On this blog I share with family and friends my daily thoughts, doings, what interests me, and--at times--tributes to my eternal sweetheart, Walt, who graduated to heaven on 8-21-2020.
Dedicated to our seven children--Janie, Gary, Steve, David, Julie, Brian, Jen, their spouses, our 39 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, and posterity to come.
THIS WEEK-APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2026
MONDAY,
APRIL 27, 2026
Family is
Everything...
Sunrise: 6:29 a.m.
Sunset: 8:19 p.m.
\\
Monday I caught UP
on my blog.
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TUESDAY,
APRIL 28, 2026
Family is Everything…
Institute... Isaiah 49-53
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Our Tuesday night movie was:
DEMETREIUS and
the GLADIATORS
1954
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WEDNESDAY,
APRIL 29, 2026
Family is
Everything…
We lived this poem today...
Poem...
"Warning"
by Jenny Joseph
"When I am an old woman
I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go,
and doesn't suit me..."
Lunch Bunch was at Trellis Cafe
19 WERE ABLE
TO COME TODAY...
AND A VERY KIND FRIEND
BOUGHT LUNCH FOR
ALL OF US.
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
Lunch Bunch
19 gals in the group photo…
This is what they have
on their website...
...this is what
we saw...
And 8 went on the Tulip Festival part…even tho most of the tulips were wiped out in a big rain-wind storm and most of the remaining ones were past their prime, it is always a precious time to ride thru the 50 acres of the 500,000 other flowers in addition to the 450,000 tulips, trees , shrubs, statues and displays. Thanks to Kathie and Jennie for driving the smoother new golf carts they just got 2 months ago. It’s been a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious day! Tammy, thank you for arranging it. And, again , thank your wonderful husband for buying all 19 lunches!!
Thank you, Kathie for
driving Carol, LeeAnn,
and Eileen...
Thank you, Jennie for
driving the golf cart...
...with Judy, Ann,
and Amelene.
THURSDAY,
APRIL 30, 2026
Family is
Everything…
Faithful
Latter-day Saint women are the ‘greatest rebuttal to Hollywood’s insanity,’
Sheri Dew says at BYU
Speaking at BYU
Women’s Conference, Sheri Dew calls on women to speak up and testify of truth.
PROVO,
Utah — The truth about Latter-day Saint women “seems to be in short supply
these days,” Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of
Deseret Management Corp., told a crowd of Latter-day Saint women and others
gathered Thursday, April 30, for BYU Women’s
Conference.
“There
isn’t anything all that secret about most of our lives,” Sister Dew continued
as the crowd of listeners sitting inside the BYU Marriott Center roared.
This
is “why most of us wouldn’t make very compelling reality TV,” she said. “But
maybe you’ve noticed that there isn’t much reality in reality TV.”
Hollywood
seems fixated on portraying millions of smart, talented, accomplished, devoted
and chaste Latter-day Saint women as women who are “secretly petty, promiscuous
and preoccupied with flaunting their covenant-breaking,” she said. But these
things aren’t true.
“Sisters,
it should not surprise us that the adversary is taking direct aim at the women
whom the Lord is counting on the most: His covenant daughters,” Sister Dew
said.
Sister Dew focused her remarks at the women’s
conference on three spiritual habits to help Latter-day Saint women and others
maintain spiritual equilibrium
Sister Dew focused her remarks at the women’s conference on three spiritual habits to help Latter-day Saint women and others maintain spiritual equilibrium through “ears that hear and eyes that see” in an unstable world.
The lives, voices and examples of faithful Latter-day Saint women are the “greatest rebuttal to Hollywood’s insanity,” Sister Dew taught.
When silence is ‘no longer a virtue’
Sister Dew, who has attended most of the latest 49 BYU Women’s Conferences, said “testifying of truth” is one spiritual habit that helps cultivate ears and eyes that hear and see “what is important, what is right and what is true.”
“I wonder if we realize how impactful, even life-changing, our testimonies can be,” Sister Dew told listeners. “Imagine what would happen if more than 8 million of us were regularly looking for opportunities to bear witness of what we know to be true.
“We would change the world.”
Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corp., speaks during her keynote session as part of BYU Women's Conference, in the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Sister Dew said bearing witness can take many forms: conversations, service and one’s example as a faithful Latter-day Saint.
“Words have power, and prophets have urged us to become articulate in testifying of truth,” she said. “If you feel uncomfortable expressing what you believe, can I invite you to practice?”
