LadyElizabeth's comments

What Emergencies Will You Face? - Blog Entry

16 Aug 2006 02:03 PM

Oven Shelves.

If you have to bug-out and leave your home during an emergency, you can grab your stuff and stow it in your vehicle.

If you've made a list beforehand, you will remember important items. Depending on the topography in your area, these can be a great benefit. For example, grab the shelves out of your oven.

Oven shelves can be placed across rocks, logs, etc to make a surface to cook on.

Getting Ready to Move - Blog Entry

08 Jun 2006 09:18 AM

That's the constant balance we face in living in the mortal world, yet trying to be spiritual beings on an eternal quest.

The world is so distracting, part of our mortal test lies in our ability to devote our lives to the Lord and to do just what is needed here on Earth to maintain life.

It reminds me of the excersize for the youth, where the MIA leaders have the youth assemble in the cultural hall, which has been turned into a carnival.

With out any instruction the youth are turned loose to enjoy the doughnut booth, and other booths where for their small efforts they win prizes that are physically gratifying.

They begin to notice other booths, where for increased effort they can earn slips of paper with points on them. 10 points for identifying the general authorities, or telling a scripture that explains a certain doctrine, or reciting the Articles of Faith, for example.

Most youth gravitate towards the food and dance performance booths, getting necklaces, etc, and they spend their time and efforts in having fun. A few work to accrue points.

They are unaware that the time is limited. Suddenly the lights go out and the carnival is over. The youth are ushered to another room where they are told a grand prize awaits them according to what they have done at the carnival.

Those who have no points earn a sad fate. They get to clean up the carnival hall. Those who have some points receive a nice prize that is better than all the treats at the carnival, but the one(s) who have the most points get a great big reward! Then it is explained that this simulation is a parady of mortality and they reflect upon how they are living mortality. Hopefully they will put more thought into the eternal nature of our existance.

I'm glad you reminded people to do the same.

Spiritual Preparedness - Blog Entry

08 Jun 2006 09:03 AM

Good points.

Scripture study, prayer, tithing, and repentance are paramount in spiritual preparedness.

I would also add Joseph's admonition that the pople get and keep the Holy Spirit with them.

We know that in the future we must follow the prophets, rely upon our own testimony and we must have the ability to hear the quiet whisperings of the Spirit to warn, direct and protect us.

Loving Ourselves - Blog Entry

08 Jun 2006 08:57 AM

You are absolutely right about not comparing ourselves to other sisters yet that is what we too often seem to do.

When someone else suceeds brilliantly, we seem to let ourselves feel inferior, by comparrison.

I remember once when I was painting the backdrop for a roadshow production at the church on day.

A woman walked by and saw my work. She became instantly threatened and demanded to know if I had had help in painting the background. She hoped that if I had indeed had help, then I wasn't really that good and she wouldn't feel inferior to my talent.

I had painted it myself and I'm sure she was also a good artist, but she didn't need to feel threatened if I also was good.

There are some people that feel the need to tear others down, so they can be the one top.

There are others who will feel threatened if someone else suceeds, and they will lower their own self-esteem because of it.

There are others who will see someone suceed and be happy for them, and glad that the Lord provided many people with many different talents so all needs could be fufilled.

I mean what one person can compose the symphony, play all the instruments, conduct the music, and be in the audience appreciating the music? We have very unreal expectations of ourselves.

Abraham 3:19

God teaches that no matter how brilliant one of His children may be, there are always others who are more intelligent, and others who are less intelligent.

Each spirit has the talents and gifts THEY need for their mortal mission and what they earned by righteousnessand work in the pre-existance. COMPARRISONS ARE USELESS! Apples are NOT oranges!

We waste so much of ourselves in worrying if we measure up or not. The only person we have to be better than is ourselves.

I have a friend who is STELLAR. I mean she eclipses me in everything I value myself on. I began to worry that I might not be of much worth if I couldn't even be as good as her.

I took the problem to the Lord and He taught me to look at the heavens. Even though one star is weaker/smaller than another, it STILL gives light to those in its sphere. DUH!

