Josh's Eagle Award Introduction

 Josh Brown

Josh Brown  is the son of Tom and Sue Brown and the youngest of 7 children in his family; which may contribute to his competitive spirit.  He loves to compete and he’s willing to put in time and effort  to achieve his goals.   Josh does well in school,  he works hard on the job, and he loves to compete with his 4 older brothers in whatever the current competition happens to be.  Josh’s greatest love is sports - especially basketball.  Since he was 3 years old, he has competed in basketball, even if the opposing team was imaginary (Oddly, he would sometimes report that he had lost to those imaginary teams).  This year will be Josh’s 3rd year playing Varsity football at Westwood High School and his 4th year on the Varsity basketball team.  After High School graduation, Josh is looking forward to serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

For his Eagle project, Josh chose to work with “Save the Family” fixing up a house and making it move-in ready for a family in need.  He planned a time, gathered supplies, and organized a work crew.  Thanks to family, friends and his supportive fellow scouts in Troop 50, he was able to successfully complete his project.

Before his Grandpa’s death in 2000, Josh’s grandfather proudly displayed a plaque with the names engraved of each of his grandsons who had earned the rank of Eagle Scout.  As Josh accepts this award tonight, he will be the 36th and last of Darl Andersen’s grandsons  to earn an Eagle Award.  This is a day that Josh’s Grandpa dreamed about - to have all his grandsons reach Eagle rank.    Josh’s family is so proud that he’s continuing in the Eagle  tradition, and they’re  grateful that he’s a young man who demonstrates the high principles of scouting.

Wise Like My Dad

 

June 2, 2024

Today we were reading in Mosiah 29 where Mosiah suggests to his people that they don't appoint another king to take his place.  He explained to the people all the dangers of being ruled by a king and he went through a number of idfferent scenarios that could lead to bad outcomes.  In vs. 8 he says, ". . . let us be wise and consider these things . . .", and then later in vs. 10, ". . . let us be wise and look forward to these things . . .". It made me think about the word, "wise".  What makes a man "wise"?  King Mosiah suggested that looking ahead to possible consequences of our choices is wise.  That rang very true to me.  Wisdom comes from being complete in our assessment of situations, of looking at the big picture, and from gaining long term perspective.  I've always described my Dad as a very wise person and have considered wisdom to be one of his hallmark characteristics.  He was one who looked at situations from every angle and measured  results by looking down the road at the possible outcomes.  Even as a tiny little girl, I remember him asking me when I got hurt or was offended by something, "Do you think it'll feel better before you get married?".  That was his way of helping me to judge the importance of my current crisis.  He wasn't quick to draw conclusions, but I remember him chewing on a toothpick, or just patiently and quietly considering before he voiced his opinion.  I've always wanted to be wise like my Dad but have spent most of my life feeling like it was a gift that he was born with that I don't necessarily have.  I think I'd like to try to develop wisdom by carefully and intentionally considering the long term effects that will come from a situation I'm in or a decision I'm making.  

"What Will It be Like When Christ is Actually Walking Towards Me?"

 "What Will It be Like When Christ is Actually Walking Towards Me?"

March 2, 2022

Today when I was doing my shift at the Temple, I did a 30-minute assignment where I stood as a greeter.  On the wall straight in front of me, was a beautiful life-size painting of Jesus.  It looked so real.  It was as if He were looking at me, stretching His hand out to me, and starting to walk towards me.  I thought then, “What will it be like when the Savior is actually walking toward me?  How will I react?  What will I do?”  Later in the day I was doing homework and one of my assignments was to read in 3 Nephi, choose an event from those chapters, and apply the scripture study method of "visualization".  After having that powerful experience at the temple, it was easy for me to choose an event from Christ’s visit to the Nephites and visualize it.  I love the description of the people in 3 Nephi 11 when Christ first appeared to them.  Jesus stretched his hand toward them and told them that He was Jesus Christ.  When the people realized who he was, “the whole multitude fell to the earth” (vs. 12).  Later, after having – one by one - felt the prints of the nails in His hands and His feet, “they did cry out with one accord, saying, ‘Hosanna!  Blessed be the name of the Most High God!  And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him’” (vs. 16, 17).   That visualization added to my earlier experience today.  I feel like I now know a little better what it will be like when Christ is actually walking toward me, and what I will do.  I’m looking forward to that day!   

"Like Unto Us" - My Testimony of the Book of Mormon

 

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

Recorded on 3/30/22

This happened sometime in the last half of 1979

It’s been a great blessing to grow up with the truths of the gospel as a very present part of my life since birth.  With parents who loved the Lord and loved the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I was gifted with the same love and testimony since my earliest memories. As I grew, I don’t remember doubting much, but I do remember that when I left home after High School graduation, and started college at BYU, I felt a strong urge to ask specific questions and seek for a personal witness of truth.. 

