dahlia

I got to meet him in person a few months ago when he drove through Colorado.   He continues to be a heck of a guy, and is doing well.  

I had decided not to go to church anyway (most of the brethren in my ward are doctors at the university hospital or faculty, around lots of young people), but was trying to figure how I might get the missionaries to give me the Sacrament at home. Considering how the virus affects different age groups, I'm hesitant to allow young men, who have been in homes all over the ward, to come in the house.  If anyone has any ideas; I'm open.
I find all of this amazing - who would have thought there would be no public gathering for the Conference or Sacrament meetings?

Last night I watch several videos of the Chinese government via the Army or police, physically abusing a woman who was outside without a mask, sealing people in apartment buildings, loading a couple into a box on a truck, and dragging people out of their homes. While I am somewhat concerned about the virus (having seen how bad H1N1 was on my campus), I watch these videos more to remind myself that no matter what leftists may say, no matter what 'workers paradise' they promise, this is what happens under a totalitarian government and to a disarmed people.
I'm not saying that, if sh$t really hits the fan in the US, we might not see some government action that would make people uncomfortable, but I can guarantee you, some of our good citizens will shoot to kill before they let their family be sealed up in the house or taken away to some unknown location for who-knows-what to be done to them.

One of the area 70 told this story at youth conference:
There was this man who had a dog.  One day, the dog came to him all muddy carrying a dead rabbit in his mouth.  The man knew his neighbor had a family of rabbits and he was so upset that his dog killed one of them.  But he didn't want him nor his dog to get in trouble, so he jumped over the fence and returned the dead rabbit into the rabbit hutch.  The next day, he hears his neighbor scream by the rabbit hutch so he runs over there to give her comfort and she runs to him terrified - "I burried that rabbit yesterday and today he's back in the hutch!".
It was a joke but it had a lesson in it about repentance...

Well, blessing or not? 
First, I'll say that I had a difficult time with the concept of blessing when I took lessons. Why do we need to be blessed? Why should we do things like fasting or tithing so that we can be blessed? Shouldn't we do the right thing without wanting blessings? I still don't know how I feel about this, but I pray anyway. Moving on...
So, I did my fast. I finished the BOM. I did what I told myself I would do for me and for the person having surgery. Today, we got notices about the Iowa caucuses. I had to look up my precinct to find my caucus location and while I was looking for my voting card in my desk drawer, I came upon a check from the state. A big, big check. Long story short, after checking with my bank and the state, it looks like I put the big, big check in my drawer and forgot about it. This was just a few weeks before I retired, and perhaps my mind was elsewhere. 
Anyway, big money is coming my way! But here's the thing - I have been helping this person financially. Now that I'm retired, I have to think twice before I do this stuff, but I thought it was worth the sacrifice. And darned if the check isn't EXACTLY what I've paid for this person's bills and to help out! I did this over several transactions and when I added them up, OMGoodness! So what do y'all think? A fasting blessing? A 'Stupid, you forgot to deposit a big, big check? Are you senile?' kinda thing? It's weird, huh?

I'm in the same boat. Intellectually, I understand that one way to look at things is that we always act out of selfish motives, in the sense that we act according to what we value most. (If we value our child most, we will act to protect him or her. I suppose defining such a thing as "selfish" destroys the real meaning of selfishness, which is when you value your own comfort and well-being above all else.)
Using this view, we will only do something (drive to the store, go to work, obey God) if we perceive that it will further our values agenda. If we value ease and comfort above all, we will not obey God (or go to work, or maybe even drive to the store). So it sort of makes sense. But it still rankles.
I remember reading an article in a Church-oriented magazine decades ago. The author was positively (and unabashedly) Pavlovian in describing the ministration of the Spirit. At one point, he wrote about choosing to do something or other that was good, and then described "oh, the sweet, sweet communion with the Spirit" that followed. The description frankly struck me as almost pornographic. I recoiled at the sentence, and do so now just remembering it. I have long wondered whether my very negative reaction to this man's well-meant article showed a deficiency in me or in his writing. Maybe both. And that's sort of similar to what seems to be going on here.
Anyway, Dahlia, I suspect that people like you and me need to somehow look past what appears to be an appeal to favor-currying with God and instead understand the underlying idea that we are always blessed when we obey, and at times we perhaps obey only because we have faith that we will be blessed for so doing.
That's my take, anyway.
I don't know if it's a blessing from fasting or faith or what. At times like these, I sometimes think that analyzing such an event (like I usually do) may be counterproductive. Maybe it's best in such cases just to thank God for his tender mercies and rejoice in the piece of silver you recovered.

