How will I ever make it without Facebook?

Today was the first day of the Provident Living #4 - Media Management. I set a goal to not look at Facebook for 2 weeks. It has been about 24 hours since I set that goal and it has been harder than expected. In the last 24 hours I have realized how many times I look at Facebook on my phone. This is quite often BTW. I have decided to delete the app from my phone because every time there is a comment or post related to our Facebook I get a notice on my phone and I am tempted to check it out. Several years ago my husband taught a Dale Carnegie class. One of the human relations principles taught was Don't Criticize, Condemn or Complain. This left a lot of time on your hands so you were suppose to replace it with something good. So now I have more time on my hands by not looking at Facebook so what shall I replace it with? What if I read the scriptures on my phone instead? How far would I get? What if I read general conference talks instead? How uplifted would I be? What if I didn't pick up my phone at all and carried on a conversation with a co-worker? How much missionary work could be accomplished? What if I called one of my children to tell them of my love? How much joy would that bring to both of us? What if I wrote a letter of thanks or called a friend in need? What a novel idea! What if I sent a text to my young women to let them know I was thinking of them? How much closer could we become! All of these will be great replacements and bring much good to me but the greatest blessing that will come from not looking at Facebook will be peace and happiness. Why? Because I will not be reading angry comments, anti-Mormon posts from old friends, or scary news reports. I will not be wasting time on game invites or silly surveys. I will be less frustrated with politics and more in tune with the spirit. All in all I have to say this may be the hardest but most rewarding 2 weeks in a long time. I will keep you posted on how it goes!

Family!

There is nothing that brings more joy than family! I am blessed with a wonderful family. It seems that this family started out with just the two of us a few years ago and has grown to 18 in no time flat. These are 7 of the 8 incredible blessings in my life. You can tell by the looks of things that they were done with having pictures taken. The oldest will be baptized next summer. I am grateful for their parents that are raising them in the gospel. That are teaching them correct principles and preparing them to make and keep sacred covenants that they will someday make in the Temple. I am grateful that their parents made those sacred covenants with each other and strive daily to keep them. When I look at this picture I am reminded of my Heavenly Father's plan and His love for me. I can't wait to be with these guys forever!

Covenants

This week in class we studied Gospel Ordinances and Covenants. I was reminded of the importance of these in my life. I am grateful for the Temple and the covenants I have made with the Lord. I was especially grateful for the covenant of marriage and that Chad and I can be married for not only time but for eternity.

Friday as I was driving to work I was listening to my favorite radio station. It was a couple of days before Valentine's and they had put together a "No-Budget" wedding. It was 7:30 in the morning and a couple was getting married at the radio station. Their family was there to enjoy the morning. They had only learned a week before that they had won this prize. As I listened to this wedding being performed on the radio it was fun to hear the mothers cry, the groomsmen joke, the bridesmaids cheer, and the couple make vows with one another. I was grateful that in our crazy world that people still felt it necessary to make these vows with one another. It made my heart happy. The radio DJ mentioned that she is getting married again and her mother is upset that it is not in the Catholic church. She explained that in order to do that she would need to get her first marriage annulled. She was not willing to do that. She did not want to say that her first marriage never happened. Her first marriage was a big part of her life and she had wonderful children because of it. I was saddened that her first marriage ended in divorce but grateful that is was a good memory.

These two stories made me contemplate the things I had learned in class this week. Marriage is ordained of God. It is between a man and a women. The covenant that we make with one another is for eternity. We can be together forever if we live up to that covenant. I will be eternally grateful for this wonderful blessing in my life. I am grateful for four children that have chosen to enter into this covenant of marriage. Here is a picture of our last one - in the Gilbert AZ Temple - where there were no empty seats!

