Category: Life according to Angela

Workspace

My dad as a young teen, illustrated by Paige McLaughlin. See her work at paigemclaughlinart.com

For many weeks, Paige and I have been helping my dad work on a big project for the family. He has typed a memoir of his childhood adventures in the rolling hills and rock formations near his home in Pittsburg, CA. Paige is illustrating the stories and I am editing and formatting the book. We are mailing a few stories each week to my siblings and their children, with the goal to print and bind a complete version by early April.

It reminds me of a project that I began in January 2020 to write memories of my childhood. I wrote about 15 or 20 pages before I set it aside. Living in close quarters during the past 10 months has made it a little harder to focus on writing. Plus, I struggle to define a work space. The desks are being used, the kitchen table must be cleared often, and I need extreme quiet. This project with my dad keeps some of my desire to write alive, and inspires me to pick up old projects and not find excuses to delay.

I am making a little progress on creating a portable workspace for myself. I need to be present a lot of the time, not hidden away in an office. So, my work world revolves around a book bag and lightweight storage containers more than a single desk.

Stephen King, in his book about writing, suggests a writer should not have a massive desk that dominates a room because writing is not the primary thing. Living with your family is more important. He thinks a smaller desk in a corner is best. 🙂

“Where there is great love there are always miracles.”

“Where there is great love there are always miracles,” he said at length. “One might almost say that an apparition is human vision corrected by divine love. I do not see you as you really are, Joseph; I see you through my affection for you. The Miracles of the Church seem to me to rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming suddenly near to us from afar off, but upon our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always.” –Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

There are many passages from this book that made an impression on me. There is much talk everywhere of peace and unity and coming together. Forgive me, but I see little hope of that in the big sphere, but I have seen it happen in my neighborhood, one person at a time choosing to see neighbors with warmth. I am a judgmental person by nature, but find that judgment melts pretty quickly into compassion as I choose to really see a person. I believe Jesus Christ enables us to do this. Some of my best friends are those whom I have judged harshly at the beginning.

I often have something to learn from one who challenges my neatly rowed ideas.

C.S. Lewis talks about a First Friend, one with whom you agree on everything, and a Second Friend, with whom you do not. My “Second Friends” are the ones who helped me know myself better, helped me grow in my ideas, and served me a needed dose of compassion for my differences with them.

“Where there is great love, there are always miracles.” I trust in this.

Wednesday is for laundry

Reading: Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

Thinking about: some failures in my leadership; my grandmother, my parents, my kids.

Celebrating: 5 consecutive weeks of health.

Looking at: ideas for displaying some art.

Embarrassed about: a video I made for all the Primary children in my Stake. I forgot to put on my shoes, and the camera caught it. I am all dressed up, but have only stockings on my feet. In my Mr. Roger’s moment of making programming for children, I forgot the importance of SHOES.

Wishing for: some snow or some sunshine, just not this gloom.

Praying for: that’s personal, but our nation is high on the list.

Smiling about: Timothy’s piano performance coming up today that Richard and I can attend.

Eating: I have no idea. It’s time to go grocery shopping.

Thankful for: working machines to wash and dry the laundry so I can focus on other things. And for the chance to be alive at this important time.

A Child’s Prayer

When I am weary and have no words of my own, I pray by singing in my mind. This is the song that eventually helped me go to sleep last night, soothing my mind, awake to many things. Dickins was so right about the best of times and the worst of times inhabiting the same sphere. I had a wonderful day with family, and feel God’s blessings, but feel abhorrence for current events.

Thoughts while cleaning the house

I’m at the phase of pandemic living that I wish for a baby Yoda doll just to sit in a barstool and watch me work.

There are only 80 rolls of toilet paper left in the house…That feels a little edgy to me.

Nope, the outdoor wreaths are not coming down today.

Ooooh, someone just drove into the culdesac! I will stare at them and learn their secrets.

