Mormon Bloggers

This time of year is a good time for love and marriage.  Pasty and I were married in December. The Goates Kids Back in the day, we imagined having a family.  She always said she wanted a large family.  Her wishes came true.  Having a large family, however, takes a lot more living than merely wishing it into existence. We were remembering this week, having both recently suffered a mild 24-hour variety of the annual flu bug, that it was a long time ago when either of us suffered that fleeting but uncomfortable malady.  In fact, it was a memorable evening when the flu bug visited our humble abode by striking down one child at a time.  I was the only one who escaped that night, but paid the price a few days later.  Every hour on the hour that night I was up with each in turn, cleaning up the remains, washing sheets, changing beds, mopping bathroom floors and toilets.  It’s funny now, looking back all these years, not as funny that night. We... Read the rest of this entry »

As soon as my son was able to write his name, I started having him help write thank you cards for his birthday and Christmas gifts. I wrote the note, he printed his name and drew a picture. Now that he’s older, he is able to write a short sentence in a card. However writing more than one card at a time is overwhelming so we space them out and do one a day. I think it is very important to write thank you cards more than just saying thank you because it helps teach my kids to express their thanks. Though many people feel a verbal thank you is enough, I feel learning to write thank you cards is a good thing to teach my kids. I really like this quote to remember how important it is to teach my children to give thanks. “Often we feel grateful and intend to express our thanks but forget to do so or just don’t get around to it. Someone has said that ‘feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.’ “- Thomas S.... Read the rest of this entry »

Thanks for this, Ash! So good! For fun: And for the coming holiday!! (My parents will probably watch this 15 times)    Read More →

Five minutes until we leave for the Turkey Bowl! A bunch of couples in the area are going to brave the snow and dust off our football skills while the kids stay at grandpa’s house. Wish us luck! I’ve been thinking about this all week and before the action all starts I wanted to get it out. So here’s the 2010 list of what I’m thankful for: A beautiful wife both inside and out, healthy and beautiful daughter, my own health, Jesus, the Atonement, prayer, America, scriptures, all kinds of food, a nice house, good neighbors, Seahawks when they have a winning season, clothes, education, good parents, all my brothers and sisters, awesome in-laws, being an uncle, playing with kids, reading books to my daughter, kisses from my daughter (and wife), past experiences that have led me to where I am today including: a mission to Germany, living and working in Switzerland, formal education, work training, my jobs, growing up on a farm. Looks like time’s up. I’m also... Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we have arrived to the wonderful day of Thanksgiving, so Happy Thanksgiving to all that read this today.  I hope that you all have a wonderful day, and I thought it would be fitting that I be grateful for joy today because we should be joyful and happy on this day as we remember all of the many blessings that Heavenly Father has given us.  I have always been thankful for the chances that I have been given throughout my life to laugh and to find joy.  At times, it seems almost impossible to do because of what is going on in our lives, but even though we may not realize it, I believe that there is always something that we can be happy about in our lives.  I have come to see that I can always find something to be grateful and happy for, and I wanted to share with you this idea as well. So last year about this time, I had just gotten home from the Ivory Coast, and I wasn’t feeling too grateful, happy, or joyful.  However, I eventually came to realize that... Read the rest of this entry »

Last week we were in the Salt Lake Temple for a stake temple day.  We have many ordinance workers from our stake who volunteer their time, most of whom are elderly and not in the best of health.  They arise early in the morning, even the middle of the night for most of them, to perform that sacred service for the patrons who come to do the work of saving souls. In all of this they are agents on an errand from the Lord.  No one compels anyone to do anything in this Church.  We are free to choose.  There is no way God at this late stage in the earth’s temporal existence, having put in place the plan of life to include the gift of agency, can reverse course and do it some other way.    Lehi said it well:  ”Men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according... Read the rest of this entry »

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Now in reading my title, many of you probably are thinking that I am really crazy for what I am about to be thankful for today on the second-to-last day of my Thanksgiving, but I have come to see how many blessings come to my life as a result of various trials that I have had to face.  I think we all have a tendency to complain and ask “Why me?” when we face difficulties, and that is because the word used to describe is just accurate.  We face many things in our lives that are very hard, and as these hard things push us and stretch us, we are uncomfortable.  Thus we complain and search for way to get out of these difficulties, but after we have finished enduring a certain trial, we can look back and see something that made it all worthwhile.  This something would be our growth.  As we are pulled, stretched, pushed, and, in short, run through the rigmarole, we come out better and more prepared for our future.  I know that the only reason that I am here... Read the rest of this entry »

Cooking Lesson: My Grandmother, Father and Daughter   By Linda Shaw   My first Thanksgiving cooking lesson came at age eight, when my Great Uncle Lincoln taught me how to make mashed potatoes. His potatoes had a special ingredient that needed to be added in just the right way, at just the right moment.   I remember how his voice gave me confidence when he whispered,  “It’s a secret family recipe that very few know, but everyone loves, you will do great.” I was thrilled to be trusted to help cook a Thanksgiving dish. And, I remember how in those magical moments he made me feel part of my mother’s family; he helped me feel special, part of a greater whole. Traditionally the Thanksgiving holiday has been a time when extended family has come together over dinner and activities.  Thanksgiving provides opportunity for family to discover one another, bond and express gratitude for the blessing of being family.  As I remembered... Read the rest of this entry »

Today, I wanted to express my gratitude for this world we have to live on and the different things that happen here.  By that, I mean I am grateful for nature and all of the different seasons that we have.  And this is a funny thing for me to be grateful for today because here in Utah there is a warning that has been going on for quite some time about a winter storm that is supposed to be pretty bad.  Several major places here in just Provo have been closed down and people were sent home early from school and work.  The storm is not very bad here yet, but I don’t think that it will make my gratitude lessen any if it gets a bit worse. I grew up in Utah, so I grew accustomed to having four seasons each year-spring, summer, fall, and winter.  I really love all of these seasons, and sometimes I am quite surprised when people don’t even though I know that the whole world doesn’t have four seasons like we do here.  When I was in the Ivory Coast, we had hot,... Read the rest of this entry »

John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and anything else he could think of to clean up the bird’s language. Nothing seemed to work. One day, he was so fed up that he yelled at the bird. The parrot yelled back. John shook the fowl but the bird got even more rude and angry. In desperation, John grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes, the parrot squawked and screamed. Suddenly, it was totally quiet—not a peep for over a minute. Fearing he’d caused harm to the bird, John opened the freezer door to see what had happened. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s hand and said, “I believe I may have offended you. I’m sorry for my rude language and actions. I intend to do everything I can to correct my nasty... Read the rest of this entry »

Little Man and his classmates put on a sweet Thanksgiving program this week. He is the Indian standing on the front row on the far left. Notice his little feet…an obvious sign to his mama that he was feeling a little nervous about being in front of the crowd. I must tell you though, as soon as he walked through the doors (as the program began), my heart began to pound wildly…I was so, so nervous for him. I began to wave from the audience trying to get his attention…I desperately felt he needed to see me before the show started. He looked scared when he realized all the people that were there. He was scanning the audience for his “safe haven” …his mommy and daddy. We made eye contact with him and I could tell this eased his nervousness. As they began singing, he seemed to loosen up a bit. They sang several Thanksgiving songs for the audience. It was about now though that he made eye contact with me again and I could tell something was wrong. ... Read the rest of this entry »