Four Counterpanes

 

“In acknowledging that God loves us perfectly, we each might ask, ‘How well do I love God? Can He rely on my love as I rely on His?’ Would it not be a worthy aspiration to live so that God can love us not just in spite of our failings but also because of what we are becoming? Oh, that He could say of you and me as He said of Hyrum Smith, for example, ‘I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart.’ Let us remember John’s kind admonition: ‘For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.’ Indeed, His commandments are not grievous—just the opposite. They mark the path of healing, happiness, peace, and joy. Our Father and our Redeemer have blessed us with commandments, and in obeying Their commandments, we feel Their perfect love more fully and more profoundly.” – Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Chloe's Cabin

 

In 2013, in a small town in Romania, fourteen-year-old Cristian Marian Becheanu was heading home from school. Along the way, he saw a crowd gathered and heard the sound of heavy machinery. Three-year-old Gabriel Ruiu had fallen into a well in his family’s yard, and most of the town had gathered for a rescue attempt. Eleven hours passed while men and machinery dug and little Gabriel wailed. The pipe was impossibly narrow and the child was impossibly deep. The solution was an elegant one. Thin-as-a-rail Cristian volunteered to be lowered, head-first into the well with a lamp strapped to his head. When he reached the toddler, he held on tightly and signaled to be pulled back out. The town was so grateful they rewarded Cristian’s bravery with a house and a plot of land. The skinny teenager must be in his twenties by now. If I spoke Romanian, I might be able to tell you how he’s doing.

Counterpane

 

The USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate that belongs to the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest ship of any type still afloat. She was launched in 1797, one of six original ships authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. Old Ironsides is made primarily of seasoned white oak, which was hard enough to come by in 1794, and darned near impossible to find today. But wood – even seasoned white oak – doesn’t last forever. The Constitution has required several major restorations in its 2 1/4 centuries. So how do they do it? Well, near Crane, Indiana, 150 dedicated white oak trees are spread out over 64,000 acres. The oak trees of “Constitution Grove” are grown for one purpose: to replace the rotting planks of Old Ironsides. Today, only about 10% of the original frigate still exists, making it a real-life “Ship of Theseus.”

Crystal's Star

 

Colin Powell’s Thirteen Rules:

Rule 1: It ain’t as bad as you think.  It’ll look better in the morning.

Rule 2: Get mad. Then get over it.

Rule 3: Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.

Rule 4: I can be done!

Rule 5: Be careful what you chose. You may get it!

Rule 6: Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.

Rule 7: You can’t make someone else’s decisions. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours. (This one is HARD, especially when you have to watch people you love make horrible choices.)

Rule 8: Check the small things.

Rule 9: Share credit.

Rule 10: Remain calm and be kind. (Probably the best advice you’ll ever get.)

Rule 11: Have a vision. Be demanding.

Rule 12: Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.

Rule 13: Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier!

Ripples

 

The day before Halloween (All Hallows Eve Eve?) I made a passing comment about the Tylenol tampering murders that confused a few people. I keep forgetting many of my friends were either not born when this happened, or were too young to follow the news. It started late in September 1982, in Chicago. Seven people – three from the same family – died shortly after taking Extra-Strength Tylenol laced with cyanide. At first, it was assumed the medicine had been tainted in production. J & J halted manufacturing and issued dire warnings. Then it was discovered the capsules had been purchased, tampered with, and replaced on shelves. The random (Or were they?) murders spawned a case of extortion, a mistaken-identity shooting, and hundreds of copycat murders and attempts. They changed the way medicines and other products are packaged. Yes, they put a serious damper on trick-or-treating for a while. And the original murderer was never found.

Coronet

 

Early in 1897, several very special street lamps showed up on the streets of London. Like regular street lamps, they burned gas to make the streets safer and easier to navigate at night. But Pluto Lamps also had vending machines at their base. A small coin could get you a quart of hot water in no time. You could also snag a cup of hot coffee, cocoa or even beef broth. Some lamps dispensed cigarettes or picture postcards. The vending machine lamps were terribly convenient and popular. At this point, you’re probably asking yourself the same question I did. Why aren’t there vending machine street lamps everywhere? It might be because London very quickly learned that a small tin slug could buy you a hot drink just as easily as a half-penny coin. Over a thousand pieces of tin were found in one machine that had only been running two months.

Three Inch Churn Dash

 

“The pandemic has demonstrated how quickly life can change, at times from circumstances beyond our control. However, there are many things we can control. We set our own priorities and determine how we use our energy, time, and means. We decide how we will treat each other. We choose those to whom we will turn for truth and guidance. The voices and pressures of the world are engaging and numerous. To avoid the inevitable heartbreak that follows, I plead with you today to counter the lure of the world by making time for the Lord in your life – each and every day. If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished. If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true.” President Russell M. Nelson