Our Ancestors at America's First Thanksgiving

Our ancestors at the first Thanksgiving

I think the first Thanksgiving feast was a great event first because a religious people showed gratitude to God for their blessings.  But also because it showed that two peoples who were very different could help each other and get along.

After the Mayflower landed in the New World in December 1621, sickness claimed more than half of the group.  The Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans lived nearby and could have finished off the weakened survivors.  They were short on supplies too.  Although the Wampanoag had been treated badly by the first groups of settlers who came to their area, they didn't harm the Pilgrims.  Instead they tried to become friends.  After many discussions among the two groups' different leaders, they made a treaty.  This was mutually beneficial.  The settlers gained from the knowledge of the helpful Wampanoag, and it seemed as if they had the better deal.  But the Wampanoag tribe gained by the alliance with the English in their relations with the other Native American tribes.  Feared English weaponry kept any other tribes from attacking the Wampanoag tribe.

After that first year, with the help of the Wampanoag tribe, they had a good harvest.  The Natives knew how to farm the land.  Massachusetts soil was very different from English soil.  The Wampanoag were skilled farmers, fishers, hunters and gathers.  English seeds didn't do well there.  The Wampanoag showed them how to plant native seeds with herring as fertilizer so that they could harvest corn, pumpkin and beans.  They taught the children to look for berries and nuts.  And they showed the men how to hunt for deer, bear and turkey.  Since they didn't have grocery stores, what they harvested and gathered had to keep them alive through the long Massachusetts winter.   This next winter would be much better than their first. 

It was natural for the Pilgrims to want to celebrate.

One settler named Edward Winslow wrote,  

"We set last spring some twenty acres of Indian corn, and sowed some six acres of barley and peas. According to the manner of the Indians we manured our ground with herrings (alewives) which we have in great abundance and take with great ease at our doors. Our corn did prove well, and God be praised, we had a good increase in Indian corn. Our barley did indifferent good, but our peas not worth the gathering. We feared they were too late sown. They came up very well and blossomed, but the sun parched them in the blossom. Our harvest being gotten in, our Governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might, after a special manner, rejoice together, after we had gathered in the fruits of our labors. They four in one day killed as many fowl as with little help besides, served the Company for almost a week, at which time, amongst our recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and amongst the rest their great king the Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted. They went out and killed five deer, which they brought in to the Plantation, and bestowed on our Governor, and upon the Captain and others. Although it not always be so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty. -- We have found the Indians very faithful in their Covenant of Peace with us; very loving and ready to pleasure us. Some of us have been fifty miles into the country by land with them. -- There is now great peace amongst us; and we, for our parts, walk as peaceably and safely in the woods here as in the highways in England. - I never in my life remember a more seasonable year than we have enjoyed." (Mourt)

They all had so much to be grateful for.

We have ancestors who were at the first Thanksgiving.  The Billington family was on the Mayflower, and didn't lose anyone over that first deadly year.  They were the only family untouched by the sickness that claimed so many.  John, Ellen, John Jr and Francis feasted with the Native Americans along with the other colonists.  They had a lot to thank Heavenly Father for.  It's an amazing feeling having this connection with the first Thanksgiving in America.

The Pilgrims were successful at settling this new land because of their alliance with the Wampanoag tribe.  They could have fought over their differences.  But the Native Americans made peace with the newcomers, and both sides worked hard to keep good relations.  Wars with the Native Americans weren't a problem until many years later, when the descendants of these settlers took this peace for granted.

Thanksgiving today, like that first one, gives us ample opportunity to express gratitude for all that Heavenly Father gives us, and it also can remind us that people of all backgrounds can get along and help each other.

Clines, Duane A.  "Part 5:  The First Pilgrim Thanksgiving."  The Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony 1620.  2 Nov 2006. n. page. Web.  23 Nov 2012.

Mourt, G.  Mourt's Relation.  1622: London.  Print.  p. 38

Philbrick, Nathaniel.  "Thanksgiving."  Mayflower.  2006: New York.  Print.  pp.  104-120.

Jack Tueller's most important Trumpet solo

I couldn't let Veterans' day go unheralded.  Today I want to write about an amazing Veteran who lives near you.  Jack Tueller of Bountiful Utah saved lives in World War 2 through his faith and his trumpet. 

