How Music/Hymns Can Feed Our Testimonies and Teach Gospel Truths...

I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday, August 25th. These are my notes from which I would speak. There were three speakers. I was the last speaker. This was a fun experience for me. I love the hymns and music. Our Church is preparing a new hymnbook for 2026. The purpose of this meeting was to help us understand the power of the music in our lives and help us prepare for a new hymnal. The four hymns sung by the congregation were all hymns that will be in the new hymnal. 

Sydney Bennett spoke about her experiences with music in her family and how music at church has been a strength for her life.

Rick Snow spoke and explained the story behind each of the three hymns we would sing this day from the new hymnal. 

Then I shared these thoughts. 

How Music/Hymns Can Feed Our Testimonies and Teach Gospel Truths

Sunday, August 25, 2024, 12-15 mins

My experiences with hymns in my lifetime.

·       My mother & father. “O My Father”. “That’s what I believe.” Sung at Mimi’s funeral.

·       Mrs. Herring helping me learn 3 hymns each week so I could play piano for Sunday School. Presbyterian. She found our hymns wonderful pieces of good music.

·       Family vacation to church history site. Small organ.

·       As a youth, always played for the stake youth choirs. Artis Hudnall was always the chorister and he was particularly fond of “Before Thee Lord”.

·       Papa singing “O Holy Night” each Christmas and at least once each year would sing “The Seer”

·       As a young mother in California called to serve on stake Relief Society board as pianist. Jane Atherton writes music and teaching me to play for our meetings.

·       In Denver, singing with the Singing Mothers in a concert for our stake. Janet Wright wrote an original piece of music based on Psalm 66:1-2 “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honor of his name: make his praise glorious.”

·       Relief Society General Conference Session, Belle Spafford was released as General Relief Society President. She was the 9th General Relief Society president and served for 29 years. Barbara B. Smith was sustained as the 10th General Relief Society president. A talk was given, and the comment was made, about the importance of our LDS hymns. We were counseled as leaders in Relief Society to learn the hymns, memorize the words, and recall them at time of need. A hymn was sung after this talk that touched my heart and has always remained with me. How Firm a Foundation #85 verse 3

“Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

·       Bringing Papa to the church and playing the hymns so he could hear the music.

·       Claude singing the low note.

 Hymnals through the years in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

• 1835 A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter-day Saints
• In July 1830, three months after the formal organization of the Church, Joseph Smith received a revelation directed to his wife, Emma Smith. In it the Lord instructed Emma to “make a selection of sacred hymns … to be had in [His] church.”1 Once completed, the first official hymnal of the Church was published in 1835 as A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints. It contained the lyrics for 90 hymns without accompanying musical notation.
• 1909 Deseret Sunday School Songs
• 1927 Latter-day Saint Hymns
• 1948 Hymns: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• 1985 (Current Edition). Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

 

October 1994 General Conference, “Worship through Music” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

“When the Lord’s Apostles meet in modern times (1994), the singing of hymns is still part of their meetings. The weekly meetings of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the Salt Lake Temple always begin with a hymn. Elder Russell M. Nelson plays the organ accompaniment. The First Presidency, who conduct these meetings, rotate the privilege of selecting the opening song. Most of us record the date each hymn is sung. According to my records, the opening song most frequently sung during the decade of my participation has been “I Need Thee Every Hour” (Hymns, 1985, no. 98). Picture the spiritual impact of a handful of the Lord’s servants singing that song before praying for his guidance in fulfilling their mighty responsibilities.”

        “Our hymns can work their miraculous effect even when the chorus of voices is few and even when hardly a sound can be heard. I felt this a few months ago as I participated in a musical performance that was unique in my church experience. I had been invited to speak at the Great Basin LDS Deaf Conference, hosted by the Salt Lake Valley (Deaf) Ward of the Salt Lake Park Stake. Over three hundred deaf brothers and sisters were in attendance. The members of the stake presidency and I were almost the only adults in the congregation who could hear and who attempted to sing audibly. The rest of that large assembly sang with their hands. Hardly a lip moved, and hardly a sound was heard except the organ and four faint voices from the stand. In the audience, all hands moved in unison with the leader as the audience signed “The Spirit of God like a fire is burning!” (Hymns, 1985, no. 2). As we sang together, the Spirit of the Lord descended upon us, and we were made ready for prayer. Our sacred music is a powerful preparation for prayer and gospel teaching.”

• Opening Hymn: Prepare for Prayer
• Sacrament Hymn: Prepare for Sacrament 
• Closing Hymn: Remind us of what we have learned and Prepares us for gospel teaching.

Sacred music can help us even when there is no formal performance. For example, when temptation comes, we can neutralize its effect by humming or repeating the words of a favorite hymn (see Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, Jan. 1974, pp. 25–28). 

Before the Savior and his Apostles left the upper room where they had the sublime experience of the Last Supper, they sang a hymn. After their hymn, the Savior led them to the Mount of Olives (see Matt. 26:30).

         As we worship through music, we should think about the messages of the words. Our hymns contain matchless doctrinal sermons, surpassed only by the scriptures in their truth and poetic impact.

