Thursday, January 29, 2009

Why??? Why I read what I read???

One of my girls recently asked me why I read so many books about wars?
I thought I had read quite a variety, but I guess alot recently were about different facets
of war.
First of all I've decided in this life there just isn't going to be enough time
to learn & experience all the things I want to know!! So I try to learn about them
& experience them through reading. I want to know what's going on in the world now
& in the past.
* I want to know how people lived in the past & what their experiences were like.
* I want to know how people faced & face today, life's struggles, & how they make the
the good times too or inspite of their situations.
* I want to know what challenges they faced & what they learned & how they
got through them.
* I want to know about people with different roles & different proffesions & the work
they do. The doctors, the psychologists the soldiers, the truck drivers, the politicians
the police instructors, the special forces, the journalists, the Iraqi & Afganistan people,
the scientists, the educators, etc. etc. Queens & peasants of the past!
* I wanted to really try to understand what was going on over in Iraq? All the in's &
out's of why we did what we did & what's going on over there. Why do alot of Muslims
hate us? And what do they believe?

Anyway . . . . . . . in the book I was just reading I came across the perfect answer.
I just finished reading: "Mormon Scientist" The Life And Faith Of Henry Eyring,
by Henry J. Eyring.
Henry knew the compatibility of the right kind of discipline and creativity not only
by virtue of a lifetime of working to get to the bottom of things, but also because of
a unique doctrine of Mormonism. Through Joseph Smith, the Lord challenged the
nineteenth-century Saints to seek knowledge "diligently":
Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that
you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle,
in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain
unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand.

Significantly, in addition to teaching the need for deep, disciplined study, through
Joseph Smith the Lord also advocated an unusually broad search for truth. He
spoke of knowledge of all sorts:
Things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth;
things which have been, things which are, things which must
shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which
are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and
the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of
countries and of kingdoms.

Joseph Smith himself personified insatiable curiosity and thirst
for truth in all fields. Though he received no formal education
beyond the second grade, he spent his life studying a vast array of
subjects: history, astronomy, law, and linguistics, to name just a
few. In this respect, the Prophet's approach provided Henry with
a vision of discovery contrary to the academic dogma of the mid-
twentieth century.
Much of Henry's creativity thus flowed from ignoring the tra-
ditional, by-the-book kind of discipline. Like Joeseph Smith,
he sought truth everywhere it could be found.

If you think about it, having just read The Book Of Mormon again, it
contains alot about war along with the teachings of the gospel. It seems
to be a part of this life's happenings. . . . Well now this year I'm reading
"The Doctrine & Covenants" & the Primary Lessons I'm teaching are
about Joesph Smith's life & teachings & I'm enjoying reading the book
about Joseph Smith & people who knew him personally that Michelle
gave me for my birthday. Thank You Michelle!
. . . . And now I quess that's the end of Why!!!!
And that's a rap!!!!! For now!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Brittney Came To Visit!

It was a short trip, but we crammed quite a bit into it. Brittney
arrived late wednesday. We went on a shopping spree on Thursday
day. - Thursday evening we had an all family baby shower & Dinner. -
Friday, day Sisters went to see "Twilight", again with Brittney! (a
second time for all!) - Friday evening all the adults went out for
Dinner at Macayo's. - We stayed up a couple evenings visiting until
the wee hrs. of the morning. 1:30-2:00 p.m. & some stayed up a
couple of evenings playing board games! - Saturday we had the adventure of
locating a new Resturant for all of us, which led us to the Tempe
Marketplace Mall & the California Pizza Kitchen! It's always fun
to watch eveyone arrive & see who gets there 1st & last & who gets
lost! Ha! Good food & visiting had by all!! - We were celebrating my
(Vona's) Michelle's & Brittney's Birthdays all at once!! - Sunday
morning Brittney flew back to Georgia & we miss her already! Thank
You Chris, for letting Brittney come spend time with the family!!
By the way Brittney looked great for being 5 weeks away from delivery
& flying around the country!! She was bubbly & happy!






























Monday, January 5, 2009

My Pretty Bougainvillaea!

After several years trying to get any significant amount of blooms
on my Bougainvillaea plant it finally blossomed big time this year!
Hurray!! It made me happy!!!!!! I took these on Christmas Morning
while I was waiting for Ashley, Sean & the little Emmery to wake!
I think the frost just got to them now but I did get to enjoy seeing
the blooms for quite awhile & now I've got the proof!!



Jathen's Baptism Day - 3 Jan. 2009




Congratulations to Jathen Ray Zweifel on his Baptism Day!


I only got a couple shots! Seems I'm always fighting with


my camera & the event moves on! Dregs is me!! Oh well


at least I got a couple!

