Strawberry Bread

Emergency Essentials - October 25, 2011

SHARE: Facebook - Share this Tweet this Email to a friend Print this

Use this delicious recipe for a delicious (and food storage friendly) twist on traditional quick bread recipes like zucchini and banana bread.
Do you like banana or zucchini bread? Do you like strawberries? If so, you’ll love this recipe. You can make it with or without nuts. We substituted walnuts for the pecans and as a way to use your food storage we used Provident Pantry® Butter Powder for the oil, and Provident Pantry® Whole Egg Powder for the eggs.


Ingredients
   3 cups flour

   2 cups white sugar
   1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
   1 teaspoon salt
   1 teaspoon baking soda
   4 eggs^
   1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
   1 cup chopped pecans
   2 1/2 cups freeze-dried strawberry slices^

^Reconstitute before using. Follow directions on #10 can to reconstitute.

Directions

1. Greese and flour 9″ × 5″ pan; Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a large bowl, sift together sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
3. In a smaller bowl, beat eggs, and oil; Stir in pecans and strawberries.
4. Add egg mixture to the sifted ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
6. Let cool and serve.

To use Provident Pantry® Butter or Margarine Powder in place of the oil, add 1 cup powder to the dry ingredients and 1/2 cup warm water to the wet ingredients. You can add 1-2 teaspoons of oil for added flavor if desired. For the eggs, use 8 tablespoons of whole egg powder and 12 tablespoons water – this is the equivalent of 4 large eggs.

Fibromyalgia info

What's Going On? A Simple Explanation of Fibromyalgia

Making Sense of a Complex Disorder, For Those Who Don't Have It

By Adrienne Dellwo, About.com

Updated: June 05, 2009

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

Sponsored Links

Cleveland Fibro CenterCaring, specialist MDs. Sign up for newsletter. Free call to discuss.www.FibroAndFatigue.com

Fibromyalgia DisabilityCan't Work Because of Fibromyalgia? Qualify For Disability Income Now!www.Allsup.com

I Defeated FibromyalgiaI Finally Discovered Something That Relieves My Fibromyalgia Painwww.MagnesiumDirect.com

CFS Ads

Fibro Symptoms Fibromyalgia Symptoms Fibromyalgia Fatigue Fibro Pain Lupus Symptoms

Fibromyalgia is a complex condition that's difficult to understand, especially if you don't have a medical degree. Because it involves the brain and nervous system, fibromyalgia can have an impact on virtually every part of the body.

If you're trying to understand this condition in someone you know, it can be incredibly confusing. When a lot of people see a bizarre collection of fluctuating symptoms that don't show up in medical tests, they decide fibromyalgia must be a psychological problem. A host of scientific evidence, however, proves that it's a very real physical condition.

Digging through that scientific research doesn't help most of us, though. Terms like neurotransmitter dysregulation, nociceptors, cellular enzymes and opiate pathways aren't exactly easy to grasp.

The goal of this article is to help you understand and relate to what's going on in the body of someone with fibromyalgia, in plain terms and without medical jargon. At the end of each section, you'll find relevant medical terms with links to definitions. They'll be helpful if you want to go beyond a basic understanding, but you don't need to understand the terms to get through this article.

Understanding the Pain of Fibromyalgia

Imagine you're planning a party and expecting about 20 guests. Three or four friends told you they'd come early to help you out. But they don't know show, and instead of 20 guests, you get 100. You're overwhelmed.

That's what's happening with pain signals in someone who has fibromyalgia. The cells send too many pain messages (party guests), up to five times as many as in a healthy person. That can turn mild pressure or even an itch into pain.

When those pain signals reach the brain, they're processed by something called serotonin. People with fibromyalgia, however, don't have enough serotonin (the friends who didn't show up to help), leaving the brain overwhelmed.

This is why people with fibromyalgia have pain in tissues that show no sign of damage. It's not imagined pain; it's misinterpreted sensation that the brain turns into very real pain.

Other substances in the patient's brain amplify signals -- essentially, "turning up the volume" of everything. That can include light, noise and odor on top of pain, and it can overload the brain. This can lead to confusion, fear, anxiety and panic attacks.

Understanding the Ups & Downs of Fibromyalgia

Most people with a chronic illness are always sick. The effects on the body of cancer, a virus, or a degenerative disease are fairly constant. It's understandably confusing to see someone with fibromyalgia be unable to do something on Monday, yet perfectly capable of it on Wednesday.

Look at it this way: Everyone's hormones fluctuate, and even things like weight and blood pressure can rise and fall during the course of a day, week or month. All of the systems and substances in the body work that way, rising and falling in response to different situations.

