SURPRISE!!!! And 10 months later.... My intent in starting this little blog was to inspire and bless my family with ideas or commentaries on life or from gospel learning. Because this year has been particularly busy with babies and their blessings and baptisms and family gatherings and visits and playing together, well, it is time to get caught up. I can't promise I'll  write every month (as the past year has certainly shown) but I will strive to do better.

Lately I've been studying about parables. We know that is how Jesus taught. It is how our General Authorities teach too. Parables can be examples from our lives that teach a gospel principle in a way that is meaningful and leaves a lasting lesson or impression. So here is one for you.

The Meridian Library sits on an old farmstead. When the machinery was being moved onto the property to demolish the old house, barn, and shrubbery, I decided I would go over and save some of the flowers from being destroyed. I saved some oriental poppies (which bloom in profuse orange every spring) and a climbing rose bush that decorated my apple tree with it's lovely red flowers. I dug up tulip bulbs and ivy. During my mission to save what was soon to be destroyed, I also found a small white plate with a chip in it. It had a sweet floral print in the center and a decorative lace like pattern around the edges. I decided to save that too. I cleaned that little plate up and displayed it in the girls bedroom with the chip side down. No one knew about the chip unless they picked up the plate. Fast forward to Hannah's wedding. One of her colors was a bright coral/pink and I had some left over ribbon I decided to thread through the lace like edges of this little plate. The ends of the ribbon met over the chip. I tied a pretty little bow over it and now display it prominently on the side table by the bed. No one knows how or why or when this chip or sin occurred and I guess it doesn't really matter. What is wonderful is that the Savior "covers" our sins, like that ribbon, as if they are no more. He makes us whole.

I'll never think about my little white plate as something with a chip to be hidden, but as something beautifully made whole by a ribbon.

Love's Pure Light

For the last couple of Christmas seasons I have wanted to write about a phrase that I heard in a favorite Christmas carol a couple of years ago that really impressed me. I told mom last year that I would write about it but I ran out of time. When Hannah sang beautifully Silent Night in sacrament meeting a couple weeks ago and the phrase sunk into me again I promised myself I would write about it this year. 
In the last verse of Silent Night are the words "Son of God, love's pure light". This time of year we experience the extra love of family and friends as well as the beautiful lights and decorations. The first Christmas had the brightness of the new star and lights and wonders in the heavens that announced the birth of our Savior. However love's pure light does not refer to either of these. In this case love is in reference to our Father in heaven. John says that God "is" love. 1 John 4:8. This is because everything he has done or will do is out of love for us.  The best example of this love is that he sent his son to save us. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life".  John 3:16.
Light is in reference to Jesus Christ the light of the world. John 8:12. When we have light in our live's we can see the correct path, see clearly to correct our errors and make correct choices. Christ's light is pure. It is perfect. He is perfect. We can never error when he shines the light for us and follow him. For this reason Satan loves darkness and everything he does is in darkness and deception. He is the opposite of pure light. The world was truly in darkness and sin before he was born.
Therefore this Christmas I encourage you to ponder God's great gift to us, his son Jesus Christ and do our best to follow him. He truly is love's pure light.

Love, Dad

 

Blessings

Last night Tim and Brian gave Dennis a Blessing. Dennis hurt his back a couple weeks ago and yesterday was particularly bad. He was in a lot of pain. Today I have been thinking about that Blessing and the words spoken, the meaning behind them, and how God communicates with individuals differently. Some people need "flowers" and some people need to be "knocked over the head". This particular blessing was a combination of the two. I was glad I could listen because as you know Dennis does not hear everything. Today we were able to talk about what each of us heard and in my case, fill in some blanks as well as discuss impressions that were defined by the Spirit.

The experience has made me reflect on other Blessings that have been given to me personally, what they meant at the time, and how they have influenced my life since. Blessings are like that. They last. The answers, the comfort, the peace and the knowing that comes from them, and the opportunities that open because of them, are real. In remembering, those feelings come back and once again I feel God's love for me, just as He intended.

I think all of you have experienced the same at one time or another. Blessings given to us individually are tailored to what we need to hear or even what we need to do. Because of them we are able to move forward. We are so fortunate that through priesthood power we can know of Gods love for us, that He knows what we need and wants to help us reach beyond ourselves and trust Him.
Today I ask you all to remember Blessings you have received. Reflect on what you learned then and how your life has been blessed since. Take the opportunity to include your children. I promise as you do those sweet feelings you felt long ago will come to you again.