The Lord blessed me with a sweet experience that strengthened my testimony and left me feeling certain that the Book of Mormon was true and that Heavenly Father knew me and loved me.   I had just finished reading the Book of Mormon again, and I decided to follow Moroni’s invitation to ask God with a sincere heart, with real intent, and having faith in Christ, if the Book of Mormon were true.  I began my earnest prayers in my little dorm room at Deseret Towers there in Provo. I prayed earnestly and for a long time.  After a while there, I left and headed walking toward the Provo Temple.  I must have walked for a couple of hours through the neighborhoods surrounding the Temple, and all the while, I was asking Heavenly Father to help me to know.  I was beginning to feel a bit discouraged when I heard music somewhere closeby.  I recognized the song as one of the songs from seminary called, “Like Unto Us”.  I loved that song and had sung it many, many times both at seminary and at home along with playing it on the piano.  It seemed so coincidental to me that I would be praying about my testimony of the Book of Mormon, and that at that very moment, someone in that neighborhood would be playing that particular song outside their house loud enough for me to hear.  I decided to try to find where the music was coming from and I sang along as I  walked toward the sound.  The words touched my heart in a very powerful way.

Like Unto Us

Brett Raymond, Lyrics

Like unto us, so the Savior said and learn from days gone by

Like unto us, it's the surest way to reach your home on high

Everyday we face new challenges, hills that seem too steep to climb

But other men have walked the same experience & passed the test of time

Like unto us there's a light ahead, to clearly show the way

Like unto us and we'll find it's true, just as much today

Everyday we face new challenges, life's too short to walk alone

So live and learn from those before us, ensure your journey's home

Like unto us, now's the time my friend, to heed their words of true

Seek to know deep within your heart, seek to love and work and prove

Everyday we face new challenges, life's too short to walk alone

So live and learn from those before us, ensure your journey's home

Like unto us, now's the time my friend, to heed their words of truth

Seek to know deep within your heart, seek to love and work and prove

Like unto us, Like unto us, Like unto us, Like unto us, Like unto us,

Like unto us, Like unto us, Like unto us, Like unto us, Like unto us

I felt so, so grateful for the blessing of the Book of Mormon in my life.  I knew that the principles that I could learn from it would bless my life - that they were for me, then and always, and  I KNEW THAT THE BOOK OF MORMON WAS TRUE!  

I never found the source of the music that day, even though I searched for a long time.  At some point it became clear to me that it was no coincidence, but that the song was playing for me.  Heavenly Father answered my heartfelt prayers in a way that He knew I could easily understand and feel from deep within my heart - through music.   

Enduring to the End

 I think this was in 2020 or 2021

I just watched the memorial service for Lance Willis on youtube.  One nice thing that has come from the covid pandemic is that we have access to so many meetings and services on youtube.  The service was really good.  I’ve always loved and admired Lance. As a teenager, I did a lot of babysitting for him and Margie.  Really,  I can’t remember not knowing Lance, so  hearing stories about him today brought a feeling of my early life and strangely made me very lonely for my Mom and Dad.

Life has been a struggle lately so my emotions have been so close to the surface.  I always wish my folks were around when I feel like this.  They are the embodiment of “security”.  I always felt secure when I was with them.  Lately, I’ve felt anything BUT secure.

I feel safe when things are well planned and steady.  Our life is a roller coaster and it seems like nothing ever happens like I want it to or even how we think it will.  I try to figure out why everything goes wrong so that I can do something to fix the problem.  My mind races with possible reasons and I try to address them.  I feel weighed down because I feel like a failure.  I feel worthless because many times all the issues seem to paralyze me and I’m not serving and helping others like I want to and like I’m used to doing.  I feel guilty because I often find myself doubting God’s love for me and I feel like there must be something I’m doing that’s displeasing to Him.  It’s sad, feeling like you’re a disappointment to God.

I don’t want to blame my circumstances for my choices.  I’m fully aware that no matter what situation I’m in, I have the choice of how I’ll act and how I’ll respond - and maybe knowing that makes me think even less of myself.  I just know that the way I feel at this point in my life is SOOOOO DIFFERENT from the way I used to feel.  I’m a TOTALLY different person now, and I don’t like that person!

One of Lance’s sons told of an experience he had with his Dad.  They were discussing some challenges that Lance was having.  He didn’t mention particulars, but I wondered if it might be something to do with his progressing alzheimers.  The son said that he shared with Lance some of his ideas and thoughts about how he thought he should handle his challenges.  Lance listened and after a pause he said, “I’m going to endure to the end”.  That struck me.  Sometimes life stinks.  Sometimes life hands out unpleasant challenges and experiences.  There are endless choices of how to deal with the challenges but the bottom line is,we need to endure to the end;  I need to endure to the end.  So, I’m going to spend some time and break down some things, and then I’ll try to make a plan for how exactly I am going to endure to the end.

