Category: Life according to Angela

Daniel’s Eagle Project

For Daniel’s Eagle project, we freed these teens who were locked in the nursery closet for several years. They had grown a few feet taller, and had survived on goldfish crackers and kept clean with hand sanitizer. They didn’t seem to be bored with the toys. They played happily with the cash register, farm toys, tools, puzzles and kitchen sets as we cleaned the area. The reunions with their parents were too precious to photograph.

The shelf installation went smoothly. Not pictured are many people who donated the materials for the project, and Daniel’s grandpa who helped him with a design and ideas. I feel very grateful for the support people showed Daniel.

What I might have missed

If I had canceled the Relief Society presidency meeting like I wanted to, because I was tired, we wouldn’t have gone through the names of the sisters in the ward. If we hadn’t gone through the names, one by one, we wouldn’t have thought to visit a sister yesterday, and we would have missed out on one of the most remarkable visits ever. During the visit, the woman told us some of her life story, which I would never have guessed, all around the theme of God being involved in her life.

I came away from the visit with a few lessons.

  1. Everyone has a story, and it needs to be shared. Write your stories for your families! Don’t wait until you are old.
  2. You can’t always gauge a person’s faith by appearances.
  3. The Lord directs the work of Relief Society. How else would we have known to go to this home?
  4. My counselors and secretary are inspired. They are the right ones for the job.
  5. Connection can only happen when we show who we really are.

A piece of cake and trips to Home Depot

Yesterday, my friend Janine brought Timothy a piece of chocolate cake to congratulate him on his piano solo played in church. Many others have cheered for him and congratulated him in other ways.

Daniel’s Eagle project is this week, and the doorbell keeps ringing with people coming by with supplies. So far, every person who has come by has asked how he or she could help more. Other people have heard about it and have taken time to inquire what else is needed. Weeks ago, my parents gave up an evening to help Daniel begin the planning and design of his project.

I am no stranger to seeing the generosity of our neighbors, whether it is for funerals, illnesses, moves, births, gatherings, or weddings. This week, though, we are the direct recipients of this generosity and my heart is touched. When your child stretches, or does something difficult or new, you just love the people who show up to help and encourage.

 

Autumn comfort

As I drove around town today, Alan Jackson’s song about 9/11 came on the radio. It was good to have a few minutes to reflect on what that day meant for our country and the emotions we all went through at that time.

I spent a little while making things a little more cozy around the house. I love that we will be in slippers and blanket season soon.

Writing again

I have taken a few years off from writing my stories. Now that the kids are in school all day, I am writing again.

I have finished 85 essays, and have 42 in progress. I finally realized what I am trying to accomplish, and wrote a preface. I am no longer directing it towards a large audience, as I hoped, and I am mostly OK with that.

I took a walk by myself in a building last year which handles a lot of publishing. I know this is where I want to be someday. Not yet, but with each day I write, I am working toward this goal.

 

Today’s ugly jobs

The eery sunrise through smoke in the air makes the day feel ominous. We have found the familiar indentations on the path for school routines: get up, make lunches, eat breakfast, pray, run out the door, leave Mom.

I have a morning without commitments. I wonder what I should do?

I will spare you the mountain of laundry that awaits and the loss I feel for my old occupation.

I have many other enjoyable things to do today. These are just the things I don’t want to do, and they will be finished in less than 30 minutes.

That’s the good thing about tasks at home. Many can be finished in minutes.

Labor Day

The house is quiet. Daniel and I are the only ones home for the holiday. Last night, the two of us played violin-piano duets and sat quietly in the family room, reading. If you know me, you realize that this was good for my soul. Today, I took a minute to photograph a few things I see in the house. Paige’s empty room after moving out on Saturday. