Prison - Temple

I read a talk this week by Elder Jeffery R. Holland, an apostle of the Lord. It's a fireside talk he gave to the students at BYU in September 2008. The title is "Lessons from Liberty Jail. " (http://speeches.byu.edu) You can also read portions of the talk in the September 2009 Ensign magazine.

I love this talk. I totally agree when he says, "every one of us, in one way or another, ... is going to spend a little time in Liberty Jail--spiritually speaking." The talk made me think about a friend from our ward in California. After hearing her story it seemed she was given a life sentence in prison, not just a little time.

Jennifer, a wife and mother of four young children was stricken with a fast, debilitating form of multiple sclerosis in her early forties. I looked at pictures of her before the disease, and was taken back at her beauty. Less than ten years later, the disease had taken its toll.

Many people told me how much she and her husband were in love, or so it seemed. Within a few years of getting the disease, her husband moved her to an apartment to live alone. He kept the children and the house that they had remodeled to accommodate her disability.

When I met Jennifer, she and her husband were still married, and the children would visit once a week. A couple of years after I met her he asked for a divorce, and married their daughter's former soccer coach within weeks. Soon Jennifer found out that their joint businesses and real estate holdings went into financial ruin.

Yet, my visits with her "strengthened my feeble knees and lifted my hands that hung down." With slurred words and a smile on her face she would tell me how blessed she was. Her Liberty Jail experience with all of its painful injustices was transformed into a sacred temple.

Elder Holland tells us that "man's extremity is God's opportunity." I will look at adversity in a more redemptive way.

Happy Birthday Sam!

My oldest grandson, Samuel Nicholas Goodman, turned five years old today. What an exciting time for him and his family, Nick, Rachel and Jake! There was a family party last night with roadkill, guts, brains, and all the disgusting trimmings (candy, of course). The theme of the party was "Sam vs. Wild." (If you've ever seen that reality show, you'll know what I'm talking about.)

Sam, 5, Nick Jr, and Jake Bear, 22 months

Two weeks in a row I've been able to spend time with my grandchildren even though they live 2-5 hours away. I am a blessed grandma. Family is truly what it's all about!!

El Paso, Texas

This isn't a picture of El Paso, but a "dear" family in Ruidoso, New Mexico, a side trip I took with Gens and his family while visiting with them in El Paso. We saw at least 50 deer along the side of the road, in the yards of mountain cabins, in the woods, all over. The kids loved it. We also saw four wild turkey.

I drove to El Paso (only about 5 hours from Tucson) to get a "grandma fix" with my three little grandsons. What a treat for me! I don't know that any mother ever feels like they would win the "mother of the year" award. I certainly don't, but being a grandma kind of reduces the pain of that thought. There aren't the expectations either way. Grandchildren just want the grandparents to love them, and grandparents freely give that love.

I Had A Baby or Something Like It!

Today I ran 8 miles over the toughest course I have ever run. I kept thinking this is like getting pregnant and giving birth again. Why do I say that? Because I did this same course last year in the Sahuaro National Park Labor (get it?) Day Race and wanted to die at the end! "I'm never doing this again!!" Isn't that like childbirth--you forget how much it hurt? I even had a transition area today, at the top of the two mile hill--it had to get better after that grueling, painful part. I'm not sure when I was able to push, maybe as I came around the corner and saw the finish line. Will I do it again? Hmm, give me another nine months, we'll see?

Actually, as I was running and thought of this analogy, I also thought of how this can apply to life, to anyone's life, especially women. By nature we love, we care, and we can forgive very quickly. That's not to say men can't, but we have been blessed with an extra measure of these things. Life is labor. Some experiences can cause a lot of pain. Sure there are epidurals and other ways to lessen the pain (maybe that could be family, friends, scriptures, prayer, etc.) but our body has to do hard work to produce the ultimate, beautiful result, a new born baby---or faith, or hope, or courage to do what the Lord has commanded. I am as thrilled when I "give birth" to these divine qualities as I was when I gave birth to a sweet little spirit.

The Sky At Sunset

The sky was unusually beautiful tonight at sunset. This is the view looking west and

this is the view looking east during the same time frame. I saw the eastern clouds first and thought, "how beautiful." Then I looked west towards the setting sun. I look east again, and was amazed at the light within the clouds, as if there was a light source behind those clouds rather than a reflection from the sun on the western horizon.

The rain storm we had last night was refreshing and stimulating. The washes were running, the creosote was sharing its unusual fragrance, and my roof didn't leak!!

On Labor Day I'm running my first race since last April. It is a hard one. Eight miles of dirt and pavement, two of those miles are all uphill! Last year I tried running that hill, this year I'm going to walk it. I'm happy to be on the racing circuit again, especially since I've relaxed nutritionally.