Jack had a rough beginning, but it introduced him to music.  His Mom died when he was just a little boy; his Dad left the family within that week.  He and his little brother went to live with an aunt who gave Jack a trumpet.  Jack played with the trumpet, eventually learning how to play it masterfully.  Jack said, "I was an unruly child.  Music tamed me."

Famous trumpeter Louis Armstrong heard him play with a band for an event at Yellowstone Park in 1939, telling him, "You sound pretty good for white cats."  Taking the opportunity to learn from Louis, he asked him for advice.  This advice proved to be pivotal in Germany.  "Always play the melody, man. Look at them, see their age group, play their love songs, and you'll carry all the money to the bank."

After attending BYU, marrying another trumpet player and beginning a family, World War 2 broke out.  Jack enlisted and trained with a former crop duster to become a fighter pilot.  He packed up his trumpet and took it with him.  He would play for the men at night to entertain them, and after grueling experiences in battle, comfort them.  In his airplane, Jack provided air support when the Allied invaded Normandy on D-day.  

It was in Germany two weeks after D-day that something singular happened with Jack and his trumpet.  Jack and his group of P-47 fighter pilots were in the German countryside.  A sniper was taking shots at them all day, and into the night.  As evening approached, Jack, now a Captain, wanted to get out his trumpet and calm his men.  But his men asked him not to play.  They were worried that if he did, the sniper would be able to locate him better and he'd be shot.

Jack recalled, "I thought to myself-- that German sniper is as lonely and scared as I am. How can I stop him from firing? So I played that German's love song, 'Lilly Marlene,' made famous in the late '30s by Marlene Dietrich, the famous German actress. And I wailed that trumpet over those apple orchards of Normandy, and he didn't fire."

Not only did the sniper NOT fire, but he turned himself in the next morning.  He asked to see the 'man who played the trumpet.'  When he met him, Jack said, "There was a 19-year-old German, scared and lonesome. He was dressed like a French peasant to cloak his role as a sniper. And, crying, he said, 'I couldn't fire because I thought of my fiancé. I thought of my mother and father,' and he says, 'My role is finished.'  He stuck out his hand, and I shook the hand of the enemy, [But] he was no enemy, because music had soothed the savage beast."

Jack flew 140 missions during World War 2 and his plane was never hit by a single bullet.  Later he fought in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.  He helped on the ground during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War.  He retired as a Colonel with lots of awards for his valor and bravery.

I think Jack was a great pilot and a good man.  But I think he also was guided and blessed by the Holy Spirit. He was an inspired man.  He lives in Bountiful, Utah and went to BYU for his education.  I think he's a Mormon and he knows how to rely on Heavenly Father's inspiration, even in battles of war.

We can count on Heavenly Father's help in all of our battles.  We just need to live worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost and ask for Heavenly Father's help in prayer. 

18 Year Old Mayor Michael Sessions

I had a hard time choosing the story I wanted to tell this week because we have both Election Day and Veterans Day.  Election day won out after I heard the story of Michael Sessions.

Michael Sessions registered to vote the day after he turned 18.  He had always been interested in his local government, to the point that he used to watch City Council meetings that were televised on TV.  But that wasn't enough.  Seeing the lack of concern most citizens had for government, he wanted to get involved so he could help them want to be more involved.  Over the years, he saw that most of the local 'races' were unopposed, meaning that no one was challenging the incumbents (people already holding those positions) for their jobs in government.  

He wanted to run for mayor of the small town in which he grew up.  But because registering to run occurred several months prior, when he was too young to run, his name wasn't on the ballot.  That didn't stop Michael.  He ran a 'write in' campaign using $700 left over from his summer job, maybe just mowing lawns.  In his campaign, he promised that he would "devote after-school hours to the job [while attending nearby Hillsdale High School during the day] and use his bedroom as his office."  

He had to work hard to be elected.  He knocked on so many doors that he developed Bronchitis, which landed him in the hospital.  But he only had a few months to make his case to the voting public.  He impressed the local fire department enough that they endorsed him.  The fire department first called Hillsdale High School to check on his grades; he had a 3.25 GPA.  

