October 2023 Ministering Newsletter
Gardening
Surprisingly, just because we’re in October, it doesn’t mean that gardening is / has to be over. A website ‘Costa Farms’ gives the following gardening ideas (along with explanations and tips) for October:
Plant Trees, Shrubs, and Roses.
Divide Perennials.
Add Bulbs to Your Landscape.
Store Pots in October.
Mulch in October.
Compost.
Weed.
Extend the Season.
Improve Soil
Prune Perennials
Plant Flowers and Vegetables
Save Tropical Plants
Once again, the “[Farmer’s] Almanac” has useful tips which are shown after you input your location and the month / year you’re looking for. For October 2023, in Salt Lake, they include:
Be sure to remove any leaves from your lawn to help reduce lawn problems; shred leaves and add to compost.
Test your garden soil and make any necessary changes to improve it for next spring.
Water trees, shrubs, and evergreens until the ground freezes. Apply a layer of mulch around these plants to help reduce winter injury.
After a frost, dig up dahlias.
Transplant trees and rosebushes.
Finish seeding your new lawns by the middle of the month.
This is the best time to fertilize your lawn if you only do so once a year.
As long as your grass continues to grow, you can continue mowing it.
Remove weeds, debris, and dead or diseased plants, as well as plants that had disease problems this year. Insects and diseases can overwinter in these plants.
Look for slug egg masses under mulch and destroy.
Harvest any remaining vegetables sensitive to frost, included winter squash, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes.
Harvest orchard apples.
Prune everbearing raspberries.
Do not prune spring-flowering shrubs.
Plant spring-flowering bulbs, such as tulips, hyacinth, and snow drops. Consider covering with chicken wire to deter animals.
Plant garlic and horseradish.
Cut perennials to the ground.
October Holidays
There are a number of websites that list the Holidays / celebrations for specific months. Again, I am using two websites - The Pioneer Women and The Spruce. The website The Spruce has a link for Holidays for the month of October and a link to ‘Fall Holidays.’
As with previous months, there is a preponderance of holidays for October. It could be that there have always been this proliferation of holidays that I didn’t notice before (possibly because of the websites that I checked into or the fact I didn’t look that hard). As I mentioned in September there are way too many to show more than a fraction of them. There are even too many of those that I would like to comment on. So, I will delve into just a few. There is at least one that I am not going to talk about because I feel that I have done my due diligence on the topic last month. I feel that I went over the different aspects of National Grandparents Day enough (and included enough people not directly under that category) that October’s Holiday, “International Day of Older Persons,” was covered quite nicely. I also didn’t include World No Alcohol Day. since it mostly seems like a moot point to those of us that don’t drink. However, since drinking can be made into such an integral part of socialization, I have included a link from the website WebMD that shows Ways to Celebrate Without Alcohol This Season – which includes the following examples.
Toast a new job with milkshakes.
Celebrate your birthday with an ice cream sundae bar.
Pair fruit with a chocolate fountain at your wedding.
Have after-dinner s’mores if there’s a firepit nearby.
Halloween
I’m starting the section about Holidays by talking about the holiday that ends the month. There is sometimes an interesting relation between Halloween and some aspects of Christianity. Some Christian churches shun it as pagan and dwell on what has, at times, been a negative association. I am not saying that there aren’t aspects that can be associated with Halloween that can cause concern. However, there are simple carefree fun things that can be very innocent. I’m sure most of us have enjoyed costumes of pirates, ghosts, and witches. However, there are also some concerning things that we should stay away from. I know that, when I was growing up, kids thought it was excitingly fun to participate in a session with a Ouija board. Fortunately, I never participated. When talking about it, I have said many times that, while there are MANY spirits that are out there, the only ones that would participate in one of these activities (including séances) are those that we wouldn’t want to associate with (spirits that have become angels to the devil). I believe that our departed loved ones are busy on the other side and wouldn’t come to us just because we called them on a whim. I believe that, if there was an instance where they needed to communicate with us, it would not be because we called them. As an example, while Joseph Smith had many heavenly visitors, it was never a result of him specifically asking (through a Ouiji Board or a Séance) to have them manifest themselves to him. This is not to say that I don’t believe that those who have left us are not concerned about us and watching over us. There have been definite times, especially when I’ve been extremely sick, that I have felt the presence of my mother.
In asking the question about the validity of celebrating Halloween, the best way to search for answers is through websites associated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. One of these websites, LDS Living, notes,” While the Church takes a clear stance on avoiding evil practices, Satan worship, or any other activities that take us further from Christ's light, it takes no stance on Halloween. Just as with many other holidays and traditions, the Church does not dictate how Latter-day Saints should celebrate Halloween. (Oct 13, 2021)”. They further noted, that, in 1989, Elder Boyd K. Packer warned young men and young women to avoid participating in dark spiritual practices, no matter the circumstances. He said, “A warning: there is a dark side to spiritual things. In a moment of curiosity or reckless bravado some teenagers have been tempted to toy with Satan worship. Don’t you ever do that! Don’t associate with those who do! You have no idea of the danger! Leave it alone! And there are other foolish games and activities that are on that dark side. Leave them alone!”
