do you know...

how wonderful I think this guy is!?!?

you know, that one, the guy in the gray shirt up above???

he was the bishop in the University Ward for many years...and it was wonderful.

 i looked in my journal and found that i had written a quote down that he said in a talk when he was released as my bishop on August 5, 2001.

"This is a hard day.

Serving in this ward has been the greatest honor of my life."

-Garth Abbott

and it was an honor to have him as a bishop!

if i had been blessed with a good memory, i would tell you wonderful stories about him...

but i don't have a good memory.

all i remember is how he made me feel.

 

i was just one of the hundred's of young adults he had stewardship over, but always felt special as a person.

i am amazed at the service  he provided for us.

i admire hiss huge heart.

i know he truly loved us as a ward and as individuals.

now.....he needs help since he is battling cancer.

his daughter in law, Rochelle is hosting an auction to raise money for his treatment.

here is her explanation:

My father-in-law, Garth Abbott, was recently diagnosed with a very aggressive form of breast cancer called IBC (inflammatory breast cancer). This is a time sensitive matter, and he needs chemotherapy asap. He is uninsured and does not have the necessary money to pay for his treatment. In my ignorance I never realized that someone in his situation would be refused life saving treatment because he could not pay, but that is how the system works, no payment, no treatment.

Garth Abbott is no ordinary man. He has spent his life serving other people. I have watched time after time, knock on the door after knock on the door, phone call after phone call, as this man leaves what he is doing to render help. Sometimes as simple as listening to some one's problems and offering advice, picking up a stranded motorist, offering a night's stay to someone in need (often turning into multiple nights). Countless hours have been spent in service with his church and community as he has worked with the youth loving, teaching, and helping them. He and his wife are the parents of five children, and 18 grandchildren. They are also the caretakers of his 95 year old mother and his down syndrome sister. In my husband's words, "He's the best man I know, and I know a lot of great men!"

go to

http://www.thedailyabbott.blogspot.com/

to see more.....

if you didn't already know. 

i intended to put out this information about the earlier, but it didn't happen.

as i was typing this up i clicked over to the auction to link to it.....and it's already over!

i could kick myself.

i waited till the last day (which i thought was today) to bid and the last day is over ...

i read the blog a BUNCH of times but somehow got the dates mixed in my head.

 i've got issues.

still, go check out the auction.

when i saw the results i was touched.

$19,713.00

i was touched....but not surprised!

these group pics are just a fraction of people who's lives were touched by bishop abbott!

 

since I bombed on the auction, i'm going to save stuff for the garage sale that will happen at the end of Feb.

AND...

it's definitely not to late to donate!

  from rochelle's blog:

Very kind friends of ours, Mont and Michelle Tanner, offered to host a community wide garage sale with all proceeds going directly to the "Garth Abbott-Cancer Fund".
I am including here part of Michelle's note:

GARTH ABBOTT BENEFIT GARAGE SALE!

I will do the garage sale on Feb. 27, 2010. That would give us a good month to collect items that people would want to donate. I am willing to come to any one's home to pick up items. All proceeds will go directly to the "Garth Abbott Cancer Fund". It will be from 6:00 am to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday only. If weather is a factor, we will move it up to the following weekend of March 6th. My address is 639 Foxhall road (cross streets of College and Paradise Hills in Henderson NV) and my phone number (702)-525-5512, or 702-434-4411. If anyone wants to donate, they have plenty of time to do some spring cleaning and help out the cause. The more we get the better! All things not sold, can either be held for another garage sale, given back to the donor (only if specifically marked, because I will get confused) or taken to the DI (Deseret Industries for anyone not familiar with that acronym).

liar

 i faced the music a LONG time ago.

my 5 year old is a professional liar!

i'm trying not to make a big fuss about it so he doesn't lie for attention.

we read the story about the boy that cried wolf.


i try giving him the benefit of the doubt. {which is VERY hard sometimes.} 

we nonchalantly read louder when in the scriptures we read about where liars go.

i lied to him and told him that when he lies, a small red dot appears on his forhead.(and for some reason, lying to teach someone not to lie just rubs me wrong.) and plus, that only produces mediocre results....

whatever.

i'm a bit a lot worried about this skill he has developed.

do you blame me???

just look at that cute little face!

the main reason it bugs me:

I CAN NOT TELL when he is lying.

it's not good! 

let me take that back....

it's USUALLY not good!

let me explain:

tonight the family piled into the good old minivan for a night of FUN!

first stop: Costco of course!