In preparation for this talk, I read through almost all the hymns in our current hymnal. Let me share of few of the phrases that are particularly powerful to me in their gospel doctrine context. Pres. Henry B. Eyring gave a talk completely using scriptures.

HOPE & COMFORT:

(Redeemer of Israel #6, verse 5 at the bottom after the verses we usually sing)

        “Restore, my dear Savior, The light of thy face;

Thy soul-cheering comfort impart;

And let the sweet longing For thy holy place

Bring hope to my desolate heart.”

(Come, Ye Disconsolate #115)

“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

“Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot cure.

“Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.”

STRENGTH:

(Come, Come, Ye Saints #30)“All is well! All is Well!”

PRAYER:

(Come unto Him #114)

“I wander through the still of night, When solitude is everywhere

Alone, beneath the starry light, And yet I know that God is there,

I kneel upon the grass and pray; An answer comes without a voice.

It takes my burden all away And make my aching heart rejoice.

(Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire #145, verses 7 & 8)

O thou by whom we come to God, The Life, the Truth, the Way!

The path of prayer thyself hast trod; Lord, teach us how to pray.”

FAITH:

(When Faith Endures #128)

“I give the Father willingly My trust, my prayers, humility.

His Spirit guides; his love assures That fear departs when faith endures.” 

CALLINGS:

(Be Thou Humble #130)

“Be thou humble in thy calling, and the Lord thy God shall teach thee,

To serve his children gladly with a pure and gentle love.”

(Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel #252)

“The Church has need of helping hands, And hearts that know and feel.

The work to do is here for you; Put your shoulder to the wheel.”

FASTING:

(Bless Our Fast, We Pray #138)

“Feed thou our souls, fill thou our hearts, And bless our fast, we pray,

That we may feel thy presence here And feast with thee today.”

SACRAMENT:

(Reverently and Meekly Now #185, Jesus speaks to Us)

“In the solemn faith of prayer Cast upon me all thy care,

And my Spirit’s grace shall be Like a fountain unto thee.

          At the throne I intercede; For thee ever do I plead.

I have loved thee as thy friend, With a love that cannot end.

Be obedient, I implore, Prayerful, watchful evermore,

And be constant unto me, That thy Savior I may be.

OUR WORDS:

(Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words #232)

“Oh, the kind words we give shall in memory live And sunshine forever impart.

Let us oft speak kind words to each other; Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.”

(Nay, Speak No Ill #233)

“Then speak no ill, but lenient be To other’s failings as your own.

If you’re the first a fault to see, Be not the first to make it known. …

Let’s speak of all the best we can.”

AGENCY:

(Know This, That Every Soul Is Free #240)

“Know this, that ev’ry soul is free To choose his life and what he’ll be;

For this eternal truth is giv’n: That God will force no man to heav’n.”

YOUTH:

True to the Faith #254, Youth)

“True to the faith that our parents have cherished,

True to the truth for which martyrs have perished,

To God’s command, Soul, heart, and hand, Faithful and true we will ever stand.”

MISSIONARY SERVICE:

(Hark, All Ye Nations! #264)

“Chosen by God to serve him below, To ev’ry land and people we’ll go,

Standing for truth with fervent accord, Teaching his holy word.

          Oh, how glorious from the throne above Shines the gospel light of truth and love!

Bright as the sun, this heavenly ray Lights ev’ry land today.” 

TEMPLES:

(Rise, Ye Saints, and Temples Enter #287)

“Learn the plan of exaltation; With His sacred laws comply.

Live to earn in binding cov’nant Blessings of our God most high.”

A word of council: Many of you read many books through the year. Novels, etc. May I suggest one of the books you read be the Hymnal. With the Gospel Library App, you can highlight phrases that touch your soul, tag them with a word to help you find them when needed. 

“We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer.” ~~ J. Reuben Clark, Jr., CR 10/36:111 

"Some of the greatest sermons that have ever been preached were preached by the singing of a song." ~~ Spencer W. Kimball 

With Songs of Praise #71 (Opening)

Chorus:        Then come before God’s presence! With singing worship him!

                    Express the heart too full to speak, In one exultant hymn.

 

Home, Travel, Friends & Family...

Monday, August 19th, a friend posted a recipe for Dr. Pepper Brownies on Facebook for me to see. I worked with Becky Day at CAPREIT in Rockville, Maryland. She remembered my love of Dr. Pepper and made sure I saw this recipe. I was very grateful. I haven't done any cooking since surgery. My right arm doesn't stir very well yet. However, I determined this was something I would try and we could take a few brownies on our visit to Jake this week. 

I pulled out all the ingredients and set them on the counter. I got my carefully saved recipe and looked at it. That is when I realized I had a real problem. The recipe had the ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, chocolate chips, etc. but it had NO amounts by the ingredient. I saved the ladies website with the recipe. I went back to my laptop and looked up the website. Sure enough, there were no amounts by her list of ingredients to make these brownies from scratch. However, at the bottom, she had suggestions for using a packaged milk browning mix. I had one of those, so I used it and followed those directions.

I was so pleased that I could stir this mixture by hand. It shows the great improvement in my right arm. I cooked these brownies and found them lackluster. I did not save the recipe and deleted it from my laptop. They were very edible but I really expected a better flavor with that Dr. Pepper added for moisture. I did take Jake four of them.

