Accessible family history

This Instagram reel is an experiment to make my Grandpa Stewart’s home movies more accessible to my family.

One thing I have learned from watching his movies is that my grandmother was the star. ♥️

This was taken at the Spencer home in Salt Lake City at Christmas time in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s. My mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother are beautiful in this clip. Carol is in the pale pink dress, JoAnn is in hot pink, and Lucille is in red.

I don’t know, I just really needed to see this film today.

I will post more short clips with music now and then. I look forward to sharing some very special family times with you.

Two unforgettable paintings

This is a screenshot from a lecture on YouTube. It shows two versions of works by Van Gogh. The piece on the left was painted outdoors and analysis has shown his materials and the order that he added colors. Plein air painting has its drawbacks, including wind and changes in lighting, so he had to work quickly. Notice how vibrant the colors are on the left painting.

The painting on the right was done in his asylum studio, away from the elements, after the painting on the left was finished. The image on the right is more harmonious and less vibrantly colored.

I saw these paintings at the Met last summer displayed side by side and they are really memorable to me. I immediately liked the more brightly colored one and assumed that the more muted painting reflected the sadness of the asylum where he painted it. But that’s not how the artist saw things.

First: Wheat Field with Cypresses, September 1889

Van Gogh said that the less vibrant painting, the second version, was the definitive work. After learning more about both paintings, I can see that the more muted painting is more intentional and refined. The wind in the cypresses is more evident in the second one, too.

Second: A Wheatfield, with Cypresses, September 1889

With art, we can like what we like, but learning more about the artist’s process has helped me to appreciate the qualities of both versions.

Purpose of prayer

In Ether 1 of the Book of Mormon it says that the prophet prayed for his family and friends who were refugees looking for a home. The Lord had compassion and told him to prepare to go to a choice land “…because this long time ye have cried unto me.” (Ether 1:43)

So, does this mean that all we need to do to get what we want is to pray long enough and hard enough?

I don’t think this is how things work. Jesus taught in the parable of the unjust judge that a corrupt official will show mercy just to be rid of someone who asks and asks for something, but God is surely better than that. (Luke 18:1-8)

I don’t think that the brother of Jared wearied the Lord or wore him down with requests so he finally said, fine, have what you want. I think this story illustrates how prayer makes us ready to receive the huge blessings that the Lord already has waiting for us.

In other words, prayer doesn’t chip away at the Lord’s iron will to withhold blessings. Rather, prayer chips away at our own wills and our pride, and helps prepare us to level up in understanding and joy.

After all, we pray to a God who knows our needs before they are spoken. (Matthew 6:33) So, prayer isn’t about informing Him of needs, but connecting with Him.

Please don’t let your prayers sound like a shopping list. The Lord’s perspective transcends your mortal wisdom.

President Russell M Nelson

Prayer is the vehicle for us to understand that God is there. He gets us. He will bless us in ways that will ultimately help us return to Him, and often that means He doesn’t remove every pain right away.

Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses- yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen!

President Russell M Nelson

Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask him to tell you if He is really there-if He knows you. Ask him how He feels about you. And then listen.

President Russell M Nelson

I pray for an evolving list of people by name, but I have changed how I pray for them. I used to kind of whine and beg. Okay, I still do that sometimes. But, more and more, prayer has become the moment in the day where I can tell God that I trust Him with these precious people and that I trust His wisdom and His power to help. Sometimes during prayer I will quote a scripture of praise. This has been a helpful shift in how I approach my Father in Heaven in prayer.

Mark

We are at the phase where Mark has a pretty full life unaccompanied by me, but I have ways of staying current with his activities.

Recently, Mark’s friend made a 50 day countdown to graduation video. I took a screenshot of Mark from the reel because it shows him in his weightlifting class which is one of his favorites.

Here is Mark with his calculus class celebrating Mr. Newbold being named teacher of the year. Mark is doing great in this class.

During spring break, he stayed with my parents and spent a lot of time with cousins. He was most excited to tell me about all of the stumps he helped remove from my parents’ gardens.

He is working hard to prepare for his senior piano recital, and lucky me, I get to hear him practice a wide range of repertoire each day, including works from Chopin, Joplin, Scarlatti, Mendelssohn, and Sinding, plus hymn arrangements. Here he is accompanying a violinist. He’s a fantastic musician.

Richard and I had a flight during the Saturday evening session of general conference so we weren’t home to view it. When we walked in the door, it was clear that Tim and Mark had been watching conference together because this traditional block tower was sitting in the middle of the room. Mark has built one during each conference for years. Yes, this is just a simple block tower, but on that night, it was a symbol of his commitment and his testimony.

I am so happy to be Mark’s mom.

15

This weekend marks 15 years of writing this blog, and I’m taking a minute to celebrate this personal accomplishment. I have written steadily during these years and produced more than 2,300 posts.

There are periods when I get tired of blogging, and I have planned my exit so many times. If you see a post called, “So long, farewell,” you will know that I no longer feel the call to share. ✌️

I am insecure about my content all of the time. It would be easier to keep my words in a personal journal, but that isn’t the point. You are the point. You are the intended audience. Writing this blog is my version of placing a note in a bottle and throwing it into the ocean to see who will find it. I hope that you find something joyful here.