....Time

only is measured unto man. Alma 40:8

I sat beside my Sweetheart today in Church and listened to him sing and thought of all the years we have sat together and sang the hymns of the Church. Tears came to my eyes. Church is a great place to contemplate and take time to ponder. Not just on the spiritual but on what comes to mind. So as I thought of the years I thought of the buildings we have worshipped in.


One of the first was 13 The Mount, Belfast, home of the Belfast Branch.


Another was 10 Oxford Road, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. Alan's home Branch until he went into the army and we got married. It was in Dewsbury that Alan visited in 1979 and met several members whom he knew growing up and found them still faithful. It touched his heart.


There are beautiful purpose built chapels in these towns now. Actually several in Belfast.






We lived in Colchester, Essex, while Alan did his National Service.


Then we came to Utah.
We have always lived in
West Bountiful
and there are two chapels that we attended although we have been in meetings in many Utah Wards.


We went to Zion as an extended family once and my Dad organized us on Sunday morning to have sacrament. Also, in several other States.







We served our Mission in Wellingborough, Northants, England and the Branch meetings were held in this building in the foreground.












We go to the San Clemente Ward when we go to the beach and love to come out of the Chapel because this is what we are anticipating.


But the hymns are the same, the order of service is the same and the doctrine is true.

Gone are the years......

... In Church last Sunday one of the speakers referred to things we used to do in the Church which set us thinking. Here are some of the changes we came up with. If you remember others please feel free to comment.

We used to have Stake Conferences quarterly, and always had a General Authority. I don't remember if we had Saturday metings, but we always had a morning session 10am, and an afternoon session 2pm. Many people did not return for the pm session and the popular opinion was that the Saviour would return at the Sunday afternoon session.:o)

General Conference was held for three days and always included two sessions on Friday, and April conference always included April 6th whatever day of the week it was.

Priesthood meeting (in our case) was 10am Sunday, with Sunday School at 11:30 and Sacrament meeting at 6pm. Sunday School always had sacrament with a child saying a "Sacrament Gem" and the congregation repeating it. There were always two, two and a half minute talks, and a song practise and then dismiss to classes. This format changed with the introduction of the block schedule.

We used to have Stake meetings every month. Sunday School, Primary, Mutual (MIA), Relief Society. A roll call was held by Ward and there was some "fun" in seeing which Ward had the most attendees. These were similiar to current twice yearly training meetings.

We used to pay budget every month. Sometimes we were assessed by the Bishop. We used to have building funds, the Ward and Stake had a certain percentage to pay for a building, again we were assessed and also opportunities were there to work off some of the debt. It is always the Church policy that a building cannot be dedicated until it is paid for.
We had a building assessment for the building of the Jordan River Temple. These financial needs were abolished when the Church provided all monies. Except tithing of course, that is always a commandment and a blessing.

Relief Society used to require membership dues. And every year they held a Bazaar to raise money for their expenses.

We used to have "Penny Drives" for the PCH, and also children when they had a birthday always contributed a penny for every year. This was done in Primary meetings as they came up to be sung to. We also had Children's Friend drives. In these drives we paired up two by two and visited every home in the Ward to collect pennies, or to get subscriptions for the Children's Friend. We always had a "potluck" lunch afterwards, and all the pre-schoolers were tended at the church. One year at the lunch just about everyone brought jello salad. Another year one of the children in the nursery broke out with German Measles the day afterwards and in 6 weeks just about every family was affected by the measles.

Primary was held after school on Tuesday, or Wednesday. This also changed with the block schedule.

Home Teaching used to be Ward Teaching. We always struggled for FHE until Joseph Fielding Smith said Monday Night was to be set aside for this. "The Ensign" replaced "The Instructor" and "The Improvement Era" and the "Relief Society Magazine". "The Friend" replaced the Children's Friend.

One day a week.....

I spend working in the Bountiful, Utah Temple, something I have done for the past 11 years. I enjoy my work there and the friends I have made, and there is nothing quite like meeting your friends and neighbors there, and it is indescribable when I meet my family there unexpectedly.

We are anticipating meeting a new Presidency this week. They will serve for three years.
A few weeks ago one of the Matrons gave us a few interesting facts about the Bountiful temple but it really represents any one of the temples worldwide.

