Colby

Colby's metopic suture fused too early in his skull. The doctors are going to operate on September 30, 2008. They are doing what is called a cranial vault. The doctors are going to go in and make room for brain growth and circulation. Little Colby will go in the hospital on September 29th. Please keep this little youngster in your prayers. His parents, Katie (my little cousin) and Cole, brother, Cash, and Colby's grandparents need your prayers, too. They will be at the hospital for the whole week. And as a parent I know they need encouragement, support, strength, and calm nerves.

Charity - Sunday's 9-7-08 Relief Society's Lesson

Sunday's lesson began by each of us reading different scriptures. We read them as the teacher highlighted the major points by writing them on the chalkboard. We were to figure out the topic. It didn't take us long to guess Charity.

For example: my scriptures were

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Matthew 19:19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.;

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.;

I Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.;

II Peter 1:7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.;

D&C 88:125 And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.;

and

D&C 121:45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

Yes, I agree with all of the above scriptures and the others that were handed out. We should have charity for all our family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and even enemies.

However, the following statement was said and I don't agree with it... "Charity is not an action word like so many people think but a feeling." This statement I can't agree with. I believe it is like the word Faith. Faith has two parts. The Bible states in James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? Not only do you have to have faith but you have to have the works behind it to back it up. I believe the same can be said about charity.

During the lesson it was said that nice things can be done for others but without the heart in the right place it is not actually charity. The example used was about a man that donated big bucks to build a hospital but with the stipulation the hospital be named after the man. I agree with this. That's not charity but an investment. However, couldn't one have feelings of charity but not act on them? I can care about my neighbor, maybe even see that they need help with something, but what if I don't act on my feelings for that neighbor? For example if my neighbor was an elderly widowed woman that I loved and cared about, I saw that her lawn needed mowing but did not act. I care for her, I pray for her, I love her but if I do not have the action behind my feelings, I can not say it's charity. Just like in James 2:14 will it profit? I would have to say, "NO."

Charity begins with a feeling but without the action it is not true charity. The feeling must have action and the action must be supported by the feeling. One without the other does not constitute charity.

Charity is the greatest love... Charity is unconditional love...

My favority Chapter in the scriptures is...

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS

CHAPTER 13
Paul extols the high status of charity—Charity, a pure love, excels and exceeds almost all else.

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,

and have not charity,

I am become as sounding brass,

or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophesy,

and understand all mysteries,

and all knowledge;

and though I have all faith,

so that I could remove mountains,

and have not charity,

I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,

and though I give my body to be burned,

and have not charity,

it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long,

and is kind;

charity envieth not;

charity vaunteth not itself,

is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly,

seeketh not her own,

is not easily provoked,

thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity,

but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things,

believeth all things,

hopeth all things,

endureth all things.

Charity never faileth:

but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail;

whether there be tongues, they shall cease;

whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we know in part,

and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come,

then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child,

I spake as a child,

I understood as a child,

I thought as a child:

but when I became a man,

I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly;

but then face to face:

now I know in part;

but then shall I know even as also I am known.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity,

these three;

but the greatest of these is charity.

Charity beareth all things and endureth all things. In my book that is ACTION.

Sisters

Today was my Lil' Sis's Birthday. We are now the same age for 6 whole weeks. Figure that out! Yes, we have the same Mom & Dad! Grins! I called her today and sang Happy Birthday on her voicemail. I also spoke to her briefly. But sometimes I don't think enough is said.

I love her dearly. Growing up we shared a room. We spent many nights chatting as we fell asleep. I can't remember what we talked about but I can remember Mom yelling at us to get quiet.

A few funny stories - at least funny now but not at the time it happened.

1. Dad told me to get on one side of the backyard and Kristy on the other side. He put a kick ball in the middle of the yard. He told us to run and see who could kick it first. We took off running with our eyes on that ball... Then boom! We bumped heads and fell down crying. Mom was livid.

2. Mom was taking a bath and Kristy and I decided to play baseball in the livingroom. I pitched the ball and Kristy reared back with the bat. The bat went through the glass of a 10 gallon fish tank. That fish tank was on top of another fish tank (It was a double stand). You get the picture. The livingroom was flooded, glass was everywhere, and fish were flopping, grasping for air. Mom was out of the bath fast. It was not a pretty sight.

There are a few more stories when we were older but they are still secretive to this day. Smiles!

Even though we are close in age we didn't have much in common. Kristy is the youngest but the tallest. She was very athletic and musical. I remember her teaching her own self the keyboard. Kristy played the clarinet in the band and she could pick up our brother's trumpet and play it, too. Me, I struggled in choir just trying to learn the notes. I can say FACE and Every Good Boy Does Fine but that's as far as my musical talent goes. Later, I got into Drill Team but since I'm not musically inclined, I sat out on many games and I had to work extra hard to be able to dance. Kristy could try out for any sport and make the start up. I practiced all summer one year, hitting the dumb volleyball on the side of the house and didn't even make the team! Don't get me wrong - I was never jealous of her but proud. (An award I received in elementary during Field Day - Smiles!)

Most afternoons Kristy could be found in the woods behind our neighborhood riding her dirt bike. I, on the other hand, would be somewhere inside cozied up with a good book in my hand. I loved school and could ace almost any test. I am very creative and excelled in Art. I'm not even sure that my sister has ever tried to draw a stick figure. I loved crafts. I usually have several projects going on at one time. It's funny how later in life we aren't living anywhere near each other but we are starting to enjoy the other's talents more. I'm trying to get into walking/running and Kristy has picked up quilting. Who would have ever thought?

Today, when I sang her the birthday song, I replaced Kristy with Lil' Sis. It got me to thinking how she used to always sign anything she was giving to me with Lil Sis, Kris. We had rough teen years and sometimes we forget what we once had.

Don't get me wrong, we had our fights! Remembering back, I can mainly recall the arguments where I was the guilty one. The time we had bunk beds - Kristy slept on the top bunks - I got mad at something and pushed her mattress up with my feet. The bed frame got stuck and I had to hold the bed and her up with my feet until my parents came in to help. There was the time where we were arguing in the car and I scratched her arm and made it bleed. We frequently fought over who's turn it was to listen to the radio. If I liked rock then she liked country. If she decided she wanted to listen to rock then all of a sudden I was more in the mood for country. Of course she would do the same. (Sorry about the pajamas, but this is the only pic I found of our stereo - Remember the cool strobe light on top!)We rarely shared the same friends and we never liked the same boys! That was probably a blessing. However we both had a childhood friend that we all got along with and those were the fun times. We would stay up all night giggling. Since our birthdays were close we shared parties. We had the best slumber parties in all Sheldon! They were awesome.
I miss those times with my Sis! Now we live apart, have busy lives, and so much has changed. Every once in a while we get the time to have a long, interesting discussion but not often enough.

I just hope she knows how much I love her! Happy Birthday Lil Sis!