A Mormon FBI Agent and a Bishop

Well what do you know, gun in one hand and Scriptures in the other. We Mormons are good at killing the baddies and saving marriages. Good on you McPheters, you are a gutsy person with a great Testimony

MESA - Fighting drug cartels, then counseling couples having trouble in their marriage -- that was a day in the life of an FBI agent who moonlighted as a Mormon bishop. He says it was a call of duty to his country and God.
An extortion case bust turned violent and FBI Agent Mike McPheters fired off a deadly shot.
"He fired first, it went over my shoulder and I returned fire and I shot him… My round went through his heart, lodged in his spine," says McPheters. "Yeah I was responsible for his life being taken. I never had any remorse. It either would have been him or me."
Throughout his life, McPheters juggled two identities -- one inside the Mormon temple and the other out in the field.
"One day I might perform a marriage, another day I might have to arrest a bridegroom."
McPheters says it was an easy balancing act. He was a Mormon bishop and a specialized agent in the FBI -- and he says his work never conflicted with his religious beliefs.
"In 1968, when I raised my arm to defend the constitution, I felt that was a sacred honor, this constitution for this land. I feel it comes from God."
After fighting the mafia along the East Coast, McPheters moved his family out west. His job was to survey the Mexican cartels along the border.
"They are the most despicable people on the face of the earth, the drug cartels -- not illegal immigrants," he says.
McPheters says our porous border endangers everyone, and admires Brewer's resolve to protect the state. He also tips his hat to the controversial lawman, Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
During his career, McPheters did not take life for granted, although he admits feeling invincible sometimes.
"Knowing your going to get the bad guys, that excitement eclipses fear," he says.
Only once, McPheters prepared for death. A drug bust inside a motel room required him to confront a dealer without a gun.
"That night, I had to write my family a note… that I love them. If anything should happen it's been a great ride."
That's a ride he shares with his wife, five children and 22 grandchildren -- "gun in one hand, scriptures in the other."

Alabama's troubles

Such has been the strength of these storms that the damages have been classed national disasters. May God be with the rescuers in finding everyone
A BARRAGE of tornados that killed more than 300 people and destroyed entire neighbourhoods across the southern states of the US has been branded a national catastrophe.
US authorities continued their search among the ruins of homes and other buildings yesterday after thousands of people were injured across six states.
The hardest-hit state was Alabama, where at least 241 were killed as storms raged through heavily populated areas between its largest city, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley described his state as "a major, major disaster" after an inspection of the worst-affected areas by helicopter.
"The last 20 hours have been a nightmare for this community, and, indeed, it is a very dark hour," Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox said. "Infrastructure has been absolutely devastated. When you look at this path of destruction, likely five to seven miles (eight to 11km) long and half a mile to a mile wide, I don't know how anyone survived."

Fears of looting mount in tornado-hit US
Wiped off the map in US storms
Referring to the town where he has lived his whole life, he added: "There are parts of this city I don't recognise."

The tornados, considered the worst since 1974, swept through southern states late on Wednesday, US time. Some areas that had already been ravaged by powerful storms earlier in the week were struck again.
President Barack Obama will travel to Alabama today to tour the worst-affected areas after signing an emergency declaration for the state that allows federal aid to help people whose homes and businesses were lost.
Speaking at the White House, Mr Obama said the storms were a catastrophe for the US and the loss of life had been heart-wrenching, especially in Alabama.
"In a matter of hours, these deadly tornados, some of the worst we have seen in decades, took mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, even entire communities," the President said.
Mr Obama said he wanted survivors of the catastrophe to know that the federal government would stand with them to rebuild.
Survivors who emerged safely from basements in their homes yesterday after storms had passed to witness widespread wreckage and debris were stunned after their once vibrant neighbourhoods with tree-lined streets had been flattened.
In the Birmingham suburb of Pleasant Grove, one survivor whose house was wrecked, Sharon Blue, 57, was reportedly spared after she huddled in her laundry clutching her two dogs. "I thought the whole house was just going to take off," she said. "It was like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.
In Coaling, Alabama, firefighter Reginald Epps and his wife tried to gather their three boys -- aged eight, six and four -- as the storm approached their home. They got the two youngest, but before they were able to get R.J., the walls of their house were sucked outward and R.J. was swept out into the storm. The parents dropped on the floor, covering their two younger boys and praying. A few minutes later, R.J. walked back into what had been their house. "I went up into the air," the eight-year-old boy said.
John De Block, a warning co-ordination meteorologist in Birmingham, said the towns of Hackleburg and Dadeville had taken direct hits.
There were reports that 90 per cent of Hackleburg had been destroyed and whole neighbourhoods were barely recognisable.
Mr De Block had ridden out the storm at his in-laws' storm shelter. "It's rather humbling, sitting there listening to the radio, hearing your own colleagues issue a tornado warning for the street you're living on," he said.
Birmingham also sustained major damage. "It looks like a war zone. All I want to do is get out," said one anxious elderly woman as she hauled a large suitcase, helped by male friends, down a road strewn with piles of debris.
Some houses had been cleaved in half by toppled trees, others were completely levelled, leaving residents wandering the streets dazed and confused.
The storms scattered belongings up to 80km away, caused a nuclear power plant to use back-up generators, and even forced the evacuation of a National Weather Service office.
States of emergency have been declared in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia, and governors called out the National Guard to help with rescue and clean-up operations.
The region was "hit and hit and hit again", said Melissa McDonald, of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

More disasters

There have certainly been enough of them across the world and in our own nation. The recent horrific storms and tornadoes of the southern US have our church once again on the alert. That's all we in our great nation of Australia do is pray and give where we can financially.