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

     This semester I am taking an online class entitled The Eternal Family. The purpose of this course is to help deepen our understanding of the plan of salvation and the doctrines and principles found in the Family proclamation. Another purpose is to help our desire to strengthen our marriages, nurture our children and create a healthy, supportive and righteous family environment. And lastly, to work on provident living skills that will help our marriage and family.
     The first provident living skill we worked on was scripture study. I made a goal to read the scriptures for the Sunday School lesson daily, with my husband. This has been a great blessing. Although we are not as consistent as we should be at the daily part, we have been successful in reading the assignment. It has been very helpful when we go to class to understand and participate. I have enjoyed the discussion I have had with Chad about what we are reading and how we can apply them to become better people.
     As we have read the first book of Nephi I have been amazed the lessons taught about the eternal family. We see the desire of Lehi for his family to partake of the fruit and have the ability to be together forever. How hard must it have been for Nephi to see the future, to see his brother's posterity fighting with his posterity and the devastation to come. He knew that the possibility of eternal family was gone because of the choices his brothers would make. But he continued on, being a great example, and worked hard for the promise of his own family being eternal.
     As we read, study, ponder and apply the scriptures in our lives we can be uplifted, edified, and taught by the spirit the things that we need to do to ensure that our families are eternal.


   

"The Atonement is not just for sinners"

-Elder Bruce C Hafen of the Seventy

One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon is Alma 7:11-12. In Chapter 7, Alma is speaking to the people in Gideon. In verse 7 he teaches "there is one thing which is of more importance than they all - for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people. This was 83 years before the coming of Jesus Christ to the earth.  Alma then teaches the people what the Savior will do while upon the earth:

Alma 7:11-13

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

In the margins next to this scripture I wrote...the Lord has 1st hand knowledge. How comforting to me to know that He has experienced what I am experiencing and He knows how to succor me and you. How comforting to know that the Atonement was not just for sin but that Jesus Christ suffered to save us from death too and to help us through the challenges of mortality.

"This reliance upon the merciful nature of God is at the very center of the gospel Christ taught. I testify that the Savior's Atonement lifts from us not only the burden of our sins but also the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair. From the beginning, trust in such help was to give us both a reason and a way to improve, an incentive to lay down our burdens and take up our salvation". -Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Do you agree with Alma that the coming of the Savior is the most important event of all time? I bear testimony that this truly is the most important event of all time. I am grateful for His willingness to come to earth and fulfill His part in the Father's plan. That He was willing to suffer in the garden and then lay down His life for us, making it possible for us to repent and return to our Father in Heaven. To be resurrected and live again. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement and although I am just beginning to understand all it covers I am grateful that it is not just for sinners. That Jesus Christ is there for me during my challenges and will take those burdens from me if I will let Him. I pray everyday that I can repent and become more like Him. Of these things I testify.

The book shall be of great worth.

So much for posting from time to time, more like year to year. It's been quite a whirlwind since my last post. I will update everyone soon on all the changes. One change is that I have decided to go back to school and get by BSN. I am doing an online RN to BSN program through BYU-I. The biggest reason is to fulfill a lifelong goal of getting my bachelor's degree before all my kids get theirs - barely going to make it - probably will graduate with Corey instead of before - but counts!

One of the classes I am taking is the Book of Mormon. I love the Book of Mormon and am excited for the chance to read and study it again in depth. "The Book of Mormon is a sacred record of peoples in ancient America" and is another testament of Jesus Christ. Together, with the Bible, they testify to us of our Savior, His mission, His life and the way back to live with Him again.

This week while studying 2 Nephi 28 I was struck with verse 2: And the things which shall be written out of the book shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel. The book mentioned here is the Book of Mormon. In Chapter 2, Nephi, an ancient prophet, is prophesying of some of the challenging conditions in the latter days and warns of ways that Satan will try to distract us from righteousness. This is why the Book of Mormon is of such great worth , to help us know how to overcome the conditions of our time.

A modern day prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson, taught how we can recognize the great worth of the Book of Mormon:

"Each of the major writers of the Book of Mormon testified that he wrote for future generations...

"If they saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, 'Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?'...

Throughout the entire book we find lessons on how to draw nearer to Christ, to overcome temptation, and to resist the power of Satan. President Ezra Taft Benson emphasized this by saying, 

"Is there not something deep in our hearts that longs to draw nearer to God, to be more like Him in our daily walk, to feel His presence with us constantly? If so, then the Book of Mormon will help us do so more than any other book.

