020826, Sunday

Daily Vitals: 

Weight: 229.4

BP and Pulse: 123/78, 77

GMI and Current Glucose Level: 7.0, 134

Reported Sleep: 5:55

Yesterday's Steps: 1,856

Journal Entry

Come Follow Me 

Moses 7: 69 And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, Zion is Fled.

"Perhaps it would be well to remember the account of Enoch and his people. They were in an abominable state of wickedness. They had all gone astray from the teachings of their fathers. Enoch accepted the challenge of turning the people from their evil ways unto the Lord. He did it so effectively that God translated and received them unto himself. 

Following Christ's ministry and resurrection in Judea, he visited the inhabitants of the Americas. After his appearance among them, they completely changed their ways from wickedness to righteousness…These two examples are before us in the Church today. Our work and purpose is just the same now as it was in earlier times. I wonder if we will so live and do as to measure up to this responsibility. The task seems insurmountable, but if we, as a people, live righteously, seeking earnestly the riches of eternity, the ideal state of righteousness can be achieved."

Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Apostle 

020726, Saturday

Daily Vitals: 

Weight: 230.3

BP and Pulse: 119/76, 71

GMI and Current Glucose Level: 7.0, 130

Reported Sleep: 5:55

Yesterday's Steps: 2,965

Journal Entry

As you can see, my numbers above are pretty much back to normal and foot is healing well.

Yesterday we met Bill and Diane Harvey for lunch and enjoyed a good visit. Bill is thinking about becoming a temple worker when they finish their current service mission later this year. 

One of the reasons that I selected the Friday morning shift (0500-0700) was so that I would be available to help my friends who are temple workers when they need a substitute. I'll do whatever it's asked, of course, but that is my current plan. The Lindon Temple should be opening soon. I don't have any specific assignments yet but I'm looking forward to serving when and where I'm asked to serve.

Come Follow Me 

Moses 7: 62 And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called Zion, a New Jerusalem.

"Speaking of Jesus, had we lived in those first years of the 19th century, we would have realized with great alarm that doubts about the reality of the Savior’s life and Resurrection were beginning to take significant hold within Christendom. Therefore, we would have hoped for evidence to come to the whole world that would confirm the biblical witness that Jesus is the Christ, the literal Son of God, Alpha and Omega, and the only Savior this world will ever know. It would have been among our dearest hopes that other scriptural evidence be brought forward, something that could constitute another testament of Jesus Christ, enlarging and enhancing our knowledge of His miraculous birth, wondrous ministry, atoning sacrifice, and glorious Resurrection. Truly such a document would be “righteousness [sent] down out of heaven; and truth [sent] forth out of the earth.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle 

020625, Friday

Daily Vitals: 

Weight: 232.1

BP and Pulse: 173/127, 118

GMI and Current Glucose Level: 7.1, 145

Reported Sleep: 5:20

Yesterday's Steps: 1,856

Journal Entry

Come Follow Me 

Moses 7: 45 And it came to pass that Enoch looked; and from Noah, he beheld all the families of the earth; and he cried unto the Lord, saying: When shall the day of the Lord come? When shall the blood of the Righteous be shed, that all they that mourn may be sanctified and have eternal life? 46 And the Lord said: It shall be in the meridian of time, in the days of wickedness and vengeance. 47 And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh; and his soul rejoiced, saying: The Righteous is lifted up, and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world; and through faith I am in the bosom of the Father, and behold, Zion is with me.

"Suppose one day before you leave for school, one of your parents makes a true promise that you can have your favorite food when you return home! You are excited! While in school you imagine eating that food, and you can already taste it. Naturally, you share your good news with others. Looking forward to going home makes you so happy that the tests and challenges of school seem light. Nothing can take away your joy or make you doubt because of how sure the promise is! Similarly, before you noble spirits were born, you learned to see Christ’s promises in this sure way, and you tasted of His salvation. Your great faith is like muscles that get stronger and bigger the more you exercise them, but they are already inside you."

Elder Ahmad S. Corbitt, First Counselor, Young Men General Presidency 

020526, Thursday

Daily Vitals: 

Weight: 231.2

BP and Pulse: 160/119, 126

GMI and Current Glucose Level: 7.2, 145

Reported Sleep: 7:09

Yesterday's Steps: 1,741

Journal Entry

Come Follow Me 

Moses 7: 33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood;