On the other side, Sherry Morrill shared her positive experience with Halloween. She said, "When the fun and excitement of dressing up changes to “How much candy can I get?” or “I’m too big for all this kids’ stuff, but I’ve got to do something tonight,” what can parents do to change the focus of Halloween? "We held a family council with our five children, ranging in ages from seven years down to one month, and offered an alternative which has since become our own tradition: The week preceding Halloween at our family home evening we choose five families who are close to us or who need friendshipping. On Halloween day we all work together to prepare our “treat.” On Halloween night each child delivers the treat to one of the families. Then we all go out together for ice cream or a movie."
The article had a nice summation. It said, “just as with many other holidays and traditions, the Church does not dictate how Latter-day Saints should celebrate Halloween. Instead, our Church leaders leave it up to each of us to seek inspiration, ponder, and decide how we should celebrate this holiday with our families.”
For another perspective, I looked at a website by Focus on the Family, I read the article, “Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?” The Table of Contents for this article included:
Do Christians Celebrate Halloween?
Reasons Why Christians Don’t Celebrate Halloween
Questions about Halloween
What Does Halloween Mean?
Is Halloween the Devil’s Holiday?
Is Halloween a Christian Holiday?
Is it a Sin to Celebrate Halloween?
What Does the Bible Say about Halloween?
Bible Verses about Halloween
Ephesians 5:7-15 – Living in Darkness and Light
Acts 8:9-24 – A Magician is Converted to Christianity
God and Magic
Acts 19:18-21 – Those Who Practice Magic Arts Believe
Can Christians Celebrate Halloween?
To the final question, their answer is, “depends.” After this answer, they go on to explain their reasons. They note that the 3 main responses to Halloween are rejection, acceptance, or redemption. They also go on to mention that this is one of many good opportunities to communicate within your family about expectations and boundaries. To me, the website / article is a bit heavy handed and dwells a lot on the assumption that people are getting into the evil that can be associated with Halloween. However, it still does give some interesting information.
In looking at Halloween, I couldn’t help including a celebration that starts on Halloween. There’s a 3-day celebration (from the eve of October 31 through the eve of November 2) called “Day of the Dead”. This has been celebrated quite a bit in Mexico. There is a video concerning this that I watched on the UEN channel. It was put on by In the Americas. The specific episode was called Day of the Dead: A Mexican Celebration – Episode 101 In this video they were talking about how vital the family is to this celebration. The relation between the Day of the Dead and Family is also emphasized in the popular movie Coco.
Food – as always ☺
The website, Meaningful Eats has an article, “Healthy Halloween Snacks” – which are actually healthy AND fun! The recipes are for:
Olive Cream Cheese Spider Bites
Bell Pepper Olive Monster Eyes
Peanut Butter Apple Monster Teeth
Pretzel Cheese Stick Witch Brooms
Boo-nanas
Another website Detoxinistia has suggestions for Healthy Halloween Treats (with recipes included in the descriptions). These include:
1.Green Monster Smoothies
2. Cemetery “Dirt” Cups
3. Banana Ghosts & Orange Jack-O-Lanterns
4. Mummy Granola Bars
5. Apple Monster Mouths
6. Frankenstein Cookies
7. Witch Fingers
8. Date Caramel
9. Homemade Butterfingers
10. Healthy Snickers Bars
11. Halloween Cupcakes
12. Date-Sweetened Peanut Butter Pumpkins
13. Mini Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Going 3 for 3, here’s another website, Yummy Toddler Food’ that can bring out the kid in all of us ☺ with recipes for healthy Halloween treats that include:
1. Silly Face Smoothie
2. Halloween Toast
3. Side Eye Snack Bar
4. Ghost English Muffin Pizza
5. Mummy Crackers
6. Spooky Energy Bite Spiders
7. Green Muffins
8. Fruit and Yogurt Candy Corn
9. Green Zombie Lunch
10. Strawberry Ghosts
11. Pumpkin Donuts
Although I have not written anything about trick or treat candies, except how to use leftover Halloween candy to make 15 decadent deserts, the website, Yummy Toddler Food has another article, “Year-By-Year Guide to Halloween Treats”
Halloween Activities
Although food, especially treats, is an integral part of the Halloween experience, Halloween games and activities are also important. They may be even more important, since they can help create family memories and are good ways to interact with friends, neighbors, and ward members.
The website Country Living has the article “56 Best Halloween Activities for Spooky Fun All October Long” (linked to “CRAFTS & DIY PROJECTS100+ GENIUS HALLOWEEN IDEAS FOR 2023”) Since this website has too much information to list it all (including links to instructions for their suggestions and a fun video, “10 Hunting Facts About Halloween” by Town & County US), so I am just posting the links in the footnotes.
Another website Real Simple, lists “30 Things to Do on Halloween if You're Not Going Trick-or-Treating.” They state, “Whether bad weather has kept you home or you're too old to trick-or-treat, there is no shortage of fun Halloween-themed activities to do that don't involve ringing your neighbor's doorbells. Whether you're looking for a little chilling at home, or a thrill out on the town, you'll find the perfect Halloween activities to ring in the spooky season.” A sample of some of the activities (with explanations on the website) includes:
Fun Halloween Activities at Home
Turn your home into a haunted house
Paint (or carve) pumpkins
Make a creepy craft
Prep a fall tablescape (which can be used right through to Thanksgiving – especially if put on an little used table).
