If I flinched when I shook your hand, it wasn’t you!

November 2, 2016
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Son Scott displays his pumpkin carving art work. This is my political statement before I go on to rattle about myself.

I wrote about a bike accident I had a couple of months ago. I was attempting to “catch air” at a bike park near my house after watching my son and his kids sail over the jumps with ultimate ease.
My new-to-me Raleigh bucked me right over the handlebars.
I was pretty banged up but the most concerning thing was that I got all disoriented and confused. After an ambulance ride to the hospital and a careful look at my noggin, they said I had a concussion but that I would be okay. My hand was hurting so they X-rayed that, too.
The Xray was negative. But my hand kept hurting. The mild swelling went down, but now, after all this time, it’s still sore in the exact same place.
Beside that, my knee is all grooved and ridged, and I have no feeling in the skin over the kneecap. It hurts a lot if it’s bumped or rubbed with any pressure. It has a lot of fluid sloshing around, too and that worried me.
I went to an orthopedic surgeon for help on getting it all to settle down.
There is indeed a small fracture in my hand. But it’s probably the tendinitis that’s causing the current pain.
The kneecap is in good shape but there’s also inflammation in the area. It’s the tendons that attach to the kneecap that are damaged/groovy.
So, I have an excuse to rest my hand.
And my knee.
As I left the doctor’s office, I THINK he said not to lift anything bigger than a bonbon, unless it’s a dark chocolate almond cluster.
I must protect my health, after all.
And truthfully, I was worried that he’d put me in a cast so that I couldn’t finish the basement projects.
I hung the cupboards and microwave in the kitchen on Monday. . . I cut my hair before I went to the appointment.

I’m ready for company. . .and bonbons!

A Halloween Hater

October 30, 2016

We’re back from the second leg of the media tour. After Wisconsin, we flew to Oklahoma to meet our newest grandbaby. We also got to know Scott and Kimberly’s next-to-youngest, much better. What a firecracker! But as I watched my innocent grandchildren anticipate Halloween with delight, I began to think about how things have changed.

I admit it. It’s true. I hate Halloween.

More accurately, I hate what Halloween has become.

It started as a pagan festival where the dead were thought to walk the earth on the night between summer and winter. . .the season of death. It has it’s roots in Celtic rituals. The practices on that night were truly frightening.

In about 600 AD, the Catholic Church decided that the lands conquered by the Romans, ie Ireland, ought not to be mixing their pagan superstitions with their Christian practices, so the pope made the day after the Celtic holiday Samhain, (pronounced So-in) All Saints Day. It was a day when Christians were to honor all saints and martyrs. So observers were to dress as angels and saints instead of animals and demons. They urged celebrations like night masses and the sharing of food. As they walked the streets on the eve of the hallowed day, beggars would ask for money in exchange for the prayers for the Christian’s dead ancestors. It was called “Going a-souling”

Well, the eve of the hallowed All Saints Day became known as Hallowed Eve and then Hallowe’en and finally Halloween.

It wasn’t until Protestant Americans, objecting to the Catholic influence over the holiday and still honoring their Celtic roots began to consciously promote the celebration as a family holiday and to formalize the practice of Trick or Treating. It seems to have begun in the 1930’s.  But trick or treating was mainly organized as local governments and churches tried to stem the throwback behavior of demons vandalizing and making mischief and blaming it on ghosts.

For most of my childhood, Halloween was right up there with Easter in my favor, both right behind Christmas. Sometimes I think it competed with the BIG Holiday.

We’d throw together some sort of costume and traipse up and down the unlit country roads, stopping now and then at a house. The payoff was often generous, since the houses were so far apart. I remember the year my sister Mary went as a one-legged hobo. She put both her legs in one pant leg of my Dad’s britches and hobbled around on a homemade crutch. After a half mile of hobbling, her armpits were so sore and she was so exhausted that we circled her with ghostly sheets of our costumes while she put the pants on correctly, right in the middle of Pleasant Valley Rd.

One house, the Jericoviches, (I know it’s not spelled right, but I have no memory of the proper way) was at the top of a very steep, very dark lane. I have no doubt that their views were spectacular, but it took a bit of courage to climb that road, guided mostly by the feel of the pavement underfoot on Halloween night.

