AFFLUENZA

Over 20 years ago or so, I happened to see a program on PBS which “got me.” Do you know what I mean? It’s like I was being made aware of something which I’d already thought about but hadn’t “named” or “described.” For as long as I can remember (OK… don’t start laughing and saying something like “Let’s see… that would be about a week??” This is NOT about aging or my age or my diminishing memory chips….) I have been afraid of materialism. Maybe “afraid” isn’t the right word. It’s just that I’ve served and lived in places where people had “nothing” (that’s what I called it), and yet they seemed to have “everything.” My friends in Asia and Africa were happy. They were content. At least they seemed to be. And I wanted to feel that way. I wondered if it was because they didn’t have electricity (this was in Africa), so they didn’t know what they didn’t have. One of the reasons I’ve been afraid of materialism is that each time I’ve returned from being far, far away, it feels like I’ve slipped back into “conspicuous consumption.” Oh, it’s not that I can’t find anyone who has more than I do … that’s a DUH … but it’s just that I don’t want to be that way. It’s why I write a book titled You Can Never Get Enough of What You Don’t Need: The Quest for Contentment.

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It feels like I want to make contentment – the quest for it and the feeling of it – one of the core desires of my heart. Now I’ll try to get back to the program 20 plus years ago and some of the things I’ve pondered since then about “the poverty of the rich.”

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The program was called AFFLUENZA.  It was a production of KCTS/Seattle and Oregon Public Broadcasting with Scott Simon as host.  And it gave definitions for AFFLUENZA:  1. The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from one’s efforts to keep up with the Joneses.  2. An epidemic of stress, overwork, shopping and indebtedness caused by the dogged pursuit of the American Dream.  3. An unsustainable addiction to economic growth.  4. A television program that could change your life (I feel like it changed mine – it put a lot of my feelings into words).

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I’m just going to share “snippets” of what the program was about. You can Google it and watch the whole thing if you want. Maybe it won’t affect you quite the way it affected me, but I do think it will bring a lot of “ponderables” into your mind and heart.  So: Snippets:

Affluenza examines the high cost of achieving the most extravagant lifestyle the world has ever seen.  …it’s easy to understand why some people say that the American Dream is no bargain.

Making “voluntary simplicity” one of the top 10 trends in the ‘90s.

A book: Your Money or Your Life

Activists known as ADBUSTERS

How do we get people out of the malls and enjoying life that is real?

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Materialism and mall mania are taking a toll on the country.

It’s almost impossible for parents to develop and nurture the whims and desires of their children, because the whims and desires are really being nurtured by the commercials they see on TV.

PERMANENT THINGS:   LOVE, TRUTH, COMPASSION, VIRTUE, BEAUTY, FRIENDSHIP….

…a culture in which people treat one another like products.

Why do we believe that we must have every single new fad product??

He who dies with the most toys win… Trying to run the rat race…. (Go in circles….)

Pay more time and attention to people who need us.

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Too often families share the space of a home, but the members don’t connect.  Dad is on the Internet.  Mom’s in her room watching a movie on the VCR.  The kids are in another room playing video games.  [As I said, this was around 25 years ago … some of the “toys” might be different now…]

We always have to be busy.  We always have to be engaged in something else.  And, quite tragically, that’s being engaged in something other than interpersonal relationships with loved ones.  TURN OFF THE TV, STEREO AND COMPUTER [And the smart phone?] Not only do they take a lot of time, but they bring popular culture messages into your home.  READ TOGETHER (Reading for homework doesn’t count)

The “work and spend” cycle has NOT brought us more happiness.

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(FEI APPROVED THIS ILLUSTRATION)

Credit cards (“Do you take plastic?”—Maybe I am plastic….) have separated us from our money.  We’re not really spending money….  We forget that for every $10 it’s an HOUR of work [and, again, this came out many years ago] – an HOUR of our life!  Is this the way I want to use the hours of my life (of which I have only a finite number?)….

WE’RE NOT HAPPIER THAN PEOPLE WERE 40 YEARS AGO, EVEN THOUGH OUR CONSUMPTION HAS GONE UP OVER 50 PERCENT.

