2011: YEAR IN REVIEW

2011 has been quite a year for our family. This is the 13th year that I have put together a family video which I give as a gift to my wife. I posted it up on youtube since it was an easy way to share with other family members to see. Here is the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BEsuh4dOlM&feature=channel_video_title

MERRY CHRISTMAS

photo taken on December 22nd , 2011(Winter Solstice)

May your day be filled with the Light of Christ.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSEPH SMITH

photo taken last night on the Winter Solstice of the Christmas light on Temple Square.

Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only,

for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.

 Doctrine and Covenants 135: 3

Today is Joseph Smith's Birthday. Interesting that his birth is on the Winter Solstice marking the beginning when more light starts to break forth after the day of most darkness. We would do well if we studied more in the "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith" and "The Words of Joseph Smith."  

Winter Solstice Sunset

photo taken on top of Ensign Peak as the sun was setting just before 5:00 PM on 12/22/11

 A  BEAUTIFUL CLEAR BLUE SKY DAY!

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year... longest night as well. The sun rose about 8:00 AM and set about 5:00 PM.. only 9 hours of sunlight compared to 15 hours without sun. Starting today, we now begin to get about one more minute of sunlight until the Summer Solstice.  

The Salt Lake Valley usually has along of pollution and smog during the winter from the inversion making it difficult to see the blue sky and the sun. Fortunately a storm passed through clearing out all of the bad air.

WINTER SOLSTICE: Darkest Day of the Year

photo taken of snow/ice on the side of a road taken on the day of the lunar eclipse

I will write more shortly

Miracle of Lights

photo taken on a "movie set" of the doors leading to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in October 2011

Above is a photo taken of a reconstructed "Jerusalem" movie set. It is being used to create short videos depicting areas of the Temple and other sacred locations at the time of Christ.

I posted this photo because today is important day for over 13 million people in the world or roughly 0.2% of the total world population. The Jews.   I find it interesting that it is about the same number of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  

Today is Hanukkah. or also known as "Miracle of Lights" or "Festival Of Lights" (It actually began last night at sundown when the first candle of the memorah is lit._  

Many do not know what Hanukkah is.. including me. So I did a little research.

The word "Hanukkah," which means dedication, refers to the rededication of the Holy Temple, (the same temple that existed at the time of Christ)  at which time the menorah was lit. According to the ancient story, when the Jews re-dedicated the Holy Temple, there was very little oil remaining to light the Temple menorah (or candelabra) -- as the bulk of the lamp oil had been polluted. But the oil that was only enough for one day, miraculously lasted eight days. This is considered to be the origin of the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah.

It is somewhat ironic that Hanukah is the most widely known Jewish holiday, despite the fact that it is a minor holiday. Hanukkah is not described in scripture, and it does not have the religious significance of Passover, Sukkot, Shavuot, Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur. Still, the celebration of Hanukkah, the history behind its traditions, and the symbolism of the miracle of the oil lasting seven days longer.. a miracle.

WHITE TAILED DEER

PEACE IN THE CHAOS

photo taken of a billboard at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth,

give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 14:27

While Christmas time should be a time of peace... it usually is the busiest time of year for me. I don't think I am alone when I say that instead of peace and calm.. I feel overwhelmed. This billboard has an important message.. despite the chaos all around us.. may we all find peace.

I read this quote today that I really liked that I wanted to share:

We need to realize that spiritual enlightenment is not something which you are going to achieve or accomplish. You are not going to attain earn or acquire spiritual blessings. You will receive them -if you receive them at all- by being open to Gods gifts. He gives freely. But unless we are quiet enough, open enough, and prayerful enough to be apart, to be alone, to be in solemn, careful and ponderous thought, we will never receive what is freely given to all.

MOON OVER SALT LAKE CITY

photo taken this morning at 7:00 AM of the lunar eclipse

"But, behold, I say unto you that before this great day shall come the sun shall be darkened,
and the moon shall be turned into blood, and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and there shall be greater signs in heaven above and in the earth beneath;
Doctrine and Covenants 29:14

POSTERITY AND OUR WORDS

photo of WWI memorial site at Memory Grove that I went to on Veterans Day.

