Happy Birthday Brother Abraham!

When I pass the portrait of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Salt Lake temple hallway, I often feel nearly overwhelmed with gratitude at his inestimable contribution to the earth, and to my own life. In a different way, I also feel profoundly grateful to Abraham Lincoln, Joseph's contemporary and fellow giant spirit! Both were tall, rough boys of the frontier, who lived and worked in poverty through their boyhood. Both were short on the wisdom of men, but long on intelligence of spirit and purity of heart. Their minds stretched beyond their fellows in every way. Their plain, honest speech cut to the hearts of those who heard them. They provided leadership in the most troubled times through the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the preservation of the young democracy that the restored church has depended on to this day! Though Joseph's contribution eclipsed Abraham's in scope and importance, Abraham's was crucial. I imagine the two sitting together in some pre-mortal classroom pondering on the immense work ahead in the 19th century. They must have been friends.

When he was 23, Lincoln said, "I have no other [ambition] so great as that of being truly esteemed of my fellow men, by rendering myself worthy of their esteem. How far I shall succeed in gratifying this ambition, is yet to be developed." At the end of his life, Joseph said, "If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of none to myself." Both lived and died in service to us, and both will be remembered forever. Today is Abe's 200th birthday. Happy Birthday, Brother Abraham!

Little Abraham Marshall, take note of your esteemed namesake!

"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg."--A. Lincoln

Tender Mercies

So right after the big ten inch snow storm almost two weeks ago on Thursday morning, the day after school was cancelled, Rachel dropped me off at school. I must tell you that I have always had problems with my electronic door opener falling off of my key chain. It usually falls off while still in my pocket. Later that evening, when I tried to use my keys, I saw that it was missing. It was not in any of my pockets, so I just told myself to get over the loss because I would never find it again. (This should sound familiar to you Andrew.) Well, yesterday, as Rachel and I were crossing Third Street to go to the library as we do every day, I noticed a familiar round-shaped plastic object on the walkway next to the busy road where a large snow bank had been until all the snow melted in the period of about 24 hours. The missing screw indicated that it surely was my door opener. Rachel and I wanted to have a funeral, but still had a faint hope that just maybe, life could surge through its little body once again even though the dirty and beaten old clicker could not glow red as it once did. I took it home that evening and carefully removed each piece. After washing and wiping it thoroughly, I left it on the counter to dry. This evening as we came home, I put the pieces back together, and with a small hope, pushed the button. The glow of red flickered, and then got brighter and brighter. Life returned. We ran out to the parking lot to test it, and the car doors opened immediately. After 11 days buried beneath a pile of asphalt and snow, the clicker survived. I am reminded of the song edelweisse. The clicker is now clean and bright after some tender care. We are very blessed to have it returned. They are quite expensive. We celebrated by eating ice cream and cream pie. - Micah -

Ok, my turn! Today I had to give a presentation on Orlando Furioso in my Renaissance literature class. I've had trouble getting in the swing of things this semester and finding my voice in Italian, so I've been praying quite a bit about Italian and this presentation in particular. The last couple days I've really made an effort to prioritize well and put in the time necessary for the project, but I didn't have time to look at the reading for the class. We were responsible for knowing 4 good sized articles. While I was in the associate instructor's office a few days ago, I noticed that someone had abandoned one of the articles next to the printer, which meant that it was up for grabs. I worked on my presentation all day at the library, and then at the institute building (where I subjected Micah to about 20 minutes of my presentation that he patiently listened to in Italian), and then went back to the library to pick up the few materials I'd left behind. I was just going to grab them and continue on my way to leave myself enough time to go over my presentation again, but I saw the article and for some reason turned to the next page and started to read the second section of it. It turned out to be the same narrow topic as my presentation, so I took the remaining 15 minutes before class to read it. After giving my presentation, my professor said he would ask me just one question. I knew that it would be from those couple pages that I'd read, and I was right! Definitely a tender mercy. We're both reminded that the Lord loves us today. -Rachel

A Powerful Noise

Dear Daughters and Mothers,

This March 5th is International Women's Day. My friend Jennifer Vera brought to my attention the film that is being shown in connection with it. I'm going to go, and invite any of you who can to accompany me, either in person, or in your own city. Then let's talk about it! For more information, go to apowerfulnoise.org. Here's what Jennifer had to say:

"It tells the stories of 3 women sparking remarkable changes in their countries (Vietnam, Bosnia and Mali), as an example of the power for good just one person can have. One of the sponsoring organizations is one that specifically focuses on helping women in impoverished nations. They cite many studies that prove that "an empowered woman is an unstoppable force"...that the women of any society are a lasting solution to extreme poverty...when they are helped, the families and then the communities change. . . . Aimee and I are going to it, because I feel so strongly about the role of women in these perilous times and want Aimee to know all she can about women like this. I believe that there are strong women rising and that they can be an incredible force for good in a world that, as president Hinckley said, is 'marching towards moral self-destruction.'"

The film is showing at 5:30 at three theaters in the Salt Lake valley. Following will be a national discussion.

Curried Basmati Rice

Micah found this recipe last Sunday to compliment our falafel and hummus dinner, and it was a hit. It takes 30-60 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter (they say to use margarine, but we only believe in butter)
1/2 cup Finely chopped onion
2 cloves Garlic; minced
1 1/2 cup Uncooked white basmati rice
1 teaspoon Curry powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
21 ounces Low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon Grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice

Directions:Melt margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add rice and curry powder; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add salt, broth, and water, and bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remsove from heat, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Let stand, covered, 10 minute. Fluff with a fork. serves 6.

Here's the link to the original: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/2189/Curried-Basmati-Rice91644.shtml

Fun Family Sport

Girlsie's--Dad's looking into a new family activity for this summer when we get together. If you can't find a suit, we'll rent one for you. Should be great fun! I'll be on the camera, recording you all! Check it out. Abe will love it!
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1778399&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1

February Sunshine

Dear Micah, Andrew, Rachel, Hannah, Laurel, Ariel, and Mr. Galli,

I have listened to my birthday CD so happily this morning! Punxsutawney Phil cannot cast a shadow on my delight at the favorite numbers from each of you, though I confess that I wouldn't have guessed that Andrew was tickling the ivories on the "Andrew and Micah" number :). I love you all! Thanks again for that very special gift.

Best Friends!

Fun to see you, Mom! Look forward to seeing you again this weekend! And finally figure out what that surprise is!