I bought a blue elastic band to help with my home PT. I really felt that I should increase the difficulty of what I was doing at home. Tina suggested I drop the ones I was doing that were really easy and pick some of the ones I was doing at office PT that I could do at home. Therefore, I purchased a blue elastic band and set to work updating my home PT. I am still using the pulley I purchased before surgery and doing two exercises with it. I have five exercises I can do with the blue band. Three of these are ones I do with the weights at office PT. I have three exercises I do with a two-pound weight. I kept the four exercises I do with my dowel. I added three exercises using a washcloth to stretch my arm on the door facing and wall. I feel much better about this workout and feel it supports what they are doing at office PT. 

This day I felt prompted to send Evelyn Redfield a thank you message on Facebook. Evelyn is a dear friend from our time in Maryland. Her husband, Brian, was a counselor to Claude when he was bishop. I helped with the Young Women when Evelyn was Young Women president. At one activity, she had made and gave to each of the young women and to each of the sisters that served with her in the Young Women program, a little throw pillow with the word "Believe" embroidered on it. I have saved this pillow for all these years. As I heal from surgery, I have needed a little support under my arm when I sit so the full weight on my arm is not pulling on the shoulder. This little pillow has been perfect. I often think of Evelyn and her sweet mom, Audra. I simply felt Evelyn needed to know how much she is helping me even after all these years. I sent her a picture of the pillow and and explanation of its help to me,

It turns out that thank you arrived at a time when she really needed it. Her son, Chris, who I taught in early-morning seminary, died in a horrific car accident. The car rolled down a hill, turning over many times. Chris had a terrible death. Evelyn's husband has bad diabetes, has lost a foot and is in failing health. Chris lived in their basement and was a huge help to Evelyn in caring for Brian. She was lifted a bit by receiving this little thank you note. It is truly the little things that make the biggest difference. Grateful for this family and the part they have played in our lives.

I learned this day was National Potato Day. I posted this on our family Facebook page with these two pictures: "Can we hear a "Shout Out" for Joel Roper! Today is National Potato Day. We have our very own Potato in our family!"

Katelyn followed up with this cute picture of Joel in his Mr. Potatohead costume for Halloween.

Someone asked Joel what his name was. His quick reply, "Potato".

Claude and I would end our day with our big meal at McCalister's where I enjoyed Potato Soup!!

Tuesday, August 20th, Claude and I drove to Chelsea, Michigan. The plan was to have lunch with Jake on Wednesday. We opted to drive up Tuesday after Cincinnati/Dayton rush hours and spend the night. Then see Jake Wednesday.

I sent Jake a message when we were taking our break in Beaver Dam, Ohio, so he would know we were on the way. I sent him a message when we checked into the Comfort Inn telling him we arrived and gave him our room number. Then Claude and I decided we would go out for dinner. I sent Jake a message and asked if he was working or was he home and might want to have dinner with us. As it turns out, he was just returning from a 20-mile hike. He showered and then came to the hotel. We went to Coney Island and has a wonderful dinner together. He came back to the hotel and we visited until we were all starting to yawn. Then we agreed to pick him up at 11am the next day for lunch. What a nice treat to see him Tuesday evening.

Wednesday, August 21st, we sleot in a bit. Then we picked Jake up at 11am and decided to eat at the Mexican restaurant we all three really enjoy. We had a great visit there and then for a bit in the car outside his apartment. It was really good to see our son and catch up. He made a trip to Utah and shared all his stories and caught us up on the family he was able to visit. He hiked to the top of Ben Lomand in Ogden, Utah. We were so happy he was able to make this trip and have so many fun experiences. Getting his rental car and have to exchange it after it had problems were not the fun parts of his trip but he waded through those experiences well. His presentation on poetry went well at the Sunstone Conference. 

As we drove back to Kentucky after lunch, I realized how grateful I was for cloud cover when it happens. Makes working on my Kindle a lot more pleasant!

We received a text from Bailey when driving home. She needed our help on August 31st. It seems she will play with the University of Kentucky marching band that day and needed transportation. Happy to help!

We had an interesting rest stop. We stopped at Taco Bell on the north side of Dayton. This was really to gain a bit more time so we hopefully missed traffic jams in Dayton and Cincinnati. When one pauses, one notices interesting things. Across the street was a home with a big garage. I was very amused at the car parked in their driveway!

In the parking lot was my Buick Envision. It just happened to be parked next to a Buick LeSabre like I had previously owned. A little bit of irony there.

Claude was amused with the name on their urgent care facitility...Well Now!!

There were two flags enjoying the breeze, when it came. The top was the flag of the United States. The bottom is the flag of Ohio.

All of this reminded me to STOP and pay attention to all the life around us.

When we got home, we unpacked and settled in for the night. Jake brought us a gift from the Sunstone Conference with a specific request for it to go on the refrigerator. I actually had a plastic frame with a magnet on the back that was the correct size. I put the postcard he brought us in the frame and put it on the fridge, took a picture and sent it to Jake with a thank you. 

