We enjoyed our Sabbath activities on Sunday 17 November.  We began with a very pleasant surprise as we watched "Music & the Spoken Word" on BYU-TV on my laptop.  We watch it every Sunday as it airs at 8:30 am and church is not until 10 am, just 15 minutes away in Ellijay.  As the voice of the program, Lloyd D. Newell provides spiritual thoughts amongst the musical numbers of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square.  This Sunday he talked about our dear recently-departed friend Lucile Johnson, who had a great deal to do with our joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Germany in 1972.  We were fortunate to be able to visit her in Salt Lake City during our mission there in 2010-2011.  She passed away earlier this year.

We enjoyed the delightful Primary Presentation in our branch's sacrament meeting.  Gospel Doctrine class was very good as we discussed lesson 41 of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History curriculum for this year.  It was entitled "Every Member a Missionary."  One of the quotes from the lesson was from President Spencer W. Kimball, the 12th president and prophet of the Church:

“Our great need, and our great calling, is to bring to the people of this world the candle of understanding to light their way out of obscurity and darkness and into the joy, peace, and truths of the gospel. I believe we must not weary in our well-doing. I believe it is time again to ask ourselves the question, what can I do to help take the gospel to others and to the inhabitants of the world?” (“Are We Doing All We Can?” Ensign, Feb. 1983).

We look forward to serving another full-time mission for the Church.

Monday morning we took our car to the Toyota dealer in Canton, Georgia.  We have been taking it to the Toyota dealer in Dalton.  Even though the drive to Canton is only 10 minutes shorter than the drive to Dalton, the latter is across the mountains west of Ellijay and a much more challenging route.  We bought our white 2011 Avalon in Dalton on 22 December 2012 and its mileage was 28,610.  We recently doubled that to 57,220 in less than 11 months!  We had the 60,000 mile service done.

Our "new" 2011 Avalon

Canton Toyota

In the afternoon we visited Sandra Bayless, whom we home teach each month.  Then in the evening at church we attended our empty-nester Family Home Evening (FHE) with several other older members of our branch.  FHE in the context of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, refers to one evening per week, usually Monday, that families are encouraged to spend together in study, prayer, and other activities. According to the LDS Church, the purpose of FHE is to help families strengthen bonds of love with each other as well as provide an atmosphere where parents can teach their children principles of the gospel.

For most LDS families, Family Home Evening includes a game or fun activity, treats, and a short lesson. The responsibilities for each are often rotated among family members, so that even the youngest may be assisted in presenting a short lesson or devotional on a given topic. Parents often use this night as an opportunity to teach their children how to prepare talks and lessons, as well as how to conduct meetings. Family business for the week may be addressed and the family schedule reviewed.

We finished reading the Mitford book described earlier, "A New Song."  Eileen was excited to receive two marriage certificates that she had ordered from the General Record Office in Southport, England, as she continues to work on her Slee family history.  We have begun the next Mitford book, "In This Mountain."

Book number 7 in the series

I finished reading The Bostonians Vol. 1 by Henry James on my iPhone. "This brilliant satire of the women’s rights movement in America is the story of the ravishing inspirational speaker Verena Tarrant and the bitter struggle between two distant cousins who seek to control her."

Book cover

I posted the following to Facebook: “Cultivate a spirit of charity; be ready to do for others more than you would expect from them if circumstances were reversed.”

(President Lorenzo Snow, 5th president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Manual for Priesthood and Relief Society for 2013

On Tuesday 19 November we mailed the Advent calendars and coloring books from Bacon's Castle in Surry, Virginia, to our three grandsons in Arizona.  We have given the Advent calendars to our children when they were young ever since we discovered them during our five years in the Army in Bavaria from 1968-1973.  For some years now we have been sending the Advent calendars to our grandchildren.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with them, here is a picture.

Advent Calendar

Each date from 1 through 25 December has a little chocolate behind it.

I finished reading "Idylls of the King" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.  It was published between 1859 and 1885, and is a cycle of twelve narrative poems by the English poet  Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892; Poet Laureate from 1850) which retells the legend of King Arthur, his knights, his love for Guinevere and her tragic betrayal of him, and the rise and fall of Arthur's kingdom.

I enjoy reading immensely and am reading between 40 and 45 books on my iPhone.  Consequently it takes quite a long time to read the lengthier books.  I began "Idylls of the King" on March 27th, so it took nearly eight months.