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No matter how hard you try to extract happiness out of material things, beyond a certain point that we call ENOUGH – having your NEEDS taken care of, having some COMFORTS and even having some LUXURIES – beyond that point of more spending, more material possessions are NOT going to make you happy.  As a matter of fact, they erode your sense of well-being.

“I learned how to stretch a buck until the eagle grins….”

There are some people who are getting wealthier, and everybody else is feeling poorer because they are comparing themselves to the people in that insidious box that we call television.  I don’t have as much as the people in the soap operas, so I must be doing poorly.  It erodes your sense of self-esteem.

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Some teens commit suicide because they don’t want to grow up in this culture that supposedly has it all….

The high cost of materialism and overconsumption.

This is a purse-pilfering disease.

A Christian family doctor discovers that much of his patients’ pain is a result of the pressures of modern society and “possession overload.”

Resource exhaustion!

COULD YOU LIVE A CONTENTED LIFE WITH FEWER MATERIAL POSSESSIONS?

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HOW DOES ADVERTISING AFFECT YOUR LIFE AND BUYING HABITS?

A marketing consultant made the following statement:   “Anti-social behavior in pursuit of a product is a good thing.”  WHAT???

WHAT MESSAGES ARE CHILDREN RECEIVING FROM ADVERTISEMENTS?

HOW HAVE CREDIT CARDS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO SPEND BEYOND OUR MEANS?

Millions of Americans declare personal bankruptcy (more than graduate from college!).

HOW DO MATERIALISM, OVERCONSUMPTION, AND OTHER MONEY ISSUES CREATE CONFLICT IN YOUR FAMILY (AND YOUR PERSONAL LIFE)?

Fact: The gap between the rich and poor in the U.S. is the widest in any industrial country.

There are some deeply ingrained habits that may be difficult for us to talk about.

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WHAT ARE SOME OBSTACLES THAT COME TO MIND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT REDUCING YOUR CONSUMPTION AND SPENDING?  WHAT ARE SOME OBSTACLES TO SIMPLIFYING YOUR LIFE – TO GIVING AWAY SOME OF YOUR “STUFF” AND “THINGS?” WHAT WOULD BE ONE STEP YOU WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE TAKING IN THE COMING WEEKS TO BEGIN CHANGING YOUR CURRENT CONSUMPTION OR SPENDING HABITS? WHAT IS THE LURE OF SHOPPING AND MATERIAL POSSESSIONS? WHAT KINDS OF PRESSURES DO YOU FEEL TO “KEEP UP WITH THE JONESES”?

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The modern-day plague of materialism and overconsumption.

Choosing to become more conscious consumers.

LIVING BETTER ON LESS

BEFORE YOU BUY SOMETHING, ASK YOURSELF SOME QUESTIONS: DO I NEED IT?  AM I WILLING TO DUST IT?  COULD I BORROW ONE?  DO I HAVE ANYTHING ALREADY THAT WOULD SUBSTITUTE FOR IT?  HOW MANY HOURS WILL I (OR SOMEONE ELSE) HAVE TO WORK TO PAY FOR IT?

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GO TO THE MALL LESS OFTEN

Become an advertising critic.  DON’T BE SUCKED IN BY EFFORTS TO MAKE YOU FEEL INADEQUATE SO YOU’LL BUY MORE STUFF YOU DON’T NEED.

SPLURGE CONSCIOUSLY.  A few luxuries can be delightful, and they don’t have to be expensive.

MAKE A BUDGET.  Know where your money’s going.  Are you spending money in ways that fulfill you?

PRETEND THE JONESES ARE THE THRIFTIEST, LEAST WASTEFUL, MOST CONTENTED PEOPLE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.  Try to keep up with them!!

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DEFINE “THE GOOD LIFE.”  Make a list of the material and non-material things you believe are necessary to have a “good life.”  It might surprise you.  What could you do without if you had to?

TUBERCULOSIS USED TO BE CALLED “CONSUMPTION,” BECAUSE IT EXHAUSTED AND DESTROYED….

PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE: Don’t keep a car or clothes which are “outdated” – ”out of style.”  Get new stuff.

Business executives are always looking for new ways to STIMULATE SPENDING.

Deep in our hearts, most of us believe that the good life is simpler than the one we’re living.

