Girls are like apples on trees.

The Best Apples are at the top of the tree!

The best one are at the top of the tree.

The boys don’t want to reach for the good ones

because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt.
Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the
ground that aren’t as good, but easy.

So the apples at the top think something is wrong
with them, when in reality, they’re amazing.
They just have to wait for the right boy to come
along, the one who’s brave enough to
climb all the way to the top of the tree.
~anonymous

Photo Credit: iMaffo

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“The truth is ..

Man is a child of God – a God in embryo..

That man is a child of God is the most important knowledge available

to mortals.”

~Marion G. Romney

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It has a 3600 year cycle.

Joseph Smith talked about this, too!

The Doctrine is deep.  But after all that we see that we have, on earth, that can be seen from the sky.. what if?

And look at this map!

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Updated Plan from October

Bachelor’s Degree

8 Goals in Chosen Major (Home-Economics/Cooking

5 Goals in College of Theology

3 Goals in each additional College

1 Project/Presentation

Home Economics/Cooking – 8 goals

1. Make Jam
2. Can Fruit Properly
3. Study Cookbook 30 minutes. Try 3 new recipes.
4. Make Crepes, Quiche, and Cream Puffs
5. Obtain one year supply grains, milk, salt, honey, or sugar
6. Follow Menu Plan for 4 weeks
7. Make Cream Pie from scratch
8. Read Home and Family Lessons in RS Manual

College of Theology

1. Hold Family Prayer Twice Day for one month
2. Pray, on knees, twice a day for one month
3. Read Book of World Religion
4. Read American Islam and Listen to Islam from LDS Perspective
5. Read/Blog Purpose Driven Life

College of Fine Arts

1. M
2. C
3. S

College of Applied Arts

1. Redo Entertainment Center
2. Herb Gardening
3. Propagate Rosemary

College of Business & Economics

1. Prepare Sunday Meal ahead for 4 weeks
2. Prepare Family Calendar for one month
3. Laundry caught up and kept up one month

College of Home-Ec/Sewing

1. Make five white hair ties
2. Create 2 sets white childrens socks – baptism
3. Make 3 items for wedding section of white store

College of Interior Design

1. Prepare new set draperies
2. Prepare Fresh Flowers for Front Porch
3. Frame Family Treasure

College of Language Arts

1. Write one letter a week for six weeks
2. Participate in a book review
3. Visit Libary each month for six months

College of Physical Education

1. Do Back Muscle Exercises 3 x wk for one month
2. Lose 25 Pounds
3. Acquire years supply medical supply/equipment

College of Social Science

1. Read Social Relations lessons in RS Manual
2. Visit another State
3. Do Personal Progress Program

College of Pyschology

1. See therapist weekly for 3 months
2. Change Hair Style
3. Pack up clothes that don’t fit. Donate what don’t need/won’t wear again.

College of Career Development

1. Finish SEO Blog eBook/online Program
2. Finish 40 Blog Actions
3. Read Notary Magazines for six months

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Brother Smith, If you wish to have this removed, pleased let me know. I post this here as wonderful history and encouragement to everyone who may read it. ~Heidi

Meridian Magazine
Missionary Moment – Emma: I was Too Tired to go West
By Mark Albright

Mark Albright is the president of the Washington DC South mission and shares these missionary stories with Meridian Magazine.  This letter comes from Bob Smith, a direct descendent of Joseph Smith.

Dear President Albright,

I was the 108th direct descendant of the Prophet Joseph Smith to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons).   I was the 2nd direct descendant of Joseph to be endowed in the new Nauvoo Temple.  I think it is time to share my story with a larger audience.

I was raised in the Reorganized LDS church, now known as the Community of Christ.  All of my life I had been taught to distrust and fear the Mormon church which is headquartered in Utah.  My journey to become a Mormon started in the summer of 2005 when I ran across a web site: JosephSmithJr.com.  I spent several hours reading what was there. I e-mailed the site and explained who I was.  I was contacted the next day and was invited to visit Utah in August for a Joseph Smith Family Reunion.   I was fearful to go, and was actually concerned for my safety and well being.  I left thinking I was like a sheep being led to the slaughter, and I might be going out on a nice plane, but I was coming back in a pine box!  But contrary to my beliefs, it actually was a delightful experience. My niece Kim Larson and I were picked up at the airport by John and Gwen Smith, the great-grandson of Hyrum Smith, Joseph’s brother.  They were our hosts for the next 3 days.

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, a Smith cousin as a descendant of Joseph’s brother Hyrum, addressed us. About 200 descendants attended the gathering.  Most, like me, were not members of the Mormon church.  We were also hosted by descendants of Samuel Smith, another of Joseph’s brothers. Our reception was totally awesome.

The warmth shared will last a lifetime.  We went to a play at the Marriott Center at BYU celebrating Joseph’s 200th birthday.  I will never again in my life have the feeling of total emotion I felt as I stood in the middle of the stadium with my family as we received a standing ovation from 23,000 people.  We were also guests of honor at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s weekly broadcast, during which music director Craig Jessop welcomed us and paid tribute to Joseph’s wife, Emma, for her collection of hymns.  The choir sang hymns centered on Joseph, “Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning,” and “Praise to the Man.”  When they sang “Joseph’s First Prayer,” I wept openly for the first time in 50 years.  This had never happened to me before, not even at the deaths of my parents, wife or son.

