December 7, 1941

Today I am grateful for all of those who Tom Brokaw called the "Greatest Generation"!  They are those who survived the deprivation of the Great Depression only to turn around and serve their country both on the battlefield and on the home front, laying a foundation upon which the world's most prosperous society would be built.  I am grateful for their examples of love and sacrifice.  Very few remain here with us; the rest have gone on to a place of peace and glory.  May we forever remember and honor them for giving us the freedoms and prosperity that we enjoy today.  I agree with Mr. Brokaw 100% when he described them:  "It is, I believe, the greatest generation any society has ever produced." He argued that these men and women fought not for fame and recognition, but because it was the "right thing to do." May we keep that same spirit with us today, for if ever there were a time to do the right thing - it is now!

The Bombing of Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941

This caused the United States to enter WWII

A Date Which Will Live in Infamy!

We have ridden on the "Wings of Eagles"

One of our favorite WWII Vets - Glen Milne

Thanks Grandpa Glen for being our Eagle

Today's Ponderize Scripture:  

1 Nephi 14:26

"And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel."

Grateful for the Sabbath Day!

I love Sundays, especially fast Sunday.  I have so many things that I am grateful for today that I am just going to go ahead and list them all!  The day started with the most beautiful sunrise; it really set the tone for the rest of the day.

Sunday Sunrise!

Today I am grateful for:

The beauty of the earth

The opportunity to fast

The Sacrament

A worthy son to pass the Sacrament (Ty)

The sharing of testimonies

The Spirit that pricks your hearts and urges you to share your testimony

The opportunity to teach the combined priesthood brethren the devastating effects of pornography

The priesthood blessing of love and healing that was given to Blaine by those who serve with him in the High Priest Group leadership and our oldest son Dallin

A loving Bishop and Stake President who helped Carter get his mission papers submitted today

Sunday dinner shared as a family

Family Home Evening

Fresh baked homemade chocolate chip cookies topped with ice cream and homemade fudge sauce

Laughing with my three sons as we watch two of our favorite Christmas shows - How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Christmas Vacation

The inspired teachings found in the Book of Mormon

Family Prayer

Today's Scripture to Ponderize:

1 Nephi 13:37

"And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be."

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Today I am thankful for the strength and energy I had to do some deep cleaning.  My house still smells of Febreeze, Clorox, Windex, and Pledge, and I love it.  After a long day of cleaning there is so much satisfaction in a job well done and a house well kept.  It makes me wonder why I don't do it more often!  If only it could stay clean like this forever, but there will always be more laundry to wash, toilets to scrub, floors to vacuum and mop, meals to prepare, and dirty dishes to clean and dry, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  I find cleaning very therapeutic, and for those of you who know me well know I need all the therapy I can get - LOL!

But the greatest blessing that comes from having a clean house is an increased ability to feel the Spirit.  That must be where the old saying comes from: "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."  Have you noticed that when your house is clean there is a more peaceful and loving Spirit that abides?  I've determined that a clean house also makes you more intelligent.  When my house is clean I know my brain functions on a much higher level and thank goodness for that!  The Lord has stated, "Let all things be done in cleanliness before me" (D&C 42:41) and "Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord" (D&C 135:5).  I am going to sleep well tonight and sweetly dream as I enjoy my clean house, knowing full well that it will be short-lived, for tomorrow is Sunday (9:00 am church) and as we bolt to get up, showered, and dressed in our 900 square foot adobe house disarray is sure to happen. Thank goodness for "Muck-out Monday!"

Tonight's scripture to ponderize is 1 Nephi 12:17

"And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the Devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost."

Christmas Hymns

As I sat singing Christmas Hymns in the chapel tonight during our ward Christmas party my heart was happy and my spirit was light.  I was experiencing pure joy because I was filled with gratitude for the day that we had experienced and the wonderful songs we were singing.  Blaine and I had spent most of the day helping Sister Colleen Taylor and Blaine's High Priest group leadership decorate and set-up for tonight's special events. Everything was beautiful, and everyone was dressed in costumes for their "Journey to Bethlehem". Throughout the night we sang beautiful Christmas Hymns, and as we did so I thought about something that my son Ty told me last week.  He said that his seminary teacher told him that when you sing a hymn it is the same as saying a prayer to God, and when we sing hymns we should be reverent and respectful, and everyone should participate.  I agreed with him, and I have noticed ever since then Ty has done just that every time we have sung in church. So tonight as we sang those spirit-filled Christmas Hymns, I reflected on what Ty's seminary teacher had taught him, and I truly felt as if I were singing a prayer to God.  I sang with all of my heart as we sang all of my favorites:  Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard on High, The First Noel, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and Far, Far Away on Judea's Plain, to name a few.  I love Christmas Hymns.... They are my very favorite songs to sing.