David Martin/AP photoSouthern storms devastated this neighborhood.Our thoughts and prayers are with those recovering from extreme weather conditions in the South. Church leaders continue to monitor the situation to determine how to best support relief efforts and assist those in need. All missionaries serving in the Alabama Birmingham Mission, which includes the area most impacted by the storm, are safe and accounted for while the church continues to check on missionaries in surrounding areas. The homes of several Church members have been damaged or lost. There are no reports of damage to Church buildings

Australian Bookshelf

My blog entry for 27th April. And an atishoo to you
I’m an author, a writer, but when one is not feeling well, the head is thick (thick-headed takes on a new meaning ha!). But I must do something. Last week I wrote of a writer’s dilemma, this week I’m writing of a writer’s health....umm...well something like that

Everyone thinks that Queensland sun is had.
Great balls of fire! They must be mad!
Hardly the sun we’ve seen this year,
For always the sky is dropping a tear.

Spare me days! It’s getting hard to think
Cannot even find the pen and ink.
Nose is all running – I tell you true.
Get it together Colleen, what’s the matter with you.

Does anyone out there have days like that?
Think I’d better go and cuddle the cat.
Puss doesn’t want me. Now I’m in a stew
For goodness sake Colleen, what’s the matter with you!

Head is all fuzzy – where’s the written word?
A Wilbur Smith – good writer you’ve heard.
Not interested in following the African spoor.
Wind is so cold, shut the ruddy door!

So many tears are falling from the sky,
Its about time Someone wiped it dry.
Where’s the sun? Nobody knows.
Oh! Better go wipe my running nose.

Oh dear. I am sure there are others who suffer the same fate when faced with a cold. The Wilbur Smith I mentioned in the poem is Birds of Prey, and for the first time I was not enthralled by his writing, even though this is the story of the beginning of the Courtneys in Africa. Some writers try to cash in on their material that proved so popular, but fail to come up to standard. Perhaps they wrote in haste. Maybe it is something we all do. I have a book called Freedom’s Land by Anna Jacobs. Its not a well-written piece of work. This tells the story of settlers during the 1920s and the traumas one woman and her daughter found and how that daughter turned her life around. That gives the story charm. Birds of Prey faded into insignificance against the tide of life written by the popular novelist Anna Jacobs. Sorry Wilbur Smith. Must go and deal with my nose

Trouble in the Ivory Coast

Ivory coast missionary work halted
Published: Friday, April 22, 2011

This is very sad. There is always unrest somewhere in Africa and the Saints there must be a very stalwart, very strong in their testimonies. They would need to be to survive all the wars and unrests in this big country of many small nations

IVORY COAST

Mission activities in the Ivory Coast have been suspended because of political unrest and widespread violence in the country. More than 135,000 Ivorians have crossed into Liberia, more than 7,000 into Ghana, and more than 2,000 into Togo. Relief organizations have set up refugee camps in border areas.

There are no reports of deaths or injuries among members, according to a Church welfare report. Many member families have abandoned their homes, taking refuge in rural villages or fleeing to Ghana, Liberia, Benin or Togo. Those who have reached locations where there is a Church presence are being attended to by local leaders and members.

All missionaries are safe. The mission president is currently operating from Lomé, Togo. Non-Ivorian missionaries have been evacuated to Ghana, Benin and Togo, while Ivorian missionaries have been given temporary leave to return to their homes or to stay with local members until it is safe to travel, according to the report.

The Church is working with other relief organizations to provide hygiene supplies to refugee camps in Liberia.

Area leaders continue to assess the situation of members and the community.

A new Aussie book

well I entered to see if I could get a free copy of this popular book....
With release date nearly upon us, Braiden (That Boy Needs Therapy) and I thought we'd do a few posts to get you all even more excited for this incredible novel. If you've read my review and Braiden's, you'll see how much we LOVED this book. I do not make such statements lightly. DIVERGENT IS FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! If you like your dystopians, you're going to be drooling over this baby.
We'll be having a couple of Divergent-related posts over the next few days on both our blogs, so make sure you check them out!
Tomorrow: Veronica's editor, Molly O'Neill gives us a peek behind the scenes of Divergent!
And thanks to the absolutely gorgeous Eliza of Harper Collins Australia, between us we have SIX copies of Divergent to giveaway!! 3 on my blog, 3 on Braiden's. Unfortunately though, these copies are limited to Australia only. Sorry! If you have an Aussie address we can send it to, please do enter!
To win 1 of 3 brand new copies of Divergent:
CLICK HERE
Australia only.
Automatic entry for entering, extra entries for following our blogs and advertising.
Ends April 30th 2011

The Australian Bookshelf

DAD and I attending a premier in 1966
My Dad as a Medical Orderly WWII
So I have now got an article on a new blog and I should have checked it over first for typo errors!