We had a really lovely two-day trip.

Thursday, August 22nd, I hunkered down for a really productive day. I cleaned our bathroom. This included the tub. Our tub is oversized and I have not been able to reach out or felt safe using my right arm to support me as I reached to scrub. This day, I was able to do all of that in a very careful manner. Yeah me!!

I also got the nearly final draft on a talk I would give on Sunday.

Friday, August 23rd, I went to office PT and had a great session. I came home to ice up my arm. I usually watch a program I have DVR'd. This day, I chose an Expedition Unknown where Josh Gates searches for and understanding of the Yeti. He did one of these several years ago and found a huge foot print they made a plaster cast of. I did not realize this was a four-part story. I wanted all four parts. Claude had his nap and then joined me. Goodness. 

This afternoon, Claude and I had a nice date. We drove to Lexington to scope out where things were when we take Bailey there on the 31st. University of Kentucky on football game day is a zoo to say the least. We found where we drop Bailey off and where we pick Bailey up. She must be signed in and out by a parent of guardian. I guess grandparents can be temporary guardians!

After getting a good picture of where everything was, we drove across town to Storming Crab to have our big meal of the day. This place has been on our radar since it opened and we have never made it there. Probably because right next door is Schlotzsky's and we LOVE to go there. We had a delicious meal. They have gator on their menu. I don't believe I have ever eaten gator. I wanted to try the crab cakes this first visit but I asked our server if there was any way I could have a little taste of gator in preparation for our next visit. She graciously brought me one little bite. I had part and Claude had part. In case you are wondering, it tastes like chicken!! Really!! Claude had an individual steamer pot and he was soooo happy. I took a few pictures and sent them to Andie and Michael and assured them they needed to try this place with us sometimes. They love steamer pots.

In the evening, we watched so. Ime more of Northern Exposure. What a nice day this was.

Saturday, August 24th, I woke up not feeling well at all. It felt like I was coming down with the flu. I did manage to get the finishing touches on my talk for Sunday. I also did one round of home PT and got out my ice pack. When I checked the television for something to watch while I sat still for a while, I realized Indiana Jones movies were running on that day. I started the one that was currently running at the very end. Claude was working in the kitchen. He finished and suggested we get our DVD's and watch them. The reality was I didn't feel like doing anything but curling up under my blanket. We watched four Indiana Jones movies to finish out day. And, I rested and drank lots of liquid.

Sunday, August 25th, I awoke feeling better. I believe I know what my problem is. The end of August and all of September are my worst times with allergies. I believe the pollen is getting to me. Nothing to do but weather the pollen season that is worst for me. 

I would speak in Sacrament Meeting this Sunday. Claude is over music in the ward. He likes to have a meeting that focuses on music each year. The Church is in the process of gathering and compiling hymns for a new hymnbook to come out in 2026. We have some of the new hymns released already that will be in the new book. We would use four of them for our congregational hymns. I sent an eMail with instructions as to how to get this music on your device and included copies of each of the hymns with the eMail and a Facebook post to the Elkhorn Creek Ward Facebook page. 

I had so much fun preparing for this talk. I thought of all the times I could remember the hymns touching my life. I read through almost all of the hymns in our current hymnbook and found phrases that taught gospel principles and had special meaning for me. I read a talk by then Elder Dallin H. Oaks from 1994 entitled "Worship Through Music". It was excellent. I pondered over these things and typed all my notes and thoughts into a word document. By Sunday, I was ready to speak. I will post that talk separately. The meeting was very good.

Monday, August 26th, we started our day with a biscuit run. I love these times. We pull to a parking spot and eat our biscuits while talking about things that are important to us. I am just sure we solve all the world's problems during these talks!! But I love this time with my hubby. 

I would hunker down again to accomplish things. I did get the September Relief Society birthday cards ready and updated the September Relief Society newsletter so it can be sent out easily. I was also able to have a really good talk with my friend, Velvett Bossio. She has skin cancer and will have surgery on it Wednesday. This is a big deal because it is right and  on her eye. Velvett is a breast cancer survivor. It was good to share our nose cancer experiences, get updates on all our health concerns and, hopefully, help strengthen her as she prepares for this surgery. My other talk was catching up with our eldest, Nissa. I don't talk with her enough. It is always good when I do. 

Today is Tuesday, August 27th, and I will have my Blog up-to-date. That will feels good. 

School Time is upon us. Today was Raelyn's 1st Day of 3rd Grade and Emelia's 1st Day of Kindergarten.

This year is Bailey's senior year. She had pictures taken and these are a few of them. She is holding her badges from what I am sure is her KUNA and other experiences as well as her French horn. 

As I realized our youngest grandmonster is a senior, I told Claude, "I don't think we have grandmonsters anymore, I think we have grandadults!"

One more really cute family picture. This is Joel and Drew working on the car. 

Life is good.

Bird, Birthday, Anniversary, Errands and Healing...

Monday, August 12th, I was working in Sandiland at my laptop. Out my window, the tomato plants are as tall as the middle of the window looking out to the side of our home. I heard a little noise and looked up from my work. There on the window sill was a little bird. It hopped around and pecked at the screen. I got my cellphone and prepared to take a picture. This little bird as not at all camera shy and also not people shy. It almost posed as I took a string of pictures hoping one would be useable through the blind, two layers of glass and the screen. He is my little friend. 