Site: 9 acres
Rooms: four endowment, 8 sealing
Floor Area: 104,000sq. feet
Dimension: 195 feet by 157 feet;
Height: 177 feet including Angel Moroni
Angel Moroni: 13'6"
Elevation: 5400 feet above sea level
Groundbreaking: May 2 1992 Pres. Benson
Dedication: January 8th 1995 Pres. Hunter
Stakes: 1995 28, 2009 34

Has more snowfall than any other temple(at that time)in the Church. About 5 acres of concrete to clean after each snowfall. About 4.5 acres of lawn mowed twice a week. There are 364 trees, and over 1950 shrubs on the grounds, and over 15,000 flowers and bulbs are planted each year. About 2 acres of carpet is vacuumed every night. There are about 5000 light bulbs in and around the temple.

I'm sure we rarely consider the maintenance involved, unless we have taken the opportunity to be involved when our Wards and Stakes have a "turn" to clean. This is really a different aspect of "temple work" :o)

Dedicatory Prayer excerpt, "May this house provide a spirit of peace ..to those who enter ...... let them feel of thy divine love and mercy......"

Goodmorning Utah!!!!

This is actually the rising sun in St. George, Utah.
We went to Southern Utah for 4 days with a day in the middle to visit Las Vegas for Hannah's blessing.
We visited one of our favorite places.



Zion National Park.
We had to wait 20 minutes in line to enter the Park and since the parking lot was full we were not able to get the shuttle so just drove through the tunnel to the "checkerboard mesa". We met a nice couple from Ohio. I confess, I was disappointed that the fall colors were not rampant. Maybe we need to go next weekend. :o)

Then on Sunday morning we went to meet Hannah.
What a beautiful girl, she is a keeper.


This is our baby, with his baby, and her baby, and Grandpa. Four generations.!!



Hannah enjoyed G'pa singing "My Sweet Lady"



A great time!! but there is no place like home.
But then "Home is where the Heart is"

My Daddy

As I have contemplated writing about my father today he has been brought into sharp focus. He was a wonderful man. This picture shows him as I remember him when I was a child. He took me to the pictures (movies) to see "Snow White". He also took me to see the 3D movie "House of Wax" a scary movie that I still remember. :o) He and my Mother used to take us for long walks. I remember asking him where we were going? he said "Home". I was upset because we had just started out. But he explained that we were "going home" it would be several hours before we got there but we were "going home" that was ok with me. :o)
As a teenager after my Mother passed away he encouraged me to learn to cook. He bought me a box of chocolates when I went on a trip to Yorkshire to visit Alan. We were friends. He taught me how to pray. He taught me to talk to "the Father" as one man talks to another. When we would go out together to the pictures, to shop or to church I always took his arm. He was a gentleman. He would give his seat on the bus to any lady and "doff" his hat. He wore a cap to work (as in the picture) but always a hat going to Church or for dress.
He loved the Lord and had a strong fervent and enduring testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He honored his priesthood and was always on the Lord's errand.
This picture was taken the day I married Alan. Alan was in the army so I stayed at home with daddy and Brian, while Alan served in Egypt. Joe was on his mission. A few months later I moved to Colchester in England to be with Alan and Daddy visited us there and took us to see, "Gunfight at O.K. Corral".
He was an avid genealogist and sat in many cold Parish Churches looking in the records. He married Norah Moss and eventually moved to Utah.


This last picture was taken about two years before he died. He loved his family. He grew up in Belfast as an "only, lonely child" Actually he had two brothers and two sisters, but one brother and both sisters died in childhood. His older brother Robert was 12 years older than him and apparently wasn't around much. Daddy was born on the 4th July 1902 (he always said America was celebrating HIS birthday.)And was named after the Prophet Joseph. :o) He turned 12 on Saturday July 4th 1914 and started work in the mill on Monday the 6th. He started out sweeping floors and as he swept he sang. The noise of the machines was tremendous so he sang all the louder. The foreman was not impressed, he scolded him for singing, he thought he was hurt from the machines.
He loved and honored his Mother and took care of her all of her life.
He loved his family. A few days before he passed away, I think he knew what was about to unfold, he called upon the Lord "to bless my family for I love them". And he did, and he does. We sometimes refer to him as "wee Joe" and I always imagine him and my Mother watching my family as we love and live together.
I love my Daddy. He taught me so much. I hope I do a good job of honoring his name.