Research shows conclusively that fibromyalgia involves abnormal levels of multiple hormones and other substances. Because those things all go up and down, sometimes one or more are in the normal zone and other times they're not. The more things that are out of the zone, the worse they'll feel

Understanding Stress & Fibromyalgia

Some people think FM patients are emotionally incapable of dealing with stress, because a stressful situation will generally make symptoms worse.

The important thing to understand is that we respond to stress both emotionally and physically. A physical response, in everyone, includes a rush of adrenaline and other hormones that help kick your body into overdrive so you can deal with what's happening.

People with fibromyalgia don't have enough of those hormones, which makes stress very hard on their bodies and can trigger symptoms.

Also, when we talk about "stress" we usually mean the emotional kind, which can come from your job, a busy schedule, or personal conflict. A lot of things actually cause physical stress, such as illness, lack of sleep, nutritional deficiencies and injuries. Physical stress can have the same effect as emotional stress.

Related terms

·        Norephinephrine (noradrenaline)

·        Cortisol

·        HPA Axis

Understanding the Fatigue of Fibromyalgia

Think of a time when you were not just tired, but really exhausted. Maybe you were up all night studying for a test. Maybe you were up multiple times to feed a baby or take care of a sick child. Maybe it was the flu or strep throat.

Imagine being exhausted like that all day while you're trying to work, take care of kids, clean the house, cook dinner, etc. For most people, one or two good night's sleep would take that feeling away.

With fibromyalgia, though, comes sleep disorders that make a good night's sleep a rarity. A person with fibromyalgia can have anywhere from one to all of the following sleep disorders:

·        insomnia (difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep)

·        Inability to reach or stay in a deep sleep

·        Sleep apnea (breathing disturbances that can wake the person repeatedly)

·        Restless leg syndrome (twitching, jerking limbs that make it hard to sleep)

·        Periodic limb movement disorder (rhythmic, involuntary muscle contractions that prevent deep sleep)

Fibromyalgia In a Nutshell

A lot of illnesses involve one part of the body, or one system. Fibromyalgia, however, involves the entire body and throws all kinds of things out of whack. As bizarre and confusing as the varied symptoms may be, they're tied to very real physical causes.

Fibromyalgia can take someone who is educated, ambitious, hardworking and tireless, and rob them of their ability to work, clean house, exercise, think clearly and ever feel awake or healthy.

·        It's NOT psychological "burn out" or depression.

·        It's NOT laziness.

·        It's NOT whining or malingering.

·        It IS the result of widespread dysfunction in the body and the brain that's hard to understand, difficult to treat, and, so far, impossible to cure.

The hardest thing for patients, however, is having to live with it. Having the support and understanding of people in their lives can make it a lot easier.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia — Comprehensive overview covers symptoms, treatment of this chronic condition characterized by widespread pain.

Definition

 Tender points

You hurt all over, and you frequently feel exhausted. Even after numerous tests, your doctor can't find anything specifically wrong with you. If this sounds familiar, you may have fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points — places on your body where slight pressure causes pain.

Fibromyalgia occurs in about 2 percent of the population in the United States. Women are much more likely to develop the disorder than are men, and the risk of fibromyalgia increases with age. Fibromyalgia symptoms often begin after a physical or emotional trauma, but in many cases there appears to be no triggering event.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia can vary, depending on the weather, stress, physical activity or even the time of day.

Widespread pain and tender points 

The pain associated with fibromyalgia is described as a constant dull ache, typically arising from muscles. To be considered widespread, the pain must occur on both sides of your body and above and below your waist.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by additional pain when firm pressure is applied to specific areas of your body, called tender points. Tender point locations include:

Back of the head

Between shoulder blades

Top of shoulders

Front sides of neck

Upper chest

Outer elbows

Upper hips

Sides of hips

Inner knees

Fatigue and sleep disturbances 

People with fibromyalgia often awaken tired, even though they seem to get plenty of sleep. Experts believe that these people rarely reach the deep restorative stage of sleep. Sleep disorders that have been linked to fibromyalgia include restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea.

Co-existing conditions 

Many people who have fibromyalgia also may have:

Chronic fatigue syndrome

Depression

Endometriosis

Headaches

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Lupus

Osteoarthritis

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Restless legs syndrome

Rheumatoid arthritis

Causes

Doctors don't know what causes fibromyalgia, but it most likely involves a variety of factors working together. These may include:

Genetics. Because fibromyalgia tends to run in families, there may be certain genetic mutations that may make you more susceptible to developing the disorder.

Infections. Some illnesses appear to trigger or aggravate fibromyalgia.

Physical or emotional trauma. Post-traumatic stress disorder has been linked to fibromyalgia.

Why does it hurt? 

Current thinking centers around a theory called central sensitization. This theory states that people with fibromyalgia have a lower threshold for pain because of increased sensitivity in the brain to pain signals.