We were also shown various displays regarding Joseph and Emma Smith in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, as the Church celebrated the 200th anniversary of Joseph’s birth. Under the direction of descendants Michael Kennedy and his wife, Darcy, and Gracia Jones — the first Smith descendant to join the Church and receive her endowments — we held a family dinner in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City.  The art department at BYU presented me with a beautiful book about my Great Great Grandfather, Joseph Smith.

I was also presented with an LDS Hymn Book in memory of Emma’s contributions to Church music.  After I returned home to Nebraska, I placed both of these new books in my living room. At this point I was a total emotional wreck, but I knew what I needed to do. For the next few months I did much research and soul searching.  I looked back to the Reorganized church only to find out they had changed the church name, denounced the Book of Mormon, and denounced Joseph Smith as the prophet–all of which I was very opposed to.  I felt that the original Church was the one to pursue.

In January of 2006, two young Mormon missionaries came knocking on my door, Elder Batin and Elder Williams.   When I invited the elders to come inside, they immediately noticed the LDS hymnal and the art book about Joseph Smith on my table.   Needless to say, when the missionaries discovered I was NOT a Mormon, they stayed in my living room teaching me for most of that day.  Our discussion was fascinating for them and for me, because I already knew so much about their church history which intertwined with RLDS history; however, many of the gospel principles were different.  Over the following weeks I took all the missionary lessons and struggled with the huge disparity between what the elders were teaching me and what my RLDS friends and family had taught me my entire life.

The conflict within my heart and soul grew to the point that I finally told the missionaries that even though I believed their message and all their LDS doctrines, I could not join the Mormon Church until I could find out for myself why Brigham Young had left Emma behind in Nauvoo with five children to raise.   I was conflicted and could not come to a resolution that would comfort me.  It did not make sense to me that Emma had been left to fend for herself, after being so instrumental in the Restoration. I also spent several evenings in the home of David and Jodi Edwards who were LDS friends of mine, and where Elder Sandhu and Elder Johnson taught me further doctrines.

In April of 2006, I was driving down the highway to work and singing along loudly to a Southern gospel radio station.  I still remember the song I was listening to was titled:  “Joy, Joy Wonderful Joy” by the gospel group Bill and Gloria Gaithers.  Suddenly, to my dismay, the radio went completely silent.  I was a bit irritated at this since the car I was driving was almost new.  How could the radio break so soon?  I hit the dash and fiddled with the radio dials, but finally gave up and just drove along the road alone and in complete silence.

In the quiet I started to ponder about my dilemma.  Should I join the Mormon church as I wanted and enjoy fellowship with the Saints?  Would this upset my family and the many generations of Smiths who were angry that Emma had not been taken West along with the Saints?  Suddenly,  to my surprise,  I clearly and distinctly heard a women’s voice speaking to me.  It was as clear as if it had come through the radio speakers. The voice said:  “Robert, Follow your heart. I stayed in Nauvoo because I was tired and could travel no further.”

I knew instantly that the voice belonged to Emma Smith, my Great, Great Grandmother.   It was made clear to me at that moment that Emma had just given me her permission to be baptized into the Mormon Church!  My ancestors would not be angry with my decision to join my new found faith.

My last remaining concern and stumbling block had just been miraculously removed.

I was baptized on May 13, 2006, by my cousin Michael Kennedy, the President of the Joseph Smith Family organization, and the first descendant of Joseph to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood.  I was confirmed by my good friend and stake president David Edwards.  Also baptized at the same baptismal service by Michael was Caleb, the son of my good friends David and Rebecca Denning.  David is the son of my second cousin Gracia Jones and is stationed here in Omaha. I was overwhelmed with emotion that the great-great grandson and the great-great-great-great grandson of Joseph were to be baptized during the same service! It was a joyful occasion. Caleb’s and my baptism was the first time that a descendant of Joseph and Hyrum had worked together in the baptism of a family member.

Robert W. Smith baptized by Michael A. Kennedy, pictured here with Elders Batin and Williams and Caleb Denning, a 4th great grandson of Joseph, was baptized at the same time in Omaha, Nebraska.
I could only imagine the rejoicing and tears that were shed by the two brothers on the other side of the veil.  Their families were being united again after 150 years.  The beautiful dedicatory prayer at the Kirtland Temple offered by Joseph, especially D&C 109:70, is continuing to unfold, that the prejudices of Joseph’s posterity “may be broken up and swept away as with a flood that they may be converted.”

Among Joseph and Emma’s posterity are now some 125 living adult descendants who are members of the Church, and of them, at least 14 have served full-time missions.  Our prejudices have indeed been swept away as if by a flood as we are converted to the Gospel of the Restoration!  I was endowed in the Nauvoo Temple in June 2007. Thanks for your efforts to spread the light of truth!