As a child, I read the stories of princesses who would go into the woods and hold out their hands and little birds would light on their hands. It felt almost like I was a princess with this little fella. Imagine that...a 74-year-old princess!! However, my next thought was that they have now discovered Claude's tomato plants, and he may have to do battle with them to get ripe tomatoes!

Tuesday, August 13th, our visit with Hayden ended with him sleeping in and waking up in time for lunch. We went to Chick-fil-A (his choice). Then came back to the house and he chilled a bit. Then he drove back to LaGrange. He sent me a text when he got home so I knew he made it safely. It was nice to have a moviefest with Hayden again. 

This was Michael, Hayden's father's, birthday. I posted this on our family Facebook page. "Here he is. Today's "Man of the Hour". The one, the only, Michael Marx. He will mark the end of a year and the beginning of a new year as he celebrates his birth today. Happy Birthday, Minal! Hope you have a wonderful day! Love Ya Bunches!!"

Wednesday, August 14th, I made it through the potential timing for our Route 66 trip. Claude went over it with me and felt good about it. This allows us to contact Cordell and Kris and see if we can see them on our way home. It also confirms we can be in Albuquerque of the Balloon Festival. I can now make some hotel reservations. Originally ,we thought we would wing it with this part but as I looked at timing and where there are not any hotels along the route, this seems a safer way to go. I will make sure they each have early cancellation just in case things go awry. 

I was in contact with Jake about having lunch with him. We determined next week about Wednesday. I would set up my PT appointments for next week and that would help us confirm the day. 

This was Drew and Katelyn's anniversary. I posted this on our family Facebook page: "Love this picture of our oldest grandmonster, Katelyn, and her good hubby, Drew. Today is their 9th anniversary. Happy Anniversary you two!! Love Ya Bunches!!"

Thursday, August 15th, Claude and I had a couple of things we wanted to check in Walmart for. Living on this side of town, our grocery shopping is done at Kroger. But Walmart still has lots of things we get there but the runs to Walmart are fewer. Claude headed to the grocery section, and I went to look for kitchen tongs for him and some elastic bands for me to do arm exercises. As I walked through the store, I was very pleased recognizing the progress made. I could no more have done that three months ago after surgery but now I can walk through the store. I get tired but I can do it. That feels so good when you see the progress made.

When we got home, our neighbor, Catherine Meo, was out with her walker. I went to talk with her and Claude went in with his groceries. Catherine has had her little toe on her right foot removed. She is having a hard time healing from the experience. But she is now able to walk to her mailbox to get her mail. 

In the evening, Claude made lasagna and a salad and rolls. We invited Vickie Drakeford over to have dinner with us and visit. It was a delightful evening. Claude had strawberry shortcake for dessert. Vickie and her hubby Wendell were the realtor who helped us sell our Sadieville home and find our Georgetown home. Wendell passed away in February with cancer. We really enjoyed good conversation with Vickie. Claude's lasagna was excellent.

Friday, August 16th, I had an 8:30am appointment with Art at PT. I did all my exercises there. Then Art did the stretching at the end. He is very strong and really gives that shoulder a workout. When he was finished, he took measurements of my shoulder movement. Then he checked my trigger finger and showed me some exercises to do for it. He gave it a good massage and stretching. His diagnosis was just as Greg Cowen's: first we try exercises and massage with an arthritis cream, second we look at a cortisone injection into the tendon sleeve, last, if that doesn't work, we look at surgery. Here's hoping the exercises and Voltaren cream do the trick.

I'm not sure why but this wore me out completely. I came home to ice my shoulder as I usually do. That was it for me for the day. I was down for the count. Claude was superb and made us macaroni and tomato soup and grill cheese for dinner. It was delicious. Nothing like comfort food when you aren't feeling well. 

Saturday, August 17th, I was determined to have a very productive day after my washout of a day Friday afternoon and evening. When Claude woke up, we decided to start our day with a biscuit run. These are refreshing to us. We get our biscuits and sit in the Jeep with the windows down watching the traffic and talking about things in our lives. It is therapeutic and relationship building. 

I came home and gathered the laundry. I was able to get four loads done, folded and put away. Yeah Me!!

I spent the day in Sandiland at my laptop. I cleaned out all my eMails, scanned my new driver's license and got those copies where they needed to be, posted on Facebook and eMail to the Ward about our Ward service project in September, I also got this to Amy Martin for the Sunday bulletin. Then I set to work to get our grid right for our Route 66 trip. I redid the grid to landscape and added three columns for the minutes needed to get to places or take tours with a total column.

When Claude finished fixing dinner, I shut down for a quiet evening with my hubby. 

Sunday, August 18th, has been an interesting Sunday. When we arrived at church, Tom and Mary Walker were there. I haven't seen them in forever. Nice to catch up a bit.

