Strengthening families through temporal self reliance

This is a great lesson for everyone.  Self Reliance!!!!  You know the glory of God is intelligence, and we know that whatever principle of intelligence we gain in this life, will rise with us in the Resurrection!  Well, when we become self reliant, we are constantly developing  all those skills that help us improve ourselves.  This is exactly what we are to do and what the Lord wants for us in our lives on this earth. 

I think we can all step back somewhat and look our grandparents because in their generation, they were self reliant.  Look at the example of the pioneers.... they couldn't just drop in a store and buy whatever they needed for food, they had to plant, nurture and grow it to sustain their families, not only for their food source, but to provide income to live. 

This year has been a particularly crazy weather year, with way too much snow and water, and we are seeing the results.  Lots and lots of flooding.  I was just barely able to plant my own little garden, but I have read about farmers who do this for a living have had to really delay their planting because of the rain and snow and floods.  What would happen to us, if we couldn't just drop in at the grocery store and purchase our food?  What if the farmers couldn't plant their crops this year at all, what would happen to us?  We take for so much for granted and we should take a leaf out of the books of our ancestors and learn how to do things for ourselves, in case we have to!

I have to share a story of my own mother.  My Mom and Dad raised 8 children on a very limited income.  Dad was a milkman and later a janitor.  Mom taught violin lessons.  Together there was barely enough money to pay the bills, and feed the family, but somehow they did it. Mom cooked from scratch, and made homemade bread, pancakes, and other wonderful things. Mom made sure that every year she would plant a garden, and that garden became a winter source of food for our family. Dad built the food storage shelves, and Mom filled them.  Her industry was taught to her children, and all of us learned how to bottle and freeze fruit, and vegetables.  My favorite was the grapes that she juiced and we enjoyed this fresh grape  juice every Thanksgiving.

It was a blessing that she was industrious enough to plant, and water by hand the garden that produced so much. Yes, I said by hand, she had no sprinkling system but herself.  After all her children married or moved away, and my father died, Mom still continued to plant her garden.  That large home became too overwhelming to take care of so she moved to a smaller little cottage, and at her new home, she still plants her garden every summer. She really has no garden space to speak of but uses spots between the bushes in her driveway, and plants pots with lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and tomatoes. My husband loves rhubarb, and she always brings over a rhubarb cobbler for him to enjoy from her garden.  Mom is a wonderful example of self reliance.  It is interesting too, that she always has enough for herself and also to give to others.  Mom still drags the hose to water her plants, but they are growing and will produce some fresh vegetables.

My daughters ask me every year to get together to do canning of spaghetti sauce, and salsa, peaches, and other items.  Because I was taught by my mother, I have been able to teach my daughters as well this wonderful homemaking skill.  It is lots of fun to spend entire days canning together with my daughters. Our scene in my kitchen reminds me of the memories I have canning in mom's kitchen.


Grammy Great top Right, my mother bottom Left.


My Grammy Great, whom I have written about in my blog posts, was also a wonderful example of self reliance.  She bore 13 children, 2 of which died in infancy, as did her husband when she was pregnant with her last child.  She even took in another boy to raise.  Grammy Great had to be self reliant.  She saved every scrap of fabric and made beautiful rag rugs that she sold for money to provide for her family.  Her children helped too, as they stitched the long ropes of fabric together.  There was never idle time, as Grammy Great used her precious time prudently.  She picked the fruit off of the trees on her yard, and bottled them and all winter long, there was delicious peaches, apples to make her special "Thing in the oven" recipe, and beans, and all manner of vegetables and fruits.   I can't think of anyone who would have been as needy as my Grammy Greats family, but it was Grammy Great who was first to take food to those in need, and help in anyway she could even outside of her own family. None of her children really ever knew just how needy they were, because she was so grateful for everything and the Lord provided, and gave her the skills, strength and industry to accomplish all she needed to do.   This is self reliance, and charity!

The Visiting Teaching  lesson teaches ..."When the Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, President Brigham Young (1801–77) counseled sisters to assist those in need and to learn skills that would allow them to take care of themselves. He said, “Learn to sustain yourselves; lay up grain and flour, and save it against a day of scarcity.” ³ Under the direction of the priesthood, Relief Society continues to teach self-reliance, to safeguard the family, and to encourage personal righteousness and acts of charity, the pure love of Christ." 