HOW DOES IT MAKE PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING AREAS FEEL WHEN THEY SEE THE VERY SAME ADS WE DO AND LONG FOR NICE THINGS FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR CHILDREN….

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We act as if we’re so convinced that MONEY, POSSESSIONS, STATUS and SPEED are our most important values…..

Now I’m finished. I hope I haven’t offended anyone. Some probably stopped reading and didn’t make it through the whole thing. This is NOT about judging anyone but MEE – I’M the one who’s working on SIMPLIFYING … I’M the one who LOVES the feeling of CONTENTMENT, and I want to feel it more often!!!  END OF BLOG . . . . (Is that the sound of “thank goodness” I hear??)

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I LOVE MUSIC!

On Sunday afternoon I listened to the Messiah on KBYU-FM (I pretty much have this radio station on all the time). This recent recording by the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra with special guests as soloists is exquisite! I really enjoyed listening. It brought back many memories of participating in the Messiah for many years while I was still in my hometown of Cedar City (I love that place!!).

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I consider music as a major factor in my life. I don’t know quite how to explain it – I guess I can say that I don’t know what I’d do without music. It easily lifts my spirits and (depending on what’s “playing” in my mind at any given moment) can move me to tears and deep, sweet feelings of all kinds. Music is in my head (my mind) constantly, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

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Sometimes I’m surprised when I become aware of this – of the song or music “going on” without me having to pay attention… no records to turn over, no sound to turn up or down, no need to worry about words I can’t remember or anything else. The music just keeps playing. And the variety! Oh my goodness! It can go from classical to a song I remember from 6th grade or songs I’ve heard my parents sing or my Daddy whistle…. Songs from girls’ camp, from the “sing away” at Zion the 2 years I worked there, from choirs I’ve been in, from the “hit parade” on KSUB years and years ago….

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I LOVE MUSIC! I don’t think I could live without it! It gives me encouragement, calms me down when I’m frazzled, reminds me of good memories, and just blesses me in so many ways. I feel SO THANKFUL for music!! I’m sure I’ll have a lot more to say and share about it at some future time.

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And speaking of time… this is all I have time for this morning. Lots and LOTS to get done “right now” (you know the feeling….) But KBYU-FM is keeping me from being too stirred up by my long lists (yes… that’s plural). (And if you’re wondering what music is in my head right now: It’s zippity doo-dah!) Put some music in your day today!

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NONE WERE WITH HIM

You know from the title that this is Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s magnificent, tender message from the April 2009 General Conference (in the May 2009 issue of the Ensign). I share it on this beautiful Easter morning in case it’s been a while since you’ve read it. Have a wonderful, meaningful, sweet day, pondering on all that is possible for us because of the Savior’s life, His atoning sacrifice, his death, and his RESURRECTION!

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NONE WERE WITH HIM

Brothers and sisters, my Easter-season message today is intended for everyone, but it is directed in a special way to those who are alone or feel alone or, worse yet, feel abandoned. These might include those longing to be married, those who have lost a spouse, and those who have lost—or have never been blessed with—children. Our empathy embraces wives forsaken by their husbands, husbands whose wives have walked away, and children bereft of one or the other of their parents—or both. This group can find within its broad circumference a soldier far from home, a missionary in those first weeks of homesickness, or a father out of work, afraid the fear in his eyes will be visible to his family. In short it can include all of us at various times in our lives.

To all such, I speak of the loneliest journey ever made and the unending blessings it brought to all in the human family. I speak of the Savior’s solitary task of shouldering alone the burden of our salvation. Rightly He would say: “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me. … I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold [me].”1

As President Uchtdorf so beautifully noted earlier, we know from scripture that Jesus’s messianic arrival in Jerusalem on the Sunday preceding Passover, a day directly analogous to this very morning, was a great public moment. But eagerness to continue walking with Him would quickly begin to wane.

Soon enough He was arraigned before the Israelite leaders of the day—first Annas, the former high priest, then Caiaphas, the current high priest. In their rush to judgment these men and their councils declared their verdict quickly and angrily. “What further need have we of witnesses?” they cried. “He is [worthy] of death.”2

With that He was brought before the gentile rulers in the land. Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee, interrogated Him once, and Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in Judea, did so twice, the second time declaring to the crowd, “I, having examined him before you, have found no fault in this man.”3 Then, in an act as unconscionable as it was illogical, Pilate “scourged Jesus, [and] delivered him to be crucified.”4 Pilate’s freshly washed hands could not have been more stained or more unclean.

