Las Vegas Thorns

Ocateo bush

Jackie, Geri & John

      We just returned from a trip to North LasVegas.  John drove, and his sister Jackie, myself, Dana and McKensey were the passengers.
      The weather was almost 60 and I enjoyed soaking up the sun.  On one of my walks I found the most thorny thorn bush I have ever seen. I think the needles were each 2 inches long. I had to go back and get my camera because I was fascinated with it.  I later learned the name of the bush is Ocateo.  In about 4 weeks beautiful flowers will appear. I remember the rose garden Grandma Tanner had in her back yard many years ago.  It was the aroma of the roses that captured my attention. However, if I got too close to take in the smell, it seemed I always got pricked.
      Why do the bushes with the worst thorns produce the most beautiful flowers?  
It's kind of like life, the more trials and misery we experience, the more we can appreciate the joys when they come our way.  The prophet Lehi in the Book of Mormon explains this so well , what good does freedom of choice do you, if don't have opposition, because you could never enjoy the sweet if you never tasted the bitter.  

Rebecca & John LasVegas Temple

     The reason we were in LasVegas was to attend the temple with my sister-in-law Geri, as she took out her endowment (which means a gift from God); just like the temples provided thousands of years ago.
     It was a very special day as we witnessed the blessings she received in the temple. She looked like an angel radiating pure bliss, dressed in white encircled by friends and family.  Afterwards she was sealed by proxy to her mother and father.  As we left the temple grounds and drove down the hill, we could see the Las Vegas strip.  The casinos stood high and mighty, reaching almost to the clouds,They looked like great and spacious buildings standing above all else, beckoning the people of the world to come have fun and join in the excitement.  Yet over time it brings emptiness, darkness illusions and lies.  It was interesting to witness the contrast (opposition)  between the two destinations in the city.  The flocks of takers looking for a bit of self-gratification in the eyes of the world, in comparison to the lasting joy we had just felt and experienced in the Sacred Holy Temple that day.  If only people knew the lasting joys of the temple, there might be throngs of people traveling long distances to attend the temple rather than the beaten path to the strip.

Geri and LeRoy

Family and friends of sister-in-law Geri