Sing, sing a song

Vienna Boys Choir in Richfield? Amazing, but true. We were blessed by a performance last night at the Seveir Valley Center by the world famous choir. Those boys had angelic voices. They performed works from Mendelssohn, Shubert, Mozart, Debussy and Strauss to an Uzbekistan prayer, Austrian Folksongs, and original works from the conductor himself. One little boy had a voice as clear as a bell and it gave me chills to hear him sing. The whole evening was like peeking into a little bit of heaven...truly inspirational. Even Brandt loved it!

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson

"Tea with the Queen"

Roll out the Red carpet for King Chad and Queen Laura. We put on an Etiquette/Manner's "Tea-Party" for our kids. They were inducted into knighthood and presented as princesses of the realm. They learned the importance of manners and being polite.

This is the talk we gave to them.
Manners and being polite:
· Arrive at the table with a clean face and hands
· Put the napkin in your lap and wait for the host to begin
· Don’t push and shove and wait your turn
· Sit up straight and don’t put your elbows on the table
· Use proper utensils
· Wipe your mouth and chew with your mouth closed
· Thank the host for the food
Why are manners important?
· Shows respect for ourselves and others
· Respect is patience, kindness, courtesy
· Being polite shows what is inside your heart
· Shows that you are thinking of others when you allow them go first or take your turn
· Shows that you’re not selfish
· Manners show maturity and love to others
· Manners are an outward sign that you are a true gentleman/lady on the inside

True gentlemen do things they don’t “have” to do:
· Open door for others
· Allowing ladies to go first
A real gentleman is a leader:
· He serves others around him
· Serves not to gain favors or to look good but because he has spirit of chivalry
Chivalry:
· Live one’s life so that it is worthy of respect and honor
· Respect life and freedom and live for justice and all that is good
· Always keep ones word of honor and never lie or cheat
· Loyalty to country---Obey the law of country and protect the innocent
· Respect women
· Exhibit self-control
· Exhibit courage in word and deed
· Destroy evil in all its monstrous forms
· Be polite and attentive and exhibit manners

“You are a royal generation. You were preserved to come to the earth in this time for a special purpose. Not just a few of you, but all of you. There are things for each of you to do that no one else can do as well as you. If you do not prepare to do them, they will not be done. Your mission is unique and distinctive for you. Please don’t make another have to take you place. He or she can’t do it as well as you can. If you will let Him, I testify that our Father in Heaven will walk with you through the journey of life and inspire you to know you special purpose here.” H. Burke Peterson

Legacy

Chad and I attended my uncle's funeral on Saturday and I learned so many things about him that I wished I would have known before then. For instance, when he was a young boy and attending Stake Conference in the St.George Tabernacle, President George A. Smith pointed him out of the audience and asked him to come to the podium. He did so with fear and trepidation, but when he approached, the prophet asked him to bear his testimony and all the fear left this little boy as he stood and bore witness of Jesus Christ. I thought that was amazing.

Another amazing thing I learned was that he volunteered to do a tour of duty in Vietnam. While there he became aware of a leper colony that was abandoned when the French pulled out of Vietnam. They were without medical care, medicine or anything for that matter. And so he proceeded to help them with the things they needed. He asked his family to go without Christmas presents so that they could use the money to buy a generator for these people.

He was an orthopedic surgeon and was instrumental in the healing and helping of many people and many children. He was compassionate and kind. He left a great legacy to his children, grand

children and many others. I'm glad that I was able to learn more about his life and it has inspired me to focus on the legacy I want to build before I leave this world behind.