Plan a Halloween-themed pampering night
Host a game night
Hand out candy to trick-or-treaters
Throw a costume fashion show
Halloween Treats You Can Make
Decorate Halloween-themed cookies and cupcakes
15 Decadent Deserts to Make Using Leftover Halloween Candy
Make s'mores (even if only in your oven or air fryer)
Mix up some Halloween cocktails or mocktails (any cocktail can be made into a mocktail)
Make spooky foods (these can be either finger foods [pun intended] or full-blown meals)
Make pumpkin spice something
Curl up with a scary book (Either alone or as a group. Possibly short stories might be better for groups)
Tell a scary story (Can be fun as a group – possibly with different people reading parts)
Make up Halloween Mad-Libs (Definitely a group activity)
Listen to spooky music (also play scary sounds effects) both while receiving trick or treaters.
Learn a Halloween dance (From Monster Mash to Men in Black to Thriller. Videos available on YouTube)
Enjoy spooky artwork (without leaving [but maybe leafing] the house)
Halloween Activities Out on the Town
Boo your neighbors (Trick or treat in reverse. Also similar to Valentine’s Day carding)
Hit a trunk or treat (We’ve had them as a ward – but as a neighborhood could also work)
Find your way out of a corn maze (Outdoors Family Adventures website shows corn mazes available)
Take a tour of Halloween decorations
Pull a (nice) prank
National Teacher’s Day
I chose this holiday since we are all teachers in one way or another. There is a learning method that was espoused on at least one of the medical dramas of the 60s or 70s. It was, “Learn it, Do it, Teach it’ (LDT). If I remember correctly, in the episode that I’m thinking of, the intern followed that order in short succession in what must have been a day or so. That intern was further seen in another scenario where he basically taught a patient how to help with her own life related procedure. Although, being Hollywood, these examples were grossly exaggerated for effect, they are making a valid point. There is something to be said about how you can’t really know how to do something by simply reading about it. We actually need to do it ourselves. Also, the best way to really cement the concept in our brains is to explain / teach it to someone else. One reason this is true is because, to express / explain any ideas / concepts the knowledge must go through several different parts of our brain.
As I was googling that LDT principal I found a similar one – Learn it Teach it Apply it (LTA). In a website ‘Search Medium’ they have an article, “Learn, Do, Teach” with a subtitle, “Learn, Do, Teach: 3 fundamentals of doing anything well,” which has some interesting insights. One way they put it is “that the more time [effort] you put into something, the more you get out of it.” They also indicate that while “You may think that with most things the ark is to learn for a while then do for a while and then maybe teach. There is some truth to this but more often it’s everything all of the time.” This seems like something that would be especially true in the gospel – since we our lifelong learners and lifelong teachers. One reason that teaching is an important part of learning and doing is that “When you are teaching you are always learning as it always forces you to focus and be as clear as possible.”
In the gospel, there is another version of the above expression: Learn it, Live it, Share it. There is a video, titled “Come, Follow Me: Teach One Another,” that goes along this principle. Learning about the gospel starts from the time nonmembers hear about it or children born into the church are old enough to understand. Because of this, and the fact that we continue learning throughout our lives, the time learning, living, and sharing overlap. This is important because living the gospel ingrains the truths we learn into our lives. Also teaching the gospel helps us focus our learning on what’s important. This is especially true with the teaching aids that our Church provides us.
SIDS
Although it looks like a 4-letter word (and feels like a curse word to anyone who has had to deal with it closely), it’s actually an acronym – standing for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Although I haven’t had to deal with it with my children, I have always had a DREAD of it. When my boys were young infants, I would have their crib right next to my bed so that any time of the night I could reach over and feel that they were still breathing. One of the reasons behind this was because one of my father’s sisters and a maternal cousin of mine both had babies who had SIDS listed as their cause of death. Although I was acutely aware of it, my mother and my sister were adversely impacted even more. My Aunt’s daughter was born about a month after one of my brothers After my cousin’s death my mother was a wreck, crying about the thought of possibly losing my brother – until she decided that it couldn’t go on. This was because she knew that if something were to happen, she would have wasted that precious time that they had together (and she couldn’t stand the thoughts of that). When my sister was a young mother, our maternal cousin’s daughter died of SIDS. Because of this my sister became obsessive about germs and her children’s health (even though germs aren’t factors in SIDS). One of the things that has struck me is that what we do to prevent SIDS has changed. When I had my children, the common belief was that you should lay your baby on his stomach. This was because we thought that, if we had our babies sleep on their backs, they could spit up the milk they’d drank and aspirate it into their lungs. It was hard to change over to the belief that a baby should lay on his back – even though there’s evidence about the problems associated with babies sleeping on their stomach. According to the NIH sleeping on the stomach increases the risk of:
Overheating
Rebreathing expired air (air that has already been breathed out), which can lead to:
Too much carbon dioxide in baby’s body (called hypercapnia)
Too little oxygen in the baby’s body (called hypoxia)
Temporary changes in heart and lung function and control, which could affect the amount of oxygen getting to the brain
Back sleeping is not associated with these risks. Also, side sleeping is not recommended because it’s an unstable position so babies sleeping in this position are more likely to fall on their stomach. There is even some research that babies who fall onto their stomach are at much higher risk than those who are always placed on their stomach to sleep.
