We had 4 adults and 5 children sardine-ed into the truck. Nine is an unusually high number to fit in our five passenger cab, but it's not the first time and probably not the last.
On Tuesday after delivering all the adults and kids to their appropriate houses, we headed to Federal to get the 4-wheel drive repaired. We greatly hesitated to go because it was five in the afternoon before we could leave, our appointment was suppose to be at four, and there was an 80% rain prediction at 6 or 7 PM. However, neither Yuca nor the moms thought it looked like rain to them, and it was suppose to rain for the next six days leaving this tiny window so we left the ranch with a prayer in our hearts, and a suitcase in the truck just in case we couldn't get back. (We've learned to have faith that it wouldn't rain, but if it does, we have faith that we'll bring the right things to be comfortable.)
Fortunately, the weather stayed until Wednesday morning, and we were glad to have the repair started. (The electrician needed us to bring it back since there was something else wrong that couldn't be fixed quickly.)
We were rained in the rest of the week, but remember being rained in is better than being rained out. Yuca was able to take our truck out Friday afternoon to finish the repair so by the time the roads are passable, we should have 4-wheel drive again.
In the meantime, we have had time to read, practice the piano, and Amy convalesced for having strained her shoulder in Federal retrieving an empty 20 gallon water bottle from the back seat. Note to self: even with threatening rain, don't be in such a hurry that you hurt yourself.
Old Vehicles:
We think it's awesome that people can keep these running.
The one below is one of our favorites. We have seen it being driven around town from time to time and finally saw it parked where we could get a picture. I hope when I'm as old and dilapidated as this, I'll still be getting around town. :)
Construction:
We also saw a different type of house construction. Contractors, Engineers, and Architects, what do you think of the foundation?
Below is an example of the typical new construction that we see.
Cows in the road:
We have to tell you about an evening a few weeks ago when we were taking the Galeano family home after a trip to Los Perales. It was dark and the ranch was getting ready to ship cattle off the next day so there were literally hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand cows on the road. We honked the whole evening away and finally got home a good 30 minutes later than normal. We often question why so many cows hang out in the road when there is plenty of space on the side. Moms have told us that it's because there are fewer mosquitoes on the road, but the mosquitoes are not fully out yet so it doesn't make sense. Anyone know the answer to that?
General Conference:
By Saturday, we were a bit bored and very ready for General conference (a bi-annual event of feasting on words from the General Authorities of the LDS church.)
When we kept loosing the internet in the kitchen, we transferred the phone to another room closer to the router but kept the napkin holder of course.
Either location, we were strengthened and uplifted by all that we heard. Hope you all took the opportunity to listen intently, examine who you are, and make goals for self improvement.
Thoughts from Gregg quoting much of Elder Uchdorf.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a talk in the Women General Conference Session of October, 2017 entitled “Three Sisters”. He said, basically...
A long time ago in a distant land lived a family of three sisters. The first sister was sad.
Everything seemed not quite good enough to her. When she spoke, her words sometimes came out awkwardly, and people laughed. When someone criticized her she would blush, walk away, and find a secret spot where she would let out a sad sigh and wonder why life had turned out to be so bleak and cheerless.
The second sister was mad. She thought of herself as smart, but there was always someone else who scored higher on tests at school. She considered herself funny, fair, fashionable, or more fascinating.
She was never first at anything, and this she could not endure. Life was not supposed to be this way!
Then there was the third sister. Unlike her sad and mad sisters, she was-well, glad. And it wasn’t because she was smarter or more beautiful or more capable than her sisters. No, people sometimes avoided or ignored her too. They sometimes made fun of what she was wearing or the things she was saying. But she did not allow any of that to bother her too much.
This sister loved to sing. She didn’t have great pitch, and people laughed about it, but that didn’t stop her. She would say, “I am not going to let other people and their opinions stop me from singing!”
The very fact that she kept singing made her first sister sad and her second sister mad.
Many years passed, and eventually each sister reached the end of her time on earth.
The first sister, who discovered again and again that there was no shortage of disappointments in life, eventually died sad.
The second, who every day found something new to dislike, died mad.
And the third sister, who spent her life singing her song with all her might and a confident smile on her face, died glad.
Of course, life is never so simple, and people are never so one-dimensional as the three sisters in this story. But even extreme examples like these can teach us something about ourselves. If you are in throughout the universe like most of us, you may have recognized part of yourself in one, two, or perhaps all three of these sisters. Let us take a closer look at each one.
The first sister saw herself as a victim-as someone who was acted upon. It seemed like one thing after another kept happening to her that made her miserable. With this approach to life, she was giving others control over how she felt and behaved. When we do this, we are driven about by every wind of opinion-and in this day of ever-present social media, those winds blow at hurricane intensity.
Why should you surrender your happiness to someone, or a group of someones, who cares very little about you or your happiness?
If you find yourself worrying about what other people say about you, may I suggest this antidote: remember who you are: Remember that you are of the royal house of the kingdom of God, sons and daughters of Heavenly Parents, who reign throughout the universe.
Nothing anyone ever says about you can change this-that you are in His hands, very good hands, loving hands and caring hands. You are his precious child. He loves you.
Even when you stumble, even when you turn away from Him, God loves you. If you are feeling lost, abandoned, or forgotten-fear not. The Good Shepherd will find you. He will lift you upon His shoulders. And He will carry you home.