"It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives that moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the stait and narrow path. The scriptures are called 'the words of life', and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance."

I testify that the Book of Mormon is of great worth to us in our day. I know that these ancient prophets saw our day and know our struggles. If we will abide by it's precepts we can overcome these struggles. I know that if you study and pray to know these things for yourself, that the Holy Ghost will "manifest the truth of it unto you".

What's in a name?

First, thank you to Kimberly for setting up this blog for me. I am hoping to write my thoughts from time to time as memories resurface. 

I was talking with my older son, CJ, the other day about the arrival of his third child. As we were discussing names he mentioned that he might take my husband up on his offer of $5,000 to the first kid that names a daughter Whitney. I don't know if this because of his love for the name; a love of Whitney Houston, or an old girlfriend; but, Chad is determined to have a granddaughter named Whitney. 

None of the kids have jumped at the chance to have a Whitney and $5,000. Maybe this is because their mother continues to insist that dad doesn't have that kind of money or maybe it is a dislike for the name. So, needless to say I was surprised that CJ was even considering it. When asked why the change of heart, CJ stated that he wanted his daughter to have a "story" about her name. He has a "story" about his name and it has opened many doors/opportunities in his lifetime. It is a great conversation starter and a great way for people to remember him. Why not offer your daughter the same opportunities?

So my first memory to write about is...how CJ got his name:

When I was 6 years old my appendix ruptured, causing me to become quite ill. I ran a very high fever, making it impossible for surgery for a few days. It turns out that I had gang green, peritonitis, and I vividly remember a drain coming out of my right lower abdomen area. I remember the drainage had a horrible smell; but, that is TMI. It took sometime but I did finally recovered. 

Fast forward about 12 years.

Chad and I were married in 1979. We were young and naive but in love. We were both working full-time and enjoying life. We decided that we would love to start a family but after a couple of years we still had not been blessed with children. So we decided to buy "toys" instead. We had a CJ5 Jeep along with a couple of 3-wheelers, a camping trailer, etc. Life was fun but we still felt like we were missing something to complete our family.

It was at this time that I started to see doctors about why we had not been able to conceive. After a couple of surgeries they discovered that my ruptured appendix had caused adhesions to "stick" most of my internal organs together. I underwent a major abdominal surgery to have the adhesions removed. It was at this time that they discovered that one of my ovaries was completely damaged and the other one didn't look to promising. The doctor's gave us a 5% chance of ever having children. I will save the story of our 4 miracles for another blog update.

I went through more surgeries and treatments and in 1984 we were blessed with our first son. These treatments were quite expensive and Chad had just recently lost his job so money was tight. We were worried about how we were going to pay for this new addition. In fact, they insisted that we pay for him before we left the hospital. So we decided it was time to sell the "toys" and become mature parents.

We knew that we wanted to name him Charles Norman Krewson, III, after his father but had not decided on what to call him. We thought of Chucker - Chucker Krewson sounded like he could be a famous football player. We thought of Trey, for the third., but it didn't really fit. We even considered Norman but Cheers was pretty popular then and we didn't want people to holler "Norm" every time he came into the room. 

When CJ was born he weighed 8 lbs, 14 ounces and was only 18" long. He was kind of short and stocky. When the doctor handed him to me he said, "even his toes are fat", "he is built just like a jeep". That was it, we would call him CJ. After our CJ Jeep we had sold to "pay" for him. We would tell people it stood for Chad Junior but we knew the truth; he had become the new love of our life.

We have told CJ from time to time over the years that he could change his name if he wanted too but I think he likes it. We have since had another CJ5 and a CJ7 in our life. They have been fun and brought a lot of joy and memories, but the CJ we will eternally love, the one that came to live with us in 1984, the one that has given us two wonderful grandsons, the soon arrival of a granddaughter, and a beautiful addition to our family in his wife Alli; he is, by far, the best CJ of them all.