The trouble I have with writing sometimes seems to overwhelm me. I have figured it out! It is easier to write fiction than it is to write someone’s biography including my own. The trouble is my Dad’s Story. That’s what I’ve called it. It is his story. I mean Dad was a famous man, a famous writer, a good old Aussie at large, the bearded old bastard from the bush he called himself.
The problem with writing his story, is writing from his journals. Now he led an interesting life at times when he left journals, like towards the end of the war against the Japanese. But I find that all the good stuff I want to make sure I’ve got in his story, and find myself researching, seeking for tantalising bits of information that he only made a passing sentence to, and did not elaborate or give a thought to what his feelings were. A dilemma then. One particular subject that he made a passing mention of was to Major Bennett, a controversial figure that fled Singapore instead of surrendering to the Japanese as required by the British Commanding Officer at the time. An Australian faced the flak of the British. Bennett had to face a Royal Commission when the war ended. Indeed. Drastic measures. Now I ask you all, isn’t it an officers duty to do his best to escape from being a prisoner? Should I elaborate more of this man’s trials in Dad’s Story? What should this top Australian have done? I can’t help thinking of Weary Dunlop’s diaries of Changi and where two of my relations spent time during that war.
And in my own life record I have come across similar situations. How can one remain unbiased when one was reared on the bomb scare or a commo under every bed! What would the modern day youngsters think!

About Colleen O’Grady…

Well, I am a senior, a struggling writer though have completed a doctoral degree in my senior years. Due to circumstances beyond my control I am a late starter, though have often written poetry over the years and had a few published here and there. I am divorced (for many years) and have four grown sons and grandchildren. I currently live inQueensland, but callWestern Australiahome, I miss that state sometimes; the wildflowers, wide easy streets, highways and freeways that can lead either north or south to farms and bush, the great vast, wide open spaces that I love. Often I feel ‘hemmed in’ here – one can’t go cruising like inPerth, there are two many waterways, ducking and diving amongst thick traffic and the notorious gateway. Guess it’s all what we are used to, and here I seem to have better access to my O’Grady family and of course – writing!

The link to my blog is – http://sezogrady.blogspot.com/

I am interested in disasters, very much so, and any interesting news items, get posted on my blog, articles written by others, articles by me and poetry

The Iliad

The Iliad by Homer




This was a fabulous edition of Homer's great epic. I loved Homer's descriptive way of writing, discussing where each section of people had come from, likening some of them to various weather conditions or nature, and introducing us to those Gods so abhorred by those of the biblical era. it was really great to discover that Troy really existed, but I was mystified that there was no mention of a trojan horse. Modern day licence perhaps?



View all my reviews

Susan Dayley's Monday blog

This has lots of good ideas for grandparenting, and for parents of my grandkids. I intend to try and use a search one for Easter when with the family. Easter eggs are usually hidden but would like to try the treasure trail to find them. Thanks Susan

Treasure Hunts and Naughty Dough
by susandayley on April 18, 2011
I was not a perfect mother. My children could give you examples that I’ve long (or is it conveniently?) forgotten. I tend to remember the games, the hikes, the stories, the treasure hunts, the treats, the laughter, the anticipation, the satisfaction. Selective memory? I’m fine with that.
Speaking of the treats. . .Well, maybe there were a few imperfections. Like naughty dough.* Basically, it’s piecrust on a cookie sheet with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Bake, cut into squares and eat for an afterschool snack. I have never been a huge fan of carrot sticks and was sure my children wouldn’t be either. And guess what? Half of them aren’t.
And treasure hunts. One day, one of my sisters came to visit me and I was talking about a lunch time treasure hunt where each clue led to a different lunch item and location to eat lunch; for example, at one point everyone stands in the shower to eat sandwiches. She looked at me, and said, “How can you have such fun ideas and decorate like this?”
Since this is Monday, and I’m usually blogging about ideas for parenting, I’m going to give you my favorite clue for a treasure hunt. (Consider it a parenting help.) The clue is: ABCDEFGABCDEFG Can you guess where it leads? (I got this from the same sister who decorates with whimsy and humor and thinks I decorate like a bore.)
Many of our family Spring celebrations, on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, we had treasure hunts around the yard leading to spring baskets. Actually, we had treasure hunts all year long. On cold days they were in the house. When they were too young to read, the clues were pictures (phone, fridge, iron, etc.—printed from clipart.) Our advent calendar included looking for a “treasure” every day prior to Christmas. And one of my son’s birthday parties was a Detective Party with clues that led the boys around town where each location (library, post office, pizza place, etc.) gave them a clue to the next stop. At the pizza place we picked up pre-ordered pizza to take back with us.
My children are now grown and the guilt over naughty dough, the strict bedtimes, and the mistakes my children remember for me, is slowly fading. But how to make treasure hunts? Nope. There I’m just getting started.
This weekend my 10 month old granddaughter came to stay and in between my totally spoiling her, and papa (grandpa) totally spoiling her, we let her sleep. That’s how it is. Being a grandma lets me do everything wrong and at the same time, everything absolutely right. And next year, there’s going to be treats hidden in Grandma’s back yard.
*Note: I didn’t make naughty dough too often–and usually while our dad was at word; afterall, it is naughty. (He knows about it now.) All the same, some things just might get passed on.

