Olivia
Online
Pearls & Journeys
@AuntyDeb
Finding & Sharing The PEARLS In My Journey! Living life with a Family of Incredible Souls! A Follower of JESUS CHRIST! Loving, Learning & Serving!
Australia
Joined March 2009
3.8K Following
1.4K Followers
10.1K Posts
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1.For awhile,
Life has had its moments. My writing mojo has been on hiatus. I think it’s time that those thousands of words doing Olympics in my head have to go somewhere.Words can be your best friends.Words can be very fickle.Words can tear & divide.Words can have passion.(TBC)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently donated 40,000 pounds of food to both the Utah Food Bank in South Salt Lake City and Switchpoint in Tooele as part of the America250 initiative. Donations like these two have been made across the country as the Church has pledged to distribute 250 truckloads of food to 250 food banks in the United States.
Learn more on Church Newsroom.
https://t.co/lA8g2adFD2
Enduring to the end is linked inextricably to the spiritual gift of charity. Enduring to the end is not merely a relentless determination to grit our teeth, hold on to the limits of our physical strength and mental capacity, and push through the challenges and adversities of mortal life; it is so much more than that.
Enduring to the end is the joyous quest of a lifetime—a pressing forward with faith in Jesus Christ in a gradual process of trusting in and receiving help from our Savior to become more like Him. As our love for Him grows ever stronger and deeper, we can be blessed to receive spiritual perspective, the Lord’s empowering grace, and exceedingly great and indescribable joy.
As a child I cherished listening to the tinkling sounds and notes carefully played on the keys of the piano in our home by our dear mother.
During our childhood, many moments of the days were always played with with precision and perfect timing, applying tenderness, passion, investing her whole soul - our dear Mother gracing our home with her music, her unconditional love, her kindness, her compassion, her understanding, her love for God surrounding our beings.
Joyful memories, life lessons learned, guidance, laughter all carefully written in the composition of our lives.
Our Mamma - being fearless in the face of hard things, we learned courage and resilience as she conducted a masterful symphony of nurturing commitment to surround us.
Her loving light has led and guided us through the darkest moments, teaching us about the rhapsody of hope and believing in ourselves and remembering God is always there.
These precious notes of her masterclass of life will play in our hearts as her children forever.
We have immense gratitude for all our Mother has done and taught us and will still continue to do.
This is a legacy that we carry forward in our symphony of life and not to be just lyrics on a page but to be crescendos of doing and giving and creating a good space in the world.
From one life flowed a remarkable harmony - a descendancy carrying the torch of infinite love and gratitude: her 7 children, 22 grandchildren, and 31 great-grandchildren brighten the days, filling the hallways of life with light filled melodies.
The heart of a woman, a mother is a special place that no one else can fill.
Whether a woman has children of her own or has lovingly influenced the lives of others, those nurturing hearts have made a lasting difference for someone.
Wishing our Mother and each of you as nurturing women a blessed and joyous Mother's Day!
#mothersday #thankyoumom #mothers #mama
Who to follow
5 l3 🤔💪💩👌🤪💀
@bodyfixr
Personal Trainer since 1991, Nerd, Nutrition Consultant, Just a really swell guy. **ATTN**~CRAZY WHEN CAFFEINATED ~
Stacy Cheney
@CheneyStacy
Internet, telecom & environmental attorney. Runner. Husband. Father. Poppop. LDS. Thai Food. Travel. Nationals & BYU fan. Cavapoo owner.
Azzama Bochenkova
@azzamainusa
fashion and portrait photography @abocphoto
Happy Monday Everyone!
These words echo what many of us have experienced and this brother put the words in the space that my heart has walked.
Exasperating times with me choking, grasping to stay on the surface of stormy seas and Jesus has been there all along with his hand outstretched to lift me up.
I just had to open my eyes.
“There have been seasons in my life where “overwhelmed” didn’t even begin to cover it. Moments where the waves weren’t just crashing… they were constant. Relentless.
The kind that make you question how much longer you can keep your head above water.
And if I’m being honest… there were times I wasn’t sure I’d make it through.
But here’s what I’ve come to know, deeply, through personal experience... When I couldn’t walk… He came to me.
And when I felt like I was sinking under everything life was throwing at me… my Lifeguard didn’t panic.
Because my Lifeguard walks on water.
Jesus Christ didn’t stand on the shore of my life shouting instructions.
He stepped into the storm. Over and over again.
Not always by instantly calming the waves… but by reminding me I wasn’t alone in them.
There were times I prayed for rescue, and what I got was strength.
Times I begged for answers, and what I received was peace that didn’t make logical sense.
Times I wanted everything to change immediately… and instead, He slowly changed me.
Looking back now, I can see it so clearly... He never left. Not once.
