Remembering Taffy

While looking through old pictures of Harry for his Senior Ad in the yearbook, I came across pictures of our beloved Taffy.

We got Taffy the year Rich got out of the Navy. He was home and so it seemed the perfect time for us to try having a dog again. We'd tried 2 other times when our kids were young but it was too much like having another baby to take care of so we had to give them back. But at this time all our kids were at least past toddler-hood. So we picked out our cute little yellow lab and named her Taffy.

Rich got her house broken and she chewed everything. We played with her and loved her.

She loved a good snack. We could never leave freshly baked cookies out because she would find a way to get at them.

She was always there with us, whether playing, helping, hiding, or waiting.

She shows up in a lot of my drawings.

When Harry came along she was there. She was there to help him climb onto the couch. She was there when he needed a soft place to nap. She was right beside him when he rode his first bike.

Sabrina found her to be the perfect napping partner.

She loved laying next to Jeanette while she sewed.

She slept on our bed. She chewed our shoes. She ate anything we left within her reach. She was part of our family.

As she got older it got harder and harder for her to move around. We had to help her get on the bed. We left the sliding glass door open at night so she could make frequent trips to the potty (and she seemed to prefer the outside). Then one day she just couldn't get up. We wrapped her in a quilt and took her to the vet where we hugged her, petted her, and kissed her black nose as she slipped quietly away.

Even now sometimes I can feel her jump up on the bed and lay next to me.

I know that she is happy and running and chewing things and eating anything the angels are leaving unattended.

GPS and Cruise Control

I spent today with Kelly and Roko. I drove up to Folsom this morning and then drove home tonight. On the way home I was talking on my cell to my sister when my GPS started yelling at me to get over and take the next off-ramp. I quickly got over and exited and then said good-bye to Jeanette.

I got to thinking about how much I depend on GPS and what a miracle it is. I no longer panic about going new places, knowing that I will get lost because I have no sense of direction.

Today I got off the freeway at Folsom Blvd.- a different exit than usual and felt so lucky to have had my GPS take me this way because there at the end of the exit, poking up through the trees was the Angel Moroni atop the temple. I think the lady who lives in my GPS knew I needed that beautiful view this morning.

Not only does my GPS keep me from missing turn-offs it keeps me from speeding. Well, from excessive speeding anyway. Right there in the corner of the screen is the speed limit and how fast I'm going. When I'm going too fast the two speeds are high-lighted in red. Most of the time I'm in the red but not by much. It makes me wonder why everyone else on the road goes screaming by me.

Which leads me to my gratitude for cruise control. I set that little button on my steering wheel and stretch my legs out and relax. I don't have to constantly scan for CHP cars. (Oh who am I kidding- I still watch for cops.) I kinda like decreasing and increasing my speed with the little buttons on the wheel- although sometimes I get them confused with the stereo volume controls also located on the steering wheel. Again, I wonder why everyone else passes me like I'm standing still. Tonight, some guy had the nerve to flash his headlights at me so I'd get over and out of his way. I was only doing 70- obviously too slow.

So...GPS and Cruise Control. How did I ever escape speeding tickets and hours lost on unknown freeways going in the wrong direction before they came along.

This Sunday

Harry gave a talk.



Language

• Bishop found me at mutual this Thursday and told me I would be giving a talk today. I can’t tell you how excited I am :] but, the cool part about this was I got to pick my own topic out of the for the strength of youth pamphlet. So my topic for today is… language.
• I just thought this would be appropriate for a youth speaker such as myself because I experience language in all its colorful different forms, every day due to my being in high school.
• So the first thing one thinks about when discussing language in church is profanity. Profanity just isn’t that cool when you think about it. It’s totally disrespectful. No matter how you stretch it or how you justify it, profanity offends people; otherwise we wouldn’t call them “bad words.” In fact, if you look at the word profanity, it comes from the adjective profane which means irreverent. Also, profanity includes using the Lord’s name in vain. Using His name in vain is breaking a commandment; therefore, it’s a sin. When you’re swearing to God, it should be about something important; not about that guy who just cut you off on the freeway.
• But, my topic is “language” not “profanity.” Language includes everything you say not just the offensive stuff.
• The way you speak says a lot about who you are. When you’re constantly throwing around bad words and profanities, you’re giving the people around you a pretty bad first impression. However, if you can use kind, intelligent words you’re showing how smart you are and that you probably have something to offer the world other than a couple gross jokes. You can be an example to those around you, just by staying positive and clean when you speak.
• Kind words can mean the world to some people. If you’re having a bad day, not many things feel better than having someone compliment you on how nice you look today. Being nice in the way that you speak can make others feel better. You can bless others’ lives by keeping clean speech.
• Probably the most important, and the coolest, part of keeping your language clean is that it can make other people think. When everyone else seems to be saying vulgar, unclean things but you manage to keep yourself positive and uplifting in speech, it makes people wonder what’s different about you. When people notice that you don’t ever participate in vulgar jokes and when they notice that you don’t ever cuss, they automatically wonder why. This is where being an example comes in. Showing others how to be Christ-like by being Christ-like yourself is really effective. In Ephesians 4 verse 29, it says, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.” This means that we can teach others just by how we communicate with them! We can bring others to know Christ with our speech. Not many people listen when you’re putting them down, but if you lift others up, you can show them Christ and they can listen.
• I’ve actually had people ask me, “Are you Mormon?” just because I don’t use bad words. It’s things as simple as this that show others


I bear testimony of this church. I know that this is the church of Christ and I know that the principles taught within it are true. I know that the language we use can testify of our faith and can be used to uplift those around us. We can be tools in the hands of our God by keeping our speech clean. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.



My Primary Class was especially helpful and reverent while practicing the Primary Sacrament Program today. I was and am so proud of them! It's hard being 10 & 11 in Primary. It's the last 2 years and you're lumped in with 5-9 year olds and you've heard everything before and you're just way too cool. So today, they were good examples and I was glad.

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