Susan Dayley's very good advice

These are very wise words of Susan's and now I think it is my turn to take a break and splurge, read a good book is a must, rest and watch a favourite DVD, take a nice leisurely stroll along the foreshore, and have a piece of the most scrumtious cake I can find for my tea...bye now.......

Live Abundantly—but Take a Break Already!
by susandayley on April 13, 2011
I’ve been blogging about living abundantly for a couple of months now and frankly, I would like to—the old fashioned, pre-bubble burst way. With luxury. Seriously, with this economy, I’d like to blow a raspberry in the general direction of DC. I am getting tired of consolidating trips to town, baking everything from scratch and I would give my basement dweller for a new spring wardrobe. (Well, not really, but how about my neighbor’s cat?)
So what do I do when I get down right tired of being frugal and wise? Tired of being cheerful in the face of high gas prices and escalating prices at the grocery store? Tired of politicians pointing the finger across the aisle, the dollar turning to ash and having to outlast the wettest spring in about fifteen years?
Well this week I splurged. I ate chocolate, rented “Tangled” and took a long hot bath. With a romance novel.
Tomorrow I’ll go back to living frugally, cheerfully, and hopefully. This week I took some time off. I’m sure my family will get over it.
Think of it as running intervals. Sprint, sprint, sprint. Walk and enjoy. Sprint, sprint. . .you know.
So catch your breath, go out to eat, catch a play, or go to the spa. Regroup, refuel, renew.
Tomorrow we can once again hit this recession running.

More Earthquakes in Japan

It keeps on happening. The island of Japan will disappear into the sea if it keeps going on. We do not get the full story of how many have died, how they are managing to get accomodation, what are people doing to help for there are those from other nations including ourselves over there doing their best. It is a mammoth clean-up job alone from the first quake back in March without it continuing. Much of that first land swamped by the tsunami probably could never be reclaimed

12 April 2011
Nuclear accident level raised to maximum
Huge amounts of radiation leaking from plant
Fresh earthquake causes chaos in Japan
JAPAN'S nuclear disaster at Fukushima is as bad as Chernobyl.
Japan police hold moment of silence
As a powerful quake struck off the coast of Tokyo this morning, nuclear authorities prepared to raise the nuclear emergency level to level seven, the maximum on the scale.
The Fukushima nuclear plant has been releasing large amounts of radioactive material in the wake of last month's massive earthquake and tsunami.
Preliminary estimates from the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan suggest that more radiation may have escaped from the plant in the initial hours after the quake.

Nuclear reactors restored after latest Japan aftershock
Nuclear threat now at maximum in Japan
If officials confirm the upgrading from five to seven on the International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) - a global measure from one to seven for nuclear crises - it will be the only time it has been applied other than the 1986 Chernobyl catastrophe.
The nuclear crisis stemming from the earthquake and tsunami is currently considered a level five, the same grade given to nuclear accident on Three Mile Island in the US in 1979.
Fresh fires broke out the plant today after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck 77km east of Tokyo. The Japan Meteorological Agency had measured it at 6.3.
The quake caused subway services in Tokyo to stop and closed Narita international airport. Eleven people were killed in the subway
The latest quake was an aftershock of the 9.0-magnitude quake of March 11 that killed more than 13,000 and left more than 13,500 missing.
Japan has experienced more than 400 aftershocks stronger than magnitude 5.0 since March 11.

Susan Dayley's teaching children

A beautiful peice on how to teach children that we can all use in teaching our
own,grandchildren, primary or Sunday school youngsters. It should even work in the school system. Thanks Susan