But my sister Mary, our friend Jeannie and I always did it. For our trouble, we received an entire FULL SIZED Baby Ruth AND a Butterfinger: Precious booty for our sugar-deprived appetites. Sometimes their daughter, Gigi, would join us in the rest of our rounds.

Alas. Such adventures are impossible now. The monsters are real and only a fool lets their children roam at night unattended.

In many parts of the country, Halloween has reverted from the whitewashed version of the American 1930’s to the dark Celtic rituals of Samhain. Even adults dress in gruesome costumes and seem, if only for one night, to celebrate and embrace evil. Death is portrayed, not as a sacred passing through the veil of mortality into the loving arms of God, but as a hideous, gruesome, terrifying event.

What if the Savior returns on Halloween night instead of Superbowl Sunday, like my Dad used to predict? If we would be embarrassed, then why not avoid that aspect of the mutilated holiday?

What would happen if instead of celebrating evil and promoting terror of death, we instead honored All Saints Day by finding creative ways to serve and love and enjoy our neighbors? Congratulations to those who can have fun and share without the element of superstition or celebration of evil! Perhaps we CAN bring back the good ol’ days of fun without real fear. Traditions change only when we decide to change them!

Party hearty and wholesomely? Why not?

img_6636Two Harry Potters and one cute witch. img_6641 Handsome Scott looks a lot like me, I think.

New baby Rachel is taking a snooze on her pretty Mama’s chest. We had a fun visit!

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Door County Wisconsin

October 20, 2016

Why have I never heard of Door County until now? What a fantastic place to vacation.  In the summer, you have the whole of Green bay and all the small bays along the shore to explore. On a Door County Adventure Raft tour yesterday, we got to see the Strawberry islands up close, a quaint light house from the water and then a ship wreck in the corner of Eagle harbor. It leaves from Fish Creek Town dock. There’s a quaint little marina in every village, I think.

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This lighthouse was built in 1868. I love the Scandinavian touches on the roof line.

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A vacation home on a private island. Nobody can live on the islands year round, per law, because the state doesn’t want to have to educate the children with access only via water.

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The captain and owner of Adventure Rafting tours said that he noticed the shipwreck looking at a picture on Google Earth!

Of course the food here in Door County, which has a strong Scandinavian influence has been tasty and plentiful.

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The Kitchen Sink from Door County Coffee.

Jeff didn't get the camera out fast enough before I'd sipped part of the decadent Hot Chocolate at Door County Coffee. So RICH!

Jeff didn’t get the camera out fast enough before I’d sipped part of the decadent Hot Chocolate at Door County Coffee. So RICH!

Villagio's Portabella Mushroom caps smothered in all things tasty and rich were amazing.

Villagio’s Portabella Mushroom caps smothered in all things tasty and rich were amazing.

We sampled 8 varieties of pizza and they were all good, but this one with was especially good.

We sampled 8 varieties of pizza and they were all good, but this one with was especially good.

I think I’ll save the rest of Jeff’s photos and tales about some more of the events for possible use in the articles I will write. The hike, the kayak tour, the raft/boat ride and today’s bike rides were amazing.

We did tour several art galleries and some some interesting, beautiful and creative pieces. Great art has the effect of making me want to explore the medium myself, much more than wanting to buy it. But one of the fun things I saw today was Scrimshaw. Its the art of carving or drawing with a stylus on ivory or bone. The laws concerning it were surprising. It’s legal to buy and sell extinct mastadon or Mammoth tusks, but not Walrus or elephant ivory. Some of it was truly beautiful and all of it was interesting. The art form began when whalers starting saving the whale teeth and carving on them, sort of like whittling when wood is scarce. Women were apparently a common theme, but nautical art dominated the wares as Scrimshanders. If you come to Door county, don’t miss this fascinating shop.

Light house carved in mastadon tusk ivory.

Light house carved in mastadon tusk ivory. Color is added after the carving/etching is done. 

Jeff was fascinated by the blown glass work. This octopus at Fine Line Designs Gallery looks alive!

Jeff was fascinated by the blown glass work. This octopus at Fine Line Designs Gallery looks alive!

He’s using the good camera, so his scenery shots are amazing and he’s catching on with the food photos.

 

Spectacular Scenery in Door County Wisconsin

October 18, 2016

It was dark by the time we got to our hotel last night. This morning we woke to spectacular views and a day packed with fun and food.

