The dawn has come

Well, it's been a good week because Dad and I are overcoming our colds. We are hardly coughing at all and that feels magnificent! I stayed home for a few days and only talked when the phone rang. The days I was home, I spent hours and hours working on the first essay for my final class, the capstone course. The assignment was to find a newspaper or magazine article on a family life issue and then compose a 10 page paper on the article, what I learned from my courses about the issue mentioned in the article, find more information, and analyze and synthesize all of it into the paper. I found an article about the dilemma working parents face finding quality childcare for their preschoolers. I have enjoyed the review into my texts and formulating my opinions. My goal was to complete it yesterday, but I'm in the middle of it still - You know I'm not a fast essay writer. I confess that I will be relieved when I've completed it, but I'm also enjoying the process.



This is Mom when she received the orchid and note from Dad that Laura arranged. You can see the bud but it didn't open until a few days later. It made my mom cry.




Here are some quotes that a friend sent about life continuing after death:

John Donne: When one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language.

Hugh B. Brown: Death is putting out the candle because the dawn has come.

Mom, Laura, and I at P.F. Chang's on Dad & Mom's 63rd Anniversary.




And here we are with Denmark, Rex, and Emily too, stuffing ourselves even before we shared a Great Wall of China - YUMMY!!! It was great to be together!

RYAN

Yesterday was a very special day - It's the day I became a MOM! Coincidentally, it was also Ryan's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I wish all my photos were organized so I could post some of him through the years, but that is one of my 2009 goals, so I'll do better next year.









On a family camping trip - Aren't they cute?!



Ryan and Kylie, when she was the only child - He's a great dad of FIVE now!



Ryan is 33 now and we have 33 years of memories with this great guy. He may be far away geographically, but he's very close to us in every other way. We love you, Ryan!

These are our five - They are the reason that I'm so happy to be a MOM!

I Believe

Last Saturday as I was driving around doing a lot of errands, a song by Diamond Rio came on the radio, and as I listened, I thought about my Dad and cried. The words helped me deal a little more with missing him. They touch on some true principles, such as eternal life, eternal family relationships, and eternal progression. I would change the word "ghosts" to "angels" (but then it wouldn't rhyme :) - as Elder Holland taught last October (see http://www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-10,00.html)

You can listen to it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4qPKc6_x2k

Here are the lyrics:

Every now and then soft as breath upon my skin
I feel you come back again
And it’s like you haven’t been gone a moment from my side,
Like the tears were never cried,
Like the hands of time were pulling you and me.

And with all my heart I’m sure
We’re closer than we ever were,
I don’t have to hear or see
I’ve got all the proof I need.

There are more than angels watching over me
I believe; Oh, I believe.

Now when you die and life goes on,
It doesn’t end here when you’re gone
Every soul has found a flight
It never ends if I’m right.

Our love can even reach across eternity.
I believe; Oh, I believe.

Forever you’re a part of me,
Forever in the heart of me,
I will hold you even longer if I can.
Oh the people, who don’t see the most,
See that I believe in ghosts.

If that makes me crazy then I am
'Cause I believe; Oh, I believe.

There are more than angels watching over me.
I believe; Oh, I believe.

Every now and then soft as breath upon my skin,
I feel you come back again
And I believe.

Happy Still

I'm such a random blogger that probably no one will read this, but I want to share some thoughts anyway. This morning as I read in Mormon 9:14 about the final judgment, these words jumped out me:

"he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still."

WOW - Talk about motivation!!! I've been working for a couple of years on not being critical. In other words, being more positive. In other words, being happy. And it's a challenge for me. But knowing that I am training myself for how I'll be eternally makes me want to try again and makes me want to keep trying until I succeed. I don't want to be "unhappy still" for eternity!

Coincidentally, in today's email I received a FHE idea from LDS Living on optimism. You can check it out at http://www.ldsliving.com/e/2009/fhe/FHE010309.pdf.

Here is a story from it that goes along with my scripture study thoughts:

Janet Lee, wife of the late Rex E. Lee, former president of Brigham Young University, remembers an occasion when Sister [Marjorie Pay] Hinckley's optimistic outlook changed her own perspective:

Several years ago, during the Christmas season, President and Sister Hinckley came to BYU for a musical event. Before the program, there was a buffet dinner, and at one point while the men were away from our table, the women began to talk about the frustrations of getting ready for Christmas. Our conversation focused on the fact that everything about the season was becoming a burden for women. We bear the responsibility of selecting gifts, organizing social events, preparing everyone's favorite food, and making certain that family, guests, and even the less fortunate
have a merry Christmas. We felt overwhelmed if not resentful.

Sister Hinckley listened patiently, and then without the slightest edge of criticism in her voice said, "I love Christmas. It is the most joyful of all seasons. I love seeing the eyes of little children light up on Christmas morning. I love giving gifts. I love being with my family. We just need to simplify and remember what we are celebrating."

After she had spoken, something magical happened. Our attitudes shifted, and we began to talk about the birth of our Savior and the spirit of giving. In the years that have passed since those words were spoken, a burden has been lifted for me during the holidays. As I shop, prepare food, and join with friends and family to celebrate the birth of our Savior, her words nurture and calm me. "I love Christmas," I hear her say, and I let her teach me to relax and enjoy the season.
(Virginia H. Pearce, Glimpses into the Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1999].)

And here's an activity idea (that I'm going to use in our FHE lesson tonight!):

Give each family member a pencil or pen and a piece of paper. Turn out the lights and have all family members close their eyes. Tell them that peeking will not be allowed.

Have everyone draw a picture of a beautiful lake with mountains in the background and trees around the edge. Tell everyone to draw a boat on the lake with members of your family in it. Tell them to do the best they can with their eyes closed. When they are finished, turn the lights on and have them share their handiwork. Chances are the pictures will be barely recognizable. Have them turn their pictures over and draw the same picture again, this time with the lights on and their eyes open. Compare the two drawings.

Explain that the scripture in this lesson (see above) gives us a reason why we should be happy (be of good cheer). Have the family name the reason. (Jesus is in our midst). Tell the family that drawing in the dark is like trying to go through life without the help of the light and direction that Jesus gives us. Turning on the light is like having him guide and direct us.