Ten Commandments to Live By

These are great ideas we inherited from Lenore Bushman Carpenter.  You ought to print them off and keep them handy.

The Ten Commandments of How to Get Along with People


From Lenore’s collection

1. Keep skid chains on your tongue: always say less than you think. Cultivate a low, pervasive voice. How you say it often counts more than what you say.

2. Make promises sparingly and keep them faithfully, no matter what it costs you.

3. Never let an opportunity pass to say a kind and encouraging thing to or about somebody. Praise good work done, regardless of who did it. If criticism is needed, criticize helpfully, never spitefully.

4. Be interested in others: interested in their pursuits, their welfare, their homes and families. Make merry with those that rejoice; with those who weep, mourn. Let everyone you meet however humble, feel that you regard him as one of importance.

5. Be cheerful. Keep the corners of your mouth turned up. Hide your pains, worries and disappointments under a smile. Laugh at good stories and learn to tell them.

6. Preserve an open mind on all debatable questions. Discuss, but not argue. It is a mark of superior minds to disagree and yet be friendly.

7. Let your virtues, if you have any, speak for themselves, and refuse to talk of another’s vices. Discourage gossip. Make it a rule to say nothing of another unless it is good.

8. Be careful of another’s feelings. Wit and humor at the other fellow’s expense are rarely worth the effort, and may hurt where least expected.

9. Pay no attention to ill-natured remarks about you. Simply live that nobody will believe them. Disordered nerves and a bad digestion are common result of back biting.

10. Don’t be too anxious about your dues. Do your work, be patient and keep your disposition sweet, forget self, and you will be rewarded.

In The Light of the Lord

2 Nephi 4:15  "And upon these I write the things of my soul, and many of the scriptures which are engraven upon the plates of brass.  For my soul delighteth in the scriptures, and my heart pondereth them, and writeth them for the learning and the profit of my children."
Mom and I know it is sometimes difficult to read scriptures every day.  It is something you have to make time for.  Now that it is just the two of us, we are finding it a little easier to read and ponder the scriptures.  We always knew it was important, but now that we are doing it consistently and for longer periods of time, we have grown to have even a greater testimony of scripture reading.
As you read the scriptures, the Light of the Lord enters into your heart and your mind.  You feel you can do all things and face your fears.  In the Light of the Lord your heart is filled with faith and love; your Spirit seems to soar.  The Light of the Lord shines from your eyes as you worthily bear his name.

Here is an idea to movtivate scripture reading.  Get yourself a candle and put it in a nice holder.  When the family is gathered to read scriptures, light the candle.  Let it burn as you read.  Blow it out when you finish reading for the day.  Everyday light it again.  Eventually the candle will burn down to nothing signaling the famiy has done real good at reading there scriptures and are entitled to a night out for ice cream or other treat.  It puts a little more spark into your scripture reading time.
Here is a little song I wrote and Mom helps me sing.  Enjoy!  IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD

Flecks of Gold

We should always remember, the things that matter most are usually earned a little at a time.  The lesson learned by a young prospector searching for large nuggets of gold from an old timer can be applied in so many different ways in your life.

Click this link to go to this video:  FLECKS OF GOLD

Nurture and Admonition of the Lord

Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.  Honour thy father and mother that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.


David O. McKay said, "Example is the best and most effective way of teaching.  We can set a proper example also by speaking well of others.  The Lord has admonished us not to engage in backbiting.  Another worthy example is exercising self-control, controling our temper by not speaking angrily in the home.  Let calmness be characteristic of our home life".


Early in our marriage when we had a couple of children, we struggled to know how to discipline our kids.  We attended a fireside where the speaker was a credentialed family counselor.  We were soaking up every word she said until someone asked her how many kids she had.  She admitted she had none.  I at least totally lost interest in what she was saying after that.


Now many years later Mom and I have had our trials in trying to teach and train children.  I at least have made a lot of mistakes.  One of those mistakes was that I spanked my children for which I regret greatly.  There may be a RARE instance when you need to spank your children, but it should be very rare.  Let me encourage you with these thoughts from my vantage point of experience.


Provoke means "to arouse to a feeling", "to stir up purposely".  I don't think any of you fathers would purposely seek to arouse feelings of anger in your children.  But you might be doing it unintentionally. 

• Elder Robbins, April 2011 conference:  "When your children misbehave, we must be careful not to say things that would cause them to believe that what they did wrong is who they are." "We need to be careful, therefore, about using permanent phrases such as "You always....." or "You never...." when disciplining.
• I would suggest you state clearly and succinctly what they did that was wrong, how it makes you feel when they disobey and state your expectations in the future emphacising they who they are as a child of God and a member of your family.
• Look for opportunities through the day to recognize things they do as a result of making a good choice and reinforcing it by recognition and praise.

Nurture means "training or upbringing"; Admonition means "gentle or friendly reproof".  To bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord I think means to help the child understand the attributes of the Savior by discussing them and helping the child recognize them in his own life.  It also means to help them learn to pray, attend Church and participate.


I am proud of each of you as you try to raise children in an ever increasing wicked world.  We pray for you every day.  
Dad and Mom

Sheila and Jarvis Carter Family

October 2011

Grandpa and Grandma Haws visited the Carter family in Oklahoma for 2 weeks in October 2011.  The occasion was to help Sheila and Jarvis with their family during the time James was having and recovering from an operation.  James had an operation to improve his life by making an opening to his intestines.

While there, I video taped James singing "Praise to the Man" that he memorized in Primary this year. 
James singing.  Here is another one.  James Whistling

We had a wonderful visit.  James is a brave little man and is facing life's challenges with a smile on his face.  We can learn a lot from James.
Here are a few more pictures etc of our visit.  We visited parks, the Science Museum and a garden park downtown Oklahoma. PICTURES

2011 May

The highlight of the month of May was our visit to Camp LoMia.  Edith was the head of the kitchen staff and Wallace was a cook.  It was a lot of fun.  Here are some pictures.

I also tried to teach the girls how to use a SLING.

Camp Lomia Cook Staff Song

Here is a song I wrote for girls camp 2011.  Mom and I served on the kitchen staff.  SONG

Slings

My father taught me how to throw a rock with a sling. It wasn't until I was an adult I realised that the art of throwing a rock with a sling was pretty unique with our family. Since then I have tried to teach all of my children and grandchildren as they are able to know how to throw with a sling. Wikipedia provides some interesting historic information, but some of the "facts" are kind of funny and just plain wrong.

I hope this blog helps to preserve this family tradition. Click here for a video on how to make a sling. I will make another post later on the proper way to throw with a sling.

Have fun! MOVIE

2011 Mother's Day Greeting from Wallace Haws

Here is a two part Mother's Day greeting to Ruth Maxine Cooper Haws, Edith, Susan, Sheila, Julie, Brittany, Emily, Elisabeth and Sheredith.

Segment No. 1

Segment No. 2

Enjoy!

With Love,
Wallace Haws

Ruth Maxine Cooper Haws

Here are some stories told by Ruth Maxine Cooper Haws.

Do you drive?

Hitchie the Lamb

John Paul Jones