I posted the following to Facebook: "More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of."  Excerpt from "The Passing of Arthur" in "Idylls of the King."

On Wednesday 20 November we headed for Florida to visit our daughter Sue and be with her and her husband David at her oncology appointment Thursday morning at the University of Florida's Shands Cancer Center in Gainesville, Florida.  It went well and we are optimistic about the procedures that will take place in January.  On our way we did some shopping in Canton, Georgia, and enjoyed lunch at yet another Cracker Barrel in Macon.  We all stayed at Eileen's brother Russell's place in Brooker, Florida.

Shands Cancer Center

I finished reading “What Maisie Knew” by Henry James.  "It is the story of the sensitive daughter of divorced, irresponsible parents, and has great contemporary relevance as an unflinching account of a wildly dysfunctional family. The book is also a masterly technical achievement by James, as it follows the title character from earliest childhood to precocious maturity."  It was published in 1898.

What Maisie Knew

As part of our bedtime readings I read the talk to Eileen by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the LDS Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for Teachings For Our Time for Sunday’s Priesthood and Relief Society lesson, even though we’ll be in Sunrise, Florida, where the talk used there will probably be a different one.

Elder M. Russell Ballard

During the day I finished The Crown Jewels Souvenir Guidebook.  I have been reading each of the booklets that we bought for many of the sites we visited in our U.K. tour/cruise in August and this one was the last one.

Queen Elizabeth II

Thursday evening we enjoyed going out for dinner at the Conestogas Restaurant in Alachua with Sue and David, Eileen's brother Russ, and neighbors of his, Tom and Ann.

Conestogas Restaurant

Friday 22 November we drove with Sue and David to their home in Sunrise, Florida.  We drove south on I-75 and Florida's Turnpike.

 Along Florida's Turnpike

Sue and David's home in Sunrise

In the front window is one of Eileen's stained glass creations.

Stained Glass

I read "Paladins of Shannara: Allanon’s Quest," 

"Paladins of Shannara: The Weapons Master's Choice," 

and "Paladins of Shannara: The Black Irix," 

all short stories by Terry Brooks (born January 8, 1944), an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career and has over 21 million copies of his books in print. He is one of the biggest-selling living fantasy writers. 

Terry Brooks

Saturday 23 November I took our car, which was covered with bugs due to our ride from Georgia, to an excellent car wash just around the corner from Sue's home.  When they got done, there was not a bug to be seen on the car.

Car wash on University Drive

As I was getting ready to leave, the courtesy of the employee caught my attention and I asked him my two questions!  They are #1, "Do you like to read?", and #2, "If I would send you a book that gives the actual account of the visit of Jesus Christ to America, would you read it?"  He said "yes" to both questions and provided his name and address on the index card that I always have handy in my shirt pocket.  I told him that I was on vacation and that when I got home I would send it to him.  I send such people a copy of the Book of Mormon with my testimony that it is the Word of God, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, and a companion to the Holy Bible, and a copy of the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.'s Testimony pamphlet.

The Savior Jesus Christ

Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.

I read "The Man Without a Country," a short story by American writer Edward Everett Hale, first published in December 1863. It is the story of American Army lieutenant Philip Nolan, who renounces his country during a trial for treason and is consequently sentenced to spend the rest of his days at sea without so much as a word of news about the United States. 

Edward Everett Hale

Eileen and I met Terry and Linda Hale at the Quality Inn Airport & Cruiseport North in Ft. Lauderdale.  We went to dinner with them at the Dubliners Irish Pub nearby.  They served with us for part of our LDS mission in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City and they succeeded us as the zone leaders of the British Floor (B2) of the Library.  They live in Idaho and had just disembarked from their Royal Caribbean cruise.

In front of the Dubliners Irish Pub

Enjoying our pub grub

I read "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in 1841. It has been recognized as the first detective story.  C. Auguste Dupin is a man in Paris who solves the mystery of the brutal murder of two women.  Writing the first true detective in fiction, Poe's Dupin originated many literary conventions which would be used in future fictional detectives including Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Many later characters, for example, follow Poe's model of the brilliant detective, his personal friend who serves as narrator, and the final revelation being presented before the reasoning that leads up to it. Dupin himself reappears in "The Mystery of Marie Roget" and "The Purloined Letter.”

Edgar Allan Poe