The actual Holiday concerning SIDS is SIDS Awareness Month. The NIH website has a SIDS Awareness Month Toolkit that has some very useful links and videos. They also have a list showing How to Use This Toolkit:
Raise awareness about safe infant sleep, such as through the #ClearTheCrib challenge.
Use our partner resources to compliment your awareness month activities
Normalize images of safe sleep practices.
Celebrate caregivers’ roles in helping to keep baby safe during sleep.
National You Matter to Me Day
There are two different websites, that I saw, for this day. One is You Matter To Me and the other one is Every Day is Speacial. Unfortunately, this day was inspired by a real-life tragedy. The day was formed in 2010 by Linda Jew, who experienced an incident that shook her to the core. It was the sudden, shocking accident that killed a young man who was important to her – and his father. On the website You Matter To Me they have a couple of interesting audio invitations. They also have two videos about this holiday. On the website, Every Day is Special, they say that the motto for You Matter to Me Day is “Because everyone matters to someone, and someone matters to you.” I think that says it all!
The former website even has a song to show how to express to someone that they matter to you. The web site suggests that You can show someone they matter by sending them postcards, calling them, saying thank you, and giving gifts.
I also read an article about another way of showing that someone matters in the AARP Bulletin (September 2023 edition). Although the article, “A Watchful Eye and a Willing Ear” seems to be talking about paid (or compensated) ‘Companion Care,’ it is also talking about something that we as a church do naturally (we just call it ministering). Some of the services they say can be provided are helping with cooking, driving / going to appointments, setting up medications, etc. One of the advantages of our way of doing it is that we can / do split up the chores – i.e., different people taking in meals, etc. Also, the different interactions can be done by different neighbors / family / friends / ward members. However, the main thing that they implied in the bulletin is to give the person being cared for / ministered to a ‘watchful eye and a willing ear.’ This can be a most important part of the whole interaction.
Although not really part of it, I thought I’d talk a bit about our being nice to ourselves. It is important to remember to be nice to ourselves. After all, to paraphrase the instructions given during safety demonstrations given on airline flights, if we aren’t nice to ourselves, we can’t be nice to anyone else. In The City Journal for both Millcreek and South Salt Lake, they have the same article that denotes what I would deem as being nice to oneself. The title of the article is, “Pet therapy: A scratch behind the ears for humans (by Lily Jay Olsen). In this article they talk about how wonderful it is to have someone nonjudgmental to lean on and who would listen to you without giving you unsolicited, useless advice. They then asked what if that someone was cute, soft and would meet you where and when you need them – like at school, just before a test or at the hospital, when you’re not feeling well or just before an operation. While I was at a care center one of the things I really enjoyed was when the service dog came. The dog’s handler was very nice and let me interact with her wonderful dog. This meant a great deal to me – and I’m sure that it meant even more to those who were frightened or lonely and needed comfort.
While there are actual trained dogs that perform this function, I feel that most dogs can do the same thing. One way to take advantage of this is, if you are able, to adopt a dog to become a close companion. If this isn’t possible, another thing that we can do is to become friends with the neighborhood dogs. Another way to get this animal companionship, something that I have seen Ellen Clift do, is to go to the animal shelters and just take time with them. The shelter at 4242 S 300 W, Murray, UT 84107 allows a person to take dogs out of the kennel and play with them in a fenced in area. This is a win-win situation as the animals really enjoy the interaction.
Also, in line with taking care of ourselves while we’re taking care of all those other people who matter to us, there’s an article in the Millcreek edition of the newspaper entitled, “Care for those who are caregivers” (by Lily Jay Olsen). In this article they talk about how, being a caregiver is often an unpaid duty that can often feel like it goes unappreciated. It states that 43% of Americans are currently in the role of unpaid caregivers, 70% of those care givers have a mental impact from it. Even in the best of situations, there can be problems. I was very glad to be able to be a part of the ‘caregiving team’ (consisting of my mother, her siblings, my sister, and I) for my grandmother. I also felt extremely privileged to be my mother’s caregiver when she went on hospice. However, I don’t know what I would have done without help. First was the Family Medical Leave that I was able to take. Secondly was the Home Health Team that would come over. This included nurses, nurses’ aides, and a chaplain. They were all very kind and considerate. In the article it mentions that Salt Lake County Aging and Adult Services has a remarkable array of services available for caregivers. They say access is easy – just look online at slco.org/aging-adult-services/caregiver-support (or call 385-468-3200)
Bullying
While, according to Spruce, there’s a National Stop Bullying Day, according to The Pioneer Woman the Holiday is World Bullying Prevention Month. Either way the emphasis is on Bullying – how to stop, or better yet, prevent it.