Uniting in Love and Support of Each Other

I think some of the most heartwarming experiences I ever have, are those when I watch my children and grandchildren unite in love and support for each other.  It just gives me such a sense of peace to know that these people who I love so much are loved and watched over by each other as well.  Below are simple examples.

7-28-24     ---     Another moment of gratitude for kids who watch out for each other and take good care of each other.  Tonight at family dinner, Josh told me that some crazy things had happened during their sacrament meeting today.  He said that he was so grateful for Jake.  That Jake had stepped in and handled things perfectly.  Josh was on the stand, Lexie and her boys were on one of the pews, and Jake and his family were sitting on the pew behind her.  There was a man sitting on the same pew as Lexie.  She didn't know him.  He wasn't a member of their ward.  She said he was a little odd and she felt uncomfortable.  He kept trying to show her something on his phone that she couldn't really see.  She texted Josh and told him that she felt uncomfortable.  He told her to text Jake, so she did.  When Jake got the text, he said that he started very carefully watching what was happening with this man. At some point in the meeting, Lexie got up to take Leo out for a bit.  Isaac was sitting with Jake's family.  When Lexie came back and sat down with leo on her lap, the man again held his phone out for her to look at, this time in a way that she couldn't miss what was on it.  Jake also could see it.  It was a pornographic image.  Jake reacted quickly and strongly.  He immediately got up and told the man to leave the chapel.  He called 911 as he followed the man out.  At one point, he could see that the man was trying to delete things off from his phone, so Jake grabbed the mans phone.  He followed him until the police arrived and arrested the man.  Jake said they arrested the man on 3 counts of felony.  Josh, who really couldn't see what was happening, got a text from Kelsie telling him he should come off the stand and check on Lexie.  He went and found them all.  Of course it was very upsetting to poor Lexie, and Josh  said he was just so angry!  He appreciated Jake for handling it all so well, watching out for Lexie, reacting quickly, and also keeping Josh cool when he felt like hitting the guy (:  I'm just so grateful that Jake was there and so willing to protect his family!

July 2024     ---     I've seen this happen so many times over the last years of Tiffany's challenges with losing two babies - her heartbreak and sorrows shared with her siblings and nieces and nephews.  I've seen it as she and John have struggled with infertility and gone through the ups and downs of that process.  I saw it when she finally got pregnant again and then found out the pregnancy wasn't viable.  And now, as she recently announced that after another round of infertility treatments, they are expecting a baby, I've seen the family rally around them, loving and supporting.  In just the few weeks since she got pregnant, there have been complications and for sure, every day is full of anxiety and worry for Tiff, half expecting that this pregnancy won't end well.  One day, Tiff and the boys were eating dinner at our house.  Hazel was with us too, and she was asked to say the blessing on the food.  Included in the bleesing was a request for Heavenly Father to please bless Tiffany and her baby.  It was clear that this was something that was prayed for regularly in their home.  Since then, I've hear the same prayer from my grandkids in several of the other families.  A day or two after Hazel's prayer, Josh and Lexie were visiting.  Josh said something like "I started thinking the other day about Tiffany maybe having a little girl and holding her, and I'm not going to lie, it made me cry".  Lexie nodded and said, "Yep, he did".  Then a day or to later, Alex came over when Tiff was here and he started asking her about her pregnancy.  I looked at him - his eyes were so full of compassion and concern.  His interest was so genuine.  I was just so touched when I thought of these little examples - and there are so many other ones.  I'm grateful for kids who love each other and take good care of each other!

Sidenote:  Josh is just going to have to wait to hold that little Lyman baby girl because John and Tiffany just found out that they're having another boy!  That makes 6 . . . Tanner, Peter, Nate, Gabe, Zach and ?

Correct, Continue and Find Joy

 May 12, 2024

This month in Preschool, our theme is Transportation.  To go along with that, Peg let me borrow a really fun set of battery operated cars and tracks.  I've learned a life lesson as I've watched different groups of kids play with these tracks.

First off, the preschool kids.  We've found as we've played that if the tracks aren't put together exactly right, or if part of the track piece has been slightly bent or damaged, the cars will derail and go off track.  I didn't think much about it at first because it doesn't seem to bother the preschoolers at all.  They are so excited and find so much joy in following their car as it goes around the big track.  If it goes off, they just quickly correct it and move on.  There's so much energy and laughter and fun.  I've loved watching as they all are running around right with their cars, correcting and continuing.

Other grandkids have come to play and enthusiastically put the track together, but when they experienced the frequent challenges with the cars, they quickly became discouraged.  They got so hung up on the problem and trying to.fix the track's issues, that before long they had no interest in playing with this toy. They were discouraged and definitely didn't find any joy in their experience.

I'm afraid in my life I'm often more like the second group.  I easily become discouraged with the frequent challenges and instead of quickly correcting my mistakes and continuing on in joy, I focus on the negative and miss the joy.