CHAPTER 8 The Tree of Life

I wanted to separate the chapters because Chapter 8 is a larger chapter. I copied from my blog to word what I wrote, and now it won't let me copy it back. I have to retype the whole chapter that I was writing. Here goes.

In our Hymn book we have a song about The Iron Rod . The words go like this

1. To Nephi, seer of olden time, A vision came from God, Where-in the holy word sublime Was shown an iron rod.

2. While on our journey here below, Beneath temptation's power, Through mists of darkness we must go, In peril every hour.

3. And when temptation's power is nigh, Our pathway clouded over Upon the rod we can rely, And heaven's aid implore.

4. And, hand over hand the rod along, Through each succeeding day, With earnest prayer and hopeful song, We'll still pursue our way.

5. Afar we see the golden rest To which the rod will guide, Where, with the angels bright and blest, Forever we'll abide.

Chorus Hold to the rod, the iron rod;' Tis strong, and bright , and true. The iron rod is the word of God; 'Twill safe-ly guide us through.

Text Joseph L. Townsend, 1849-1942

Music William Clayson, 1840-1887

Lehi's vision of the tree of life-He partakes of its fruit and desires his family to do likewise-- He sees a Rod of Iron, a strait and narrow path, and the mists of darkness that enshroud men--Sariah, Nephi, and Sam partake of the fruit, but Laman and Lemuel refuse. Between 600 and 592 B.C.

Chapter 8

65. In Lehi's dream or vision he first of all found himself following a mysterious visitor through a ''dark and dreary waste'' for many hours in darkness'' 1 Nephi 8:4-8

4. But behold, Laman and Lemuel, I fear exceedingly because of you; for behold, methought I saw in my dream, a dark and dreary wilderness.

5. And it came to pass that I saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.

6. And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.

7. And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.

8. And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies.

In my opinion, what was the Lord probably waiting for Lehi to do before unfolding to his view the vision that was to follow? (verse 8)

He traveled in darkness and he began to pray to the Lord that the Lord would have mercy on him. My opinion, the Lord probably wanted Lehi to recognize the difference between darkness and the light. He was waiting for Lehi to pray to him.

66. In addition to Lehi, a later Book of Mormon prophet, Alma, said of the fruit of the precious tree.'' Those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation, saying Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life.''

(Alma 5: 62)

In the church today what is the word(beginning with the letter t) that we are accustomed to using to designate this fore taste of divine life and love that brings men hope and enthusiastic conviction in the Lord's work? It is a Testimony.

67. Judging by your own experience, or the experience of others who have partaken of the joyous testimony that the gospel brings, would you say that Lehi's desire to share the fruit with others was typical(verse 12) Explain, Yes, once you know the truth you want to share it with your family and friends. He wanted his family to feel the joy.

68. What did the river of water represent? verse 13

1 Nephi 8:13

13. And as I cast my eyes round about, that perhaps I might discover my family also, I beheld a river of water; and it ran along, and it was near the tree of which I was partaking the fruit.

1 Nephi 15:26-29 for the answer.

26. And they said unto me: What meaneth the river of water which our father saw?

27. And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water.

28. And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God.

29. And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked.

The river represented a gulf that separated the wicked from the tree of life.

69. What did the ''Rod of Iron'' represent? (verse 19)

1 Nephi 8:19

19. And I beheld a rod of iron, and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood.

1 Nephi 15:23-24

23. And they said unto me: What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree?

24. And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

Nephi said the iron rod was the word of God. If we would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, we would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

7. At what point does the vision extend beyond Lehi's family and become the story of four representative segments of the human family?

1 Nephi Chapter 8 verse 21

21. And I saw numberless concourses of people, many of whom were pressing forward, that they might obtain the path which led unto the tree by which I stood.

Lehi saw numberless concourses of people pressing forward. I looked up the word pressing and it said this.

D&C 123:12

For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it--

Col. 2:8

8. Beware lest any man spoil, you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

I just learned so much in these passages.

71. What did the ''mist of darkness'' of 1 Nephi 8:23 represent? Look up this scripture to find the answer 1 Nephi 12:17

17. And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

1 Nephi 15:24

24. And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction.

Matt 13:19

19. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

72. What did the ''great and spacious building'' of verse 26 represent?

1 Nephi 8:26

26. And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth.

Consult 1 Nephi 12:18

18. And the large and spacious building, which thy father saw, is vain imaginations and pride of the children of men. And a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea even the word of the justice of the Eternal God, and the Messiah who is the Lamb of God, of whom the Holy Ghost beareth record, from the beginning of the world until this time, and from this time henceforth and forever.

The ''spacious building'' is the vain imaginations and pride of the children of men.

73. Who were the four groups of people that Lehi saw?

1. Numberless concourses of people pressing forward that they might obtain the pathe which led unto the tree by which I stood. They did come forth, and commenced in the path which led to the tree. Mist of darkness came and they lost their way they wandered off and were lost.

2. He saw others pressing forward. They caught hold of the iron rod and they did press forward through the mist of darkness, clinging to the rod of iron, even until they did come forth and partake of the fruit of the tree. They cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed.

3. Multitudes pressing forward they caught hold of the Iron Rod continually holding fast to the Rod of Iron they partook of the fruit of the tree.