On Election day, he won by two votes.  Several votes were disqualified, but he still had 670 compared to the incumbent 668.  He thinks the two deciding votes were his parents.  One vote that wasn't disqualified read, 'The 18 year old running for mayor.'  Remember that everyone had to write his name 'Michael Sessions' into the ballot to vote for him, not just check a box.  He really had to work hard so people would remember his name (or at least remember he was the 18 year old running.)  

He took the oath of office in November 2005, becoming one of the youngest mayors in United States history.  He had turned 18 in September of that year.  He graduated from Hillsdale High School in 2006 and went on to Hillsdale College, all while he served as mayor.  He earned a stipend of $250 a month for his service and the budget he controlled for the city amounted to about $20 million.  He performed at least ten marriages while serving as Mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan.  After elected, he told people what he was planning on doing, "From 7:50 am to 2:30 pm I'm a student; from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, I'm going to be out fulfilling this job as mayor.  If it's not talking with people, it's meeting with the city manager or the director of public safety or the fire chief or the road workers.  I'm going to make sure people see that I'm visible and I care about this town."

This motivated young man did something amazing, and made a difference in the world.  He had determination and courage, just what it took to convince the people of Hillsdale that he'd make the right mayor for their town.  People in his town think he's doing a good job.  One woman, age 70, said, "He's more grown up than most mayors we've had in this town in the past. I voted for him and I would again.  He can eat dinner at my table any time."  He's delivered on his promises too, adding more firemen and working to make City Hall friendlier.  People like him and the work he has done.

Get out and VOTE!  Every vote matters.  What if two people who would have voted for him had stayed home that day?

 To learn more about Michael Sessions, read about him in Wikipedia, and see pg. 135 of How To Raise an American by Myrna Blyth.

Olbermann, Keith, MSNBC, "18 year old mayor taking his new job seriously" Nov 11, 2005, found at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10004343/ns/msnbc_tv-countdown_with_keith_olbermann/t/-year-old-mayor-taking-his-new-job-seriously/#.TrifwLIV1Lo

Wilkins, Korie;  Free Press, "Young mayor emerges wiser - Hillsdale's Michael Sessions, 20, beats cancer, recall effort" Oct 15, 2007 found at http://origin.wzzm13.com/news/story.aspx?storyid=82273

Daniel Marie Dives for a Cure

November is National Chemistry Month, and 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry.  These are details most people won’t know unless there’s a Chemist in the family.  So I thought today to celebrate, I’d tell you about a really cool chemist I read about.  His name is Daniel Marie.  He was born in Mauritius, an island nation off the southern coast of Africa.  His dad was a home builder and his mom was a home maker.  He was the youngest of 9 kids, and they barely survived.  But as a teenager, he fell in love with science.  He wanted to grow up to study biochemistry, if ‘given the opportunity.’  But feeding the family took precedence.  He had to quit High School for a time to work to help support the family.

He went to school when he could and eventually earned his ‘high school certificate.’  That might be the equivalent of the High School GED or maybe he actually graduated.  He kept working to save enough money to attend the University of Mauritius, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Environmental Studies.  Earning that degree gave him the opportunity to research the extraction of essential oils from the Eucalyptus plant.  Daniel said that his work began what he called his “fascination with natural products, their chemistry and their medicinal properties.”  Now he was more determined than ever to finish his education. 

He began to study for a doctorate degree and earned a scholarship to help.  Another scholarship gave him the opportunity to study for a year in Scotland at a university there, where he learned how to use expensive instruments they didn’t have in Mauritius.  He had brought some marine sponges from his home in Mauritius, and he analyzed them using these instruments.  What he found fascinated him. 

After his doctorate degree, in 2002 he accepted a Post-doctoral fellowship at a University in Belgium.  Again, he took marine sponges that he collected randomly from a Mauritius lagoon.  He found that some of the extracts from one particular sponge exhibited some anti-cancer properties. 

Today he the principal research scientist at the Mauritius Oceanography Institute (MOI) where he continues to look for bioactive compounds in natural products.  He and his team of two other chemists have collected specimens from over 100 different varieties of sponges from 40 different diving sites in Mauritius.  He runs a small government-funded laboratory in Mauritius, still without the fancy instruments he used in other better-funded labs.  But because of the contacts he made during his training, he collaborates with labs that have better equipment.  Between their lab and their collaborators’ labs, they take the sponges, extract, purify and isolate the chemical compounds that show anti cancer activity, then study them.  Through their combined research, Daniel has found 14 extracts that show ‘significant activity against specific cancer cell lines.’  Now he has made inroads on his main goal, ‘to alleviate the pain of others.’ 

