October Presidency Message
In Alma 34:38 Amulek exhorts the poor Zoramites to “Live in thanksgiving daily”. This is good advice for all of us. Indeed, it seems that those who live in thanksgiving daily are usually among the world’s happiest people.
I had the opportunity to visit Kenya this summer. One of the women on our trip brought 10,000 pencils. She wanted to make sure that each and every student there received one. I can still hear the sighs of pleasure that each class made as each boy and girl heard they would have their own pencil. ,If I had been closing my eyes I would have thought they had all just received Xboxes or Ipods. They were truly grateful for their little gifts.
If we look around us, there are a thousand reasons for us not to be happy. It is simplicity itself to blame our unhappiness on the things we lack in life. It doesn’t take any talent at all to find them. The problem is, the more we focus on the things we don’t have, the more unhappy and more resentful we become.
Those of us with straight hair, want curly hair. Those who are tall, want to be short. If only I had more money, a bigger house, a new car, whiter teeth, smaller pants size, etc. etc.
As I went to Africa I realized that one doesn’t need those things to be happy. In fact, it seemed to me that those external things actually get in the way of happiness.
Robert Louis Stevenson said, “The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.” Unfortunately, because the beauties of life are so abundant, sometimes we take them for granted. Our minds have a marvelous capacity to notice the unusual. However, the opposite is true as well: The more often we see the things around us - even the beautiful and wonderful things - the more they become invisible to us.
Along the same lines, it is easy to find fault with those around us, our families, our neighbors, our church leaders, and our country’s leaders. How much nicer if we would, instead of criticizing, praise and thank those around us.
I understand that there are among us true sorrows, true trials, true heartache. But even in the midst of trial, we need to take time to praise our Father.
Robert D. Hales said, “In some quiet way, the expression and feelings of gratitude have a wonderful cleansing or healing nature. ... Gratitude brings a peace that helps us overcome the pain of adversity and failure.”
Along those same lines, Joseph Wirthlin said, “Gratitude turns a meal into a feast and drudgery into delight. It softens our grief and heightens our pleasure. It turns the simple and common into the memorable and transcendent.”
We are inundated these days by messages of entitlement. It is hard to ignore them. Ingratitude is the order of the day. Gratitude rare. We need to make gratitude part of every day. We need to practice it if we want to stem envy, criticism and discontent. We need to practice gratitude.
Pres. Eyring has taught for years that we should ask ourselves every evening how we have seen the hand of the Lord in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. He said, “I urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done.”
In 2 Nephi 8:3 we are told that thanksgiving will be found in Zion. An attitude of thanksgiving is the hallmark of a Zion people. This scripture reminds us that there is great power in practicing gratitude. According to this scripture, when we are full of thanksgiving our wildernesses can be like Eden and our deserts like the garden of the Lord. There is great power in gratitude.
I challenge you to take time every day to count your blessings, to think over and thank Heavenly Father for all He has given you, both good and bad, both easy and difficult. As the hymn says, “it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
October Spotlight
Dana Gunderson
My husband Gary and I are both Idaho kids. He grew up in Menan and I grew up in Shelley. We met at the then Carson's Market (on 900 East above campus that is now the BYU Creamery on Ninth. Gary broke a glass bottle of sauerkraut (I still don't know if he dropped it on purpose. It's not as if he didn't have my whole class schedule so he could 'cross paths' with me. Nowadays, they call that stalking.) His strategies worked, however, and we got married in the Salt Lake temple.
Gary became the love of my life and has always kept me laughing and inspired by his goodness in the 42 years we've been together. We've had nine kids, eight boys and one girl. Some of you may know our last four children, Jordan, Luke, Aaron, and Zach since we moved here 12 years ago. Prior to that we lived 10 years in Orem and a couple decades in the Chicago area where the older kids were raised. Gary was a swimming pool builder then. We moved here in 1989 to work on Seven Peaks Resort. That was the year Zachary was born. (I remember being large with child and ragging the tile, trying to get ready for the grand opening. The bosses wife complained that I shouldn't be on the payroll in that condition. What she didn't know is, I wasn't, ha ha. Just trying to help out.) After he finished Seven Peaks, we started our present company Castle Rock LLC. a souvenir business, still located in Orem.
Some of the things I enjoy doing are making humanitarian quilts cheaply and painting odd or old pieces of furniture. Lately, I have enjoyed working on my perennial garden (Gary calls it a 'salad'), a first for me. My sister is retired now and we enjoy going to garage sales or thrift stores. I hope to spend more time in the temple and become a better navigator on my computer so I can do family history work. I currently serve with the Young Single Adults, cub scouts, and visiting teaching.
Gary and I both thought we would grow old gracefully. We're still trying. We didn't know it was going to be this hard. A couple of summers ago, our oldest son sent us to Europe for our 40th. I won't say which one of us fell down the spiral staircase in our quaint little hotel or was pick-pocketed on the metro to the tune of $900. I will only say that Notra Dame in Paris lost some of its luster after that. Like some, we struggle with health and weight problems. Our tiny little baby boys grew up to be a thundering herd; I hide the antique chairs when they come to dinner. We enjoy their company. They are good husbands. We take pleasure in their wonderful wives and our
24 grandchildren. Another bright spot in our family is having my father, Blaine Poulsen, live with us for the past 8 years.
Life hasn't always been easy for us. Being self-employed just means that we're the last ones to get paid. Sometimes we didn't get paid. Gary has always worked hard and we were blessed with good kids.