4. Other multitudes feeling their way to the spacious building.

CHAPTER 7 Ismael's family to live in the wilderness, Lehi's sons to marry

Chapter 7

62. What is the minimum possible number of people that could have been in Lehi's Colony?

1 Nephi 7 (Verse 6) 1 Nephi 2:5 and 1 Nephi 4:35 I came up with 16+, but I could be wrong.

63. I skipped this question because it is confusing to me to answer. The question was how many unmarried daughters did Ishmael have. I believe it is 5 (verse 6)

64. Nephi discovered early in his career the singular fact about God that ''He giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.'' (1 Nephi 3:7)

Explain how the Lord had prepared the way for Nephi and his brothers to convince Ishmael's family to forsake everything they had in Jerusalem for a life in the desert. Specifically(a) what remarkable event occurred earlier that seemingly by coincidence now provided Nephi and his brothers with an unanswerable argument that the Lord was behind the venture

1 Nephi 3:29

29. And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

and (b) what occurred earlier that seemingly by coincidence answered the problem of marriage for Ishmael's unmarried children

1 Nephi 4:35?

35. And it came to pass that Zoram did take courage at the words which I spake. Now Zoram was the name of the servant; and he promised that he would go down into the wilderness unto our father. Yea, and he also made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth. I don't get this scripture in reference to Ishmael's family so I put in a search and here is the scripture I found on Ishmael's family

1Nephi 7:2

2. And it came to pass that the Lord commanded him that I, Nephi, and my brethren, should again return unto the land of Jerusalem, and bring down Ishmael and his family into the wilderness.

God would deliver Laban unto them so they could get the Brass Plates. God sent an angel who spoke unto them. The Lord spake unto Lehi and told him that he needed to have his sons and daughters to marry. Nephi and his brothers were to go to Jerusalem and get Ishmael's family. Ishmael's heart was softened and his family also and they came into the wilderness.

My visit to see my Grandson Yesterday, and His Visit to See Me Today.

This is not the best picture of me, but our little grandson looks good all of the time. Wednesdays are getting to be one of my busier days. It starts out with exercise in the heated pool followed by lifting weights. When I get home, I grab a bite to eat and head over to the other Grandma's house. I get to see our little grandson. He is growing and learning to talk. He's so smart. He has a wonderful little personality blossoming. Our little granddaughter is there also. I took the pudding pops that he helped me make a while ago over to the other grandma's house. He loves pudding pops. He usually has to take his shirt off to eat them. I found out that some company makes dripless popsycle molds. I'm still looking for them. I make it out of pudding and rice milk. He was very observant when all of a sudden he has two grandma's. Grandma has a boo boo he tells me. He knows that I can not take care of him like the other grandma can, but I still love him. After my visit with him, he kissed me goodbye. It was so sweet. I have massage Therapy in the afternoons now. Then off to my scripture and writing class. I have so many things going on in my life now. I can't keep up with everything. This morning when the other grandma was walking in our neighborhood with our grandson. She called me, and I came outside to see him. He knows this is my neighborhood and states that to the other grandma when they go by. He got to water my trees and strawberries in the front. It was so fun to visit with her and with him. He is growing up so fast.

Chapter 5 & Chapter 6

Chapter 5

55. Lord Kingsbourough found that many American Indian groups were acquainted with early biblical events. What record provided their forefathers with such data(v10)? The plates of brass kept by Laban and brought to them by Nephi.

56. What did the Brass Plates of Laban contain vs(11-14)? They contained the 5 books of Moses which gave the account of the creation of the world and also of Adam and Eve who were our first parents. Record of the Jews from, the beginning even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedikiah King of Judah; Prophecies spoken of Jeremiah, genealogy of his fathers. He knew he was a descendant of Joseph the son of Jacob. Laban was also a descendant of Joseph. He and his fathers kept the records.

57. The Brass Plates of Laban- as also the records kept by Nephi and his descendants in the New World-dealt with the descendants of which of Jacobs sons(verse 14)? Joseph who had the coat of many colors.

58. What did Lehi prophesy concerning the Brass Plates of Laban vs(17-19)? He prophesied about his seed. Plates of brass should go forth unto all nations kindreds, tongues and people who were his seed. They will never perish will not be dimmed by time. They are of great worth unto them, preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children. Wisdom in the Lord that they should carry them with them in the wilderness towards the land of promise.

Chapter 6

59. Nephi did not write the small Plates of Nephi for the purpose of offering people a textbook of history or archaeology or anthropology or geography. What did he say was the ''the fullness'' of his ''intent''; his real purpose for writing (Verse 4)? His intent is that he may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob and be saved.

60. What kind of quality of reader did Nephi know his writings would not please, and what kind did he know they would please (verse 5)? He was writing things that were pleasing unto God and people who were not of the world.

61. In my opinion(in connection with verse 5) would it be correct to say. ''The Book of Mormon is not on trial: the world is''? Compare with 2nd Nephi 25:22, 2 Nephi 33:14-15 and

3rd Nephi 26:6-11 especially verse 11. In these other scriptures it states that the world is on trial. We will be judged according to Nephi's words which are from God. It's very strong and we need to heed God's warnings.

Record Progress of My Weight Loss Journey Transformation

Sometime soon I'll be able to download some pictures of what I looked like from the beginning of my transformation. It's been a very slow process. I'm older now and most people would just give up and not try anymore, but I am determined to get the results. After my fall and my comeback, nothing will get in my way of my transformation. I have determination that will never quit until I get to my goal. It should be interesting what I will look like in a year or two because it will probably take me that long to get there. I have never been in my life what my goal is, I can't wait to see what it is going to be like. I just don't know how many 1000's of exercises that I will have to do to get there. It seems like an eternity.

In 1995 when I had my hip replaced my surgeon told my husband that I needed to lose weight. That didn't sit well with me. The doctor should have told me himself. I had some pains that I didn't know how to work through. I ended up gaining 50 more pounds because I didn't know how to lose weight then. I thought I was eating healthy, but I was not. I could not do much exercise because of certain problems with the hip replacement and my muscles.

2001 our son graduates from high school, and by the end of the year he's married. I was in not good health then. I weighed 220 pounds by then.

2004 I started working out at the gym. I found out that I was 50% fat. I never made much progress because I could never do enough exercise to burn enough calories to do any good. I may have lost a few pounds.