The website PACER.org has some interesting highlights not only for National Bullying Prevention Month but also Unity Day (a closely related celebration). It also has Features which include the following links:
Take the Pledge Kids against Bullying Website Teens against Bullying Website
Questions Students with Disabilities All in
It also has a section entitled, I Care Because. It includes personal stories about bullying. It also has videos, documents about “What You Can Do” and different downloads. At the bottom of the site there is also a section entitled, “Support Kindness, Acceptance and Inclusion for All Students” that has a way to ‘submit your organization.’
The website National Today’s website’s article on “National Stop Bullying Day – October 11, 2023”, indicates that, though there have always been bullies, it wasn’t until the 1970s that the issue began to be researched. They showed the following timeline:
1970 - First Bullying Research - The first systematic bullying research was conducted by Dr Olweus in 1970.
2005 - STOMP Program Created - Created in 2005, the STOMP program is dedicated to eradicating cyberbullying. It also raises awareness of homophobia, racism, and more.
2006 - Federal Guidance on Harassment - While not explicitly a cyberbullying law, the federal law passed in 2006 made it a crime to abuse or harass someone online.
2008 - California’s Law Against Cyberbullying - In 2008, California passed the nation’s first law against the emerging threat of cyberbullying.
Lately the emphasis seems to have turned toward Cyberbullying. While this is possibly the more prevalent and pervasive type of bullying, we still have the more direct bullying also. Whichever type we’re dealing with, the important aspect is recognizing and dealing with it. While bystander intervention is an effective way to stop bullying in real-time, understanding how it can be prevented can be even more important. One website that can be useful in helping against harmful social media is from the Utah Department of Health and Human Services. As seen on the television ads, the websites tries to Unmask the dangers of social media. It shows the harms of social media. It also gives the opportunities to share the message with others and it shows what we can do to protect our children. These suggestions (with details on website) include:
Create a family media plan.
Create tech-free zones and encourage children to foster in-person relationships.
Model responsible social media behavior.
Teach kids about technology and empower them to be responsible online participants at the appropriate age.
Report cyberbullying and online abuse and exploitation.
Work with other parents to help establish shared norms and practices and to support programs and policies around healthy social media use.
When looking at bullying it’s important to look at how people react to it. Effects of bullying can be turned inward or outward. There are cases when someone being bullied decides that the situation is intolerable. When this happens, some people turn these feelings of helplessness inward – sometimes to the point where they commit suicide. On the other side, in extreme cases other people turn these feelings, along with feelings of frustration and anger, outward and end up shooting those who they feel have wronged them.
The National Today website goes on further to list National Stop Bullying Day FAQs (questions - along with answers)
Q - When did the anti-bullying movement begin?
A - The history of the anti-bullying movement is surprisingly short in the U.S. Until the tragedies of the Columbine Massacre in April of 1999, there were no state laws in place against bullying. In May of 1999, the state of Georgia enacted the first anti-bullying legislation.
Q - Why do we celebrate anti-bullying week?
A - In the UK, Anti-bullying Week 2020 is being held between the 16th and 20th November and is organised by Anti-Bullying Alliance. The effects of bullying can have a massive impact on all individuals, whether that is at school, work, college or socially.
Q - Why do we wear odd socks?
A - What’s Odd Socks Day all about? People are being encouraged to wear their favorite odd socks to symbolize that we are all different and that children should be themselves, accepting of one another and celebrate difference.
The same website also lists
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL STOP BULLYING DAY
Post #StopBullyingDay
After you’ve learned about the types and dangers of bullying, share with your social circle. Increased awareness and prevention is the best way to improve the lives of those who quietly suffer. Posting your support of their struggle helps as well!
Tell an adult when you see bullying
One of the most effective ways to stomp out bullying is being an involved bystander. Often, the person being bullied feels powerless to tell an adult about the situation - that’s where a bystander comes in. Telling an adult when you see bullying is doing what’s right.
Attend an anti-bullying event
Many schools and community organizations hold anti-bullying events to raise awareness and help prevent bullying situations. These could be anything from a fun run to an assembly with a guest speaker. Attend one near you to learn more about bullying, pledge to never be a bully, and pick up tips on how to stomp out bullying!
Since bullying can lead to many health issues, I thought I would include a list of THE TOP 5 SIGNS OF POTENTIAL MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN TEENS. I found this in The City Journal Millcreek’s Own Community Newsletter and was contributed by Odyssey House The list includes:
Mood Changes
Sudden and extreme shifts in mood, like persistent sadness or anger.
Social Withdrawal
Avoiding friends, family and activities they used to enjoy.
Academic Struggles
Significant drop in school performance or trouble concentrating.
Physical Changes
Noticeable changes in sleep, appetite, weight, or unexplained physical complaints.
Risk-taking
Engaging in dangerous behavior, like substance abuse or self-harm.
Although I’m including this in the bullying section, which is something that is usually associated with young people, bullying isn’t the only time when these mental health signs and symptoms occur. These signs can be pertinent to people of any age. As an example of making this pertinent to all ages, instead of saying, Academic Struggles, we can change it to work / professional struggles or struggles with everyday activities. Another interesting aspect, both in teens and people of other ages, changes in appetite can go both ways – while some people lose their appetite, others develop a tremendous appetite (I call it my vacuum phenomenon – when I eat everything in sight). Again, while this site is geared to teenagers, it should be noted that professional evaluation could be a needed step anytime anyone exhibits the above signs. Above all, one thing that I feel is extremely important to remember is that we shouldn’t be ashamed if these things are happening to us. I have an expression: Mental Illness is a diagnosis – NOT an insult or an accusation.
