Family happenings

Cameron and I have been looking at vinyl fences. After living here for 9 years I guess we think we are permanent enough to get one! We have another choir number coming up this Sunday. I am excited to see how it turns out. Marissa and the Activity Day girls her age are now doing a fund raiser for a sister in our congregation that needs hip replacement surgery. She is also back in school and loving it! She also loves the "new" swing set that her grandparents gave us. She also loves that the Stake President said we should start paying our children for babysitting now so that they can pay their tithing. Thomas is also loving school. He also received 2 awards at the last Cub Scout Pack Meeting. At next week's Pack Meeting he will be receiving his Wolf! David is adapting to 1st grade and his teacher loves him. I expect things will still be changing for him since he didn't really get any homework this first week. Michael handled the first day of them gone. The second day we were walking home from the school and didn't even make it to the mailbox before Michael asked where Thomas was. When I told him that Thomas was at school, he said, we need to go back and get him. He is doing great on learning his colors and knows the names of the shapes now...not quite able to match the names with the right shapes yet....

Patriotism: Second Principle

The second principle discusses why the Founding Fathers knew virture and moral strength were vital to the existence of a Republic and it's Constitution: without them the republic would crumble. Why would it crumble? Benjamin Franklin answers this question: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." (Smyth, Writings of Benjamin Franklin, 9:569. See also TFYL p. 49.) Our American predecessors looked to virture in the people as especially unique and wonderful because those who possessed it were of solid integrity. They didn't just believe in "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", they lived it. But they also understood why they should live this principle. George Washington was clear about how vital moral strength was to the safety of our Constitution and government and I think he felt that it's protection would be guaranteed "so long as there [should] remain any virtue in the body of the people." (Saul K. Padover, ed., The Washington Papers [New York: Harper & Brothers, 1955], p. 244. See also TFYL p. 50)

Samuel Adams advised us well when he said, "I thank God that I have lived to see my country independent and free. She may long enjoy her independence and freedom if she will. It depends on her virtue. (Wells, Life of Samuel Adams, 3:175. See also TFYL p. 56) Our inheritance from our predecessors can be learned and passed on to our children, reinstating the virtue of our people. A virtuous people are committed to peace and exercise the ability to maintain it through their strength. Our country's strength is decreased by immorality whether physical, financial, emotional, acts of commission or by omission. Our strength is therefore increased by the level of morality our populace chooses to live. Creating moral plans, implementing them, and reviewing them according to changing circumstances will bring our country's economy, safety and emotional well-being back to where it was. Samuel Adams: "It is the business of America to take care if herself; her situation; as you justly observe, depends upon her own virtue." (Ibid., 1:376, see also TFYL p. 265.)

This leads to another point that Samuel Adams made: "But neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend to the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue, and who, so far as his power and influence extend, will not suffer a man to be chosen into any office of power and trust who is not a wise and virtuous man." (Ibid., p. 22, see also TFYL p. 59.) Virtuous, experienced leaders are the obvious choice--how can they be found from within a people that has degraded it's society? We are experiencing a disheartening trend as those who are virtuous and experienced in politics succumb to the immoral practices of politicians today. Doing our public duty can be fulfilling, rewarding and miraculous...it can also be heart-wrenching, frustrating and full of disappointment. If that were your job description, you may think twice about committing to it...but if you were virtuous enough to stand up for the truth when it was unpopular or "unproductive" (ie: bending the rule got it done faster) or even not as "profitable" (money is important, so is the general welfare of our people) as what others would push for, you could be trusted with the ability to ..."guard the sacred deposit of the rights and liberties of [your] fellow citizens;...." (Ibid., 2:221; see also TFYL p. 62.)

Lastly we address the question: How can we regain these qualities in our people so we can raise up leaders of the strength and caliber of those who came before us?

The answer is in the question: Study the lives of our leaders who came before us and learn of their strengths, education and virtues.

Believe in the truth they believed in.