2006 I'm working all the time sitting 40 hours a week in a chair. A little exercise maybe. I have a terrible fall when my hip goes numb when I'm going down the steps in my garage. I fall to my left and down on the cement ground I fell. Well I'm in the hospital for a week. I'm home for a week, and then I'm back to work the next week. I continue to have excruciating pain for the remainder of 2006 and beyond. I start physical therapy. I met with my Orthopaedic Surgeon, and he says I need to lose weight to my face. I'm with a walker and I cant' walk. I told my Physical Therapist about what the doctor said, and he says he can help me lose the weight.

2007 I'm working and going to therapy.

2008 Aug. I'm ready to start some exercises. I weight 206 and I have 46% fat on me.
Here is the rest of my numbers that I want to keep.
I have lost my records for weight lost from Aug thru November's numbers. I mostly did water aeroebics in the pool during this time.

Dec. 4, 2008 Thurs. Weight 192.6, Fat% 46

Dec. 8, 2008 Mon. Weight 193, Fat 44

Dec. 11, 2008 Thur. Weight 193, Fat 42.3

Dec. 17, 2008 Wed. Weight 191.6, Fat 46

Dec. 19, 2008 Fri. Weight 193.6,

Fat 46.6, BMI 29.1

Dec. 23, 2008 Tues. Weight 191.6,

Fat 45.1, BMI 29.1

Dec. 26, 2008 Fri. Weight 190.4,

Fat 45.7, BMI 29.0

Dec. 30, 2008 Tues. Weight 191.0,

Fat 42.7, BMI 29.0

My weight is up and down and all over. My therapist gave me a book to read called the China Study. I recommend everyone in the world to read it. It took me awhile to really want to do it. My father came down with bone cancer, and that is when I got really serious in changing my diet. I never changed over till Nov of 2008. I will tell it now that I'm so healthy now. For me because of my injuries the weight is still slow coming off. I feel healthy, and I don't have to worry about things as much. I don't have cholesterol issues. I'm not going to get diabetes. I'm not going to have heart disease. My veins are clean, and I don't have hardening of the arteries which causes strokes and cancer.

Date, Weight, Fat%, BMI

Jan. 02, 2009 Fri. Weight 189.6, Fat 45.1, BMI 28.8

Feb. 03, 2009 Tues. Weight 184.6, Fat 43.0, BMI 28.5

March 04, 2009 Wed. Weight 184.6, Fat 42.8, BMI 28.5

April 03, 2009 Fri. Weight 179.4

May 08, 2009 Fri. Weight 176.2

30 lbs off

June 02, 2009 Tues. Weight 179.8, BMI 27.7

July 03, 2009 Fri. Weight 174.4, Fat 41.4, BMI 27.2

Aug. 04, 2009 Tues. Weight 176.2, Fat 40.9, BMI 27.2

Sept. 09, 2009 Wed. Weight 174.0, Fat 41.3, BMI 26.9

Day after lay off

Sept. 28, 2009 Mon. Weight 169.4, Fat 42.9, BMI 26.1 37 lbs off

Oct. 02, 2009 Fri. Weight 170.6, Fat 40.9, BMI 26.0

Nov. 04, 2009 Wed. Weight 171.6, Fat 42.3, BMI 26.5

Dec. 28, 2009 Mon. Weight 175.6, Fat 41.4, BMI 27.1

Jan. 05, 2010 Tues. Weight 174.6, Fat 41.9, BMI 26.9

Feb. 03, 2010 Wed. Weight 172.0, Fat 41.7, BMI 26.4

March 03, 2010 Wed. Weight 171.8, Fat 43.6, BMI 26.5

April 02, 2010 Fri. Weight 167.8, Fat 42.4

May 04, 2010 Tues. Weight 166.0, Fat 44.5

40lbs off

June 08, 2010 Tues Weight 166.0, Fat 41

Here is where I stand so far. It was grueling hard work to get to where I am today. It has taken forever, but if I gave up I'd be over 200 lbs again. Funds are getting tight, so I'm thinking of selling my furniture in the livingroom to continue this journey. Maybe I'll have to go down to once a week or once a month. I made this into a graph, but when I posted it the graph went crazy on me. I'm starting to feel better from my fall. A miracle!

June 20, 2010 Father's Day

Today is Father's Day. It is my brother's birthday today the one who is very ill now. We as a family fasted and prayed for him. Just after our father passed away my brother who is three years younger than I am was told he had a brain tumor. He had brain surgery to remove the tumor. The doctor's didn't get it all because it's the worst kind. It's the kind that intertwines into the brain and it is hard to remove. He had six weeks of chemo and radiation. At the moment the tumor has shrunk, and it is not growing. He's had two blessing. Each blessing promised he's going to get better. At the moment his stomach hurts so bad. He has extreme pain all the time. The doctors tell him he has IBS, but he feels it is more than that. Our family the ones that could fast, we fasted today for him. We all prayed to the Lord to help the doctors find out what is causing his pain. We prayed that his pain will go away. I had IBS once, and it was bad. I know the pain he's having. It lasted for me 6 months to a year. It was really hard to work. I thought I had the stomach flu when I first got it. I had a colonoscopy the doctors told me I had IBS, and there was no cure. I was sick for some time. I lost about 26 pounds. Everything I ate went through me. I was wasting away, and I was very ill. My husband was driving one day in the car and heard a commercial on the radio about a doctor in the area that could cure IBS. He called me and told me the phone number. I wrote it down and called the doctor. My treatment was like no other. It took a few months of treatments. IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I am cured today. It is a miracle.

Chapter 4 Scripture Study

50. According to the Bible has the Lord ever destroyed the wicked or commanded the righteous to destroy them? Explain

Genesis 6:5-13

The LORD destroyed the wicked people except Noah and the Ark and his family and the animals on the ark.

Deuteronomy 7:2 Verse 2 says And when the LORD thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

Deuteronomy 9:4 4.Speak not thou in thine heart, after that the LORD thy God hath cast them out from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee.

