The Grandparent Chronicles

  FREEDOM ISN’T FREE On a recent return trip from California, we visited (with David and Carolyn Cox) a cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada, it was Memorial Day weekend and rows of American flags marked where thousands of patriotic Americans were laid to rest. Continuing our trip we stayed in Richfield, Utah. Driving through their peaceful cemetery we were touched by the beauty of flowers and flags reminding us of those who had gone before. As we get ready to celebrate America’s birthday and continue to honor those who have paid a huge price to protect the freedoms we enjoy, I thought it might be enlightening to realize the role some of our ancestors played in keeping our country free and pause to honor them. (Quoting from the autobiography of aunt Leotha) “Some of my ancestors fought in the revolutionary war to help bring this great nation into existence. My people also fought in the war of 1812; you will remember this is the war of “the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in...

  YOU’VE GOT FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES !   Country singer Garth Brooks sings a song (written by Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee in 1989) that was an instant hit with a cleaver tune and lyrics, he sings, “I’ve got friends in low places- where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, and I’ll be okay.”   When I first heard that song I thought, wherever you happen to find yourself, it’s good to have friends, but wouldn’t it be better to have friends in high places? What kind of friends will you most likely find in low places? Hopefully, good ones, but most likely, not a friend with the capacity to pull you up or elevate you. In order to elevate you, wouldn’t they most likely have to be on higher ground? Friends can have a major impact on our lives- for good or bad. I’ve seen this in my own life, my children's and grandchildren’s lives as well as in the lives of countless others. I imagine that you’ve observed this impact friends can have in your own li...

                             Spiritual Cataracts    At a recent vision examination, I was told that I had cataracts and needed surgery.   I’ve had glasses since forever, so I knew that my vision was lacking. Some of you have experienced this procedure but for me, the thought of someone operating on my eye while I’m awake trying to hold my eye still and not blink, was freaking me out!   The plan was to operate on one eye at a time with three weeks between surgeries. The morning of surgery came. After signing my life away and waiving their liability (in case they put my eye out or something goes wrong), the ordeal began. Five different eye drops at three different times (yes-15 drops total!) Each eye drop has a different purpose- to clean, to dilate, to numb etc. Once on the table in the operating room they start an IV. The anesthesia is not enough to put you out, they need you awake to focu...

                                         JOHN LOUIS AMONETT “All stories are powerful. Our stories help us make sense of our lives, give us hope that we will sustain and overcome, and help us predict a better future.” (Robyn Fivush- phd. Professor of developmental psychology at Emery University.) The story of John Louis Amonett is one such powerful story worth sharing. John was born in Pickett, Tennessee on May 16, 1862 to Reuben Hutchison Amonett and Cynthia Cross, the third born in a family of five children. John had french blood in his veins. His great, great, great grandfather, Andre Amonnet, was born in Paris France. The family religion at the time was Huguenots,( reformed protestants and followers of John Calvin.) To escape religious persecution the family soon fled to America. John no doubt was proud of his french heritage but equally proud of his Tennessee roots...

THE STORYTELLER    We begin with an old American Indian proverb which states; “Tell me the facts and I’ll learn.   Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” Steve Jobs (of Apple fame) once said; “The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.   The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come.” For the last 6 years we have shared monthly stories of events and real people that have helped us see the vision and appreciate the values that lead to true happiness and peace. Those stories of real life heroes and heroines and the life teaching moments we’ve shared will live In our hearts forever.( We encourage you to review past issues (all 74)  of The Grandparent Chronicles and get reacquainted with the people, stories and values we’ve tried to share.) Our story today is about a storyteller and his son. In October of 2020, while serving a mission as th...

   The Book of Mormon When I was a young boy, our family would occasionally gather at grandpa & grandma Wade’s house for family events.  On a few occasions I remember hearing my grandparents express their love for the Book of Mormon. These were often spiritual moments when we could all feel the emotion and love they had for this book of sacred scripture. Annette and I are not sure that our grandchildren have had a similar experience with us, so this new year, as we begin again as a church, families and individuals, a yearlong study of this amazing book, we want them to know why we too love this book and believe it to be just what it claims to be, another Testament of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith said on one occasion, “ I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book, and that a man could get closer to God by abiding by its precepts than by any other book.” If you’d like answers to your life’s problems and to draw closer to God, then this bo...

                WHERE CAN I TURN FOR PEACE? At Christmas time we sing, “Let there be Peace on earth” (by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller 1955) On this earth however, we are experiencing anything but peace! War continues to rage in our beloved Ukraine, and in the Holy land , where the “Prince of Peace” was born and where he taught his “Gospel of Peace”, war is also raging! Dallon H. Oaks reminds us that, “If citizens do not have a basic goodness to govern their actions toward one another, we can never achieve peace in the world.” (April Gen Conference 1990) We obviously do not control the nations of our world, not the armies or navies or the weapons of war. Still, Christ encouraged us when he said; “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27.) and “These things I have spoken unto you, that i...