It’s a great arrangement.  Daniel can live (and scuba dive) in his hometown island where his family is, and he can keep researching his passion, ‘the traditional medicinal uses of marine plants and animals.’  Without much future as a poor child in a tiny African island, Daniel made his future great by hard work and determination.  Who knows—maybe he’ll be the one to isolate the cure for cancer!  Wouldn’t that be great?

David Robinson Stands Tall

I read about another really amazing athlete when looking up Larry Fitzgerald from last week.  David Robinson is so community minded that there is now an award given monthly to charitable basketball players that is named after him!  

David Robinson was born the son of a military man, so he moved a lot as a kid, and he grew to love serving the country.  He was also very athletic, becoming good at each sport except basketball.  He tried it in Middle school, but didn't do well so he quit.  But he kept growing taller.  When he was a Senior in High School, he was 6 foot 7 inches tall and approached by the coach to join the team.  But he had never played organized Basketball!  He learned quickly and did well, but didn't think he'd go any further in Basketball.  The NBA showed little interest in him too.

He was a smart kid and worked hard in school.  After graduating from High School, he was accepted into the U.S. Naval Academy to study Mathematics.  He played Basketball for them, eventually growing to 7 feet tall while attending college.  He was considered the best player the Academy ever had!  He received all kinds of awards there and the nickname 'The Admiral.'  After graduating, he was drafted into the NFL and chosen by the San Antonion Spurs.  But they would have to wait until he served two years for the Navy as part of his commitment to the Academy.  

The Spurs waited, and although David was tempted to become a free agent and look for a better offer, he stayed with his original draft pick and played with the Spurs.  He played well enough that he earned a spot on the 1992 Olympic Basketball team nicknamed the Dream Team.  He was named one of the best Basketball players of all time by the NBA among so many other awards I won't even try to list them. Basically he was awarded every award that the NBA awards.  

But the big reason I'm impressed with him is because he inspired and helped kids to go to college.  In 1991, his second year playing for the Spurs, he spoke at a middle school in San Antonio.  He urged the 90 kids in attendance to go to college and promised them that if they did, he'd give them each $2000 towards their college funds.  Then he visited the school often, arranged for tutors for the students who needed them, even arranged pool parties.  In 1998 he awarded one third of those students scholarships to college, but surprised them by giving each of them $8000!  One of the kids, Tyrone Darden, said, "It definitely motivated us.  It was not just a guy stopping by for publicity.  Seeing all the great things he did opened my eyes to the impact I could have on my community.  He pushed me to do more with my life just by being a part of it."

Doing the math, that's more than $240 thousand dollars.  That is a lot of money, but much less than he also donated to a school he and his wife founded in San Antonio called 'George Washington Carver Academy.'  They have given more than $11 million to that school.  That's the most any athlete has ever give to one charity.  And that must be what prompted the NBA to name an award after him.  It's the 'NBA Community Assist Award,' now renamed the "David Robinson Placque" with the inscription, "Following the standard set by NBA legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece."  

This 7 foot tall man is even taller in character.  He was abundantly blessed with a good mind and an athletic body, but he didn't let the fame these gifts gave him to go to his head.  He is a kind man too, giving to those who need it more.  

He's featured on a website called 'Heroes for Humanity.com' and in an article by Rickie Adams, honored thus.  "His gentle demeanor and genuine sportsmanship are a fresh force in a sport that is often dominated by tattoos, expletives and half-court brawls…  With a seven-foot frame that somehow exudes grace and a heart of pure gold, David Robinson is a true role model in a world of false idols. We salute 'The Admiral' and his steadfast efforts to improve the lives of those in his community who might not have a fighting chance for success without his compassion."

Sources:

Adams, Rickie.  “David Robinson:  It’s a Beautiful Day in Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood.” Heroes For Humanity.com Web. 24 Oct 2011.

“David Robinson.”  Wikipedia n. page. Web. 24 Oct 2011.

Doyle, Amanda.  “Class Act.”  Sports Illustrated Kids October 2011:45. Print.