Acts 5:1-11 says

1.But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2.And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

3. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4. Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost; and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

1 Nephi 17:35

35. Behold, The Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God. But behold, this people had rejected every word of God, and they were ripe in iniquity; and the fullness of the wrath of God was upon them; and the Lord did curse the land against them, and bless it unto our fathers; yea he did curse it against them unto their destruction, and he did bless it unto our fathers unto their obtaining power over it.

The Lord cursed the land against the wicked the wrath of God was upon them. But the Lord did bless it unto our fathers.

51. What nation would dwindle and perish in unbelief ? 1st Nephi Verse 13

13. Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes. It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief. The nation is America

The Mulekites had no records with them they denied the being of their Creator and Mosiah, nor the people of Mosiah could not understand them.

52. In my opinion if a 19 century American religious leader had written The Book of Mormon as a ''pious fraud'' to win converts to a new Christian sect, would he have had Nephi slay Laban? Why or why not? No, because if the book was a fraud then God wouldn't need to save people. The Lord wanted to save people who were righteous. God needed his righteous people to have their records of the creation and their genealogy. God wanted us to know more things. He wanted to give more information to his people. The Book of Mormon was translated by Joseph Smith by the Power of God. This is my testimony. Heavenly Father has a plan for all of his children. He wants all of us to return to him someday. The Book of Mormon is ancient scripture. Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son in the Sacred Grove. From there he was an instrument in Gods hands to restore Christ's Church upon the earth today. If we follow the commandments of God and live the best we can we can live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus in the life hereafter. We are all spirit children of our Heavenly Father. We came to earth to show the Lord that we want to be with him after this life. There was a veil placed over our minds so that we could not remember our life in heaven. Through faith in Christ and following the Lord's commandments we can return to live in his presence in the next life. We can also have our families sealed to us for time and all eternity. This means that in the next life we can be together again. This is the Lord's plan. The greatest gift that God could give us.

53. The fact that Nephi promised Zoram that he should be a free man like unto us. Verse 33 Zoram must have been a slave or a servant.

Was slavery, involving Hebrew slaves practiced during the reign of King Zedikiah?

Consult Jeremiah 34:8-11 Yes slavery was practiced during the reign of King Zedikiah until they were commanded to let them go

54. After Nephi and Zoram had exchanged oaths(verse 32-35)

Zoram made an oath with Nephi that he would promise to go down into the wilderness and live with Nephi and his family. Nephi says in (verse 37) that Zoram made an oath with them and their fears did cease concerning him.

Joshua 9: 1-21 It says that when a man made an oath it was his word and you could trust him.

That's what I learned in Chapter 4

A hard two weeks,Summer Activities

Well ever since my daughter had her mole removed from the bottom of her foot, it has been hard on me. It started on the Friday June 4th. I took her to the Dermatologist to have a mole on the bottom of her foot removed. It was deeper then even the Doctor knew. We later found out that it was not cancerous, but that it needed to come out because it went so deep. She still has the stitches in her foot and it is Father's Day June 20th. She can walk with the stitches in, so that is better than before. It brought me back to the time I had surgerys back to back that kept me on crutches for a whole year. (Not Fun) I tended to my daughter and the baby on Monday June 7th. Our other Grandma tended to the grandson at my daughter's house. On Tues. June 8th thru the 10th I tended the baby everyday, and the other grandma tended the grandson during that time. My daughter returned to work to do her job. On Friday June 11 we did what we did on Monday. It was hard on everyone including the husband. The following week I started on Sunday evening with what I would call a sinus infection gone into a allergic reaction. I had that thing till Thurs, while I tended the granddaughter(baby) thru Thurs. It was hard on me because I was needing to sleep. The baby cryed real tears everytime I sneezed. I felt so sorry for her. I could not help it. I missed my weekly meeting about writing my history. I haven't exercised in three weeks. My goal to be down to 150 by my birthday is no longer possible. I'm hoping my daughter's foot is on the mend, and I can get back to my work outs and my weight loss program. Today is Father's Day and it is my first Father's Day without my father. It's getting more sad as I write. On a brighter note the weather has finally decided to become Summer. YEA! A week ago we had the furnace on, but today it's just beautiful out. My summer is becoming more busy as I look at my calender and realize all the things I need to do. I hope to keep up with everything. I'm feeling better, and hope to be able to stay healthy and on top of things. My cousin called. He is coming to see us in two weeks.

My daughter

My daughter had a mole taken off of her foot on Friday. We did not know at the time how deep it was. The doctor said of any of the moles she had taken off, she needed to have that one taken. She had stitches. Today is Saturday and she can't walk at all. She's had total pain in the foot all of today. She is quite worried. Sunday and Monday I'll be with her helping take care of her, and her little children. I hope she gets better soon. It frightens me that there could be damage in her foot now. We'll know more in two weeks when she has her stitches taken out. I gave her my crutches to borrow, but I need to take her my wheelchair. I hope I have strength enough to help out.

Inspiration out of no where came to me today

I'm in the bathroom putting on my make-up when a wave of inspiration came to me today. I'm trying to get a job that I have no experience in. It could be that it's a too busy of a job for me because of my injuries. If I could just answer phones all day and make appointments that would be good, but they have to mix it up and have too many things going on at the same time. I do not know how this crossed my mind, but it came to me. I want to get a job that no one can lay me off, and I am not going to be discriminated against because of my age. One of the things I wanted to do when I moved here was to go to school to get a degree in music. I've been here so many years now that school seems unattainable because of the cost, and I don't have a way to pay for it. It costs 3 times more now then it did when I came here. I went to Amazon to see if I could find some Music Theory books that were college books. I couldn't find any, but I did find Music Theory for dummies. I'm going to buy it. Maybe I just need to learn this stuff on my own, because I have a natural ability to teach. I just need to know more theory. I'll clear out my room and fix it up. I'll have lessons with two students at a time. They will each get a half hour piano lesson. The other student will be old enough to read. I'll have a computer set up with theory music games for them to play and learn while they wait. I'll not charge as much as that one person told me to charge. It will be reasonable. Maybe I can take piano lessons from a guy who lives close who has his Masters in Music. If I could build this up again I could have a little income coming in. I never have to retire unless I want to. There are nightmares with this idea. My experience with it is the students forget to come. The parents don't pay. I just don't know. I don't know if I want to do this or not. I had great success teaching in NH but not here. If I had a degree in this I could work in private schools. I would prefer to have a job over this. I've had enough bad experiences to make me not want to do this one. I'm up for improvement on my music abilities though.