Family news

Cameron is going to take a CD course to gain new skills and have even more opportunities to help out at work. Sara is making scones for the first time tomorrow. Marissa will be going to the post office the next day to help ship off toys and school supplies to Afghanistan. Thomas is excited to go to his cousin's baptism on Saturday. David has been sharing all of his birthday toys without being asked, he's great! Michael is doing well complimenting others during Family Home Evening, which we had last night.

Christian Quote for the day (or until I get another one done)

God's law provides a security which is designed to provide a high degree of freedom from fear and therefore a high degree of freedom to act. (My motto for the day with help from W. Cleon Skousen)

Simple Act of Service #3

Let God change your heart.

Family update

Cameron took us all swimming on Friday! It was a fun family day. I will be singing in the women's choir this coming Sunday. Marissa went shopping today for toys and school supplies for the children in Afghanistan. Thomas passed off all of his scripture to memorize for the year! David had his 6th birthday and Michael's Sunday School teachers weren't at church on Sunday (they had their baby that morning) so his class was combined with the other 3 year old class and that was fun for him to play with and learn with the other children.

Christian Quote for the day (or until I get another one done)

"I testify that your faith and obedience will assure that He will help you." Richard G. Scott

Simple Act of Service #2

Let someone else take the biggest treat.

Patriotism: First Principle

We will be reviewing the 28 basic principles of our Founding Fathers. These are expounded upon quite comprehensively in the book: "The Five Thousand Year Leap" by W. Cleon Skousen. If you don't have your own copy yet, these little tidbits will hopefully edify and add to your patriotism education. All quotes are from his book, I have given references to books he quotes as well so you can study these things on your own.

The first principle discusses what the Founding Fathers based a wholly good and dependable government on: Natural Law. There are several constitutional examples and even our daily lives reflect this type of law. This is because our Creator has endowed us with abilities to see, hear, understand and then take action based on the light and knowledge within us. As we learn about this principle of Natural law, it becomes evident that our Creator must have these abilities as well, and in perfect form. The idea that the use of good sense will lead to wise choices is a point that seems unnecessary to make, but in our world today our government (along with many others) is experiencng power struggles. Power has the ability to be a great tool and a great vice (that's a pun for all you fix-it people out there!). As a tool it creates vision in a people that motivates them to invent, creating miracles of advancement never before imagined. As a vice it blinds the eyes and hearts of men to the common good of the people. Common sense therefore is becoming much more uncommon, the good of the people goes down the continuum to a point of reference called "the good of the minority becomes power over the the majoirity" this focuses our good on less and less people. Common sense would then lead us to power in the people instead of struggling to have power OVER the people. The Founding Father's understood this well, as you can see reference to "the laws of Nature and of Nature's God" in The Declaration of Independence.

The Founding Fathers background of study included Cicero. He spoke of natural or true law in this way: "True law is right reason in agreement with nature; it is of universal application, unchanging and everlasting." (Quoted in Ebenstein, Great Political Thinkers, p. 133--see p. 40 in The Five Thousand Year Leap). It is clear to see in the description of the laws of Nature's God, words that easily describe that God who created them: true, right, universal, unchanging, and everlasting. Therefore we summarize this point in saying that these laws do and have applied to first-all people, second-in all ages, and third-for all time and into eternity.

It is therefore reasonable to consider the idea that our countries laws should reflect and have their basis in Natural Law. Cicero explained this as he wrote of those who try to pass laws that disagree with Natural Law: " For if ignorant and unskillful men have prescribed deadly poisons instead of healing drugs, these cannot possibly be called physicians' prescriptions; neither in a nation can a statute of any sort be called a law, even though the nation, in spite of being a ruinous regulation has accepted it." (Ibid., p. 134-35--see p. 40 in TFTYL)

The Founders understood that Natural Law--which imbues so many of our rights--is from God. Therefore our rights and freedoms we do justly ascribe to our God. John Locke: "The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it, which...teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions...." (Second Essay Concerning Civil Government, Great Books of the Western World, vol. 35 [Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 1952], p. 26, par.6.--see also p. 124 in TFTYL)

So, how can man discover these laws for himself? How are we educated on their applications once we understand them? William Blackstone: "The doctrines thus delivered we call the revealed or divine law, and they are to be found only in the Holy Scriptures." (Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England, 1:59-60 see also TFTYL p. 132.) Do we have laws against murder (Thou shalt not kill)? Do we have laws protecting possessions from stealing? (Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not covet....) There are other laws we base our societites off off which are found in the Bible as well.