We sat on our usual bench, 4th row back on the right side. Lisa Adams came and sat beside me and asked if she could sit with us. Her hubby, David, was home not feeling well. Lisa was in tears. It was good to put my arm around her and comfort her as she shared between sobs the difficulty she was having. Lisa was my first counselor when I was stake Relief Society president. She has been living in Florida and is trying to move back to Kentucky over time. It was delightful having her sit with Claude and me and catch her up on people she knew when they lived in Kentucky before moving to Florida.

After church another brother came up and quietly talked to us about concerns he has with his family. We talked for a while and it felt good to share and uplift each other.

We then tried to go to Fazoli's for our Sunday meal. They were in quite a disarray. I am sure they were simply short-staffed. We waited in a growing line to place our order. The two ladies behind us worked at one of the hotels and only 20 minutes for lunch and their order was not coming up. We finally left as more people arrived. We ended up going to Jimmy John's and enjoying lunch there.

Now I have done one round of arms exercises and iced up while Claude is napping. I am completing this week's Blog. Then I will work on other things coming up. Claude has a Zoom meeting tonight. We'll have a fairly quiet rest of our day.

A Week Almost Without Pictures!!

Monday, August 5th, Claude and I started our day with yard work. It was a scorcher of a day. Even in the morning. Especially if you were working in the sun. My goal was to weed as many of the flower beds as I could. My problem doing this is not the pulling of the weeds, it is the bending over to do it. I can't scoot around on the ground as in former days. So, I bend over for a while and pull as many weeds as I can, then I straighten up for a bit. I am now able to use my right arm to help a bit. Yeah!! I did not get all the flower beds weeded. I did get almost all of them weeded. Bottom line for me is that I love working in the yard while Claude is working in the yard. There is something good about the two of working together to get this yard in shape for another week. 

I decided it might be a good idea to get my thumb drive with music to sing along in order before our big trip. This opened the can of worms that is my music files. Thought it would be easy. It is not. I took all of CD's and ripped them on Claude's old laptop. They all reside there. I am going through them to be sure I have them on my thumb drives for backup so I can delete them off Claude's old laptop. It feels good to get this done. Found a few that might not be on my thumb drive backups!!

Tuesday, August 6th, I started my office PT with a sore arm. I made it through. It takes a LOT of work to get this arm back in good working order.

At home, I started working on my talk for August 25th in Sacrament Meeting. We will have a meeting focused on music, especially the new hymns. I had a prompting to go through the current hymnbook and pick out phrases in the hymns that speak to me. It was fun to do this. I know I won't use all of that information, but it helps me remember why I love our hymns so much.

Wednesday, August 7th, was my day to spend the morning out and about on my own. The first thing was to get my driver's license renewed. I got the RealID licenses for eight years. Kentucky now has regional centers where you can get this done. There is one across Ironworks Pike from the Kentucky Horse Park. All went well and I should have my license in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, my old license is stapled to a paper verifying I have applied for and am waiting for the new license. If feels good to be legal!

My hubby said it was time and I was assigned to replace the towels, washcloths and face towels in our bathroom and the cup towels in the kitchen. I went to Kohl's with my 20% discount in hand and found all these items. Yeah me!! I came home and cut the tags off of all of them and started the first wash of them before they are used. 

Thursday, August 8th, Claude and I both had appointments with our respective surgeons for follow-up visits. Mine was first. I got an "all is good" with my shoulder healing. I got a prescription to take to Scott County Physical Therapy for 6 more weeks of PT, 2 times each week. I asked about my ring finger on my right hand. As I began to explain my concerns, Greg Cowen knew immediately the issue. My finger will not bend some times. It will click into place sometimes. It is always sore and a bit swollen, so my rings are tight. Sometimes I have to work with it to get it to move. The is usually in the morning but can be any time of day. I have 'Trigger Finger". Greg gave me a great explanation of what had happened and suggested I use Voltaren arthritis cream on it three times a day. He wrote on my PT prescription to have them look at it and suggest some exercises that might be helpful. 

When I got to our car, I Googled trigger finger and got the great picture that perfectly shows me what I am dealing with. It also had a brief, easy-to-understand explanation of what a trigger finger is.

"Trigger finger happens when the tendon that controls that finger can't glide smoothly in the sheath that surrounds it. This may occur if part of the tendon sheath becomes swollen or if a small lump forms. This lump is called a nodule."

We try this cream and exercise for a while. The next step is cortisone injections. Greg says this is extremely painful but very effective. In the majority of patients, his experience is one injection cures the situation. The final step is surgery. I will happily use the cream and see about exercise first.

Off to Claude's surgeon who has given him a clean bill of health and back to annual exams. 

We enjoyed lunch at City Barbecue, which is near Dr. Slabaugh's office. 

Our final thing to do in Lexington was to check out Castlewood Park. The Relief Society (I am the secretary) has been asked to find a service project our entire ward can be involved in. Jenessa Dymock, out president, has worked with the city of Lexington and found we can help with Castlewood Park. I was going to get a picture of the park and see what Claude and I thought might need to be done. I took several pictures and posted them to our Relief Society presidency's text thread. I will only post one here. It is a very nice park tucked into a neighborhood. There is an old home that has the front used by the Lexington Art League and the back is a Community Centenr. There is a nice playground, tennis courts, baseball diamond and a swimming pool. 