Disappointing Day

I had a sad day today. There is no way I can get on the job training because of government rules and regulations. I looked all day on line for a job. I could not find a thing. I know I'm a good person. If I had a job I would be the best employee, but the fact remains I don't have a job. I feel like I'm out to pasture or something. I cried all day. It's getting me down. I've been praying for a long time now what should I do? What can I do to find the job for me? It's not been easy to be laid off from my job. I have had no money for me. I can't buy clothes or anything. I can't do anything. I never knew things could be so tight. I need glasses my husband needs glasses , but we can't afford to go to the eye doctor. The list gets longer and longer the things we need. That is why I find it is so important for me to find even a part time job to just get a little extra coming in. Why is it that the young ones can easily get a job, but if you are not young there is nothing for you? I'm trying to get a job before the college students come back to town. If I don't get a job soon I won't find one at all.

Visit with Grandson

I went to visit our little grandson last week. He was nice enough to hold grandma's hand. I stayed to tend our little granddaughter while our little grandson went to his gym class.

Chapter 3 Study Continuation

44. When Nephi was asked by his father to go back after the Brass Plates of Laban. What great statement did he make that eloquently expressed his faith(verse 7)? ''I will go an do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.''

45. When Laman attempted to obtain the Brass Plates of Laban simply by asking for them and, failing in the attempt, was ready to abandon the project, what fiery oath did Nephi utter to register his determination to succeed (verse 15)? ''I said unto them that; ''As the Lord liveth, and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us.''

46. What new scheme did Nephi now propose for acquiring the plates(v16)? go to his fathers land of inheritance and get his gold and silver and all manner of riches.

47. What did Laman and Lemuel do when Nephis' scheme for obtaining the plates failed(v28)? They were angry they did speak hard words unto the younger brothers and they hit them with a rod.

48. What did the angel say that indicated the ancient custom of the eldest son succeeding his father in the right to rule(the law of primogeniture) was going to be reversed in Lehi's family(verse 29)? The Lord chose Nephi to be a ruler over his older brothers because they would not listen to (The Lord)him and follow his commandments, but Nephi would listen and would obey. It was because of the older brothers iniquities is why the Lord chose Nephi.

49. What do we learn from the murmurings of Laman and Lemuel about the authority of the ''mighty man.'' Laban(verse 31)? God is mightier than Laban, but Laman and Lemuel can't believe it. Laman and Lemuel continue to murmur even after an angel tells them that Laban will be delivered into their hands.

My Log of My Scripture Studies Chapter 1 And 2

I have a tendency to lose my notebooks, or to run out of paper. I don't want to lose my work, so I'm going to type it and keep it safe.

Chapter 1

28. What 2 visions of Lehi's does Nephi relate in this chapter (vs 6-16) There came a pillar vision Heavens opened he thought he saw God sitting on his throne surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing & praising their God. He saw Jesus and the 12 apostles. They gave him a book and bade Lehi to read it. He was filled with the Spirit of the Lord. He saw that Jerusalem would be destroyed many of the inhabitants thereof would perish by the sword, and many would be carried away captive into Babylon. 1. Heavens Opened, 2. Jerusalem would be destroyed

29. Into what country were many of the Jews soon to be taken captive (verse 13) Babylon

30. How does Lehi's prophesy of the destruction of Jerusalem, and of the Babylonian captivity square with the biblical history. (2nd Kings Chapter 25) Nebuchadnezzar again besieges Jerusalem--Zedekiah is captured, Jerusalem and the temple destroyed, and most of Judah carried into Babylon-- Gedaliah, left to govern the remnant, is slain-- The remnant flee to Egypt--Jehoiachin is shown favor in Babylon. It is scary what happened to the king of Jerusalem. The account was too long for me to type. If interested it's in the old testament the scriptures above.

31. Whose journal or record does Nephi use to help him clearly recall and accurately record details of his own early ''proceedings'' or experiences (v17) His Father Lehi. He abridged the record of his Father. Then he made an account of his own life.

32. How does the persecution that Lehi experienced compare with the treatment accorded other prophets in the Old Testaments era who prophesied of Christ? New Testament Acts 7: 51-52

Most of those prophets were put to death. Lehi was saved, and he was led out of Jerusalem by the hand of the Lord. The people of Jerusalem wanted to kill him. He and his family went into the wilderness to get away from the threats on Lehi's life.

33. Chapter 2 In my opinion, why didn't the Lord inform Lehi at first that his destination was a land of promise on the other side of the earth? My opinion is that it would have been too overwhelming. First they had to pack their provisions and leave Jerusalem. Then Lehi had to send his sons back to get the plates that was their genealogy. Then later they sent the boys back to get their wives. They had to do these things a step at a time.

34. A casual reading of verses 4 thru 6 gives one the impression that Lehi traveled from Jerusalem to the Red Sea in 3 days. A closer inspection suggests the possibility that 3 days was the length of time he traveled in the vicinity of the Red Sea(probably along the coast) after reaching it. What is the basis of this latter interpretation(Verse 5)? He came down by the borders near the shore of the Red Sea; they traveled in the wilderness in the borders which are nearer the Red Sea.

35. What Hebrew custom did Lehi conform to shortly after pitching his tent at his Red Sea camp site(V7) Chapter 2 He built an alter of stones and made an offering unto the Lord, and gave thanks unto the Lord Our God.

