IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE LIVING IN A SNOW GLOBE.

November 12, 2014

Our only daughter, Heather, had open heart surgery the day she was born.  She has had her heart checked several times and has never been on medicine.  The doctor opened the pulmonary valve in her heart when she was born.  Since then she has had four children.  She has been feeling puny every since we left on this mission.  This morning my daughter went into the heart hospital for a check up.  They found a hole between the two upper chambers of her heart. They are looking to see if the chambers are swollen and if she has Atrial Septal Defect.  I am a wreck over here.  If she has this they want to go in and put a patch to shut the hole between the two chambers.  It is like the nightmare of her birth experience has returned.  

 
I don't know what will happen if she needs the surgery.

  I keep thinking about Sister Hinckley and her philosophy on life.  I am depending on her positiveness today.

I'm just hoping it is every day events that get Heather's heart pumping too much oxygen.  After all she has four children, right.  Then she has our neighbors, who are forever shutting off the entry way to Heather's home by parking delivery trucks in the entry instead of in their own driveway.  She is always coming and going with the children's activities.  She is always having to go and request the trucks move into the neighbor's property so she can pass...she said they always just pull up on our lawn to let her by.  Ha!  I suppose it is time to put everyone on the Palmyra Prayer List...time to take some action...right?

Meanwhile, yesterday it was over 70 degrees here and beautiful, so when we finished serving in the temple Elder Bushman insisted we go get a scraper so when the ice comes we can be prepared...then he just happened to drive up to Lake Ontario...it was so beautiful.  We had to take a selfie of possibly our last good day at the lake for awhile.  See my nose is healing.

 The water was the color of the sky!

 Handsome Elder Bushman walking along the green lawn to the waters edge.

I purchased some comfort food at Wal Mart also a kind lady from Palmyra gave me a squash.  I love fall foods.  Banana squash and Persimmons sound good together.

Thursday, 13 November 2014.  We looked out the clear window of the Palmyra Temple this morning and it is snowing.  I took this picture from our room at the Inn.  It is like looking outside at a snow globe.  Someone shook the globe and the snow is flurrying!

When we got out of the temple at 10:00 PM we had to use our ice scraper on the windshield...the wipers were frozen to the window...it is going to be a long time till Spring!  I guess we will just have to enjoy this winter wonderland!

After winning Tennessee...Hurrah...BYU will now be playing the UNLV Rebels at BYU tomorrow night....but first we get the Long Beach State 49ers basketball team vs. BYU Cougars tonight!  Elder Bushman has discovered a sister at the temple who is as big of sports nut as he is.  Sister Whitmore serves with us on Thursday evenings.  So thankful he, again, has someone to cheer and complain with..Ha!  Thank's Sister Whitmore for your BYU sports expertise...we will all be cheering BYU on to victory!

Because we like you!
Congratulations to BYU!  They won both games!

Also this weekend is planned the dedication of the Phoenix Arizona Temple.  It will be dedicated in three different sessions on Sunday.  This will become the third temple in the immediate surrounding area.  We know we have lots of Arizona relatives that will be attending this meeting Sunday.  Our love and prayers are with each of you, Sunday, as we all celebrate the opening of this great edifice for service.  There's a NEW "UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX" IN TOWN!  Time, again, to work on our  heavenly degree's.

"The ones that love us never really leave us." (a Harry Potter Quote)

Sunday, November 16, 2014
We drove to Liverpool,  New York for Syracuse New York Stake Conference today.  Elder Grant C. Bennett of the 6th Quorum of the Seventy was presiding.  We were able to sit in the Chapel by many of the Cortland Members.  Our Ward Choir sang with many from the Stake.  They did an excellent job.  Sister Bonnie Hutchinson directed them and Sister Anna Hegsted was the organist.  Sister Kathryn Downing played the violin for one song.  I was in awe with the beauty of the choir music.  They sounded like angels were attending them ( I think Shirley, Goodness and Mercy & Will were in the Choir) !  It made the whole meeting so meaningful.  After the Choir sang "The Lord Is My Shepherd" President and Sister Cahoon spoke.   We were so thankful that we were there to listen to their testimonies of the Temple.
The Cahoon's are great examples and we are so thankful we can serve with them in the NY Temple.  They set the stage for all the other speakers to talk about the importance of temple service.  Thank you President and Sister Cahoon for your preparation.  We will be pondering our notes that we wrote as you taught us. 

Grant C. Bennett, 58, Belmont, Mass.; president, CPS Technologies Corp.; former temple ordinance worker, bishop, high councilor and stake presidency member; wife: Martha Coleen Bennett, four children.

 Both he and Sister Bennett spoke to us.  Elder Bennett suggested "we weave a tapestry of beauty in our lives".  Elder Bushman whispered to me, "See as many leaves as you can".  HA!  Thank you, Elder and Sister Bennett for your words of wisdom and for your examples.  May The Lords Blessings be with you both.

President Marc Clay challenged us to study three talks.  Two were talks given in General Conference in October.  Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf; Joseph Smith by Neil L. Andersen; What Is The Blueprint Of Christ's Church a CES talk by Tad R. Callister.  Elder Bushman and I studied the Conference talks on our drive home and then we listened to Elder Callister's talk on the internet when we got back to the Inn.  Now we must put these words to work in our lives.
 
President Clay joined the Church in 1978, after he learned for himself that this church is true.  Thank you for your example President Clay.  Thank you for the great talk and for the encouragement to study the speeches above.  


As we visited with others, after the meetings, we learned Brother William Moynihan is having open heart surgery next Thursday.  He is a member of the Cortland Ward and also serves in the Temple with us.  Our love and prayers will be with him this week.  It is a good thing the closing song was "I Know that My Redeemer Lives".

He lives!  All glory to His name!

Read His Word, Read His Books
 Blessings to each of you.  
Elder & Sister Bushman
Grandpa Arthur & Grandma Gene