HAPPY THANKSGIVING

May all of you have a wonderful THANKSGIVING; with the enjoyment of surrounding yourself with the love of family, the warmth of hearth and home, and enough of the bounties to be thankful for. Love to ALL family (or random strangers who happen along my path and give me encouragment and pieces of your wisdom).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TAYLOR!

Becoming your grandmother is wonderful. One moment you're just a mother. The next you are all-wise and prehistoric!

Taylor recently had an assignment for school whereby she was to ask Grandparents about what life was like when they were her age. As I sat down to do my part of the assignment, I realized how vastly different it was for me than for her.

I didn’t have a Mother…. and my Dad was almost as old as your Grandpa! Taylor, you have a loving Mom and Dad, who do everything within their abilities to make sure that you and your brother are taken care of and provided for.

I lived very close to the school, so all I had to do was venture across the street and through my friend’s yard, then through the playground before I would reach the door of my classroom. Your school is too far away to walk to, but not close enough for a bus, so you carpool with other kids from your neighborhood.

Our lunches were very much different than the lunches at school today. We always had a fresh cooked meal prepared by an Army of Cafeteria workers. I do remember that it was always good and we were expected to eat everything on our plate! NO fast-food choices for us!

We were always expected to dress nice. I think there was one day a week when we could wear pants; but all the other days, I was in a dress. It was that way until I graduated from High School. You, on the other hand, hardly ever wear a dress to school!

I loved going to school, and knowing that I would be learning some new concept each week. It started out with the Alphabet, then reading, then math, then a specific area of history, and learning about the proper way to write and speak. I loved all the friends that I made; I loved having a crush on a different boy every week. I remember having terrible sore throats often, and having to walk across Gentile Street to the old Tanner Clinic to get penicillin shots. Finally I had my tonsils out, just like you just did, and I didn’t have to do that any more! I remember walking to school in the fog, and wondering if I would get lost. I remember lying in a spearmint lined ditch that surrounded the tennis courts, and smelling so sweet and minty after recesses. As we got older, we would play touch football, Red Rover, Freeze Tag, Dodge Ball, baseball, basketball, and in 5th and 6th Grade, we took a record player out to the tennis courts on the side of the school, and learned how to dance. We also played our share of 'Kiss Tag'. (Don't ever admit to this to a grandchild that has the memory of an elephant!)

I hope that you will always enjoy your school years, and try to find something in each year that is a favorite. A favorite teacher, a favorite friend, a favorite book, a favorite lesson….

Today, you turn 8 years old. You have grown into such a wonderful, excitable, smart, funny girl.

Such a special day for a Special little girl
Turning eight years old has put you in a Whirl!
"Granma, I'm gonna be baptized", you say
How wonderful that this is the highlight of your day.

Choose the Right will be your motto
What would Jesus Do?
If you follow the baptismal covenants
and are quiet enough to hear the Spirit whisper
You'll know how to stay true.

Hope you have a wonderful day......I love you so much.

Afterthoughts on Afterlife

Three different circumstances stood out from our experience with Mom-in-law's passing in September. First was trying to explain to the little great's about her death, and what/where/how/why it all happens. Secondly, was the beautiful bouquet of roses that my family rendered in behalf of condolences. And thirdly, was the thoughtfulness of a sweet friend in taping the funeral proceedings, so that we would have it to listen to later. It was especially nice, since Fay's husband had an engagement that he had to be in Washington for that day, and was not able to hear the loving message that she gave at the funeral.

I asked Vicky later about the analogy that the Primary children are taught about the body and the spirit, and how they are two separate things. It had been so long since I was in the capacity of being in Primary, that I had forgotten it. I only wished that we had had Bishop Simmon's relate it at the funeral.

Vicky: I don't know where to specifically send you for an official rendition of the analogy. Basically it teaches like this ~ The hand represents the spirit of an eternal being. The glove represents the mortal body. At birth the spirit enters into the mortal body...hand into glove. The glove fits perfectly the hand as the body fits perfectly the spirit. Together the spirit and body constitute the soul as a glove and hand constitutes a warm and happy unit.

As the days, months, and years go by the glove becomes soiled, worn, and threadbare with use. It becomes old and maybe even a little outdated and clumsy. At the end of its usefulness it is removed from the hand and put away as Heavenly Father removes a worn-out and fatigued body from the spirit. The spirit (hand) is still the same and will go on to later receive a new glove just like the old glove used to be.

Hope that helps a little. Death is a hard transition for everyone no matter how old or how young. You are wonderful to be so sensitive to the matter and to young feelings. My well wishes go to the littlest great-grandchildren and to all.

Then I asked Leanne about the bouquet of roses, as it wasn't a bouquet of one color, but many colors and one rose bud that did not bloom. It too had significance:


The rose is called an artificial rose because they are 'hybrid'. So much so, that they are not supposed to open, thus referred to as a 'Forever Rose'. I thought that would be a good one to save and either dry it or dip it in that stuff that keeps them so they still look real. It brought to memory that they were all live roses that had been cut from their source of nourishment to make this lovely bouquet. But within a few days, they were wilting and eventually dying. The one that was bred to stay perpetually a 'bud' looked the same, and will be a reminder of everlasting life to me. Such a good reminder of our thoughts on life after death.

BUSY, BuSy, Busy.....

This is the time of year when everything becomes a fog! Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas....and if you work in retail, Christmas begins in JULY! At least that is when the orders are put in for the merch that will start arriving in September for the last 1/4 of the year!

I haven't had the where-with-all (nor the inspiration) to post much since September, but there has been so many things that have filled the days. We have enjoyed the most wonderful Indian Summer here and have celebrated Heidi and Heather's birthdays, Kloyie's and Weston's birthday, Halloween, and are now making plans for the Thanksgiving dinner. Everywhere I turn, there are posts about things to be thankful for. We were able to get the cuzzin's together for a lunch while Karen and Marlin were here, and a group of us went to see Teri's latest play 'The Coming Ice Age' ~ activities with family IS THE BEST!!