Such ecclesiastical and political rejection became more personal when the citizenry in the street turned against Jesus as well. It is one of the ironies of history that sitting with Jesus in prison was a real blasphemer, a murderer and revolutionary known as Barabbas, a name or title in Aramaic meaning “son of the father.”5 Free to release one prisoner in the spirit of the Passover tradition, Pilate asked the people, “Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?” They said, “Barabbas.”6 So one godless “son of the father” was set free while a truly divine Son of His Heavenly Father moved on to crucifixion.

This was also a telling time among those who knew Jesus more personally. The most difficult to understand in this group is Judas Iscariot. We know the divine plan required Jesus to be crucified, but it is wrenching to think that one of His special witnesses who sat at His feet, heard Him pray, watched Him heal, and felt His touch could betray Him and all that He was for 30 pieces of silver. Never in the history of this world has so little money purchased so much infamy. We are not the ones to judge Judas’s fate, but Jesus said of His betrayer, “Good [were it] for that man if he had not been born.”7

Of course others among the believers had their difficult moments as well. Following the Last Supper, Jesus left Peter, James, and John to wait while He ventured into the Garden of Gethsemane alone. Falling on His face in prayer, “sorrowful … unto death,”8 the record says, His sweat came as great drops of blood9 as He pled with the Father to let this crushing, brutal cup pass from Him. But, of course, it could not pass. Returning from such anguished prayer, He found His three chief disciples asleep, prompting Him to ask, “Could ye not watch with me one hour?”10 So it happens two more times until on His third return He says compassionately, “Sleep on now, and take your rest,”11 though there would be no rest for Him.

Later, after Jesus’s arrest and appearance at trial, Peter, accused of knowing Jesus and being one of His confidants, denies that accusation not once but three times. We don’t know all that was going on here, nor do we know of protective counsel which the Savior may have given to His Apostles privately,12 but we do know Jesus was aware that even these precious ones would not stand with Him in the end, and He had warned Peter accordingly.13 Then, with the crowing of the cock, “the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord. … And [he] went out, and wept bitterly.”14

Thus, of divine necessity, the supporting circle around Jesus gets smaller and smaller and smaller, giving significance to Matthew’s words: “All the disciples [left] him, and fled.”15 Peter stayed near enough to be recognized and confronted. John stood at the foot of the cross with Jesus’s mother. Especially and always the blessed women in the Savior’s life stayed as close to Him as they could. But essentially His lonely journey back to His Father continued without comfort or companionship.

Now I speak very carefully, even reverently, of what may have been the most difficult moment in all of this solitary journey to Atonement. I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually—that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, “My God, my God, why hastthou forsaken me?”16

The loss of mortal support He had anticipated, but apparently He had not comprehended this. Had He not said to His disciples, “Behold, the hour … is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me” and “The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him”?17

With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.

But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees nor fails us. When the uttermost farthing had then been paid, when Christ’s determination to be faithful was as obvious as it was utterly invincible, finally and mercifully, it was “finished.”18Against all odds and with none to help or uphold Him, Jesus of Nazareth, the living Son of the living God, restored physical life where death had held sway and brought joyful, spiritual redemption out of sin, hellish darkness, and despair. With faith in the God He knew was there, He could say in triumph, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”19

Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”20

My other plea at Easter time is that these scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find only unresponsive onlookers when He sees you and me along His Via Dolorosa in our present day. As we approach this holy week—Passover Thursday with its Paschal Lamb, atoning Friday with its cross, Resurrection Sunday with its empty tomb—may we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. This Easter week and always, may we stand by Jesus Christ “at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,”21 for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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SAVIOR

