A Wintery Week Lighting the World

 Before taking the kids to the Spectrum, I took the kids to run some errands and made 10 quarts of soup! We washed the car and got gas and somehow I got $11 of gas for free when someone left the gas pump on... not sure if that was a gift or a mistake. But I was grateful! The kids also helped me clean the whole house.

Tuesday, I took all of the kids in for their well checks. On our way, we dropped off some home made tomato basil soup, crackers, and a cupcake to Cami who has covid. I wasn't sure why I felt prompted to make that soup. But I'm so glad I did and was able to do some service for my sister. Then we went to Coastal Kids. We love Annique! She is the best doctor.  The kids all did great and are getting so big! Parker is 5'10, 187 lbs. Rayleigh is 50 inches and 50 lbs, Jack is 51 inches and 47 lbs, and Ella is 44 inches and (I think) 39 lbs. They all got their flu shots and were so brave so I treated them all to lunch and milk shakes at Chick A Lay. We dropped Parker off at my parent's house so he could watch a movie with Bebo and work on his film paper. The littles and I went to Disneyland and as always, had a wonderful time. We went back to my parent's house to pick up Parker and enjoyed the evening. My mom does such an incredible job decorating for Christmas! It's like a winter wonderland over there!

Wednesday, I got Parker registered for EFY at BYU! Yay! He was the very first person in all of EFY to get registered! Parker also had an orthodontist appointment and he is anxiously awaiting the day that they tell him he can get his braces off. Rayleigh had a make up dance class which she loved. And I brought soup to a few more people. One was our Primary President who was just released. I texted her to tell her we wanted to drop something off and she said now wasn't a good time because her beloved dog had suddenly passed away that morning. Well, homemade soup scores again! I just left it on the doorstep and she was so touched! Lighting the World one jar of soup at a time!

That night, Tanner's building had his big Christmas party that I felt a little guilty for missing but I hosted bookclub which was so fun! We did an ornament/gift card exchange and talked about the upcoming year. I love these ladies and the way they bring friendship and perspective into my life!

On Friday, we picked up 4 dozen donuts and spread a little cheer (and chaos) at Tanner's work. It was so fun and I think it made Tanner happy to see us all there. I also attended a Favorite Things party with some school moms and a few new moms I didn't know. It's refreshing being around kind women who don't really know me and are just sweet and kind and try to talk to me and get to know me! Made me feel good and I loved the fun party. We had good food and played a few games. Twas fun! Ella and Jack each had a night when they threw up (maybe a side effect of their flu shots?)  So I spent a great deal of time thoroughly washing sheets and cleaning the carpets. 

Saturday, I woke up and wrote my talk for church which was such a blessing for me. Then Tanner came with me to run a TON of errands. We got a lot done and even though we didn't have the BEST quality time, we did get to spend SOME time together. I took Jack for some 1:1 time to the library and to donate some clothes to Goodwill. He's such a big strong boy to help me and he's the best little reader and had a great time looking at books! He wanted a peppermint shake for a special treat so we went to the grocery store and loaded up on ice cream to share with the family- including peppermint ice cream! Tanner and Rayleigh met us in the parking lot because they had visited the new Bath and Body Works store and spent way too much money on all of my favorite things! Twisted Peppermint is my all time favorite Christmas scent for lotion! Yum! 

We made homemade vanilla with the vodka I purchased on Monday (fun! ha ha) and chose to snuggle in and read and watch a movie rather than go to the Chalk Walk (which I was sad to miss but happy to be home). I wrapped some presents after the kids went to bed and finished addressing all of our Christmas cards. So I was feeling very accomplished at the end of the day and ready for a wonderful sabbath day!

Giving my talk was so great. I loved it so much. I was glad Kim and Monte and my parents, Angel, and even Jon could watch by the power of ZOOM. So many people told me how much they loved the talk and that makes me so happy. But really, it was a great honor and spiritual uplift for me to prepare for, write, and deliver this talk. I love my heritage and my family so much and I'm so proud of who I came from.

Church was great and afterward, I had a meeting with some of the Relief Society women to plan next year's activities. Yay for not doing it alone this time! The kids were so confused as to why I wasn't taking them to church or taking them home. They want to be with me all the time and hey, I want to be with them too! Tanner and I had a song practice for Christmas Sunday and then we had the missionaries over for dinner- all 6 of them! It was crazy like it was last time but we always love having these young people over and the spirit they bring into our home. 

As you can see, it was a very busy week full of Lighting the World and good times together. I love this time of year!!!!

High praise from my teenager. He stayed home sick...

Good Morning, Brothers and Sisters!

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Chandra Peterson. I’m the wife of Tanner Peterson. We have been married for 18 years and have 4 beautiful children. Parker who is 15, Rayleigh who is 9, Jack who is 7, and Ella who is 5. We’ve lived in Eastvale for a little over 8 years and love going on adventures as a family.

My topic today is on “trusting in the Lord’s will and timing”. This fits in perfectly with what we’ve been studying in Come Follow Me recently and I’m very thankful to Jon Duerden who pretty much helped me write this talk during Sunday school last week. (It was a fantastic lesson). But I’d like to tell a few stories today as it relates to “waiting upon the Lord” and “trusting in Him”.

