by Gail Jackson

Merry Christmas to Desert Saints readers and friends. May 2008 be filled with wonderful new reaching outs, adventures and opportunities. Especially may you have peace in your hearts. Peace that is offered by the Lord. Peace that is so increasingly needed as the world around us becomes increasingly unpeaceful.

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By Gail Jackson

Last month Forbes Magazine published its list of the 400 wealthiest people. Each individual on the list is worth more than $1 billion! Material wealth beyond our wildest imagination.

Let me ask you three questions:

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By Gail Jackson

In today’s society the traditional “I do” is often, more and more frequently, a We do. Wedding ceremonies do not unite only a husband and wife. This may be the second or third walk down the aisle for at least one of the couple and children are often a part of the dowry.

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By Gail Jackson

We all do what we have to do for our kids, right? Some of the “have to’s” are better than others. This was one of the better ones. We have just returned from two weeks overlooking the ocean in Southern California. Things don’t get much better, especially when we were able to leave 112 degree heat behind.

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by Gail Jackson

Jennie, my wonderful mother-in-law, made lots of clothes for our children when they were small.

And, having lived through the Depression and other hard times, she had learned to save all the scraps, even the teeny ones which I deemed unusable.
In later years Jennie decided she wanted to learn to quilt. Being very brave, she tackled an intricate pattern which I think is called “cathedral window.” I’m quite sure it wasn’t what would be considered a beginner’s pattern. With urging of friends, she entered it in Brigham City, Utah’s county fair and took second place.

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By Gail Jackson

Back in simpler, gentler times, when you heard the words ‘malt beverage’ your thoughts would turn to a yummy, thick, rich, ice cream concoction, available in many flavors. If you were lucky, you got not only the large glass filled to the brim, but also the metal container that held the “leftovers!”

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By Gail Jackson

Picture the check register in your bank account.

If there are only withdrawals and no deposits you will quickly become financially bankrupt.

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By Gail Jackson

Occasionally I vary from my regular column format. This is one of those times.

Unless this is the first time you have read “Simply Gail,” you are aware that our youngest son is a recovering addict/alcoholic. Dave even wrote an article about him, with his permission, in last September’s Desert Saints, and has just completed a booklet for distressed parents.

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By Gail Jackson

I think my mother was fairly typical of the mothers of her day – she wasn’t employed outside the home, she did all the housework wearing a printed cotton “house dress,” sensible shoes and white cotton ankle socks. We were a one car family and she didn’t even know how to drive.

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by Gail Jackson

When we overload during the holidays we think we look forward to January’s return to sane eating. When January arrives we desperately try to ignore our bodies’ continuing cravings and feel satisfied with healthy fruits and vegetables. That can last a week, or more if you are determined. If not…

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by Gail Jackson

If young people would resolve at the moment of their marriage that from that time forth they would do everything in their power to please each other in things that are right, even to the sacrifice of their own pleasures, their own appetites, their own desires, the problem of adjustment in married life would take care of itself, and their home would indeed be happy.

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by Gail Jackson

I’m not sure how time goes faster the older you get but it does. It’s a fact. I’m sure of it. Isn’t it the end of the year again?—Already!

It’s fun to have the opportunity to write a column each month, and it’s a challenge to come up with things helpful or worthwhile. I hope I am able to reach this challenge often enough that reading Simply, Gail! is worth your time.

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by Gail Jackson

When our children were young and our parents were older, it became very hard to buy for them (the parents not the kids). They encouraged us to skip them at gift-giving time with declarations of “we don’t want anything,” “we don’t need anything,” “we have too much already.”

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by Gail Jackson

A name brand label does not automatically mean the product is superior. A brand name does indicate the company has a large and successful advertising budget.

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by Gail Jackson

Have you heard about the woman who always cut four inches off the end of a ham before she cooked it?

Finally, after puzzling over this for 25 years, her husband asked her why. “Because,” she said, “that is what my mother always did.”

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