AMERICA - THANK HEAVEN

I thank my God that I live in a land that is truly “choice above all others”. Each of us is a very fortunate person, thank heaven. Thank heaven for America! Despite our weaknesses, despite our problems, despite our challenges, this is the greatest nation on earth. Someone once said “we haven’t done badly for a nation of immigrants.”
But we haven’t done it alone. We have done it because God helped us do it. Our gratitude for this great country should be to Him. At the conclusion of the convention at which the Constitution was adopted George Washington said, “We have raised a standard to which the good and wise can repair; the event is in the hands of God… who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be, that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks.”
Several years ago I had the opportunity to visit a very large military installation in California, it was a language training base that was shared by all branches of the military. Twice a day as the flag of our great country was raised or lowered every single person on that base would stop what they were doing, salute and face the flag. Weather they were jogging, studying or shopping, even cars would stop in the street as the occupants would get out of their cars to give respect for the symbol of this country. This daily event never failed to touch my heart and bring a tear to my eye.
Let us all take pause during the coming weeks to give thanks. Not just for another holiday or an extra day to our weekend. But give thanks for the greatest country on earth. And pray that the leaders of this land will continue to seek the inspiration of that creator that inspired and guided our founding fathers.

SETTLING IN, sort of

Well after being in my new location for a couple of weeks, things are feeling like they belong to me. One upside to my new office is that I actually have enough wall space to add a picture or 2. This one is the creation of the world by Walter Rane. He is one of my favorite LDS painters. So I now have one of his works hanging in my office.
On Wednesday I went and had a "procedure" done to help my Barret's esophagus, the purpose is to burn off any bad tissue so they will be replaced by good cells. I am not so sure it helped much, right now it hurts like the very flames of hell.
If you want to take a look at what they did check out: http://www.barrettsadvice.com/?p=34
this is a somewhat graphic video of someone else (not me) having the procedure

CARTHAGE

There is not much I can say that this picture does not tell.
On June 27 1844 the prophet Joseph Smith Jr and his brother Hyrum were killed in the upper room of the Carthage Jail, while awaiting trial.
This picture is taken through the bullet hole that is still in the door, and looks at the window that the prophet fell through as he was shot.
"He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people......and sealed his mission with his own blood" (D&C 135:3)

I spent all this week in Chicago attending the Graph Expo print show. So why the pictures of Nauvoo? Well we arrived on Saturday and then drove 5 hours to Nauvoo, spent Saturday night there, went to church and then looked around Nauvoo for a couple of hours and then drove all the way back to Chicago.
It has been years since I was last in Nauvoo and things have changed a lot. Of course the biggest change is the reconstruction of the temple. What a thrill to see it in person. Across and in front of the temple is a statue of Joseph and Hyrum. The story is that when the two of them left to go to Carthage they stopped at the temple site for the last time and talked about the importance of the temple, and then they rode on to Carthage never to return.
I also found a great model for church meetings. We went to the sacrament meeting they hold for the Nauvoo missionaries. Sacrament meeting ONLY and each week they have a couple speak that is about to leave the mission. I told my colleagues "what could be better? Sacrament meeting only and every Sunday is a missionary farewell.