My maternal grandmother, Rena, was born November 1st 1921 in Fillmore UT. She was born a tiny premature baby and her mother and sisters would carry her around on a pillow and feed her from a dropper. She didn’t walk until she was 3 years old. But, that fragile little life grew to be a pillar of solid strength. 10 days after her 18th birthday in 1939, she married a man by the name of Rondo who was an air-force pilot for the United States. He had just graduated from the US Naval Aviation Academy in Pensacola a few weeks prior. He was 6 years older than she was and very handsome. It makes me smile to think of my grandma, young and fearless, ready to get out of Fillmore and beings life’s adventure. They were stationed down in Coronado where they spent their honeymoon months. I don’t know if my grandma had ever been to San Diego, but we all know San Diego in the winter is a lot different than Fillmore, Ut and I’m sure she was thrilled with the ocean and palm trees and handsome new husband. 

A few months later, they received orders to report to Pearl Harbor in Honolulu and Rena realized she was expecting her first baby. My Uncle Ronny was born in Hawaii on February 24th, 1941. As many of you know, this was a very tumultuous time in American History with WW2 raging in Europe and America about ready to join the fight. Shortly after my Uncle was born, Rondo received some sealed orders and had to leave Rena and his new born baby boy. She had no idea where he was going and had to wait patiently for any word from him. As a well trained pilot, he traveled on an aircraft carrier from Hawaii, down through the Panama Canal, and around the Caribbean Islands all the while scouting for German U-boats. During this time, my grandma was left waiting and wondering in Hawaii, a new young mother. The prayers she offered daily were, I’m sure, sacred and revered. 

Finally the day arrived when Rena was sent a telegram from Rondo. He was in Norfolk Virginia and he requested that she leave Honolulu and join him there. She packed up her apartment, sailed from Hawaii to California, road a train to Fillmore, and then drove across the country to Virginia. This journey took several weeks (much, much longer than it would have today). At long last, on June 21st 1941, Rena and her baby were just a few miles away and this little, young family would finally be reunited. That morning, Rondo was chosen to test a new type of bomber plane. He ascended and seconds later, nose dived, clipped some trees, and crashed. He was killed instantly. Rena was never able to hold and kiss her husband again and was left a young widow at the age of 19. 

Those 18 months, from the day my grandma was married, to the day her husband died tragically, she had lived through more than most of us has ever been asked to endure. How did she do it? 

Faith, family, and fortitude. 

I’m sure in the days and weeks that followed this incredibly painful and trying time, Rena’s prayers were similar to what we read in D&C section 121: 1-6. “Oh God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall they hand be stayed?”

Well, this story has a happy ending. Rena went home to Fillmore where her parents (and Rondo’s) enveloped her in love and support. They helped care for my Uncle Ronny so that she could go to secretary school in SLC. There, one fateful evening, she met my grandfather on the top of the Hotel Utah (now the Joseph Smith Memorial Building) during a romantic date with dinner and dancing. He too was in the United States Air Force. They were married on June 24th, 1944. Take a moment to ponder what the climate of the world was at that time. The US was fully engaged in WW2 and it took phenomenal faith for my grandma to start a tender new life with a wonderful man (and a toddler), during such a terrifying time. But, my mom was born a little over a year later and heralded the end of the war- My mother is quite the peace maker. My grandma led a long and happy life and I’m so proud to be her granddaughter. She was full of grace and beauty and always bore that pillar of strength.

My paternal grandmother, Marie, has an equally devastating story but is drastically different. She was born in 1908 in Payson, Ut. When she was 12 years old her father died. 5 months later, her mother died. This was in 1921, about 100 years ago during our last global pandemic. Yes, my grandmother was orphaned when both of her parents died from the Spanish Flu. When I heard this story as a young girl, I pictured my grandma with her 3 sisters (3 other sisters had also passed away, one in infancy and the other 2 during the pandemic) holding hands, one solitary suitcase at each of their feet. To have the world completely ripped away from under you at such a young and impressionable age is unimaginable. I want to scoop her up and comfort her just thinking about how scary this must have been for her. She was separated from her sisters to live with other relatives, yet the sisters stayed close through out their lives. She married my grandfather, Bert Bullock, who was 1 of 10 children, and they lived their life together in Provo, UT. She was always so kind, patient, and loving. She met live’s challenges with courage and never complained. My Dad has only 1 sister and 1 brother and this knowledge struck me when I was going through my own trial. Perhaps, if I could talk to her today, she would tell me that she could relate…

When I was growing up, all I wanted what a career in medicine and a big family of my own. I was married when I was 19, graduated with a degree in Health Physics with an emphasis in Ultrasound, and had my first son, Parker at the age of 23. The day I brought him home from the hospital, I wanted another one. Becoming a mother and having a baby brought more joy to my life than I’d ever experienced. But as the years wore on and no baby came, I became very bitter and resentful.