"Brothers and sisters, we do see too much conflict, anger, and general incivility around us. Fortunately, the current generation has not had a Third World War to fight, nor have we experienced a global economic crash like the one in 1929 leading to a Great Depression. We are, however, facing a kind of Third World War that is not a fight to crush our enemies but a conscription marshaling the children of God to care more about each other and to help heal the wounds we find in a conflicted world. The Great Depression we now face has less to do with the external loss of our savings and more to do with the internal loss of our self-confidence, with real deficits of faith and hope and charity all around us. But the instruments we need to create a brighter day and grow an economy of genuine goodness in society are abundantly provided for in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We cannot afford—and this world cannot afford—our failure to put these gospel concepts and fortifying covenants to full use personally and publicly."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Apostle 

020426, Wednesday

 

Daily Vitals: Wt. 232.8, GMI: 7.2, Steps (previous day): 2,624, BP: 162/118, Pulse: 130 

Reported Sleep: 6:21, Glucose: 124 @0415

Journal Entry

My glucose levels have been too high, partly due to my infection and partly due to my not eating properly. Dr Welch prescribed insulin possibly on a temporary basis in order to bring my glucose levels down to a healthier level. So he prescribed insulin which is administered by injection for me on Monday afternoon and was hoping I could get started on it that night. But between the doctor and his staff and the various people at the pharmacy the order didn't get through on Monday. On Tuesday morning I was able to go to Walgreens and get my insulin which came in an injectable preloaded syringe.

Tuesday afternoon I attempted to inject my first dose and find that there were no needles to go with my syringe. The young man who sold me the syringe at Walgreens neglected to say anything about needles. So I called the drug store which is a challenge to get through all prerecorded messages, etc. and found that, yes, needles were necessary. The doctor had actually prescribed needles but no one had mentioned that to me. So I said to the nice man at the drug store that I would come in and get the needles... It's about a ten minute drive. He said they didn't have needles in stock, they had ordered them and they would be in tomorrow. But they did have needles that they sold off the shelf and they were available for $10. 

So we drove to Walgreens and I got my needles and took my first ever insulin injection last evening. It is now 0530 and my glucose (blood sugar) level is at about 120 which is, I'm told, good. 

My blood pressure and pulse are still way too high though. And my infected foot, though seemingly improving, is, of course, still a problem. But we're working on that. Other than that, I'm in pretty good health for an 80 year old guy.

Come Follow Me 

Moses 7: 30 And were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations; and thy curtains are stretched out still; and yet thou art there, and thy bosom is there; and also thou art just; thou art merciful and kind forever;

"Enoch, to whom the Lord revealed so much, praised God amid His vast creations, exclaiming reassuringly, “Yet thou art there."

This same special assurance can see each of us through all the seasons and circumstances of our lives. A universal God is actually involved with our small, individual universes of experience! In the midst of His vast dominions, yet He numbers us, knows us, and loves us perfectly."

Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Apostle 

020226, Monday

 

Journal Entry

Somehow I lost what I had written on this date. My foot and lower ankle were swollen and discolored because of infection. Cathy and I (mostly Cathy) spent most of the day trying to get my foot treated and medication to combat the infection. It's really difficult to describe what it means for me to have a wife like Cathy. She will do anything to help me. I'm going to try to include a photo of what my foot looks like today - Tuesday -  which is a bit of an improvement over what it looked like yesterday.

Come Follow Me

Moses 7: 18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

"Please note: Zion is people; Zion is the saints of God; Zion is those who have been baptized; Zion is those who have received the Holy Ghost; Zion is those who keep the commandments; Zion is the righteous; or in other words, as our revelation recites: “This is Zion—the pure in heart.”

Elder Bruce R. McConkie, Apostle 

020326, Tuesday

Daily Vitals: Wt. 231.7, GMI: 7.2, Steps (previous day): 1,804, BP: 173/120, Pulse: 111, 

Reported Sleep: 6:00

Journal Entry

Most of my life today and for the next few days will be devoted to trying to get my foot healthy. After my original foot injury was discovered in August of last year and finally was "cured" I still continued to feel some pain in that right big toe. I pointed this out to Dr. Phillips and he felt that he could operate on the toe and shave down the bone some and that would solve the problem.

The pain wasn't bad, in fact it was only occasional and I felt that I could easily live with it but I didn't want to have the toe get worse again so I agreed to the surgery. Cathy agreed and we both felt it would be beneficial to go ahead with the surgery. But this infection is far worse than the original infection and I'm worried about the final outcome.

I hope we have it under control now but it's too early to celebrate. In the mean time, I'm out of commission for probably at least another week.

Come Follow Me 

Moses 7: 21 And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever.

"The attributes of Christ are acquired in the “process of time” by intentional progress along the covenant path. Christlike attributes adorn the lives of those who strive to live with goodness. They fill homes with gospel light, whether the floor is mud or marble. Even if you are the only one in your household who follows the injunction to “seek after these things,” you can contribute to the spiritual furnishings of your family’s home."

Elder L. Whitney Clayton of The Presidency of The Seventy