So, in my last post I promised that I would post the talk that I had heard when I was home in California. The man who gave it was the man who married me and Matt. He is such an amazing man who I really look up to. I hope all of you will take the time to read it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
OBEDIENCE TO A PROPHET’S VOICE VERSUS POPULAR OPINION AND THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
Shortly after organizing the Church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul continued his missionary journey. A brief time later he received communications from several sources that there was a disagreement between Church members and secular leaders where moral laws conflicted with popular public opinion. Some Church members felt obedience to God-given laws should take precedent; others, proposed such matters should be settled by judges in the pagan Corinthian courts. The saints wrote the Apostle Paul for his advice: The first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians’ was his reply.
In the opening paragraph of his letter, Paul states that he is a teacher not a judge: in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, his calling was “to teach correct principles and let the people govern themselves.” Without equivocation he establishes his God-given authority for the counsel he is about to give: “[I] am Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God unto the Church of God at Corinth and to those that are sanctified (make and keep such sacramental covenants) in Christ, Jesus” and who call themselves saints.” A modern parallel would be: President Thomas Monson, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Laguna Hills Third Ward that are sanctified in Christ and who identify themselves as Latter-day Saints.
Paul then contrasts the power of his testimony with the wisdom of the world: “My preaching and speaking [is] not with the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power [of God.]” But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery (meaning it requires faith) even hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, “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.” Thus when we are confronted with decisions involving moral judgments and popular opinion, we have two choices: listen to a prophet’s voice or follow popular opinion and wait for history to unravel and reveal the results of bad decisions together with their unintended consequences.
Just before the passage of Proposition 8, defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, I officiated at a sealing and marriage of a beautiful young couple in the Newport Beach Temple. An individual familiar with temple marriage but apposing Proposition 8 asked if I was familiar with the new California Marriage License Form which replaced the words “Husband and Wife” with “Party A and Party B.” I informed the individual I was not only familiar with the Form but that under the authority of the State of California I had signed the Form as the person performing the marriage. I further noted that the Primary Signature on the form, “Party A” was the Bride, not the Groom, presumably a nod to political correctness. I was asked if changing two, little words would affect the eternal salvation of the couple. I said, “knowing the couple it would not.” Then he asked, “why is the Church making such a big issue out of such a trivial change?” My response was “because of the unintended consequences which surely follow as they always do whenever the laws of God conflict with secular opinion no matter how well intended those laws or opinions my be.
Let me illustrate: As a young boy growing up in a non-LDS home it was my practice to give my Father a carton of cigarettes for Christmas present. My Mother purchased the gift which was always decked out in bright Christmas colors and festooned over the years with pictures of famous, popular people such as Walt Disney, John Wayne, Mickey Mantle, Linda Darnell, Edward R. Murrow, Dick Powell, Arthur Godfrey, to name a few. When my parents allowed my baptism at eight years, and I had become familiar with the “Word of Wisdom”, I asked my Mother if it was appropriate to give my Father such a gift. She allowed that it was “ok because my parents were not members of that Church” --- as if the laws of God applied only to Church members. As time passed, I came to realize, I had given my Father a poisoned gift: those famous people advocating the popular practice of smoking had all died of an unintended consequence – lung cancer. In the 89th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, known as the Word of Wisdom, given over 165 years ago, the Lord through his prophet counseled that those who lived the Word of Wisdom by faith would find “wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden knowledge.” History eventually revealed those hidden treasures of knowledge and now laws are passed that prevent smoking in public places. Still, there are popular public voices today advocating the legalization of Marijuana, drugs and even prostitution with all kinds of claimed benefits. Yet, those advocates of breaking the Lord’s moral laws are only guessing at what the results will be because they lack the “sure word of prophecy” which our inspired Church leaders provide: therefore, unintended consequences will surely follow.
