Bitter Sweet Release

One year ago, I was called to be one of the Gospel Doctrine teachers in our Ward. Today I was released from that calling. Being a Gospel Doctrine teacher was difficult, but rewarding. I enjoyed learning more about and teaching about the Book of Mormon -- my favorite book on the earth. On one hand, I will miss it, but on the other hand, I feel relieved. Between fulfilling that calling and my calling as a shift coordinator at the temple, I felt like I was drowning in church work. Both callings require a tremendous amount of time. I felt like all I ever did was church work. Don't get me wrong...I enjoy serving in the church. The church is my life and my reason for living, but there was no balance in my life. So many things that require my attention were being ignored. My life seemed off kilter.

For my last lesson, I got to teach about the 2,000 stripling warriors - one of my favorite Book of Mormon stories. I felt like the lesson went well and I appreciated all the class participation I received. We learned about how the stripling warriors obeyed every word of Helaman (their leader) with exactness. Doing anything with exactness is difficult, but they were valiant enough to do it. Because they obeyed with exactness, they were witnesses to many miracles. God truly blessed them to be able to fight beyond their abilities and not one of them lost their lives in spite of their inexperience compared to the Lamanite army.

This is a quote I used in my lesson. I love this quote!

Jumping to Conclusions

I have been preparing a lesson to teach in my Gospel Doctrine class that has to do with Captain Moroni's scathing rebuke in an epistle (letter) to Pahoran, the chief judge of the Nephites (Alma 60). In Capt. Moroni's letter, he rebukes Pahoran and the other government officials for not sending reinforcements to him on the battlefield. He needs food desperately and he also needs more men to help with the fighting. They have suffered hunger, thirst, and fatigue. In the letter, when speaking of Pahoran and the government, Capt. Moroni uses words like neglect, thoughtless stupor, withholding provisions, slothful government, seeking authority, traitors to your country, power & authority, insurrection, etc. Captain Moroni is hopping mad and is not holding back at all about how he feels! 

What intrigues me about this story is Pahoran's letter back to Moroni calmly explaining to him why they hadn't received reinforcements (Alma 61). Pahoran says: "And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart. I, Pahoran, do not seek for power, save only to retain my judgment-seat that I may preserve the rights and the liberty of my people. My soul standeth fast in that liberty in the which God hath made us free." He also said: "I do not joy in your great afflictions, yea, it grieves my soul. But behold, there are those who do joy in your afflictions, yea, insomuch that they have risen up in rebellion against me...and it is those who have sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this great iniquity..."  

So, what Capt. Moroni didn't know when he wrote the epistle was that Pahoran himself had been ousted from the judgment seat and had fled to the land of Gideon, so there was nothing Pahoran, could do to help. His hands were tied.

Captain Moroni

I wonder - if Capt. Moroni had known all of the facts, would he have written such a scathing letter? I doubt it. Capt. Moroni had jumped to conclusions that the government was just being neglectful and were sitting around acting like kings while he and his soldiers were suffering.

Do we sometimes jump to conclusions without knowing the facts? The answer is YES! I did that just yesterday and had to repent and apologize to my dear husband for over-reacting to a situation that turned out not to be what I thought. I felt horrible, just like Capt. Moroni probably felt horrible for accusing Pahoran of all those things that were untrue.

I remember Pres. Hinckley teaching us to be kinder and gentler to each other. He said, "Let us be more merciful. Let us get the arrogance out of our lives, the conceit, the egotism. Let us be more compassionate, gentler, filled with forbearance and patience and a greater measure of respect one for another. In so doing, our very example will cause others to be more merciful, and we shall have greater claim upon the mercy of God who in His love will be generous toward us."

I reacted more like Capt. Moroni and Alan reacted more like Pahoran, which was a kinder and gentler approach. I promise to turn over a new leaf.

First Police Escort

Although I have lived many years, I have found that life is still full of firsts. Last week, I attended Education Week on the BYU Campus with Jane, Gayle, and her friend (and my cousin's wife) Valerie. Gayle and Valerie stayed with my niece, Melanie, but Jane and I stayed in the dorms on campus. After completing our first day of classes, Jane was in need of a band-aid because her shoe had rubbed her heel raw. We stopped on some steps at the back of one of the buildings so she could search through her bag for a band-aid before making the trek back to the dorms.

(This is a recreation)

Unable to find a band-aid, Jane accepted one of my socks so she could walk without pain, but before we could continue our journey, a campus police officer came down the stairs and saw us there. Trying to be friendly, he said "oh, do you enjoy sitting on hot cement on a hot day?" Jane explained that she was searching for a band-aid. He started to grab for his radio saying that he could find us one. We told him not to bother because I had given her my sock so we would be fine because we were just walking to the dorms, which wasn't that far from where we were. Instead of leaving, he said "I'll drive you there. I'm going there anyway." So we hopped into his police car and he drove us there. We got to one part on the journey where he said "I can do this, but you can't" and then he hopped the curb and drove down a walking trail, which took us right to our building. We were treated so well that we felt like celebrities. Fortunately, our reason for a police escort was not because of any crime we had committed. No handcuffs were needed.

Our ride

Stott Family Reunion - Waterton (Days Four - Six)

Jared, Kyle, Emily, Milo, and Clara joined us after we arrived in Waterton. It was nice to have our whole family together for the first time on this trip. They all drove together from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

One highlight in Waterton is the falls. We went there several times. It is within walking distance of the cabin.



The scooters were a big hit. Everyone had to give them a try. This is actually the first time I had ever ridden one. I should have smiled. I really was having fun! (didn't know I was being photographed)


Eric & Olivia taking a spin


Kyle & Clara giving it a try



Cheryl & Parker also used them. This is the best picture I have of the Beesley's "cabin" and boat. This is actually just the garage. The cabin is behind it.