The Washington 1st Ward Christmas Pageant

My Handsome Shepherd Husband

When I arrived home I decided to do a little research on what Ty had shared with me.  I love google! Google most always has an answer or explanation.  Sure enough, when I plugged in "hymns are prayers", I had my confirmation.  Here is one thing that I found:  Alexander Schreiner, long-time Temple Square Tabernacle organist and Latter-Day Saint Church Music Committee Member, offered the following, "A hymn is a special kind of poetry addressed to Deity as a prayer.  The ancient Greeks sang hymns to their pagan deities.  We sing to the everlasting God, our Heavenly Father, and we should address most of our hymns as prayers to heaven..."

I am so grateful for this time of year as we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  Could you imagine celebrating Christmas without the special Christmas Hymns that draw our hearts nearer to the Christ-child?  I truly can think of no better way to offer our praises to Him than through the inspired Christmas Hymns.  They each are a beautiful reminder of that very special first Christmas night when God the Father offered as a gift His Only Begotten Son; the night when there was no room in the inn for the king of kings and lord of lords; the night that a virgin mother would deliver a precious son that would someday deliver her and all mankind; the night when heavenly choirs would sing and heavenly visitations would be made announcing the birth of the Christ-child; the night a new star would appear and lead the meek and humble to a straw-filled manger where the newborn baby lay; the night that marked the beginning of the most important journey any mortal would be required to make - a journey that once complete would open the doors of salvation to all the sons of earth.

How grateful I am for my Savior Jesus Christ and for the many special Hymns that we sing to celebrate His birth, His life, and His glorious resurrection.  Years ago I wrote my own Christmas song of praise.  I was a very poor college student who wanted to do something special for my family members for Christmas.  Expensive gifts were out of the question so I prayerfully put my creative powers to work.  Over the course of a few days the words and music to my very own Christmas song flowed easily into my heart and mind.  I decided it wasn't half bad so I determined that I would sing it at our family's Christmas Eve party.  I also printed the words in poem form on some nice parchment paper and had them framed in some inexpensive frames and wrapped them for gifts to be given that evening as well.  The Lord had answered my prayers, and to this day, it is one of the most special Christmases I have spent.  From that Christmas forward I have shared this song each year in one way or another.  It is called, "Who is this Child?"

Who is this Child lying in a manger?
Is He the One they promised would come to save the world from sin and suffering?
The stars in Heaven witness He's the One.

Who is this Boy teaching in the temple?
He's telling them of His Father's plan; their asking questions and He knows the answers.
His divine mission He begins to understand.

Who is this man kneeling in the Garden?
Sweat and blood fall from every pore; who is this man dying on the cross for me?
He has completed what His Father sent Him for.

Who is this God - His arms are outstretched toward me?
His eyes beckon me to come. He is my God, He is my loving Savior.
His hands and feet witness He's the One.

Who is this Child?

May your hearts be filled with gratitude throughout this holiday season as you praise the precious Christ-child with Christmas Hymns of joy and rejoicing!

Here are tonight's verses to ponderize: 

1 Nephi 11:20-23

And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms.

And the angel said unto me:  Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy Father saw?

And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things.

And he spake unto me, saying:  Yea, and the most joyous to the soul.

Grandma Gillins, Reading, and The Book of Mormon

December 3rd will always be a very special day for me.  It was on this day in 1908 that my dear, sweet grandmother Bernice Carter Gillins was born.  My grandma and I were always very close. There are no words to justly describe how wonderful she was.  She was beautiful, loving, intelligent, and served quietly all the days of her life.  She was an excellent cook, and it is because of her that I love to cook as well. She loved and served her Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ, her family and friends, and the elementary students that she taught for 43 years.  The greatest compliment I ever received is when someone told me that I reminded them of my grandmother just after I spoke at my high school graduation.  She was a divine daughter of God in every sense of the word.  I love and miss her very much.  I will forever be grateful for all the love she gave me and for the countless things she taught me.  Happy Birthday Grandma!  I love and miss you.  She passed away just three months before her 100th birthday.  I cherish her memory and example.