Another example of unintended consequences is public profanity. In the Epistle of James we read: “If any man among you seems to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” (James 1:26)
The first use of profanity in motion pictures was a single word spoken by Thett Butler to Scarlett O’ Hara in “Gone with the Wind.” The Prophet President Heber J. Grant expressed concern to the movie industry about the precedent-setting use of profanity in such an important and influential medium. He was promptly ignored as you might expect. After all it was just a single word and a mild profane word at that. Moreover, it would interfere with First Amendment Right of Free Speech. Today we live in a gutter of profanity in nearly all aspects of public and private life. Apostle Dallon Oaks stated recently, “The nature and extent of profanity and vulgarity in our society is a measure of societies degradation, can it possibly get any lower?” It would be well for the advocates of profanity to heed the words of Matthew: 12:36; “But I say unto you, that every word men shall speak, they will give an account thereof in the Day of Judgment.” Fortunately, faithful members of the Church who honor the name of deity and avoid filthy, degrading language will not be subject to the unintended consequences of profanity, the full celestial implications of which are yet to come.
The first sexually explicit scene in film was in the Movie “Outlaw” starring Jane Russell and Walter Houston. The movie was schedule to be released in 1941 but was delayed for several years because it violated the Hays Code which set the standards of morally acceptable content in motion pictures. But clever publicity created a public outcry that censorship was an interference with artistic expression. We all know what moral cesspool the entertainment industry and the internet have become creating unintended consequences, never foreseen or mentioned by the advocates: broken marriages and families, illegitimate children and over crowded jails. Fortunately, the first Presidency saw this coming with the introduction of the Family Home Evening in 1905 and faithful members for the most part are not subject to the unintended consequences of the sexual revolution. One statistic provided by the First Presidency shows that the national divorce rate is 62%; the Temple marriage divorce rate is 6%; in many of the Temple divorces broken covenants were involved. The Church non-temple marriage divorce rate is 24%.
In 1986 Betty and I moved to California where I became President of a pharmaceutical company conducting clinical trials for the treatment of AIDS, Hepatitis C and other viral diseases. These were high-profile activities where I was called upon to speak before large groups of scientific and business leaders. This was a time of great civil unrest where speakers were frequently heckled and even spattered with blood and angry mobs. I had been asked to speak to the C.E.O’s of the Casualty and Underwriters Association of North America on the possibility of a cure of effective treatment for AIDS. Without getting into the technical details, I was prepared to tell these leaders that the only cure for AIDS is chastity before marriage and fidelity after marriage. This was not a popular message with some groups because of its moral connotations. To anticipate what reaction I might encounter, I consulted an acquaintance and California legislative leader who had been responsible for much of the Gay rights legislation in the State of California. He was an engaging and brilliant man whose partner had died of AIDS and he himself was in the latter stages of the disease. He read my paper and to my surprise said “I wouldn’t change a word. You are exactly right. When we started this movement we did not know what we were doing.” History was revealing the unintended consequences of a promiscuous, immoral life style among the gay and heterosexual communities.
Following forty years of work on their ten volume history of the world, The Story of Civilization, Will and Ariel Durant, distilled into a small follow-up volume, The Lessons of History, what history had revealed about the prospects for a society that ignores the God-given laws of chastity and fidelity. Their conclusion: “No one man, however brilliant or well informed, can come in one lifetime to such a fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experience in the laboratories of history. A youth boiling with hormones, may ruin his life before he sufficiently matures to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred constrains if it is not to consume in chaos both individual and group. --- There is no significant example in history before our time of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion.”
Finally, I wish to apply these same principles to the Law of Tithing. Shortly, Betty and I will have the opportunity to visit Bishop Hick as part of tithing settlement to declare ourselves as full tithe payers, something we have done for each of the 57 years of our marriage. What a wonderful feeling it is to appear before the Judge of Israel knowing that we are in full conformity of the Law. We have never paid tithing with the expectation we would receive something in return; yet we have been blessed in so many ways. We agree with President Hinckley who said: “Tithing is not so much a matter of money as much as it is a matter of faith.” President Hinckley continues, “I have yet to find a faithful tithe payer who cannot testify that in a very literal and wonderful way the windows of heaven have been opened and blessings have been poured out upon him or her. Tithing is the Lord’s law of finance. There is no other law like it. It is a principle given with a promise spoken by the Lord himself for the blessing of His children.”
The Law of Tithing did not originate with the LDS Church. It applies to all people and all institutions. It is applicable to every member of the church, whether they are rich or poor. Tithing is the means that allows the Church to complete nearly 150 temples and buildings like this one at a rate of almost one building a day, completely free of debt and full operational; one only needs to compare the 50 words of Malachi counseling the payment of tithing to the thousands of pages in the Federal Income Tax Registry to recognize the simplicity that comes of the wisdom of God in contrast with the complexity that comes of the wisdom of men.