“Sisters, we are at that point,” Sister Dew said, urging Latter-day Saint women today to use the power with which they have been endowed.
Attendees give Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corp., a standing ovation at the end of her keynote session as part of BYU Women's Conference in the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Isaac Hale, Deseret News
Seeking truth among half-truths
Another spiritual habit to maintaining spiritual equilibrium is to seek truth, Sister Dew told listeners.
“I submit to you that the very definition of a woman of light is a woman who has ears to hear and eyes to see what is important, what is true and what is right,” she said.
Sister Dew explained that Satan, the “father of lies,” is highly skilled at deception and has “more tools of distraction at his disposal today than ever before.”
Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corp., speaks during her keynote session as part of BYU Women's Conference, in the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Isaac Hale, Deseret News
She also said that one of the greatest threats to maintaining spiritual balance is “choosing to listen to people who have mastered the art of the half-truth.”
What is the antidote to such a threat? The late ChurchPresident Russell M. Nelsonpleaded with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to let God prevail and give Him a “fair share” of their time, Sister Dew said. Current ChurchPresident Dallin H. Oakshas emphasized the need to cultivate the guiding influence of the Holy Ghost.
“Immersion in truth is the only antidote to the deception placed throughout the secular drilling we consume daily,” Sister Dew added.
Hearkening to truth
Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corp., waves to an “instant choir” of volunteer attendees as she exits after her keynote session as part of BYU Women's Conference, in the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Isaac Hale, Deseret News
A third spiritual habit to maintain spiritual equilibrium is hearkening to truth, Sister Dew taught.
“Hearkening to truth, meaning acting on the truth we’ve sought to find, opens our ears and eyes to more truth,” Sister Dew said.
She then acknowledged this can, at times, be a challenge, saying: “One stumbling block that keeps us from hearkening to truth is our unwillingness to put God first.”
“I’m imagining,” she continued, “that we have each failed at times to put the Lord first.
“I have, though I don’t know why I ever let it happen, because things go better when I make Him the center of everything I do.”
The Lord’s “math is different than ours,” Sister Dew said. “When we give him even some of our time, it seems like he multiplies the rest, while also dividing our sorrows, our anxiety and our grief.”
President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.Aaron Cornia, BYU photo
PROVO, Utah — Relief Society GeneralPresident Camille N. Johnsontold sisters gathered atBYU Women’s Conferencein Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, how they can have more Jesus Christ in their lives.
The Savior promised inRevelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
To open the door to Him, President Johnson suggested six areas one can focus on more to “throw the door wide open to the Savior.”
President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Aaron Cornia, BYU photo
“I am not suggesting you add something more to your to-do list to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ,” she said.
President Johnson spoke about how to be more intentional and purposeful with “what you are already doing.”
“To have Jesus Christ in my life, I need prayer, scripture study, covenant making and keeping — including weekly participation in the sacrament; I need temple worship, repentance, forgiveness and service,” she said.
President Johnson pointed to the story ofMary and Martha in the New Testament. Mary chose to sit at the Savior’s feet and learn from Him. President Johnson described this as choosing the best part.
“For more Jesus Christ in your life, what are you willing to do, see and hear less of?” she asked. “Will you sit with that question for a moment and commit to less of something for more Jesus Christ in your life?”
Prayer
President Johnson referenceda talkat RootsTech 2025, when the latePresident Jeffrey R. Holland, then acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke on two lessons he learned during a hospital stay.
“We are to pray more often, and in more places, than we do. And if you have prayed a lot, pray more,” President Holland said. “The other lesson was to testify, to be a witness. However much you testify, testify more.”
Attendees listen as President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Said President Johnson, “Sisters, I believe we can be more intentional with the prayers we are offering to Heavenly Father to have more of His Son, Jesus Christ, in our lives.”
She also shared how she has been blessed by trying to pray more, with specific expressions of love and gratitude.
“In those prayers, always offered in the name of Jesus Christ, I am opening the door to having the Savior in my life.”
Scripture study
Attendees take notes as President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
President Johnson again shared how she has been blessed in her own life by opening the door wide to Jesus Christ in her life by studying the scriptures.
“My days are best when I study the scriptures, searching for connections, patterns and themes,” she said. “We can be more purposeful in looking for types and symbols of Jesus Christ. I have learned important lessons from women whose stories are told in scripture. They poignantly make the point that when choosing Jesus Christ in difficulty, we discover increased strength and purpose and enjoy spiritual growth.”
Sacrament meeting
President Johnson said “all of us can make more of our sacrament experience by conscientiously preparing to take the emblems of the Savior’s death” during sacrament meetings.