Larry Fitzgerald Wears PINK

We had fun this weekend going up to the mountains on Saturday and hiking to a remote waterfall.  The trees are turning colors and the weather was beautiful and clear.  We live in a beautiful world.

Speaking of colorful things…  Today, since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought I'd tell you about an athlete who isn't afraid to wear pink.  And I'm not talking about a female athlete, it's a GUY!  Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals football team supports cancer research by being a spokesman for the American Cancer Society and wearing pink.

How many guy friends of yours would wear bright pink, completely (even gloves and shoes) out in public?  Larry is a tough and rugged football player.  Was it hard for him to put on all that pink and then have his picture taken for the cover of a popular magazine?

He does it to honor his Mom.  Several years ago his Mom was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  Larry was in the eighth grade.  He and his dad and brother supported her during her treatment.  She had always been healthy and strong, it was hard for him to see her frail and bald.  She used to tell him, "Larry, you're a football player.  That's what you do, but that's not who you are.  Who you are is represented by what you do off the field."  So he tries to do his part in the community, and he chose breast cancer as his focus.  In 2010, he became a spokesman for the American Cancer Society as part of the NFL's 'A Crucial Catch' campaign.  It encourages women over 40 to get screened for the disease and raises money by selling pink NFL merchandise.  Several players, like Larry, wear the gear at games, then it is auctioned off and the money raised is donated to the cause.    

He said, "I learned a lot about how to treat people from her—principles that help me do the work that I do off the field.  My family did a breast cancer walk every year, even before my mom was diagnosed with it.  It was something already ingrained in me and has become such a huge part of my life.  If I can help someone's mom or sister or grandmother, that's one less family that has to be affected by this disease."

So when you see football players wearing pink gloves or cleats, don't snicker.  They are showing support for the cure.  Larry said, "We play a rough and tough game, but at the end of the day we have women in our lives whom we care about and love dearly who are dealing with this disease."  

He goes further by pledging money based on his personal success in football games in October.  On his website, Larry said, "This weekend marks the beginning of breast cancer awareness month. This year, I'll be donating $10,000 for every touchdown and $1,000 for every reception I have in October - the funds will be donated to organizations working to end breast cancer and to support breast cancer survivors."  (see Oct 2^nd post 'In His Own Words')  Let's hope he plays really well in October!

Larry credits his mom for his success in Football.  When he was seven, his dad refused to sign him up to play football.  He didn't want him to get hurt because he was so little.  But his Mom caved in to his begging and signed him up.  When his dad saw that he was having fun and doing well, he started supporting him too.  Now he is a successful wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, a team he helped bring to the Super Bowl.  He recently signed an extension of his contract valued at $120 million, making him one of the highest paid players in the NFL.  Clearly he's a great player to merit that kind of pay.  What I like about him is his commitment to helping others too.  Without his mother's illness and influence, would he wear pink in public and give so much of his own money away?  Probably not!

Sources:

Fitzgerald, Larry as told to Christina M. Tapper.  “From the Heart:  My Mother Lost her Battle with Breast Cancer in 2003 But She Continues to Inspire Me to Help Others.”  Sports Illustrated Kids Oct 2011:32-34.  Print.

­­­Fitzgerald, Larry.  “In My Words.” LarryFitzgerald11.com Web. 17 Oct 2011.

Christopher Columbus

Geoffrey just finished a unit at school (4^th grade) studying the explorers of the new world.  He dressed up as Ponce de Leon and told his story.  He got a bit dramatic, showing a scab and dying a fantastic death with each retelling, since Ponce de Leon died from an arrow wound to the leg.  

Because of his study, he is particularly knowledgeable about the explorers that found America.  To honor Columbus Day, we're going to share what we learned from him and his fellow students. 

An Italian young man named Cristoforo Columbo, or Christopher Columbus, had big ideas.  He grew up in the wool business.  His dad owned a wool business and traded with other nearby countries.  Christopher learned from his dad about trading, navigation and maps of the world.  He was one of the few people who believed the world was round.  Although he was laughed at a lot, he knew that the world could not be flat.  Traders often sailed to exotic India to trade goods.  Coming from Europe, they had to sail around the southern tip of Africa to get to India.  That was a long and perilous journey. 