At the time I was going through the worst of my infertility battle, we were living in Provo- the land of pregnant women and a million babies everywhere. (Thankfully we lived in a ward full of widows and retirees) I tried every fertility treatment we could afford (and lots that we couldn’t) from medicine to acupuncture. Our first round of IUI I conceived and oh what joy filled my heart! Since I was working as an ultrasound tech, I was able to scan myself and see that tiny baby grow. One Friday after work, I was treating myself to a little peek of our baby when I realized the heart wasn’t beating anymore. I was stunned- utterly shocked. I called Tanner (who had been taking a test at BYU) and I couldn’t even talk. He stayed on the phone with me and raced home on his beloved little moped and ran through the door to hold me and hug me. I was devastated… still, there was a glimmer of hope. After YEARS of trying to conceive, we finally did! Maybe my body wasn’t broken? Maybe we COULD have more children after all. Years later and after 3 miscarriages and 4 more rounds of IUI, Rayleigh blessed our lives with her miraculous journey to Earth. A week before we saw the doctor for one last infertility treatment, I saw a brilliant shooting star streak across the sky. I turned to Tanner and said, “That’s our baby. Coming to join our family.” You’d better believe that every birthday wish, every shooting star, an every wishbone was utilized for that one solitary purpose, to wish for a baby.

A few days ago, Tanner and Parker performed an absolutely amazing Christmas Concert at the Segerstrom with Millennial Choirs and orchestra. One of the final numbers was “When You Wish Upon a Star”. This song was written by a man by the name of Leigh Harline who was born in Sweden and immigrated to America and joined the church. This song, which was written for the animated film Pinocchio and won an Academy Award, and is well known as the signature song for the Walt Disney Company, is not just about wishing. Let me read to you the lyrics.

When you wish upon a star, doesn’t matter who you are.

Anything your heart desires will come to you.

(Wishing could mean praying, and the star, like the star that shown over the savior on the night of his birth, signifies of Him)

If your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme.

When you wish upon a star as dreamers do.

(We know that in and through our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, no frailty, no sin, no trial is too much for Him. As Elder Holland said, “However many chances you think you missed, how ever many mistakes you feel you have made… I testify that you have NOT traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s atonement shines.”)

Fate is kind, she comes to those who love the sweet fulfillment of their secret longing.

Like a bolt out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through!

When you wish upon a star as dreamers do.

Fate, providence…. Or God’s will. His blessings come according to HIS will and timing. And most of the time, those blessings seemingly come out of the blue, don’t they?

When you wish upon a star, as dreamers do…. Or when you pray to a loving God, as the faithful do. 

Elder Ukdorf has counseled, “We need forward thrust to balance on a bike or for a jet to fly. Balance and lift come as we “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect BRIGHTNESS of hope, and a love of God, AND of all men.’ There will be times when you wish you could do more. Your loving heavenly father knows your heart. He knows that you can’t do everything your heart wants you to do. But you CAN love and serve God. You can do your best to keep His commandments. You can love and serve His children. And your efforts are purifying your heart and preparing you for a glorious future.”

Now, as you can see, I now have 4 fabulous children. After 5 years of literal begging Heavenly Father for this family, it’s been nothing but rainbows and roses, right? Oh no…. Not in the slightest. One evening, when my husband was working late (as his often did) and I had 2 toddlers in highchairs and was pregnant with Ella, I sat in my kitchen and cried. I had fed them dinner and turned on a baby show and I felt so terrible. I thought, “I should be teaching these kids the gospel right now! I should be reading them the Friend! But I’m so tired” and at that moment, as undeniable as the rising sun, I felt my Grandmothers on either side of me, holding me and whispering in my ear. You. Are. Doing it! Your children are happy and healthy and look at this warm meal you prepared. You are doing enough. You are enough. It was like what Sister Munyer said last week in her testimony, Heavenly Father was chuckling and shaking his head, sending me the message to cut myself some slack. Young mother’s ESPECIALLY need to show themselves grace every day. 

Christ can only bring peace if we truly seek for it with meekness and humility. He won’t fix your trial- he won’t bring your husband back from the dead, or awaken your parents from their eternal slumber, He won’t allow you to immaculately conceive, or stop a war or a pandemic. And he won’t EVER conceal himself from you as a pavilion or hide. But if you turn to him He will share your burden. Lay it at His feet and He will carry your load. He will yoke himself to you.  President Howard W. Hunter taught that In Biblical times, the yoke was used to allow the strength of a second animal to share and reduce the burden of the first. A burden that was overwhelming or perhaps impossible for one to bear could be equitably and comfortably borne by 2 bound together with a common yoke. Why face life’s burden’s alone, Christ asks? To the heavy laden it is Christ’s yoke, it is the power and peace of standing side by side with a God that will provide the support, balance, and strength to meet our challenges and endure our tasks here in the hardpan field of mortality.”

I know we were born to this life, called to face individual and unique challenges that will try us beyond anything we feel like we can endure. But I know that as we continually seek the light of our Savior and cling to the hope of an everlasting redemption, showing ourselves and others grace along the way, He will provide the peace we need in the moments we need them. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.