The Onkens all headed up to Lake Arrowhead for our every two year turkey get away. We're sorry that Natalie chose not to join us, we certainly missed her. The cabin was delightful and was situated on a running stream that actually ran under the house! We saw racoon tracks in the mud outside our front doors. The weather was cold and a little too windy for me, but although it had rained and apparently hailed on Wednesday, the rest of the week was lovely. We attempted a hike around the lake, but we didn't get very far. We took in the town and did a fair amount of window shopping. The cute bakery for dogs turned out to be a fun little shop and Scooter scored a holiday sweater, which it turned out, he really liked! He is a bigger weather wimp than I am.
On Saturday we went to Wildhaven, a wild animal rehabilitation center, and got to be up close and personal with bears, dear, coyotes, raccoons, bald eagles, golden eagles, owls, falcons and hawks. My personal favorites were the bears. Of course mostly what we did was eat, eat, eat. I really enjoy cooking for the whole family and we had plenty of delicious food. It was a special treat to have Chelsea do some cooking for us as well - apple cinnamon french toast strata for breakfast and rye crusted pork medallions for dinner - YUM.
We played some mean games of Uno, Apples to Apples, Wits and Wagers, and Settlers of Zarahemla. Skyler got to meet his nephew for the first time and we all got plenty of Andrew time.
Now of course it is time to repent of all the food I've eaten but it was worth every bite. Skyler is headed back to Idaho for a few more weeks until it is time to come back again for Christmas. I have the big push on for the next few weeks to finish up a lot of school assignments and then I'll be able to think about Christmas!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Skyler's Home!
Hooray for holidays! Skyler is home and will spend the first Thanksgiving in 2 years with the family. I can't wait for us to get away to Lake Arrowhead and just hang out together. Today I worked on menus, made shopping lists and bought a ton of groceries. We may need a trailer just to haul it all up. I also bought some jacks and some pick up sticks and I'm going to pick up a deck of Uno. I am so excited to spend an entire long weekend (well at least a good 3 days plus) with my whole family, including my little grandbaby!
I'm teaching in Relief Society tomorrow. The lesson is from a May 2008 conference talk "Service, a Divine Quality" by Elder Carlos Amado. I will probably have a hard time filling the whole time with this lesson, but I did have an "aha" moment while preparing. Elder Amado quotes from John 6:26-27 - where Jesus exhorts the crowds who have come after the feeding of the 5,000 not to "labor" for the "meat that perishes" but to labor for the "meat which endures." He is referring to the fact that the crowds have shown up not because they witnesses a miracle in the loaves and fishes, but because they got fed! I didn't really understand what that had to do with service at first. Then I realized that there are many meanings in that little bit of scripture (aren't there always?). First, the service the Lord provided allowed an opportunity for Him to teach the gospel; second, service is a "miracle"; and third, the Lord was ful"filling" promises in "filling" (feeding) the crowd - service fulfills covenants. It is a great example of service as a "divine quality."
I'm glad the Proposition 8 stuff has started to calm down. It is so hard for people who do not practice an orthodoxy to understand how those who do. It is so representative of the situational ethics of most people. They can't imagine any time at which something simply is right or wrong and regardless of price, pain, consequence, a stand must be taken and upheld. No one on the traditional marriage side can not sympathize with the feelings on the other side. But when you believe that God has said that a thing is wrong, and you believe you have an obligation to walk, as best as you can, in the path that God has set, there simply are no other choices. It is hard sometimes to accept absolutes, but standing for a thing eventually makes you stronger if for no other reason than you learn just exactly what you yourself are made of. I am grateful for the opportunity I am currently having to have even a small bit of understanding what the early Saints (both old world and new) must have felt during their times of persecution.
I'm teaching in Relief Society tomorrow. The lesson is from a May 2008 conference talk "Service, a Divine Quality" by Elder Carlos Amado. I will probably have a hard time filling the whole time with this lesson, but I did have an "aha" moment while preparing. Elder Amado quotes from John 6:26-27 - where Jesus exhorts the crowds who have come after the feeding of the 5,000 not to "labor" for the "meat that perishes" but to labor for the "meat which endures." He is referring to the fact that the crowds have shown up not because they witnesses a miracle in the loaves and fishes, but because they got fed! I didn't really understand what that had to do with service at first. Then I realized that there are many meanings in that little bit of scripture (aren't there always?). First, the service the Lord provided allowed an opportunity for Him to teach the gospel; second, service is a "miracle"; and third, the Lord was ful"filling" promises in "filling" (feeding) the crowd - service fulfills covenants. It is a great example of service as a "divine quality."