International Day of Nonviolence – October 2
Interestingly, this Holiday is similar to the above holiday. Both these holidays go along with my conference discussion from last month: “Charity, the pure love of Christ, is the answer to contention.” While violence can be seen in all levels of society (family groups, neighborhoods, communities, countries and worldwide), the article for the website for the United Nations talks about the international resolution that started the Holiday. “According to General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007, which established the commemoration, the International Day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence". The website goes on to talk about the association between International Day of Non-Violence and the life and leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. It also talks about his theory that “just means lead to just ends" and that it is “irrational to try to use violence to achieve a peaceful society.” It also goes on to note that there are three main categories of non-violence action:
protest and persuasion, including marches and vigils;
non-cooperation; and
non-violent intervention, such as blockades and occupations
At the bottom of the website there are links to:
Culture of Peace and Non-violence
#Kindness Matters
Why do we mark International Days?
On the side of the website, they have a list of related websites:
More Fun Activities from Millcreek News
On receiving the Millcreek News (on September 22, 2023) I found some fun activities.
Harvest Market at Millcreek Common
Friday Evenings (4 – 8 p.m.) October 6 – November 3 Millcreek Common is bringing the community together to celebrate the bounty of the harvest with a series of festive, local markets – such as:
10/6 Opening Day! Welcome to the Farm
10/13 Apple the 13th
10/20 Pumpkin Spice…and everything nice
10/27 Awesome Sauce: Cook Local
11/13 Yippee-Pie-Yay!
Also, on October 14, under the title Don’t be a Scaredy Cat (millfreaks), we’re invited to come join the prowl-for-fun. They promise an immersive journey you’ll not forget. They go on to say that “this enternainment-hunt is a mini road-trip where you’ll visit familiar and perhaps unknown and unique places in Millcreek..visiting ally cats, hungry cats, cosmic-cats, cool cats and see lots of cat-capers. There’s a $25 flat-fee for your car-group (so go in a BIG vehicle ;-) They say to plan for 3 ½ of fun-filled adventure and entertainment with five tour-stops locations in Millcreek.
Register Online: VentureOut.Org
Register Deadline: October 11
Tour Start Times 4 PM, 5 PM, 6 PM
Capacity per tour is limited
Festival Transylvania
They also have an article concerning a ‘Spook Alley,’ that’s not leaving visitors shocked or disturbed but charmed and amused. It takes place at Millcreek Gardens @ 3500 South 900 East. It’s from October 12th – 30th (except Sundays). It costs $9/weekday $12/weekend with children under 2 free. Wheeler’s Farm and This is the Place Monument also have Halloween fun – among other places.
“To Leaf or not to Leaf?”
The newsletter askes that we “Please Don’t LEAVE your LEAVES lying around”. They have the following fall tips:
Make clean-up easier by mowing leaves into your lawn – mulching them tack into your lawn with a mower to tackle leaves faster.
Use leaves as a resource – you can also add that mulch to landscaping and also to compost piles.
Keep leaves out of streets and storm drains. We saw last year (around approximately 17th South and 17th East) what clogged up storm drains can do.
Our partners at Wasatch Front Waste and Reclycling supply leaf bags and drop off points.
Never blow or dump leaves in natural areas and common spaces as this can negatively impact water quality and wildlife.
Mark your calendar
Did you know Millcreek has a Community Theater and will put on A Christmas Carol later this year? They will do it this year, at The Jean Massieu School for the Deaf and Blind (on the site of the historic Libbie Edward school building - 1655 East 3300 South,). The play runs November 23, 24, 30 and December 1 and 2.
Another Scam warning
In August 2023 Newsletter, I had an article about scams. The warning came to me in an email from Wells Fargo that I received on July 4. The subject line for that particular email was: “Scam alert: 5 red flags to watch for.” It had some useful information. This month I am sending a warning from an email from Dominion Energy (that came along with a view of my bill I received on September 20, 2023). It has the following suggestions (I’ve included them all):
In-Person
Dominion Energy personnel may need to visit your residence or place of business from time to time. These work ers will ALWAYS carry identification with their picture and Dominion Energy branding. They travel in white vehicles with a Dominion Energy logo on the side.
Dominion Energy NEVER takes in-person payments. Payments can be made through our automated phone system, online at dominionenergy.com, by mail, or at an authorized payment center:
The customer service number for your state is below.
Dominion Energy Virginia : 866-366-4357
Dominion Energy North Carolina (Electric): 866-366-4357
Dominion Energy North Carolina (Gas): 877-776-2427
Dominion Energy Ohio: 800-362-7557
Dominion Energy South Carolina: 800-251-7234
Dominion Energy Utah, Wyoming, Idaho: 800-323-5517
Over the Phone
Scammers can “spoof” a phone number and make it appear that a call is coming from someone else. If you receive a call that you believe is suspicious, don’t give the caller any personal information. Hang up and call back at one of the numbers below. You can validate account information such as a balance 24/7 through our automated phone system or online at dominionenergy.com
Dominion Employees do not take payments over the phone! If you are asked by someone over the phone for personal information such as a credit card or bank account number, hang up immediately. Over-the-phone payments are only made through our automated system. You can pay 24/7 by logging into your account online, through the Dominion Energy app, or at an authorized payment center:
Dominion Energy will never ask you to purchase a money order, prepaid debit or credit card or gift card.