Not in the mess.
Not in the doubt.
Not in the moments I questioned everything.
So if you’re in a season where it feels like you’re barely staying afloat… I get it. I really do.
But please hear me when I say this...
You are not alone in the water.
And the same Savior who walked on water is still in the business of rescuing people who feel like they’re drowning.
I’m living proof of that.”
Patrick Risk
For all my family and friends around the world—
Anzac Day, held on 25 April, commemorates the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces at Gallipoli in 1915.
It is a day of remembrance—honouring all Australians and New Zealanders who have served and died in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping missions.
The freedoms we live with today were not easily given.
They were carried, protected, and in many cases, paid for with sacrifice.
To truly appreciate those freedoms is not just to enjoy them, but to live responsibly within them—
to value speech, faith, community, and movement,
and to actively uphold the democracy, respect, and equality that sustain them.
Growing up in beautiful Canada, and now living in amazing Australia, I feel deep gratitude for those who have gone before—
those who stood, served, and continue to do the quiet, ongoing work that allows these nations to endure.
Our countries aren’t the Shangri-La of perfection.
They never have been.
And they require care, vigilance, and participation to remain places of liberty and peace.
Around the world today, many live without these freedoms—
facing constant fear, oppression, and uncertainty.
We must not let our comfort make us forget them.
We pray for all our brothers and sisters in our world to experience peace, liberty and goodness in their lives and speak for them when we can, not just be people of words but people of caring action.
So today, we remember.
We give thanks.
And we choose to live in a way that honours both the sacrifice behind us
and the responsibility before us.
Lest we forget.
#LestWeForget #Democracy #freedom #liberty #peace
#committment #gratitufe #love
2. How many will join the garden brigade of peace?
A few days ago, I heard something
from a woman named Nancy —
100 years young.
It wrapped itself around my soul with peaceful reassurance.
“Every day when you wake up,
expect a miracle… and claim it.”
“I’ve put in my claim… are you ready to claim yours?” ❤️
#totalkneereplacementrecovery
#kneereplacement #healing #miracles #peace #godisinthedetails #love #service #goals #determination
1. Pauses — we can give ourselves grace to sit in them.
It’s been a couple of weeks…
Warning - lengthy post… but stay with me - The ChutKnee Chronicles have still been writing their verbs and adjectives on the pages of my soul.
ChutKnee has been pure theatre —
with the occasional plot twist.
We are familiar with…
The Struggle.
The Limp.
The Stumble.
The Step.
We conceive.
We believe.
We go forward.
Life on this spaceship we call Earth is a mix of ouch and joy —
all bundled into one unpredictable adventure.
Somewhere along the way, we signed up for it
with fearless ignorance…
like a toddler learning to stand, walk ….
and eat spaghetti at the same time.
Our curiosity and need for jumping into the unknown, makes us the ultimate gambling goof ball punters in a high stakes game of life!
2026 handed me a decision:
A total knee replacement.
Surgery can feel like a gamble.
But I thought it through.
I decided.
I chose.
Trusting myself into the hands of skilled surgical wizards —
hoping for a better quality of life…
a long-term “game hack” to reduce suffering.
Now, 12 weeks later…
I can look back.
Back at the shuffling.
The slow progression through the healing “game levels.”
ChutKnee… dancing to the bongo drums of nerve pain.
The inner shrilling (mostly kept internal), with any suggestion of bending?
No Tango. No Cha Cha.
The picture not always graceful.
The vista was me climbing steps… which brought on the tantrums of terror as well as the whimpers and granny groans that break forth as one is bending to sit, trying to stand up or trying to crouch to get into cupboards.
The physical game can be confronting but the mental gymnastics have pushed my brain levels up and new navigational strategies have entered the hallways of intellect to go where this woman has not gone before!
The process to level up.
One foot in front of the other —
with a little more spice now…
and far less “rum-filled sailor.”
Walking has become my daily runway —
my mental and physical companion.
(Watch out, Aussie Fashion Week!)
Each step is like a soft applause and comes with bonus points!
Physiotherapy?
I know my assignment — and my pathway forward.
Hydrotherapy has awakened my inner dolphin.
And ChutKnee… is becoming a friend.
Energy — something I had forgotten —
has re-entered the building.
I have always treasured my husband, David…
but this season has humbled me and increased my gratitude for the love he shares.
His support has been relentless.
Superhero nursemaid.
Cheerleader (minus the outfit).
A true blue, bearded Aussie Angel bloke with the jokes — casually dressed to impress the local wildlife!
Honestly… GQ Australia should take note.
And come late September,
we still have our sights set on Girraween —
spring flowers blooming.
To “trip the light fantastic”
(without the tripping).
Five and a half months of focused preparation.