In that moment I was reminded that I had all the necessary gifts/talents I needed to perform MY mission and I was doing it well. I had no need to compare myself to another. I didn't have HER mission, thus I didn't need her gifts.

You can't use one key to open another lock. The groves cut into the key are made to open a specific lock, not every lock.

We need to realize the good that we have done and stop looking to compare ourselves with others. We need to build each other up and support each other as sisters. We never know what trials another is silently dealing with.

In writing my last book, Forged in the Refiner's Fire, I was amazed to learn the depth of trials and spiritual training that everyday ordinary sisters are facing. Someone you see at church may be and often is, going through something you wouldn't imagine someone could live through, but they are, and though they are struggling, they are often suceeding brilliantly and the Lord is using those trials to add depth of spirit to their souls.

Often times it is WE who are facing the trials. The Lord loves us too much to leave us as we are. He refines us into Celestial beings.

A kind word, and an understanding heart are so much better than harsh judgement and excluding someone, because we don't know what is truely going on in their lives.

Good call Miriam, let us all love and support each other, be less threatened by each other's successes, and focus on our own missions.

That will help us become a Zion society.

Preparing for the Sacrament - Blog Entry

08 Jun 2006 08:24 AM

I take a picture of the Savior by Simon Dewy to church in my scriptures. When time for the Sacrament comes I pull it out and reflect on what He did for us.

Printed below the picutre I have these words:

"I do remember thee."

Then I have a page of thoughts that help keep my mind centered on the Savior and the sacredness of the Sacrament:

"At the great council in the Heavens, in which we participated, Christ presented a plan in which He offered Himself, without desiring credit or glory, for us, His brothers and sisters, as the infinite sacrifice to:

1. Atone for our sins; allowing salvation and a way to return to Heavenly Father's presence.

2. Break the bonds of death, enabling us to obtain resurrection.

3. Take upon Himself and experience all of our infirmities that He might know how to help us through them."

Then I try to reflect upon my actions and ask forgiveness. I thank the Lord for sending the Savior to us and ask to be filled with His Spirit.

I try to fathom His intense sufferring in the garden for us as He bore the weight of my sins.

He must love each of us SO DEARLY to have paid such a high price for each of us!!!

President David O. McKay:

"My brethern and sisters, do we always stop to think, on that sacred Sabbath day, when we meet together to partake of the Sacrament, that we witness, promise, obligate ourselves, in the presence of one another, and in the presence of God, that we will do certain things? Note them:

1. That we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of the Son. In so doing we choose Him as our leader and ideal.

2. That we will always remember Him. Not just on Sunday, but on the other days of the week, in our daily acts and self-control.

3. We promise to keep His commandments which he has given: tithing, fast offerings, the Word of Wisdom, kindness, forgiveness, love.

The obligation of a member of the Church of Jesus Christ is great, but it is glorious as it is great, because by obedience to these princeiples He gives life; eternal life." ---D. O. McKay

Thank you for writing about the Sacrament. It is very sacred to me and I wish that more people would appreciate it's depth and benefits to us.

Trust in the Lord - Blog Entry

08 Jun 2006 08:01 AM

The Book of Mormon teaches that in yielding our will to the Lord's we become sanctified. (Helamam 3:35)

It takes great faith to let go and let the Lord guide us and to accept His plan for our lives, but when we do, we find ourselves on a greater path.

When we live for ourselves, we simply exisit physically. When we live the Lord's plan, we live our mortal mission.

It's like the scripture in JST Mark 8:37-38:

"For whomsoever will save his life, shall loose it;"

We simply give up our own expectations and plans for our life and ask the Lord what He would have us do--then DO IT. That's hard for a lot of people.

Imagine returning to the Lord for an interview after your mortal life was finished.

Can you imagine Him asking what you did with your life and telling you that He didn't send you to Earth to have a nice house, fine vehicle, perfect image, perfect body, to aquire possesions and hoard them, but to serve as He directed you.