While serving as the President of the Cumorah Stake, I was invited by the leaders of the Rochester New York Catholic Diocese to explain how our Church manages its finances. They had heard we were a very wealthy Church at a time they were facing a financial crisis. They were about to lose a major Catholic seminary used for the training of priests. I said we did it in the Lord’s way. They asked: “what is the Lord’s way?” I read them the words of Malachi from their own Bible: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” They were very skeptical their people would be willing to give a tenth of their income and left the room feeling I had given them a very impractical advice. Subsequently, the Seminary structures were sold to the Eastman Kodak Company and converted into commercial buildings.
I leave with you my testimony of the blessing of tithing that I know God lives; Jesus Christ in our Elder brother and exemplar; that Thomas S. Monson is a modern prophet of God and that we would do well to heed his words. I leave with you as I began the words of the Apostle Paul: “But as it is written, ‘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.” In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thanksgiving Nov. 2008 - Oh, what a trip! Family pics as well.
Journal to Madeline: Dec. 6, 2008
To My Dear Ms. Madeline,
You scared me this trip. As I told you before in your previous journal you had pneumonia. For the most part you were better, however because you had pneumonia your immune system was down. When we got to CA you contracted some sort of stomach virus. You were throwing up and pooping a lot!!! We figured you just had to get through this, since there was not really any medicine that could cure you. Well, on Thanksgiving you were very moody. You went diharrea about every hour. No matter what we did we could not get you to go down for your last nap either. Finally you fell asleep for about a half hour. We had about a half hour to shove down some Thanksgiving food at Grandma and Grandpa Deters house. You started crying again, so we went and got you. You then started crying uncontrollably. I was so scared and so was your Dad. Your Dad called the Urgent Care and tried to get us in at the last minute. Unfortunately they left before we were able to make it. We were quite angry about this by the way. It ended up being ok because we had to take you to the hospital anyway.
The hospital checked you out and decided that they needed to give you an iv. You were so dehydrated. You did not pee for about two days straight. When you cried you did not even cry tears. It was the saddest thing. In order for them to put the iv in, you had to be very still. Being the curious little girl you are, that was not very easy to do. I basically had to lay on top of you to keep you still. You were screaming so hard. They could not find a vain, so they had to poke you in your hand and both of your arms until they found one. You were of course crying, but you handled it so well. You are so strong. They had to put a catheter in you as well to see how dehydrated you were. I was hoping you would not have to experience that until you had kids of your own. I can't tell you how miserable it was, watching you got through so much. It makes me wonder how our Heavenly Father does it. I have to say however, the nurses were so sweet. They even put on Elmo for you, which you loved. I was scared they were going to make you stay over night, but they released us at about 11pm, after they filled you full of fluids.
By the time you read this I am sure you will know that I was hospitalized when I was 11 months for spinal meningitis. Of course what happened to you is not nearly as bad as what I had, however the thought did run through my mind. Since your Uncle Nicholas passed away at such a young age as well, I have to admit that I have a lot of fears inside me that can haunt my mind at times. In addition this is the time of year that he passed away, therefore some sad and difficult memories tend to be at the back of my mind as well as your Grandparents minds. It made me reflect on how strong my parents (your Grandparents) were and are. I love you so much and could not imagine life without you. I really don't know how my parents did it. I know they could not have done it as well as they did if it were not for their relationship with God. We have a lot of burdens to deal with in this life and if we are faithful and deal with them to the best of our ability, Heavenly Father will make those burdens lighter.
At the same time that all of this happened I was very grateful. I am not one to pray for trials, really I do not know anyone who does. However, I do know that there is a reason for everything and trials truly are blessings. With each trial comes a lesson and new found strength. Depending on how you react to your trials they can bring you closer to, or further from your loved ones. There have been many times in my life where I have heard people claim they are the way they are because of something that happened in their life. While I agree that the certain situations that take place in our lives definitely contribute to who we are, I believe that how we choose to react to those situations is what really shapes the person we are. I am trying to say that no matter how difficult the situation may be you still have choices. If you end up being a person who morns there entire life, or who attempts to get revenge, you can blame yourself for those choices. I hope that you will always be your own person and not use a scape goat to excuse any wrong doings in your life. When my brother passed away your Grandma and Grandpa could have reacted completely different. They could of gotten a divorce, they could have left the church, they could have blamed God, they could have neglected or become over protective of me. While I am sure all of us made our mistakes after he passed away your Grandparents stayed together. They kept going to church and we were in fact sealed in the temple, as a family for all eternity. They encouraged me to be anyone I wanted to be. They always supported me and I always knew and still always know that I am a very loved daughter. What great examples your Grandparents are.