We always tried to work together and follow the Lord's commandments.
When times were tough we kept our chins up until things got better.
The Lord wants us to be happy in spite of our adversities. We still have many lessons to learn in this life. This much we know: the gospel is true. It makes our present lives infinitely better and all things possible in our next life.
cooking tips and other tricks
Problems with Breads:
PROBLEM: What is the best way to bake brown and serve rolls?
First, brush their tops with melted butter or margarine. Bake at the
recommended temperature (on their package), but be careful of dark
coated baking sheets. Dark coated baking sheets may cause the bottoms
to burn before they are done. Bake brown and serve rolls at a high
temperature to insure a crispy, flavorful crust.
PROBLEM: Breads that are always too hard and heavy.
Breads made from scratch or from a mix must have an internal
temperature of about 80 degrees for the yeast to work properly. Cold
dough will not expand properly. Make sure the bread rises in a warm
draft free environment.
PROBLEM: Bread that rises too fast in the pan.
Use cool or cold water in the mix. The place you let the bread rise
in bulk should be about 80 degrees. Place the dough in the refrigerator
for a few minutes to cool down (while the dough is still in bulk form).
PROBLEM: French bread that has a pale crust.
Spray or paint the loaves with water (before cutting). Use an egg
wash to make the crust really brown up. French bread must have a high
temperature to bake properly. Check your oven to make sure the
temperature is correct. Add a little sugar to the mix.
PROBLEM: Tough pizza crust.
Most of the time a pizza crust dough should be wet and sticky (use
a little extra water). Toss in plenty of spices. Oil your pan with
olive oil. Try baking the crust first, then add any topping and bake
only to melt the cheese. Try dipping your fingers in olive oil when
you flatten the crust in the pan. Use plenty of olive oil and the
crust will be flavorful and crispy.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves and rolls that are heavy and soggy in the middle.
When everything else has been done right, maybe the unit weight is
too heavy. Try making the pieces smaller and let them rise longer.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves that cave in on their sides when removed from
the pan.
Always remove bread from the pan as soon as taken from the oven. The
crust sweats and may fall. Make sure that you use Bread Flour in the
mix. Weak flour will cause loaves to fall. Make sure the loaves are
done. Thump the top and if the loaf sounds hollow, it is done.
Setting (just baked) loaves in a cool draft of air will sometimes
cause their sides to cave in. When the dough is allowed to rise too
much before baking the loaves will sometimes collapse.
PROBLEM: Soft crusty breads.
The secret to good crusty breads is to use very little (if any) fats,
egg yolks, milks or sugar in the mix. Always serve crusty breads as
soon as they are baked for the best flavor and appearance. Use only
Bread Flour and make sure the dough is on the stiff side rather
than soft and sticky. However, some crusty breads are very sticky
(excess water). These breads are made by using an extra warm dough
and baking quickly at a high temperature.
PROBLEM: What is the best way to bake brown and serve rolls?
First, brush their tops with melted butter or margarine. Bake at the
recommended temperature (on their package), but be careful of dark
coated baking sheets. Dark coated baking sheets may cause the bottoms
to burn before they are done. Bake brown and serve rolls at a high
temperature to insure a crispy, flavorful crust.
PROBLEM: Breads that are always too hard and heavy.
Breads made from scratch or from a mix must have an internal
temperature of about 80 degrees for the yeast to work properly. Cold
dough will not expand properly. Make sure the bread rises in a warm
draft free environment.
PROBLEM: Bread that rises too fast in the pan.
Use cool or cold water in the mix. The place you let the bread rise
in bulk should be about 80 degrees. Place the dough in the refrigerator
for a few minutes to cool down (while the dough is still in bulk form).
PROBLEM: French bread that has a pale crust.
Spray or paint the loaves with water (before cutting). Use an egg
wash to make the crust really brown up. French bread must have a high
temperature to bake properly. Check your oven to make sure the
temperature is correct. Add a little sugar to the mix.
PROBLEM: Tough pizza crust.
Most of the time a pizza crust dough should be wet and sticky (use
a little extra water). Toss in plenty of spices. Oil your pan with
olive oil. Try baking the crust first, then add any topping and bake
only to melt the cheese. Try dipping your fingers in olive oil when
you flatten the crust in the pan. Use plenty of olive oil and the
crust will be flavorful and crispy.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves and rolls that are heavy and soggy in the middle.
When everything else has been done right, maybe the unit weight is
too heavy. Try making the pieces smaller and let them rise longer.
PROBLEM: Bread loaves that cave in on their sides when removed from
the pan.
Always remove bread from the pan as soon as taken from the oven. The
crust sweats and may fall. Make sure that you use Bread Flour in the
mix. Weak flour will cause loaves to fall. Make sure the loaves are
done. Thump the top and if the loaf sounds hollow, it is done.
Setting (just baked) loaves in a cool draft of air will sometimes
cause their sides to cave in. When the dough is allowed to rise too
much before baking the loaves will sometimes collapse.
PROBLEM: Soft crusty breads.
The secret to good crusty breads is to use very little (if any) fats,
egg yolks, milks or sugar in the mix. Always serve crusty breads as
soon as they are baked for the best flavor and appearance. Use only
Bread Flour and make sure the dough is on the stiff side rather
than soft and sticky. However, some crusty breads are very sticky
(excess water). These breads are made by using an extra warm dough
and baking quickly at a high temperature.
Good News!
Congratulations to Darcy and Scott Moody they have a new baby boy and to Matt and Heidi Hanks they have a new baby girl.