This is an update to this post.
This morning I was reading some talks online at lds.org when I thought I should see if Mary Ellen Edmunds had given any talks. She had, and I read a few. My favorite article was this one. She has so many stories to tell about her mission experiences. It was a wonderful article!
If you want to read anything else she wrote, go here. There are lots of little treasures there. :)
This one is also pretty great. :)
"As an instrument in the Lord's hands, I could comfort others when they are faint, I could take time to hear their soul's complaint, wipe away their tears, calm their troubled hearts, and love them to the end, just as the hymn tells us that the Savior does these things for us. But he needs my participation, he needs my willingness to serve, to be an instrument in his hands. He wants me to stop and help others. He wants all of us to stop and help those in need; to be good Samaritans."
Monday, April 30, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
A Great Discovery!
Friends! Romans! Countrymen! Lend me your ears.... so I can tell you about a wonderful thing I've re-discovered. I've been reading it over today, and I've been laughing. Hard. Out loud. And I've read most of them before. Here it is:
The author has been my neighbor for the past 8 months.
Read it. It's sooooo fabulous.
:D
This blog.
The author has been my neighbor for the past 8 months.
Read it. It's sooooo fabulous.
:D
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Lord, I Would Follow Thee
Tomorrow, Women's Chorus is singing at Brigham Young University's graduation. Elder Oaks is speaking too, and I'm so excited. Because we're singing tomorrow, we had a practice this morning. Vocal warmup and song practice at 10:00 A.M.
What a lovely way to start a morning-- a small group of women in the Madsen singing hymns together. It was a happy time for me, so I thought I would share the words below. Enjoy the two verses written especially for the BYU Nursing Program.
What a lovely way to start a morning-- a small group of women in the Madsen singing hymns together. It was a happy time for me, so I thought I would share the words below. Enjoy the two verses written especially for the BYU Nursing Program.
Savior, may I learn to love Thee,
Walk the path that Thou hast shown,
Pause to help and lift another,
Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love Thee--
Lord, I would follow Thee.
I would be my brother's keeper,
I would learn the healers art.
To the wounded and the weary,
I would show a gentle heart.
I would be my brother's keeper--
Lord, I would follow Thee.
Stir my heart with love's compassion
When, in weakness, I withhold.
I would heal as Thou hast healed me,
Comfort, strengthen, and enfold.
Stir my heart with love's compassion--
Lord, I would follow Thee.
Precious, fleeting, is my time here
Whisper wisdom to my mind
Courage when my heart is aching
Faith when fear is all I find.
Precious, fleeting, is my time here--
Lord, I would follow Thee.
--"Lord, I Would Follow Thee" by Susan Evans McCloud
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Friday Morning in the HFAC
I was blogging. I was sitting at the wooden desks that surround the stairs. Women's Chorus had performed a beautiful arrangement of Lord, I Would Follow Thee for the School of Nursing's 60th birthday. It was relatively quiet until everyone at the conference came out of the De Jong for a break and some snacks. A little lady came and sat down on the bench beside me.
We didn't talk until she turned to me, and said:
Lady: Are you going to be here for a little while?
Me: Yeah, what do you need?
Lady: I'll be right back, but I need someone to watch my bag for me. Would you do that?
Me (smiling): I sure can.
Lady: Thank you very much! ...(with a twinkle in her eye) When I come back, the code is "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."
And she was off! I laughed at how cute she was and kept blogging. A little while later, she came back and whispered "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" before taking her seat again. We laughed for a little while. She shook my hand and asked me my name and where I was from. She wondered how my semester was going and wanted to know about my major. She shared some stories and I shared others.
She asked me what my favorite part of General Conference was, and we talked about President Uchtdorf's advice to "stop it," and about how parents were advised to let their children make guided decisions. We had a lovely discussion about some life experiences that proved what we learned from General Conference. She told me stories of her life, and she was a tip-top story-teller too!
Shortly thereafter, the ushers ushered everyone back into the De Jong for more of the conference, and she shook my hand and said goodbye. I went smiling back to my blogging, but about three minutes later, she came back, sat by me excitedly, and asked:
Lady: Can I tell you an early Easter joke?
Me: Haha! Sure!
Lady: Did you hear about the pregnant Easter bunny?
Me: Nope
Lady: (smiling) She had an in-grown hare!
Hahaha! :D We both cracked up laughing before she left to go to the conference for reals.
She was the kindest, sweetest lady. I was so happy she sat down to visit with me! I took note of her name-tag because I didn't want to forget who she was. Her name was Mary Ellen Edmunds. Little did I know that she's done a jillion missions and health missions, is popular LDS speaker and author, and was a member of the General Relief Society Board for 11 years. Someday, I'm going to brighten other peoples' days like she did mine.
We didn't talk until she turned to me, and said:
Lady: Are you going to be here for a little while?
Me: Yeah, what do you need?