About a week ago Elder Wirthlin, one of the 12 apostles, died at the age of 91. His wife had passed away 2 years earlier. This was a bitter sweet time for his family and for the members of the church. We are happy that he can return to be with his wife and our Heavenly Father, but we will surely miss him here. He gave such an amazing talk called "Come What May, and Love It."
I absolutely love this talk. I love what a sense of humor he has. He speaks about how we need to learn to laugh. We need to realize the eternal perspective of our trials, rather than say "why me." The answer to that is that our Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us and therefore allows to suffer that we may overcome obstacles and draw nearer unto him. I hope you take the time to read this talk whenever you may be going through adversity.
To continue on with our trip, it did not stop at your sickness. Every single person got sick besides me and Grandma Deter. Aunt Linda and Uncle Rich came to visit and to be able to meet you for the first time and even they got sick. It was so sad, but it will make for a trip that none of us will ever forget. I am sure we will look back and laugh sometime. I must say I rather be sick with the fam than be sick alone.
Despite all the germs going around we got to spend some good quality time with both sides of the family. One of the nights at Grandma and Grandpa Deter's house you entertained us all. I really like this band called Cold Play. Grandpa Deter had one of their concerts recorded. He put on the concert and then placed you on his stomach while he was laying down. You two were rocking out together for about an hour or so. It was absolutely hilarious. You were amazed with the lights on the television and you were seriously shakin it. I can't tell you how excited that makes me feel. I need someone to go crazy and rock out with me around the house. I am very happy that you like Cold Play as well. You already have great taste in music. While we were at your Grandparents house you picked up this hilarious laugh. You would laugh like crazy every time you saw or heard your Grandma Deter. The laugh was kind of like a cackle. I called it your curtious laugh. It made you sound like a little teenager. Here are some pics of our visit with the Deter side of the family.
One of the nights your Grandpa Peach got to babysit you alone. He has always loved you, but after this night he had this adorable attachment to you. He wanted to make sure he was there when you woke up in the morning. He would walk you around the house and show you family pictures we took when I was younger. You loved it and you loved being with him.
Us girls, Grandma Laurie, you, and I went to have your pictures taken with Santa. It was such a special day. Grandma bought you the cutest dress from Nordstroms, some tights and these adorable shoes to top it off. You were one stylin little baby. You didn't seem to mind to look at Santa, but you were not very happy when he held you. You cried a bit, but it was still so cute. I was mortified of Santa when I was little, so you did a lot better. After we saw Santa we went on the Merry-go-round. You loved it. What made your Grandma and I crack up was your little cheeks. Your cheeks were jiggling as the merry-go-round was moving. It was so adorable.
We also went to the the beach, we went shopping and we went to Ruby's diner with your Great Grandpa Rubin and your Aunt Patty. Your Dad and I went to a Ducks hockey game one night as well. Here are so pics of that night and our visit with the Peach side of the family.
)
So lately you have been very attached to me. This is very not like you. You have always been one of those babies who will go to anyone. Yet towards the end of our stay in CA you will not let anyone hold you if I am in your site. I have to hold you and then you will play with everyone around you. I must say I feel so loved by you. I wondered before if you recognized me as being your Mom. Now I know that you do. At the same time I hope this phase does not last too long. It is not that I do not love your affection and your love for me, but I always wanted to raise you to be independent and to be happy no matter where you are and who you are with. This is a very normal phase that most babies go through though and I know I need to enjoy it while I can. I am sure in the future I will be dying for your love and affection. You are my little snuggle bunny and it is so adorable. I also think you've been like this because you are teething like crazy. Your little gums are so white. I feel so bad for you. I can tell you are in a lot of pain.
