Sunday, June 21, 2009

PLAN, PRAY and PREPARE

Three little words that can mean so much. We usually call them our daily "PPP." You can bring sunshine and order into your life if you always remember to pray, plan and prepare. Plan each day, but better still do it the night before so you can get an early start. One hour in the morning is worth three in the afternoon.

PLAN -- "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." So much more can be accomplished if you plan your time wisely. Time is but a fleeting moment, and passes too quickly. In your planning, among other things, plan to tell someone that you love them, plan to be of service to others, and plan to be happy.

PRAY -- "Life is fragile -- handle with prayer." We are told that we should pray as if everything depended on the Lord, and then go to work as if everything depended on us. How great it is to know that He is not only our Father, but also our best friend. He knows each of us by name and is always there to help us along the way through this mortal experience.

PREPARE -- "If you are prepared, ye shall not fear." D&C 38:30 Also in Alma we read, "For behold this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors."

We all know that even with lots of planning and preparing, things don't always turn out as planned. As the saying goes -- "Life is what happens when you have made other plans." But that is where prayer comes in. Prayer brings comfort and peace, and it will keep you headed in the right direction -- and that is what really matters.

We have had a wonderful week which has included much planning, lots of preparing, and tons on praying.

We missed getting pictures of some great events this week because our camera broke! It was a new camera, and a good one, but for some reason the lens suddenly refused to work properly. We took it to three stores and received the same opinion -- it would cost more to repair than to buy a new one.

When I think about buying something there are several categories to consider before buying. First -- is it essential; then, is it important; and last, is it just something you want. For us a camera is essential, important, a necessity and we just need one! So we had to bite the bullet and buy a new one.

So no pictures -- we are still reading the instructions!

I don't like reading instructions! I guess I don't have enough patience. Luckily Jerry is good at instructions. He also loves to take pictures -- of everything! I like pictures of people, but he also likes pictures of buildings, the sky, clouds, mountains, animals -- everything. I have to admit, he gets some pretty awesome pictures at times. I am just guessing -- but I am sure that our next blog will have tons of pictures.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

In the Beginning . . .

For Ever and Ever and Ever . . .

It all started with a phone call . . . . "Would you be interested in going out?"

"No, I'm too busy," was the reply. To be polite, the conversation continued for a few minutes even though it was late and I was anxious to retire for the night. Then his name was mentioned -- Jerry Meservy.

Oh, I remember him. He was that cute new kid at Bountiful High School that came when he was a Senior and I was a Junior! Why did I remember him? The names of a lot of school mates had long been forgotten. (After all, wasn't that almost 50 years ago?)

So the conversation continued after hearing his name -- "Oh, maybe we could go out . . ."

The person on the other end of the phone was also from our high school days and was just an acquaintance. Her husband had called Jerry to request some information. During the conversation he asked Jerry if he was dating now. (Jerry's wife, Nancy, had passed away the previous year.) Then he suggested some ladies in his ward that he might like to date. Just before hanging up the phone, his wife, Claudia, came on the line.

She heard the list of names Jerry could call. She said, "No -- why don't you call Tibby Vander Meyden." After a few phone calls and finding out that my name was now Rosalyn Brown, Claudia called to see if I would be interested in dating.

After two weeks (Jerry was in Disneyland with his family), he called and we made a date to go out to dinner on March 3rd. However, on March 2nd he called me at work and asked if I would like to see a concert at Woods Cross High School. It was the Hughes Brothers. I had just read about them in the Clipper on my lunch hour. They are a famous singing family and they were doing a one night benefit show. So I agreed.

As I hung up the phone my mind started to race. I had several responsibilities that had to be done right after work and it wouldn't leave me much time to get ready. I quickly made some phone calls. I was in a mad dash after work to get everything taken care of and then get home "for a very important date."

I was a little nervous (maybe I should say a lot!!!) as neither of us knew what the other one looked like. I was ready a few minutes early. Wow, I felt like a teenager waiting for her first date! Then the doorbell rang! I think I jumped 10 feet!

AND -- there was my "Prince" in shining armour -- flowers in hand.



I think we both knew from the very beginning that this wasn't just a passing friendship. Within three and one-half weeks we were engaged and a tentative date set for a temple wedding.