Friday, August 9th, my PT appointment started with me giving them the new prescription. Basically, it gives them carte blanche to move along as quickly as I can go. I am now allowed to use my arm as much as I want while being reasonable about how it reacts and feels. Definitely felt like we were moving into the next phase of recovery. 

Claude had to pick up a prescription. I asked if I could ride along. Now, usually when I ride anywhere with Claude, it is inferred we will get some kind of treat while we are out. I can decline this if I want, but really, who declines a treat!? Claude pointed the car toward Dairy Queen. As we got close, I said, "What about a peach shake a Chick-fil-A? They are only there for a limited time." Quickly Claude got into the turn lane and we got and enjoyed peach shakes. Yum!!

Saturday, August 10th, by this day I had been using the Voltaren on my trigger finger for a couple of days. I can already tell a difference. I am very hopeful this will work.

Hayden joined us in the evening for pizza and to begin our Star Wars moviefest. We would watch the six original movies. Saturday night we watched the first two.

Sunday, August 11th, we were off to church in the morning. As we walked toward the building, I felt a pop in my shoe. I looked down and noted that my sandal-style heel had a strap break on the left foot. I quickly got inside and sat down. No way to fix this problem. I made it through church. When we got home, I took my shoes off and dropped them into the garbage can in the garage before going inside. Really, really liked that style of shoe. 

Hayden was awake when we got home. He picked Zaxby's for lunch. Claude and I like Zaxby's and there is not one close to where Hayden lives. We had a good lunch together and then home we went. We would finish the other four Star Wars original movies this day.

Monday, August 12th, Claude and I went to Frank's for donuts for our breakfast and to have for Hayden when he would wake up. He sleeps a LONG time. I am catching up on my Blog while Claude does desk work. When Hayden wakes up, we will watch the two Dune movies back-to-back. Hayden has wanted us to do this for a long time. His place of choice to eat today is Chick-fil-A. We will introduce him to peach shakes for dessert. 

There you have it, an almost picture free week. Unreal. I usually take tons of pictures. 

Another Day Older...

Monday, July 29th, was the day before my 74th birthday. My desire for my birthday was breakfast of Frank's donuts. I don't eat before going to PT and I had PT on Tuesday, my birthday. Hmmm...we decided to celebrate that part of my birthday on Monday instead of Tuesday. We started our Monday with a donut run to Frank's. These are such good donuts. 

During the day, I completed the August Relief Society newsletter and sent it out via eMail and Facebook. I added it to the Relief Society scrapbook. Yeah me!!

During the afternoon, Emelia face-timed Claude and me. How cool is that. To have a great grandmonster choose to call you to share something they found was fun. Unfortunately, she couldn't get that to work on the call, but still, it was cool she knows us and wants to talk with us.

In the evening, Claude suggested we go to Cattleman's Roadhouse for my birthday dinner. As it turns out, we had an event to attend Tuesday evening, so having my birthday dinner on Monday was perfect. Cattleman's has a salmon dish that I LOVE. It was the perfect dinner. Claude had mentioned the day before he was feeling the need for some red meat in his diet. He ordered a nice steak and it was done to perfection. I really like a low-key birthday and this one was perfect. 

Tuesday, July 30th, was my actual 74th birthday. Where did that time go!!?? 

I had PT in the morning. When I finished, I had a text from Jake asking about calling me. I told him I was on my way home from PT. When I got home, he called. The best thing is Jake sang Happy Birthday to me. Now, people can get huge, expensive presents, but when my son sings to me, that is worth so much more. We caught up on his upcoming trip and had a great conversation.

In the afternoon, I received a package at my front door. I opened the package and found the sweetest note and a purple sweatshirt from Nissa. How I love this daughter. She knows her mother very well. It was near 90 degrees outside and I wore my sweatshirt the rest of the afternoon and could feel the love the entire time.

In the evening we went to Lexington to Limestone Hall. Claude worked with Doug Goforth when Claude was president of Kentucky League of Cities. Doug was retiring from KLC and going to be a minister. He is such a good man. It was fun to be there. The two previous presidents of KLC and their wives and the former mayor of Winchester, Kentucky and his wife sat at our table. It was a delight to catch up with these good people. The meal was very good and the presentation was very well done. 

Limestone Hall was a venue we have never been in before. It is the old courthouse in Lexington. Someone purchased it and did extensive renovations. There is a big bar and a restaurant on the first floor. The third floor has been converted into a venue for events such a this retirement party. It was beautiful. This is the ceiling on the third floor. The arches are openings to the fourth floor.

When we got home, the Marx family called and sang Happy Birthday to me. I talked with Bailey, Hayden and then Andie. What a great ending to my birthday. All my family contacted me. Love them!

Wednesday, July 31st, I was particularly grateful that we had rain for three nightes in a row. Nice rains that our ground needs very badly. 

I finalized my Route 66 grid. There will still be things to do but I will let it rest for now. I have started a list of things we need to pack for this long road trip. And, I am collecting some of it in Sandiland. This will be a big trip for us.

Claude made a shepherds pie for dinner that was spectacular. We both enjoyed it very much. 