36. In the highly significant and far reaching revelation that comprises verses 19-24 what did Nephi learn, first of all, was the reason for the Lord's blessing him with a direct answer to his prayer(V 19) Nephi had faith and was humble. If he kept the commandments he would prosper and would be led to the land of promise.

37. What did the Lord tell Nephi was the condition upon which he would prosper(v20)? Keep the Lords Commandments.

38. Lehi had been told by the Lord simply to get out of Jerusalem because his life was in danger. What larger purpose did the Lord now unfold to Nephi (v20) They would be led to a land of promise.

39. In what glowing words did the LORD describe the ''land of promise? (verse 20) Choice above all other lands.

40. What was to be the fate of Nephi's brothers if they rebelled against him? (verse 21) They will be cut off from the presence of the LORD.

41. In early Hebrew society the eldest son usually succeeded his father in family leadership. How was this custom to be reversed in the case of Nephi and his brothers? (verse 22)

If the brothers were to Keep the Commandments they could take the leadership, but if they were not going to Keep the Commandments their younger brother Nephi would be a ruler and a teacher over them.

42.Upon what condition alone would be the descendants of Nephi's brothers ever have power over Nephi's descendants ? (v23) For behold, in that day that they shall rebel against me, I will curse them even with a sore curse, and they shall have no power over thy seed except they shall rebel against me also.

43. In my opinion what elements of the revelation comprising are of present day value to the people of America and the world? (v19-24) If we keep the Lord's commandments we will prosper if not we will be cut off, and bad things will happen to us.

My Mother gave her love to us by making our clothes

I'm just learning how to write stories. I'm really not a story teller, but I am trying. In my last weeks class we were to write about the clothes we wore when we were young. I called my mother to ask how she got started in making clothes for me. Here is what she wrote back to me, and then I added what I could remember.

I have always loved clothes and since I came from a poor family and my Mom wasn't that much into fashion, I taught myself early to sew or remodel an existing piece of clothing.

When I was about eight years old our neighbors the Shoes had relatives in Chicago with a daughter just older than me. They sent her discarded clothes to the Shoes who gave them to me. Needless to say, they seldom were in style in our little town, so I took it upon myself to remodel them to suit my style. I seldom succeeded, but I learned a lot in the effort.

When I was 12 or 13 I joined 4-H and learned to sew, even taking some awards for my creations. One of the first was a pink and white polka dot dress that won me a blue ribbon in the fair and a trophy in the fashion show. Learning to sew the right way was not easy. It seemed that I spent much of my time picking out seams that were not straight or trying for the ''just right'' fit.

I took sewing in high school and also at BYU Academy. It just seemed to be a passion with me.

When I was a young mother the county extension office offered sewing lesson, using the Bishop method, to the ward in our stake. Each ward was to send two sisters to the lessons and then they were to give the classes to the sisters in their ward. I was chosen as one from our ward to take and then teach the classes. I learned so much from this experience. It is one thing to sew for yourself, but quite another to teach someone else how to measure, cut, sew and fit. As it turned out the classes were so successful that two other levels of classes were offered: a better dress class and tailoring. I took and taught them also.

In my younger days I sewed nearly all of my own clothes and clothes for my children, including coats and jeans. Now I don't sew so much anymore except to make the new-born kits for The Humanitarian Services.

Here's my part of the story.

I remember I had clothes in first grade that my mother made for me. She not only made them for the 3 girls in our family, but she made her own clothes. I loved my clothes. I had handmade clothes made with love from first grade all the way through high school, and my mother even designed and made my wedding gown.

We would gather together around the Christmas tree the night before Christmas. We would read the Christmas story about the new baby Jesus. After that we each got to open our present. Our gift was made by our mother. It was a tradition of ours every year. Our mother made us all new pajamas made out of flannel. The boys got "PJ's, and the girls received beautiful nightgowns trimmed with cotton eyelet lace. They were so soft to put on and to sleep in. When we woke up on Christmas day, we would sit around the Christmas tree with the colorful lights glowing and open presents in our new soft pajamas or nightgowns. I think my father was the only one who had his purchased. All my dresses from First Grade to Senior High were handmade. There were some memorable ones. My mom made me a coat also in first grade. She made us shorts for summer, and blouses. Later when T-shirt material came out she made us T-shirts. She even made levis for us.

On Easter weekend we each got beautiful colorful new dresses.

When I entered Junior High, there were dances at school and at the Stake Center for church. We always needed to dress up. My mom made some beautiful gowns for me during these years. In 8th grade when I turned 14. I needed to go to the Stake Center for church dances. My mom made the dresses for my Aunt's wedding reception. Later she revised that dress for me to wear to the Stake Dance. The dress was light blue velveteen. It was really soft and luxurious. It had an empire waistline, a round neck with sleeves and a zipper in the back. We had white furry hand warmers. My junior prom dress was light blue dress with white flowers that were like flocking or velvet on the outside. She made the dress long. It had an empire waistline. She put a Fuchsia colored velvet ribbon around the empire waistline.

Something really embarrassing happened when I wore it for the first time on a date to the Junior Prom. When we got to school the girls usually ended up in the girl's bathroom. We would always make sure our hair looked good for our dates. I happened to need to go to the bathroom. My ribbon on the dress was tied in the back. When I sat down on the toilet, my ribbon fell in the toilet and got all wet. I was so embarrassed. I was probably crying. What was I to do? Some girls helped me wash the ribbon, and we got the ribbon as dry as we could get it. So I wouldn't have that happen again, we turned the ribbon around to the front of the dress. I just tried not to think about it. I can't remember if I told my date or not. It would have been totally embarrassing if I did. I'll always remember that incident, and I try never to wear ribbons or material that tie in the back.