When I met his children, grandchildren and sisters -- I loved them and they seemed like family right from the beginning. (I met his brother and his wife several months later while they were serving a mission in Tennessee.) And I know that my children, grandchildren, brother's family and Mom also loved and accepted Jerry.

We both felt that our meeting was a miracle. Even though we both lived in Centerville for many years, our paths never crossed. What are the odds that we would have ever met? And how miraculous that a slight acquaintance would have brought us together?

There is one thing that we have both felt very strongly about. There must have been a reason for this miracle. Heavenly Father expected much from us, and we were needed to serve in aeas where neigher one of us could have served alone, such as the blessing of this mission.

So the wedding date was set. Preparations were made with the help of many who assisted.

June 14th was a beautiful day, one we will treasure forever.

The night before our wedding, Jerry stayed up late into the night to write a poem. I had tears in my eyes when he read it at our wedding breakfast.

From Strangers to Eternal Companions

We met as strangers with the help of a friend,
And now are eternal companions with no end.

How could this happen in such a short time,
That a stranger is now the best friend of mine?

It started with the Hughes Brothers Bunch
and then moved on to a ball game and lunch.

Then a temple session brought us both bliss,
And provided the setting for the first "I Love You and a kiss."

Many visits and outings took place in between,
But I knew quite soon that you were a "Queen."

Then there were discussions as I remember,
That soon led to June replacing September

There is much more to say,
But suffice it for now we are well on our way.

As eternal companions we'll travel the path,
Till as He has promised, we'll receive all that He hath.

Today we celebrate two wonderful years -- years that have been filled with sunshine, love, fun, service, and peace that only the Gospel can bring. Together we share four sisters, two brothers, eight children, 27 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Oh, how we love them and their spouses.

We have made our home in Nauvoo, Centerville, and Axams, Austria.



We are finding "JOY IN THE JOURNEY"

Home is where the heart is and home will always be where we are together.
How wonderful it is to say -- "We 2 R 1"

Sunday, June 7, 2009

SMILES

Yes -- We're Happy!

THE VALUE of A SMILE

A smile doesn't cost anything, but it is worth a lot.
Those who receive it become enriched without those who give it becoming poor;

It takes only a moment
But it's memory lasts forever.

Nobody is rich enough not to need it.
Nobody is so poor as to not deserve it.

It brings joy at home,
It is a gentle sign of friendship.
A smile brings a moment of rest to the tired. It gives courage to the discouraged, it comforts those that are sad. And it is a natural antidote for evey kind of trouble.

Yes you cannot buy it, nor borrow it, nor steal it.
It is only worth something when you give it.

And if you meet somebody who doesn't give you the smile you deserve,
Be generous and give one to him.
For nobody needs a smile more than those who cannot give one.
(Author unknown - provided to us by a young Romanian adult in our Branch)
VACATION -- Well it seemed like a vacation as we spent two wonderful days at the Senior Couples Conference. The conference is held every 6-months and this is the second one that we have been able to attend. The first one was in Munich and this one was in Salzburg. There are 11 other couples in our mission. We laughed, sang, visited and there were plenty of smiles going around. Needless to say, we took lots of pictures. What FUN! There was scripture classes, skit night, wonderful food, visiting with other couples and the sites were marvelous. There is a lot of history in Salzburg such as the birth place of Mazart and beautiful Catholic churches.




Another missionary couple - the Reber's. They will be leaving for home soon. And this is Jerry as we climbed up many, many steps to a church on a hill.
Missionaries -- called to "Feed my Sheep"
GAME DAY
We had a wonderful game activity last Monday. It was a holiday here in Austria, so the missionaries organized some games and invited everyone to come and bring a non-member friend. It was a great success. They played volleyball, soccer, table tennis and more. They started early afternoon and went until late evening. We brought the pizza and drinks for lunch and others furnished cookies and chips.

Elder Meservy played on the volleyball team and had no trouble keeping up with the kids. Sister Meservy was the cheerleader (only she cheered for both sides!) We certainly didn't run out of smiles that day!

If you chance to meet a frown - do not let it stay . . . .

In Proverbs we read . . . "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.." and "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance..."
May we all choose to fill our days with sunshine!