Life Change

I haven't written in my blog for a very long time, but having had to search through it for some information has made me aware of my neglect! My life has gone through a very serious change since I last wrote, for I now have the responsibility of caring for my youngest son who has progressive MS. It was something I never thought would happen in my family. Fortunately he has his own home, but it does require much work in keeping it functioning and making it functional! A garden has been planted down the side of the house with t he help of the missionaries. They dug it over, dug in a heap of potting mix and manure, then proceeded at three different stages to carefully empty my planter containers and drop the plant into the large hole prepared for it. there is just a bit to go still at the end and the top of the veranda needs to have the battered shade cloth pulled down and replaced with panels. Despite the work we have settled in and are comfortable. I desperately desire to teach him more of the goodness and mercy of Jesus, but he gets so distressed that I shut my mouth. Heavenly Father will help in time I am sure with prayer and patience on my behalf!

Poetry

It's been a long time since I wrote in my blog but thought I would tonight and include two poems. the first one, Battle of Britain, as published in WA Poets online journal Creatrix 33. The second one Responsibility was read at my Come Write In meeting yesterday and received a lot o comments. It's made me think about a third one - Spitfires. Well why, you might ask. Because I have been very much in awe of the Battle of Britain that was fought by so few British and their allies against a very powerful and well-prepared foe! Two hundred and fifty fighters against 2000 of the enemy! I ask you - was not God's hand in this battle that Britain won it? This was a decisive part of the war that saw Germany beginning to lose it.

                 Battle of Britain

Mad scramble when the phone rings,

Pilots soon zoom into the air.

With roaring engines, mighty wings,

Leaving lethal death trails up there,

 

The tiny spitfires under pilots hand,

Fight for freedom, filling sky with flare.

Fighting accomplished, a pilot sings

Coming home on a wing and a prayer.

 

Daring-do pilot victory-rolls a craft,

Others belly landing after fight in the skies,

Bomb-cratered airfields they eyed, aghast,

While Trusting in God were Hamilton’s cries,

 

He prayed for radar to come after,

As tired pilots arrived home for tea.

200,000 dead, a quarter million aircraft,

Far too many shattered lives moaned he.

 

At the base the CO there waited,

Pencil-twiddling in his anxiety.

How many returned? With breath baited,

Was silent question in troubled piety?

 

He had to write letters, always letters

To the families waiting back home.

The COs job in a world in tatters,

Was his at that time, his alone.

Responsibility

The Captain, the Bombardier, the Navigator

What major roles they had to play

Who was the most important at times

Was rather difficult to say

 

Now the Captain, his word was law

To be obeyed when given at length

It was his responsibility for sure

His character shows that strength

 

He kept the Lancaster in the air

With skill he guided his charge

Gripping tightly through flak and bullets

Ready for bombardier to drop bombs at large

 

Then Bombardier takes full control

When the target gets ever nearer

To him the responsibility of his soul

To drop them precisely when vision is clearer

 

But Navigator plots the minutely course

For Captain needs to know where to fly

For Bombardier to drop his charges

Exactly on the land below that both require.

 

I guess there’s one more thing to say

About these gallant men of such flair

For involved were other actors at play

When the Lancasters took to the air

 

The daring-do crew received little note

Like the radio man at his work

But those gunners that kept their aircraft afloat

Zealously their bullets whizzed, they did not shirk

 

There you go, from captain down to gunner

The huge Lancaster braved the fighting enemy

Not one of them thought to do a runner

                                   As they faced their own Gethsemane

Testimony

From Mindy Ann Selu's article By Small and Simple Blogs, January Ensign 2016
Our Church leaders have instructed us to use technology as a means to share the gospel with others. And though it’s sometimes scary to make myself vulnerable by sharing personal feelings, I know that my words can positively influence others. Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counselled us to not give in to what the Apostle Paul calls the “spirit of fear” (2 Timothy 1:7): “Do not be afraid to share with others your experiences as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. We all have interesting stories that have influenced our identity. Sharing those stories is a nonthreatening way to talk to others. Telling those stories can help demystify the Church.”

Mindy encourages us to bare our Testimonies, sharing the Restoration of the Gospel, on blogs and other social media. She uses the admonishment from Elder M. Russell Ballard that he stated in the July 2008 Ensign "May I ask that you join (the online conversation about the Church) by participating on the Internet to share the gospel."
It's now 2016 so what have I done about it? I have shared my Testimony on Facebook but not explicitly about the restoration of the Gospel! I feel that is remiss of me. A young lad named Joseph Smith had a question to ask God when he was about fourteen in the upper state of New York in 1820. At the time there was a lot of religious fervour in the district, the then Churches vying to bring people into their Churches, but many offered different interpretations of the Bible to make it difficult for the young lad to know which was the right Church. So after reading James 1:5 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.' , Joseph decided to ask. He went to the woods in early spring of 1820 and there to his amazement met two Personages, God the Eternal Father and His only begotten son Jesus Christ. The Father admonished joseph to heed Him, and through Jesus Joseph learnt that none were right. That led to Joseph receiving the Gold Plates and the translation of the Book of Mormon and the restoration of Christ's church on earth again. Today I have embraced that Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, for I know for sure that it is His Church and I participate in its programmes, have callings, currently editor of the Relief Society newsletter, and attend as regular as I can the Lord's Holy House, His Temple! I believe that this Church is for the Salvation of men and can lead them back to the presence of out Father in Heaven. Thank you Mindy Ann Selu for the encouragement to write this.