Alan and I got to watch the kids one day while their parents were hiking so we took them to the park nearby and let them play in the splash pad. Although the water was a little cold, they had a great time.

Kyle took his family out in the boat...



and then Eric took Livi, Jared, and I out. Nicole walked to the dock with us, but she didn't go out on the water.








Jared decided to do some cliff jumping.



The whole time we were in Canada I was on the look-out for a bear. I wanted to see a bear in the worst way. Finally, on our way back to the docks, Eric spotted a mother and her cub climbing up the hill towards the ridge where there were people innocently walking...not knowing that a bear was approaching them. You can barely see a couple of black spots right in the middle of this picture where there is a finger of brown going down. You may have to zoom in to see them, but they are there. I was very happy that I finally got to see a bear.



Our last dinner together -- pulled pork sandwiches.



Unfortunately, Ethan and Ella were sick the whole time and couldn't participate in any of our outdoor activities.



The last day in Waterton, Alan and I drove to Cardston to get some grocery items. While we were there, we drove to the Cardston Temple. Anyone who knows me well knows how much I love temples, so this was a treat...even though we didn't get to go inside.



The next day, after dropping Ryan off at the Calgary Airport, we had time to spare so we drove to the Calgary Temple. This was just icing on the cake. Two temples in two days. I loved it!


Our trip to Canada was one for the books. We had a wonderful time and it was great to be able to spend so much time with our family. When it is all boiled down, family is the most important organization on earth and I was blessed with great family members who I love and cherish. I'm glad that family is forever.

Stott Reunion - Banff (Day Three)

By day three, Parker had joined us, which was nice. We were able to continue to see some beautiful rivers and lakes.

I don't remember the name of this river for sure. I think it is Bow River. I could have stayed here forever. It was gorgeous.

This is Emerald Lake, and it is perfectly named.

We were able to have a picnic lunch next to Emerald Lake and then wade in the water.

Takakakaw Falls was one of the highlights of the day. Ryan, Cheryl, and Parker hiked up closer to the falls while I rested my tired and sore body on a bench with this perfect view of the falls.

Anyone who has been to Banff will tell you that you have to see Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, so we wanted to make sure to hit those highlights. They were definitely worth the drive. Parking was nearly impossible at Lake Louise. You have to get there very early in the morning if you want a good spot, which we didn't do, so Parker and Cheryl dropped Ryan and I off to see it and then we planned to trade places...but they ended up finding a spot to park and met us there.

Lake Louise - the most picture perfect lake you will ever find.

Moraine Lake

At the end of the day we went out to dinner in Banff. We were in the food court at a mall. I needed to use the restroom and found out that one way they designate which restroom is for females and which is for males in Canada is this:



**********

This was our last day in Banff and we made the most of it. Again, I appreciated being surrounded by the beautiful world God made for us. It makes me think of the Primary song "My Heavenly Father Loves Me." Here are the lyrics:

Whenever I hear the song of a bird 

or look at the blue, blue sky,

Whenever I feel the rain on my face

Or the wind as it rushes by,

Whenever I touch a velvet rose

Or walk by a lilac tree,

I'm glad that I live in this beautiful world

Heavenly Father created for me.

He gave me my eyes that I might see

The color of butterfly wings.

He gave me my ears that I might hear

The magical sound of things.

He gave me my life, my mind, my heart:

I thank him reverently

For all the creations, of which I'm a part.

Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me.

Stott Reunion - Banff (Day Two)

Banff - Day Two

On day two, we got to do some hiking up to Johnson Falls. Alan and I stopped at the lower falls, but Ryan and Cheryl kept going to the upper falls. The hike was crowded, but very enjoyable. The scenery was amazing.

Lower Falls

Lower Falls (to the left)

This picture of Ryan was taken at the upper falls. Looks like a gorgeous place.

After this hike, we were able to see Peyto Lake and it was gorgeous. This lake seemed almost mystical.

Glacier (I don't remember the name)

Nice looking lodge. We went inside it when it was raining.

This was the only day it rained on us...but it didn't spoil our fun!

I loved being surrounded by such gorgeous mountains. These were some of the highest mountains I have ever seen.

Stott Reunion - Banff (Day One)

We seldom have a chance to get our whole family together for a reunion. However, Nicole's parents offered us the use of their cabin in Waterton, Canada. It isn't very cabin-like. It is a house with 8 bedrooms. How can you turn down an offer like that? Some members of our family wanted to extend the trip to include Banff in Glacier National Park. Others were unable to get the time off work so they joined us later in Waterton. 

Because of a passport glitch in SLC, Parker couldn't join us for a couple of days until his passport was retrieved in California, but Alan, Ryan, Eric, and I were able to fly to Calgary as planned, and Cheryl flew in later the same day. Nicole, Ethan, Ella, and Olivia were already in Waterton and they drove up to Banff the day we flew in.

DAY ONE

Banff was amazing. Being there really help me to appreciate the beautiful world that God created for all of us to enjoy. On our first day in Banff we were able to take the gondola up to the top of the mountain. The lines were long, but we were finally able to take our turn.

There were breathtaking views at the top.

Eric's family at the top

After the gondola ride, we were able to go to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, which includes a cave with a pool of water, outdoor hot spring, and museum of sorts.

We were also able to visit an amazing hotel called the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.  You've got to have bucks to stay there!

The courtyard was filled with expensive cars like Lamborghini's and Jaguar's. Pretty awesome sight.

That concluded day one!