Our family and close friends
have been a beautiful circle of care —
reaching out, lifting us up, surrounding us with love.
Through it all… I’ve learned a lot about myself.
But even more about God.
He has been in the middle of it all —
a steady presence…
the ultimate Heavenly Cheer Master!
This experience has helped me see more clearly
the heart of our Heavenly Father —
one who knows and loves dearly each of His children no matter where they are in their awareness snd understanding. .
Even while I hobble through hard things,
I can choose to look outward.
To serve.
To soften.
To cheer.
To create space for others to heal.
To plant something better.
The world is shaky out there right now -
tossing to and fro, forces of fear trying to win the day!
Humanity can choose to be a winning team!
Miracles can happen!
We can choose to be determined creative gardeners,
cultivating understanding,
planting seeds of civility, kindness and peace…
instead of letting the thorns of anger and poisonous discord take root in the human heart.
Being a peacemaker is a choice.TBC
In just 90 seconds, Elder Stevenson (@StevensonGaryE) lays out exactly what being a peacemaker means.
Being a peacemaker means acting as Jesus Christ would. Blessed are the peacemakers!
Want a fresh start? Jesus Christ makes it possible. Through Him, mistakes don’t define you and hope is never lost. You’re never too far gone.
Meet with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and join us at church: https://t.co/7Bo7UuPll8
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints previewed its new Temple Square Visitors’ Center to the media on April 13, 2026. This Christ-centered space is designed to help visitors understand the purpose of temples and rejoice in the life and light of Jesus Christ.
This is a significant milestone ahead of the Salt Lake Temple Celebration, scheduled from April 5, 2027, through October 1, 2027.
@OaksDallinH Pres Oaks. Civilization is dying. whether you intended or not what your messages is saying is that good men should simply sit here and watch it all die in the name of “peacemaking;” is this your intention?
As I mentioned during my general conference address Sunday morning, followers of Christ should follow Him by forgoing contention and by using the language and methods of peacemakers. In our families and other personal relationships, let us avoid what is harsh and hateful. Let us seek to be holy, like our Savior.
A MIT student figured out how to compress an entire semester of lecture content into one 90-minute study session.
He calls it "context stacking," and it's the most unfair thing I've seen done with NotebookLM.
I asked him to walk me through it. He did. I haven't studied the same way since.
Here's exactly what he does.
Two days before each lecture, he uploads everything into NotebookLM. The assigned readings, the previous week's slides, 3 or 4 related papers he finds himself, and any problem sets that are still open.
Most students wait for the lecture to explain the material. He walks in having already built a mental model of it.
That's step one. But it's not the move that makes it unfair.
The first prompt he runs across all of it:
"What are the 5 core concepts this week's content is built on, and how do they connect to what I studied last week?"
Not summarize. Not define. Connect.
NotebookLM pulls threads across everything he uploaded simultaneously. It surfaces relationships between ideas that would take a normal student weeks of review to notice. He gets that map before the lecture even starts.
Then he runs the prompt that does most of the work.
"What would I need to genuinely understand about this material to be able to teach it to someone with zero background in this subject?"
That question is doing something most students never force themselves to do. It exposes exactly where his understanding is solid and exactly where it's hollow. The gaps show up immediately, and he spends the rest of the 90 minutes filling only those gaps.
Not reviewing what he already knows. Only fixing what he doesn't.
The final prompt is the one that separates context stacking from every other study method I've heard of.
"What question could a professor ask about this material that would expose a student who understood the surface but missed the underlying logic?"
He's not studying for the exam he expects. He's studying for the exam designed to catch people who only think they understood it.
By the time he sits in the lecture hall, the professor is not teaching him anything new. The professor is confirming what he already mapped, filling in a few details, and occasionally surprising him with something he didn't anticipate.
That surprise is the only thing he writes down.
Most students leave a lecture hoping the material will eventually click.
He walks in with it already clicked, and uses the lecture to find out what he missed.
That's not a study hack. That's a completely different relationship with learning.
The Climb
You feel it.
The pull… the effort… the unknown.
Is it going to be uphill or downhill?
Then there are intermittent cliffhangers!
You’re never quite sure how it’s going to turn out.
But there is a choice—
a beautiful gift that influences all we do… or don’t do.
Welcome to life.
A hike full of incredible plot twists.
Sometimes you don’t even know if you’re up for it.
And then… you’re reminded of the view.
So you keep going—
using your wits, your patience, your inner strength,
and calling on God for what you feel you cannot do alone.
You continue the climb.
When I was a little girl, I grew up near the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada.
As a family, we hiked there often.
I feel so grateful to have since travelled to many places in the world and experienced the wonder of mountains—their beauty, their majesty, their power… and the challenge of climbing them.
