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First Family by David Baldacci is the fourth book in a series of books about characters, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell. They both went into private investigation after working in the Secret Service. This is the problem of not reading books in the order. Although this book stands along in reading, there are things that you do not know about. The good thing is now I just have to read the other 3 books to find out why they are no longer in the Service. The First Lady, Jane Cox, calls in Sean King into the investigation of the kidnapping of her niece, Willa Dutton. Ever aware of the watching eyes and ears she knows her husband, the President may be in more danger then all realize. She has seen the loyalty of Sean King in action before and wants him to find her niece. She over rides some rules and sets the stage for …. Ok, this is where you have to read the book. It is 609 pages of page turning action. It has some bad street language. It also has some implied sex. No scripts for it. I did something I do not normally do. At 2:30 in the morning and knowing I had to go to work that morning I turn to the end of the book. I wished I had not done it. I was back up at 5:30 trying to find out “how” the “what” went down. I finished the book right before I had to leave for work. I sold all 3 copies we had out and dug out the others. I enjoyed Baldacci’s characters. A few were very predictable but, others kept me wondering.

In my area of Texas Louis L'amour books are very much read by adults and youth alike. We sale at least one book a day and most times more. They are read by both men and women. Books are bought for grandchildren's collection. Since we are a resale shop we get many of his books. Most from collections of people who pass away and their families or those that clean up just see an old book. Others love those "old books". If they have all the pages and they can read them they do not want us to throw them away. We just mend the hurt and put them back. Westerns are getting harder and harder to come by. Many complain that the new writers do not do enough research on history and guns and what those guns can really do. These are good old boys and they do know what they can do. They say Louis L'amour knew what could and could not be done. He knew about the areas that he wrote about. That he was real. :) Yes, a very good read. Can not go too wrong on any of his books.

I think and believe sometimes we serve our families when we accept a calling. I believe it shows them Heavenly Father is first then family. They need to know that everyone needs to have their own personal relationship with Heavenly Father. That sometimes means you will miss an event of the family to be able to build the relationship with your Heavenly Father by doing a calling. Somehow we must teach our children a balance of life which includes God, Family, and Church.

:) how many books do you read at a time Dr T?

I know he is popular at the book store. I have never read any of his books before . Just started. What do you think of this book?

It says turn down a calling. You are not alone in this calling. Many factors determine the success of a calling. If the calling is not working, Leadership should see this. Ask where the problems are and work from there. If this person needs to be released then Leadership should be more then just the end results. It might be just training. It might be something more. If you accept a calling and you have done your best and things still are not working out then you need to go to your leadership and work with them. Who is to say what the sucess was? This person who accepted your calling or you as a leader doing what you should do. Now, the other side. I was so shy when I first became a member of the church. I could not do callings or pray in the church. I know I let many people down because instead of telling them my problem I just started now showing up. I went inactive over 10 years. I will say this and not to put any of the leadership down, but no one ever asked. Later when I was trying to find my way back I started telling my story. Leadership started helping me help myself. This helped me make a sucess of my callings. When I was called in Leadership I realized several things. I saw both sides of a coin. If a calling was not working out then I asked why. I worked and if this person needed to be released then they were released. WE worked through it. This way both were doing what our Father in Heaven wanted us to do.

Wow, with my southern English I would be so in trouble with " pananampalataya " I had to look at it 4 times just to spell it. :) Oh, yeah I know Heavenly Father knew what he was doing when he put me in Texas. :) Maya, I am still laughing about your post on marriage do not get me started. It is amazing to me about the diffrence and just being able to translate from one to another. Think about it. The Book of Mormon was tranlated by a man who was not exposed to the language he was translating before he found the plates. Truely amazing.

Oh, Maya Maybe it is something in my translation but that post of yours has me laughing so hard I can barely type. You hang in there girl. :) Thanks I so needed that laugh. Your "donkey not dead" is so much better then a "dead horse" :)

You know I listened to a Primary Program one time when I was serving in the Stake. It was in a Spanish Ward. I did not understand anything but the Spirit was so strong I heard everything. It was so beautiful.

:) Yeah, it does have its good points. My hubby once told me he thought I was reading too much. I told him it was part of the job. :) I get to read anything in the store. The more I read the more I can sale. At this time this is my escape because it gives me time out of the house.

I married my hubby because of his sense of humor and because he was my best friend. We stay together because we know too much about each other. :) That humor helps us now. He knows all he has to do is make me laugh and I can not stay mad at him. I do the same. One thing I would say is marriage is really 100% effort for both people. Anything less and the cracks start to form. Pray together and for each other.

