"My Song in the Night"

It's been a long, long, long time since I've posted.  I will get back to "y'all" (that one was for you Sister Mahana M.) soon.  In the meanwhile I wanted to share a message that I heard and love.

October 3, 2010 Broadcast #4229

In these troubled times, it's reassuring to know that God is in His heaven, watching over His children. This promise is perhaps best expressed in the Psalms: "He that keepeth thee . . . shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper."1

The Good Shepherd is vigilant by day and by night. When the shadows get darker and the threats seem more real, He stands ready to help. When disquieting sounds and hidden dangers intensify our fears and shake our peace, He offers comfort as He did to the Psalmist, who testified, "In the night his song shall be with me."2 That song is a song of peace amid the storms of life, of comfort despite heartache and pain, and above all, it is a song of love and tender watch care.

Recently, an elderly widow was asked if she ever felt afraid, living alone as she does. She replied with the kind of faith and conviction that had seen her through many years and many difficult circumstances. She explained that she does not feel afraid because, with all her heart, she knows that God loves her and is watching over her.

No matter how dark the night, we can feel heaven's light. That doesn't mean bad things won't happen. Good people will suffer, hearts will be broken, and anguish in one form or another comes to us all. But we can trust in the Lord's promises. As Victor Hugo once said to strengthen a friend: "Courage, then, and patience! Courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones. And then when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."3

In our quiet moments, we listen to Him whose song in the night whispers peace, comfort, and joy to the soul.


1 Psalms 121:3-5
2 Psalms 42:8
3 Letter to Savinien Lapointe, Mar. 1841, The Letters of Victor Hugo, ed. Paul Meurice (1898), 23.

Happy Memorial Day.

A few years ago, I moved to the US to pursue an education.  I lived in Utah in a friendly neighborhood where the American flag was displayed with pride every holiday.  As I saw these flags flying freely I felt unity, love and pride for country.  It was a lovely sight. I remember one home in particular that had a real flag pole (instead of brackets) in their front yard and coming from the islands I thought that was really cool!

When we bought our home we worked on the landscaping and for the final touch we added a flag pole and flag.  We love it!  It has become a landmark for us when we need to give directions on how to get to our home – “Look for the flag”.  I love my life here and just wanted to say it’s been a privilege to live here.  The other day I came upon this quote that deserves a spot on my blog.  President Abraham Lincoln gave his historic Gettysburg Address and eloquently laid out the simple yet profound idea that lies at the heart of this day:
"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
On this Memorial Day and all the days before and after it, we must remember those in our military who bravely served and never made it home…And that’s one of the many reasons why we fly the flag.

My Heavenly Father Loves Me

He lives.

Only in Arizona...

We always get a kick when we see these beauties on the road.  It just so happens that we had our camera to document this oh so classic bordering state moment.  No offense to our fellow Hispanic neighbors but I’m amazed that one does not get pulled over for this.  It’s a road hazard!  Now, I will give them credit for their packing skills not an inch is wasted.  But still...proceed with caution.

Matchplay 2010

Fun times with family, friends and celebrities.

Hello to our families in Utah, Tahiti and New Zealand!
We LOVE you!

My handsome boys.

Aren’t they cute?

Off they go to a friends house while I get my wisdom teeth removed.

11/11

We have an 11 year old in the house!  Only one more year and she'll be in YW's!!!  Thank you to our families near and far for making her day so special!
Happy Birthday Princess!  We love you tons!

Time...

I’ve been horrible at updating my blog. Sorry family. I guess my blog is not at the top of my priority list. A lot has happened and if I had to document it all (day by day) you’ll probably fall asleep reading this post.  So I’ll just highlight a few things and refer you to Ty’s blog since he’s done a way better job than yours truly.

- My little sister Mahana received her mission call back in Oct. to serve in the Columbia, South Carolina mission (for the LDS church), English speaking. She entered the Provo Utah MTC March 9, 2010. This was her first time in the US of A and her first time seeing snow and experiencing really, really COLD weather (a real shocker coming from the tropics). Since her English is pretty good instead of the 2 months training at the MTC she only spent a few weeks and leaves today for South Carolina. We are proud of her.

- As a family (with friends too) we have been hiking around our beautiful desert before it’s too hot to do so.

- January 2010 a New Year with the resolution to increase our Temple attendance.

- End of January:  we got a new Bishopric therefore Ty was released. Our previous Bishop has faithfully served our ward family for many years so it was time. Bishop Smith was and is a good man , I appreciate his time and sacrifice on our behalf. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity our family got to grow spiritually also. We will always cherish the Smith’s, the Wright’s and the Shiflet’s friendship...good people.  We wish our new Bishopric and their families well. The work must go on.

- February:  Dreams come true...on a budget we were able to score tickets to the Happiest Place on Earth...all is possible when there is “faith, trust and Pixie dust!”  Thank you Craigslist!  It’s a tradition of ours to take the soon to be Kindergartener to Disneyland.  So Happy Birthday in advance Jonathan!

Funnies

Just writing this down before I forget...
Jonathan:  Mom, could you put some “Sunscream” on me please?
Jonathan:  Mom, I brushed my teeth and I “broomed” my hair...
Jonathan:  Mom, can I help you “rip” (grate) cheese for the tacos?