Mountains have always meant something more to me.
As I’ve reflected this Easter week, I’ve thought about how often mountains appear in the scriptures—sacred places where heaven and earth meet.
Places of prayer.
Of learning.
Of becoming.
I think of Jesus.
He chose to climb.
He chose the hard, uncomfortable path.
He chose us. No
He taught us who we are, and how to live and love.
In Gethsemane, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, He took upon Himself every sorrow and every sin.
At Calvary—Golgotha, the “place of the skull”—He gave His life for us.
“The heavens and the earth shook…”
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13
Jesus moved mountains to bring us home.
And in our own climbs—
when life feels steep, heavy, or uncertain—
we are not alone.
He lives.
We have the Master Hiker with us, every step of the way.
And as we follow Him, we are given the sweetest gift—
joy, hope, and the promise of Easter.
And sometimes…
we even get to stop, sit with Him, and take in the view.
Sending you all the love your heart can hold, and wishing you safe, meaningful, and treasured moments this Easter. 💛
#Easter #becauseofHim #HeLives #Jesus #JesusChrist
He died for us so that we could be redeemed. What a Good Friday indeed. There is no greater love than Christ's willing sacrifice for us! As we use Good Friday to remember Jesus Christ, how will you follow His example of love?
As Easter approaches, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is providing a variety of resources to help people draw closer to the Savior. These include Easter videos, music playlists and a Holy Week study plan in Gospel Library. And this week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide is all about Easter.
Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell joined humanitarian leaders in Europe to discuss caring for those in need. He spoke in two roundtable discussions in London, England, and in Brussels, Belgium, and reflected on the Church’s commitment to caring for those in need as an expression of discipleship.
Bishop Richard C. Edgley, who was the Church’s Presiding Bishop for nearly 20 years, has died at the age of 90. He was born in Preston, Idaho, and died in Centerville, Utah. Funeral arrangements are pending.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK: With the start of Holy Week this Sunday, may we remember the love of the Savior Jesus Christ, who was willing to lay down His life for all of us, His friends. Learn more about the new statues of Christ at Temple Square on Newsroom.
Learn more on Church Newsroom.
https://t.co/g9m7hCUDVI
Speed Bumps.
Apologies, I didn’t post last week.
Have been in suspended animation with cheeky captions.
Don’t ask!
Time does funny things in the healing process.
Sometimes it slows right down.
Sometimes it feels like your brain just… clocks off for a while.
Recovery from surgery isn’t just physical—it’s mental, emotional, and, at times, completely unpredictable.
Humour.
For me, it’s a life raft.
A little “speed bump” that makes me pause, breathe, and somehow keep moving forward.
It serves as a way to acknowledge the absurdity of painful moments—such as realizing you are crying in bathroom in a shopping centre—without being entirely consumed by them.
As humans we sometimes create distance allowing us as individuals to see the "weird, hard, stupid, and scary" aspects of life from a new, less threatening perspective.
With my personal healing journey and watching the world out there take some wacko actions, you have to call on power you do have access to, to mentally survive.
As humans, created in God’s image, we’ve been given a beautiful gift:
The ability to laugh.
And that laughter brings healing, connection, and lightness—even in heavy places.
Shifting Perspective.
Reframing the traumatising or difficult experience.
Taking that breath between waves.
ChutKnee and I are now 57 days in—about 8 weeks post Total Knee Replacement.
Agility and strength, improving by the day.
My physiotherapist and orthopaedic surgeon are encouraged.
The surgeon did say most patients “hate him for about 6 months”…
…but the long-term results are worth it.
He is a brave incredible warrior too.
I am thankful for all our brave warrior first responders!
There is progress but not without intermittent pain storms - it’s like trying to predict the weather …
My inner weather app is like me, mostly wrong but confident.
Some days feel like progress.
Other days, ChutKnee taps me on the shoulder and says,
“Too far. You’re hanging out with the Iceman today.”
That desire to move forward can quickly run into strong winds of frustration.
You can get lost in the mist of it all and not have the foggiest idea where to go.
When the thunderstorms roll in, you put on the rainbows!
Wrap your soul with the coat of gratitude.
Look at your gains,
and cuddle your cat Zoey!
I am thankful for our Zoey..
She never complains about my singing.
I’m grateful for naps — they somehow make life’s problems smaller.
Gratitude is my cardio now — lifting spirits daily.
GOALZ - step by step - closer everyday.
5 months until the hike to Girraween - a walk to joy!
So Thankful to God.
Can’t go forward without him.
He carries us when we can’t always carry ourselves.
And thank you God for the gift of laughter.
It might not get us out of the tunnel, but it will definitely light our way.
#totalkneereplacement #healing #joy #humour #painstorms #iceman #gratitude
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