Another Old Woman

“This loving God who introduced his crucified and resurrected Son was not a God lacking in body, parts, or passions—the God of a man-made philosophy. Rather, God our Father has ears with which to hear our prayers. He has eyes with which to see our actions. He has a mouth with which to speak to us. He has a heart with which to feel compassion and love. He is real. He is living. We are his children, made in his image. We look like him, and he looks like us. This is the God who so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son that we might have everlasting life. To all who have loved and lost a dear one, he provides the courage to say, ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’” – President Thomas S. Monson

Arabella Rose

A few weeks ago I told a friend about the quilt tops I’ve made for the Intermountain Medical Center quilters. Some were simple affairs; one-block quilts that went together without much time or effort. But most have been sampler quilts, with thirty or more unique blocks. These are more difficult to piece, and it’s far more challenging to design settings that pull different blocks together. As much work as they are, the samplers are always my favorites. My friend asked if I’m ever sorry to see a quilt go after I’ve put so much work into it. I said no, but I do keep pictures of the finished quilts and I like to look at them from time to time. Somehow I neglected to take a picture of this one before it went to a hospital employee last year. My thanks to Pat Westlake, who kept this photo and shared it with me!

Lucky Clover

Several friends have shared an “about me” game on facebook, encouraging me to copy and paste it to my status with my own answers. It looks like fun, but it breaks my rule about seven word statuses. It should fit nicely in this space, though. Three names I go by: Linda, Mom and Nana. Three places I’ve lived: California, New York and North Yorkshire. Three places I’ve worked: Pizza Hut, Burger King and Jordan School District. Three TV shows I love to watch: Downton Abbey, Sherlock and Big Bang Theory. Three places I’ve been: Disneyland, Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris. Three things I love to eat: Cobb Salad, Apple-Braised Pork Pizza and Yasai Katsu Curry. Three favorite drinks: water, milk and fresh carrot juice. Three things I'm looking forward to: Hawaii, Alaska and Norway. Three favorite movies: You’ve Got Mail, Princess Bride and Toy Story 3. Say, that WAS fun. You should try it.

Lattice Square

“Because Jesus Christ was perfectly obedient and submissive to His Father, He increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Do we have the determination to do likewise? Just as Jesus received grace for grace, we must patiently and persistently seek light and knowledge from God in our efforts to learn the gospel. Listening is an essential element of learning. When preparing to be taught, we prayerfully seek inspiration and confirmation from the Holy Ghost. We ponder, we pray, we apply gospel lessons, and we seek the Father’s will for us. Jesus taught many things by parables, which require ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to understand. As we live worthily, we can better hear the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, which can teach us all things, and bring all things to our remembrance.” – President Thomas S. Monson

Pinwheel Star

It was 3:00 a.m. and Milan Bertosa was closing shop at his Honolulu recording studio. A client called and said a friend wanted to record something. Bertosa said it was late; he’d have to call tomorrow. The client put his friend on the phone. “He was really sweet, well-mannered, kind. I gave him fifteen minutes. In walks the largest human being I’ve seen in my life; probably 500 pounds. First thing on hand is to find him something to sit on. Security brings in a big steel chair. Then I put up some microphones, do a quick sound check, roll tape, and he does a medley of ‘Over the Rainbow’ and ‘What a Wonderful World’ with a vintage Martin ukulele. One take and it's over." Israel Kamakawiwoʻole was morbidly obese, at one point weighing 1,115 pounds. He died in 1997 at age 38. ‘Facing Future,’ is the best-selling Hawaiian album of all time, thanks to this one song.

Four Ships Sailing

Today is Good Friday, the day our Savior gave His life so we might all have eternal life. It’s also the Feast of the Annunciation – supposedly the day the Archangel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she would be the mother of Christ. No, we don’t know the day this visit happened, any more than we know what day Christ was born. Our best clue is shepherds were in the fields at the time of His birth, so it probably happened in warmer weather; maybe in early spring.  Early Christians (some 400 years later) selected December 25 as a good day to remember Christ’s birth. Their intent was probably to supplant pagan solstice celebrations. But it really is nice that we have Christmas lights and Christmas music just when the world is darkest. Anyway, March 25 comes exactly nine months before December 25, so today would be a good time to let Mary know she’ll need bigger clothes.