Paul Cardall and Nathan Pacheco

This week I have been listening to music by Paul Cardall because it is so relaxing and soothing to my soul. It seems to take me to a higher place spiritually because of his instrumentation and lyrics. One of my very favorite songs is called "One By One" with the lyrics written by Elder David Bednar. I love to see the children singing in the choir, playing their instruments and hearing Nathan Pacheco singing this song. I can listen and watch this over and over because it is so lovely, peaceful and seems to take me closer to heaven. If you have never heard this song, please take a minute to listen because I know that you will be glad you did! 

 https://www.youtube.com › watch.    one by one paul cardall

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https://www.youtube.com › watch

What About Lassie?

                                                                Son Of Lassie



This week I have been watching old movies about Lassie which were popular when I was a child. Lassie movies are always so uplifting and give one a sense that all is right with the world. Lassie is a faithful and obedient collie who goes to great lengths to prove her loyalty and devotion to her masters. I suppose that I like to watch it because it is a 'feel good' film and reminds me that I can emulate the qualities that Lassie has and try harder to make others happy too.

Son of Lassie is literally Lassie's son, Laddie, and the film features his story. As Lassie is now getting older, the story revolves around Laddie and the dog's owner's son, Joe,  who has grown up and joins the Royal Air Force during World War II. His plane is shot down over Nazi-occupied Norway. Laddie follows relentlessly by sneaking into boot camp, stowaways into his aircraft and then swims the North Sea to find him.  Laddie saves Joe's life and reunites with the family after the war is over. I loved this movie and have shared it with my grandchildren because of it's high quality and caliber.

A Romantic Comedy

Earlier this week we checked out some old classic movies from the library. Tonight my husband and I watched one from 1957  called "Love In The Afternoon" starring Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn. It was a purely entertaining romantic comedy and fun for us to watch together. It's about a young cello student, Ariane, who eavesdrops on her widowed private detective father"s (Claude Chavesse) conversation with a client (Monsieur X).  After learning of his wife's daily trysts with American business magnate Frank Flannagan, (Gary Cooper) in Room 14 at the Paris Ritz, Monsieur X announces he will shoot Flannagan later that evening. Claude is nonchalant, regretting only the business he will lose (Flannagan is a well-known international playboy with a long history of numerous casual affairs). When Ariane cannot get the Ritz to put her through to Flannagan on the phone, and the police decline to intervene until after a crime has been committed, she decides to warn him herself. Ariane is in time. When Monsieur X breaks into Flannagan's hotel suite, he finds Flannagan with Ariane, not his wife, who is cautiously making her escape via an outside ledge. Flannagan is intrigued by the mysterious girl, who refuses to give him any information about herself, even her name. He starts guessing her name from the initial "A" on her purse, and when she declines to tell him he resorts to calling her "thin girl". She has no romantic history but pretends to be a femme fatale to interest him, and soon falls in love with the considerably older man. She agrees to meet him the next afternoon, because her orchestral practice is in the evenings (although she does not admit that is the reason). She comes with mixed feelings, but ends up becoming his lover for the evening until his plane leaves (though later Flannagan says he did not make it to first base with her).

Her father, who has tried unsuccessfully to protect her from knowing about the tawdry domestic-surveillance details in his files, notices her change of mood but has no idea that it proceeds from one of his cases.

After a year, Flannagan returns to Paris and the Ritz. Ariane, who has kept track of Flannagan's womanizing exploits through the news media, meets him again when she sees him at an opera while surveying the crowd from a balcony. She puts herself in his path in the lobby, and they start seeing each other again. This time, when he persists in his questioning, she makes up a long list of prior imaginary lovers based on her father's files (Flannagan is number 20 on the list). Flannagan gradually goes from being amused to being tormented by the possible comparisons, but is unsure whether they are real. When he encounters a still-apologetic Monsieur X, the latter recommends Claude Chavasse to him, and thus Flannagan hires Ariane's own father to investigate.

It does not take Chavasse long to realize the mystery woman is Ariane. He informs his client that his daughter fabricated her love life. He tells Flannagan that she is a little fish that he should throw back, since she is serious and he wants to avoid serious relationships.

Flannagan decides to leave Paris, pretending to be on his way to meet former lovers in Cannes. At the train station both keep up their act of not caring deeply for each other, although Ariane sheds a few tears that she blames on the soot. As the train departs, and Ariane runs along the platform as Flannagan stands in the door of the coach, her femme-fatale facade cracks as her love shows through. Flannagan changes his mind, sweeps her up in his arms onto the coach, and before kissing her he calls her by her name, Ariane. Chavasse reports that they got married in Cannes and now live in New York.

I guess that I enjoy watching romantic comedy's because I am a romantic person at heart and am recently re-married. My relationship with my new husband is wonderfully loving, kind and fun, which is much different that with my late husband who didn't really know how to love someone else. I enjoy watching other relationships because it's amusing and entertaining!

Watching Conference

     Five days ago I watched General Conference and I felt so uplifted!  I was most impressed by Jeffrey R. Holland's first address and felt he knocked it right out of the park. The title of his talk was, "The Message, The Meaning, and The Multitude". He spoke about the importance of having spiritually sensitive people around us in order to answer our questions of importance. Fixing our attention on Jesus Christ should be at the center of all we do. The love of Heavenly parents, the atoning gift of Jesus Christ, the comforting guidance of the Holy Ghost, the latter day restoration of all truths all support our love of Jesus Christ. Our temple experiences should focus on Him and help us build on the rock of our salvation. He says that there are many things to come but the redeemer who liveth is greater than all. Subsequent talks also emphasized the importance of giving our all to the Lord, making a priority of spiritually nourishing ourselves, focusing our lives on the gospel, increasing our spiritual capacity, having unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ, and trusting in the Lord. Along with the message of these outstanding talks, was the palpable spirit that was felt from the music and the apostles of the Lord. I was deeply impressed and motivated to follow their counsel. I am so thankful to be a member of the Lord's true church and for my testimony of it's truthfulness. I am thankful that I live in a day where we are able to easily access the words of our Lord.  I am thankful for the outcomes in my life from trying to live by the precepts of the gospel of Jesus Christ and know that it is the only way to lifelong happiness now and in the life to come. I am so thankful that we have a living prophet who speaks for the Lord in our day and sets such an outstanding example of devotion to the Lord, obedience to his words and truly loves all mankind. Listening and watching to conference was an uplifting opportunity to feel the Lord's spirit and be led by our Prophet, his apostles, and other general authorities. Listening to the music was also a rich blessing for spiritual uplift.

The Good and Bad

   

     So I think that I have been watching way too much media lately and I want to change! I feel very addicted to my games on my phone and have a hard time turning it off at night. I know that it affects my sleep, my brain, and my overall well being. I am determined to better self regulate and even go so far as to not even turn it on in bed. It has become such a bad habit to help me unwind and relax it seems and I try to remember what I used to do before it came along.  I can sort of blame my husband because he chooses to ask me what I want to watch on t.v. every night. If I were alone, I would probably read or write. However, I try to be accommodating for him.
     By studying and learning about the topic of media, it  has helped me become aware of how I can do a better job of using media for the good. I am going to resolve that because I am writing about this and making a statement, that I will commit to change this habit now. I will change the location of where I charge my phone at night and instead read or write. Just writing publicly makes it easier for me to commit, it seems. I will evaluate this every week and report how I am doing with this challenge.