Wednesday 28 October 2009

The month of October in brief

OK so I havent been too diligent with this journal and that's because I am not familiar with this "blogging" mania ;). I will have to get my act together and add it to my daily schedule of activities.

Anyway it has been a busy few weeks, sick kids, sick dog, dentists and all the usual mundane household activities. Of course, this is the time of year for bugs to prevail so nothing of any great dramatic value that isnt happening in most households across the country. Our lovely cold, wet, miserable weather doesn't really help.

I have added some books to my study materials (courtesy of the LBS Bookstore's special offers this last few weeks). A three volume set of Book of Mormon Doctrinal Insights by Douglas Bassett has proved to be extremely helpful and have greatly enhanced my study of the BoM. I am eagerly awaiting the triple DVD set of the Work and the Glory by Gerald Lund having been captivated by the short description of their content.

Family History has also become another passion of mine (my kids call it an obsession). I am finding the research and the results thereof, fascinating. Finding relatives from a different passage in time and snippets of their lives is compelling stuff and I am determined to extend my knowledge of their lives as much as possible - the only disadvantage is the ensuing headaches trying to discern who really belongs and who is a red herring or a wrong path taken. While the newfamilysearch.org website is wonderful, I also like to keep a written record (it's an age thing!!!) and trying to figure out how to file these in a way that is easy to follow is proving another migraine-inducing activity. Anyone with any tips please feel free to post, if you know how.

I really need to try to get some "style" into this blog. I dont have a clue how to set up a layout, add links or anything else but no doubt I will learn in time and things will improve here.

Ward Activities .... now we have had a few of those in the Glasgow Ward. The Young Women did a marvellous activity called "Around the World in 80 Minutes" where the girls dressed as Airline Stewards and several rooms in the Stake building were set up as different countries with members of the Ward who were born in those different countries gave talks and displays of pictures, products and even prepared food from those countries. It was an excellent night and a really good idea for a Ward/Stake Activity.

One of the sisters in the Ward was leaving to go back to Nepal where her future husband lives. She met him while doing her voluntary work with the children in Nepal in two of the Orphanages over there. Another great night with facepainting, bring and buy sale, bake sale, soap making and a buffet and she had requested that instead of bringing "gifts" for her that everyone made donations for the things they wanted to buy and the money was split between the two Orphanages and Cystic Fibrosis.

This Friday we will be having a Halloween Party and we are all looking forward to having a ball.

Well the kids will be in from school shortly so I better go baton down the hatches and prepare for the cyclone approaching!!! ;) Hopefully, I will get back tomorrow and try to get a bit better organised.

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Elder Bednar's Visit to Scotland

Last Wednesday, 16th September, Elder David A Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to Glasgow Stake Building. He was scheduled to appear at 7.30 pm and we were all advised to be in our seats by 7 pm. Myself and my daughter arrived much earlier, 5.45 pm to be precise and the chapel was half full already! By 6.30 pm the Chapel and half of the Culture Hall which had been laid out with chairs was occupied. By 7 pm it was standing room only. Two other rooms in the building were also full (the speaker system extended to these rooms).

When Elder and Sister Bednar appeared the atmosphere was electric! We were in the presence of an Apostle of the Lord. Glasgow Ward Relief Society Sisters Choir were performing that night and they sounded like a choir of angels.

Sister Bednar spoke before her husband and relayed the story of when her husband was called as an Apostle, her wish to tell her children but having been told by the Prophet to tell no-one, Elder Bednar twice refused her pleadings to phone her children with the news and on her third time of asking he responded "No, Martin"!!! (referring to the Martin Harris incident). The story did end quite happily because their children heard the news from various sources and managed to get home in time for the Official Ceremony. Sister Bednar also relayed an incident when they were preparing to attend a meal where they would be seated at the Prophet's table. Their 15 year old son would also be present and Sister Bednar knew that her son did not like green beans and their advance copy of the menu showed that "zesty" green beans would be served. Sister Bednar spoke to her son and told him that he had to eat these beans, no matter what.

Come the evening of the meal, her son ate the beans with some obvious difficulties; taking a bite of the beans followed by a drink of water for every bite. When he had cleared his plate Elder Bednar said to the Prophet "I think my son should be congratulated, he has managed to eat all the green beans and he doesnt like them". The Prophet replied "Neither do I, I just pushed them around my plate so that it looked like I had eaten some and discreetly called the waitress over to remove my plate before anyone noticed".

When they had been home a few days, Sister Bednar thought that since her son had eaten the green beans at the Dinner she would serve them at home. At the dinner table her son wasnt eating his beans and Elder Bednar said to him "Eat your beans, son" but he didnt, Elder Bednar repeated his request "Eat your beans, son" still he didnt eat them, again Elder Bednar said "Eat your beans, son" to which his son replied "No, I'm following the Prophet"!! The audience were in an uproar!!

When Elder Bednar took the stand he said that this would not be the usual "talk" scenario, but that it was going to be a question and answer session. Various questions were asked from the floor and I will go into these in more detail in another post, I will simply say at this point that they covered a wide variety of topics from Temples to selection of Missionary Callings and how to get inactive family members back to active service.

Elder Bednar issued a challenge to the audience to find the six instances when the expression "one by one" is used in the Book of Mormon. Oh, and he said no cheating and looking it up on the net!!

Tuesday 19 May 2009

The First Post

Well, my friend Debs talked me into opening this blog so she could do her nosey.

I suppose I should give a brief resume of life so far. I am a divorced, single parent of three teenage children. My oldest, who is almost 19, left school last Summer and signed up for the RAF and is due to complete his basic training and Pass Out on 10th July 2009 (that's if he doesnt acquire any more injuries).

My daughter, Jen, is 15 and in the middle of her exams (SQAs, I believe they are called now). She has two more to do, Modern Studies on Monday and Biology on 28th. She wants to be a vet so she has a hard slog ahead of her.

My youngest, Tom, will be 14 next month and he is autistic (Aspergers Syndrome). He attends the same school as his sister (and brother before that) and is very clever (academically), just a little short on social skills, prone to meltdowns and very set in his ways. He just doesnt understand about manners and other people's feelings. He also takes things literally and is prone to misunderstanding things said to him and having difficulty putting the right words together to get across what he is trying to say. No doubt I will have plenty more to say about him as this blogspot fills up.

I gave up my job as a medical secretary about a year after my divorce when adequate childcare for Tom was not available to cover school holidays and sickness and seven years on this situation still exists. Tom has no sense of the possible consequences of things he says and does and therefore cannot be left on his own or even with his sister as when he loses his temper there is no way Jennifer could cope with him.

Well I think that is enough of an intro for now. Debs I will need to e-mail for instructions on how to tag your blogspot. LOL!