Journal entries, 21 March 2021

The calendar says that yesterday was the first day of spring, but I've always thought that the first day of spring was supposed to be today.  I must take note this morning of the time and position of the sunrise.

The snow in the front yard is all but gone.  Lots of bare patches are appearing in the snow in the fields below the house, but above the house the fields are as white as ever.

Yesterday I pruned the upper row of raspberries.  There is still snow between the rows, but the rows themselves are clear.

Yesterday, too, I saw the first bluebird.  Robins have been around for a couple of weeks.  My mother always said that robins lie about the arrival of spring, but not bluebirds.  Another indication of the arrival of spring is that I saw the first swallow sitting on the power line in our driveway on 18 March.  It was a violet-green swallow.  It didn't stay because there are no flying insects for it to feed on.

The pond is still frozen over, with no open water.  Nevertheless Amy and Shawn Geese spent most of yesterday on the dam.  I prepared Amy's nest by stocking it with fresh hay.  She's very pleased.  She even sat there for a couple of hours several days ago, but I don't think that she has laid any eggs yet.  I'll be checking.

Tim has two flocks of white swans that spend their days in the field below his house.  The biggest flock has 47 individuals.  They look like a flock of sheep.  They're big birds.  They should be whistling swans.  I was pruning Ellen's apple trees on the 19th when I heard them.  They make a gurgling sound.  In the evenings they take flight and go somewhere to the north.  They probably spend the night on open water somewhere, maybe on Powder River.

ANGELS

This morning I read about the angel who appeared to Alma and his companions.  "He descended as it were in a cloud."  (Mosiah 27:11).

Joseph Smith's first vision began with "a pillar of light exactly over (his) head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon (him).  (JSH 1:16).

Moroni came and went in his appearances to Joseph Smith in a "conduit" of light.  (JSH 1:43).

Lehi's first vision came in "a pillar of fire" which "dwelt upon a rock before him."  (1 Nephi 1:6).

The angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream, and directed him how to deal with Mary, and how to protect her and the baby.

An angel came to king Benjamin as he slept, "and he said unto (him), awake and (he) awoke, and behold he stood before (him)."  (Mosiah 3:2).  The entire third chapter of Mosiah is the words of that angel.  I can't think of another chapter of scripture that is devoted entirely to the words of an angel.

I have heard of some societies being surprised that many American Saints have never seen an angel.  I asked myself this morning why an angel has never appeared to me.  It is because I don't need it.  My job, or my assignment, is to learn how to navigate this life using the Holy Ghost as my guide.  Why should an angel appear to me?  It's not like I am in any position to receive and to proclaim any new thing.  That is the prophet's job.

The purpose of angels appearing to common folk is to call them to repentance, and to get them set on the right path.  I got pointed in the right direction in the fall of 1966 when a voice said in answer to my 4-hour prayer, "Everything is going to be all right."  Whether the words were spoken by the Holy Ghost or an angel is all the same.

My deceased grandfather appeared to my mother to comfort her concerning the son that she thought was in danger.  To administer comfort is surely another reason for an angel to appear to someone.  To initiate the repentance process in an individual is another reason.  Also to give individual direction, all of which purposes can also be accomplished through the Holy Ghost.

I don't need to have angels appear to me, but I very much need to be able to access, hear, understand, and obey the messages sent to me by the Holy Ghost.

SUNRISES

Do cats or cows see color?  There is a gorgeous sunrise happening, and our cat, Aspen, is sitting on a chair on the front porch completely unaware.  I've never observed a cow standing and watching a sunrise or admiring any natural scene.  Cats and cows must not be able to detect color.  Cats and cows must not have the ability to feel gratitude and to express it.  Many people are like cats and cows.  They may have been blessed with the ability to see color, but aren't bright enough to express gratitude for the gift and to appreciate the beauty of their surroundings.

Sunrise was at 6:54, and just barely to the left of the east/west line that our county road makes.  I dashed out there to see.  I guess the first day of spring was yesterday, after all.