To many of us focus on living well in the mortal world and we forget that we promised to fufill a specific mission for the Lord while here in mortality.

Part of trusting in the Lord means we need to redirect our focus onto what He wants for us and let go of our expectations that are constantly reinforced from the world.

We need to remember that we are here for a short time only and that what we do here and the choices we make here will effect our eternal outcome.

I can truely say that life is SO much better when you live the Lord's plan for you instead of what you want or think is best for you. It may not be eaiser, or nicer, (it may be) but it is eternally better.

Looking for the Good When Things Look Bad (Some Holiday Thoughts) - Blog Entry

30 Apr 2006 02:37 AM

THanks Fran! I hope you enjoy the book. My website is in the back. Let me know what you thought of the book.

Is Going Back to Work Really Worth It? - Blog Entry

28 Apr 2006 03:20 PM

Also add in the expenses of returning to work, additional medical care for your children.

When your children are cared for by others, they almost always come into contact with more pathogens--virus, etc, and require more medical care and prescriptions.

Unless your income far exceeds these expenditures, it most likely will not pay for a mom to return to work.

Factor in the time taken away from your children and if that is worth it to you. Factor in your family finacial needs, because sometimes working moms have no choice and have to provide for their famiies.

We brought a smaller house in a poorer neighborhood which allowed me to stay home and raise our children. When they grew up they told us how grateful they were that I had stayed home with them. It did indeed have a powerful effect upon their lives. It worked for us.

Some families have grandparents or relatives that can help tend the children. Some moms just have to get outside of the home or they go crazy, some moms feel they need to be home, some moms are forced to provide for their families by working outside the home.

My advice is to ask the Lord in prayer and talk to your family and make the best chocie for YOU. When at all possible, children benefit from a mom who is there for them and teaches them with loving care. Perhaps other ways to earn money at home can be discovered.

Memory Foam - Blog Entry

26 Apr 2006 11:48 PM

I just did a quick internet search and came up with this site. I'm sure you can find more. Here's the link and a quote from the site:

http://www.chem-tox.com/guest/guestbook.html

While bed mattresses were previously made of untreated natural materials, the majority of mattresses today are made using a variety of petroleum based chemicals, foams, plastics and controversial flame retardants.

Research and personal accounts suggest people can in fact become ill by repeated and continuous exposure to the low level of chemicals continuously emitted during the sleep process.

The situation is dramatically compounded by the fact that sleeping on a bed (or chemically manufactured pillow) places the individual in extremely close proximity to the chemical source (inches compared to feet for most other chemical exposures).

This direct contact means that concentrations of chemicals are many, many times higher than they would be if the source was at a greater distance, and thereby becoming less harmful because of dilution. Research is now available showing that chemicals used in bed manufacturing are in fact evaporating and entering into the air.

Some of these are documented carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds.

The next important step is to make public any personal accounts of illnesses developing after mattress use. Common petroleum based chemicals have been clearly shown to have the ability to weaken or damage the immune and nervous system.

Autoimmune disorders have also been linked with exposure to petroleum-based chemicals and have been found to be the underlying etiology of many common health problems today (soft tissue damage, arthritis, etc).

This is not an uncommon problem and certainly needs to receive more media attention

Memory Foam - Blog Entry

26 Apr 2006 03:15 PM

Yes, but please consider that memory foam outgases, or gives of chemicals that may cause problems in some people. Notice the chemical scent?

My husband brought me a bed topped with memory foam and we both became sicker and sicker. It went on for months and then a year. We couldn't figure out what was wrong. I purchased a pillow made of memory foam and noticed the chemical smell bothered me so much. I researched it online and found that a lot of people had reported bad health effects from the foam.

People have reported chronic fatigue-fibromyalgia-like symptoms after sleeping on a bed topped with memory foam.

If you have one, you can put a fan in your window, pointing outside and that will help.

Long story short, we got rid of all the foam and our health greatly improved. I'm not saying everyone will react the same way, but many people have reported such illness and symptoms when using memory foam.

It does have great contour abilities, but I would never put it near any people that I loved!