I’m exhausted and want to be sleeping. Instead, I sit here watching late night television and my sleeping granddaughter. I care for her some nights while her daddy works. Though I’d like to be in bed, I sit here waiting—because I love her and her dad.

In the past few weeks I have spent time getting to know our littlest grandsons. There is nothing like a newborn’s laugh, or the laugh of one who is a bit older. I spent time with all but one grandson in the last month. Time with grandchildren is precious to me. We have been swimming, gone to movies, made cookies, played at the park. Each has been memorable for me, and I hope they will be remembered by them.

My mother talks of times with her grandchildren. Her best memories are of telling her grandchildren stories—stories of her life, stories about their parents. She has written books of those stories so her grandchildren will know her.

Some say grandchildren are God’s gift for surviving their teenage parents. I loved my teenagers, and I love their children. I’m happy to have the gift of grandchildren.

Have you ever wondered how Eve felt about her grandchildren? I know, silly question. She felt the same as grandmothers everywhere. She wanted them to be happy, she wanted them to learn and do the things she had taught their parents.

Eve had lots of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was blessed to have some of them listen and learn those vital teachings. Sadly, not as many listened as did not.

Over her many years on earth, about nine hundred, Eve did not meet all her grandchildren. When her children and grandchildren chose to listen to the voice of the destroyer, they moved away. Other children moved away just because they needed more room to live, spreading out across the face of the land. There was no way Eve could have met every great grandchild.

You are her grandchild. Mitochondrial evidence proves we all are descended from one mother—Eve. She is mother to all who live here on earth. She is truly our “great” grandmother.

I would like to spend time with her, as I have spent time with my own grandchildren, talking, sharing. I would hope she is happy with the choices I have made. I hope she approves of the story I wrote about her. I felt her near. It has been a special time for me. I like to think we have had some special, personal time together, with her telling me stories.

Someday I will write the stories of my life, and share the silly things my children and grandchildren have done. We will read them together and laugh and share in the joy of familial love. I will also share the things I learned about Eve.

Happiness is a Matter of Attitude.

As I edit and prepare to publish my book, Remembering Eve, I find myself thinking of Eve’s life. It could not have been easy to live alone on this earth. I often wondered how she gave birth the first time, alone with Adam. Writing the book answered that question for me.

Other issues they faced are similar to those we face in 2014. Too many children choose to follow the lies of the destroyer, turning their backs on the light and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Eve sorrowed, missing each child and grandchild, hoping for their return.

Men forgot the majesty their women brought with them and found ways to demean and diminish them. In their pain, many women turned from men and their gods. Women created female god-idols, seeking relief from grief and sorrow forced upon them by their men. Men and women found pleasure in one another without marriage, and often in spite of marriage, whether or not the woman welcomed it.

These brought Eve sorrow. Other things grieved her. She would not have liked that her children were enslaved, their right of choice stolen. Choice is a gift from the beginning, and all find themselves meeting the consequences of those choices, positive and negative. The enslaved are left with few choices. Sometimes their only choice is how they respond to their enslavement.

Eve would not have been happy when some of her family lost themselves in wine and strong drinks. Even then, addictions caused adults to forget the needs of their children in search of more addictive substance. Our addictions may be different, but some of the addicted still leave children in the cold—unfed, unclothed, and unwanted.

The poor have always been with us, certainly even among the children of Eve. I believe she was hurt that pride would cause her children to turn their faces from them, ignoring their needs, and allowing adult and child to suffer. In many ways we ignore our poor. Every school system is faced with homeless students. Some do better than others in helping to meet their needs.

How many beggars are on the streets of your city? I am confronted by beggars at almost every corner of my city. I help when I can, and wish I could help more. I see homeless sleeping under trees, under freeway overpasses, even along sidewalks—any place they can avoid police. These families and individuals should find more help from a country as wealthy as the United States. Food, homes, and other necessities of life should be more available, from individuals, groups, and governments.

As Eve’s children turned away from the teachings of their parents and the commandments of God, they lost truth and light, and its attendant joy. Many citizens of 2014 are similarly lost, searching through the darkness of sin and disobedience. Eve would tell you repent and come unto Christ. It hasn’t changed much in all these years.

Parades, fireworks, barbeques, and fun are common activities on the Fourth of July. It’s a great summer holiday. Time to forget work, time to play. But, did you remember the real reason for the celebration?

Men and women determined to free themselves from the political control of a king who lived across the Atlantic. Distance and time prevented a real understanding of the problems, needs, and dreams of the citizens in this new land. The king’s army carried out his heavy handed orders, and our ancestors rebelled.

God gave His children freedom as part of the plan to obtain salvation. Each of us has the right and the responsibility to freely choose our actions. Freedom is God-given, and when it is prevented, we yearn for it. Political entities can take away many opportunities and rights, but no one can deprive us of our ability to choose our responses or our thoughts.

Freedom was freely given, with responsibilities tied to the rights. We are responsible to choose good leaders, to support those who fight to maintain that freedom, and to do our best to live freely. Freedom for our country, and many others, came at a price of blood paid by our best and brightest sons.

There always seems to be someone who thinks they know more, or better, and fight for control and the destruction of our hard-fought rights and freedoms.
With the right to choose comes the necessity of accepting consequences. Some of those are wonderful: a new job, more money or time, and greater happiness, while other consequences are difficult to accept: loss of freedom, choice, happiness. The results flow naturally and logically from our actions—hold a sparkler too long and you will be burned.

The fight for continued freedom must constantly be fought. It can never be left to others, or ignored, for when we do some “other” will cheerfully move us out of the path of freedom and into the pen of slavery. We cannot sleep through the battle for freedom. We cannot allow our freedoms to be slowly stripped away until none are left. If we do, it will not be easy to regain them.

Rather than reach the point of no return, when it will require a battle of arms and death, let us resolve to be aware of our freedoms and rights slipping through our hands. Let us stand for freedom. Let us be study the constitution and intelligently support freedom. Let us make our voices heard strongly by calling and writing our legislators and other leaders, demanding that our freedoms be strengthened.

Once lost, it will be difficult to make choices that bring happiness. Our choices will be made for us. There are those who are cheerfully working to make choices for us, to enslave us, slowly and carefully so we barely notice. Sometimes events are manipulated to encourage us to beg for our freedoms to be stolen.

Only effort on the part of every citizen will ensure our children and grandchildren will live in a gloriously free country, free to light fireworks, watch parades, and enjoy the freedoms we did only a few years ago.