Peach fuzz

Can you smell them? We picked up these fresh peaches yesterday. They smell heavenly!
And they taste divine!

Virtuous Politics?

Elder M. Russell Ballard said:
"Believe it or not, at one time the very notion of government had less to do with politics than with virtue. According to James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution: 'We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of the government--far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God' (Russ Walton, Biblical Principles of Importance to Godly Christians, New Hampshire: Plymouth Foundation, 1984, p. 361)." ( "Religion in a Free Society," Ensign, Oct. 1992, 65)

I wish our modern day politics had more to do with virtue today. The reason I shy away from politics is because there is so much contention and divisiveness. I don't mind local non-partisan elections because I feel I am voting on issues and people, not parties. With the state and federal levels, sometimes I feel like I'm voting for the lesser of two evils!

Now I am fairly conservative, and even though James Madison wants us to "govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments", I don't want Roy Moore on the Supreme Court!

Most Influential Books

In 1991 there was a list in Parade Magazine entitled, “The top ten most influential books.” The authors of the list surveyed Book of the Month Club members and Library of Congress users and asked them, “What one book most influenced your life?” Here they are: (There are actually thirteen because four tied for the last spot.)

1) The Bible

2 ) Atlas Shrugged
- Ayn Rand

3) The Road Less Traveled
- M. Scott Peck

4) To Kill a Mockingbird
- Harper Lee

5) The Lord of the Rings
- J.R.R. Tolkien

6) Gone With the Wind
- Margaret Mitchell

7) How to Win Friends and Influence People
- Dale Carnegie

8) The Book of Mormon

9) The Feminine Mystique
- Betty Friedan

9) Gift From the Sea
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

9) Man's Search for Meaning
- Viktor Frankl

9) Passages
- Gail Sheehy

9) When Bad Things Happen to Good People
- Harold Kushmen

I feel bad because I have only read 4 of these all the way through. Can you guess which 4?

I've read parts of most, and saw the movie versions of three. (I DO NOT count the "movie" version of "The Book of Mormon Movie" because technically it was not a movie, just a roadshow on steriods.)

At least I have heard of all of them and their authors. I have some work cut out to do. (Isn't it cool that the BoM is on it??!!)