MaeLyn's Musings

How are the spirit and the body connected? I'm trying to ponder this, but I'm afraid the anti-seizure medication I'm on has fried my brain and it is making it very hard to think. I'm hoping writing out what I know here will help... I know that death is the separation of body and spirit. (See Eccl 12:7 ) I know that body and spirit together make a soul. (See D&C 88:15 ) I know that God created man's spirits. (See  Moses 6:36 ) Doctrine and Covenants 93:29-36 says: Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence. Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light. And every man whose spirit receiveth not the lig...

Years ago, I learned a song at church. It went: I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know who I am. I know God's plan. I'll follow him in faith. I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ. I'll honor his name. I'll do what is right; I'll follow his light. His truth I will proclaim. ( Words by Janice Kapp Perry C. 1989 ) In a recent statement , President Russell M. Nelson emphasized the importance of using the full name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We are not the LDS church. We are not the Mormon church. This church was given its name by revelation 180 or so years ago, and that is the name that we should be using.  I was walking several days ago and pondering about the name of the Church and what it means to me. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ... This is the same church that Jesus Christ established when he lived on the earth. He is the central figure, with a complement of apostles, prophets, pasto...

When I go to a doctor, in my head, the scenario goes something like this: Me: Doctor, I have this problem. Doctor: Oh? Tell me about it. What are you experiencing? Me: Well, I have this symptom, and I feel this way and then this happens. Doctor: Hmmm. Well that sounds like _____________. It is caused by ________________. All you need to do is ________________________ and you will be healed. Me: Thanks! Doctor: You're welcome. You don't have to see me again until you have another problem. In reality, doctor appointments go rather differently. As a missionary, I once saw a doctor. That discussion went more like this: Me: Doctor, I have this weird itchy rash on my hands. Doctor: Oh? (Looking at it) Hmmm. That's weird. Tell me about it. Me: It showed up a few weeks ago and won't go away. It itches like crazy. Hot water seems to make it itch worse. It is spreading from my pointer fingers to the rest of my fingers and hands. It seems centered around my knuckles. ...

At the very beginning of the first episode of BBC's television series, Sherlock , John Watson's therapist tells him, "You're a soldier and it's going to take you a while to adjust to civilian life and writing a blog about everything that happens to you will honestly help you." John's miserable answer is, "Nothing happens to me." I enjoy watching Sherlock . I love the plot twists and the irony, the puzzles and the British humour. I love that there are different ways to understand so many things. In the scene I just described, does the therapist believe that he was traumatized by his time in the war, and that writing about what happens to him as a civilian will help him put the war behind him and focus on better things in the present? Or does she understand that John misses the war, that he is bored with civilian life, and that writing a blog about every little event will help him appreciate that things do actually happen to him? The irony, ...

Our vacation started on Wednesday, August 8th, when we attended a Rockies game compliments of Steven's work. The Colorado Rockies played the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates won. The food was good. After the game we headed out of town for the real adventure. We went to YMCA of the Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch . Awesome place, lots of fun. You should go there sometime. The YMCA has lodging for every type of outdoor enthusiast. They have a lodge (think motel) for those who need room service. They have cabins. They have yurts. They even have campsites for those who don't mind dirt under our feet. We set up our tent in the HOPI campground. That first evening we explored a bit, played miniature golf and did some stargazing. Thursday, August 9th, we woke up. Steven cooked breakfast in the dutch oven...  ....then we set out to find things to do.  Our first stop was at the program center where we were able to sign up for register for several different activities. Ou...

I hate going to the dentist. I hate having people's hands in my mouth. I hate the sounds of drills and metal instruments scraping against my teeth. It's like listening to fingernails scraping a chalkboard repeatedly, only worse because it is inside my head. I hate feeling like I'm going to either suffocate or drown because my nose is congested and I can't breathe through my mouth because it's full of water that I either don't want to or can't swallow. I hate the odor like burning dust as they polish and scrape away at the enamel on my teeth. I have uncomfortable memories of seeing orthodontists, of having to wear metal bars in my mouth, attached by rubber bands to a sort of cap on my head, and I remember being mocked at school when I wore it there because I had to wear it for so many hours a day, and it was uncomfortable to sleep on it. I remember how much my teeth and jaw ached for weeks whenever they changed anything. I remember the braces, the bands on ...

On June 26th, I went to the hospital for an EEG. The process was very similar to the last one I had done (see here ) but it was a little different. Once again I was told to only sleep four hours the night before, and once again I was dead tired. This time the test was done by a woman, and she took me to a different room in the same area of the hospital as the last one. She had me lie down on the bed while she put the electrode things on my head. She had me blow on a pinwheel several times, with controlled breaths before she flashed the lights at my closed eyes, and then let me try to rest for a little while. She had soft music playing - which drowned out some of the other hospital noises, but still made it difficult to actually get to sleep. Personally I think a white noise machine might have been more effective. Anyway, when the test was finished, she removed the electrodes and sent me on my way. The results would be sent to my doctor. The neurologist also ordered an MRI, and I had ...

It was a challenge finding time for a family vacation this summer, with everyone running in different directions. Steven is still working at MDC Holdings as a financial analyst. July is one of his busier months with quarter end reports to complete. He was, however, able to take the last full week of July off for LDS Encampment, a week long scout camp at Peaceful Valley Scout Camp with all the LDS scout troops in the area. Almost immediately following that week at camp he was released from his calling as Scout Master and called to be the ward clerk. While I think he is disappointed not to stay scoutmaster until our boys get their eagles, and until the LDS church discontinues its association with the BSA at the end of next year, he always accepts the calls given to him, and that is one of the things I love about him. Already he has worked to clean up the ward list, standardizing addresses and the like. Hannah is keeping busy while awaiting November, when she will enter the MTC in Bra...