Let's Do Better!

Dear Family,
I just noticed it's been a couple of months since anyone posted on our blog....We have been busy as well, but let's try to do better!  This is a great way to keep in touch since we don't all have the opportunity to talk to each other on the phone regularly...
We just finished a DELICIOUS Mother's Day dinner!  I asked Dad if we could do this on a regular basis (every week - at LEAST once a month)...He fixed the entire dinner - complete with grilled salmon with Kristin's delicious mayo/tomato/basil sauce, fresh green beans, baked potato, french bread and green salad with all the trimmings.  For dessert, we're having some left-over cheesecake we served at a dinner we had here at the temple home last night, but Dad bought all the fixin's for the pineapple sherbet/vanilla ice cream dessert...So, we'll have that another time - soon!  We had wonderful meetings today.  We had a farewell message from a missionary leaving soon as well as a mother's day message.  The speaker was especially sensitive to those women who have not had the opportunity for marriage or to bear their own children, but who have (in every sense of the word) been great nurturers and "mothers" to many.  I wish mother's day could last a little longer...
We have been SO busy...I was asked to give a class at a stake women's conference last week, then the next day we had our yearly coordinator's meeting at the temple.  Yesterday we had a special session for all our sealers and their spouses followed by a dinner here.  It put the "cap" on a very busy two weeks, but was such a nice experience.  This last week we also traded a couple of our shifts at the temple with Dad's counselors and we escaped to SF with Callisters where we went to "Mary Poppins" at the Orpheum Theater and spent a night at the suites.  We are grateful for the opportunity to trade shifts because it allows us to take advantage of special opportunities, but it makes for difficult shifts coming up...But...we had a wonderful time even though we needed to hurry back to get ready for last night.
The opening session of the women's conference I attended was one of the best I have ever attended.  The stake president gave a great talk...I want to share some of it with you....He asked:

• What is the condition of your heart?
• Can You receive revelation?
• Do you know HOW to receive revelation?
• Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with life?
• Do you pray with real intent?
• What is a disciple?
• Are you converted?

He asked us to seriously consider these questions and said:

• Receiving revelation requires: faith, a sufficient degree of personal worthiness and reverence.  He quoted Sister Beck (which I love): "The ability to qualify for, receive and act upon personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life."
• He quoted President Hinckley as saying that "the unhappiest people he knew were those obsessed with themselves and the happiest were those who immersed themselves in the service of others."
• Put your trust in the Lord and move forward with confidence.  Best antidote for worry is work.
• A true disciple of Christ is one who does what is right regardless of the consequences.
• Conversion is to DO and..to BECOME

Sister Royal who is the current Stake RS president in Fresno North Stake, was the keynote speaker.  She gave a wonderful talk about being "all inclusive" - enlarging our circle of friends to include those younger and older than ourselves, those who may not be members of the church, those who may be a different culture, those who may have totally different interests and personalities from us...to be willing to "deal with different".  She gave a talk I thought all women should hear...
Our mother's day lesson was especially good today.  The sister who taught the lesson shared advice for young mothers who often found mother's day to be difficult because they felt they weren't "measuring up" to the standards of a "successful" or "ideal" mother.  She suggested:

• Lower your expectations!  No one does EVERYTHING right ALL THE TIME...

• If your mother's day isn't all YOU would like it to be, YOU be grateful and express gratitude for all those who have "mothered" or "mentored" you.

We love all of you so much...We're grateful for Austin's mission call and for the opportunity we'll have to all be together in July.   Please take a minute to write a short message and if possible, enclose a picture or two...Love, Mom