Lady: I'll be right back, but I need someone to watch my bag for me. Would you do that?
Me (smiling): I sure can.
Lady: Thank you very much! ...(with a twinkle in her eye) When I come back, the code is "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah."
And she was off! I laughed at how cute she was and kept blogging. A little while later, she came back and whispered "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" before taking her seat again. We laughed for a little while. She shook my hand and asked me my name and where I was from. She wondered how my semester was going and wanted to know about my major. She shared some stories and I shared others.
She asked me what my favorite part of General Conference was, and we talked about President Uchtdorf's advice to "stop it," and about how parents were advised to let their children make guided decisions. We had a lovely discussion about some life experiences that proved what we learned from General Conference. She told me stories of her life, and she was a tip-top story-teller too!
Shortly thereafter, the ushers ushered everyone back into the De Jong for more of the conference, and she shook my hand and said goodbye. I went smiling back to my blogging, but about three minutes later, she came back, sat by me excitedly, and asked:
Lady: Can I tell you an early Easter joke?
Me: Haha! Sure!
Lady: Did you hear about the pregnant Easter bunny?
Me: Nope
Lady: (smiling) She had an in-grown hare!
Hahaha! :D We both cracked up laughing before she left to go to the conference for reals.
She was the kindest, sweetest lady. I was so happy she sat down to visit with me! I took note of her name-tag because I didn't want to forget who she was. Her name was Mary Ellen Edmunds. Little did I know that she's done a jillion missions and health missions, is popular LDS speaker and author, and was a member of the General Relief Society Board for 11 years. Someday, I'm going to brighten other peoples' days like she did mine.
I'd better get practicing! :)
Friday, April 6, 2012
Ooohhh, Tom...
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about Tom.
This was our attitude when it started, but it soon became something we enjoyed. While working hard in school and trying to do our best on our own, Tommy and I soon discovered that we would both get further (and beat out the rest of our competition) if we helped each other. Tom was very good at math (which I could only do with a lot of work and struggle), and I was fabulous at English. As we went through Jr. High and high school, we often studied together. Thomas would tutor me in Algebra, Trig, and Calculus while I would proofread his papers and help him understand grammatical concepts. It was a great system.
When the time came to graduate, we both had a 3.99 GPA. (We both got Bs in second-semester Trigonometry.) However, due to his meritorious accomplishments in various other areas and a lot of other analyzing stuff that I wasn't a part of and didn't understand, Thomas was valedictorian. I wasn't sad. By that age, I realized I didn't want to speak in front of everyone. In my eyes, Thomas had more than earned it. He could have done swell in English without my help, but I never would have passed Trig (or Calculus) without him. I beamed at him while he imparted of his wisdom to all of the graduates. I was so proud! :D
When we were in 8th grade, the Jr. High school decided to start an intramural program, and Thomas wanted to win the volleyball championship. He put together a rockin' team of sharp, skilled, and savvy boys, BUT alas! While anxious to play and win, none knew how the game of volleyball was to be played. So Thomas came to me. I played on the girls team in 7th grade, but decided not to play in 8th grade. Thus, I was the best tutor for these athletic boys.
I taught, and we all played--me, the lone girl among this team of boys. Did we follow the rules? Mmm...kinda. There really was only one team that followed them strictly, so it didn't really matter. Were we good? Oooohhh yeeeaaahh. In fact, we made it to the championships. There we were in our intramural face-off: Thomas's team of boys + me, versus.... the 8th grade volleyball team. I felt a little like a mercenary. I had deserted my original sisterhood to play with these rule-breaking boys. We played; they played. We were playing for fun (and breaking a lot of rules); they were playing aggressively and by the book. The ref didn't call our "mistakes," so we kept making them. The girls complained, and the ref didn't care.
In the end, we won. We schooled them by at least 10 points. We laughed and smiled because it felt good to win, but we didn't care. The girls team, however, were angry at being beat by a rag-tag team. It took a while to get on good terms again, but I didn't care. To be honest, I was just happy that Thomas asked me to play.
Then the time came to leave for BYU. I, eager to make sure I was in the classes I needed, was awake until midnight to register. Thomas didn't even know what day he could register or which classes he could take or when or who from. He came over that night and, confused about what to do, ended up registering for a few of the same classes I was in. I thought he would change it later, but he didn't. (Which made me happy.) Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we spent all morning together (until he stopped going to PS100). ;)
Music 101 followed where we sat together again. This was great for me because the Madsen was cold in the mornings. I made him put his arm next to mine on the armrest because that kept me warm enough to think and take notes. If he moved his arm and forgot to put it back, I would get after him. He would look at me--laughing, but apologetic--and put it back to keep me warm. Haha! He's such a good cousin to me!
Now, I've definitely had my full share of blessings in my life, but Thomas really is one of the biggest ones. I sure am lucky to have a cousin like him! :)
Tommy right before leaving to the MTC!