"There is no permanency to men's lives, nor to the work of men's hands. there are only two things which will endure with any permanency: posterity and our words. Words endure: buildings, even temples, do not. The closer the words are to the will of God, the more likely they are to endure. Revelations are the most enduring of all. But all expressions of faith and hope endure long beyond words of opposition, faithlessness, and anger.

Get yourself in harmony with God, call upon Him and record His voice to you and you will leave something eternal behind for your posterity. the record of your own testimony, and your posterity, will alone endure. It is one of the reasons for the inspired instruction from our leaders to "keep a journal" of our lives.

"Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events." Spencer W Kimball

excerpts from Nephi's Isaiah.

photo of the above memorial with one of the names Royal Christenson

THE LIVING VINE

 photo taken near Memory Grove on December 5, 2011

Note: the middle leaf  is shaped like a heart with 5 main veins from the center stem.

Christ uses the example of a living "vine" or branch or description of His Father as a husbandman to suggest you should have a living connection to God. A living connection implies you are in contact with Him. You hear from and listen to Him. He is a part of you and an active part of your life and growth.

How each of us received contact with God, how we hear His voice, and what gifts we possess are unique. There is no single, universal way for one to "hear His voice and know that He is". And so it is a mistake to ignore your own unique talent for "hearing" your Father in Heaven. He did not send you here powerless to hear Him. But it will require you to develop the capacity. Relying merely upon your "feeling" or "emotions" alone is insufficient; you must learn to hear His voice.

UNIQUE COMMUNICATION

photo taken while laying on my back looking at the "heaven's above"

"And they shall see signs and wonders,

for they shall be shown forth in the heavens above,

and in the earth beneath."

Doctrine and Covenants 45:40

"We are unique, and Gods' ways of speaking to each of us is as unique as each of us. We do ourselves a great disservice when we attempt to fit ourselves into a singular, sterotypical persona seeking only a singular way for God to talk with and to us. We make ourselves into something we aren't, in search to find what cannot be found that way. If we demand only the extraordinary before we will recognize His voice, we run the risk of looking in the wrong way for Him. His voice is there. He speaks to all of us. But we can miss it if we are not attuned to listen.

You may never be able to hear God speak to you in the way in which others hear Him. If you determine He must speak to you in a specific way, and not in any other way, you can go a lifetime without ever having a conversation with Him. He longs to speak with each of us. Within each o fus there is something uniquely attuned to Him. How He reaches out to you may be as singular and unique as you are and you can be assured He is reaching out. In fact, God is rather noisy, if you will allow Him to be.

We were never intended to live without a direct connection to Him. Instead, we should hear His voice, and n time discover He is our "friend."

quotes taken from the book... "Nephi's Isaiah"

ONENESS... not SAMENESS

photo taken of Silver Lake on October 9, 2011 near Brighton Ski Resort.

"I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world,

even as many as will believe on my name, that they may become the sons of God,

even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one."

Doctrine & Covenants 35:2

We need to forget conforming to an imaginery pattern, and allow the unique gifts each of us have been given to mature. Becoming "one" does not require us to become "the same". there is a great difference between the "oneness" God asks us to acquire, on the one hand, and uniformity on the other.

Find out what God want YOU to be. Be that. It is "one of a kind". It will make you free.

CONFIRMATION OF EXISTING FAITH

"And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground."

The sign was not to produce faith, but was to confirm already existing faith. He used the morning dew, and a sheepskin to confirm God's will for him.  Perfectly ordinary objects (sheepskin, ground, morning dew) get arranged in a way which allows Gideon to confirm the accuracy of his understanding of God's communication with him. This is not "emotion" or a "feeling". It is drawing God's communication into the physical world and seeing Him speaking there.

ORDINARY CONTAINS THE EXTRAORDINARY

photo taken from my office window yesterday of the sun trying to break through the clouds.

You must see the extraordinary in the ordinary before the truly extraordinary opens up to you. You must have faith before you are shown signs.

"But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe."

D&C 63:9

ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

photo taken tonight at the Birthday Party for our dog, Patch

"And the Lord was with us; and we did prosper exceedingly;
for we did sow seed, and we did reap again in abundance.