Researchers believe repeated nerve stimulation causes the brains of people with fibromyalgia to change. This change involves an abnormal increase in levels of certain chemicals in the brain that signal pain (neurotransmitters). In addition, the brain's pain receptors seem to develop a sort of memory of the pain and become more sensitive, meaning they can overreact to pain signals.

Risk factors

Risk factors for fibromyalgia include:

Your sex. Fibromyalgia occurs more often in women than in men.

Age. Fibromyalgia tends to develop during early and middle adulthood. But it can also occur in children and older adults.

Disturbed sleep patterns. It's unclear whether sleeping difficulties are a cause or a result of fibromyalgia. But people with sleep disorders — such as nighttime muscle spasms in the legs, restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea — often have fibromyalgia.

Family history. You may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia if a relative also has the condition.

Rheumatic disease. If you have a rheumatic disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, you may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia.

Complications

Fibromyalgia isn't progressive and generally doesn't lead to other conditions or diseases. It can, however, lead to pain, depression and lack of sleep. These problems can then interfere with your ability to function at home or on the job, or maintain close family or personal relationships. The frustration of dealing with an often-misunderstood condition also can be a complication of the condition.

Preparing for your appointment

Because many of the signs and symptoms of fibromyalgia are similar to various other disorders, you may see several doctors before receiving a diagnosis. Your family physician may refer you to a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in the treatment of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions.

What you can do 

You may want to write a list that includes:

Detailed descriptions of your symptoms

Information about medical problems you've had in the past

Information about the medical problems of your parents or siblings

All the medications and dietary supplements you take

Questions you want to ask the doctor

What to expect from your doctor 

In addition to a physical exam, your doctor may check your neurological health by testing your:

Reflexes

Muscle strength

Muscle tone

Senses of touch and sight

Coordination

Balance

Tests and diagnosis

 Tender points

The American College of Rheumatology has established two criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia:

Widespread pain lasting at least three months

At least 11 positive tender points — out of a total possible of 18

Tender points 

During your physical exam, your doctor may check specific places on your body for tenderness. The amount of pressure used during this exam is usually just enough to whiten the doctor's fingernail bed. These 18 tender points are a hallmark for fibromyalgia.

Blood tests 

While there is no lab test to confirm a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, your doctor may want to rule out other conditions that may have similar symptoms. Blood tests may include:

Complete blood count

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate

Thyroid function tests

Treatments and drugs

In general, treatments for fibromyalgia include both medication and self-care. The emphasis is on minimizing symptoms and improving general health.

Medications 

Medications can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common choices include:

Analgesics. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) may ease the pain and stiffness caused by fibromyalgia. However, its effectiveness varies. Tramadol (Ultram) is a prescription pain reliever that may be taken with or without acetaminophen. Your doctor may recommend nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) — such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) — in conjunction with other medications. NSAIDs haven't proved to be as effective in managing the pain in fibromyalgia when taken by themselves.

Antidepressants. Your doctor may prescribe amitriptyline to help promote sleep. Fluoxetine (Prozac) in combination with amitriptyline is effective in some people. Duloxetine (Cymbalta) may help ease the pain and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. And milnacipran (Savella) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia symptoms.

Anti-seizure drugs. Medications designed to treat epilepsy are often useful in reducing certain types of pain. Gabapentin (Neurontin) is sometimes helpful in reducing fibromyalgia symptoms, while pregabalin (Lyrica) is the first drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat fibromyalgia.

Therapy

Physical therapy. Specific exercises can help restore muscle balance and may reduce pain. Stretching techniques and the application of hot or cold also may help.

Counseling. Cognitive behavioral therapy seeks to strengthen your belief in your abilities and teaches you methods for dealing with stressful situations. Therapy is provided through individual counseling, classes, and with tapes, CDs or DVDs, and may help you manage your fibromyalgia.

Lifestyle and home remedies

Self-care is critical in the management of fibromyalgia.

Reduce stress. Develop a plan to avoid or limit overexertion and emotional stress. Allow yourself time each day to relax. That may mean learning how to say no without guilt. But try not to change your routine completely. People who quit work or drop all activity tend to do worse than those who remain active. Try stress management techniques, such as deep-breathing exercises or meditation.

Get enough sleep. Because fatigue is one of the main characteristics of fibromyalgia, getting sufficient sleep is essential. In addition to allotting enough time for sleep, practice good sleep habits, such as going to bed and getting up at the same time each day and limiting daytime napping.

Exercise regularly. At first, exercise may increase your pain. But doing it regularly often decreases symptoms. Appropriate exercises may include walking, swimming, biking and water aerobics. A physical therapist can help you develop a home exercise program. Stretching, good posture and relaxation exercises also are helpful.

