GOSPEL DISCUSSION ON BYU-TV

 I've been studying the Book of Mormon and am reading/listening to 3 Nephi, just in the beginning. Today, Sunday, I watched Gospel Discussions on the Book of Mormon and got ahead of my reading. It gave me so much understanding.

One thing the professors spoke about was how Lehi, 3 Nephi's brother, was stoned, and also raised from the dead. This occurred just about the time that Lazarus was raised from the dead--in similitude with what was going on in Jerusalem at the same time. I never caught that before.

I'm judging a writing contest and someone is writing a book on the signs of Christ, like the similitudes, etc., and this made me think of all the ones I don't know about.

I had never heard of the concept before I became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was a diligent Catholic for a long while, even attended Catholic school, and I never heard of this until I attended a lecture by Gerald Lund at a CES conference way back in the 1990s at BYU. It fascinated me.

I am thankful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm grateful for those two missionaries, Elder Poulsen and Elder Ellis, who knocked on my door in late 1980. I'm grateful for my Savior and my Heavenly Father for leading them to me, and for me to have enough curiosity with the first lesson to want to learn more.

RACIAL HARMONY NEEDED!!

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/prophet-naacp-leaders-racial-harmony-america-op-ed

Prophet Joins NAACP Leaders in Call for Racial Harmony in America

In a piece published Monday on Medium.com, President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and three leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) are calling on all Americans to embrace Jesus Christ’s simple but challenging model that can lead to racial peace and harmony. The prophet is joined by Derrick Johnson (NAACP president and CEO), Leon Russell (NAACP chairman of the board) and the Rev. Amos C. Brown (NAACP chairman emeritus of religious affairs).

“Unitedly we declare that the answers to racism, prejudice, discrimination and hate will not come from government or law enforcement alone,” they write. “Solutions will come as we open our hearts to those whose lives are different than our own, as we work to build bonds of genuine friendship, and as we see each other as the brothers and sisters we are — for we are all children of a loving God. … Oneness is not sameness in America. We must all learn to value the differences.”

JANUARY 4, 2020

Since it's the beginning of a new year, I (used to) usually take time to write in my blogs and catch up on my life.

Every once in a while, I find myself thinking, "I should put this thought on my blog." But lately, I've been thinking things like "I'm going to do this when I retire."
I'm hoping 2020 is the year I retire. To be positive, 2020 IS the year I will retire. I just don't know what month. I have to give work 3 months notice.
I have an appointment this week with the Social Security office. There weren't any open appointments in December (you should go three months before you turn 66) so January was the first available I could take. Gosh, am I that old? (Yes.)

However, I might be looking at another ankle/foot surgery--removing the screw.
I just had surgery in August 2019. It's only been 4 months, almost 5, and the doctor is wary of taking it out sooner than 6 months. So am I.
It appears the sharp tip of the screw is protruding through my bone in the front of my ankle and catching on something--probably a ligament. I don't know. But the two bones which were being fused have fused together well. If the screw comes out, it will leave a hole that will knit together just like the bones that were fused. I hope.
So I don't know when I'll retire this year. My 10-year anniversary is November 22, but I really don't want to wait that long.

I'm so tired of my life being about my ankle. I really thought this last surgery would end the pain and suffering. Please, God, let the pain and suffering end.

My kids and I are planning a trip to Maine and the Hill Cumorah Pageant in July. It's the last ever pageant. (That's so sad!) We were in the pageant in 2000, so it will be 20 years since we were in it. We used to go every year. I want to say the last year we went was 2007 or 2008. After that, all the divorce drama happened, so my memory is a little sketchy.

After participating in pageant, it was the thing we compared every other good thing to for a long time. "It was nice, but not like being in the pageant."

While rehearsing for the pageant, it was as if we lived in Zion. It was definitely a Zion community. No worries about anything. Very spiritual. I'm sure heaven will be like that--where everyone loves everyone else, and works to strive to be Christ-like.

Maybe I'll retire July 1. Then I won't have to worry about being gone so long from work while I'm on vacation.