The last point to make under Natural Law is of our responsibilities under it. I will not go into all of them but referring to previous thoughts in this post, we can come to conclusions that lead us to some obvious responsibilities, (i.e. we will not kill others except to defend our own life, we want our property protected and understand that with that we are not going to take anyone else's stuff etc.) so I will conclude with what I see as the most important because it encompasses all others: If I reverence and respect my Creator I must therefore reverence and respect His laws. Blackstone: "This law of nature, being coeval with mankind and dictated by God himself, is of course superior in obligation to any other." (Ibid., Introduction, sec. 2, par. 39. see also TFTYL p. 134.)

Simple Act of Service

Smile at someone today.

Christian Quote for the day (or until I get another one done)

"We look heavenward for that unfailing sense of direction, that we might chart and follow a wise and proper course. He whom we call our Heavenly Father will not leave our sincere petition unanswered." Thomas S. Monson

Family

So, here's our family: Cameron is a wonderful father and husband. He is the First Counselor in our ward's bishopric. A ward is the name we use for a congregation. The head of a congregation or ward is called a Bishop and the bishop has two men that aide him in his work. They are called counselors, so Cameron is very busy tending to the needs of those in our congregation. As the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a volunteer ministry, my husband also works full-time. He works with high speed printers. In his spare time, he plays with our children, reads and educates himself of The Constitution, and fixes whatever is broken around the house (ranging from a skinned knee to a part on the car that I never knew existed, much less could name.)

Sara (that's me writing): I am the wife and mommy. I have been blessed to be able to stay at home and be with our children. It is fulfilling, hard, happy, and has taught me patience, great communication skills and appreciation for self-control. In our congregation I teach a class of 6 year-olds about the gospel. I also coordinate musical numbers for our meetings that are performed by our choir or other ward members. I also have 2 women that I visit every month, give them a spiritual message, attend to any needs and leave them with a word of prayer after each visit. I also am educating myself about the Constitution, but it's a little more sporadic and in between breakfast, bites of food, "mommy, I need...." and weeding the garden,

Marissa is our firstborn. She is a good example to the boys. She loves to read and occasionally memorizes a scripture to help her learn more about the gospel. She is learning how to conduct music at home and loves to bake. She and her church class did a bake sale service project to raise money for children in Afghanistan last week. Today for a church activity she learned to make ice cream. She is continuing her piano lessons and looks forward to playing the hymns.

Thomas was baptized last year (children in the LDS church are baptized at the age of 8). He is also in Cub Scouts. He will be earning his Wolf here pretty soon. He also takes Tae Kwon Do. At this point he is a green belt and really enjoys it. He is working on a program called Faith in God which teaches how to make goals and reach them, and has many opportunities to learn and serve others in it. Another he is doing is called "Learning to Preach My Gospel".

David is helping at home and learning to be responsible. He works very hard on being reverent at church. He likes to sing the hymns and listen to the lessons. We are working on math and spelling mostly during the summer and he can't wait for 1st grade! He is excited for his birthday coming up and so are we. His favorite church activity this summer was a Fathers and Sons campout. He also likes to share his testimony of our Savior whenever he has the chance.

Michael is according to his sister "the sweetest little brother that I've ever had...besides my other ones." He loves raisins. We just went to Lagoon (a theme park with roller coasters with tons of fun stuff--Marissa) to celebrate him being potty-trained. He likes to get into, through, on, next to, and under everything. He is constantly asking to get baptized, and loves our Monday Family Night, learning about Jesus, playing games, singing songs and having treats.

Jenniellen (see the post on partial molar pregnancy) passed away in September 8th last year. She's our little angel.