Pace yourself. Keep your activity on an even level. If you do too much on your good days, you may have more bad days.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle. Eat healthy foods. Limit your caffeine intake. Do something that you find enjoyable and fulfilling every day.

Alternative medicine

Complementary and alternative therapies for pain and stress management aren't new. Some, such as meditation and yoga, have been practiced for thousands of years. But their use has become more popular in recent years, especially with people who have chronic illnesses, such as fibromyalgia.

Several of these treatments do appear to safely relieve stress and reduce pain, and some are gaining acceptance in mainstream medicine. But many practices remain unproved because they haven't been adequately studied. Some of the more common complementary and alternative treatments promoted for pain management include:

Acupuncture. Acupuncture is a Chinese medical system based on restoring normal balance of life forces by inserting very fine needles through the skin to various depths. According to Western theories of acupuncture, the needles cause changes in blood flow and levels of neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord. Some studies indicate that acupuncture helps relieve fibromyalgia symptoms, while others show no benefit.

Chiropractic care. This treatment is based on the philosophy that restricted movement in the spine may lead to pain and reduced function. Spinal adjustment (manipulation) is one form of therapy chiropractors use to treat restricted spinal mobility. The goal is to restore spinal movement and, as a result, improve function and decrease pain. Chiropractors manipulate the spine from different positions using varying degrees of force. Manipulation doesn't need to be forceful to be effective. Chiropractors may also use massage and stretching to relax muscles that are shortened or in spasm. Because manipulation has risks, always go to properly trained and licensed practitioners.

Massage therapy. This is one of the oldest methods of health care still in practice. It involves use of different manipulative techniques to move your body's muscles and soft tissues. The therapy aims to improve blood circulation in the muscle, increasing the flow of nutrients and eliminating waste products. Massage can reduce your heart rate, relax your muscles, improve range of motion in your joints and increase production of your body's natural painkillers. It often helps relieve stress and anxiety. Although massage is almost always safe, avoid it if you have open sores, acute inflammation or circulatory problems.

Coping and support

Besides dealing with the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, you may also have to deal with the frustration of having a condition that's often misunderstood. In addition to educating yourself about fibromyalgia, you may find it helpful to provide your family, friends and co-workers with information.

It's also helpful to know that you're not alone. Organizations such as the Arthritis Foundation and the American Chronic Pain Association provide educational classes and support groups. These groups can often provide a level of help and advice that you might not find anywhere else. They can also help put you in touch with others who have had similar experiences and can understand what you're going through.

Related links:

Acupuncture

TENS therapy: An option for fibromyalgia treatment?

Massage: Get in touch with its many health benefits

Milnacipran (Savella) for fibromyalgia: What makes it different?

Fibromyalgia: Can it cause elevated ESR and CRP levels?

Fibromyalgia treatment: Does gabapentin relieve symptoms?

Cupping therapy: Can it relieve fibromyalgia pain?

Is fibromyalgia hereditary?

Fibromyalgia misconceptions: Interview with a Mayo Clinic expert

Fibromyalgia pain: Options for coping

Fibromyalgia symptoms or not? Understand the fibromyalgia diagnosis process

Prisoners rescuing

Inmates at Utah State Prison have been involved in family history work for more than two decades.

Prisoners Rescuing Prisoners: Indexing at Utah State Prison

·                      28 OCTOBER 2011

 

·                                 Inmates at Utah State Prison have been doing family history work for more than 20 years.

·                                 Volunteers and members called from surrounding Church units administer the family history program at the prison.

·                                 Both inmates and the volunteers say their lives have been blessed through their work in the program.

“One of the neat things about the family history program is that it brings into focus the law of the Atonement, because you watch people change their lives.” —Brent Powell, family history volunteer at Utah State Prison

RELATED TOPICS

·                                 Inspirational

In many ways, Terry isn’t very different from many others who enjoy doing family history work. He spends multiple hours a week indexing historical records through the Church’s FamilySearch resources. He often works side by side with other patrons in his local family history center, situated adjacent to a chapel. He’s even helped some of them start their own Personal Ancestral File (PAF).

But unlike most of the 4,600 family history centers in more than 125 countries around the world, barbed wire and officers carrying firearms surround the facility Terry uses.

Inmate #60132 at the Utah State Prison for the past 14 years, Terry hasn’t always had an interest in family history. But seven years ago he decided to try out the prison’s family history center, run by volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“For me, a lot of it’s about helping others,” he said. “I find joy in helping inmates find their family. Here, I have a chance to reflect on my life. I just want to be of service to others now.”

During October 2011 general conference, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “The Spirit of Elijah affects people inside and outside of the Church. … We have the covenant responsibility to search out our ancestors and provide for them the saving ordinances of the gospel” (“The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn,” Ensign, Nov. 2011, 24).

