From Bristol to Boise with Faith

  From Doris: Heavenly Father helps me find joy in ordinary days.

  From Doris: I am beginning cycle 12 of 24 of my cancer treatments. I have finished half (65) of my English paper pieced flowers. I made a quilt top for Jonathan and Britta’s baby girl who is due in August. I started working on an autumn themed quilt top. We have phlox blooming in our front yard. Snapdragons we planted at least three years ago keep coming back. They were not supposed to be perennials. Our bleeding heart bush is in full bloom. Our bonsai plant continues to thrive. Our family has walked 2653 miles of the 4830.1 miles to Bristol.

  Original Map From Amy: Larry the Cucumber Original Map From Kyle: A friendly spinosaurus

  From Steve From Tom

  From Doris: Alma 5:33   Behold he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.

  From Doris I Hear Him (Lyrics by Wendy Randell, Music by Ryan Murphy)   Inside my heart a longing Is longing to be heard And longing more To hear the Lord And understand His word.   I ponder how I love Him And how He loves me more. Then suddenly, He’s here with me And opens heaven’s door.   Chorus: Like a fire that burns inside me, I hear Him. Like a choir that blends in harmony, His Spirit stirs my soul. Like a Shepherd, He is beckoning. I recognize His call, Though still and small. I hear Him.   I’m learning to be quiet. I’m learning to be still— To give a place, An open space The Savior’s light can fill.   When worries and confusion Weigh heavy on my mind, When thoughts distract, I guide them back And wait for His reply.   [Repeat Chorus]   When by life’s uncertainty and fear I’m overcome, My Father knows what helps me most is listening to His Son:   A w...

  From Doris: I am getting stronger. I am blessed to have a cancer treatment that is working. For the first time since my treatments began, I have been able to attend sacrament meetings without having to leave early. We go on walks four days a week. We walk for at least a mile most of those days. Paul and I will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary this week. We were able to serve as proxy for two couple sealings in the Meridian Temple last week. We always try to do a sealing session around our wedding anniversary. The temple workers accommodated my physical limitations. I have the energy to sew again. It is springtime. This is a very happy time of year for me.

  From Doris: Music and the spoken word from April 12 th By Derrick Porter   Remembering: An antidote   "Murmuring  is a word we’re all familiar with. It’s easy to murmur when inconvenience, disruption, or difficulty present themselves. The scriptures tell of individuals and multitudes who—at least temporarily, in moments of murmuring—forgot their connection to God and His power to deliver them."... "Choosing to remember God mutes our murmuring. Focusing on Him and acting on His promises points us forward. And so, in those moments that are hard, when the days feel long, or when hope seems distant, let us remember that the same God who delivered Israel still delivers His children today."

  From Doris: This update is a day later than usual because I did not have my oncology appointment until this morning. Usually, I would have met with my doctor at the end of last week.  The cancer is being controlled. My white blood cell count today was 7.68. Normal WBC counts are between 3.8 and 11.  This week my oncologist said, “You are already in remission. We just don ’ t know how deep it is.” I will continue to take chemo therapy drugs for another year. As I approach the end of my treatment, I will have a test for Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) to determine the level of remission. We asked the oncologist about traveling. He said we can travel as long as we are not gone for more than 3 weeks and 6 days, so I am back in time for my monthly blood draw. I don’t have the stamina to travel yet, but it was good to get the doctor’s approval. From Paul: I am greatly pleased to note that I have perceived progress in Doris’ treatment and improved stamina. In our ...

Original Map From Kyle: An elephant and a giraffe holding onto an umbrella on a windy day.   Original image From Amy: A Brontosaurus

 From Steve: From Jonathan:

From Doris:   Christ the Lord is Risen Today  

  From Doris:   Since my last infusion on January 2nd, I have been blessed with a significant decrease in pain and increase in stamina.

  From Doris:   Today is Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday 2025, we spoke in church. It was our mission farewell. The next morning, I received test results that indicated I had a form of cancer.   We have a momma duck nesting in our back yard. She has eight eggs in her nest. She has been there for two weeks. We estimate her ducklings will hatch in a couple of weeks.   The word cleave has two opposite meanings (cut apart, cling closely) making it a contronym.   I have made 61 English paper pieced flowers. I need 130 to make my quilt. It will take years for me to complete this quilt, but it will exemplify the truth that by small and simple steps great things come to pass.   I found out that Blackham, England, is only five miles away from Hartfield, England, where author A.A. Milne lived. The Pooh sticks bridge and 100-acre woods are near Hartfield.   My father was taught how to prune trees by his father-in-law. Paul was also taught how to prune t...

From Doris:   As I approach the one-year mark of my cancer diagnosis, these are measurable improvements in my health: I have more strength in my body. I have more stamina. I have less pain. I have less brain fog. I can more easily focus on what I can do instead of what I can ’ t.   Paul and I go on walks. When I need to rest, we stop and sit on a bench and just soak up the beauty of another spring morning.               Those rest stops allow me to feel the majesty of God ’ s creations.               We walk four days a week. On average we walk a mile each day.   For the first time in over a year, I was able to find ancestors who need temple ordinances and reserve their work.  It is wonderful to have the chemo brain fog lifted enough to be able to do research again.   My white blood cell count remains in normal ran...

  From Doris:   Elder Patrick Kearon October 2025 General Conference   Our Saviour uttered one final understatement, without which there would be no cause for hope or rejoicing this day. After the agonies of Gethsemane and at the conclusion of the torturous cross, He simply said, “ It is finished.” Messianic prophecy had been fulfilled, and the full payment of the debt for humanity ’ s sins and suffering had been paid. He declared “ finished” His infinite and eternal sacrifice. Yet His Atonement would not be complete until He Himself experienced new life on the third day, the new beginning, as a glorified, resurrected being through the power of the Father.