Here are a couple of pictures from the morning hike. I’ll have to download the pictures Jeff took later of the kayak trip. As you can see, it was a beautiful, temperate day. The villages of Door county are charming and I’m excited to learn more about the history tomorrow.

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Sturgeon Bay off of Green Baydoor-county-vista

 

Vista from Pottawatomie State Park. An old ski run. It’s difficult to see the bit of lake that shows in the distance.

 

 

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Birches’ white bark shines white among the beeches, oaks, pine, ash and maple trees.

This area is full of lovely views everywhere you look. The villages are charming and inviting. We absolutely must come back to this area when we have more time. There are half a dozen places that we really want to see and just won’t have time to explore.

Tomorrow we’re going on a trolley tour of the region.

Decision on the Election.

October 16, 2016

In my newspaper column, Americana, I am committed to write only about the good and great things, people, places, tradition and history of America. But I don’t hold this blog to that same standard.

A few friends and family have been asking me what I’m going to do about the election.

I have come to a decision after lengthy consideration.

I would never vote for a corrupt politician like Hillary Clinton. But it’s not only the shady, dishonest money laundering through the Clinton Foundation, nor the sleazy, way she’s treated the women that complained about her sexual predator husband, nor her enabling of his evil lifestyle. It’s not the careless, selfish, treasonous behavior concerning national security as was affected by her circumventing inspection by using a private server for her email. It’s that she blamed some obscure video posted online by an unknown movie maker for Benghazi. She refused to call it a terror attack and let those men die to save her political hide. She lied to the grieving families, still pretending for the flashing cameras. She took advantage of the photo ops, but wouldn’t tell them the truth. She’s corrupt of course, but that was flat out evil.

The obvious alternative is Donald Trump. I don’t know how the evil imps managed to eliminate all the qualified, moral, intelligent candidates that started in this race over a year ago.  I didn’t think he’d last a month. But he’s just bizarre enough to appeal to those who realize that if we don’t do something drastic soon, there will be no hope for this nation. Debt and moral decay as well as the decay of the work ethic will destroy our nation unless we fix it.

Donald Trump has gotten where he is by being rude, bombastic, and by giving the press so much fodder for comment that they can’t avoid covering his latest crazy talk. He brags publicly about groping women. No matter how hard the apologists try to say that this dust up is a political stunt, he said it himself and it’s perfectly in character. He’s gotten where he is through ruthless maneuvering in the business world. He doesn’t hide it. Trump said he had never repented because he’d never done anything that  needed to be repented of. The man is mentally ill, or possibly merely enjoying Narcissistic Personality Disorder. (People with NPD, like Hitler, don’t suffer from it, they enjoy thinking they are the most important person alive.) 

I can not cast a vote for a man who I believe is an amoral lunatic.

Romney would have fixed it. He knew what needed to be done and how to do it. His moral compass pointed true north. But Romney isn’t a factor this time around.

I don’t like the Libertarian stance on legalizing everything, including drugs and abortions. They’ve gone terribly wrong in thinking that those evils should be permitted to masquerade as liberties.

I like what I hear from Evan McMullin.

I don’t expect him to win. Not because he’s less qualified or less politically adept, but that not enough people will know about him. His resume is every bit as sterling as Mitt Romney’s was and he has experience in both business and international affairs.  But he seems to be a moral man. He seems to have good ideas and a proper temperament to lead people. He doesn’t seem to be corrupt or cowardly, nor is he crazy or a predator. I wish I could say as much for the leading candidates.

I do believe in miracles. But since God will never send a blessing counter to the desire of a society, it’s up to us to try to elect a good person and let the Lord send a miracle to help us.

This is the only way forward that I can embrace with a clear conscience.

I’m going to vote for Evan McMullin. I donated a little money, too.

Read up on who he is. He’s unknown, but he’s a first rate candidate. He’s well prepared. He’s a blessed relief!

https://www.evanmcmullin.com/home

Please forward this in your social media. We need to get bloggers talking about this man.  If we can thwart the traditional media tactics by thoughtful people using social media to overpower the paid pundits, we can still save this election from the Crazy Elephant and the Rabid Donkey.

Lets make a miracle!

