Gratitude This Thanksgiving

I just want to take a moment to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. One reason I'm very excited about Thanksgiving this year is because this is the first time in three years that our whole

family has been able to be together all at the same time. Family means everything to me and to have no empty chairs at our Thanksgiving table means more than I can express. I'm so grateful for good health and much happiness in my life. The thing that makes life so enjoyable and meaningful to me, besides family, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Lord's love and for his great sacrifice. I'm so very grateful that the Lord's true church has been restored to the earth and that I live at a time when I can benefit from that blessing. Life would have so much less meaning and purpose without it. Sometimes I wonder why I am so blessed. I guess mine is not to ask why, but to ask why not? I'll gladly take any blessings that are offered me and be grateful for them. May we all show gratitude this day and every other day throughout the year!

Media Maniacs

I have a confession to make -- I watch or listen to too many political shows. I am disgusted with the leaders of our country and their "solutions" to our country's problems. Satan has control of the government and I think he is licking his lips and delights in all of the chaos. When someone good comes along who would actually stand up for what's right and who could make positive changes in the way the country is run, the media demonizes them and tries to destroy their life and the lives of their family members. Sarah Palin seems to be in their cross-hairs right now. How do you feel about her and this issue? I have a poll to the right of this blog. Let me know how you feel.

Women's Conference

Our Stake held a Women's Conference this weekend. It was a wonderful, inspiring Conference based on becoming closer to Christ. I'm thankful that I attended and was privileged to sing in the choir.

The concluding speaker was Elder William F. Reynolds, an Area Seventy. He gave a great talk, but what I want to share is the joke that he told, which has nothing to do with his talk. He just liked it and wanted to share it. I'm sure I won't remember all of the details, but this is my memory of it:

In a South American country there was a young peon who was on his first cross-country train ride. He was assigned a certain coach and was sitting next to a very bright mathematician. As time went on, the peon was enjoying the ride and he loved seeing the new sights, etc. However, the mathematician was pretty bored with the ride so he said to the peon, "Let's play a game." "What kind of game?" asked the peon. "I'll ask you a question and if you can't answer it correctly you have to give me a peso then you can ask me a question and if I can't give you the correct answer I'll give you a peso" answered the man. The peon thought about it, but said he didn't want to play the game. The mathematician asked him why. "Because you'll take all of my money" was his reply. Later, still bored, the mathematician said "I know, I'll ask you a question and if you don't know the answer you give me a peso then you ask me a question and if I don't know the answer I'll give you 10 pesos. The peon reluctantly decided to play the game with the new rule. So the mathematician asked the peon the first question, which was "who was the greatest geneticist to ever live? The peon, having no idea what the answer was, immediately handed over a peso. The mathematician then told him the answer to the question. Now it was the peon's turn to ask a question so he asked "what goes up the hill on four legs and comes down on three?" The mathematician thought long and hard, but could not come up with the answer so he handed over 10 pesos. The peon then said, okay now it's your turn to ask me a question. "Wait, said the mathematician, you didn't give me the answer. What does go up the hill on four legs and comes down on three? The peon then gave him a peso.

Well, Elder Reynolds got a good laugh from the audience with that joke.