My Senior Prom dress was so beautiful. I believe it was a color between Fuchsia and Maroon. It was similar in style to the Junior Prom dress only it didn't have a tie. The most beautiful part of this dress was it had gold braid mixed in the gold braid were small sequins and beads going around the waist and around the sleeves. The sleeves were long. I don't know why I don't have a picture of it. It was a very beautiful dress. My mother purchased me some matching slippers that were dressy to go with the dress. I remember another dress that my mom made for me. It was very colorful with Royal Blue, Fuchsia and Purple colors throughout the dress. It was long, and had a square neck with long sleeves, and zipper in the back.

My mother made me a quilt for college my last Christmas home. The quilt was a patchwork tied quilt with blocks of my dress material in it from way back in first grade. I sure cherished that quilt for many years.

My wedding dress was the ultimate beautiful dress. It was magnificent. It's too bad, that I can't fit into it anymore. It was white with white sheer material on top. The lace is a brocade type. She put some lace on the shoulder sleeve area. It has beautiful long sleeves the buttons are covered with satin material going down the sleeves. The sleeve opens with velcro. The long skirt has a gathered skirt towards the bottom. It has the beautiful lace going around the bottom of the dress by the ruffle. The dress has a zipper in the back. I miss my mother's sewing. She doesn't sew that much anymore. It is too bad because my memories of her sewing were memorable. I loved the end product which was made with tender loving care and plenty of love.

Me 40 Pounds Lighter

I've improved tremendously in the past two years. I have been working out on a daily basis. I used to be size 22. I'm a size medium now. My workouts consist of either swimming, walking on treadmill, and I work out on a sit down elliptical. I follow the aerobics up with lifting weights. My Physical Therapists help stretch me out. I had a fall four years ago. I've had pain ever since. My Orthopaedic Surgeon told me I had to lose weight. What was I to do? I could not even walk when he told me that. My Therapist told me he'd help me. I even changed my diet in a dramatic way. I'll be telling more on how I eat later.

Picture of me having lost 40 pounds

Two Favorite Recess Games

Two of my favorite activities that I enjoyed doing when I was in grade school, was jumping rope and roller-skating. I was the best in my grade school at hot peppers. Every day at recess when I wasn't roller-skating, I was jumping rope. If you wanted to play you needed to start by turning the rope at one of the ends. Then who ever missed a jump when they jumped the rope would move to the next spot. A person would get two turns turning the rope before they got to jump. We might of gotten two misses when we jumped the rope.

One of the games was called under-waters. The rope was sent back and forth on the ground. Later the rope went over our heads, and we would jump before it got to our feet.

One game was called high waters. The rope was off the ground, and we had to jump high off the ground without missing. My favorite game was called hot-peppers. The children turning the rope would turn it as fast as they could. The person jumping would jump as fast as they could.

One of the little sayings we said while we were jumping went something like this. Down by the ocean down by the sea. Johnny broke a bottle and blamed it onto me. I told Ma, Ma told Pa. Johnny got a licking ha! ha! ha! How many lickings did he get? 1,2,3,4 etc. till we missed a jump.

My favorite game of all was double-dutch. This was with two ropes at the same time. Two children would turn two ropes at the same time. There were several other games I remember playing in grade school that I would like to mention. Some of these games were hopscotch, jacks, marbles, tether ball. There were the monkey bars, swings and slides. Tug of war was with a rope several children on either end. They had a mark on the ground. Whoever pulled the other team over the mark that team won, Red Rover Red Rover this game had two teams. We held hands. Each team would take a turn they would say Red Rover Red Rover send Johnny right over. Johnny would start running as fast as he could and try to break the hand chain. If he got thru he was able to bring someone back with him to his side, and they would be on Johnny's team. Then the other side would get a turn. It was a fun game. Later we were not allowed to play the game because there were injuries from that game. There could of been many more games we played as a children, but it has been so long I can't remember them.

My Story About Roller-Skating When I Was A Child

I'm just a beginner writing down experiences of my childhood days. Maybe someday it will get better. I grew up on a dairy farm in rural Idaho. The games we would play were done at our elementary school. I recollect the school was on a hill, and I had to ride a school bus for a while to get there. Keep in mind I looked forward to recess, I recall that time of day was especially fun. I was permitted to bring my own roller-skates to school. I had a pair of silver roller-skates. I didn't have the kind of skates that rode smoothly, or the kind that you took your shoes off for. My skates were the kind you slipped your shoes into them. Up near the top of my brown saddle shoes there were these shoe fasteners that were on my skates that held onto the soles of my shoes. I used my skate key that was on a ribbon that was tied in the back which I wore my skate key around my neck. I used my skate key to tighten and loosen the skates. I could easily turn my skates over and use my skate key to make the skates larger when my foot grew. I remember there was a brown leather strap that buckled over the top of my shoes near my ankle. The wheels were made of steel. I think my parents invested wisely with these skates. Not only was I able to use them for three years, but I'm sure my siblings used them also.

The sidewalk went around the entire school. The school was laid out in a rectangular shape. I remember it wasn't smooth sailing, when I got the skates on either. The sidewalk had big gaps in it. There were no parts of the sidewalk that was level. It was hard to maneuver when you came to those parts. I ended up falling on my knees a lot. I probably went through all the school nurses band-aids. I think it took too long to go clear around the school, so I just went around the 1st 2nd and 3rd grade areas. I had a lot of fun roller-skating even with the bumps, bruises, and the bleeding.

My Story About Roller-

Goals and Many Projects to do

I went to a writing class last night. I'm going to be writing about my early years. This is a pretty good place to post these things. My blog is mostly for my posterity and my remembrance.

Today marks the 6th month to the day when the doctors took my father off of Chemo. His passing went way to fast for me. I'm just now feeling the pain and loss. I guess we all have to go thru mourning for our loved ones.

I'll be posting my weight loss successes. It's mainly for me. I want a record of this. It has been a journey. I weighed a whopping 220 pounds way back in 2001. Today I weigh 167 pounds. I've learned a lot over the past two years. If you count from 2001 I have lost 53 pounds. I only just started this weight loss journey two years ago. To date I have lost 40 pounds give or take a pound. I have lost a 40 pound bag of softwater salts. It is so heavy I can not lift it. I have one more bag plus 10 to go.

