All My Children

Just one moment, one brag, one huge blessing, one huge amount of happiness, one bunch of pride, one good bunch, one talented group, one good looking crew and they are all mine.  All mine. . . well . . . Mike can claim them too.

Penelope Rose

It happened.  I received a text in the night and it was very sad news.  Kristi had been updating me on sweet little Penny and yes the news that she had just passed arrived.  “I don’t have words.  I just wanted you to know” Kristi texted and my heart sank for Jessica and Cubby.  And we thought she was out of the woods making it through the week, through the virus and out of ICU, but Heavenly Father had a whole different plan for little angel Penelope.

It Just Doesn’t Matter

This picture has been floating around social media for awhile.  It is priceless.  When Kyla was little she was given or earned some money and she wanted to to pick out a new baby doll.  I took her to the store and she eyed the beauty that was just for her.  It was a “black” baby and Kyla adored her.  She came home with us and that was all that mattered.    When very competitive Dillon was running a race in PE as a young lad he stopped to help a girl that had fallen – he helped her up – and then took off like a speeding bullet to complete his race.  Heck, it didn’t matter to Dillon that she was a girl or that he might not win – none of that mattered.  The boys had best friends that were very dark skinned – heck that didn’t matter to any of us – they were awesome kids.  This picture is humorous but so very raw – I am proud of my children for seeing all God’s children the same.

This Is Great

I was proud to share to my friends and family the generosity of an Eastern Canadian Air Traffic Tower last  week who sent pizzas to the Anchorage tower as a gesture of kindness due to the government shutdown.   The kind act dominoed to other airports and the warmth spread across the country.   Then I saw this:  Air Traffic Controllers in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories joined in a widespread, pizza-based act of goodwill and sent Domino’s pizza to the air traffic controllers in the Juneau tower.  Devin got pizza.  Oh Canada!!!!!

 

It’s Best Not Even To Ask

I glanced over at Mike’s small table by his chair and noticed the disarray and mess immediately.  Ugh. . . I got closer to see what I could straighten up or maybe throw away and then I stood there looking, just looking.  Sure the contents on the table were disheveled, a normal scene, but he folded every wrapper from his chocolate mint patties and there they lay in a pile.  Speechless.

Ah Ha Moment

Sometimes I am just so smart or am I smug??  We had our furnace guy come over a few days to give our furnace the yearly overhaul.  Things were running smoothly but ever since he left we have noticed  that we have to turn the thermostat up a few more degrees than normal to get it to come on.  We usually set it at 70 degrees but we have been chilly. Mike and I have been so confused as to why this has been happening.  Here comes the smug moment.  I just realized that I rearranged the furniture about the same time the furnace guy was here and put a small lamp on my white cabinet that sits right below the thermostat.   I was checking the temp today and felt the heat from the lamp right away.  Ah ha!!!!!   “Smug -having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one’s achievements.”

 

More Amazon Please

My path to our PO box is an automatic, non-thinking route that I have taken for twenty-six years.   Some patrons have stickered their boxes – I don’t need to pretty it up- just a key to open it.  Lately I have been winning the lottery each time it creaks open and there  lies yellow slips.  I picked up a box for Kelcy today and texted her to let her know I had it.  She said it was like Christmas every day.  I said I feel like the Queen picking up royal goods. It doesn’t matter who the boxes are for, just the fact I am favored with carrying out “richly goods.”    I was stacked up four high the other day and proudly let a gentleman hold the door as I gracefully, with my nose raised up a little higher than it should have, exited the Post Office palace.

 

I Am Legal

It has been since last spring that I received my last notification from US Citizenship and Immigration services. . . or so I thought.  Every month I receive an email with the same information on it telling me that there are no updates at this time.  It says they will notify me when my case status changes.  The funny thing is I am all done with them.  There is no case status change forthcoming nor do I need updates.  Should this type of “goof” from our government worry me?   I’ve heard we should keep our “enemies” close so every month I cherish my loving email.

Losing Ourselves In Service

We had a great lesson today and we discussed the talk by Elder Uchtdorf called “Believe, Love, Do.”    We talked about losing ourselves in the service of God as we try to overcome our own difficulties in life.  Then, I read this this evening regarding the devastation in California from the fire/loss:  “We mourn the loss of our second daughter,” said President Nelson in a media interview, noting that as a father he feels a deep sense of grief. “And yet, there’s nothing we’d rather do than try to be of help to others. … You learn that everybody has challenges and if you want to feel better, forget about yourself and serve somebody else.”  Sister Nelson also touched on that theme as she spoke to the gathering in Chico.  “In the midst of heart-wrenching loss, it’s natural for our souls to long for things to be the way they used to be. When we realize that that simply is not possible, we seek for those things that will never change,” said Sister Nelson. “The truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ are never sweeter than in times of loss.”  What beautiful examples they both are.

Carry On

 Rhea and I left at four in the morning to get her to the airport.  I was home and back in bed by six forty-five with lots to think about as I drifted back off.   Rhea is back to school but doing all online classes because she is off track.   I love to give advice so I told her to get a good daily routine going.  Everyone in the family seems to have things they are working on whether raising children, getting their education, career choices, working on getting out of debt,  exercise/weight/health or just plain old putting one foot in front of the other and surviving.  Whatever we are working on the keys words are “working on.”  We are not a family of non accomplishers.  We are not lazy.  We try to be proactive and move forward in our endeavors.  And so . . . one last bit of advice . . .remember this fine quote from Robert Browning that I learned in college.  “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.”