News From the Thomas Family

Since all my children are complaining that they don't know what is going on in the family and I seem to have a little more time on my hands we are turning this into a family blog where anyone who wants to contribute can. So for this first posting here is what I know is going on.

Today I have been released as the Stake Young Women President. It has been a hard week for me. It is a bittersweet time. At first when I found out that I was being released I was in shock, but sad. I wondered if I had done something wrong because it had only been two years. I felt that I hadn't accomplished all that I had wanted to do. I was looking forward to planning the Priest Laurel conference, visiting Young Women in Excellences, and to plan a stake camp this summer. I really wanted to go to the open house in April. I have cried on and off all week. On Monday I was reading about the experience that Sister Holland had when she was released from the General Young Women's Presidency after only two years, the same as me. President Hinkley told her then, "Don't be sad that it wasn't longer, be glad that it happened at all." That really struck me. Here I am a little mother from the small town of Glenwood, who has no job, title or status being called to a Stake calling and taught by wonderful leaders. I have been able to meet and associate with wonderful people throughout the stake, especially such wonderful young men and young women leaders, wonderful and strong youth. Those relationships has strengthened me and taught me. More than anything I have come to know my Savior in a way that I could never have. Just the experience of writing Joseph's Legacy and having to rely on the Lord because it was way beyond my talents and abilities was a great experience in getting to know my Savior. He has sustained me and guided me through out these last two years. I have come to rely on him so much that sometimes I am afraid that he will leave me when I don't have such a calling where I need him. I know that this not the case and that I don't need a calling to have Him there. It is going to take continuing faith to know that my life is in the hands of the Lord and he is guiding me so that I can fulfill my purpose on this earth.

The other news is that Casey is being sued for the accident that happened over a year ago. In a civil suit 3 people have to be named. The driver of the vehicle (who is dead), the UID, and Casey are the three named in the suit. Financially insurance will take care of the cost of the settlement and Casey only has what he has saved for his mission, which isn't much. Our main concern is that he will have to leave his mission to testify in the case. We don't want to have him leave his mission at all. On Friday the lawyers came to Glenwood to serve Casey with the papers and they were told that he was out of the country and would not be back for two years and that they would need to deal with his parents. The lawyers went back to Calgary without serving the papers to decide what should be done next. We are praying that all will work out and that Casey can continue to serve the Lord in Las Vegas.

Halloween was great even though it was Stake Conference. We are grateful for great neighbors and friends. We took the kids early for trick or treating and then left for Stake Conference. While we were gone the Francis family came and picked up Heidi and Julie and took them trick or treating with them while Tyson stayed home to watch the house. At 15 Tyson isn't into trick or treating and he is not much of a candy fan anyway. Heidi and Julie had bags of candy and were thrilled. What a great place we live in.

Challenges

What a couple weeks we have had. A little over a week ago I put a load of wash in the washer, turned it on, and heard a whine, a big clunk, then silence. The washer had spun its last load. It had lived a good life but after suffering over 10 years of hard labor it finally died. But that was not all. That same night the girls went to get a drink of water from the water dispenser on the fridge. It wouldn't work. As Kelly was checking the electrical outlet, smoke came pouring out of the fridge in the place where water should of been pouring out. It was a snap, crackle, pop, that didn't come from a box. After having an electrician check the power then next day, he found that the problem originated in the fridge and some of the electrical circuits had shorted out. The next morning it was on to the stovetop where the burners who had been a little temperamental in the past, were very ornery. That was the end and we made a trip to Lethbridge to replace appliances. We ended up replacing 4 appliances as the washer came with a companion. Then a couple days later the suburban was shaking so we took that in to see what was the matter and no it hadn't died but some wheel bearings and two tires needed to be replaced. Finally two days ago I was turning off the water at the kitchen sink and the handle kept turning around and around and around without turning off the water. More replacements needed and all of this in two weeks.

Now you may wonder if there is a lesson in all of this and there is. You see since January I have been trying to be more grateful. I think that Satan is trying to thwart my efforts by throwing challenges in my path. It’s easy to be grateful when everything is going right, not so easy when things are going wrong. In my scripture study I have found out why it’s important to be grateful. In Doctrine and Covenants 46: 7 it says, “But ye are commanded in all things to ask of God, who giveth liberally; and that which the Spirit testifies unto you even so I would that ye should do in all holiness of heart, considering the end of your salvation, doing all things with prayer and thanksgiving that… (And this is why we need to be thankful)…ye may not be seduced by evil spirits (can’t depression and discouragement be an evil spirit) or doctrines of devils (he does want us to feel hopeless), or the commandments of men; for some are of men and others of devils.”

So, even thought things seem to be falling apart all around me there will always be something to be grateful for. I haven’t had to deal with devastating earth quakes, fires, floods or anything of those things that can leave a person with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Two weeks without a washer is much better than months without even a home.

Cracks in our Virtue

I have been thinking about the last year and some of the thoughts that I have had. I decided that I needed to share some of them. Hopefully I can post more frequently than I have done in the past. Today's thought came to me as I visited Frank's Slide Interpretive Center in Frank, Alberta.

In 1903 part of Turtle Mountain crumbled burying the town of Frank, Alberta and killing 30 people. Looking at the mountain and the large rocks that fell make one wonder how this could happen. How could a mountain fall? The Book of Mormon prophet Mormon Lamented in Mormon 6:16-19 “Oh ye fair ones how could ye have fallen?” at the destruction of his people the Nephites.
At Turtle Mountain water entered the cracks and then froze. The cracks grew larger each year until it was only a matter of time before the mountain fell. The Nephites let sin and pride into their lives, which “cracks”, lead to their downfall.

At the town of Frank geologists were warning that the mountain was shifting and the Native people called Turtle Mountain "the mountain that walked." The people of Frank did not head the warnings. Today we have a prophet to warn us. President Monson along the the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and the General Young Women's Presidency has warned about "cracks" in our virtue. Now is the time to seal those cracks. It's time to take a serious look at our modesty, our dating and marriage relationships, the movies, music and books that we see, hear and read and the places that we visit on the Internet. May it not be said of us “Oh ye fair sons and daughters, how could ye have fallen?”