Violins

I know very little about the violin, nor do I know how to play one, but I would certainly like to learn one day.

I do know one thing about violins--I love the sounds they produce, especially in the hands of one who loves it.

Take a moment, close your eyes and listen. I think violin music is very relaxing--maybe you will too.

Late Summer

There is a crispness in the air right now--although it is really just late summer. I wore a jacket at my bus stop at 6:45 a.m. yesterday and was really glad I did.

I spent the day with my mother and we mentioned what a wonderful temperature it was--with just a slight breeze. I commented, "I hope heaven is just like this." Mom even promised a woman we met that the weather we were experiencing would continue until Christmas. Probably not.

This time of  year I pull out my spicy candles tucked away from the previous winter.

The fragrance of the candle always brings memories of fall for me such as burning leaves, snickerdoodle cookies, pumpkin pie, autumn soup, cornbread, crisp morning air, last of summer garden vegetables, apple cider and fall flowers.

I am really going to try and enjoy this end-of-summer weather and be grateful for all that I have.

Rainbows

I have always loved rainbows. I think children do too. The colors are so stunningly beautiful.

Rainbows come and take us by surprise. Most of the time someone has to point them out to us. Some of us just shrug them off as one of the "nature things" and others look quickly then turn away.

The rainbow is a reminder of one of our Father in Heaven's blessings. The blessings we receive  are kind of like that. Sometimes someone has to point them out to us, others we never even notice and sometimes we make a quick glance and go back to life.

This rainbow was just over my house the other day. My husband called as he was driving from Provo to tell me about it. I never would have noticed!

I wonder how many blessings I never even notice. I'll try and do better.

Old Cemeteries

My husband and I enjoy traveling and seeing new sites. When we travel by car, we always end up going through many small towns. Each town is unique but there are usually some similarities.

One thing I have noticed is that most have one or several churches and connected to each church is usually an old cemetery.

Since I am a family historian, it is very hard for me to pass up an old cemetery. Of course, we don't stop at all of the cemeteries--only the ones we think we have family buried. But I still can't help being drawn to an old cemetery. Maybe some think this is creepy. But cemeteries hold many bits of information very important to family history research.

As we drive by an old church, I always hope someone locally has taken some effort and posted a picture or at least some information found on the headstones. I know when I help people at the family history library their faces always light up when they see a picture of a headstone of a loved one.

Old churches with cemeteries are on my list of favorite things.

Prince Edward Island, Canada

The vacation Kevin and I are enjoying in the northeast of the United States and Canada has been so great!

On July 24, 2011, as I sit by our pool at the bed and breakfast in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island, Canada where we are staying, I can also see the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. The sun is starting to set at 6:40 p.m. and we are enjoying 72 degree weather. Sailboats, tugboats, Sea-doos, cruise ships and merchant vessels occasionally are moving across my view.

I have never had the opportunity to ride in a sailboat, but there are few things more calming to me than watching a sailboat glide over the water. I am going to add this to my favorite things list and remember this scene next winter.

I think Christopher Cross sang it best.

We May Never Pass This Way Again

Many know that I walk each morning that I can for about three miles. This gives me alot of time to think and look around at the beauties of nature.

My husband and I are taking a trip in the next little while back to Boston and up into Canada. I have dreamed about visiting Boston for many years. Many have asked me why I have had such a dream. Well, I am not sure--I guess it is because I love history so much. I am not really sure. As I was contemplating those sites we will be seeing while we are back East, I looked up at the beautiful mountains surrounding the valley in Springville, Utah in which I now live.

I almost said aloud, "What could be more beautiful than this." The magestic mountains practically in my backyard were really green but still had their snow caps. I haven't seen the Swiss Alps, but I really don't think they could be better. I turned myself 360 degrees and noted all of the beauty. Sometimes I am very ungrateful for the wonders of life that are around me each day.

In the book of Moses of the Pearl of Great Price it reads in chapter 2 verse 31, "And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good."

I am more determined to enjoy the beauties of life all around me. Below is a song I loved years ago. I should have begun to put the lyrics to work in my life way back then.

Amazing Grace

I really like the sound of bagpipes. To me they have a very calming sound. I have always liked the hymn Amazing Grace although it is not within our LDS hymn book. Please enjoy the music to the hymn while viewing scenes of Scotland.