Gardening in the Rain

I came across a great quote from Elder L. Tom Perry this morning... "Independence and self-reliance are critical to our spiritual and temporal growth.  Whenever we get into situations which threaten our self-reliance, we will find our freedoms threatened as well.  If we increase our dependence on anything or anyone except the Lord, we will find an immediate decrease in our freedom to act.  As President Heber J. Grant declared, 'Nothing destroys the individuality of a man, a woman, or a child as much as the failure to be self-reliant.'"

Adam, you signed up to give a presentation this week (26th) on Self-Reliance.  So isn't that a perfect quote?

Speaking of presentations, here's the rest of the list:
Mar 12: Josh, "Mission"
Mar 19: Jared, "Work/Joy"
April 9: Trey, "Land Ownership"
April 16: Eric, "Local Interdependence"

Thanks everyone for coming and working in the drizzly rain to weed BLC's veggie garden.  We got an awful lot done in just 45 minutes or so.  There's still more to do, and we will probably go back and do a little more in a few weeks.  We'll be sure to let you know... and maybe we'll luck out and get a sunny day.

Are you all thinking about how you can add value to whatever it is that you own?  Real Estate refers to land ownership, but you can begin with the mentality that you are going to make more of whatever it is you have, just as in the parable of the talents (as Josh mentioned in class).  And you can start with whatever small garden space you have, as you work to intensify that spot and grow all kinds of wonderful things.  Did you like how I combined the two topics we covered this week into one idea???

Our book discussion was a little sad.  Please, please make sure you finish reading The Law.  Read it with a pencil and underline the parts that stand out to you.  It's a vitally important book, and certainly evidence that history repeats itself.

This week we'll be discussing Alas Babylon.  I'm about half-way through it and it's keeping me on the edge of my seat (even though I've read it before).  As Randy added to his list (or kicked himself for not having something), I've added a few things to my own family's food storage/preparedness list.  I love the kindness and humanity of the main characters, even as they're faced by some truly awful situations.  Their fortitude inspires me.  I hope you're enjoying (and plan to finish before class!!!) the book, it's really a great one!

Are your seeds bought/ordered?  Please make your garden a priority... or bug your parents about it, if you're needing their cooperation.  I'm really looking forward to seeing what we all grow this term.  And with the sun out today, I'm definitely going to get out and get my hands dirty in my own garden.