  From Doris:   John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends .

  From Doris:   A Time of Renewal   I have always loved Spring, except for the years in which I lived in the metropolitan Phoenix area. In Phoenix, Spring was the beginning of hot weather. Here in Eagle, it is a time to be celebrated.   Spring is the season of birth. Certainly, the mother duck nesting in our backyard is proof of that. Spring is also a season of renewal. The trees that have been in a dormant state for months are now filled with blossoms. Daffodil bulbs that have been hidden underground are now showing their glorious flowers. Grass that was brown and looked dead is now green. Trees, bulbs and grass have not been dead for months but were awaiting Spring.   I have not been dead these last few months but have been awaiting a renewal of my health. That renewal has begun, but I do not know when it will be complete. Will my body ever return to its former capacity?   It may not, but I believe the spiritual lessons I am being taught a...

  Original map From Amy: A picasso style side view of a face   Original Map From Andrew: It looks like France  

  From Steve From Amy’s friend Janna: What do you call a Grandma on speed dial? Insta-gram

  From Doris: Our family has walked 1747.36 miles to Bristol.   Paul and I went on four walks this week. Three of the four walks were for at least a mile. The trees and bushes in Eagle have started to bud. I can’t hear the birds singing when it is raining. We are enjoying a month’s subscription to BritBox. I cooked some hard white wheat kernels in the crockpot. It will be a quick breakfast for me on Tuesdays when Paul is at the temple. I got out the quilts I use in March and put away the ones I used in February. Paul will be de-thatching our lawn during the month of March.

  From Doris: My white blood cell count was in normal range this week. I was able to listen to our Stake Relief Society conference via a zoom link. As I look backward, I realize that I have less pain overall than I did a month ago and my GI issues are less chronic. Paul goes on walks with me even though walking is painful to his knee. Two of my friends came over for a visit on Thursday. Technology allowed me to have a zoom meeting with my siblings, FaceTime visits with Amy and Tom and Google Meetings with Kyle and Jonathan. General Conference is only a month away.

  From Doris: I was given the strength I needed to be able to bear my testimony in our fast and testimony meeting today.

  From Doris: A Child’s Prayer Reverently Sing parts separately, then combined. 1.     Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer ev’ry child’s prayer? Some say that heaven is far away, But I feel it close around me as I pray. Heavenly Father, I remember now Something that Jesus told disciples long ago: “Suffer the children to come to me.” Father, in prayer I’m coming now to thee. 2.     Pray, he is there; Speak, he is list’ning. You are his child; His love now surrounds you. He hears your prayer; He loves the children. Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heav’n.

  From Doris: Elder Steven C. Barlow October 2025 General Conference We show our love for Heavenly Father when we serve, listen to, love, lift, or minister to His children. That service may be as simple as truly seeing others without judgment.

  From Doris: Isaiah 50:10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.

  20210301 Cycle 10 Week 1 From Doris: One of the most difficult questions for me to answer is the following, “How are you feeling?” It leaves me stumped. I am certain nobody really wants to hear the details of how I am feeling physically, mentally or emotionally at a particular moment. How I feel physically can change in a moment without warning. So my answer to the above will be, “About the same.” I just completed nine months of cancer treatments. I am now on “auto pilot.” Because there are no significant treatment changes expected over the next 15 months, our life will not be much different from one week to the next. From Paul: As of February 27, we are in Cycle 10. This is the part that the doctor calls the “autopilot” stage of treatment. That is a good thing. It consists of labs every four weeks and a consultation with a provider every eight weeks. The medication is indicated to be the same throughout the rest of the 24 cycles. The oral chemo pills continue with one ...

  Original Map From Tom: A Raccoon Original Map From Andrew: A Saxophone

  From Tom: Our local ice cream charges an extra $0.80 for non-dairy options. This seems like a discriminatory practice against those who cannot consume dairy products.   In other words, it ’ s a lactose intolerance intolerance.   From Scott: What do you get when you cross an angry sheep with an angry cow?   Two animals in a baaaaaaaad moooooooood .

  From Doris: We will soon have another grandchild! Jonathan and Britta are expecting a baby girl who is due to arrive in early August. Greer came over this week and began designing a gallery wall for our master bedroom. I am going through this cancer journey with my best friend, Paul. I can feel spring is approaching.   We had snowy days as well as days filled with sunshine this week. We were able to go to the temple again. A dear friend came and visited me on Monday. We were able to have a video chat with our children on Saturday. All of our children were invited to join us. We do this once a month. Tomorrow I will have a monthly zoom meeting with my siblings.

  From Doris: Behold the Wounds in Jesus’ Hands   1.     Behold the wounds in Jesus’ hands, The mark upon His side, Then ponder whom He meant to save When on the cross He died. We cannot see the love of God, Which saves us from the Fall, Yet know that Christ from wood and nails Built mansions for us all. 2.     Behold the outstretched hands of Christ— Our Lord, who came to save— Whose love and grace redeem our souls And lift us from the grave. Though we are bruised whene’er we stray, His guiding hands caress. He washes and anoints with oil, And in His arms we rest. 3.     Behold the wounds in Jesus’ hands. Look to your Lord and live. He yearns to bless you with His love And all your sins forgive. Oh, empty is the heart of man When it is filled with sin. Come, open wide your broken heart And let your Savior in! 4.     Behold His wounded hands and feet! Come touch,...