a child who persists in questioning your discipline, have you ever resorted to the #1 parental go to logic? “Because I said so!”   For many couples, disciplining children can be the biggest source of conflict in their marriage. Often, one parent is know for being the “Disciplinarian” while the other parent is a “Softie.” Children aren’t dumb and become very skilled at playing one parent against the other.   The focus then shifts from how to properly discipline to the friction these differences cause in a marriage.   Most parents believe that some discipline is necessary, they just can’t get on the same page as to how.   Elder D.Todd Christofferson taught (Ensign May 2011) “Parents can and must correct; even chasten, if their children a...

  When life serves you Lemons… It’s not often we get comments on an issue of the Grandparent Chronicles, but May’s issue- “Did God Make A Mistake?” a message on same sex attraction, was the exception.   The reader questioned why there were no comments or questions from others, then suggested that we tackle the reality of a person born with no hands or legs. There are a few possibilities for a question like this. 1- An attempt to point out that maybe God does make mistakes after all. 2- To question the power or even existence of God. 3- A genuine desire to know why an all powerful and loving God allows these types of "Infuriating Unfairnesses" to be. All three motives deserve an answer. Even if a satisfactory answer may not be within our finite capacity to comprehend, at least one should be attempted. A good place to start is always in the scriptures.   I must confess as did Nephi (1 Ne 11:17) “I know that he (God) loveth his children, nevertheless, I do not...