Books I Read in "2008"

1. "DON'T LET THE FIRE GO OUT - 1/17/2008
by Jean Carnahan - United States Senator

2. "A LIFE IN SECRETS - 2/5/2008
Vera Atkins & the Missing Agents of WWII
A story of the men & women who waged Churchill's secret war.
By Sarah Helm

3. "PRESIDENTS AND PROPHETS" - 2/18/2008
by Mikail K. Winder

4. "NOW THEY CALL ME INFIDEL" - 2/27/2008
by Nonie Darwish ( A Muslim Shahids Daughter)
Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel, & The War On Terror
A political and personal Odyssey from hatred to Love.

5. "A MORMON IN THE WHITE HOUSE" - 3/22/2008
10 Things Every American Should Know About Mitt Romney.
By Hugh Hewitt
New York Times Syndicated Talk-Show-Host

6. "TRAVELS WITH A MEDIEVAL QUEEN" - 4/5/2008
By Mary Taylor Semeti

7. "SHADOW OF THE SENTINEL" - 5/5/2008
One Man's Quest to Find the Hidden Treasures of the Confederacy.
By Warren Gatler & Bob Brewer

8. "BECAUSE THEY HATE" - 6/24/2008
A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America.
By Brigette Gabriel

9. "LONE SURVIVOR" - 7/16/2008
The Eye Witness Account of Operation Redwing & the Lost Heroes
of Seal Team 10.
By Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson

10. "UNDER THE GUN IN IRAQ" - 7/30/2008
My Training the Iraqi Police
By Robert Cole as told to Jan Hogan

11. "ON CALL IN HELL" - 8/5/2008
A Doctor'S Iraq War Story
By CDR Richard Jadick with Thomas Hayden
Recipient of the Bronze Star with a combat "V" for Valor

12. "IMPERIAL LIFE IN THE EMERALD CITY" - 8/11/2008
(Inside Iraq's Green Zone)
By Rajiv Chandrasekaran

13. "INSIDE THE RED ZONE" - 8/25/2008
A Veteran for Peace Reports from Iraq
By Mike Ferner - foreward by Cindy Shaehan

14. "TWILIGHT" - 8/27/2008
The New York Times Bestseller
Book#1 by Stephanie Meyer

15. "WINNING MODERN WARS" - 9/2/2008
Iraq, Terrorism, and the American Empire
By General Wesley K. Clark
Former Supreme Allied Commander & Author of "Waging Modern War"

16. "NEW MOON" - 9/8/2008
Book #2 by Stephanie Meyer
The New York Times Bestseller

17. "RULE NUMBER TWO" - 11/3/2008
Lesson I learned in a Combat Hospital
By Heidi Squier Kraft - Lieutenant Commander a Clinical Psychologist

18. "ECLIPSE" - 9/30/2008
Book #3 by Stephanie Meyer

19. "BREAKING DAWN" - 9/30/2008
Book #4 by Stephanie Meyer

20. "AFGHANISTAN" - 11/9/2008
A Russian Soldiers Story
Text & Photographs by Vladislav Tamarov

21. "LONELY SOLDIER" - 11/20/2008
The Memoir of An American in the Israeli Army
By Adam Harmon

22. "I KNOW WHY WE'RE HERE" - 12/2/2008
The True Story of an Ordinary Women's Extraordinary Gift
By Mia Dolan

23. "BEHIND ENEMY LINES" - 12/6/2008
The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany
By Mathe Cohn with Wendy Holden

24. "FAITH IN THE SERVICE - 12/30/2008
Inspirational Stories From LDS Servicemen & Servicewomen
Compiled & Illustrated by Chad S. Hawkins

25. "THE BOOK OF MORMON" - 12/8/2008
Our Bishop Baker issued a challenge to again read the
Book of Mormon this year "2008".
I was already reading & up to the book of Alma when
he issued the challenge. I finished reading The Book
of Mormon the #17th time - 12/8/2008
Last year I read it #16th time. Bishop Baker challenged us to
read it in one month! I didn't think I could, but I did it!!
11/4/2007 - 11/30/2007 That was the fastest I've ever
read it! I record it in my Journal & also in my Scriptures on the
pages after Moroni. Sister Missionaries have told me they were
asked to read it in a week by their Mission Presidents. Wow!

I recorded this in my Journal in 1985, taken from Education Week
out of the Ensign.
PROMISES IN SCRIPTURES: There are about 50 promises associated
with Scripture study, - most are for this life and not the next.
Some of the promises given to man are:
* INCREASED POWER THROUGH SCRIPTURE STUDY
* GREATER UNDERSTANDING
* A SENSE OF HOPE
* THE POWER TO CONVINCE OTHERS
* HEAL THE WOUNDED SOUL
The scirptures lead the way to ETERNAL LIFE.
It's true! I have a testimony of the power received from reading
The BOOK OF MORMON!!