 

 

Lots of people read the Love notes from our Creator

October 9, 2016

On a recent Sunday afternoon, we picked up my Mom and drove the Alpine Loop. Several friends had mentioned that it was the place to go for fall color in these parts, so we decided to give it a try. When my mom was being courted by Bud Arnold, he invited her to drive the Alpine loop on a date. She got a little sentimental when we found the spot where they parked their car and got out to breathe in the spectacular vistas.

Personally, the thought of driving that narrow, winding, cliff-side road with Bud Arnold is enough to shiver-me-timbers. Bud was a great man and I grew to love him. But I’ve never been more scared for my life than when I drove (on level highways and streets) with Bud Arnold.

Most of Utah residents were out on the Alpine loop that Sunday.  There was almost a steady stream in both directions like a gigantic snake slithering among the timber. We drove from the south to the north, which seemed a little less crowded. The line of cars waiting at the mouth of American Fork Canyon was almost a mile long. A ranger was metering the flow somewhat.

The Loop runs between Provo Canyon, up past Sundance, winding through Aspen and fir and then slithers down American Fork Canyon. Much of the way, laughing streams gurgle beside the road.img_6216

And it was truly so amazingly lovely that I decided that if Jeff failed to navigate the next turn and we plunged to our death, there wouldn’t be much change between where we left this earth and Paradise.

 

This earth is glorious and beautiful!

 

 

 

 

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This aspen grove has a crooked trunk gene. I’d never seen that feature before.

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We stopped the car for this vista. I don’t know why they’re such low resolution when I put them on the blog.

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This is the view from the parking lot where Mom and Bud stopped to gawk at the scenery on one of their first dates.

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For Foodies Only: Come to Lubbock for Gastronomical Delights? YES!

September 8, 2016

As many of you know, I indulge myself on my blog by writing about whatever is uppermost on my mind. If you saw my facebook feed, you know I had a rather serious bike accident earlier this week. I became all confused and weird, for a little over an hour and then the confusion cleared up. The odd thing is that I remember part of the sensation of feeling confused and disoriented. The main thing that was worrying me was that I was supposed to leave for a press trip early the next day and I didn’t want to miss it.

Well, the Doc said I was okay to travel but to seek medical help if I noticed anything concerning. Hot dog.

But I was so worried that I might not wake up, that the CAT scan might have missed a deadly clot or brain cloud, that I didn’t sleep at all that night. The alarm went off at 4:15 and I hauled myself up. I was so banged up and sore, Jeff asked “Are you sure you really want to do this? Is Lubbock TX that important to you?”

I was sure. I want to establish myself as a travel writer so that I can visit venues to write about for my column, Americana. 

I’m so glad I didn’t miss this trip. Lubbock TX may not seem like a glamorous place, but there are lots of fun and interesting things to do here and the real estate is CHEAP!

First off the food here has been amazing. Press trips always feed us to the exploding level, (I suppose I have some control over how much I eat, but when it’s so good, it’s hard to send it away unfinished.)

The first night at the Overton Hotel, there was a reception and welcome dinner. I ordered the Dr Pepper chicken. My next task is to try to imitate the recipe. It’s not as salty as teriaki but flavorful and unexpected. I don’t think I could have identified the Dr Pepper if it hadn’t been printed on the menu. Served with spinach and crispy potatoes. img_5776

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This is a cream puff shell with something similar to pecan pie filling but not as custardy. It’s almost more like a candy. Wow.

The next morning, we started out at the National Ranching Heritage Center. I’m going to talk about this fascinating place in the travel piece I write for the Oklahoman, but the chuck wagon breakfast was delicious. The eggs were bacony. I chose the green chili type. YUM! I’m not a fan of biscuits and gravy, but if you are, you might have liked these dutch oven baked-to-perfection examples. The sticky pecan buns were amazing. Fresh from a dutch oven, gooey and warm.  Oh my. img_5789

I enjoyed my salad and soup at the Crafthouse Gastropub, too. There was enough bread and cheese in the soup to make it quite filling and very flavorful. The salad was nice but not spectacular.

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On to a fun visit to the museum at Texas Tech.  Also to be covered in the travel article, but super interesting and a little bit of every sort of museum from art to natural history to ancient artifacts.

The windmill museum may sound a little kooky, but I loved it. Planning a column on just windmills. There’s a lot more to them than just being picturesque!

