SEALING

AUGUST 31, 1967

I was sealed to my parents on this day in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, as were my four siblings.  I thought of all of them today.  I am so thankful for temples and the sealing ordinance.

“I bear solemn and grateful witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of the world. Certainly He is the center of our worship and the key to our happiness. Let us follow the Son of God in all ways and all walks of life. Let us make Him our exemplar and our guide.”

( “Follow the Son of God,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 87. ) 

Howard W. Hunter (Idaho born also) helped make this blessing possible.  He was 60 years old when he met me at the Salt Lake Airport with the papers to approve this blessing.  He later became the Prophet of the Church at age 86.  I flew home with the papers and went immediately to the temple with our family.  I turned 21 twelve days later.  Thank you President Hunter for all you did for our family.

In our Relief Society and Priesthood combined meeting at the Palmyra Ward today, the message from Bishop Don Taylor was on attending the temple.  Thank you to each of the speakers today and the testimonies of the temple.   We truly are a blessed generation!   I hope each of us can make the temple an important part of our weekly attendance.

So as I pondered this great blessing I went for a walk in The Sacred Grove yesterday while Elder Bushman was watch football games.  My thankfulness led me to the garden behind the Smith Cabin.

 I saw the beautiful signs of fall and pondered the gardens in the scriptures and in my own life.

The site missionaries have made this garden beautiful and productive. 

  My Mother was a "Gardner" and The Savior Jesus Christ referred to Himself as a Gardener.

I'm so thankful for the knowledge I have of "Life" and the seasons we experience. Gardeners know all the dirt!  To nurture a garden is to feed both the body and the soul.  Elder Bushman and I are being spiritually fed and helping to nurture "the garden" on this mission and we thank President Monson for this gardening experience.

Tomorrow is Labor Day, the last day of Summer, the first day of September.
May the future help each of us to bloom where we are planted!

TEMPLE CLOSED FOR CLEANING

The temple is closed for cleaning so off we went on a great adventure with the Johnson's and Christensen's.  We met up with the Christensen's in Amherst, Canada.  We traveled to Canada with the Johnson's.  They followed in their car while Elder Bushman led the way.  What an adventure we have had!
We began our travels by heading up through the Adirondack Mountains of New York.  Summer was in full bloom in the Adirondacks and the lakes were sparkling in the sun.  We stopped to show The Johnson's Bolton Landing where Art's G G Great Grandfather John Tanner was from.  We drove out to Green Island and wandered the grounds of The Sagamore Hotel.  Lake George was so pretty and such a deep blue.  The many islands reminded us of  the Thousand Island's. The old homestead of the Tanner's is a big hole in the ground now as someone purchased the place, tore it down and is going to build apartments there.  We enjoyed seeing the revamping they were doing.

We took the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry from NY to Shoreham, Vermont.  So we got a boat ride  on Lake Champlain as did our cars!

We then drove on to Sharon, Vermont.  This is the birth place of Joseph Smith. This is the monument, the height for each year of his life.

Here we are with the Tom and Margaret Johnson

There is only the doorstep left of the home that was on the property when Joseph was born.

Much to Elder Bushman's surprise, the leaves are already changing and it is still August.

Sunday morning I was chewing on a vitamin and my gold molar fell off, What?  What?   It was located on the bottom right side of my jaw.

What do you do when you are on vacation and a Crown falls off?  I put it back on with Super Glue...teeth are not suppose to be so difficult when we are serving a mission...I hope it holds for the next eight months!  Ha!!  We shall see.   "All Life lessons are not learned at college, she thought.  Life teaches them everywhere."  LMM...Anne

We went to church in Hanover, New Hampshire on Sunday.  We enjoyed the Saints in that Ward.  We drove through Dartmouth College campus before leaving the town.  It is a beautiful college. 

 Then we headed to Henniker, New Hampshire where we showed the Johnson's the covered bridge by New England College .  

We enjoyed seeing a turtle swim in the lake there.

We stayed at the Half Moon Motel that evening.  It is located at Weirs Beach on beautiful Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.  All during the vacation people would ask what our badges were for, or they would ask what Order we belong to.

The next morning we drove to Castle in the Clouds in Moultonborough, New Hampshire....after backtracking back to the Motel to get Art's battery for his camera!  This is the waterfall on the Clouds property below the Castle

We are standing with the Johnson's on the lawn of the Castle that looks down on Lake Winnipesaukee.

The back entrance of The Castle

I'm knocking on the front door, with the Knocker of the Castle.
"I feel as if I had opened a book and found roses of yesterday sweet and fragrant, between its leaves." LMM...Anne

This is the front of the Castle with the circular driveway.

The side of the castle has this attached walkway to the gazebo.

We enjoyed a tour of the castle which you can see online.  As we left we stopped by the natural spring pond,  just below the castle.  The fish and ducks are well fed!

We then went to Maine to see the Atlantic Ocean.

Then we were off to spend the evening in Canada.

This sign say's Welcome to Nova Scotia.  We drove on up to Amherst the Gateway to Nova Scotia.  We met up with the Christensen's here.

We enjoyed dinner together at Duncan's.  The helper at the visiter's center suggested we dine there.