While we were in CA I had the opportunity to go to church with my parents. You had to stay home both Sunday's because you were sick. Anyways, while we were there the man who married your Father and I, brother Rossiter, spoke. He gave the most amazing talk that I wanted to share with you. I will post the talk a little later.
We love you so much our sweet Madeline Rose. We will always be there for you no matter what. Thank you for being our daughter.
Family Pics:
Before we left for Thanksgiving we had some family pictures taken by my wonderful friend Kelly. She did an amazing job and she was done in just 15 minutes. I love them so much! If you like what you see you should check out her amazing, creative, simplistic and homemade blog: click here
To My Dear Ms. Madeline,
You scared me this trip. As I told you before in your previous journal you had pneumonia. For the most part you were better, however because you had pneumonia your immune system was down. When we got to CA you contracted some sort of stomach virus. You were throwing up and pooping a lot!!! We figured you just had to get through this, since there was not really any medicine that could cure you. Well, on Thanksgiving you were very moody. You went diharrea about every hour. No matter what we did we could not get you to go down for your last nap either. Finally you fell asleep for about a half hour. We had about a half hour to shove down some Thanksgiving food at Grandma and Grandpa Deters house. You started crying again, so we went and got you. You then started crying uncontrollably. I was so scared and so was your Dad. Your Dad called the Urgent Care and tried to get us in at the last minute. Unfortunately they left before we were able to make it. We were quite angry about this by the way. It ended up being ok because we had to take you to the hospital anyway.
The hospital checked you out and decided that they needed to give you an iv. You were so dehydrated. You did not pee for about two days straight. When you cried you did not even cry tears. It was the saddest thing. In order for them to put the iv in, you had to be very still. Being the curious little girl you are, that was not very easy to do. I basically had to lay on top of you to keep you still. You were screaming so hard. They could not find a vain, so they had to poke you in your hand and both of your arms until they found one. You were of course crying, but you handled it so well. You are so strong. They had to put a catheter in you as well to see how dehydrated you were. I was hoping you would not have to experience that until you had kids of your own. I can't tell you how miserable it was, watching you got through so much. It makes me wonder how our Heavenly Father does it. I have to say however, the nurses were so sweet. They even put on Elmo for you, which you loved. I was scared they were going to make you stay over night, but they released us at about 11pm, after they filled you full of fluids.
By the time you read this I am sure you will know that I was hospitalized when I was 11 months for spinal meningitis. Of course what happened to you is not nearly as bad as what I had, however the thought did run through my mind. Since your Uncle Nicholas passed away at such a young age as well, I have to admit that I have a lot of fears inside me that can haunt my mind at times. In addition this is the time of year that he passed away, therefore some sad and difficult memories tend to be at the back of my mind as well as your Grandparents minds. It made me reflect on how strong my parents (your Grandparents) were and are. I love you so much and could not imagine life without you. I really don't know how my parents did it. I know they could not have done it as well as they did if it were not for their relationship with God. We have a lot of burdens to deal with in this life and if we are faithful and deal with them to the best of our ability, Heavenly Father will make those burdens lighter.
At the same time that all of this happened I was very grateful. I am not one to pray for trials, really I do not know anyone who does. However, I do know that there is a reason for everything and trials truly are blessings. With each trial comes a lesson and new found strength. Depending on how you react to your trials they can bring you closer to, or further from your loved ones. There have been many times in my life where I have heard people claim they are the way they are because of something that happened in their life. While I agree that the certain situations that take place in our lives definitely contribute to who we are, I believe that how we choose to react to those situations is what really shapes the person we are. I am trying to say that no matter how difficult the situation may be you still have choices. If you end up being a person who morns there entire life, or who attempts to get revenge, you can blame yourself for those choices. I hope that you will always be your own person and not use a scape goat to excuse any wrong doings in your life. When my brother passed away your Grandma and Grandpa could have reacted completely different. They could of gotten a divorce, they could have left the church, they could have blamed God, they could have neglected or become over protective of me. While I am sure all of us made our mistakes after he passed away your Grandparents stayed together. They kept going to church and we were in fact sealed in the temple, as a family for all eternity. They encouraged me to be anyone I wanted to be. They always supported me and I always knew and still always know that I am a very loved daughter. What great examples your Grandparents are.