And we began to raise flocks, and herds, and animals of every kind"

2 Nephi 5:11

Tonight, my daughters threw a birthday party for our dog, Patch. He turned 2 today. The invited guests were our two other pets... our goldfish named Jaws and our guinea pig named Squeekers. It is the only day of the year that they are allowed to eat on the kitchen table. While having pets is alot of work... they can bring much to my daughters. Sometimes, it is only our pets  and not us as parents that can console them after they have had a hard day at school.

AWAKE AND ARISE

photo of my daughters balloon ride.

(A Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa.)

We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect;

and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments,

till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with Him. But we consider that this is a station to which no man ever arrived in a moment: he must have been instructed in the government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and consistency of the same.

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 51

VIEW FROM ABOVE

photo taken from my daughters hot air balloon ride. on 10.01.2011

write more shortly

One Moment in Time: 11:11:11 on 11/11/11

ARMISTICE DAY: The Day of Remembrance

I decided to leave for an early lunch today. I left right around 11:00. I took the elevator down and the doors opened up on the 1st floor just at the precise time for me to see out the glass door the crosswalk countdown displaying the digital number 11. Synchronicity.

Thinking I would hike Ensign Peak, I instead decided to park my car and take a walk through Memory Grove. I found myself right in front of the World War Memorial at precisely 11:11:11. This is an important today.  It is called Armistice Day (or Veterans Day, as we call it in the U.S.), marking the end of World War I, when Germany and the Allied nations called for resolution on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In many parts of the world, people take a moment of silence as a sign of respect for the 20 million people who died in the war. The plaque that I was reading was written on November 11th. Lots of number of 11's.

At that exact moment in Time.. I felt I was at the right place at the right time.

I looked at all the names of those who died from Utah form 1914-1918. Only one with the last name Christenson. His name was Royal. Interesting name. I need to do some geneology research with the help of my dad.
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Sidenotes:
In terms of astrology, we are currently transitioning into the 11th sign of the zodiac—the age of the Aquarius. ( I happen to be an Aquarius myself)  We are entering a time described as progressive and intuitive, a time ruled by technology, humanitarianism, philanthropy, nonconformity and idealism.


You may have to be a mathematician to get excited by the numerical tricks that 11—which is the sixth prime number—can perform: When multiplied by itself, the number 11 equals a palindrome every time—from 11 x 11 (which equals 121) to 1,111,111 x 1,111,111 (which equals a pleasing 1,234,567,654,321) and beyond. Not to mention that eleven is a very desirable hand in Blackjack, causing players to double down and increase their potential winnings.
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APPROACHING SEASON OF WINTER

photo taken up Big Cottonwood Canyon on October 9, 2011

I am trying to learn more about how to add things to this blog. Currently figuring out how to upload music. This is some work in progress.  This is a song that I recently heard that I really liked.

 It is by Brandon Heath entitled "Your Love"

“Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John. This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom; Which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son”

D&C 88: 3-5

Christ is the Second Comforter. We don't talk much about this in church. The hope of seeing Christ face-to-face, of Him ministering to you personally, and of eventually receiving a promise from Him of eternal life in the celestial kingdom, is supposed to be the ultimate goal and aspiration of every true follower of Christ. That promise from Him of receiving your calling and election is something we don't talk much about either. However, you can read alot about it what Joseph Smith taught in the book, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and/or The Words of Joseph Smith. Either one of those books would be great study manuals for the Priesthood and Relief Society next year.    

I read this quote today that I thought was interesting: 

"When a people collectively downgrades its expectation regarding the necessity of heavenly interaction during mortality, and adopts instead a religion with decreased expectations based on ordinances controlled by man, apostasy sets in and destruction, both spiritual and physical, appears on the horizon. The true standard, to which the Gentiles specifically are supposed to seek, appears to be the only expectation lofty enough to generate the faith required to overcome the world and to prepare for His second coming."

THE SYMBOL OF THE ROSE

photo taken of the roses I gave my wife after childbirth

I will write more, but in the meantime.. please click the following link and watch this.. 

http://vimeo.com/27920977

There is so much symbolism in the watching the flower "open" up to its' full beauty and potential. Amazing.