REFERENCES

  1. Isaiah 63:3, 5; see alsoD&C 76:10788:106133:50. / 2. Matthew 26:65–66; see footnote 66b. /  3. Luke 23:14. / 4. Matthew 27:26. / 5. See Bible Dictionary, “Barabbas,” 619. / 6. Matthew 27:21. / 7. Matthew 26:24. / 8. Matthew 26:38. / 9. See Luke 22:44Mosiah 3:7D&C 19:18. / 10. Matthew 26:40. / 11. Matthew 26:45. / 12. See Spencer W. Kimball, Peter, My Brother, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year (July 13, 1971), 5. / 13. See Mark 14:27–31. / 14. Luke 22:61–62. / 15. Matthew 26:56. / 16. Matthew 27:46; emphasis added. / 17. John 16:328:29. / 18. See John 19:30. / 19. Luke 23:46. / 20. John 14:18; see also v. 3. / 21. Mosiah 18:9.

 

 

The PROMISE of EASTER

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PRESIDENT GORDON B. HINCKLEY:  This is Easter. This is the season when we commemorate the most important event in human history. Millions upon millions through the ages have testified through the goodness of their lives and the strength of their courage of the reality of that event. … At sunrise in the morning multitudes will gather on a thousand hills to welcome the dawn of the Easter day and to remind themselves of the story of the Christ, whose resurrection they will commemorate. In language both beautiful and hopeful, preachers of many faiths will recount the story of the empty tomb. To them-and to you-I raise this question: “Do you actually believe it?” … This is a time when we should re-examine and reaffirm our faith and rededicate our lives to Christ’s service.

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PRESIDENT HUGH B. BROWN:  At this joyful Easter time we join with Christians throughout the world in celebrating this epochal event Easter signifies the triumph of the human spirit over darkness and death.

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ELDER MARION D. HANKS:  I bear testimony and thank God for this Good Friday, tragic as are the events which it commemorates, and for what it means to me and to all men, for what it lays before men of a future, for this day had to happen in order that Easter and its glorious events could come to pass.

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PRESIDENT SPENCER W. KIMBALL:  Sometimes our celebrations of notable occurrences seem to take on earthly color, and we do not fully realize the significance of the reason for the celebration. This is true of Easter, when too often we celebrate the holiday rather than the deep significance of the resurrection of the Lord. They must be unhappy indeed who ignore the Godship of Christ, the Sonship of the Master. We feel sorry indeed for those who call the supreme miracle of the resurrection “but a subjective experience of the disciples, rather than an actual historical event.”

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PRESIDENT DAVID O. McKAY:  If everyone participating in Easter services knew that the crucified Christ actually rose on the third day from the tomb, that after having greeted others and mingled with others in the spirit world his spirit did again reanimate his pierced body, and after sojourning among men for the space of 40 days he ascended a glorified soul to his Father, what benign peace would come to souls now troubled with doubt and uncertainty! … In our time, the most direct confirmation that Jesus rose from the grave is the appearance of the Father and the Son to the Prophet Joseph Smith, eighteen hundred years after the event Christendom will celebrate this Easter. … May the spirit of Easter and the sure knowledge that he lives permeate our hearts this day. May his great atoning sacrifice be a constant reminder of the relatively insignificant sacrifices expected of us, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world. Amen.

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I WAS A BEEHIVE TOO

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I really enjoyed the movie “Once I Was a Beehive.” A good movie! It brought back many memories of when I was a Beehive.  One year, when we went to Pine Valley for our camp, I had a broken ankle and was wearing a cast and using crutches. It was great, because whenever I wasn’t in the mood to do something, I announced that my ankle was hurting and I had to lie down and elevate it.

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One of my favorite memories is how our leader, Ellen Davis, got us to come into the tent at night. She’d bring magazines like “Modern Romance” (or some such name), “True Romance,” “Screen Romances.” This was in the early 50’s (1950’s, not 1850’s … I know what some of you are thinking!), so the magazines were pretty “tame” compared to the magazines of today. But when Sister Davis called us to come to the tent in the evening, we ran! We knew she was going to read one of the articles to us. I think of it now and I find it hilarious that she did that!

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Well, that’s the “intro” to what I want to share today. I ran across a list of the 1916 BEEHIVE REQUIREMENTS!  Interestingly, in 1916 when this was “in effect,” every young woman over 14 years of age was a Beehive girl until she entered Relief Society.