Building Your Child’s Self-Worth
by susandayley on April 11, 2011
I didn’t always know that I couldn’t sing. I used to belt out “Big Rock Candy Mountain” for anyone who would listen. I had two solo parts in my sisters and daddy’s version of “The Men in My Little Girl’s Life,” and once as a youth I sang in a group that travelled to a nearby town for a conference. Afterwards, amidst several compliments, one gentleman said he had loved my enthusiasm and would love to have several young women like me in his congregation.
It wasn’t until college that I began to suspect that my desire did not compensate for a lack of ability. I was asked to sing in a quartet and was given the alto part. After one practice the quartet became a quintet with two altos.
The good thing was that by this time I had confidence in other areas and was not devastated that the world did not appreciate that I sang like my granddad. (His repertoire consisted of “Somebody Stole my Yellow Dog,” and “Blood on the Saddle”—both rendered with less than 5 notes.)
Too often people try to build a child’s self-esteem with blanket, unearned praise. This leads to a tearful child the moment someone identifies something negative about them. You can’t protect your child from that, but you can prepare them to handle those moments. A child’s self worth does not have to be a precarious thing that we guard like a mother lioness. A child who has gained confidence from accomplishment and the knowledge of who they are does not flinch from a critic’s fiery darts.
5 Basics:
1. The best confidence comes from knowing they are children of God, who loves them. Second to this is the unconditional love of a parent that accepts and cherishes them for who they are. Tell them, “You are my beloved child, I am so grateful to have you part of my life.” Without a parent’s approval, children can become withdrawn and unsure of themselves.
Let your children know they are a priority. Have them help you make supper and ask about their day. When you are in the car with them, talk to them. The little daily moments add up.
2. A wonderful way to build a sense of self-worth is to help them accomplish something that made them stretch. Such as learning times tables, memorizing lines to a play, learning to load the dishwasher correctly. While they are learning a new task, take time to do it with them, showing them how to do it well, and then let them know you appreciate it when they do. Be specific: “I like how you took time to wipe down the faucets of the sink.”
3. Allow your child to make age appropriate decisions for themselves. Give young ones options to choose between. “Which book do you want to read tonight?” Giving choices will also minimize power struggles. For example, ask your child if she would like to be reminded five or ten minutes before bedtime to get ready for bed. These beginning choices help to set the foundation for a feeling of control over their life.
Teach them how to make bigger decisions as they get older.
I visited a lady many years ago who told of how her son had decided not to go to
a friend’s special event at the last minute. The lure of playing with another friend
had distracted him. She asked him if he had prayed that this new choice was the
right one. He went back up to his room and about five minutes later returned in
his Sunday clothes. He explained, “I prayed about it mom, and I want to go to the
special event.”
4. Do not give your child negative labels, like: “The clumsy one.” Conversely, saying that a sibling is “The one who sings,” may cause another child to feel like they can’t. While finding and showcasing the strengths of each child, remind them that they each have many talents and abilities.
5. Involve your children in giving service. Think how good you feel after you have helped someone else. Create those moments for your children too.

Temple Family Home Evening

Each [temple] is blessing the lives of our members and is an influence for good upon those not of our faith. The ordinances performed in our temples are vital to our salvation and to the salvation of our deceased loved ones.

I think this is a great idea for Family Home Evening, even for someone like myself who is living on her own. We all can focus on being Temple worthy, serving as a worker in the Temple, teaching our children and grandchildren about the meaning of the Temple and its sacred ordinances

Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “As We Meet Together Again,” by Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Nov 2010, 4.

Thoughts:
Each [temple] is blessing the lives of our members and is an influence for good upon those not of our faith. The ordinances performed in our temples are vital to our salvation and to the salvation of our deceased loved ones. (Thomas S. Monson, “As We Meet Together Again,” Ensign, Nov 2010, 4.)

Song:
“I Love to See the Temple,” Children’s Songbook, p. 95.

Scripture:
And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it. (Doctrine and Covenants 97:15)

Lesson:
Have your family imagine visiting a foreign country where every city had a sports stadium in the middle of the town, around which everything else was built. Close to every stadium are a concert hall and an art museum. What would these buildings, and their location, tell you about the people of that country?

By the spring of 1833, the Church in Kirtland had grown to several hundred people, with more Saints gathering all the time. To better prepare the Church to take the gospel to the world, Church leaders and missionaries were commanded to study the gospel and also the learning of men. These circumstances created a need for offices for Church leaders, schoolrooms for teaching adults, and even a printing shop. A committee was appointed to acquire land, and the revelation in D&C 94 appoints and instructs a Church building committee.

Susan Dayley's where she goes...

Susan Dayley has said it all about where to go to write. Night time is apparently good for her, mine is in the mornings. But it is definitely switcheing off the phone, TV, Internet and emails and getting lost in your creative work. Go for it Susan

I could stay up past coherent, structured time every night. And never notice. I sit down ostensibly to write, but not until I’ve disconnected from emails, FB and from reading blogs do I actually begin.
But then it happens. One scene later and I’m no longer thinking of emails that didn’t come. Four or five scenes later, I no longer hear the rain pelting the windows. I’m only vaguely aware that the house has grown around me; the darkness stretching into unknown areas that disappear in the day. And all that remains of my identity are the words that emerge on the glowing screen of my monitor.
They all sat in the brown waiting room. Brown chairs with strait backs and wooden arms, brown tables with dated, dog-eared magazines scattered on them, and brown chair rails dividing the tan walls. The darkness of the night was held back beyond bare windows with brown-shaded brass lamps.
Lucy, her eyes red, but her face stoic, had her arm around Adela in the chair next to her. Adela’s head had dropped to Lucy’s shoulder with surrender. Her sobs have given way to gulping hiccoughs, her small frame, once again fifteen, had lost all of its bravado. On the other side of Lucy, Mr. Bridger sat, stiff and pale, staring at a blank wall across the room. His hand held Dr. Bridger’s right hand firmly. The professor, her gray suit wrinkled, is shaking uncontrollably. Tiny, trembles that she seemed unable to stop. She kept looking at her free hand. Finally she sat on it. Suzanna had never seen her like this. Vulnerable. Suzanna looked away.
At 10:38 p.m., according to the tauntingly slow clock on the wall, a doctor walked into the waiting area. “Are you Atticus’s family?”
The image of a clock drags me from the waiting room in the hospital and I am once again in my black swivel chair, staring at black characters imposing themselves onto a white page that has no real life form. A glance at the lower right hand corner of the screen tells me I’ve written too late again.
In this reality, there will be a bed-side lamp left on for me, but the lump on the other side of the bed will be motionless and deep asleep.
Time to call it a night. I’m tempted to finish the scene, but then I remember that one of the best ways to get me back writing the next day is to leave a scene unfinished.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m lying next to the motionless lump that rolls toward me and becomes a warm body. He reaches out for my hand, then falls back asleep. I lay there in the darkness, with covers pulled up to my chin, and listen to the distant creaks of a house that only settles at night when I can’t see it moving.
And then my soul transports back into the hospital waiting room.