For these reasons we do family history research, build temples, and perform vicarious ordinances. For these reasons Elijah was sent to restore the sealing authority that binds on earth and in heaven. We are the Lord’s agents in the work of salvation and exaltation that will prevent “the whole earth [from being] smitten with a curse” (D&C 110:15) when He returns again. This is our duty and great blessing.

In the Church, indexed family history records make it easier for family history researchers to find information to submit for temple work, allowing temple ordinances to be performed in behalf of deceased ancestors who are waiting in spirit prison for the opportunity to accept the ordinances performed for them.

As those who are incarcerated at Utah State Prison index millions of names each year, many are finding that they, too, are reaping the blessings of service; behind prison walls, the Church’s indexing program is freeing both those for whom the work is being done and, in many ways, those doing the work—the inmates.

Indexing in Prison

The family history program has been present at Utah State Prison, in one form or another, for more than two decades. Beginning in January 2010, inmates moved from the old-fashioned extraction system—copying old records by hand onto cards—to the digital indexing program.

Today, four out of the six “units” that comprise the prison have family history centers. Shared among those prison units are 95 computers.

Inmates at each of the four facilities have the opportunity to participate for an hour at a time, multiple times a day, if they choose. Some spend up to eight hours a day, six days a week doing family history work. Each family history center is located within the unit. All but one have a chapel where the work can be done. Volunteers supervise each center.

Many are called from nearby Church units, but a substantial number volunteer. Directors, who are specifically called from surrounding stakes, oversee the efforts of the volunteers at each individual facility.

Brent Powell is a business analyst in the Church’s Family History Department who also volunteers 10-20 hours a week at the prison. He oversees the computer operations of the prison’s family history centers.

Brother Powell explained that because inmates are not allowed Internet access, a special process has been set up to get them access to batches of historical records, from which inmates can then extract information to provide searchable indexes.

First, volunteers download batches from FamilySearch.org onto a thumb drive. That information is then put on a server at the prison. Another volunteer takes the information from the server and disburses it to the four onsite family history centers. Inmates can then transfer the information from the historical records onto forms from the FamilySearch indexing program, which has been downloaded onto the computers. Once they finish the records assigned to them, the information is gathered by a volunteer, put onto the volunteer’s thumb drive, and transmitted to the Church Family History Department. Many inmates also work on their own PAFs, where users can enter names, dates, and other information into a database, and can then sort and search the genealogical data and print forms and charts.

Similar programs exist on a much smaller scale at correctional facilities in other parts of Utah and Idaho, USA, as well as in England. The instigation of the family history program within such facilities is ecclesiastically directed.

Blessings from Participation

Between 2003 and 2010 inmates at Utah State Prison indexed more than six million names.

During the first seven months of 2011 they donated nearly 35,000 hours, indexing 1.8 million names. It is estimated that by the end of the year the approximately 660 participating inmates will index a total of three million names.

According to Brother Powell, the program’s success is attributable to the fact that both the volunteers and the inmates are keenly aware of the temporal and spiritual blessings that come from participating in it.

“One of the neat things about the family history program is that it brings into focus the law of the Atonement, because you watch people change their lives,” Brother Powell said. “Most of them want to change, and it’s a joyful opportunity to know that you’re serving those individuals.”

Brother Powell, along with some 140 other family history volunteers at the prison, also finds his service an opportunity for his own testimony to grow. “You know that your time spent helping the inmates is appreciated,” he said.

Angie is one of those inmates who appreciates the program. Incarcerated at the women’s facility since 2007, she helps with orientation at the family history center. She teaches participants how to do family history, particularly indexing and creating PAFs.

“The average education level of women in the prison is junior high,” she said. “Through family history, the [women] are exposed to math, history, geography, reading, cursive, spelling, researching. We all sit together and work together to figure out letters. I see them teaching and caring for each other.”

On the other side of a fence, in the medium-security men’s facility (called “Oquirrh”), Terry sees similar outcomes.

“There are so many temporal benefits—they learn typing and working with computers. They learn to do something worthwhile. And I learn patience,” he said. “It keeps the inmates busy. It keeps them out of trouble, in a good environment. And it increases their self-worth.”

One woman at the prison had had no contact with her son for three years. But when she sent him some family history work she had compiled, the boy’s grandmother, his guardian, wrote back and granted the woman permission to contact her son regularly.

Another young woman who had had no contact with either parent for a long time received a package one day. An uncle she didn’t know existed from her father’s side of the family had heard she was in prison and sent her genealogical records.

“For most, family was a part of the problem that got them here,” Angie said. “Now they are finding part of the family that’s not a part of the problem. It gives them something to grasp on to.”

Many of the inmates participating at Oquirrh’s family history center are not LDS, but all can see the advantage of having records when they begin looking for their own family history.