Sez O'Grady: Rangelands

Sez O'Grady: Rangelands

Rangelands

My doctoral thesis, completed in 2004, advocated multiple use of the rangelands to a) another source of income for the grassmen when cattle and sheep prices are down, drought is prevalent and other such economic downturns and b) help rest the rangelands and make use of other sources the rangelands have to offer. Today I read on my email an article from Outback Australia stating that laws were being prepared to come forth to do just that! So pleased that the rangelands and their carers, the grassmen and Aborigines, will get help at last! I am cheering!

Hi Colleen, I’ve got exciting news to share. The WA government has taken the first official step in Outback law reform and it wouldn’t have happened without your help! On Friday, ‘rangelands reform’ made the headlines of The West Australian Business pages with the news that the WA government will now start formally drafting new Outback laws. Late last year, vital aspects of these reforms faced an uncertain future. Our Outback, Our Story supporters were asked to send a message to government ministers encouraging a positive outcome, and we all responded in droves. You gave a few moments of your time to send a message and it's made a big difference. Thank you! Sweeping changes announced on Friday will give Outback people greater flexibility in managing the land and the option to diversify into more sustainable enterprises. These opportunities, such as tourism and conservation, will be supported by a new Rangelands Advisory Board – a key element of the reform that has now been officially approved by government. See what the reforms mean for the Outback in a blog post on our website. Last week’s announcement lays the foundations for exciting changes, and this is when the fun really begins. In April, the draft laws will be released and members of the public will be offered the chance to have their say. We’ll need to secure the best possible outcomes for the Outback, and by working together I’m confident we can bring lasting and positive change. So stay tuned and tell your friends about us so we can have the biggest impact when the Outback needs it most. Thank you for helping show that people all over WA are concerned about the future of the Outback. Cheers, David David Mackenzie Director, Partnership for the Outback OurOutbackOurStory.org.au

Poetry

I have had another poem published in the online journal of WA Poets Creatrix 30. I love writing poetry but get very frustrated when I cannot spend the time writing as I wish! The published poem was Winter Rain. I am currently working on another about Australian Christmases

WINTER RAIN

The rain drifts in and around the hills;
on the flatland it finds its way beneath my coat,
at home it pours down over my window sills,
and I’m beginning to think I’ll need a boat!

 Heavy black clouds wreath around the valleys

hiding the hill tops, even the city skyline,
don’t venture forth without your brollies;
leave early to get wherever you go on time.

Watch out for flooding, so map your course

to travel wet roads safely as still the rain poured;
careful to stay on road or washed off by force
by water that gouges the roads and claims scored.

But me, I revel in the teeming torrents,

enjoying the perfume, watching the hidden hills,
rewarded by the sudden appearance of forests
Grey and dull in the torrential spills.

Many poems I submit don't make the grade but that's the way it goes

America's 4th July 2011

A bit of trivia regarding America's 4th July celebrations and the nation's revered flag. I love the flag for what it stands for, and for being the flag under which our Church was founded, through Moroni as requested by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ

AMERICAN FORK — There were 2.5 million people living in the American colonies when the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
There are a few more Americans today — 311.7 million. And just like many who are anxious to light a few fireworks on the Fourth of July, the Census Bureau's penchant to tell Americans about themselves gets its fuse lit at a chance to celebrate the most American of national holidays — by the numbers.

Tom Smart, Deseret News
The crew steps inside the Dee Balloon III before launching during the America's Freedom Festival's annual Balloon Festival in Provo on Friday.
From the archive
•Tallying America for the Fourth of July – June 27, 2011
•Bills by Bishop, Hatch would change census counting, include Utah missionaries overseas – March 31, 2011
•2010 Census details Utah growth; West Jordan now 4th largest city – Feb. 24, 2011
The information quantifies the obvious, adds a few surprises and begs a question or two.
It may be a surprise that $3.2 million worth of American flags sold in 2010 were manufactured overseas, for example. But with that in mind, it is likely less of a surprise that $2.8 million of those imports came from China. Mexico is the biggest purchaser of American-made American flags, buying $486,000 worth last year.
The Census Bureau did not quantify how many American flags end up in places hostile to the United States, destined to become a prop in some nefarious media-attention-seeking down-with-America protest.
Much more subjective might be the question about how many "famous" American flags there are. Candidates certainly include the "Star Spangled Banner" Francis Scott Key spoke of when witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry; Betsy Ross' flag; the flag hoisted on Iwo Jima, memorialized at the Marine Corps War Memorial near Arlington Cemetery; the banner almost destroyed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, now known as the National 9/11 flag; or perhaps the banner farthest from earth that the Apollo 11 crew planted on the moon in 1969.
It is likely no surprise at all that China is the source of the bulk of the imported fireworks — $190.7 million worth in 2010. Uncounted is the number of the people who unroll their spent fireworks to look at the Chinese newsprint inside.
What may be a surprise is that the United States also exported $37 million worth of fireworks in 2010, with Japan being its single largest customer.
Across the country, 31 places have "liberty" in their names, the most populous being Liberty, Mo., with 29,149 residents. Another 35 have "eagle" in their names, including Utah's own Eagle Mountain. The most populous is Eagle Pass, Texas, population 26,248.
"Independence" is in the name of 11 places, the largest being Independence, Mo., population 116,830. Nine places have "freedom" in their name, led by Freedom, Pa., population 4,464.
The Census Bureau says there is only one "patriot" — Patriot, Ind., with a burgeoning population of 209.
Places with some form of "America in their names" total five, led in size by — stand and salute — American Fork, Utah, population 26,263.