On to the Triple J Chophouse and Pub. The nachos appetizer would have been an abundant meal for two people. It’s delicious, but I saved some appetite for their tasty beer batter rolls and my main course of “campfire tips” with “sweet potato custard”. The beef was reminiscent of fajitas, but in bigger chunks of tender, nicely seasoned beef. The ‘custard’ was more like mashed sweet potato with sugar added. I liked it, but it was very sweet without any hint of milk or cream (that I could detect).

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If the sticky buns for breakfast yesterday were the only dessert of the day, I more than made up for it today.

Breakfast at The Cast Iron Grill. If you go, be honest with yourself and go straight for the pie (or pah as it’s pronounced ’round these parts.)

img_5989Yeah, that’s banana Split Pie. But it’s better than a banana split with the strawberries balancing the banana on a graham cracker crust. I should edit out my lens cap, but you get the idea.

Fun things in between, more in the article and when we sat down next, it was to the best BBQ place I’ve ever eaten. I don’t make that statement lightly. I’ve eaten BBQ in Dallas and OKC and Kansas City and Charleston, SC, at all the iconic famous places and I’ve had some pretty darn good stuff. It’s not really the meat itself. The meat is as good as the best I’ve had with the exception of the ribs which were very fatty. The name of the place is Evie Mae’s and it’s just outside of Lubbock. Their promo said they cook over 700 pounds of meat each day and sell out by 2:00. I doubted until we arrived at 11:15 and the line was out the door.

You should have seen the glares we got as we breezed past the line to the reserved tables and the hosts immediately brought us heaping platters of meat and every single side on the menu! In about 3 seconds, I didn’t care about the hateful stares. Who am I to argue when my stomach is a VIP?img_6001

img_6004cheesy grits. YUMMYimg_6006 I should edit this to focus on the green chili cheddar corn muffin. I don’t know who had that idea, but they’ve ruined all other cornbread for me forever.

Coleslaw was competent, beans were flavorful, (both types) grits, delicious, baked potato salad, fabulous, brisket and turkey MMMMMMmmmmmMMMM.  I didn’t photograph the piece of Texas sheet cake I ordered because it was just a flat hunk of very tasty cake. I did snap one of another offering. img_6007 It’s sitting in a paper dish, so it looks like the crust is weird, but I hear it was good.

Lastly, we ate dinner at westtable kitchen (the server specified no caps in the name) The owner is a chef whose last name is West.

I wasn’t exactly famished, but the food was very tasty. It’s a modern, clean, upscale sort of place with the kitchen visible from the dining room. It’s fun to watch them prepare the food.  The appetizer was fried okra but instead of coins it was halved lengthwise. I liked it that way. You get a higher proportion of the okra to the breading and you can actually taste the vegetable! The next is my neighbors house salad which was said to be very good but too big. The next is my lovely beat salad that was SO good. I admit it was a big portion but I polished it off. There was a little bit of bleu cheese crumbles to jazz it up. I’m seeing more and more yellow beets on menus. Next was my meal of fried chicken. I just wanted to be sure to get enough calories for the day, and figured what the heck. The champion of this plate is not the perfectly fried chicken, nor the al-dente greenbeans. It’s that little vessel of jalepeno and bacon sauce on the side. It’s not spicy, but SO flavorful. Last is my neighbor’s fish. It was a King something. A sort of fish that looks like an eel, but the flesh is meaty and mild tasting. She gave me a bite and I was impressed. The hushpuppies make a nice presentation, too.

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So for all you foodies, that’s my gastronomical trip to Lubbock. Of course there were feasts for the mind and heart too, but those will find a few different venues. I’ll use the windmill museum and the Glider Pilot museum as well as the prairie dog park for Americana.  The travel article will be about the fantastic concert at the Cactus Theater, and the other interesting places we visited.

I never expected to find Lubbock TX such a fun place with so many cultural, entertainment, and educational venues. I’m so glad the Doctor untied me from my hospital bed to come! I wonder if it’s medically concerning that I’ve gained 5 pounds in three days?Maybe I won’t wake up tomorrow.

Oh, but what a way to go.

A miracle is a love note from Heaven

September 5, 2016

 

Love notes from Heaven

I heard a COOL story in Relief Society. Julie Jackson was teaching a lesson about accepting ourselves and moving forward with faith in Christ.

Julie’s husband worked for about 8 years at the Missionary Training Center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the Provo UT campus. He was in charge of the Referral Center where new missionaries used to go for an hour three or four times during their training to answer calls that result from media advertising.