Christopher Columbus knew that since the world was round, one could sail the other direction and hit the other side of India.  Columbus first asked Portugal for funding to sail ships WESTWARD to India.  Portugal refused because they were the ones who started sailing around the tip of Africa.  It was their idea and they weren't about to abandon it.  After three years of waiting, Columbus decided to ask Spain.  They said no because they were fighting a war.  After the war ended seven years later, Columbus asked Spain again.  This time they agreed to fund his trip.  

Spain gave Columbus 3 boats called the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria.  The King and Queen of Spain ordered the crews to accompany Columbus, some of whom were convicts.  They promised to erase their crimes after returning from this voyage.  After all, it was experimental; some people still believed that they might fall off the world, since they thought the world was flat.  

Columbus set sail in 1492 and after one month the crew became restless.  Mutiny was brewing.  Fortunately, after a second month at sea, they spotted land.  It was AMERICA!  Well, more specifically, what we now call the Caribbean.  He thought he was in India because they didn't know anything about America being there, so he called the place West Indies and named the natives 'Indians.'  

Columbus came back to Spain with big news of their discovery.  Spain sent him on a second voyage with 15 ships.  Columbus was supposed to set up a settlement in the new world.  He brought Juan Ponce de Leon from Spain with him.  They landed in Cuba and tried to set up a settlement there.  

Other men besides Ponce de Leon were taking note:  Giovanni Caboto (or John Cabot) from Italy and Jacques Cartier from France.  They got funding and set sail soon afterwards.  Cabot found Newfoundland and Canada and Cartier found the St. Lawrence River which leads to the Great Lakes.  Vasquez Balboa from Spain and Henry Hudson of England got into the act.  Balboa found the Isthmus of Panama and South America; and Hudson found the Hudson River, Hudson bay and the Hudson Strait.  (He really liked his last name, didn't he?)  And Ponce de Leon set sail himself, from the settlement in Puerto Rico, finding Florida.  (We went to a cool monument in St. Augustine Florida devoted to him.)    

Columbus never set foot in what is now the United States, but he found the Americas.  He had to have great patience—waiting 10 years for sponsorship of his trip.  He also had amazing courage--  he was taking a great risk sailing into uncharted territory (that most believed didn't exist, in fact, that most believed the voyage would end in death by falling off the end of the world) with criminals as his crew, with worries of mutiny, hunger, sickness, sinking, bad weather, and so forth.  

He was inspired to come, along with the others, as part of Heavenly Father's plan for the restoration of the Gospel in the latter days.  Nephi saw it in vision in 1 Nephi 13: 

12 And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and ^awrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.

 13 And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters.

 14 And it came to pass that I beheld many ^amultitudes of the Gentiles upon the ^bland of promise…

Heavenly Father was preparing the land for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored and then preached unto all the world.  Columbus and the other explorers would set the stage for later settlers to come, like the Pilgrims settling in Plymouth Massachusetts. Nephi is told further about the War of Independence to form the United States and the restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith in a free land.  

Columbus and the other brave explorers were inspired by God to find America.  God needed to bring the gospel back to Nephi's seed through the Gentiles.  Columbus was an important part in the step of bringing Gentiles to the Promised Land.  

Did Columbus and the others know that they were fulfilling prophecy by sailing to unknown parts?  If they didn't when they were alive, they probably do now.  God knew that they would do it.  

We all have a work to do here, something to contribute.  No matter what our situation, we can be part of God's work. 

Peter Teaches Himself Piano

I want to tell you about a remarkable musician I know.  His name is Peter.  He is Korean, and changed his first name to an American name when he came to America.  After hearing him play the piano beautifully, I asked him if he had taken lessons to learn how to play.  To answer my question, he told me this story.

When he was a Middle School student in Korea, he took a music class at school that met once a week.  He loved the class and looked forward to it each week.  In the class one day he heard a classical piece played on the piano.  After he heard it, he could not get the melody out of his mind.  He had always thought of the piano as an instrument for church music, but this was something different.  He also heard his music teacher play other classical pieces.  He wanted to play the piano so badly that he would put small rocks in the window of the Music Room to prop the window open.  After school he would then sneak back into the room and teach himself how to play the piano.

Peter did this for 2-3 months before the school security found him in the room one day and made him stop.  He wanted to play the piano intensely but his parents were too poor to pay for lessons.  When he was a 2^nd year High School student, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  After he joined the church, he asked the Bishop if he could practice on the church piano after school.  The Bishop told him that he could.

