Wise Men Still Seek Him

Merry Christmas.

And may your Holiday be Merry, Bright, and full of Light.

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Happy Easter 2011

We started off Easter a little early this year with our own family passover meal. We thought it would be fun to have a passover meal at home with Autumn and Megan.

Autumn was really excited for the Passover meal. Megan just wanted to get to the dinner part, so we had to hurry it along.

It was a lot of fun and offers insights into the sacrament and Easter.

This Easter season, we reflected on our trip to the Holy Land almost one year ago.

The Garden Tomb

On the mount of Olives, we could look across the valley to the temple mount, the Golden Gate (also called the Mercy Gate) which has been sealed can be seen as well as the beautiful Dome of the Rock.

The Garden of Gethsemane. Some of the stocks of these olive trees date back 2,000 years.

We can tell you from personal experience, that the tomb is still empty.

Easter at the Cabin

For this year’s Easter, we went to the cabin and had a fun time with family.

I snatched this picture early one morning.

The girls were happy with their Easter baskets. Megan’s was a real hit with the book Sleepy Kittens from the movie Despicable Me.

Megan reached for one of her eggs she saw behind the pillow. Each grandkid had a specific color of egg to find.

Moose on the Loose

We had an adventure as we looked out the window and saw a moose in the back yard. It was a bull moose and was shedding its winter coat.

Moose have antlers so they fall off and grow back every year.

I pulled out my Android phone and took a video of the Moose. My sister Katherine was skyping us when we saw the moose, so we took the computer out so she could see too.

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Our own Christmas Miracle

We experienced our our Christmas Miracle as we waited for Ryan to arrive at the airport as a return missionary.

It was a tale that either required Rudolf’s nose or a lot of prayers. We didn’t see much of Rudolf, but there were sure a lot of prayers because a heavy fog had engulfed the airport and surrounding area.

Previous flights throughout the day had all been diverted from what we heard, but with faith and prayers the fog lifted enough for this one flight, and Ryan was able to come home!

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Patriot Day 2010

It’s been nine years since September 11th.

On this Patriot Day with the debate about a pastor wanting to burn the Koran and the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, I’m reminded of a quote from the motion picture Ghandi (released 1982).

The movie Ghandi depicts the life of Ghandi as he worked to free his country India from the rule of the British. Acts of non-violent demonstrations were key in Ghandi’s efforts. In the movie, Ghandi says something to the effect that as the British leave we will shake hands as friends.

As India gained its independence and shook hands with the British, a division among the people in India emerged based largely on religion: the Hindus versus the Muslims. The two groups did not get along well and so we have today two countries: Pakistan (mostly Muslim) and India (mostly Hindu). Before these nations were firmly in place, there were many acts of terrible violence by both groups against each other.

A scene in the movie Ghandi takes place after a terrible period of voilence between the groups. In the scene a wild eyed Hindu approaches Ghandi about a terrrible act:

Nahari: I’m going to Hell! I killed a child! I smashed his head against a wall.

Gandhi: Why?

Nahari: Because they killed my son! The Muslims killed my son!

Gandhi: I know a way out of Hell. Find a child, a child whose mother and father were killed and raise him as your own. Only be sure that he is a Muslim and that you raise him as one.

Now back to our day. What would happen if in the US people said, “Look, it is over, we will pay to build you a beautiful mosque near Ground Zero or wherever you like. It is time for peace and it is time for greater understanding.” What would be the response if the Mulsim community donated to help that crazy pastor, who wanted to burn the Koran, build a better meeting house for his church saying to him, “It is time that we work together for peace.”

As Ghandi once said:

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

The hatred and the violence stop when we decide it is time to stop by contributing the opposite of violence and hatred.

Ghandi Film Quote: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Gandhi_(film)

Ghandi Quote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohandas_Karamchand_Gandhi

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In Honor of Labor Day 2010

Working on Labor Day? I hope not! Altough it sould really be called “Day Off Day” or “We Appreciate Your Labor Day.”

In honor of such a day, we hereby present a remembrance of a Labor Day past.

http://www.homestarrunner.com/laborday.html

No one does it better than Home Star.

When you get back to work, if you feel like this, consider a change:

I’ve been listening to a fantastic audio book that is all about making more of our time and cutting back. I’ll highlight it in our year-in-review.

But in the mean time, you may enjoy another Wendy’s clip steeped deeply in philosophical meaning:

Life is too short to spend it kicking trees.

On a different note, let’s hope your weekend didn’t end like this:

But if you need something to help you feel that things are coming together in the world, you might like this:

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What is Cinco de Mayo? 7 Little Known Facts about the Holiday not Widely Celebrated in Mexico

Cinco de Mayo rolls around every 5th of May, and is celebrated throughout the United States, but why do we celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Where does it come from? Why is Cinco de Mayo not an official holiday in Mexico?

You might be surprised at the little known facts about Cinco de Mayo:

1. Cinco de Mayo is not Independence Day for Mexico.
2. Cinco de Mayo is often celebrated on a broader scale outside of Mexico and receives little attention within Mexico.
3. The history: Mexico stopped paying interest on its debts in 1861 so the French attacked Mexico to receive its payments.
4. French forces invaded Mexico and tried to occupy the country, but on May 5th 1862, Mexico repelled the invaders at the city of Puebla.
5. The holiday was celebrated in California beginning in the 1860s.
6. Some festivities occur in Puebla, Mexico to commemorate the victory, but the larger celebrations are in the U.S.
7. Cinco de Mayo festivities took place at the White House in 2001.

Cinco de Mayo. (2010, May 5). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:23, May 5, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cinco_de_Mayo&oldid=360290190

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