Arts and Crafts

I decided I wanted a better knife sheath for my bone-handled hunting knife, and I wanted something to look like it might have belonged to an Indian. I made an inner sheath, then covered it with an outside layer of thinner leather, then added the bone beads, horse hair and silver cones, etc. When I showed it to Adam, he said it looked like it belonged to a gay Indian. He's just jealous.

Things to Come

This picture was taken during Steve and Sunny's recent visit to California. She is holding J.R. and Casey's new son, Ethan, and Sam and Charlie were none too happy about sharing their mom. In a couple of weeks, this will be their reality as Steve and Sunny's new baby daughter, Gracie, will be born the first week in September. Good luck Sunny. You're going to need it!!

Sage's Big Day

We recently travelled to Utah to be with Sage for his baptism. He was baptized by his Grandpa Orvis and confirmed by Papa Dickson. It was a great day for all of us and we were so proud of Sage. We learned that his favorite bible character was Noah, and he was counseled by his grandmothers to try to be like Noah and to always be obedient to God's commands.

Read Your Thank You Cards

Nancy got a thank you card yesterday. It was from a lady in the ward that Nancy had taken the time to take to lunch as a thank you for her service as a pianist in the Relief Society organization. It was a simple act, but it required some time out of her busy life. The lady thanked Nancy for the personal time that she gave to her and concluded by saying that she felt the Savior's love for her through this act of kindness.

The reason I mention this, is that Nancy gets a thank you card about once a week from someone she has befriended or assisted. They all acknowledge that the small acts of service meant a great deal to them and let them know they weren't struggling with their problems alone.

Several years ago, a good friend of ours said that if you want to know how you are really doing in this life, read your thank you cards. What she didn't need to say, was that if you don't have any thank you cards to read, maybe you are not doing so good.

In my various callings in the church, I have had the opportunity to help others struggling with their challenges, which resulted in the occasional thank you card. Lately, I haven't been receiving many thank you cards, which has caused me to evaluate how I am doing as "my brother's keeper".

You might ask yourself, "When's the last time I got a thank you card"? If it has been awhile, perhaps you need to look around you and find a way to do a little good in the world today. It will bless your life and the lives of others around you.