I'm glad the Proposition 8 stuff has started to calm down. It is so hard for people who do not practice an orthodoxy to understand how those who do. It is so representative of the situational ethics of most people. They can't imagine any time at which something simply is right or wrong and regardless of price, pain, consequence, a stand must be taken and upheld. No one on the traditional marriage side can not sympathize with the feelings on the other side. But when you believe that God has said that a thing is wrong, and you believe you have an obligation to walk, as best as you can, in the path that God has set, there simply are no other choices. It is hard sometimes to accept absolutes, but standing for a thing eventually makes you stronger if for no other reason than you learn just exactly what you yourself are made of. I am grateful for the opportunity I am currently having to have even a small bit of understanding what the early Saints (both old world and new) must have felt during their times of persecution.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Temper tantrums
The protesters today are just amazing me. They are proving to me all the more the reason that traditional marriages needed to be protected. Today I hear the hollering about taking away tax exempt status for the church because it dared to weigh in on a moral issue. If churches (and not just the LDS church, but other Christian churches as well as Muslims and Jews) can't speak out on moral issues, who can? If members of those religions can't vote their own convictions and provide funding for their beliefs, who can?
I believe that the homosexual movement won't be happy until God Himself comes down and changes the scriptures. And since that won't happen, nothing is going to create happiness for them, including marriage. But here's what shocks me more: they are mad that African Americans, Hispanics and other people of color didn't support them! And they think it is a discrimination equal to racism. What a lot of bunk. I think that the homosexual movement has slapped people of color in the face by trying to hijack civil rights as a homosexual issue. Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice. There is not a single replicated scientific study that shows otherwise. I realize that is contrary to popular belief, but it is fact. Popular belief is not fact. Theory is not proof. Science has not proved this is an inborn condition and yet there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it is a psychological disorder. It is certainly nothing even comparable to race and many people of color are offended by the attempt to correlate the two.
Deeply held moral and religious convictions are why Prop 8 succeeded - a fundamental belief in right and wrong. Not hate, not bigotry, not racism or anything akin to it. Sometimes, no matter how hard it is to take the medicine, no matter how childishly we want to deny it, there simply IS a right and a wrong. And when you choose incorrectly, you must be willing to accept the consequences. No one is stopping them from living their lifestyle, but one of the consequences of that lifestyle is not being able to marry. Temper tantrums won't change that.
If you want to see hate in action, take a look at what happens to ex-gays; they endure the most rabid hatred you've ever heard of and all of it directly from the gay community. http://www.pfox.org/equalrights.htm
I believe that the homosexual movement won't be happy until God Himself comes down and changes the scriptures. And since that won't happen, nothing is going to create happiness for them, including marriage. But here's what shocks me more: they are mad that African Americans, Hispanics and other people of color didn't support them! And they think it is a discrimination equal to racism. What a lot of bunk. I think that the homosexual movement has slapped people of color in the face by trying to hijack civil rights as a homosexual issue. Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice. There is not a single replicated scientific study that shows otherwise. I realize that is contrary to popular belief, but it is fact. Popular belief is not fact. Theory is not proof. Science has not proved this is an inborn condition and yet there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it is a psychological disorder. It is certainly nothing even comparable to race and many people of color are offended by the attempt to correlate the two.
Deeply held moral and religious convictions are why Prop 8 succeeded - a fundamental belief in right and wrong. Not hate, not bigotry, not racism or anything akin to it. Sometimes, no matter how hard it is to take the medicine, no matter how childishly we want to deny it, there simply IS a right and a wrong. And when you choose incorrectly, you must be willing to accept the consequences. No one is stopping them from living their lifestyle, but one of the consequences of that lifestyle is not being able to marry. Temper tantrums won't change that.
If you want to see hate in action, take a look at what happens to ex-gays; they endure the most rabid hatred you've ever heard of and all of it directly from the gay community. http://www.pfox.org/equalrights.htm
Monday, November 03, 2008
Birthday Blessings
I had a lovely birthday weekend. It started with Martin taking me and the family (well, part of the family: Nick, Jamie, Andrew, Chelsea & Trenton) to Gladstones for dinner. I got to hold my baby for a LONG time! And Martin surprised me with an iPhone!! I am having a ton of fun learning how to operate it. Nick and Jamie gave me exactly what I asked for: a small brag book with real photos of my grandbaby to show off. After dinner Martin and I drove to Idyllwild up in the mountains. We stayed at a lovely B&B called Strawberry Creek. It was very pretty and quaint. On Saturday we took a nice long hike in through the woods and then came back into the small little town and shopped. Martin spoiled me rotten and I purchased a number of clothing items and a beautiful necklace and earrings made by an Apache Princess(!) who was delightful to visit with, a wonderful smelling candle developed by a local shop, some nice lotions made locally from goats' milk, and some old fashioned tin toys (for Andy). Martin bought one of those chainsaw carved bears to take to the office. Then he surprised me with a couples' massage - aaaahhhh. We had Chinese food for dinner and then went back to the B&B. In the morning after breakfast we headed back home, with a quick stop at King Taco to pick up some dinner and a stop at an AT&T store to switch my new phone to my old number. It was a greatly needed break and a really nice birthday trip.
Today, it was back to work as usual. On Friday I'll be down in Anaheim for a conference. School is still happening and I am still, so far, keeping up!
Today, it was back to work as usual. On Friday I'll be down in Anaheim for a conference. School is still happening and I am still, so far, keeping up!
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