When I was learning the multiplication facts, the 8s gave me problems, but the 7s seemed impossible. My least favorite fact was 7×8. It was a combination of my two worst sets and I could never remember it directly. My mom taught me that 7×7 was the “San Fancisco 49ers” and that 8×8 was “I want to hold your siiiiiixty-four” (The Beatles song “I want to hold your hand” was released in 1964. That is the only Beatles fact I know.) Those two facts gave me guide posts that I could build the rest of what I needed to know on. To figure out 7×8 I would remember that 7×7 was 49 and then add 7 more or 8×8 was 64 and then subtract 8. Another tough one, 6×7, was 7×7=49-7=42.
Life sometimes feels almost as hard as learning those darn 7s. But there are several guide posts I have that I can compare to and build on. Some of my guide posts are faith, hope, charity, integrity, prayer and family. When I compare the world to those I can see what I need to do next and where I need to go. The more secure my guide posts, the more I can hang what I know and do on them. And those guide posts are pretty secure. Knowing those guide posts means I don’t have to know everything. I don’t need to have the answer to every question that comes up in life. But when something happens that I need help with, I can go back to the basics, back to what I know, back to my guide posts, and from that secure place I can figure out where to go next.
Didn’t you just love Elder U’s talk about going back to the basics? Thank you for another reminder…
…and now you can remember that 7×8 is your OLD Mom :tractor:
I had to do 7×8 in the store last night. Thanks to this post, I remembered it! 8)