Month of Gratitude - Day 3

"Nature’s beauty is all around—and it was created for us to enjoy (see “My Heavenly Father Loves Me,”Children’s Songbook, 228–29; see also Alma 30:44, Moses 6:63, and lds.org/go/82D).

"How is my life blessed by a bird’s song, the sun’s warmth, and the earth’s colors?"
Grandpa and I love to go hiking, camping, backpacking, x-country skiing, biking, and just about anything else that puts us where we can look around and enjoy Heavenly Father's creations.  Today (Saturday) we biked to Bridal Veil Falls for the first time since I broke my foot.  It was WONDERFUL!  When I think about the Creation and all of the beautiful and amazing things that were created for us to enjoy, I feel extremely grateful.

I love you!

Month of Gratitude - Day 2

"We are blessed as we live worthy to attend the temple (see Psalm 24:3–5)."




Most of you have gone to a temple open house.  I hope you will have even more opportunities to do so.  When you do, I hope you will notice how quiet and peaceful the temple is.  I hope you will notice the beautiful paintings and furniture and carpet and lighting.  The temple is the house of the Lord and so when a temple is built it is built to the highest standard possible.  

Only one of our grandchildren is old enough to go to the temple.  Kylie has gone several times since her 12th birthday last year.  You ought to ask her how she feels when she's in the temple.  You may call her or send an email.

Your parents have been sealed in the temple, and so have Grandpa and I.  We were sealed for all eternity.  We can be a forever family because of these sealings.  When I go to the temple I feel the Spirit of the Lord.  I feel Heavenly Father's love for me.  I find answers to questions.  

Set your goal to be sealed in the temple when you are married so that you and your future family will be a part of this great eternal Ketcheson clan.

I love you!

A Month of Gratitude - Day 1

I saw this idea in the New Era magazine a few months ago and want to share it with you.  I hope you will join me in spending some time each day appreciating all our blessings.  As you look for it, you'll see evidence of Heavenly Father's love all around you.

Let's get started:

"Because Heavenly Father loves us so much, He has filled our lives with blessings to make our hearts joyful. Since those blessings surround us, sometimes we forget to notice them and recognize how they show God’s love.

"We have the knowledge that we are children of God (see Psalm 82:6 and Acts 17:28–29)."

When I kneel down and pray to my Heavenly Father, I try to remember that I am His child.  That helps me feel His love and recognize the blessings He has given me.  I am grateful that I can talk to Him and that He can talk to me if I listen.  

I Can Sleep When the Wind Blows

Today I was reminded of a story my dad used to tell, to me and my siblings as well as others whom he knew would benefit from the lesson it teaches.  My dad grew up ranching and farmeing so the story was one he understood well.  So, here's a story from your Great Grandpa Jensen:

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly adver-tised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.

As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him. "Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man. Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.

The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters.

He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!" The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins.

The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Fire Safety

This is Fire Prevention Week, a great time to talk about fire safety with your family.  Usually I write about spiritual safety, but it's also important to be physically safe.  One of the things you can do is draw a map of the inside of your house, every level, and then figure out at least 2 ways to escape from each room.  You might even make it a contest and see who can do it.  Then figure out which ways are the best for you.  Talk about things, like touching a door before you open it to feel how warm or hot it is.

You can find some fun games about fire safety at this website:

BeFireSmart.com

I love you!

PURE & SIMPLE FAITH

This is an amazing true story of faith and the blessings of praying to our Heavenly Father who knows and loves each one of us.

https://www.lds.org/youth/video/pure-and-simple-faith?lang=eng&cid=NEJul12

Watch it and let me know if you have had a similar experience.

I love you!

Choose to Listen to the Holy Ghost

As I was reading this morning, I was thinking about some examples of people who listened to the Holy Ghost and some who did not. Like Nephi and Sam, and Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon. They were all sons of Lehi and Sarah. Their father was a good man and he taught all of the about the gospel. Why did Nephi and Sam choose to believe and do the things their father taught them?


Why did Laman and Lemuel choose to murmur and complain?






I think it was because Nephi and Sam listened to the Holy Ghost, and their older bothers did not. Nephi wrote in I Nephi 16:2:

"I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers."

Because Nephi and Sam listened to the Holy Ghost, they knew that what their father said was true. They knew that if they obeyed, they would be happier.

I promise you that you will also be blessed when you choose to listen to the Holy Ghost and be obedient.

I love you!