Smith Family Ice Cream Scoop: March 2007

Monday, March 12, 2007

Violin Festival

I was in charge of the Instrumental Festival for Idaho Falls this year, and whew! it's finally over! It was a lot of work, and a lot of stress, and when all was said and done, I spent quite a bit of my own money on it. (I don't get paid.) I was going to do it next year, but I'm thinking about not....

Our Baby Girl is 11!

Yes, you read that right... Aubrey turned 11 on January 19th! She is getting so tall and grown up and beautiful... and she needs to stop it right now!!

My Resourceful Indian

Cooper made this bow and arrow himself, with found items around the house. I was actually quite impressed that he could make a "working" bow and arrow out of a stick from a wicker basket, a chopstick, a straw, a feather, and a stretchy string thing he found. I think he might be able to make it "out in the wild" if he had to.

Family History

Aubrey did a project for school about an ancestor, and chose Mary Ann Barker Virgin. As we researched her, we found that she was buried just 15 minutes away! There were lots of other neat coincidences, including finding out that a girl at her school, in our ward, did a project on the SAME ancestor. So, we're related! Isn't Family History great?

Cowboy Grandpa

This is Grandpa Lauritz in Brandon's favorite hat. He looks good, eh? He also read a whole Louis L'Amour book while he was here visiting...so I think he wins the cowboy of the week award!

To Do Today

* Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you.
* When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love, toward God.
* In your life there have to be challenges. They will either bring you closer to God and therefore make you stronger, or they can destroy you. But you make the decision of which road you take.
* First and foremost, you are a spirit child of God. If you neglect to feed your spirit, you will reap unhappiness. Don't permit anything to detract you from this awareness.
* You cannot communicate with God unless you have first sacrificed your self-oriented natural man and have brought yourself into the lower levels of meekness, to become acceptable for the Light of Christ.
* Put all frustrations, hurt feelings, and grumblings into the perspective of your eternal hope. Light will flow into your soul.
* Pause to ponder the suffering Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the awareness of the depth of gratitude for him, you appreciate every opportunity to show your love for him by diligently serving in his Church.
* God knows that you are not perfect. As you suffer about your imperfections, he will give you comfort and suggestions of where to improve.
* God knows better than you what you need. He always attempts to speak to you. Listen, and follow the uncomfortable suggestions that he makes to us--everything will fall into its place.
* Avoid any fear like your worst enemy, but magnify your fear about the consequences of sin.
* When you cannot love someone, look into that person's eyes long enough to find the hidden rudiments of the child of God in him.
* Never judge anyone. When you accept this, you will be freed. In the case of your own children or subordinates, where you have the responsibility to judge, help them to become their own judges.
* If someone hurts you so much that your feelings seem to choke you, forgive and you will be free again.
* Avoid at all cost any pessimistic, negative, or criticizing thoughts. If you cannot cut them out, they will do you harm. On the road toward salvation, let questions arise but never doubts. If something is wrong, God will give you clarity but never doubts.
* Avoid rush and haste and uncontrolled words. Divine light develops in places of peace and quiet. Be aware of that as you enter places of worship.
* Be not so much concerned about what you do, but do what you do with all your heart, might, and strength. In thoroughness is satisfaction.
* You want to be good and to do good. That is commendable. But the greatest achievement that can be reached in our lives is to be under the complete influence of the Holy Ghost. Then he will teach us what is really good and necessary to do.
* The pain of sacrifice lasts only one moment. It is the fear of the pain of sacrifice that makes you hesitate to do it.
* Be grateful for every opportunity to serve. It helps you more than those you serve.
* And finally, when you are compelled to give up something or when things that are dear to you are withdrawn from you, know that this is your lesson to be learned right now. But know also that, as you are learning this lesson, God wants to give you something better.

from "Unleashing the Dormant Spirit by F. Enzio Busche