This will require some advance work, President Johnson added.
President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
“Because of my desire, I can choose to prioritize a Sabbath day atmosphere that invites self-reflection and softens my heart. I can joyfully repent in anticipation of partaking of the sacrament so that my covenant making is worthy.”
Temple worship
The lessons applied to enhance sacrament meeting worship can also apply to temple worship.
“It is celebratory worship in the house of the Lord,” President Johnson said. “Covenant making and keeping — on Sunday during the sacrament and when we joyfully worship in the house of the Lord — reflect our desire for a relationship with Jesus Christ. When we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ through covenant, we invite Him to help us, and He will."
President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026.| Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
Forgiveness
Pointing to the Savior’s teachings inMatthew 6:14-15, President Johnson said forgiving others is a profound act of faith in Jesus Christ and His promises.
“Forgiving others is an elegant way to invite more Jesus Christ into our lives,” she said. “Accepting both sides of His Atonement — that His power pays for our sins and sorrow, and for the sins and sorrows of others — is throwing the door wide open to the Savior.”
Serving
Serving in the way the Savior would deepens and strengthens one’s relationship with Him, President Johnson said.
“When I act as His hands and feet, or His kind speaking lips or patient ears, I draw closer to Him, become more like Him and prepare to live with Him,” she said.
In conclusion, President Johnson invited women to be “the holy women whose lamps are full of the oil of conversion and who let their light shine.”
President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president, speaks during her keynote as part of BYU Women's Conference held at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, April 30, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News
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TEMPLE =
UNDERSTAND ATONEMENT
ADAM & EVE WERE
SEALED FOR ETERNITY
FRIDAY,
MAY 1, 2026
Family is
Everything…
SATURDAY,
MAY 2, 2026
Family is
Everything…
Rendezvousing with
SUNDAY,
MAY 3, 2026
Family is
Everything
Saratoga Springs 3rd Ward
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Redemption is equal because Christ is infinite...
-- Alma 34:14.
Glory is different because agency is real...
-- Doctrine and Covenants 93:31.
--The Bronze Serpent
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If you have not seen
our mini-life-sketch,
it is at the end of
my testimony below...
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** *I am so thankful for The Plan of Salvation and the Atonement of Jesus Christ that makes this
Great Plan operational.
At the end of this
May 3, 2026
I pray you have had a restful, peaceful, and spiritual Sabbath Day...
I share these truths as my testimony to you...
Heavenly Father lives and knows us each by name. He loves us and wants us to return to Him and Heavenly Mother when we leave this mortal existence. He loves us just as we are at this very moment.
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Jesus Christ came to earth as The Only Begotten of the Father and fulfilled the Atonement. He is the Redeemer of all.
“An omnicompetent God leaves all mortals free to choose, but how grateful we should be that God chose long, long ago to rescue and to resurrect all His children through the Atonement of His Son. Nevertheless, some reject and many are indifferent to these and other divine beckonings, mostly because they are too caught up in the cares of the world. They are strangers to the Savior, who is far from the thoughts and intents of their hearts.”
Neal A Maxwell
How Choice a Seer!
Revelation 19:16: -- "And he hath on his vesture and on
his thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS".
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I am thankful for the guidance of the Holy Ghost as the third member of the Godhead.
Walt said to me once: "I look forward to thanking the Holy Ghost in person when I get to Heaven. I don't think we give Him enough credit for all He does."
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Joseph Smith was foreordained to be the Prophet of the Restoration. He is the Restorer of all things.
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President Dallin H. Oaks is the Living Prophet today for all the world.
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The Bible is "the Word of God as far as it is translated correctly" and is a Testament of the Divinity of Jesus Christ.
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The Book of Mormon is the Word of God and is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is the most correct book of any book on earth.
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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the True Church on the earth today. Because of the restored Priesthood Temple Ordinances families can be sealed for eternity.
"Time moves slowly, but passes quickly... 
MONDAY, 
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** Our Tuesday night movie was: DEMETREIUS andthe GLADIATORS1954
*** *** ***
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2026
Lunch Bunch was at Trellis Cafe
Joseph Smith was foreordained to be the Prophet of the Restoration. He is the Restorer of all things.*** *** ***President Dallin H. Oaks is the Living Prophet today for all the world. 
PriesthoodAaronic andMelchizedek
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*** *** ***Of these truths I testify in the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.Eileen PetersenMay 3, 2026 "Time moves slowly, but passes quickly... 