I don’t know for sure and it would be something to take up with a bishop should you have one. But the principle of the word of wisdom would say it is ok to use to get off of an addiction. but should it REPLACE the smoking, then you would no longer be in line with the word of wisdom. 

These questions don't make sense to me.  Blessings are God's way of letting us know what we want aligns with His Will.  That's the objective of life.  So, do we need to be blessed is like asking "do we need to align our will with God's"... the answer, of course, is yes.  Why should we do things like fasting or tithing so that we can be blessed - well, that's an easy answer.  Fasting is our way of exercising the power of our Spirits to overcome the trappings of the natural man and it is when the Spirit is unhindered with the natural world that it is best at seeing His Will.  Tithing is our way for our Spirits to exercise power over the natural trappings of wealth - being able to align our will to God's Will FIRST before our natural needs.  Just like the blessings of tithing is not getting rich, the blessings of fasting is not getting whatever it is we asked for.  The blessings of fasting is the "a-ha" moment that is our witness and testimony that what we wanted is in line with what God wanted for us... or that we were able to realize that what we wanted is not quite what God wanted and so we were able to align our will to His.  Without this, fasting/tithing/prayers hold no meaning for us.

That's kinda like questioning the morality of drinking a glass of water because it fulfils the selfish end of postponing dehydration.
Fasting, and ultimately prayer, is the act of manifesting the will of God in your own desires. The Lord wills to bless you, and sometimes a little faith is necessary on your part. Fasting helps with that. I believe a truly sanctified character often asks for things in fasting and prayer, but the things they ask for are always something that the Lord already wants to bless them with. This is true for all things, from finding lost objects, to the blessing of eternal life.
Now of course it's possible to miss the point with seeking blessings they could be sought out greedily or without real intent. Nevertheless, don't be getting in the habit of refraining from seeking blessings. I think everyone who hopes to attain eternal life will be doing a whole lot of that their entire lives.

I sometimes wonder the same thing. Is the ulterior motive for doing something spiritual or good just for a blessing/reward? Why can't something good and lovingly be done just because it's the right thing to do, and in @dahlia's case because she cares about the person? Everyone has their motives but to only focus on how one can be rewarded for doing a good thing seems a little selfish and a little less good.
As for your new found money - it was there before you started your fast, so I'll chalk it up to absent-mindedness. 😊
M.

Well, blessing or not? 
First, I'll say that I had a difficult time with the concept of blessing when I took lessons. Why do we need to be blessed? Why should we do things like fasting or tithing so that we can be blessed? Shouldn't we do the right thing without wanting blessings? I still don't know how I feel about this, but I pray anyway. Moving on...
So, I did my fast. I finished the BOM. I did what I told myself I would do for me and for the person having surgery. Today, we got notices about the Iowa caucuses. I had to look up my precinct to find my caucus location and while I was looking for my voting card in my desk drawer, I came upon a check from the state. A big, big check. Long story short, after checking with my bank and the state, it looks like I put the big, big check in my drawer and forgot about it. This was just a few weeks before I retired, and perhaps my mind was elsewhere. 
Anyway, big money is coming my way! But here's the thing - I have been helping this person financially. Now that I'm retired, I have to think twice before I do this stuff, but I thought it was worth the sacrifice. And darned if the check isn't EXACTLY what I've paid for this person's bills and to help out! I did this over several transactions and when I added them up, OMGoodness! So what do y'all think? A fasting blessing? A 'Stupid, you forgot to deposit a big, big check? Are you senile?' kinda thing? It's weird, huh?

Ah! Thanks!