One of my favorite traits that I received from my grandmother was her love for reading.  As a very young girl I remember being at her home and her helping me read from the old programmed reading books that she used at her school.  She also kept a good supply of other children's books for us to read.  She had me reading even before I started kindergarten.  I remember feeling so proud of myself that I was only one of two kids in the class who was reading at the time.  This love for reading has stayed with me throughout my life and I am so grateful for it.  I enjoy few things more than getting lost in a novel, especially on a cold, rainy day.  I read as often as time permits.  I enjoy books from all different genres.  The last book I read is called "Focused: Keeping Your Life on Track, One Choice at a Time." It is a book about a world champion and Olympic medalist named Noelle Pikus Pace.  Her sport was skeleton racing.  She is a member of the LDS Church.  I received this book as a reward for renewing my Deseret Book Platinum membership, otherwise I probably would have never read it.  It was super interesting and very inspiring.  It is a quick read - I read it in about two hours.  Other good books I have read recently include: "Amazed by Grace" by Sheri L. Dew, "Covenant Hearts" by Bruce C. Hafen, "Eve and the Choice Made in Eden" by Beverly Campbell, and a whole slew of other books that I have used as part of the research I am doing for the book I am writing.  It is almost finished.  We have received most of the chapters back from our editor and we are in the process of making a few minor changes.  We will for sure be submitting it to publishers by the end of the year.  

 

The one book, however, that I read without fail everyday is the Book of Mormon.  It is by far my favorite book, and the one that I am most grateful for.  I read it at least twice each year.  Last week I started on my third reading for the year.  It never ceases to amaze me the new things I learn each time I read it even though I have already read it multiple times.  That is the magic of this amazing book - the Spirit teaches you at the level you are at while you are reading it and will cause your mind to reflect on the things that you need at that particular time in your life.  Although each page has become very familiar, each page still welcomes me to find the hidden treasures of knowledge they contain.  I add my testimony to that of Joseph Smith's when he proclaimed that a man will get nearer to God by reading the Book of Mormon and abiding by its precepts than by any other book.  The Book of Mormon has blessed my life in countless ways, but the greatest blessing is that of the closeness I feel to my Heavenly Father, my Savior Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Ghost.  It contains so many wonderful promises.  Some of my favorites are found in the following scriptures:

2 Nephi 32:3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.
2 Nephi 32:5  For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.
2 Nephi 31:20  Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
Heleman 5:12  And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

That's just to name a few.  Each night I read I also like to do chose one verse to "ponderize" as Elder Durrant counseled us to do.  Tonight's verse is from 1 Nephi 10:19  For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

I have a testimony of this verse.  The Holy Ghost will reveal the mysteries of God to us as we seek to find them, and when we do, we will realize that the course of the Lord is indeed one eternal round (Blaine loves this concept and speaks of it often).  What a wonderful day it has been!  I have so much to be grateful for!

The Old Adobe

Tonight it has been difficult to decide what to post - not because I have a lack of things that I am grateful for, but because there are far too many things that I am grateful for, and I couldn't decide upon just one.  As the debate was taking place in my head I happened to look up from where I was sitting.  Just above the computer desk hangs this picture:

As my eyes rested upon it, the debate in my head suddenly stopped.  There it was, the "Old Adobe" house.  The house we are currently living in.  I cannot believe that I am going to say this, but it is true - "I am grateful for the old adobe house that we are living in!"  This house was built in 1930 by Blaine's Grandpa Athole Milne.  Athole and Amanda Milne raised ten kids in this two bedroom, one bathroom, 900 square foot house.  It still has the old cast iron stove in the kitchen.  Amanda cooked all of her meals on this stove that was fueled by coal.  Athole also used the stove, but not for cooking.  He used it to warm his feet.  Blaine and I purchased this home and the surrounding property from his family shortly after his father passed away.  We have remodeled it and made other improvements to the property.  When we first moved in we thought it would be for just a few short months.  We were trying to decide whether to buy a new home or build one.  We had just sold our 4100 square foot home that we had down in the Washington Fields, and we knew that moving into this much smaller home would be quite an adjustment, but we figured we could tough it out for two to three months, and our renters were just getting ready to move out anyway.

Well, here it is 10 months later and we are still here.  I will be honest, there are days that I despise this small, old house.  There is not nearly enough room.  It clutters up so easily, and despite it being really cute, I miss the newness and size of my other house.  However, there are many things about this old adobe that are very endearing.  Just the other day a family friend stopped by - Katherine Staheli.  She is in our ward, and she and her husband Ralph are also our home teachers.  The Milne's and the Staheli's have known each other for years.  Katherine loves family history and church history, and it was our lucky day.  She had brought with her a photo copy of an article that was published in the September 25, 1976 Church News.  It was a story featuring Athole and Amanda Milne celebrating 75 years of being married.  It was titled, "We Truly Loved".  Along with the article were three precious photos of Athole and Amanda.  The main thing that stood out in the article was something that Amanda shared.  She said, "Athole was my boss at work and he was the boss at home. We had a rule against quarreling, and to this day, we've never had a real argument."  My heart melted when I read that.  They must have been a very happy couple.  It caused me to reflect on my relationship with Blaine and how too many times we find ourselves quarreling over silly things.  I've decided I am going to be more like Amanda and stop it!  I am so grateful for her example.