Thursday, August 1st, I had a good workout at PT. It really wore me out this time. I usually get up after the stretching of my right arm and feel a bit dizzy. I was just wrung out after this one. I came home and iced up and stayed down the rest of this day.

Friday, August 2nd, it was time for the annual mammogram. Didn't appear to be any problems. Should get the actual report in a week to 10 days. No concerns.

Claude wanted my help in preparing a sacrament meeting for August 25th. He is responsible for the music in the ward. The church is preparing a new hymnal and has released several songs that will be in the new book. Claude wanted to do a sacrament meeting about music in our lives and use four of the new hymns as the hymns that Sunday. I played all of the new hymns and he was able to look at the words and listen to the music and make his choices for the new hymns to choose for Sunday, the 25th. 

I was able to extend that pulley rope for my home PT. It has a little clip on it and moving that down gives me about four more inches of rope to help get my right are a little higher. I was also able to change my can of cream of mushroom soup I have been using for two of my arm exercises to a 2-pound weight like they have me using at the office PT. I am progressing. Slowly but getting there.

Saturday, August 3rd, I read a thing on my newsfeed on my cellphone about southern sayings that are misunderstood. I read them to Claude and we really didn't agree with some the author's statements. Having been born and raised in Louisiana, I am southern at heart. I thought how much Claude loves it when the person at the drive-thru windown says, "Thank you, honey." to him. He is a western boy and has come to love that part of southerisms. It's funny that I don't even notice when I say certain things but every now and then, someone will comment and I am reminded I do speak southern. I love this. I hope others love the quirky things they say from their part of the United States. 

I had an eMail from McAlister's. I joined their rewards program so I now get eMail's. This one was for the weekend for a buy one, get one for half-price. Saturday evening, we went to McAlister's. Then we swung by Chick-filA for a peach shake. Another great dinner date for us.

We had a strong rain shower in the early evening. Claude got up and looked out the back door onto the patio. He said, "Sandi, you should come see this." I did.

This little bird was all puffed up like they do when they want to keep warm. He (or she) was standing in a puddle of water with the beak pointed straight up into the rain. This way the rain rolled down the face and the wings to the ground. It did not move at all. I was very concerned it was injured. I started to check Google to see about birds flying with wet wings, etc. I decided to just watch and see what happened. All through the rain, the bird never moved and stood with that beak pointed straight into the sky.

The rain finally stopped and the bird turned its head to the side but stood still for a very long time. According to Google, they sometimes hold out their wings to get them dry before flying again. Nope, the bird did not hold out its wings. After a good while, it did turn to the side. I went back to my chair and could see out the doors window from there. I would turn and check on the bird every now and then.

Finally, I looked one more time and the bird was gone. I missed its flying away. I thought to myself, "What a lesson in weathering the storms of life." This little bird knew to stand with its beak up so the rain could roll of the coating on its feathers. It knew the trial was upon him but he endured it well and in the best way possible. Then it waited until the time was right and he could fly and it took off for a safer place. Sometimes, we all need to follow that little birds example. Stand resolutely through the adversity or difficulty on which we are called to endure. Learn from the trial and then move on to safer ground, a little wiser. I am grateful for the lesson from the little bird.

Sunday, August 4th, was Fast Sunday. That means Claude must be up at 6:30pm to be ready for a 7am Zoom meeting. I set the alarm, get him up, reset the alarm for 9:30am and go back to bed. This morning I slept from 6:30am to 7:30am. Then I got up and did my home PT and iced my shoulder. Claude finished his meeting. I knew he was tired. 6:30am is very early for the aged. I suggested he sit in his recliner and put it back and see if he could get a bit more sleep. We didn't have to begin getting ready for church until 9:30am. He did just that. I realized the value of the recliner as I watched him get those few extra winks before church. 

We had a nice, quick Relief Society presidency meeting. We were surprised when Heidi Barney was released as 2nd Counselor. She will now teach early morning seminary. She will be great at that. Jenessa will have to find another counselor now but we have several new families that give her some possibilities. 

Once home, I did PT and then iced up while Claude took his Sunday nap. He had a Zoom meeting in the evening while I worked on my laptop. In the evening, we watched a little more Northern Exposure. 

Some Family Moments:

First, a recent picture of our 6th great grandmonster, Phoebe. She is growing up quickly. 

Next, Kennedi, our 5th great grandmonster took her first ride on the mechanical horse they call Sandy. She loved it.

Then, our 1st great grandmonster on her last day of summer school. Oh my goodness!! Raelyn Jay Roper, you are amazing.

Bailey is our youngest grandmonster. This her on Senior Sunday in her band uniform. Seniors get to wear a red beret. Yike! She is a senior this year.

Finally, our son, Jake. He has planned, prepared for and gone on a trip to Utah. He presented at the Sunstone Symposium a session on poetry on Friday. He has gotten into hiking. He set a goal to climb Ben Lomond Peak behind Ogden, Utah. Jake went to college at Weber State University. The hike was 8 miles up 3,500 feet of elevation and he did it in 4 hours. Then he had to hike back down the 8 miles. We are so happy he set these goals and took this opportunity. Great job, Jake!! Hope his trip is phenominal.