The second sister was angry at the world. Like her sad sister, she felt that the problems in her life were all caused by someone else. She blamed her family, her friends, her boss and anyone around.
She didn’t think of herself as a mean person. To the contrary, she felt that she was only sticking up for herself. Everyone else, she believed, was motivated by selfishness, pettiness, and hate. She, on the other hand, was motivated by good intentions-justice, integrity, and love.
Unfortunately, the mad sister’s line of thinking is all too common. This was noted in a recent study that explored conflict between rival groups. As part of the study, researchers interviewed Palestinians, and Israelis in the Middle East, and Republicans and Democrats in the United States. They discovered that “each side felt their own group was motivated by love more than hate, but when asked why their rival group was involved in the conflict, they pointed to hate as the other group’s motivating factor.
In other words, each group thought of themselves as the “good guys”, and the opposing group as uninformed, dishonest, and even evil.
When someone opposes or disagrees with us, it’s tempting to assume that there must be something wrong with them. And from there, it’s a small step to attach the worst of motives to their words and actions.
Of course, we must always stand for what is right, and there are times when we must raise our voices for that cause. However, when we do so with anger or hate in our hearts-when we lash out at others to hurt, shame, or silence them-chances are we are not doing so in righteousness.
What did the Savior teach? “I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.”
This is the Savior’s way. It is the first step in breaking down the barriers that create so much anger, hatred, division, and violence in the world.
“Yes, you might say, “I would be willing to love my enemies-if only they were willing to do the same.”
But that really doesn’t matter, does it? We are responsible for our own discipleship, and it has little-if anything-to do with the way others treat us. We obviously hope that they will be understanding and charitable in return, but our love for them is independent of their feelings toward us.
Perhaps our effort to love our enemies will soften heir hearts and influence them for good. Perhaps it will not. But that does not change our commitment to follow Jesus Christ.
So, as members of the Church, we will love our enemies.
We will fill our hearts with love for all of God’s children.
We will reach out to bless others and minister to them-even those who might “despitefully use us and persecute us.”
The third sister represents the authentic disciple of Jesus Christ. She did something that can be extremely hard to do: she trusted God even in the face of ridicule and hardship. Somehow, she maintained her faith and hope, despite the scorn and cynicism around her. She lived joyfully not because she was joyful.
None of us makes it through life’s journey unopposed. With so many forces trying to draw us away, how do we keep our vision fixed on the glorious happiness promised to the faithful?
I believe the answer can be found in a dream that a prophet named Lehi recorded in the Book O Mormon,
In his dream, Lehi saw a vast field, and in it was a wondrous tree, beautiful beyond description. He also saw large groups of people making their way toward the tree. They wanted to taste its glorious fruit. They felt and trusted that it would give them great happiness and abiding peace.
There was a narrow path that led to the tree, and alongside was an iron rod that helped them stay on the path. But there was also a mist of darkness that obscured their vision of both the path and the tree. And perhaps even more dangerous was the sound of loud laughter and ridicule coming from a large and spacious building nearby. Shockingly, the mocking even convinced some people who had reached the tree and tasted the wondrous fruit to begin to feel ashamed and wander away.
Perhaps they began to doubt that the tree was really as beautiful as they had once thought. Perhaps they began to question the reality of what they had experienced.
Maybe they thought if they turned away from the tree, life would be easier. Maybe they would not be ridiculed or laughed at anymore.
Actually the people who were scoffing at them looked like people who were quite happy and having a good time. So perhaps if they abandoned the tree, they would be welcomed into the congregation of the great and spacious building and be applauded for their judgment, intelligence, and sophistication.
If you find it difficult to hold fast to the iron rod and walk steadfastly toward salvation; if the laughter and ridicule of others who seem so confident cause you to waiver; if you are troubled by unanswered questions or doctrines, I urge you to remember Lehi’s dream. Stay on the path! Never let go of the iron rod-the word of God! And when anyone tries to make you feel ashamed for partaking of the love of God, ignore them.
Never forget you are a child of God; rich blessings are in store; if you can learn to do His will, you’ll live with Him once more!
The promises of praise and acceptance by the world are unreliable, untrue, and unsatisfying. God’s promises are sure, true, and joyful-now and forever.
Indeed, “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
I have learned for myself that the path of discipleship in the gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to joy. It is the way to safety and peace. It is the way to truth.
If the path becomes difficult, I hope you will find refuge and strength in the organizations of the Church.
It will not be easy. It will require the very best that you have-all your intelligence, creativity, faith, integrity, strength, determination, and love. But one day you will look back upon your efforts and will be grateful that you remained strong, that you believed, and that you did not depart from the path.
There may be many things about life that are beyond your control. But in the end, you have the power to choose both your destination and many of your experiences along the way. It is not so much your abilities but your choices that make the difference in life.
You cannot allow circumstances to make you sad.
You cannot allow them to make you mad.
You can be glad.
You can make the choice to press on toward the tree of life. You can choose to lift up your voice and make your life a glorious symphony of praise, rejoicing in what the love of God, the wonders of His Church, and the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring to the world.
The song of true discipleship may sound off-key or even a little loud to some. But to our Heavenly Father and to those who love and honor Him, it is a most precious and beautiful song-the sublime and sanctifying song of redeeming love and service to God and fellowmen.
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