“It gives a sense of belonging and achievement,” Terry said. “A lot of us don’t know much about our family—who they were and where they are, where they came from. Stories start coming out and they can see connections to their past. They are doing something beyond themselves.”

When an inmates leave, they have the option of taking with them a disc with all their family history work on it so they can continue doing it outside the prison.

Beyond Barbed Wire

In the last several months, participation in the family history program has grown.

“Firesides and other activities have raised awareness of the program,” Brother Powell said. “The Draper Utah Temple president came [to the prison] and explained the ‘why’ behind it—what happens after the indexing is done.”

“The family history room . . . opens the hearts of even the most hardened,” Angie said. “Sometimes, we feel like heaven is right there.”

Terry said he especially enjoys researching to find children who are missing from their families.

“It allows me to serve,” he said. “The chapel is the best place in the prison. I love seeing the Spirit come into the faces of people you never thought would get involved.”

Some of those people who never thought they’d be involved are the ones who return the most often, Angie said.

“There is a little glimmer of hope when we learn about these people we’re researching. Some of them had no job, made mistakes,” she said. “The [women] come to understand that no matter who we are or what we’ve done, God … loves us enough to … provide a way to peace and healing.”

As inmates come to understand more about the family history program and the Church’s doctrine concerning the family, many find greater purpose in what they’re doing and in their own lives.

“It has helped me to know I am still claimed by my Heavenly Father,” Angie said. “It gives me hope about the repentance process. I eat, sleep, and breathe hope that I can return home, that I can be rescued.”

And whether or not they are LDS, inmates who work in the family history centers at Utah State Prison are finding that—to one degree or another—they do feel rescued.

CONTRIBUTED BY HEATHER WHITTLE WRIGLEY, CHURCH NEWS AND EVENTS

From a catapillar to a butterfly

A cattapillar spins it's cocoon
and begins it's transformation.

Friendship grows and love blossoms.

The cattarpillar safe in it's cocoon,
love filling the heart.

One grows, the other transforms,
both turn into something beautiful.

The cocoon opens, the butterfly emerges,
promises made, vows taken.

Love and beauty take flight, both off
to discover a new life.

Delicate but beautiful, butterfly wings
and wings of love carry promises of
wonderful things to come.

Fluttering wings, unsure but determined,
fluttering heart steady and true.

This is us, me and you.

Two hearts as one, strong and true.

Careful not to let outside forces
touch the wings of our love, for
if that happens they would faulter and fall,
this we will not allow, our love we put above
                           ALL.

Our Nunu

  Nunu came to us as a boarder with his friend diamond and stayed a few months then the owner decided to let us keep him, and he's been the best, of course our other dogs are too!!!

Photos

                                               Nunu-2 yrs. old

                                             Salt lake,Utah Temple

Cleveland photo

                                         My wife and I grew up here-The picture makes it look
                                         better than it is. LOL

Columbus temple

                                          My wife and I were sealed and endowed here-it was amazing! 

Temple?

Some real life stories of latterday saints from Ensign magazine

“Mormon Journal,” Ensign, Dec 1987, 40–44

The Season’s Reasons

By Suzanne S. Dean

Suzanne S. Dean, “The Season’s Reasons,” Ensign, Dec. 1987, 40–41



It came much too quickly for me that year. I hadn’t yet finished with summer, and there it was falling all around me … winter! Like a reprimand to me for not having taken time to “smell the roses,” the silvery snowflakes seemed to laugh at me.



I stood at a foggy window, staring out into the blizzard of early morning. The darkness slowly began to give way to rays of sunlight filtering through the storm. The world seemed to take on a lightness, but maintained its darkness as well. I could barely see across the street.



Staring deep into the milky whiteness, I felt a depression settle over me, bringing with it a sudden claustrophobia. A familiar tension surfaced reminding me that such feelings had appeared before with the first snow of the year.



I shivered and pulled my robe tighter around me. What tragedies and problems had this storm brought with it, I wondered. Where is the beauty that poets have written about? If winter is so beautiful, why do my toes and fingers ache? Why do I always resist it, even after it has arrived?



An alarm clock went off in the other room, and I felt a sudden panic. My time to ponder was over for the day. I decided to keep the drapes closed and ignore the dreary weather.



It was still storming fiercely when I sent the children out to catch the school bus; light wisps of snow rushed inside and around my feet as I quickly closed the door behind them. I turned up the heat and pushed a tape into the stereo. I gave the baby her bath and breakfast, then put her down for a nap. The mailman came and went, but I did not even go out.



I started my cleaning and tore through the house like a cyclone, hoping to work off some of my frustration. When I could clean no more, I pulled the tape from the tape deck and turned on the radio. A cheerful voice was commenting on the storm. I turned it off. The phone rang, and a neighbor asked my opinion on the weather. I didn’t even want to talk about it.