I'm studying math. I reviewed fractions today.

I was so excited to get a job, but alas the economy is so bad that I probably won't get one.

This post will be a hodge podge full of different things I'm doing.

I haven't even mentioned that I was supposed to start my quilt. It's really hard to do it all.

I did get up early this morning to exercise. I'm hoping to lose 1 pound a week. We'll see tomorrow if that is possible.

Records Ancient and Modern

I'm doing a study of The Book of Mormon this year. It amazes me how many times I've read the book, and yet each time I read the book I learn more things. In just the 1st Chapter, I found out that Nephi started the record 569 years before Christ was born. Nephi pays tribute to both of his parents, but he gives credit for his education to his father. Nephi wrote the scriptures in reformed Egyptian. If the plates were larger he would have written them in Hebrew. Nephi talks of The King of Babylon. The story is found in 2nd Kings in the Old Testament. According to history, a King takes over Jerusalem, and many people are held captive, or killed. Jerusalem is destroyed. It is a good thing Lehi and his family leave Jerusalem, so that we can have the histroy of The Book of Mormon. Years ago when I had to be bedridden for a year, I studied The
Book of Mormon from my bed. I remember reading and studying the first two books of Nephi. When Nephi got old and passed away, I remember crying my eyes out. It was like I lost a friend, or a family member who had passed away. The people of that time kept their records on gold plates. We today keep records of what goes on in our lives either by blogging, or keeping a journal, or by scrapbooking.

Remembrance of my Father

Our daughter had just had our second grandchild on Thanksgiving. I was able to visit them in the hospital on Fri and Sat. On Sunday I got up a little bit late to eat breakfast around 10am when the phone rang, and it was my brother. He said our father was not responding. The doctors had taken him off of Chemo about half way thru the month, and they told him that it wasn't working. Now before I could even get there to see my father he was in a coma like state. The Hospice nurse told my brother our father would be dead within 24 hours. I was planning on going to see them on Monday, but I felt the urgency to finish packing. I found a friend in our church to play the piano for me that day. I remembered to bring a dress. I was somewhat worried to drive that day because it was a holiday weekend. I was blessed because all of the traffic was on the other side of the highway. I said a prayer to help me get there safely. I arrived around 3p.m. When I came over to the chair my dad was sleeping in, his eyes were shut. He could not talk to me. His breathing was rapid, and he had a high fever of 104*. I could not tell if he could hear me. I held his hand, and I squeezed it a bit. He squeezed my hand back. I told him that I was there, and that I loved him. I told him that my family loved him too. My brother and his wife were there when I arrived. My youngest brother came later. My youngest brother could not believe our dad was like that because just the night before he spoke to him. He joked around with him. He said he was there to take him to his golf tournament. Dad said he wished he could go, and then he laughed. My youngest brother came closer to our dad's chair he leaned on the chair, and our dad woke up briefly. We all gathered around him. We gave him water. I showed him pictures of the baby, and pictures of me. We tried to keep him awake, but he went back to sleep, and we could not get him to wake up again. We were all crying. We wanted so much to tell him goodbye. Our mom told how the day had started out. She had fixed him breakfast. She got him in the wheelchair and took him to the table. She was helping him with his medications when he got all agitated and disorientated. She tryed to get him back into his chair by herself, and found she couldn't. She called my brother, and they couldn't get him in. She called her Bishop, and he sent her neighbor to help. Our dad was in so much agony of pain that it was near impossible to get him in the rocker recliner chair. My youngest brother called the hospice nurse to see what things could be done. She said that there was nothing. He wanted to know if our dad could have a IV for fluids. She advised that he not have that because it would make things worse. She came by to give us counsel. She told us what to look for when it got closer to the end. Our other brother who lives far away couldn't be there, but he is the oldest brother. He was on the phone talking to the Hospice nurse. We were all gathered in the front room listening. My brother on the phone offered a blessing of prayer for my dad. It's a prayer given to those who are at the end of their life. It was a prayer to God to release our dad from his life. It was the hardest prayer my brother ever had to offer. It was truely a spiritual moment. After the prayer we said goodbye to our brother, and we went back into the room where our father was. The nurse checked his vitals. She showed us how to use those sponge suckers to get fluid into him. Our father started choking, so we never tryed it again. We put lip gloss on him for dry lips. I stayed up as long as I could. My mom said she would be with our dad that night. During the night I woke up, and I could not get back to sleep. I went into check on him, and I was hearing a rattling sound. I asked my mother what that sound was. My mother told me it was the lungs filling up with fluid. I sat down by his chair, and held his hand the rest of the night. My mom tried to get some sleep, but she could not sleep. My dad sounded terrible. His breathing was so labored. It is an awful sound. When I squeezed his hand, he did not respond. I stayed close to my fathers chair. I held his hand the whole day. I wanted to sing him a song. God Be With You Till We Meet Again, but I choked up. I could not sing or even say the words. I went to the piano to play the Hymn for him on the piano. When I was done with that, I returned to hold his hand. My father's pulse was rapid, and his hands were so hot. I put lotion on them, and it evaporated quickly. The sound of my father's breathing was so hard for me to listen too. At the end, a lot of fluid and flem came up dad choked, the lungs filled up at that moment. Dad tried to take another breath, but he could not breath. He tryed to take another breath and his breathing was stopped abruptly, his heart stopped beating at 3:57 p.m. After he had passed away it was quiet. I told him that I loved him in case he could hear me now. I was looking at his peaceful face, and I noticed there was a tear in his eye. When I told the others we all started crying again. I think he was trying to say he didn't want to go, and that he loved all of us dearly. I am so thankful that I could be with him till the end.

My Grandkids

Here is a picture of my 2 grandkids; Liam and Rowan...I love this picture!