Category Archives: Thoughts and Insights

“Show how love and joy, beauty and goodness shine out amongst the rubble.” –Wendell Berry

Posted on November 8, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

I grew up next door to my Grandma Elsa Laemmlen.  When I was a girl, I wandered through the orchard to visit her, often daily.  I knew her and she knew me.  We didn’t need to say much, we just … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Thoughts and Insights | 5 Comments

Meeting Martha Cragun Cox, a woman after my own heart.

Posted on September 27, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

I have been reading a wonderful book called Women’s Voices:  An Untold History of the  Latter-day Saints 1830-1900 by Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey Godfrey and Jill Mulvay Derr.  It is filled with journal entries and first person accounts of women … Continue reading →

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A Matter of Bequeathal by Helen Mar Cook (1916-2015)

Posted on September 1, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

I have recently been introduced to the poetry of Helen Mar Cook.  Her son, David Cook, was our son, Aaron’s Mission President in Santiago, Chile.  Pres Cook has been sharing her poetry with me and with others and I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Quilting, Thoughts and Insights | 3 Comments

Turning Their Hearts

Posted on June 11, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

I saw this incredible piece of art today and I can’t stop staring at it.  Spanish artist, Juan Lucena painted this in honor of all the deceased grandparents of COVID 19 who were not able to say goodbye to their … Continue reading →

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The Process of Becoming Christlike

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

I’ve been reading a very insightful book written by Bruce and Marie Hafen called Faith Is Not Blind. I’ve spent many years and a lot of energy putting things into my mind, willing facts and figures to stay put and … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts and Insights | 2 Comments

Things Fall Apart

Posted on June 3, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

It’s an interesting thing to be out of the country, watching from a distance, when it seems like America as we know it is imploding, self-destructing.  This last week in Minneapolis  a black man named George Floyd was killed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Ann Lewis, Thoughts and Insights | 2 Comments

Advice from An Old Farmer

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. Keep skunks and bankers at a distance. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor. Words that soak into … Continue reading →

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Advice From a Farmer’s Wife

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

Whenever you return a borrowed pie pan, make sure it’s got a warm pie in it. Invite lots of folks to supper. You can always add more water to the soup. There’s no such thing as woman’s work on a … Continue reading →

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The World Changed

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

An intruder has come into our lives.  By the end of this day, 150 countries will have reported more than 150,000 cases of the Coronavirus worldwide.  And this is just the beginning.  We’ve all been watching the numbers spread and … Continue reading →

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Each of us is a Pioneer

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Ann Laemmlen Lewis

Today important visitors arrived in Bamako.  Brother Norbert Ounleu from Accra and Brother Matt Heiss from Salt Lake City have come to gather oral histories from our Pioneer members here in Mali.   This is an exciting time for our members … Continue reading →

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