Today marks the sixth year since the passing of my mother-in-law, Marian Baker. She is a most remarkable lady who still greatly impacts my life for good. Throughout her mortal sojourn, her deep spiritual gifts were many and her life was in close harmony with the Lord. She had a great gift for uniting people and despite her own significant challenges, she was constantly looking for ways to uplift and encourage the troubled and the downtrodden that were within her circle of influence. 

Elder Ronald Rasband recently shared a quote that encapsulates the life of Marian. He said: It is my hope and prayer that we will continue to bear nobly our burdens and to reach out to those among us who are suffering.

I am grateful for Marian Baker.

I am sometimes amazed at the talents of our children. They are able to understand and do and create things that are far from my own skill set. Where do they get these gifts and abilities? Several months ago we found a set of superhero drawings that David had published to an on-line gallery. They are fantastic. I am grateful for the talents that our children bring to our family and home.

I am grateful for the music Michelle brings into our home. She is an accomplished pianist who loves to play when she can. She has learned the art of improvisation and it is fun to have her create as she plays- every song can be a completely unique piece of art. I am thankful for this gift in our family.

Michelle is always thoughtful and careful about not wasting. During this past year we have been using our food dehydrator. It is a great way to enjoy fruit. Almost anything fruit can work at about any stage of ripening. Throw it is the blender, pour it onto the dehydrator plate. and let it work overnight. Nice addition to our snack options.

The younger generations have amazing facility with technology. It is second nature to them. It is intuitive- no instruction manuals needed. Yet this wonderful ability in technology has the potential to be a blessing and a curse to our children and our grandchildren. If used in excess, technololgy may limit the quality of our personal interactions and relationships with others. It can be a barrier to our social development and skills. Yet, when used in properly and in moderation, technology can be a tremendous asset in helping us learn and use our time efficiently. For the most part, I am grateful for the rapidly advancing wave of technology.