I really like the song too. It is violin music. I just recently learned that the violin is the one instrument that resembles the vibrations/sound of the human voice.

WHITE AS SNOW: Baptism and Blessing.

taken after my daughter Sarah's baptism and confirmation and

my daughter Eden's baby blessing on November 5, 2011

This morning, we woke up to a white world. It snowed. First snowstorm of the winter where the Salt Lake Valley received several inches on the valley floor. It was symbolic. Today I baptized my daughter Sarah, and also blessed our new born baby, Eden. The number Eight is very symbolic. It is the age that we baptize. Eight symbolizes Rebirth. Seven days of the week.. the 8th day start anew. It was interesting that there were 8 people who were baptizes along with Sarah today.

I really like the above photo my two daughter dressed in white… especially to see the image of the Savior in the background. The picture of my family against the backdrop of the white snow on the red dogwood shrub is also so symbolic. The shrub is related to the dogwood tree – The leaves of a dogwood tree turn bright red in the fall. The dogwood legend says that these red leaves symbolize the blood spilled at Calvary. The leaves turn red in response to the changing season, like many deciduous trees, but the Christian symbolism of the dogwood tree turns the red of the leaves into a remembrance of innocent blood.

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY, SARAH!

Today is my daughter Sarah's Birthday. Born on November 3, 2003.

Daddy Loves you.

CHIASTIC DATE: 11.02.2011

 A new book cover design for my friend, Avraham Gileadi 

"My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning;

therefore my hand shall be over thee."

Abraham 2: 8 

A new friend of mine commented yesterday on my post that today was 11/02/2011... or 11022011. You can read those numbers from the end to the beginning and it would be the same. It is a chiastic structure. Just like the title of  this book by Avraham Gileadi, The End from the Beginning.  Normally we would say... the Beginning to the End. I have learned alot recently how history repeats itself. What will happen has happened before. We would do well to read and understand history, learn from the past to best prepare for the future... Or better yet, we can read the scriptures, especially Isaiah and the Book of Mormon prophets, who saw the future and has written about it in the past for us to read today.

11.1.11 ......SYMBOLISM OF ONE

Today is 11.1.11

The number One reflects new beginnings, and purity, so I thought is was appropriate to post this picture of Sarah who will be baptized this week. My daughter Sarah's birthday is in two days.. on 11.3.11. She will be turning eight. She will be baptized on 11.5.11 on the same day that her baby sister, Eden, will be blessed.

WORLD POPULATION: 7 BILLION

photo taken of our baby Eden at her first bath at home on October 20, 2011

.

Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were  prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men."

Doctrine and Covenants 138: 55

A REMAKE and MAKING MEMORIES:

photos taken on our Daddy/Daughter Date on Friday, October 28, 2011

 This past weekend, I went on a daddy/daughter date with oldest daughter, Jessica. We went to a movie (only people in the theatre besides two other people.).It was a remake of a movie that I remember seeing when I was about her age. WOW... interesting to see how in a few years more profanity and provocative things have been put in our entertainment.

I will write more shortly.

EQUAL TIME..QUALITY TIME: Daddy Daughter Date

photos taken on our Daddy/Daughter date on October 21, 2011

equal: Having the same value, degree, being in just proportion

quality: Superiority of kind, Having a high degree of excellence

Both of these word have the root "qual"...meaning "degree of goodness". Lately much emphasis has been placed on the new arrival of our baby daughter, Eden. It is important that my other daughters recieve EQUAL.. and QUALITY time as well from their dad.  Since I have taken some time off of work to be home with our baby, I also took each of my older daughters out on a one-one daddy/daughter date . My daughter Brooke and I spent the day golfing (her idea :)) and then she wanted me to take her shopping. We had a great time. She played all 9 holes, drove the cart the entire time and did really well. I was proud of her. She is alot of fun to be with. I love her. She looks so much like my wife.

TRANQUILITY

photo taken today of Little Cottonwood Creek in Murray Park on October 25, 2011

 Tranquility: the state of being tranquil; calmness; serenity.