Patriotism

“Every man,” said President Roosevelt, “who parrots the cry of ‘stand by the President’ without adding the proviso ‘so far as he serves the Republic’ takes an attitude as essentially unmanly as that of any Stuart royalist who championed the doctrine that the King could do no wrong. No self-respecting and intelligent free man could take such an attitude.” (Theodore Roosevelt, Works, vol. 21, pp. 316, 321.)

Should we pray for our civic leaders and encourage them in righteousness?

I challenge you today when you close your day in prayer to pray for our civic leaders and ask our Father in Heaven to bless them to feel a sense of encouragement when they are doing what He would have them do.

Partial Molar Pregnancy

I want to share some insights into what this experience was like and maybe some comfort for those of you who have experienced molar pregnancies or partial molar pregnancies. I have been told that my experience was unique, as I, in my case, I carried our baby for 6 1/2 months before I gave birth to her. She lived through the labor, we named her, and my husband gave her a priesthood blessing. She lived for about an hour and a half. It all began when I was five months pregnant (ok, it obviously started a little earlier than that....) and I started to bleed a little. We had decided that this would be our last little one, so we wanted a surprise. That being the case, we had had no ultrasounds up to this point. My symptoms were awful, I had never had morning sickness so bad! My midwife was watching me very closely, keeping track of my diet, my symptoms (hyper-salivation being the worst) and my moods.

So, when I started bleeding my friend took me to the hospital and I was taken to labor and delivery instead of the ER because I was at 5 months gestation. They had an ultrasound tech come upstairs to see me and boy was she perplexed. Soon, the radiologist came and looking just as perplexed he said, "Ma'am I have no idea what is wrong with your baby, but you deserve to know, there is something very wrong here, I am so sorry. The perinatologist will be here next week. "

Sigh, they couldn't even tell me what sex the baby was, there was a big cyst in the way. So, my midwife referred me to OB care and he couldn't tell what was wrong either. But, he was very understanding and ordered bedrest for a week--until I could see the perinatologist.

The perinatologist knew exactly what was wrong. The diagnosis was partial molar pregnancy. He told me that it didn't matter how long I carried the baby, it wouldn't live after birth, that is, if it made it alive through the labor. He was surprised that I was still pregnant. Apparently these babies always abort by 3 months. No one let our baby know that, though. He said I must be extremely healthy to have carried it this far and that is was living because my body was sustaining it. He said if I had carried it this long, I might even carry it to term. That was a shock, I didn't want to carry a baby to term that I couldn't keep, BUT life to our family is very sacred. I decided with my husband's support that unless my health was endangered, I would carry this baby until God would have her come.

Our OB was so sad, he asked what our delivery preferences were and I told him that I would prefer that my midwife still deliver the baby if she could. My midwife had been consulting with her perinatologist back east (she had recently moved to my area) and he told her that she could do it under certain circumstances. My OB concurred and so my care was now monitored by my midwife, with counsel by the OB and perinatologists. My midwife gave me one of her Dopplar's and taught me how to use it so that we could monitor the baby in between my weekly prenatals. I didn't need to be on bedrest so my life continued on.

At 6 1/2 months I started to bleed again. When my midwife came, she checked me and found that I was complete, lo and behold I was in labor and didn't know it. Five minutes later our baby was born. She looked like a baby that had gestated far less time than she had, but I knew I had carried her for what seemed like an eternity. The cyst was a little sack, it contained all of her abdominal organs, very well formed. One foot was club, her spine was like an S, but from the waist up she looked so normal. My midwife--Valerie El Halta--was then able to discover, we had a girl! We had a graveside service, my husband's father dedicated the grave with a priesthood blessing, but before she left us, each of our children had a chance to either hold her or say goodbye.

My recovery has been hard. I apparently had about 3 times the normal amount of hormones raging through my body for that time. It has taken time to emotionally heal as well. But I also have learned that our bodies are miracles, life is even more sacred to us and YOU are so important to God that He is watching over you and loves you...and He does this because you are-after all-one of His dearest children, just like me and our sweet baby angel Jenniellen.