A birthday tea at my home

Les with his girlfriend Sue, Shane and Murray. This was in late august 1992 when I had a birthday tea for both Les and Shane whose birthdays are only a fortnight apart
Murray with little Shanie as we called him, a friend of Dan and Murray's
Danny and his girl Tina cuddling on my couch...watch it kids!
Les with Sue and her son Brendan.
I lived in Gosnells then, and the boys were all close by. I regularly had birthday teas and other gatherings for them to come to and bring their girls. Now they are all proud parents themselves. One day I hope to see them as an eternal family. That is my prayer

Another precious couple

Aunty Gwen is Pat's sister, and both are sisters of my mother. She was married to Les Abraham a man from Wales who lost his arm in Coolgardie in an accident at the State Battery. They had a daughter. Aunty Gwen was previously married to Robert Sloan, a British submariner. They had four daughters.

A precious couple

A beautiful couple. Pat is actually my Aunt but she is only 2 years older than me. I have never called her 'aunt'. Peter is her husband of many years, Peter Rumbold. They live in Kalgoorlie, where he worked for years on the mine after leaving the Army and trying his hand at farming. They had six children. Billy the eldest they lost when he was 12 and drowned in the government dam just outside Kalgoorlie. Tiny Dorothy died of cot death when Peter was in the Army and based at Swanbourne Barracks

Memories

This was the hen's party held at the Good, the Bad and the Ugly at Northbridge
Sue with two of her children, eldest Kevin Colin and daughter Amy
Me holding marie's baby girl Laura Thornberry at two months old. The great Aunt holding the Great niece is a great memory
The oldest sister and the youngest sister, myself and Donna
The wedded couple Jim Hall and his brand new wife my niece Dianne and myself at the reception at the Cloverdale Hotel
I thought I would add some photos from days of yore because of the special memories they bring and the comments from my family in those photos. Most important of all, was the information given that I had long forgotten
My niece Dianne's hen's party and wedding, though she has been separated from her husband for a number of years, it was a gathering of the family

Public Invited to Tour Atlanta Georgia Temple

Public Invited to Tour Atlanta Georgia Temple
Oh how I wish I could be there. I would love to be able to go to a Temple open house. The lord's House is marvelous and I am so grateful to be a Temple worker in the Brisbane Australia Temple. A rich blessing indeed

Public Invited to Tour Atlanta Georgia Temple
|07 April 2011 — Salt Lake City
News Release
The public is invited to tour the newly renovated Atlanta Georgia Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the first time the building has been opened to the public since its original dedication in June of 1983.
The First Presidency of the Church has announced a public open house beginning Saturday, 9 April 2011, and continuing through Saturday, 23 April 2011, excluding Sundays. Public tours are available on Mondays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Tuesdays through Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the open house are required, but free, and can be obtained by visiting lds.org/reservations.
The temple is located in Sandy Springs, just off Highway 400 near Abernathy Road NE. Tours consisting of an 11-minute video presentation followed by a 30-minute walking tour will begin at the meetinghouse adjacent to the temple. Free parking is available on site.
Following the public open house, the temple will be formally dedicated on Sunday, 1 May 2011, by Church President Thomas S. Monson. After the dedication, only Church members in good standing will be allowed to enter. The two dedicatory sessions will be broadcast to Latter-day Saint chapels in the surrounding area to accommodate some of the 80,000 Church members in the region who will be served by the temple. The dedication will be preceded by a cultural celebration featuring the youth of the Church, to be presented in the Atlanta Civic Center on the evening of 30 April.
The Atlanta temple was closed in July 2009 for extensive renovation. This renovation included complete replacement of the electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems, as well as the installation of an automatic fire sprinkler system. Work was also done to assure more complete functionality for the disabled. In addition to the technical improvements, new appointments include rich eucalyptus hardwood from Brazil, original art, Swarovski crystal chandeliers, 45 new art-glass panels, etched carpets and added windows for increased natural light. The exterior of the temple remains mostly unchanged, with some new landscaping.
An estimated 2.5 million Latter-day Saints have entered the Atlanta temple since it was originally completed and dedicated in 1983. The Georgia building was the 21sttemple of the Church worldwide and the first built in the southern United States. Today there is at least one temple in every adjoining state, in Birmingham, Alabama; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina and Orlando, Florida. Worldwide there are 134 operating temples, with another 26 announced or in some phase of construction, including a second temple in Florida, to be located in or near Ft. Lauderdale.
Latter-day Saint temples differ from the meetinghouses or chapels where members meet for Sunday worship services. Temples are considered “houses of the Lord” where the teachings of Jesus Christ are reaffirmed through marriage, baptism and other ordinances that unite families for eternity. In the temple, Church members learn more about the purpose of life and make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and serve their fellow man.