Yes, that is correct. As long as they do not fast, they do not receive the blessings of the fast. That's the irrevocable law of heaven as explained in Section 130.
Absolutely not, though I understand why you would feel this way. This is not a matter of not being a "complete" Saint or of lacking worthiness before God. This is a matter of physically not being able to do something.
Please read and consider my entire answer below. I'll try not to be too long-winded.
If you climb Mount Timpanogos in Utah County, you get to see a magnificent view of Provo and Orem. If you can't climb Mount Timpanogos, you don't get to see the view. The fact that you can't climb Timp doesn't mean God hates you. It doesn't mean your life has no meaning. It doesn't mean you're not a real person (or BYU student, or Latter-day Saint, or whatever). It doesn't mean you're unworthy of love or friendship or compassion. It simply means that, for whatever reason, you can't climb Timp. So that particular blessing—being able to have that view of Provo and Orem—is denied you.
Now, if you can climb Timp, but just choose not to, then the reason you don't enjoy the blessing of climbing Timp is because you made a choice.
Obviously, there is no spiritual imperative to climb Mount Timpanogos, so it matters only if you really want to see the view. We do have a spiritual imperative to gain the blessings of the fast, though—that is, those of us who can fast. When we make excuses not to fast, complain that we get a headache or it's uncomfortable or that we get crabby or constipated or light-headed or whatever other excuses we make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves when we do not receive the blessings of the fast. We can pretend that doing some sort of "substitute fast" gives us all those same blessings, but we deceive ourselves.
The blessings of the fast come to those who fulfill the law of the fast, and in no other way. To repeat: Those who can fast but choose not to because it's too uncomfortable have no one but themselves to blame for missing the blessings of the fast. Perhaps we who fall into that camp are even condemned by God to some degree because we refuse to acquire the blessings he freely offers us. In contrast, those who cannot fast are under no divine condemnation—but they still don't receive the blessings of the fast, just like the person who can't climb Timp doesn't get the view.
So you see, Dahlia, this is not a matter of condemnation or blame. If you can't fast, then you can't fast. No one condemns you for it—not God, not your fellow Saints, and hopefully not yourself. But the law stands, and the blessings that appertain to that law can be gained only by fulfilling the law. No breathing, no living. No sex, no children. No exercise, no strength. No fasting, no blessings of fasting.
That said, who's to say that fasting for, say, 12 hours (perhaps by skipping breakfast) won't result in some of the blessings of the fast? I know of no time limit required for such blessings to begin coming. Our leaders have instructed us (those who are able) to fast by abstaining from both food and drink for 24 consecutive hours, so I suppose that's sort of the "standard fast" or "full fast". But again, if you can't do it, you can't. It does not therefore logically follow that all blessings of the fast are closed to anyone who can't fast for 24 consecutive hours.
My suggestion to you, sister, is to make this a matter of prayer. Some sort of partial fast might be just the thing. Maybe it's worth talking with your Relief Society president and/or bishop to get their insights. It may be the case that some of the blessings of the fast are not available to you at this time, but it's likely that some or even many of those blessings are available. Talk it over with your Father and with those who minister to you. God bless you in your efforts.

How is this news to you? 😄

Well, this discussion went in unexpected directions. 😄 I leave you guys alone for a couple of days and you don't know what to do with yourselves.
So, what's happened with me so far: I was able to fast 30 minutes longer (to clarify, I fasted from dinner to dinner the next day, going 30 minutes longer than I had planned) than I originally scheduled. I thought I'd need to have almond milk all day, but only needed 2 cups of bouillon. When I finally ate, I wasn't ravenous, I just had my usual meal. I got as far as Helaman in the BOM. I'm sorry I didn't finish before the surgery, but I'm not gonna let that stop me and plan to finish it tomorrow. I guess I could have plowed through it, but that would have defeated my purpose of really getting into it this time. My friend had his surgery and it went well. I'm so happy, for him and for me, that I could do this for him.
I do have a question for the science people here. There are several incidences in the BOM where bodies were thrown in the Sidon river. Why would you do that? 😨  Why not burn or bury the bodies? Why would you pollute the water? Inquiring minds...

It's the gift that keeps on giving!