About a week ago Elder Wirthlin, one of the 12 apostles, died at the age of 91. His wife had passed away 2 years earlier. This was a bitter sweet time for his family and for the members of the church. We are happy that he can return to be with his wife and our Heavenly Father, but we will surely miss him here. He gave such an amazing talk called "Come What May, and Love It."
I absolutely love this talk. I love what a sense of humor he has. He speaks about how we need to learn to laugh. We need to realize the eternal perspective of our trials, rather than say "why me." The answer to that is that our Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us and therefore allows to suffer that we may overcome obstacles and draw nearer unto him. I hope you take the time to read this talk whenever you may be going through adversity.
To continue on with our trip, it did not stop at your sickness. Every single person got sick besides me and Grandma Deter. Aunt Linda and Uncle Rich came to visit and to be able to meet you for the first time and even they got sick. It was so sad, but it will make for a trip that none of us will ever forget. I am sure we will look back and laugh sometime. I must say I rather be sick with the fam than be sick alone.
Despite all the germs going around we got to spend some good quality time with both sides of the family. One of the nights at Grandma and Grandpa Deter's house you entertained us all. I really like this band called Cold Play. Grandpa Deter had one of their concerts recorded. He put on the concert and then placed you on his stomach while he was laying down. You two were rocking out together for about an hour or so. It was absolutely hilarious. You were amazed with the lights on the television and you were seriously shakin it. I can't tell you how excited that makes me feel. I need someone to go crazy and rock out with me around the house. I am very happy that you like Cold Play as well. You already have great taste in music. While we were at your Grandparents house you picked up this hilarious laugh. You would laugh like crazy every time you saw or heard your Grandma Deter. The laugh was kind of like a cackle. I called it your curtious laugh. It made you sound like a little teenager. Here are some pics of our visit with the Deter side of the family.
One of the nights your Grandpa Peach got to babysit you alone. He has always loved you, but after this night he had this adorable attachment to you. He wanted to make sure he was there when you woke up in the morning. He would walk you around the house and show you family pictures we took when I was younger. You loved it and you loved being with him.
Us girls, Grandma Laurie, you, and I went to have your pictures taken with Santa. It was such a special day. Grandma bought you the cutest dress from Nordstroms, some tights and these adorable shoes to top it off. You were one stylin little baby. You didn't seem to mind to look at Santa, but you were not very happy when he held you. You cried a bit, but it was still so cute. I was mortified of Santa when I was little, so you did a lot better. After we saw Santa we went on the Merry-go-round. You loved it. What made your Grandma and I crack up was your little cheeks. Your cheeks were jiggling as the merry-go-round was moving. It was so adorable.
We also went to the the beach, we went shopping and we went to Ruby's diner with your Great Grandpa Rubin and your Aunt Patty. Your Dad and I went to a Ducks hockey game one night as well. Here are so pics of that night and our visit with the Peach side of the family.
So lately you have been very attached to me. This is very not like you. You have always been one of those babies who will go to anyone. Yet towards the end of our stay in CA you will not let anyone hold you if I am in your site. I have to hold you and then you will play with everyone around you. I must say I feel so loved by you. I wondered before if you recognized me as being your Mom. Now I know that you do. At the same time I hope this phase does not last too long. It is not that I do not love your affection and your love for me, but I always wanted to raise you to be independent and to be happy no matter where you are and who you are with. This is a very normal phase that most babies go through though and I know I need to enjoy it while I can. I am sure in the future I will be dying for your love and affection. You are my little snuggle bunny and it is so adorable. I also think you've been like this because you are teething like crazy. Your little gums are so white. I feel so bad for you. I can tell you are in a lot of pain.
While we were in CA I had the opportunity to go to church with my parents. You had to stay home both Sunday's because you were sick. Anyways, while we were there the man who married your Father and I, brother Rossiter, spoke. He gave the most amazing talk that I wanted to share with you. I will post the talk a little later.
We love you so much our sweet Madeline Rose. We will always be there for you no matter what. Thank you for being our daughter.
Family Pics:
Before we left for Thanksgiving we had some family pictures taken by my wonderful friend Kelly. She did an amazing job and she was done in just 15 minutes. I love them so much! If you like what you see you should check out her amazing, creative, simplistic and homemade blog: click here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