Tommy and I have been a swell pair for as long as I can remember. He's a handsome man, a fabulous cousin, a swell chap, a smart son, and a grrrreat missionary, and as I've been missing him and reminiscing this week I've been laughing at the fun and the funny times we've spent together.
__________________________
I remember when we were both in Mrs. Carson's and Mrs. Turner's first grade class. We were oh so grown up and ready for this thing called school, but that didn't mean Tom was above being mollycoddled. Everyday, when story-time came, the class would gather around the piano while Mrs. Carson would sit on the bench and read to us. More often than not, Thomas would sit by me. He'd lean over, put his head on my knee and quietly say, "Abi, pretend like you're cutting my hair."
Haha! At that age, I didn't think it was an odd request, and I was happy to take care of little Tom. I would sit there pulling sections of his hair up between my left middle and index fingers and gently "snip off" the ends with the same fingers on my right hand. :]
Haha! At that age, I didn't think it was an odd request, and I was happy to take care of little Tom. I would sit there pulling sections of his hair up between my left middle and index fingers and gently "snip off" the ends with the same fingers on my right hand. :]
__________________________
I remember when his oldest brother graduated from high school. We were about 10-11 years old, and Ben was graduating as valedictorian of his class. I don't think I knew what that meant before this time, but I could tell it was something important. In our eyes, Ben had done something amazing, and he deserved to be honored. Well, the two of us did honor him... in the form of a friendly competition. From that time, Thomas and I decided we were going to not only do our school work well, we were going to do it competitively. One of the two of us was going to be valedictorian at our graduation. And I couldn't let it be Thomas. I just couldn't! I wouldn't let it happen!
This was our attitude when it started, but it soon became something we enjoyed. While working hard in school and trying to do our best on our own, Tommy and I soon discovered that we would both get further (and beat out the rest of our competition) if we helped each other. Tom was very good at math (which I could only do with a lot of work and struggle), and I was fabulous at English. As we went through Jr. High and high school, we often studied together. Thomas would tutor me in Algebra, Trig, and Calculus while I would proofread his papers and help him understand grammatical concepts. It was a great system.
When the time came to graduate, we both had a 3.99 GPA. (We both got Bs in second-semester Trigonometry.) However, due to his meritorious accomplishments in various other areas and a lot of other analyzing stuff that I wasn't a part of and didn't understand, Thomas was valedictorian. I wasn't sad. By that age, I realized I didn't want to speak in front of everyone. In my eyes, Thomas had more than earned it. He could have done swell in English without my help, but I never would have passed Trig (or Calculus) without him. I beamed at him while he imparted of his wisdom to all of the graduates. I was so proud! :D
_____________________________
When we were in 8th grade, the Jr. High school decided to start an intramural program, and Thomas wanted to win the volleyball championship. He put together a rockin' team of sharp, skilled, and savvy boys, BUT alas! While anxious to play and win, none knew how the game of volleyball was to be played. So Thomas came to me. I played on the girls team in 7th grade, but decided not to play in 8th grade. Thus, I was the best tutor for these athletic boys.
I taught, and we all played--me, the lone girl among this team of boys. Did we follow the rules? Mmm...kinda. There really was only one team that followed them strictly, so it didn't really matter. Were we good? Oooohhh yeeeaaahh. In fact, we made it to the championships. There we were in our intramural face-off: Thomas's team of boys + me, versus.... the 8th grade volleyball team. I felt a little like a mercenary. I had deserted my original sisterhood to play with these rule-breaking boys. We played; they played. We were playing for fun (and breaking a lot of rules); they were playing aggressively and by the book. The ref didn't call our "mistakes," so we kept making them. The girls complained, and the ref didn't care.
In the end, we won. We schooled them by at least 10 points. We laughed and smiled because it felt good to win, but we didn't care. The girls team, however, were angry at being beat by a rag-tag team. It took a while to get on good terms again, but I didn't care. To be honest, I was just happy that Thomas asked me to play.
______________________________
Then the time came to leave for BYU. I, eager to make sure I was in the classes I needed, was awake until midnight to register. Thomas didn't even know what day he could register or which classes he could take or when or who from. He came over that night and, confused about what to do, ended up registering for a few of the same classes I was in. I thought he would change it later, but he didn't. (Which made me happy.) Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we spent all morning together (until he stopped going to PS100). ;)
Music 101 followed where we sat together again. This was great for me because the Madsen was cold in the mornings. I made him put his arm next to mine on the armrest because that kept me warm enough to think and take notes. If he moved his arm and forgot to put it back, I would get after him. He would look at me--laughing, but apologetic--and put it back to keep me warm. Haha! He's such a good cousin to me!
Now, I've definitely had my full share of blessings in my life, but Thomas really is one of the biggest ones. I sure am lucky to have a cousin like him! :)
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