I went for a walk today. I have enjoyed this fall season... I am surprised that there are still alot of green leaves on the trees even though it is almost November. The weather has seemed different this year.

Having our newest daughter Eden has been such a blessing. Since she is still sleeping alot, our home has been very peaceful.  You wouldn't normally think having a new born baby would bring calmness and serenity to our life. Well for now, it has... Tranquility is a rare commodity these days. We will enjoy it as long as we can.

Tonight I was called to give a blessing to a friend who was rushed into the ER. He had cut his cornea in his eye. After the blessing all of us in the room felt peace..we felt tranquil that everything will be find. So grateful to feel peace in a world of chaos and uncertainty.

EDEN REBEKAH CHRISTENSON

photo taken of our new baby on October 22, 2011

"And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord,

and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden,

speaking unto them..."

Moses 5:4

THE PROCESS OF NAMING A CHILD

photo taken in the hospital after our baby was born on October 16, 2010

write more shortly

MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

I don't have my wife's permission to post photos of her shortly after she delivered, but hopefully she will forgive me. Personally, I think my wife looks amazing... it is true womanhood at it's best.

This is the definition of Mother found the "In the Guide to the Scriptures":

MOTHER: A sacred title referring to a woman who bears children.

Mothers assist in God’s plan by providing mortal bodies for God’s spirit children.

I AM A CHILD OF GOD... AND HE HAS SENT ME HERE

photo taken of our baby right when we brought her home from the hospital on

October 17, 2011

"For the Lord shall comfort Zion...

and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord.

Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of melody."

2 Nephi 8:3

We have been struggling to know whether or not to name our new daughter Rebekah or Eden. An interesting thing happened tonight in our family scripture study. We are in 2nd Nephi right now , chapter 7.  We turned the page tonight and the above verse jumped out at us in chapter 8.

HANDS AND FEET

photo of taken of my daughters hands and mine after the imprint of the

newest arrival to our family

Seems like I only have the time to post the photos.. so much to write, so much symbolism in the past couple of days. We are all so overwhelmed with joy. Hope to find some time this week.

THE MIRACLE OF LIFE

photo taken today on 10-16-2011 after the birth of our daughter

Born at 1:59 PM

7 pounds 7 ounces.

name still to be determined.

INTERCESSORY PRAYER

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane looking up to His Father

The power of prayer. Thank you to everyone who has been praying on our behalf.  Lots to write.

VIA DOLOROSA

photo taken of another Angela Johnson's statues at Thanksgiving Point

I will write more shortly..... still patiently waiting for my wife to go into labor.

THIS IS MY BELOVED SON.....HEAR HIM

photo of the Angela Johnson's statue of the First Vision taken on October 10, 2011

The Father telling his son Joseph Smith to do just one thing...

HEAR HIM (Jesus Christ).

"It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound.

When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages,

whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air.

One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other

—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him."

Joseph Smith History 1:17

Other times in scripture when we hear the few words spoken by the Father. He is always introducing and/or pointing to Jesus Christ and tellling us to hear, listen, and follow Him.

"This is my beloved Son: Hear Him."

Luke 9:35

"Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,

in whom I have glorified my name—Hear ye Him."

3 Nephi 11: 7

"And lo, he heard a voice from heaven, saying,

This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him."

JST Matthew 3:46

"If so be that ye have heard Him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus."

SUBMISSION TO THE FATHER

photo taken of Angela Johnson's, sculpture entitled "Oh, My Father"

located in the gardens at Thanksgiving Point.

"And when he had sent the multitudes away,

he went up into a mountain apart to pray:

and when the evening was come, he was there alone."

Matthew 14: 23

 Yesterday, My wife and I were able to go to a private showing of 15 statues all depicting the life of Christ down at Thanksgiving Point Gardens. The unveiling to the public will be this Saturday. The exhibit is called The Light of the World Garden.

Until I can post a picture of our newborn baby, (which we are still patiently waiting for her arrival)  I will be posting some of my photos that I took of the sculptures. It was truly a beautiful experience to see and also hear the insights about each of the sculptures from the artist.