After school, the older children soon came crashing through the door shaking the snow from their gloves and feet. My daughter went straight to the fridge to hang up the paper snowflakes she had made in school. She hung them right there so I could enjoy them. I tried to smile and thank her, but I only shivered and turned away to look for a sweater.



I was working on dinner when my husband arrived. As he put his icy hands on my neck, I dropped the spoon into the spaghetti sauce. I could tell by the drops in his hair that it was still storming.



After dinner there was a sink full of dishes, and all my helpers had urgent homework. I stood there with my hands in the hot soapy water and closed my eyes. I thought about the water-skiing that we had meant to do that year, the picnics that were too few and far between. I recalled our one and only camping trip, remembering how delectable it felt to have the hot summer sun beat down on us as we hiked. Suddenly I wanted to go into the backyard and hang the clothes out on the line. I yearned to mow the lawn and weed the roses, to pick a tomato from my garden or sit in the lawn chairs and sip a cold drink. I wanted to send the children out to the sandpile or to the swings. I wanted to wade in the irrigation water or wash and wax the car. If only the daylight would stay longer in the evening, or if only I could breathe in the fragrance of just one freshly cut rose. Oh, why must things change? I threw open the curtain above the sink exposing the window that looks out into the backyard.



The storm was over, and an incredibly white blanket covered my summer haven. All was still—a quietness that made me pause at the window for a moment. Impulsively, I snatched my husband’s coat and ran to the door.



Outside, I stood for a moment in the stillness. I saw outlines of the sand pile and swing set beneath the great white blanket, little mounds where my garden had been, and snow-laden trees and bushes. An old familiar feeling settled in my heart as I looked all around me at the streets and sidewalks, the blanketed cars and bicycles. I walked along the side of the house, making tracks in the unmarred whiteness. The air smelled fresh, and the crisp temperature carried my breath off into the wind. I stopped near the rose bushes, remembering their endless supply of delight. I had chosen the most beautiful bursts of color before they had reached their full bloom, clipping them for a generous bouquet. Now, they slumbered beneath the weight of a winter blanket. The fragrance of summer was gone.



Patience, I thought. Winter has come again to teach us patience—and tranquility. I brushed the snow from a rose cluster only to find that the petals also brushed away, exposing a barren branch. Dead? No; the roots were living. “They will be back,” I thought aloud—back at the first sign of spring, with new buds that can only be born from the respite that winter imposes. The earth and all living things will renew themselves for spring. And so, I thought, shall I.



A full and luscious summer had come and gone, leaving me yearning for just one more sun-drenched day. But now, at last, I felt an acceptance of winter. The earth had come again to its time of resting, and I had come to a time of patience.



The time for checkers and fireside chats had crept upon us. There would be more time for reading and sharing, organizing a closet, writing a long overdue letter, and even building a snowman. The time to replenish relationships, to strengthen ties, to dig deeper roots had arrived. It would be a season of patience, returning to basics, and being home.



My face was cold, and I went back into the kitchen. I finished the dishes, and the children reappeared. My husband went to the window and commented that the storm had passed. All of us seemed drawn to the window; we stood there looking out into the peaceful night, like a family posing for a Christmas card photo. I breathed a contented sigh, and felt the season change even within the walls of our home.



“I really love your snowflakes,” I told my daughter, smiling, as I ruffled her hair.

The Year We Had No Gifts to Give

By Sandra Dilworth

Sandra Dilworth, “The Year We Had No Gifts to Give,” Ensign, Dec. 1987, 42–43



I was sure this Christmas would be the best our family had ever spent together. It was only a week before Thanksgiving, and we were almost finished making our Christmas gifts. Most of our gifts were homemade and were designed specifically for that special someone. How I looked forward to seeing these expressions of our family’s love opened.



When my husband, Bob, came home from work that afternoon and said, “Let’s go into town and finish that Christmas shopping tonight,” I was elated. How good it would feel to have more than a month left for just decorating and baking! Hurriedly we packed ourselves and our two small boys into the car for the last shopping trip of the year.



We purchased the gifts and headed home. As night fell, again my thoughts drifted to our homemade gifts. Our friends and relatives would enjoy the purses, embroidered and hand-sewn items, pictures, paintings, floral arrangements, genealogical papers, handmade toys, and dolls. I was thankful to have been chosen as chairman of the Relief Society Christmas workshops for the past three months. It had been a learning experience to prepare these items as examples for the sisters in our ward.



When we were fifteen miles from home, these pleasant thoughts were abruptly interrupted by Bob’s question, “What would you do if our house was on fire?”



I could hardly believe my ears! What a horrible thought!



A mile away from home Bob said, “Our home is on fire.” By now my heart was in my throat, and as we came over the hill, we could see it blazing.