Maybe if I place these cleaning supplies in the middle of the floor, I will be more likely to scrub this bathroom after I check my email and Instagram…(Four hours and many distractions later) Nope.

I need to finish listening to this Christmas album before the boys come home and wish they hadn’t.

(Leveling two picture frames) I think they’re level. Are they level? Yes! *Snap* go the Velcro Command Strips. (Standing back and noticing I have hung them backwards) Noooooo!

So many towels. So many dog hairs. So much glitter on Christmas cards this year.

I love this house, especially after I mop. ♥️

The real joy and triumph is finding happiness when things are difficult.

(Taking a trip into the spare bedroom where I have hidden the chocolates) Maybe I will just open them and see how many are left. (The better angel of my nature takes control) Stop. Now! (Me, backing away from the chocolates, issuing them a knowing look) Later, girlfriend. Sometime later, but really soon.

Artistic journaling

I have discovered traveler notebooks, which are groups of notebooks for different subjects held together inside a leather cover, and artistic journaling, which for me is just putting stickers, photos, and Washi tape on the pages of a journal before I write. This is how I am going to keep track of the Lord’s tender mercies this year. So far, I have one book for daily gratitude and one book for church notes, all inside one cover. I have kept small notebooks for different topics for years. Having them held together inside one cover seems really smart.

YouTube has a lot of artistic people showing how to create such things. It’s really relaxing for me to watch videos of people journaling. Yes, there are videos you can watch of a person writing in and decorating her journal. Highly recommended.

My basic traveler notebook was $9.99 at Michaels, and the cover is a soft coral leather and it comes with two notebooks, about 4×9 inches each, and a pocket folder for holding brochures or maps. I use the folder to hold photos and stickers. I think I will add another notebook to keep track of my ideas for writing.

I plan to leave a library of notebooks, journals, albums, and stories behind. Also, decorative plates and miniature things.

The patience of hope and the labor of love

…And our talents improve, by the patience of hope and the labor of love…

Come Let Us Anew, Hymn #217

I spent the week after Christmas gathering, archiving, reminiscing, writing, and creating. The Christmas packaging is *mostly* cleaned up, but not really. Fabric needed to be put away after both hasty and long projects, so I did that. My biggest and most precious project of the week was to compile the cards and letters I received this year. I read each word again, and studied the list I made of kind acts people did for us, then placed them in a book. My 2020 was not fun, not hardly a bit, but I cherish it, and the people who helped me.

My goals from last year were completed as best I could, with great amendments made to expectation. I had enough clarity to respond to nagging thoughts about gathering more food and some other things in February that made the early days of the pandemic much easier. In my review of lists and journals and all those things I keep, I see how I was guided and carried and loved.

My goals for the year are rarely completed just as I imagine, but I make new goals anyway, so I am moving forward. I can hear God’s voice better when I am working on goals.

Today I begin taking down the trees and garlands, wreaths, and bows. It is grim work, but sparkly handmade snowflakes are ready to fill empty spaces and reflect light. I want to remember that I had energy and health enough to give in every way I wished this 2020 Christmas. God is good, even when we are unhealthy and struggling, and it is such a blessing to eat a simple breakfast, laugh with a friend, hear beautiful music, be cherished by a loved one, and to see the changes in seasons. I am hopeful change is coming in terms of public health, but I am ready to wait for it for a long time, and grow as I wait.

Advent Day 2

This December, my Advent theme is Hope. It’s my plan to share something each day leading up to Christmas.

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken.

Jacob 4:6

This photo of President Nelson inspires me. I think searching the scriptures has been the most important way I have found hope. In this practice, I try to be as faithful as a prophet. When the kids were younger and finding time to read the scriptures was harder, or now, in an emergency, I try to close my eyes and recite a scripture in my mind when I can’t read. The scripture I recite most often is Psalm 19:7. I memorized it in high school, and have repeated it on the most challenging days for 30 years. It’s the closest thing I have to a mantra.