Hey Strangers  😄  -   I have a question about fasting.
I have been unable to do a full 1st Sunday fast since I joined the Church because I take insulin and my endo told me not to fast. OK. Fast forward a few years, my diabetes is better controlled, I do IF and skip breakfast anyway, and rarely have to take any insulin in the morning. I have been able to fast in the morning on Fast Sundays for months now. 
Because of these medical issues, I haven't fasted the way members say they do - like if there's a problem, or someone else is sick, etc. Since I'm retired, am at home, and have a bit more control of what I'm doing. Most people don't realize that medication dosing for diabetes entails a combination of food intake, activity levels, started blood sugar, etc. I don't want to fast if for 2 meals if I am running around town because I'll get scary low blood sugar, which has happened.  
Anyway, I'd like to fast for someone who is having surgery. I may have to drink some almond milk to get me thru, but I'd leave it at that and try to an all day fast - from after dinner to 5-ish the next evening.
Questions:
Is that enough? Do you tell someone you are fasting for them? Not being able to fast has caused me real concern over the years as I frequently felt not completely Mormon because I couldn't / didn't fast. I hope I can do a 'real' fast, but I might never be able to do so. I'm thinking I can struggle through a day, tho. Thoughts?
Off topic, how y'all are?

I like the idea of abstaining from other worldly things. I'm going to think about that. I have a pile of books I have been trying to work through since I retired. Maybe no social media and just reading is an idea. Doing housework would probably be a better idea, but let's not go crazy. 

I like the idea of abstaining from other worldly things. I'm going to think about that. I have a pile of books I have been trying to work through since I retired. Maybe no social media and just reading is an idea. Doing housework would probably be a better idea, but let's not go crazy. 

Thanks for the responses. Maybe I missed it, but I don't think anyone said that it was OK or not to tell the person you are fasting for that you are fasting.
I read the recommended resources; thanks again.
Now I have another question - are there recommended sections of the BOM for people who are sick? I think I've seen a list of 'read X scripture if you have Y problem.'  If you know what I mean and can direct me to that, I can figure out the rest on my own. 
For some reason, I have been prompted to start reading the BOM again. I've been doing it during odd moments, but maybe I will make a concerted effort to finish it before this person's surgery. Can't hurt either one of us. 
Thanks again. 
 

Hi Dahlia, good to see you!
First and foremost, hooray for better controlled diabetes!
Regarding your question, I'd think you can attain every single spiritual goal of fasting without risking any negative health impacts.  It's ok to do less than a full day if that's what you can reasonably do and take care of your medical needs.  You'll probably be hard-pressed to find someone to tell you "you must ignore the realities of diabetes in order to fast right" - that's just not how it works. 
The chapter in the Gospel Principles manual on fasting holds a lot of comforting things about its spiritual nature - it has helped more than one person struggling with health problems.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-25-fasting?lang=eng

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1979/04/i-have-a-question/what-should-i-do-to-teach-my-beehive-class-about-fasting-when-i-cannot-fast?lang=eng
M.

If I don't eat I get severe sinus headaches that last 18-24 hours.  Fasting is out for me.  To participate in fasting I remove something from my diet that is noticeable.  For me that is any sort of flavored drink.  I notice if I don't drink something with flavor, which reminds me that I am fasting.  Perhaps something akin would work for you as well.

True. I don't think that anyone who voted for Trump was blind to who he was, the rumors and accusations about his private life, what one generally has to do to have business success at that level, that he was married several times (and whatever that implies), etc. I.didn't.care.  If you think the country is going down hill now, it would have been worse under Hillary, completely crazy leftists, and globalists. I'll let Trump worry about his soul, I'll worry about mine. As long as his behavior in office is tolerable (not even saintly, freakin' 'tolerable' would be enough for me), I'm fine.
I have, plenty of times. I'm on some conservative boards and there are many people who have no problem pointing out MLK's weaknesses. He was a flawed human, as are we all. But, unlike many others, he was willing to put his life on the line to benefit people. (this is not a dig toward you, anatess2, just a comment) 

I did a few baptisms for the dead when I first got my recommend. It was a good experience, but as an adult, no, I didn't want to get in the baptismal font too many times.