Scammers will sometimes make payments to your account to verify information. Report any unrecognized payments.
If you need to reach out to Dominion Energy, make sure you are visiting the official Dominion Energy website (www.DominionEnergy.com) or calling the correct customer service number below. Scammers are setting up fake websites and customer service numbers to capture your personal information.
The customer service number for your state is below.
Dominion Energy Virginia : 866-366-4357
Dominion Energy North Carolina (Electric): 866-366-4357
Dominion Energy North Carolina (Gas): 877-776-2427
Dominion Energy Ohio: 800-362-7557
Dominion Energy South Carolina: 800-251-7234
Dominion Energy Utah, Wyoming, Idaho: 800-323-5517
Job Scams
Dominion Energy will never require you to pay for equipment before or after accepting a new position within the company.
Dominion Energy requires that all applicants create a profile, upload their resume, and apply to our positions posted online at https://careers.dominionenergy.com.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to visit https://careers.dominionenergy.com to review all open positions and create an account to receive customized job alerts. Create a profile and upload your resume. There you will find instructions about how to create Job Search Agents within your profile. Job Search Agents will alert you via email once positions matching your criteria have been posted.
All offers from Dominion Energy would be sent via our applicant portal and would be accepted by logging back into the profile created when you applied.
If you suspect you’ve fallen victim to a job scam, we do recommend you contact local law enforcement and report this incident to the FBI’s IC3 taskforce (Internet Crime Complaint Center(IC3) | Home Page).
The customer service number for your state is below.
Dominion Energy Virginia : 866-366-4357
Dominion Energy North Carolina (Electric): 866-366-4357
Dominion Energy North Carolina (Gas): 877-776-2427
Dominion Energy Ohio: 800-362-7557
Dominion Energy South Carolina: 800-251-7234
Dominion Energy Utah, Wyoming, Idaho: 800-323-5517
Reduce Property Taxes
Another article that I received recently was from AARP newsletter that was entitled, “6 Ways To Reduce Your Property Taxes,” and was subtitled, “You may be able to get breaks for being a veteran or a senior.” Although not all of us are homeowners, there are a fair amount of us who are – or who know someone who is (especially someone who is a veteran or a senior). Hopefully, these suggestions will help! They include (with details given at the website):
Appeal the appraisal
Look for senior exemptions
Look for other exemptions
Get help
Move
Be wary of property tax scams
I called to Salt Lake County Treasurer and they gave me a LOT of GOOD information – to which I have included some useful links. These include possible help for:
Seniors (low Income)
Low Income (no age limit)
Veterans
Blind to about 20/200
Long time owners >75
I have also included the pdf forms as an attachment to the email.
Conference Thought
Although last month I used the Conference Thought,
this month I am going back to the Conference Thought right above it – about knowing Jesus and ourselves. This month I will focus on the admonition to ‘Be Ye Therefore Perfect.’
In the website LDS Living, there is an article, “Insights from President Nelson That Will Change How You Understand Perfection in the Church” In it he said, “We all need to remember: men are that they might have joy—not guilt trips! He also reminds us that We also need to remember that the Lord gives no commandments that are impossible to obey. In order to show the meaning behind the injunction to be perfect, President Nelson said that he:
“recently studied the English and Greek editions of the New Testament, concentrating on each use of the term perfect and its derivatives. Studying both languages together provided some interesting insights, since Greek was the original language of the New Testament. In Matthew 5:48, the term perfect was translated from the Greek teleios, which means "complete." Teleios is an adjective derived from the noun telos, which means "end." The infinitive form of the verb is teleiono, which means "to reach a distant end, to be fully developed, to consummate, or to finish." Please note that the word does not imply "freedom from error"; it implies "achieving a distant objective." In fact, when writers of the Greek New Testament wished to describe perfection of behavior—precision or excellence of human effort—they did not employ a form of teleios; instead, they chose different words.”
When we think of being critical of our own imperfections, I think of the Book of Mormon writer Omni. I find the wording of Omni in describing himself very interesting. In Omni 1:2 he says.
But behold, I of myself am a wicked man, and I have not kept the statutes and the commandments of the Lord as I ought to have done.
As I think of this, I am reminded of something that I saw in a movie. In my more rebellious days, on occasion, I watched an R rated movie or two. One of them was “The Godfather.” Something that struck me as interesting, in the movie, were scenes concerning the catholic confessional. The movie had two separate scenes of two different confessors at the confessional. One of the confessors was a woman who had very recently went through the confessional. She gave a LONG list of minor of sins she had committed from just the week before. The other confessor was a man who hadn’t gone to confession in a LONG time. If I remember correctly, he basically said, “I haven’t killed anyone recently.” It would seem that, in this case, with these people, the further they were from ‘perfection’ the less harsh they judge themselves. However, this is not always the case. I think of this whenever I get to the chapter of Omni. Omni received the plates from his father, Jarom. Jarom was a great man who had prophesied a lot and given many revelations. Because of this, and the fact that Omni was entrusted with the records, it seems strange that Omni would be extremely wicked. However, it does seem reasonable that Omni would have set very high standards for himself – probably based on the high standards set by his father.