I emailed the Church News Archive department today to see if they happened to have the original still.  They only keep pdf archives of the past 20 years.  They kindly emailed back and told me to contact the Church History Library and that they could help me get a copy of the original.  The copy Katherine gave us is wonderful, but I thought it would be nice to have a better quality copy of the article and especially the pictures.  I am going to call them tomorrow.  Once I get a better copy I will post it.  It really is precious.

The above painting was painted by Blaine's first cousin Diane Renchler.  She is an artist who lives in Hawaii and she gave us the painting after Blaine had done some dentistry for her.  We had it professionally framed, and it has been a treasure ever since.  At the time that she gave it to us I would have never dreamed that we would be living in it someday.  It has been interesting though, and I can truly say that I am grateful that we have had the opportunity to live here.  There really is a special spirit in this little home, and I am convinced that it all stems from the enduring love that Athole and Amanda had for each other and the love they had for the Lord.  They truly did leave a legacy of love. We have felt it.  We have definitely grown closer as a family, and not just in proximity.  I thought by now we would have killed each other or at least been very sick of each other, but just the opposite has occurred.  We will not be staying here forever, in fact probably only another month, but I know that no matter where we go and no matter what house we live in we will always treasure our time spent here and the precious memories made in the "Old Adobe" house.

Carter surprised us one day and shared with us a poem that he had written for a class at school.  It's called, "The Old House."

The Old House

The house I now call home

Is one in which my ancestors did roam

It is nearly a century old

Ten kids were raised here I've been told

My Grandpa Glen was the 9th child to be born

On the grounds here his family did mourn

The death of the baby brother Ray

In World War II, he, Glen, and his brother Jake

Had served in the Navy, they were all very close

All volunteers, I'm sure everyone knows

That the heart of a volunteer was what won the War

Without men like that we wouldn't be able to adore

Our gift of freedom, given to us by them that continue to fight

Yes, they fight all right, with all of their might

That's what I love about this old house that I'm in

I've learned to be more proud to be an American

I want to be like these men that I've talked about

These men in my family that I know without a doubt

Are some of the greatest men that I've come to know

Although not alive, their example continues to show

That your family, country, and freedom is what matters most

My family's amazing, although I try not to boast

I am truly proud to be in the Milne family

I am proud to be an American where at least I know I'm free

Carter is such a good boy.  I too am so proud of our heritage.  We are truly blessed because of them. I am so grateful for the many sacrifices that they made so that our lives could be a little bit better than their own.  Because of each one of them my joy is full!

My Three Sons!

A Grateful Heart = Greatness;

Be Great Today!

Practicing gratitude will cause you to sing "Joy to the World" and mean it!

Today I am grateful for my three sons - Ty, Dallin, and Carter!  This picture was taken the day Dallin returned from his two-year LDS mission in Sweden.  It was so great to have the three of them back together again.

It has been an interesting phenomenon to me.  These three boys rarely fight, and when they do it is very short lived.  They have always loved each other and been concerned for the other.  There is little else that makes my heart smile more than listening to their prayers and hearing them pray for each other in very specific ways.  They are not only the best of brothers, they are the best of friends.  For this I am grateful!

I'm also grateful that they are such good boys and have always been so respectful of me and their dad!  They are handsome too... They must have gotten their good-looks from their dad because I still have mine... Heehee!

Sooo True!

Love you to the moon and back and forever and ever!

My boys are growing up way too fast.  There are moments when we are together that I just want to freeze time. Just today I mentioned to Blaine that we really need to enjoy this Christmas together because it may be the last time that we have just the three boys together with us.  Carter has submitted his mission papers to the bishop and he could be leaving in the next couple of months.  A lot can change in two years.  A mother's heart is always pulled in a million different directions.  She wants to keep her sons close so she can keep them safe and happy, but a good mother also recognizes that what is ultimately best for her sons is to allow them to spread their wings and fly the coop as Blaine would say.  It takes a lot of faith and certainly a lot of prayers to let them do this, but I take great comfort in knowing that they have Heavenly Parents that love them even more than their parents do, and They are with them and watching over them at all times, in all things, and in all places - for this I am most grateful!