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The following are a FEW of the 373 requirements possible for a Beehive girl to earn her awards:

– Care successfully for a hive of bees for one season and know their habits.

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– Give the distinguishing characteristics of 6 varieties of hen and cattle and tell the good and weak points of each.  – Exterminate the mosquitos over an area of one-half mile square by pouring a little kerosene on the surface of all standing pools of water twice each month during April, May, or June.  Six girls may do this and each receive an award, or one girl can receive six awards.

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– Make two articles of underwear by hand.  – Cover 25 miles on snowshoes in any six days.  – Learn to float in Great Salt Lake and propel yourself 50 feet.  – During three consecutive months, abstain from candy, ice cream, commercially manufactured beverages and chewing gum.

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– For one month masticate your food so thoroughly that it slips down without any visible effort at swallowing it.  – Successfully put a new washer on a faucet.  – Care for at least two kerosene lamps daily.

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– For three months take care of milk and cream from at least one cow and see that the pails, pans, strainer and separator are thoroughly cleansed.  – During two weeks keep the house free from flies or destroy at least 25 flies daily.

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– Have your toilet moved to an isolated place in the garden.  Have a frame of chicken wire built about three feet away and plant quick-growing vines such as cucumber or morning glories to screen it from observation.  – Whitewash your toilet inside and out.

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– Know and describe three cries of a baby.  – Without help or advice, care for and harness a team at least five times; drive fifty miles during one season.  – During two summer months, clean ice chest thoroughly twice a week.

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– Discover ten reasons why the Columbine should be made the national flower.  – Clear sage brush, etc., off of one-half acre of land.  – Know six blazes used by Indians.

REMEMBER: These are only a FEW of the 373 possible requirements!! Tell a Beehive girl you know well that she should relax!  And that’s all for now.  I’m OFF!!

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God’s Amazing Creations

When our Heavenly Father helps us with our hard times and challenges, we have faith in HIS abilities. When He helps us solve our problems, He has faith in OUR abilities, and He helps us become stronger and more like Him and His Son.  His/Their amazingness can be observed in many, many ways.  Some examples follow.

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God’s existence and beauty can be seen in the hatching of eggs:  Those of a canary in 14 days – Those of a barnyard hen in 21 days – Those of ducks and geese in 28 days – Those of a mallard in 35 days – And the eggs of the parrot and ostrich hatch in 42 days! They are all divisible by seven, the number of days in a week, and the number of days (in God’s time, yes) of the Creation, including the day of REST.

God’s wisdom and creativity is seen in the making of an ELEPHANT… yes!

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The four legs of this great beast all bend forward in the same direction. No other quadruped is so made! God planned that this animal would have a huge body – too large to live on two legs. So… for this reason He gave it four fulcrums so that it can rise from the ground easily.  The HORSE rises from the ground on its two front legs. A COW rises from the ground with its two hind legs first.

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How amazing and fascinating are ALL the creations of our Heavenly Father!! Each WATERMELON has an even number of stripes on the rind. Each ORANGE has an even number of segments. Each ear of CORN has an even number of rows. Each stalk of WHEAT has an even number of grains. Every bunch of BANANAS has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one, so that one row has an even number and the next row an odd number.  AMAZING!

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The waves of the sea roll in on the shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather! All grains are found in even numbers on the stalks!

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He has caused flowers to blossom at certain specified times during the day. Linnaeus, a great botanist, once said that if he had a conservatory containing the right kind of soil, moisture, and temperature, he could tell the time of day or night by the flowers that were open and those that were closed!

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What I’m feeling is that each of us is in the care of a Heavenly Father and Savior Who love us dearly. They are AWARE OF US in ways we can’t even comprehend right now. We need to trust Them more than we do, to thank our Heavenly Father more often for  blessings, including His Son (and to endeavor to be more AWARE of His zillion blessings to us). Only our Father, Who made our hearts and our minds and our incredible bodies, can successfully and lovingly guide and help us to reach our potential – to return to live with Him and His Son forever and ever.  He blesses us daily in ways we don’t recognize… thank Him for this along with everything else you can think of.  Life without God is like an un-sharpened pencil: It has no point. Have a beautiful EASTER SEASON filled with JOY and GRATITUDE!