May we become more self reliant, may we broaden our mind and skills to learn and become self reliant, and may we reach out to help others do the same, though acts of charity and kindness.  May we all have the pure love of Christ in our lives, as we strengthen our families and others,through becoming self reliant!

Katie G.

It's the caring that counts

My ward is implementing a wonderful Visiting Teaching idea that our President took from the message that Sister Beck gave to all of those R.S. Presidencies who attended R.S. General Auxiliary Training.  It is very inspired.  I have posted it on my other blog http://visitingteachingsurprise.blogspot.com/
Enjoy!  Katie G

May 2011 Visiting Teaching message

Don't you just love when the month after conference comes, and you get to pick your own message from the wonderful talks that were given at  conference?  I know that I do.  It is a motivational thing, because it is actually rereading all of them and trying to pick just one topic and message.  I think there is more of a purpose here than what meets the eye.  What I just said... rereading all of the talks, is probably what it is all about.  Here is the link to listen to the Conference talks again... http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions?lang=eng

Don't you just love this church?  It is all about repetition and going over and over the principles of the gospel, rereading the scriptures, Ensigns, and even going to church over and over each and every week.  Purpose to this madness.... YES!  It is all good for us and helps to keep us on the straight and narrow.

I have a little personal experience that I want to share about a calling I once had.  I was called in a past ward, many years ago to a calling that I had felt very much inept in taking.  I said "YES" only because I was taught to not say now.  I was called to be the ward choir director.  I have played the violin for years, and piano and have sung in choirs, and participated in many musical productions, but never had I lead the music outside of Sacrament meeting, Primary and Relief Society, and certainly not a ward choir.  This calling gave me great anxiety because the previous choir directors were professionals, and I literally mean that as one of them was actually a Music teacher, and chorus director as his vocation. 

I did alot of praying and studying for hours the music that I would present to the choir to prepare to sing.  I had been told that we have so many individuals who come and sing, yet they don't know how to read music.  I decided that I would give it my best shot and hope it all worked out.

I began to direct the practices, and I literally sweat blood as I studied the music so that I could teach those who didn't read music their parts, including the men's parts as I had never sung Tenor or bass before.  In the practices, I noticed that the key to learning the music was to go over and over it.  So I did. One Day, I noticed some of the women in the ward talking among each other when I was working with the men.  It was obvious that they were talking about me as they kept looking up at me and then whispering and then looking again.  Finally the practice ended and I went home to take care of my family and be wtih them as it was Sunday.

Shortly after that my doorbell rang and in walked one of the sisters from the ward choir.  She was on a mission and she said that she represented many of the sisters in the Choir.  She told me that I was repeating the music too much and by doing so, I was treating the members of the choir like babies, not grown adults.  This took me back.  As she was telling me this, images of working with the men who didn't get their parts until I went over and over the music with them, went through my mind.  My eyes began to well up, and I was ready to burst out crying.  I was definitely hurt, and felt very unappreciated.  Little did she or those other women know, just how many hours a week I spent toiling over that music, just to get it prepared to teach them.  My confidence was shot and shortly after, I asked to be released.  The choir didn't have a director for several years after that. 

Now my point was not to tell you this story for your sympathy, but rather to teach a lesson.  Repetition is how all of us learn.  Without going over and over things, unless of course we have a photographic memory, is the only way to learn, internalize and make progress with anything in life.  For some it is more difficult than others.  Do you remember how long it took to study for tests in your High school classes... then on to college?  I don't know about you, but I had to study my brains out for my grades, and then sometimes I simply didn't study and repeat things enough and I didn't do so well. 

Repetition is something that we all must do  in our lives, and with that said.... remember "the glory of God is intelligence.  We all need constant learning in order to progress.  I don't know how many times our prophets have advised us to read and reread our scriptures.  Each time I do, it is almost like the first time I read them because I find things in them that I had forgotten or didn't get out of them in prior readings.  This is my message to you.... go through the Ensign and reread the conference talks, and do this over and over. I guarantee to you that different things will p op out at you each time you read them.  Share your incites with your sisters, and don't worry if you think that they have already read or heard it because everyone also absorbs messages with different perspectives.  Your perspective may be just what your sisters are in need of to help them to deal with their challenges and issues of this life. 

Happy Visiting teaching!  Go out and get it done!  Katie G