When we got to the house, I remember tightly embracing my four-month-old son, Ryan, and falling on my knees until a neighbor finally pried the child from my arms. Bob paced around the house several times, staring with his mouth gaping.



Our two-year-old son, Robbie, stared in amazement at the burning toy box the firemen had retrieved and placed in the front yard. Bob put his arms around me and reminded me that we were all safe and that was what mattered.



There was nothing anyone could do but watch the fire take its toll. Then we remembered our genealogy and how we had searched for years for our ancestors. Recalling where these important papers were located, Bob raced to the garage for a rake. He pulled the burning siding from outside our bedroom, reached in, and grabbed the genealogy, which was just beginning to burn.



Now it began to rain. It was late. We were cold, wet, and in shock. The children were tired. But we had no change of clothes, no diapers, no place to go. Arrangements were made for us to stay at a neighbor’s home. Once we were settled, the bishop and his family arrived to counsel and comfort us.



As we gathered together for family prayer that night, I felt the gentle Spirit of the Lord stronger than at any time before. I’ll never forget our humility and reverence that night. I remembered that our patriarchal blessings were with our genealogy and I felt inspired to read mine.



These words seemed to leap off the page: “I bless you, dear sister, in the living of the Word of Wisdom and in the payment of your tithing, that you will not want for the necessities and the comforts of life while here upon the earth …” It was a tremendous consolation to know that our needs would somehow be provided for.



The Relief Society sisters and the elders quorum brothers in our ward coordinated their efforts, and the day after the fire, our family’s immediate needs were met. We experienced emotional ups and downs as we struggled to regain normality. By now our resistance was low, and each of us became quite ill. It became very difficult to take care of ourselves. We needed to rely on others even more.



Within weeks we had rented a house and were planning the architecture of our new home. Each of us had clothing to wear, and we even had a sewing machine with which to alter what didn’t fit. We received bedding, towels, and washcloths, as well as money, school and stationery supplies, and boxes and boxes of food. We wondered how our brothers and sisters could think of all these important and necessary items.



Christmas approached, and one day as I was decorating our humble little Christmas tree with gingham bows and Christmas cards, I suddenly realized that I had no gifts to give this year.



I hoped the children were too small to remember this Christmas. It would not be the same one I had been preparing for them for months.



Then, the Sunday before Christmas, we found the back seat of our car filled with presents for our children from the Primary children in our ward. A church in the community selected us as their Christmas family and showered us with gifts. A local Boy Scout troop bought us a beautiful rocking chair because they knew our children loved to be rocked.



A neighbor made us a baby cradle just like the one we used to have. One family brought us a television, and another brought us house plants. Late Christmas Eve we heard our front door open and close. Bob went to check and found an entire Christmas dinner, complete with turkey and cranberry sauce, from the local Jaycees.



We read the Christmas story that night and prayed that our Heavenly Father would remember those who had treated us in such Christlike ways that Christmas. Great joy and blessings were bestowed upon us the Christmas we had no gifts to give to others.

Twenty Dollars for a Paper Doll

By Norman D. Anderson

Norman D. Anderson, “Twenty Dollars for a Paper Doll,” Ensign, Dec. 1987, 44



One Christmas, I was serving as a bishop in a Provo, Utah, ward. Because I had never had much success in selecting and buying clothes for my wife, I had, for the past several years, cut out a paper doll, wrapped a twenty-dollar bill around it like a dress, and hung it on the tree as a special gift for her. In those days, twenty dollars would buy a pretty nice dress.



But because of a tight budget this particular year, I had struggled for weeks to save the twenty dollars to hang on the tree.



The day before Christmas, my plans changed suddenly when a man needing help came by my office. I could not reach my financial clerk to obtain fast offering funds, so I gave the man five of my twenty dollars so he could go home for Christmas. I tucked the remaining fifteen dollars away in my wallet, hoping it would do for a dress.



A few minutes later, a man from my ward came into my office. He said, “Bishop, one of my home teaching families won’t have much for Christmas this year without help. I have fifteen dollars. If I could get a little more from somewhere, I could get a few things for them.”



I knew he needed his money as much as I needed mine, so I handed him my fifteen dollars and said a sad farewell to my wife’s Christmas dress.



My disappointment over the dress lightened when the children finally settled down on Christmas Eve and we had set out their gifts for them. But when my wife went to get ready for bed at midnight, I sat moping in a chair for a few minutes because my traditional gift hadn’t worked out.



Suddenly the thought came to me that I should look in my wallet again. There, where I had taken out the money to give to the home teacher, was fifteen dollars. I looked in another compartment and found another fifteen dollars. In the final compartment there was a twenty-dollar bill—making a total of fifty dollars that had not been there earlier!



I wept in gratitude as I cut out a paper doll and hung it on the tree