Yowza! It's been tooooo long.

This is terrible. My last post was December 2013 and not that I have anything earth shattering or super important to say but... for shame. Surely there was something good to impart or think about. As you know life has really changed for me. I'm a 9-5 girl with an occasional odd schedule thrown in. As much as I love my new life and the opportunities it affords there are some things I really miss. Talking to my kids on the phone during the day just because. Seeing the grandkids more often. Playing with my family. Going on vacation whenever we want. Helping. Serving. Being available. It takes a lot of planning and coordinating now and sadly having to say no when I want to say yes. Some things I haven't got used to are doing house work when I come home from work or squeezing in a grocery shopping run. I have great empathy for working mothers and understand the exhaustion that our husbands feel after a long day beating back the hordes and fighting to make enough to support their families. I finally get it. You don't want to work after work. You are tired. You are hungry. You want relief and someone else to feed you. That's why I really love El Tenampa. Good quick food and I didn't have to think about what to fix or if I have groceries in the house to fix what I want anyway. And then throwing in a medical issue...it can get complicated.

I guess what I am saying is how much I love and appreciate you all. You work hard. You love your families. I see what you do and think what a wonderful job you are doing. There are always hick-ups but by and large you are doing some really great parenting. Seeing you play together and caring for each other, giving relief and sharing the load. And throwing in some medical issues too, well, you are doing the best you know how and when you realize that may not be enough then you figure something else out. GOOD JOB GUYS! Life is not always easy but you are doing well and your dad and I are so very proud of the people you are. We love seeing you live the gospel in word and deed.
We are so grateful to have a family that includes you. We love you all.

So until next time and hoping it won't take another 8 months for another message from home...

Christmas Oranges

My father passed away in October 2001. And with his passing my mother began to think about her own mortality and the people she would meet again. At the same time she felt compelled to write my fathers and her personal histories. I became her scribe and story after story unfolded. One of the things she was most concerned about was her relationship with her father. He had been dead for 40 years or so and she was still angry with him. This was one meeting she dreaded. However, as she began to recall her past and through questioning her perceptions, she began to see the choices her father made in a different light.

Her family owned a ranch near Cody, Wyoming. During the winter months my grandfather worked at Yellowstone Lodge in Yellowstone National Park as a cook for the tourists. This created great hardship in maintaining the ranch but at the same time the money earned from this side job provided much needed necessities. He saved every penny he made except for one Christmas treat. Every year he brought home Christmas oranges. Often those oranges were the only thing in the children's stockings.

I asked my mother if this was why she bought a box of Christmas oranges every year. And one always found its way into our stockings. She carried on the tradition from her fathers gift of Christmas oranges and she had not realized it until that moment. And in fact I carry on the tradition too because that's what mother did. She thought of her father as a hard man, lacking in compassion or even love. Surely, I said, bringing home oranges as a Christmas treat showed his love. This she could not accept.

Later that evening I was back at home preparing our family dinner all the while thinking of my grandfather. And it just so happened that I decided to make a fruit salad which of course included an orange. As I peeled the orange the aroma of it was so strong and sweet, it literally enveloped me. And just then I felt an overwhelming love so grand, so sweet, so tender, so kind reach through the heavens and I knew his offering of Christmas oranges was more than just a fun treat. It said what he could not verbalize, " I care about you. I love you."

No matter the season I cannot see an orange without being reminded about that heavenly hug. Every year during the Christmas season I continue the tradition. I buy oranges. Not only will they end up in our Christmas stockings but I like to share them as well. Because oranges, well, you know what they mean.