Cartwheeling

It was Wynnum Writer's group this morning and some phases were selected to present a paper using them. This was my contribution. We also had a playwright Margaret Daykin come by for a chat on rewriting works and tell us that her play, Presume Guilty, will be on in the Wynnum Municipal Council Hall on the 4th June. This is the story of Ellen Thompson, the only woman hanged in Queensland. Oh my! Meanwhile below is Cartwheel
Effulgent daybeams drifted serenely down to the quiet curve of the beach, where the waves gently lapped the soft, golden sand. The aqua of the sea close to shore offset the sands of gold and further out the deep blue of the sea proper reflected the brilliance of the blue sky. The curve of the beach had rocky promontories at each end, and carried various types of coastal vegetation in the scanty soils and along the flanking sand dunes. The beach, a lonely spot beside a serene ocean. A place of pleasure to a very young women, and an inspiring place to a very enamoured troubadour.
A lone figure with long brown wavy hair and clothed in a trim blue floral bathing suit, was cartwheeling along the sand with elfish grace, her brown limbs slender but strong as down the beach she wheeled, enjoying the feel of the sand on her hands and feet; enjoying her movements and the beach itself, her youth, her freedom and the beauty she knew she had. It was a beautiful, pleasant sight. Not everyone could enjoy such a picture of a lone girl in her late teens enjoying the movement of her body on such a lovely, peaceful beach. The girl had no thought of being watched, as she knew this section of the beach well, where seldom anyone visited and she was pleased to have it to herself. The far away threats of war did not trouble her contented mind as she wheeled to the jutting promontory of rocks that marked one end of the beach, expertly turned and cartwheeled back to the other end.
She was being watched.
The man in uniform stood in amongst the scrub, staring down onto the beach in amazement at the vision doing cartwheels. An enamoured troubadour of some reputation, he had never seen anyone so lovely in all his travels in war-torn places overseas and was captivated. The beautiful, brown-haired lassie’s enthralling charm enthralled him as she cartwheeled her way along the beach, the slimness and golden brown of her limbs, the fine texture of her skin had him in raptures. He must get to know her while he was repatriating from his wound. It was imperative that he get to know her. But how? To do so on a lonely beach might evoke fear. He would watch and wait and see where she went to after the beach. The vision of loveliness must have a home somewhere.
It came time to leave this small place of paradise, and the beautiful young women stopped her cartwheeling, nimbly climbed up the sand dunes bordering her paradise and set off towards suburbia beside the coastal road. The man followed discreetly, and was rewarded when his beauty turned into a gate of a small, asbestos home beside that road. He hastened across the road and waited discreetly near a palm tree, to be rewarded by her re-emerging, dressed in a slimly-fitting summer’s frock of gay yellow sprinkled with tiny blue flowers. He followed as she headed down the road towards a small shop and burger joint. Lunch time and he followed her in. A table was selected and the beautiful woman sat down. He joined her, introduced himself and bamboozled her with his florid oratory. His reward was fiery indignation at his attempting to sit with her and ‘pick her up’ as she informed him, a soldier whose uniform she held in the greatest regard. She was a freeborn soul and abhorred such treatment of herself, and even more so of the uniform. The man was astounded. He had never been treated in such an abysmal manner before by women. His fortified selfishness had never been able to see beyond his own selfish needs. The enamoured troubadour sat there, stunned, as the vision of loveliness in elfish grace left her seat and stalked out in her anger.
The beautiful beach did not see him back there again and the vision of loveliness continued to frequent its shores, enjoying her solitude and exercise.

There is a watchful God

a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqvc8o1S9N3lCzsQ-0G30KtMizlLJJ1T7qI84M07I6P_kssNMn3GqK-GJtO50xhbHEIPXcJz6iMhTDbOztR1N970d4xtuN6OIOQjIofu_HxqqtAIq_GxOhGpFSHRcrDKc-21P_v_LMWuC/s1600/arizonatruckwreck2011.jpg">

Lucky was the driver and his passenger and lucky was the person who took these photos to record this event so I could post it on my blog

Look at the picture above and you can see where this driver
broke through the guardrail, on the right side of the culvert,
where the people are standing on the road, pointing.
The pick-up was traveling about 75 mph from right to left
when it crashed through the guardrail.
It flipped end-over-end bounced off and across the culvert outlet,
and landed right side up on the left side of the culvert,
facing the opposite direction from which the driver was traveling.
The 22-year-old driver and his 18-year-old passenger
were unhurt except for minor cuts and bruises.
Just outside Flagstaff , AZ , on U.S. Hwy 100.
Now look at the second picture below...




If God isn't done with you, God isn't done with you.

