Link of The Week: Patriarchal Blessing Request

Okay.  This is really truly cool.

The Church has established a website that enables members to not only request copies of their own patriarchal blessings, but also copies of their direct-line ancestors who are deceased.

So, I can now keep in my files the patriarchal blessing of my great-great-grandfather Oluf Christian Larsen who was the first Norwegian national to serve a mission in his homeland and then went on to fight in the Black Hawk wars in southern Utah, and marry four wives.

Or, I can get the record of my great-great-grandfather Joseph Nuttall who left Nut Hall in England to settle in eastern Utah and start his own dynasty.

Or, my sons can request the patriarchal blessing of their ancestor, Isaac Morley, a prosperous farmer who was mentioned in the D&C and did much to build the kingdom in Ohio, Illinois, and finally Utah.  Now, that would be a patriarchal blessing to study.

One more time, here is the link.

—freemom

Blog of the Week: Single Dad Laughing

Single Dad Laughing is written by a 30-year-old man who is struggling with the consequences of the second of two divorces.  He writes humor the vast majority of the time, but when he turns thoughtful he is insightful, and his posts make you sit up and think.

The author is the second of nine children who has grown up in a staunchly LDS family which appears to all the world like they have everything together. They are the perfectly happy family, except when they are not.  In his post, A Disease Called Perfection, he takes about the things people cover up for fear of what other people will think, and about the need for each of us to share our imperfections so that we can be part of the cure for Perfection.  The net result of this post is that in the eight hours that it has been posted, over 107 people have shared it on Facebook, 108 'like' it, and more than 60 people have left comments sharing their own struggles as they try to appear what everyone around them believes they should be.

A quote from his opening:

As a warning, the following post was written in complete desperation. I have recently learned some very sobering truths from people that I love dearly. These truths have set in motion a quest within me to do whatever I can to make a change. Today is not geared at funny. Today is geared at something greater. Read it to the very end. I promise you will be affected in a way you have always needed to be. I spent more than twelve hours writing this post because its message is that important to me.

I wonder. Am I the only one aware that there is an infectious mental disease laying siege on us right now? There is a serious pandemic of "Perfection" spreading, and it needs to stop. Hear me out because this is something for which I am passionately and constantly hurting. It's a sickness that I've been trying to put into words for years without much success. It's a sickness that I have personally struggled with. It's a sickness that at times has left me hiding in dark corners and hating myself.

Please, take the time to read this, share it with those you love, and talk to your family about it, especially your children.  Only when we learn to shake loose of our fears of the opinions of others will we really be able to truly love ourselves and all of God's children.

CPR: An Object Lesson

Twenty-two years ago, my sister was ill and I took her family dinner.  She lived several miles away and I would be gone more than an hour, so I took my two older sons with me.  Since he was ill and was at last sleeping (albeit on the sofa), I left my 18-month-old baby home in my husband's care.


The trip to my sister's house was uneventful.  However, as I turned into our apartment complex, I fell in behind a police car who was scanning the addresses with the probe light in the dark.  Not so much to my astonishment, the car stopped in front of my unit and were going to my front porch.  (We shared a porch with neighbors who had had visits from the police before).  My arms were full of dishes, so I told the boys to just go straight into the house and don't bother the police.  


As I approached our apartment from the parking lot, I realized that an ambulance was parked directly in front of our door, and that the police were not rushing into my neighbor's apartment but into my own.  That the incident happened while I was gone was a blessing for which I will always be grateful.  To see my baby lying lifeless on the floor would have knocked my feet from beneath me.


While I was gone, Paul had a febrile seizure and then stopped breathing.  However, my husband had been taught CPR while in the Air Force.  Despite how frightened he was, he immediately called 911 and began cardiorespiratory resuscitation.  By the time the ambulance arrived, he had restored Paul's breathing.  He was taken to the hospital, and we truly felt watched over that Paul had come to no serious harm.  More than 20 years later, he still mentions from time to time how frightened he had been and how grateful he is that he knew what to do and how to do it.

Without that knowledge, we would have never had this . . . 

. . . or this . . . 

                                         . . . or this . . . 

. . . . or this.

What I put to you is this:  of what worth is the safety—and quite possibly the future—of any member of your family and friends?  Hopefully, at least $30 and four hours of your time.


Yes, I am laying it on thick because I love to share pictures of my family a CPR class is scheduled for: 

Saturday, October 16, 2010, 

9am to 1 pm

for a cost of $30

Pre-register and pay by October 13th

Don't miss this opportunity to do something you have been meaning to do for years.  This is a fantastic price, particularly as you will certify for adults, children, and infants.  You can't beat it anywhere.  For location or other questions, please contact myself or Lucy Stern.  Contact information is available through our Google group.  Log-in is required.  Payment is to be made to Lucy Stern.  Anyone is welcome, so share with your friends.


Please, feel free to share your own experiences by commenting below.