8 Things

  Several years ago I was asked to serve on a panel, answering questions about keeping our families unspotted from the world. How could I possibly help others when I was no expert and felt every one of my short-comings as a mother? As I thought about what I might be asked I felt confident that a few safeguards had served our family well.
  We ate together. Dinner was 5:30-6:00p.m. Most activities had ended by then or had not started. Even with summer jobs  most the time we managed to eat together. Meeting together around the dinner table became an opportunity to talk about the days events, gospel topics, recounting mission experiences, testing out our foreign language skills, and other pressing concerns we might have had. Everyone had a chance to talk and be heard.
  We worked together. Saturday clean-up included everyone and chores were rotated. The radio was usually blaring. Music seemed to help the work go faster, was not as tedious, and singing along helped the chore seem less like work. We provided working opportunities out of the home as well so that each child could earn their own money and with guidance learn to manage it.
  We knew how to play. Mom and Dad are pretty dull people if everything is work, work, work. It is good to take a break to play dolls or catch a ball, go on picnics, hike, play board games and cards, take trips, camp, go fishing and once in a while do something big like Disneyland. Yep. It takes planning and sometimes it is totally spontaneous! That's what play is and it should not be neglected.
  We went to church together. Church developed purpose and unity plus strenghtened testimony, taught service, and built our family. This was a no-brainer. Church was never neglected.
  We created our own traditions. One of the most famous and still in practice is going to the mountains to cut our Christmas tree. Our children need to see continuity, to expect something and look forward  to something that belongs just to your family. It's special.
  Make home a safe place where each child can be themselves, talk about anything they want, ask any question without us going into shock or express any concern they may have.  That is how the talking corner in our bedroom came to be. It was the place to talk privately with mom and dad. No interruptions, no intruding. It was a safe place and it became a happy place as well. Blessings have been given there as well as announcing of engagements. Sorrows have been shared there as well. Whatever was said in this safe place never was shared with anyone else. You could count on that. Having that safe corner to express ones self has been a true blessing.
  Support each other. That meant going to concerts and games and performances. It got harder as more children became involved in extracurricular activities. Supporting each other includes talking them up, complimenting each other and offering encouragement and bragging about your children's accomplishments is good too. They need to know you notice.
  Your kids need to see you be a loving couple. Kiss each other in front of your kids. Although this embarrassed Dennis sometimes he danced me around the kitchen (which I loved) or he'd hug me with the intention of nibbling on my ear (which drives me crazy). I like sitting on Dennis's lap and snuggling. We always hold hands. Still do. We hug and kiss in greeting and saying goodbye. And saying "I love you" cannot be said enough. (Even when you don't feel like it.) And that includes saying it to your kids as well. Affection is glue and every family needs to slather it on!
  I am sure there are other things that help to make a happy family that I have missed or not included. There is a disclaimer here though. We were not perfect in any of it but there are some pretty fun and wonderful memories associated with all of them. I like to think that practicing some of these habits, exercises, or what have you, have contributed to making six pretty terrific kids.

Yep!  The new year arrived. Got to face it, embrace it, got to go on. In our drive to go on we get caught  in the tradition of the season. You know those pesky resolutions we all make with good intention but never accomplish. I may think about what I want to improve in or on. But past experience reminds me that making lists is futile. I'm still just as round. I'm not any smarter. I definitely have not increased my wardrobe by any significant amount (this was a big one for me!) Eating better only lasts for a day or two and January is a terrible time of year to begin that 2 hour a day exercise program! So I'm passing on a secret. The best and lasting change comes about through the influence of the Holy Ghost who facilitates communication from our Father in Heaven and His son, Jesus Christ. Those times do not necessarily come on January 1. Sometimes they come on its heels though.
 A couple years ago I had memorized The Living Christ as part of a Stake Young Women's Camp challenge. As the Sacrament was being passed last week I realized I had forgotten parts of it so I pulled out my flip cards of The Living Christ from my bag and began to read. Through the influence of the Holy Ghost I realized that becoming familiar with The Living Christ again  would help me to know our Savior better. By learning about Him I could then incorporate and acquire some of his characteristics more fully in my life. And best of all it needed to be a year long pursuit. I can tell you this was not a thought that my wandering mind came up with on its own. But they were thoughts that compel obedience.
In my zeal to be obedient I thought I would challenge each of you to memorize The Living Christ as a family and make your FHE focus to be on learning about the Savior. But guess what? I can't. Nope. It is not up to me to be the facilitator of change, the lasting kind, in each of your families. That comes through the influence of the Holy Ghost from our Father in Heaven who knows better what you need, when you need it and how you need it.
It is my desire when an opportunity presents itself through that Sacred and Holy influence for best and lasting change you will embrace it-whatever it is.