The next morning we drove to Prince Edward Island.  The toll bridge goes over the bay for eight miles.  We were all in the Christensen's car and we had a difficult time looking over the edge of the bridge to see the ocean.  All the traffic used to go to the Island by a ferry.  This bridge has had to improve the economy.  The traffic was constant. "Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and vision of things not seen.  We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds."  LMM, Anne of Green Gables

 We went immediately to The Green Gables visitor center to explore the world of Anne Shirley.  The author of this tale of fiction is Lucy Maud Montgomery.  The grounds are in Cavendish National Historic Site of Canada.  "Because when you are imagining, you might as well imagine something worth while." LMM, Anne of Green Gables

The visitor's center introduces the grounds by showing a movie about the author.   All the books she has written  are in cases and her scrapbooks are on display.  She was born in 1874 and passed in 1942.  Anne of Green Gables was published in 1908 and became an immediate success.  She suffered from depression for several years while caring for her mentally ill husband.  Her mother died when she was 21 months old and she was raised by her maternal grandparents.  Her early life was very lonely and she had imaginary friends and worlds that helped develop her creative mind.

She spent many hours on the grounds of Green Gables, which was owned by a brother and sister whom were cousins to Montgomery's grandparents.   She never lived there.   She lived across The Haunted Woods with her Grandparents.

After the visitor's center we toured the barn, house, and the grounds.

The front door of the home...

Hollyhocks abound in the gardens.

 Anne's bedroom was on the second floor.

Uncle David Junior & his sister Margaret's parlor.

Art and I "Oklahoma residents" liked the thought of a buggy ride.

This is the entrance to the Haunted Woods...OOOOOO!

The breeze moved the leaves and the woods hummed.

 Elder Bushman and I wondered about the ghosts who roamed in these woods in the books of fiction.

The house looks out at the haunted woods.

This is the path to the lovers lane.

Anne and me and a ghost makes three!  "But if you call me Anne, please call me Anne with an 'e'."

"It's delightful when your imaginations come true, isn't it?" LMM...Anne  The gardens were splendid around the home.

"My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes." LMM...Anne

After such a lovely tour we drove by the Cavendish Beach & the Dune Shores...and then off to Charlottetown on PEI for the Musical Play of Anne of Green Gables.  We were able to see the Ocean again with a couple of cruise ships at the dock.

This is the 50th consecutive season for this enduring classic told through elaborate sets, modern staging and charming choreography.  We all enjoyed this delightful red headed girl and her story.  The cast and crew were absolutely fantastic...thank you, thank you for the fun experience.

"Red hair is my life long sorrow." LMM...Anne

"True friends are always together in spirit.  (Anne Shirley)"  LMM...Anne

It was such an honor to be with true missionary friends as we experience this childhood experience of Anne together.  

We had a farewell dinner back in Amherst at the Wandlyn Hotel.   We learned the Johnson's love to eat and we are in awe that they have such fit bodies.  We just throughly enjoyed traveling with them and they were forgiving of our map reading and lost escapades.  We said our goodbyes and we parted till we all return to Palmyra.  Thank you Christensen's and Johnson's for the memories and friendships.  "Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think.  It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world." LMM...Anne

We awoke in Amherst at 6:00 AM and got onto the freeway and drove all the way back to Palmyra, NY arriving at 9:30 PM.  

It is now Friday Evening.  Laundry is complete...shopping done...nap taken & ESPN FOOTBALL is now the fall enjoyment....Go Cougars, Yay BYU! "I am afraid to speak or move for the fear all this wonderful beauty will vanish just like a broken silence."  LMM...Anne

They are playing UCONN, Huskies.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."  LMM...Anne 

Yay!! BYU won 35-10 !!!!

"I do know my own mind...The trouble is, my mind changes and then I have to get acquainted with it all over again."  LMM...Anne

On this Saturday AM with a winning team in the background, Elder Bushman has chosen this day to follow other football teams to victory...so I took out the trash and wandered the neighborhood.  On my way out the door I passed Patty & Will...they keep the Inn comfortable for us all.  Thank you Will and Patty for all you do.

THE WINDOW ON THE TOP RIGHT SIDE of the brick on the second floor is our little room where we are residing.  The curtain is partially closed so the tv can be seen without the sun shadows! 

The spa pool finally opened this week...I haven't been in to enjoy it yet.

There are six trees in the round about in the parking lot...they remind me of Christmas Trees.  The buses usually park back by them.

This is one of the potted plants at the entry way into the Palmyra Inn...so pretty.

 Elder Dean planted a garden behind the dumpster at the Inn.  It has now taken off...good job Elder Dean!  I love looking at what he is growing.  See the peas!

A tomato is ready when they return from their vacation.

This is the overall view of Elder Dean's creation.  I love he has a scarecrow and tin cans to keep the critters away.  Unless you wander through the lot, this little garden is hidden from the view of the Inn's patrons.  

Jeremiah:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;

7 and seek the peace of the city....

12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

September 9 THEN THE TEMPLE OF GOD WILL REOPEN , AFTER BEING CLEANSED, AND ALL MAY BE SEALED, ACCORDING TO APPOINTMENT, AND FIND JOY WITHIN!  From Sister Gene : Sweet Blessings to each of you.    "ADIEU"