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PERKS of getting older

My brother turns 78 today. I just get up close (turned 76 while he was still 77), and then he scoots on ahead again.

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We had a FUN get-together a couple of weeks ago, and you can imagine how many memories we’ve collected. He is a great story teller, and what’s great about it is that all the stories are true, and we all laugh and remember together. So for this morning, in honor of my brother Paul, closer to 80 than the rest of us, I’m sharing some thoughts about the PERKS of getting older. I know you’ll think of more things to add….

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PERKS OF GETTING OLDER

Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

No one expects you to run‑‑anywhere.

People call at 9 pm and ask, Did I wake you????

People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

There is nothing left to learn the hard way.

Things you buy now won’t wear out.

You can eat supper at 4 pm .

You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks into the room.

You sing along with elevator music.

Your eyes won’t get much worse.

Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.

Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.

You can’t remember who sent you this list .

And I really tried to put all these things in BIG PRINT for your convenience… but they seem to have only “one size fits all.”  Get your glasses out if you need to!

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The Provo City Center Temple!

I flew in from Raleigh yesterday morning, my good friend Ruth picked me up at the airport and drove me home, I hauled things in my house (aka “storage unit”), took as deep a breath as I could, got in my car, and went to our stake center. AND… I had the privilege of attending the dedication of the PROVO CITY CENTER TEMPLE.

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Oh, I can’t really describe the feelings I had (and have) for this Temple. I loved the Tabernacle and mourned when it burned 5 years ago…. I had many memories, including a Messiah sing-a-long, and the chance to speak in that beautiful old building with my friend and mentor, Elaine Jack, years ago. I loved (LOVED!!) the Open House… I know it’s a “brand new” Temple, but it has such a sweet historical feel to it. It’s EXQUISITE (as are ALL Temples). Holiness to the Lord! The House of God! Eric Huntsman had reminded us that it would be PALM SUNDAY and we would participate in the Hosannah Shout on that beautiful day!!

My good friends Alan and Nancy Ostergar are the first president and matron — a perfect choice!

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I feel so THANKFUL for ALL of them, including this, which makes it 150 (for now… more on the way!!).

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THANK YOU, RALEIGH!

What a great time we had at the TOFW in Raleigh this past week-end! It was SO GOOD to be back!! And I’m thinking Raleigh will be on the schedule more often from now on. There is nothing quite like that “Southern Hospitality.” We were surrounded by lots of LOVE and lots of ENTHUSIASM. I had some reunions, including two daughters of my mission president in Indonesia: Olivia and Karin. Olivia is living in NC for a while, and Karin flew from the Netherlands!! What a HAPPY SURPRISE! I hadn’t seen them in many, many years!!

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And I briefly saw a dear friend Katie Hoskin! I tried to find her after the event – we haven’t seen each other in YEARS, and I wanted to chat! She and Joe were in my area as teachers at the MTC, and I was ECSTATIC when they married… a fantastic couple! They’ve lived in China for a long time (they served in Hong Kong (Joe) and Taiwan (Katie)… hope I remember that right). I met Mitzi, who picked up mee and John B at the airport and ended up being the “official photographer.” Her sister Mei Lani gave a wonderful talk (I love having a local Sister participate at each event). Oh, I met SO MANY wonderful people – I could go on and on telling about them… and I had the blessing of being on a great TOFW team (including our AV geniuses!!)… Can’t wait for CINCINNATI!  22-23 APRIL!

HERE IS OUR RALEIGH TEAM! (Thanks for a great picture, Mitzi!) MEI Lani, Sandra, Emily, mee, Eric, and our wonderful leader, Chrislyn

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Those who attended were SO PATIENT with mee….

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THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH, RALEIGH!!!  

North Carolina!

This is going to be a wonderful “TIME OUT FOR WOMEN!” I’m scurrying around to be ready for my neighbor to take me to the airport at 4:30 (a.m., yes). Wheeeee! I’ll look forward to sharing about it when I return (I’ll probably send a note on Monday, because when I return Sunday I’m going to the dedication of the Provo City Center Temple!!!).  Have a wonderful week-end, everyone. SPRING IS ALMOST HERE!! (Some of you are having additional snow!….)

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