 and it WAS fun, even if the only samples available were from the HUMMUS man, whom we are very fond of.
after trying all 31 types of fresh hummus, towards the end of our venture, we walked past an "interesting" looking older woman.

even in my shopping imposed trance like state i noticed her....and her hair.

let's just say that she looked "peculiar." (bless her heart)

only problem is, justin NOTICED her peculiarity too.

well, that wasn't the only problem.

the other problem was that she noticed him noticing her for a way too long period of time.

and she didn't like it!

from behind us she snapped in a very bold tone,

"Why are you staring at me???
Do i have something black on my face??? 
Do i look funny or something???? 
I'm starting to get a complex!"

oh boy. 

with a white face, justin reluctantly chimed in when she actually took a breath, "no, you don't look funny."

i interjected to soften the tension in the air something like...."oh, i'm sorry mam....we're working on the whole staring thing..."

but it didn't help, so we walked away, hoping our paths wouldn't cross again.

and they didn't ....phew!

i know i have told him not to stare before....but what do i know!?

(i think he got to learn that lesson the hard way this time.:) )

5 minutes later while at the checkout he piped up,

"mom, i lied to that old lady."

"i didn't want to tell her that SHE DID LOOK FUNNY! 
her hair was all big and crazy.  
it would have made her feel even more bad! "

"you know, that is probably right," i agreed.

and for once, i greatly appreciated his well executed skills of deception.
he next informed me, "mom, the government lies all of the time too!"

and when he spoke that...it was the truth.

even our checker agreed.

and knowing that DOESN'T make me feel better either!



hmmm. the mother of a politician???

i think i'll need to take a few etiquette classes.

any tips?

Just Remember!

New Year.....New Word.

The word:

REMEMBER

why remember???

"When you look in the dictionary for the most important word, do you know what it is? It could be remember. Because all of you have made covenants - you know what to do and you know how to do it - our greatest need is to remember. That is why everyone goes to sacrament meeting every Sabbath day - to take the sacrament and listen to the priests pray that 'they may always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them.' Remember is the word. Remember is the program."
Kimball, Spencer W. "Circles of Exaltation,"

Henry B. Eyring touched me in this conference talk.
They even made a video about it!


Oh how I need this word in more ways than you know!!!!

To illustrate, here are just a few of the things I would like to REMEMBER....

REMEMBER and write down how I have seen the hand of God in my life!!!!

REMEMBER to pray in the morning too!

REMEMBER to take time to have fun! It's worth the effort it takes to get 3 kids loaded in the car!

REMEMBER to change over the laundry before it smells like a dead cat!

REMEMBER to put on deodorant. (i've got issues, i know.)

REMEMBER to listen to this song by jon schmidt....it just makes me feel soooooo good!

REMEMBER that my family likes to wear clean clothing.

REMEMBER that having exercised ALWAYS feels wonderful!

REMEMBER that the most precious things in life aren't things.

REMEMBER to do nice things for Patrick and tell him how wonderful he is!

REMEMBER that "the desire for having more than we need comes at a high price!"

REMEMBER that "the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least."

REMEMBER to stay calm when the ninos are making me feel erratic! (Repeat with me..."anger and frustration lead to misbehavior!!!")

REMEMBER that service is the cure for what ails you.

REMEMBER to drink enough water! (I'm getting up right now to drink some..)

REMEMBER to water the house plants.

REMEMBER to get off the computer in a timely manner......or else!!!

REMEMBER to plan my nursery lesson before nursery starts!

REMEMBER to get to church earlier and less frantic like....the padded seats are comfier too!

REMEMBER to follow a budget (i'm going to start a cash budget i think...anyone do this?)

REMEMBER to hug/snuggle = huggle with the kids every day!

REMEMBER how much better I feel when I eat only healthy food.

REMEMBER people's birthdays.

REMEMBER that children grow up and will be gone one day...and I will one day miss all of the nasty finger prints on my walls.

REMEMBER to feed the beta fish...and the children.

REMEMBER that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

REMEMBER  that, "Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration." Gordon B. Hinkley

REMEMBER to read the Book of Mormon before breakfast.....and when I remember to read it, it will remind me to remember since 'Remember', is used 136 times in the BofM! 

REMEMBER to write down promptings.

REMEMBER to "see afar off."

REMEMBER to say I love you!

REMEMBER to put God first.

So....this year there are no resolutions to break just one word to REMEMBER!

What do you need to remember????

p.s. i remembered that i love this scripture:

Heleman 5:12
  12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the ^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.