I'd LOVE to work at a book store but I'd want to read more than I should I guess. That's good to hear. Maybe I will pick up another and see if I can stomach it. Thanks. :) I work at a used book store a couple days a week. :) I love it. My problem, is sometimes I do not remember if I have read a book or someone has told me about a book. I had to start a list. I read a little bit of everything, except war, true crime, and some of the romances. :)

Anyway, does anyone think there is an appropriate time to say no to a calling? Only one time did I think I should say "no". It was a Stake calling and involved travel. Something at that time I did not do well. Other then my love of children the other part of the jobs was beyond the skills I had. I accepted the calling. I spent alot of time on my knees in that calling. During that time I lost a friend, broke both my legs and had a blood clot go to my lung, and my daughter gave birth to twins too early. I was so blessed. Ok, no I am not crazy. I know with all my heart because I did what my Heavenly Father wanted me to do, I was blessed. I came through. I had the comfort of the Holy Ghost knowing that I had done what I could do. I gained a testimony that I did not have before this calling. I lived when a younger and stronger person had just died from the same thing that had happen to me. Twins were sent to Louisana. One of the High Priest that I served with in the Stake went out of his way when he was on vacation to give my "little ones" a blessing. Yes, I was truly blessed. One of the brothers in our Ward came to the hospital and gave me a blessings after the clot. I had the opportunity to serve this same brother through his grandson in my Nursery class. He was "special needs". They say I was a "blessing". I know he was a blessing. I feel my Father in Heaven would expect no less from me then I was given. I believe we are called to serve. Sometimes doing those things we just don't know how we can do.

Southern English with a little of Dora the Explorer Spanish :)

Since we have been part of the Volunteer fire dept in our area I have talked to several people about having a basic kit. Also in our area the local emergency mangement was giving out list of basic kits to put together. Living in the South and getting ready for the recent storms in the last few years I have realized just how important it is to have a plan. Then shaking it off if the plan does not work. You can only plan for so much. I believe the hardest thing I had to do is to leave the house not knowing if my love ones were safe. I remember looking around while I was loading the truck. I was crying because I didn't know if everyone was going to make it to the safe place we had decided on before the storm. So family is more then a given. A plan is a must because if it is not there before it happens sometimes the mind is on other things. Our 72-hour kits were basic. Our medical records were in the bags of meds that my family needed. Those were added to the kits. Then I looked around and the only thing I could take was memories. I walked out the door praying for my family who were not with us at that time.

ISFJ Defender Introverted 78% Sensing 1% Feeling 50% Judging 22%

:) Welcome, Welcome !

:lol:^_^

Yes, God will forgive you. Jesus Christ made this possible through the atonement. I believe in your heart you know what you did was wrong. Talk to your Bishop or your President and make it right so you can really forgive yourself. This is what counts. As long as you feel shame and tortured you will not forgive yourself. My prayers are with you.

Sorry about my part in getting away from the topic, but since it had already went that way I decided to ask my question before I lost my courage. Sometimes I do not start a new thread because I seem to be doing that wrong.

Welcome and good luck with your project!

Welcome, Welcome!

I work at a book store. Patterson is well liked author and most who read him come back to get others. The series you are talking about is up to number 9. Now, you asked about reading him. Some of his books keep me up at night. Most of the time because I like them, but some have more then I want to know in them. I like the Max series. Some of his other books I put down after the first murder. Many of his books have been made into TV movies and even a TV series.

:) I have had those morning with my kids. I even had those mornings with my grandbabies when they lived with us for over 3 years. :) I told my daughter that she deserved those mornings after what she put me through when she was younger. :) I just did not know she was going to be living with me when she went through it . :)) For some reason she did not get the funny in that statement. I told her I am learning to laugh at myself. Sigh, Oh well give her a few more years and she might get what I was trying to tell her.

Sigh, I guess my age and belief is showing. I only used the word "partner" because this is what I have heard. I am sorry GaySaint I do not believe that what you have is a "marriage". "Marriage" is more then another "word" to be changed to fit your needs. Our Father in Heaven has told us so. Our Prophets have told us so. I have prayed and I know so. "But religiously, I also think that marriage is ordained of God (thank my LDS upbringing for that). I just don't think God would want me excluded from that because I am gay. Thus: I also have religious reasons for wanting to marry my partner" You know GaySaint I went inactive at one time. It was not because the gospel was wrong. It was because I could not live it. I had to get my life in order and work on my problems. If I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days presents to the world then, "I" am the one who has to make the changes not the other way around.