One day, Brother Jackson noticed a new missionary that seemed distressed by the expectation that missionaries respond to phone calls. He pulled him aside and asked him what was bothering him. The young man responded, “I’m a horrible missionary. I just can’t do this.”

“Why do you think you’re a horrible missionary?”

“I have never shared the Gospel. My close friend all through high school was not a member of this church, (in a predominantly LDS community) and I never once talked to him about religion or shared my beliefs. The only thing I did was give him a pass-along card right before I left on my mission.”

A pass-along card is a little picture of Christ that offers a phone number for a free Bible, Book of Mormon or visit from the missionaries on the back.

“Just give it a try. Giving the pass-along card was a good thing. You can do it.”

But the young elder was still frozen in fear by the time the session was up.

Brother Jackson noticed him again the next week. He was still showing signs of distress, so again, he encouraged him and assured him that all he needed to do was respond to the requests made by the callers.

But the coordinator was pulled away by another missionary needing attention. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the doubtful elder sat down in front of one of about a hundred phones. A computer receives the calls and assigns each one to a station. During peak seasons, mainly  around the holidays, the call center receives thousands of calls each day.

At that time, missionaries learning foreign languages would visit the referral center 3-5 times for an hour, during their ten-week stay. Their schedules varied, according to the space and class schedule.

Brother Jackson watched as a call came to the anxious missionary’s station. The young man fumbled with the equipment but Brother Jackson couldn’t pull himself away from what he was doing in another part of the room to help.

But the missionary quickly relaxed. He seemed to be enjoying the conversation. He was smiling! The conversation lasted much longer than was usual.

Later, Brother Jackson went over to the missionary. “The call seemed to go well.”

“Yeah, it was great.”

“So what changed? You were so nervous.”

“You’ll never believe who it was on the call.”

“Who was it?”

“My friend that I gave the pass-along card to.”

 

How do you define a miracle? Of the one hundred phones, for the twelve hours each day that the phones were operating, with the thousand or so missionaries visiting the referral center each week, and the number of callers on any given day, with a computer randomly assigning the phone lines the odds of one caller speaking to his friend as a result of one pass-along card are so extremely low as to call it impossible.

But our loving Heavenly Father knew that his one anxious son needed to talk to his friend. The caller is also His well-loved son and God cares nothing for odds. He always blesses his children in the best way he can. We only need to unlatch the windows of Heaven by acting on promptings or taking tiny steps of obedience  toward His loving, outstretched arms.

A Love Note From God

August 26, 2016

This has been a fantastic month for beautiful scenery. Hiking, camping, reveling in the beauty of God’s creations. I’ll save myself time since a picture is worth a thousand words.

The trail to upper Palisades lakes in eastern Idaho.

The trail to upper Palisades lakes in eastern Idaho.

Lower Palisades Lake

Lower Palisades Lake

Chris and Jeff at Lower Palisades lake. YEP, that's a moose in the background.

Chris and Jeff at Lower Palisades lake. YEP, that’s a moose in the background.

Papa Moose chillin' in the willows.

Papa Moose chillin’ in the willows.

Upper Palisades Lake AKA Paradise.

Upper Palisades Lake AKA Paradise.

Cheat Lake near Morgantown West Virginia Lindsay, Andy and Kate enjoying the water

Cheat Lake near Morgantown West Virginia Lindsay, Andy and Kate enjoying the water

Valley Falls near Grafton West Virginia

Valley Falls near Grafton West Virginia

August 14, 2016

I’ve been up to my eyebrows in house projects, travel and the resulting articles, and my weekly column, Americana. I’m pleased to see that the online version  is presented as “Beth Stephenson’s Americana.” I don’t know who made that decision, but thanks! The print version runs a picture, but the name recognition is the BEST.

I was a little chagrined when I noted the advertising placed on the page with my column.  Notice it if you follow the link below and you’ll see what I mean. I must be getting old!

The story is about an American Olympian and I urge you to go to his website and check out his foundation, too. It’s a great story and reminds us of how blessed we are.

 http://newsok.com/article/5512850 

God can work miracles in every single life, if we put our trust in Him!

I have found in my own life that my Heavenly Father’s plan for me is far better and bigger than anything I can dream up myself.

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