Every day, Peter would go to the church at 3 pm after school and play the piano until 11 pm in the evening.  He would then catch a bus home, eat dinner and study homework from school.  He would get to bed at 2 am and wake up the next morning at 6:30 am to start again.  He loved playing the piano so much that he figured out that he could play until 11:15 pm and then run to the bus stop carrying his heavy student bags.  He did this to get an extra 15 minutes of playing time.  It was risky; if he missed the bus he had a long walk home in the dark.  He studied like this through the rest of his High School years.  He taught himself to play Beethoven Sonatas and Chopin pieces in 6 months.

Peter kept pestering his parents to buy him a piano.  His family lived in a one room house, he knew they didn't have the money, but he asked anyway.  Finally his father bought a used pump organ.  Peter played it until it broke.

Peter has a gift and a great love of music.  He has taught himself to play the flute, saxophone, drums, guitar, and trumpet.  He is a great example of what someone can do with determination, sweat, and the Lord's blessings.

 

Scott Johnson

Thomas S. Monson's Early Experience Helping Another

With Conference coming, I thought I'd tell a story you may have heard before.  But maybe not.  It's about being the right person, in the right spot at the right time.  And it's about someone who will speak to us this weekend…

President Thomas S. Monson hasn't always been the Prophet; in fact, he was once a boy.  He loved to swim and fish in the Provo River, like most boys would.  He was a pretty good swimmer and had a strong young body.

One day Tommy (as he was then called) had gone tubing on the river.  As he turned one corner he was surprised to see a group of people yelling and franticly looking toward the water.  When Tommy came into view, they started screaming at him, "Save her!  Save her!"  He realized someone needed help in the water somewhere, perhaps near him.  But he didn't see anyone in the water.  He looked closely at the water and saw hair float up to the surface. 

He reached in and pulled her up by the hair and hoisted her into his tube.  He paddled to the shore and helped the girl to the bank, where her relatives hugged her and cried for joy.  Then they came to thank Tommy with hugs and kisses.  Tommy, like most boys, was horrified!  He got away and continued his journey, likely wiping off the (disgusting) kisses with the back of his hand.  Later he realized the significance of what had happened. (Grow)

He said, "Heavenly Father had heard the cries, 'Save her! Save her,' and permitted me, a deacon, to float by at precisely the time I was needed. That day I learned that the sweetest feeling in mortality is to realize that God, our Heavenly Father, knows each one of us and generously permits us to see and to share His divine power to save." (Monson)

Tommy had no idea that he would save a girl's life when he headed to the river that day.  He saved her life, though, because he was at the right place at the right time.  What if he had come to the river two hours later?  Perhaps he was guided to get there, so he'd be in position to help her when she needed it.  I tend to think that happened, because President Monson is so good about helping others.  He has made it a habit to help people, often coming to them in the very moment of need.  When he gets a prompting to help someone now, he doesn't question it, he goes.  And often he arrives in the very knick of time!  Perhaps this experience as a boy is what has made him so attuned to the spirit.

I hope President Monson tells more stories of how he has helped people by listening to the spirit and following the prompting this weekend in Conference.  Perhaps his message will save someone, maybe not from drowning, but from other dangers we all face in this crazy world.  He called saving people by following God's promptings, 'the sweetest feeling.'  I'm sure that's why he does it so often. We can all try to listen to promptings so we can help God help others.

Works Cited

Grow, Adam. "President Monson Dedicates New Building." Universe-- universe.byu.edu 16 May 2010. http://universe2.byu.edu/node/8421

Monson, Thomas S. "Who Honors God, God Honors." Ensign November 1995.

The Catuzzi Sisters

Three sisters, Lauren, Vaughn and Dara Catuzzi grew up together in Indiana and Texas.  They loved each other but probably fought like siblings do.  They each married and moved away from each other when they got older.  But they stayed in touch and supported each other still.

Lauren was writing a book that she was really excited about.  She had been a Girl Scout and loved earning Merit Badges.  She decided that grown up women needed to earn Merit Badges too, so she had been writing a book that would allow women to earn Merit Badges.  Lauren loved to try new things.  As an adult, she skated around her neighborhood.  She became a trained Emergency Medical Technician.  She took classes in gardening, cooking, and scuba diving.  She hiked, jogged and kayaked.  She even went skydiving on her birthday once.  Learning these fun things to do prompted her to share the thrill with women everywhere in the form of this book she wanted to write.