Warm Regards,

Bob Smith

Omaha, Nebraska

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I’m going to start with choosing different items, from the colleges that I chose, to form the goals to set up for a Bachelor’s Degree, although I’m really wanting to set up for a Doctorate, because that’s the way I roll.  The Platinum Plan.

12 Goal in Chosen Major: Home Economics/Cooking:

1. Organize Recipes
2. Can or Freeze Fruit Properly
3. Make Jam or Jelly
4. Make Baking Powder Biscuits from scratch
5. Make a Cream Pie
6. Make a Two crust Pie
7. Bake all bread used for two weeks
8. Make one meal/week for six weeks, from food storage
9. Gather 1 year supply: grains, milk, salt, honey, sugar
10. Make Weekly menus, for 4 weeks in advance
11. Read all Home and Family in RS Manual
12. Dry one food item (tomatoes)

9 Goals in the College of Theology:

1. Pray two times a day, on knees for one month
2. Read World Religions
3. Read Lost books of bible (apocrapha and pseudopigraphra)
4. Read Sabbath – Wayne Muller
5. Read Book about the Gospel
6. Teach Family History Class
7. Read Jesus the Christ – Talmage
8. Read Spiritual Living Lessons in RS Manual
9. Read Miracle of Forgiveness

7 Goals from other Colleges

1. Read one Classic or Newberry Winner
2. Write Journal once week for 3 months
3. Contribute to Savings Account for 3 months
4. Decorate Front Porch
5. Arrange Fresh Flowers in home
6. Read book by Psychologist
7. Participate in a Book Review

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I’ve been looking for a spiritual series for this blog, now that I’ve fixed more kinks in being unable to see it, on my laptop.  If you know of any blog-type programs that are spiritually goal setting, please leave me a comment because adapting this one may prove to be more than I can handle..

Celestial University [pdf] is an LDS woman’s “Pursuit of Excellence.” I’ve decided to twist it to become more well-rounded in the studies I have going on now.  I am not sticking to the complete LDS version to accomplish this, but I am using the degree program as a guide for my journey.

The hardest part is incorporating my other spiritual growth studies to this in place of some of the more direct LDS philosophies.

In this program, you start by working towards a Bachelors degree, by choosing  major:

• 8 goals in a chosen major college
• 5 goals in College of Theology
• 3 goals in each other College
• 1 Project/Presentation

A Masters Degree

Add 2 goals to your major, 2 to Theology, 2 to other colleges or:

• 10 goals in chosen major college
• 7 goals in college of Theolgy
• 5 goals from other colleges
• 1 project/presentation
• 1 demonstration

To receive a Doctorate in Celestial University

Add 2 more goals in each college:

• 12 goals in chosen major
• 9 goals in College of Theology
• 7 goals in other collleges

The Degrees offered include:

• College of Theology
• College of Fine Arts
• College of Applied Arts
• College of Business and Economics
• College of Home Economics/Cooking
• College of Home Economics/Sewing
• College of Interior Design
• College of Language Arts
• College of Physical Education
• College of Social Science
• College of Pyschology
• College of Career Development

There are charts to record your progress and items to choose in each University. Now to figure out how to diversify them to not all LDS topics.

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A few months ago, my blogs were hacked and many of them crashed. Upon moving them to the new hosting provider, this blog seemed to not recover the crash.

It turns out that only MY computer couldn’t see the blog, because of something to do with my cache.

So, all this time I thought this blog was gone and yet it wasn’t.

So, I’m back now.. looking for a spiritual series to work on.

~Heidi

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I don’t really have a nightstand, so I didn’t say “my nightstand.” heh

Now that we’ve survived the hack and invastion of privacy in blog land, I can return to posting.

I’ve had much success, lately, with paperbackswap.

Yesterday, I received What Da Vinci Didn’t Know: an LDS perspective.

I add this book to my pile of religious reading, that includes:

• Jesus The Christ by James E. Talmage (on my 101 in 1001 days goals)
• Reexploring The Book of Mormon
• Rediscovering The Book of Mormon
• Book of Mormon Stories for Young Latter-day Saints
• The Miracle of Forgiveness by Spencer W. Kimball
• The World’s Religions by Huston Smith

I don’t, usually, have so much specific LDS reading.  I have, yet, to find authentic Eastern Orthodox material to read offline.  I’d like to have something tangible that taught me the vocabulary and spoke in simple English.

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What you stand for makes who you are and who you have yet to become.

When you represent your business, put your best food forward.  Look like you want others to look up to you. See what they see.  Be who you want them to see.

Dress for your personal success.  Associate with those you admire to succeed with.

Make your personal goals higher standards.  Walk with your head up, proud of the knowledge of who you are.

Choose to stand alone, when the choices to stand with are not acceptable to your personal standards.

Honor the you that you can and want to become.

Set one goal that makes you do something that teaches you a forward needed skill.  Be your best and make a plan.

Plan to walk a little taller.  Dance a little longer.  Sing a little sweeter. Love with all that you are.

and never stop praying.

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