In looking further at perfection, we can look at Jesus’ admonition when he gave the Sermon on the Mount. In his October 2017 General talk 'Be Ye Therefore Perfect — Eventually,’ Elder Jeffrey Holland put it this way, “The Savior concludes His Sermon on the Mount with this final commandment: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father … in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). “With that concluding imperative, we want to go back to bed and pull the covers over our head.” Elder Holland then said that, instead of beating ourselves for what we can’t do now, we need to look forward and reach toward what we can become. We should reach for steady improvement and avoid excessive expectations. He spoke about how Leo Tolstoy wrote about a priest who was being criticized for: not living as resolutely as he should.” The priest then said,
“Attack me, [if you wish,] I do this myself, but [don’t] attack … the path I follow. … If I know the way home [but] am walking along it drunkenly, is it any less the right way simply because I am staggering from side to side?… Do not gleefully shout, ‘Look at him! … There he is crawling into a bog!’ No, do not gloat, but give … your help [to anyone trying to walk the road back to God.]”
Elder Holland then admonishes us to realize that “Brothers and sisters, every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human.”
To look at this topic from a more personal, down to earth, prospective, in the September 2019 Liahona there was an article, “I’m Not Perfect … Yet.” By Joëlle Spijkerman. In it she said,
“In 3 Nephi 12:48, Jesus teaches, “Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect.” This scripture always hit me hard because I have struggled with perfectionism for my entire life. She also gave insight on perfection. She wrote, “The word perfect originally comes from the Latin word perficere, which breaks down into per- (“completely”) and facere (“do”). So perfection actually means “complete.” She finished her article by saying that we need to “realize that although we aren’t perfect now, if we strive to follow Him, we will be one day”.
In the April 2023 Saturday morning session, in his talk, “The Imperfect Harvest”, Elder Vern P. Stanfill (a member of the Seventy) said, “I believe that as Peter and the Savior walked back to the ship arm in arm, Peter soaking wet and perhaps feeling very foolish, the Savior may have said something like this: “Oh, Peter, fear not and worry not. If you could see yourself as I see you, your doubt would fade and your faith increase. I love you, dear Peter; you got out of the boat. Your offering is acceptable, and even though you faltered, I will always be there to lift you from the depths, and your offering will be made perfect.”
Testimony
One of the numerous different jobs that I have held was with a Semiconductor company. One of the positions I held was to inspect the quality of the product. Not only was this inspection done at the end of our process of the computer wafer (before they were separated into chips) but also along the process. One thing that I became acutely aware of was that, if the quality of the product was to be accurately assessed, the measuring equipment had to be accurate. We insured this through frequent calibrations of the equipment. We would take ‘test product’ that had a known quality / met the specifications. Just like with these technical types of calibrations, we can also use these tests on spiritual equipment that we are trying to use to validate what is true in our lives. As an example of this, we use our scriptures and the advice / warnings we receive from the General Authorities as ‘test product. We can be sure that any equipment that contradicts those teachings is not calibrated correctly. At my job, not only did we have to monitor the calibration of the equipment, but we also had to make sure that the equipment operator wasn’t creating any false readings. The first way we did that was to make sure that the operator was properly and thoroughly trained. One interesting aspect of this training was that it wasn’t rushed. Anytime an employee was being trained on a piece of equipment it was the employee him / herself who determine if he / she is ready to qualify to test the product. At this point the employee would need to pass the test at a certain level. However, an employee could take the test as many times as was needed to pass. Periodically the operator would need to recertify on different aspects of the job. This would be to make sure that true principals weren’t replaced by sloppy practices. An additional time that I found that I needed to step away from the testing process was when I determined that my participating in the process at that time would do nothing but cause problems. It was a time when I developed a migraine with visual disturbances. Since, to set up the wafer to be measured by the microscope, I had to align the wafer and the microscope with each other, my visual acuity was a critical component. As I was mostly seeing squiggly lines, it was quite unlikely that I could get a true reading. Because of this, I told my supervisor that I couldn’t test the products that night.
Although we all go through a conversion / training period in the church, this is most notable for converts. This training should be extensive, and we need to feel totally comfortable with what we are being taught. Also, it is not enough to have any initial training. We need to keep this training going throughout our lives. Scripture reading, listening to the conference, attending / participating in church are ways to keep our learning alive. Another thing we need to watch out for is when our own spiritual problems can be affecting how we are utilizing the calibration equipment. There are times when our sins can disrupt our spiritual sight to the extent that we can only see the squiggly lines the world is presenting us so we can’t align the product that we are measuring with our spiritual calibration equipment.
I pray that we can all train on utilizing the spiritual calibration equipment that we are given and utilize it effectively and that we correct any problems we have that effects our ability to use this equipment. I feel that this tool, along with the promptings of the Holy Ghost, will help us to stay on the right path and return to our Heavenly Father. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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