She wrote up a sample outline and some detailed chapters and showed them to publishers.  One publisher, Chronicle Books, liked her idea so much that they agreed to publish it when it was finished.  Lauren quit her job as a marketing and advertising agent, and started to write full time so it could be published.  She was so excited.

Unfortunately, she was affected by the events of 9/11 and unable to finish her book.  She was on flight 93, that crashed in Pennsylvania.  Her family is convinced she was part of the heroic effort to divert the plane from the intended target (either the White House or the Capitol) because of her EMT training.

Without prompting, her sisters took the project over.  They met with the publisher, gathered up her papers and picked up the writing where Lauren had left off.  Fortunately, they had her outlines and knew what she wanted it to look like.  When they were finished, they turned the book in to the publisher.  Instead of putting their names on the cover, they put the author as Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, their sister.  It took a few years of their efforts, but it was published in 2005.  

Additionally, they made sure the proceeds of the book were donated to charities that Lauren loved, like the scholarships for high school senior girls.  They also donated some of the money to build wings onto hospitals dedicated to helping women and women's shelters.

The sisters wrote in the book foreward, "Lauren imagined a book that would boost women's self esteem by helping them achieve their goals, realize their dreams and embrace life's joys and challenges to the fullest.  We all knew how much this book meant to her.  It has been an honor to make it a reality.  Use it to help you do and be your best."   

I like this story because it shows the love and support these sisters have for each other.  When one couldn't finish something important, the other two stepped in and helped out. 

For more information, see Grandcolas, Lauren Catuzzi The Merit Badge Handbook For Grown-up Girls Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California, 2005.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/2005-05-04-bchat-9-11-victim_x.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Grandcolas  

Welles Crowther, a Voluntary Hero on 9/11

Here is another story about a 9/11 hero for you.  Twenty-four year old Welles Crowther was born near New York city.  He enjoyed hearing the stories of heroism his fire-fighter dad would tell him over dinner.  His dad taught Welles and his siblings many skills that would help in a disaster.  For one, his dad always carried a bandana in his back pocket and taught his sons to do the same.  If there was an emergency, a bandana came in very handy.  Welles carried a red bandana in his back pocket, always, even when he wore a suit.

Although Welles always dreamed of being a fire-fighter like his dad, he went to college instead and got a job helping people make money on investments.  He was at work on September 11^th behind a desk at the World Trade Center when the disaster hit.  He was on the 104^th floor!  Because of all of the things his dad had taught him as a boy, Welles knew what to do to help get everyone to safety.  He pulled out his bandana and used it as a face mask to breathe in the smoky building.  Then he started helping people get out of the building.  He went down several floors, directing people to the stairwells, telling them to help each other to leave the building.  He urged the ones who weren’t hurt to help the ones who were.  At one point, he carried a young woman down several floors until someone else could help her get out.  He kept going back up stairs, helping people get to the stairwells and get to the bottom of the building and outside.  He exited and went back inside at least 3 times to help the trapped victims get to safety.  

That day, Welles saved at least 18 people’s lives using his unofficial training and his heart.  Most of his co-workers got out and went home.  Welles stayed to save others.   One blogger named Cassy Fiano wrote, “Welles Crowther was an investment banker, not a firefighter or a police officer. He could have easily just exited the building and got himself to safety with no shame whatsoever. Instead, he found the courage to go above and beyond what was required of him, helping many people out of the tower and saving countless lives.”  Granted, others didn’t have his training either, so they may not have been able to help.  Welles knew what to do and was there when it happened.  

I like this story because it shows that even things people learn when they are young can come in handy.  And, as one of the 18 he saved said, "If he hadn't come back, I wouldn't have made it. People can live 100 years and not have the compassion, the wherewithal to do what he did."  His courage and compassion, combined with the skills his dad taught him made him a hero.  Granted, he didn’t save thousands, or even hundreds, just 18 people. But those people and their families will always be glad he saved them.

Sometimes the things we learn from our childhoods help us to be able to help others.

To learn more, see:

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2002/america.remembers/stories/heroes/welles.html

http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/09/11/5-heroes-to-remember-this-september-11/