For those who want to attend the unveiling it is this Saturday, October 15th, 2011 at 1:00 at the Thanksgiving Gardens.

TRIAL, TRAIL, TRAVEL, TRAVAIL, TRAVEIL.

photo taken on October 8, 2011 of my wife's and my hands forming a heart
on top of our hope to be soon to be delivered baby.



"And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered."
Revelations 12:2

There is nothing more sacred, more God-like, then being part of the creation process and witnessing a Son or Daughter of God enter into mortality. The woman’s body is truly a “temple” and the portal between heaven and earth. I have been studying the word “trial” lately and the importance of going through trials. There are a lot of words that are similar. I like this sequence of five words:

trial, trail, travel, travail, traveil.


We all go through personal trials.. it is like our personal trail to walk on. Walking on this trail, we travel. Usually it is a difficult journey. Women go on this journey when in labor, and we call this “being in travail”. Each of us, as we seek the Lord must go through what I call traveil.


TRA: means to “go across”, “over”, or “through”

VAIL: come from root word (valere) means to be strong , to be of worth, power, strength, to be of use or service, to be of value or worth

TRAVEIL… (to go across, or over or through the veil)

Interesting side note: In the New Testament, child-bearing has been always expressed by the word “travail”, but in the early editions, the word “travel”, (meaning to make a difficult journey), and “travail”, (meaning to suffer (childbirth) were both spelled the same.

When you travel or “in travail”.. you are moving from point A to point B.. never to return as the same person again. The birth process is very similar to the rebirth process that we all need to go through. All of us evidentially need to be spiritually reborn again. We read about this process over and over again the Book of Mormon.

 Going through the process of travail/traveil requires submission., natural childbirth being the ultimate submission. To claim victory, one must go through the process of casting and placing everything on the altar. Surrendering all. There is a cleansing effect in this submission.. and to not fight the pain, or the process that is might cause.

We see the example of Christ in Gethsemane.. The Atonement was made possible because Christ DID NOT FIGHT IT or RESIST IT. He was a perfect clean vessel. He did not want anything that would block or take away the pain. When on the cross, we read that the soldiers offered him vinegar.. I learned recently that it possibly could have been his mother Mary who brought this “vinegar” (or special wine mixture) that when partaken of, it would help with the pain. (THIS VINEGAR MIXTURE IS WHAT THE WOMAN WOULD DRINK WHILE IN CHILD LABOR TO EASE THE PAIN. HIS MOTHER WANTED TO EASE HIS PAIN SO HE WOULDN'T HAVE TO SUFFER.) Christ refused THE DRINK BECAUSE HE KNEW HE NEEDED TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AND FEEL IT ALL.

BEAUTIFUL CREATION

photo taken yesterday of my wife on October 8, 2011

41 weeks pregnant at age 41

"For the time is at hand; the day or the hour no man knoweth; but it surely shall come."

Doctrine and Covenants 39:21

WE ARE PATIENTLY/ANXIOUSLY WAITING....

The original set arrival date was October 7th.

DAY OF ATONEMENT: Yom Kippur

photo of wild flowers taken up Big Cottonwood Canyon

Summer 2011

(I will finish writing more.. but at least this is a start.)
I have not had very much time lately to write what I want and need to on the past couple of posts. Yesterday was my wife's due date. We have had some special experiences in the past couple of days awaiting for my wife to go into labor. We realize that it must be hard to say farewell and say goodbye on the otherside to come down to mortality. We are patiently awaiting and want the baby to come when she is ready.

Today is an important date for many religious people. It is Yom Kippur and it is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. It is traditionally observed with a 25 hour period of fasting and intensive prayer.

I choose this photo to represent this day. The colors of Red and White are symbolic of the Atonement, Repentance and receiving Forgiveness. Also interesting that the traditional sacrament would be the color of the wine, and the unleavened bread.

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Sidenote: We went to a sealing today at the Salt Lake Temple of a good friend. The above painting is in the waiting room. I particularly like the colors used:  red of Mary and white of Christ.
Symbols:
Red= Myrrh, Blood, Female
White= Frankincense, Light, Male