President Thomas S Monson - our Prophet of God

In this, my blog, I would like to say that President Thomas S Monson is a Prophet, seer and revelator whose words when given to all in the Church come directly from the Saviour. I am very grateful to have that knowledge and to know that this man and the 14 others will not lead us astray. This artcile is great and at times a little controversal.

Mormon president can do no wrong to religion's members
By Peggy Fletcher Stack, Religion News ServicePosted 4d 10h ago |
Mormon President Thomas S. Monson, his two right-hand men and 12 apostles will take to the podium at this weekend's General Conference and offer sermons that many Mormons will treat like faxes from God.
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Thomas Monson gives the opening talk at the 180th Annual General Conference of the church last April in Salt Lake City.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consider these 15 men "prophets, seers and revelators" and look to them for divine guidance on issues as profound as the role of the Holy Spirit and as seemingly trivial as using "thee" and "thy" in prayers.
Mormons don't use the term "infallibility" to refer to their leaders and readily acknowledge that they are imperfect men. In practice, though, Mormon belief comes awfully close to that standard.
"We pay lip service to the prophet's fallibility," said Edward Kimball, son of late church President Spencer W. Kimball. "But when you come down to specifics, we can't think of any incidents where a prophet was wrong."
It's a conundrum for the ever-growing Utah-based church. Founder Joseph Smith took the title "prophet" and claimed divine messages, but also urged members to think for themselves and to ask God directly about the truth of various pronouncements.
One of Smith's most radical concepts was "continuing revelation," the notion that the scriptural canon did not end with the Bible and that well-established beliefs could be altered — even overturned — by new messages from heaven to the leaders in charge.
So much authority is ascribed to the Mormon president, though, that quasi-prophet worship by the far-flung members of the 14 million-member faith seems unavoidable.
After all, Mormon children are taught to sing "Follow the Prophet" and are assured that he never will lead the church astray.
The adherence to authority can create tensions for faithful Mormons who opposed the church's support of Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage in California, or those who now object to the church's support of a compassionate approach to illegal immigrants.
How, then, should Mormons view their leaders? What happens when they slip? And when, if ever, is it OK to disagree with them?
Smith knew his limitations and said a church president spoke for God only when he was "acting as a prophet." But few Mormons then or now could separate the man from the office. Instead, many have elevated his stature into an impossible realm.
Members say Smith was "just a normal man with failings and weaknesses who was called to do extraordinary things," said John Fowles, a Mormon lawyer in London, "but then many are very uncomfortable with even the very mild report of some of his weaknesses and failings."
Their faith is sometimes shaken, Fowles said, and it's all because of "unrealistic and unnecessary expectations."
For their part, Mormon leaders know they are fallible.
"Forget everything I have said, or what ... Brigham Young ... or whomsoever has said ... that is contrary to the present revelation," the late apostle Bruce R. McConkie once preached. "We spoke with a limited understanding."
When asked about his statement discounting that man would ever reach the moon, former church President Joseph Fielding Smith said, simply, "Well, I was wrong."
Indeed, biblical history is full of imperfect prophets. Moses killed a man and later met God face to face. King David committed adultery and then murder. In Mormonism, LDS prophet Brigham Young expressed racism, and a decade before his 2008 death, LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley confessed that "adulation is a disease I fight every day."
"I'm grateful to know this and more," said Molly Bennion, a Mormon in Seattle. "Their very fallibility gives me hope that I can overcome and that God might forgive me."
Bennion said those who follow the LDS prophet unthinkingly "never develop the spiritual strength necessary to weather the inevitable disillusionment in some leader or, perhaps worse, in oneself."
All humans learn as least as much from their mistakes as from their triumphs, Bennion said. "To deny our leaders that possibility seems unfair."
The speeches at General Conference and elsewhere mostly emphasize long-standing doctrines and LDS standards already spelled out in official publications, said Mormon sociologist Armand Mauss of Irvine, Calif. They largely serve to "build and maintain a sense of community among the Latter-day Saints in a diverse world."
And that can make it tough, Fowles said, to disagree.
Mormon writer Jana Riess experienced that firsthand last October, when her Flunking Sainthood blog took issue with LDS senior apostle Boyd K. Packer's critical conference comments about homosexuality.
Some blog commenters were "calling for my head for publicly disagreeing with a general authority," said Riess, who lives in Cincinnati. "But what is wrong with disagreement and debate? I did not say anything hurtful about Packer; I did not attack him personally. Nor did I question that he is called to hold the position of authority that he does. I simply disagreed with him. Why is that so threatening?"
Ultimately, LDS observers say, Mormons have to decide for themselves how much deference to give the words of their leaders and deal with the consequences of their choices.
Philip Barlow, who teaches Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University, said it's entirely possible to appreciate the intentions and example of LDS leaders, without falling prey to blind adoration.
The wonder is not that some or another leader has disappointed in word or action," he said. "The proper wonder is that, with all the foibles to which we humans are subject, church leaders may ... exhibit the truth of what Jesus spoke of: grains of salt and bits of leaven capable of enlivening a whole people with the taste of the transcendent."
Peggy Fletcher Stack writes for The Salt Lake Tribune.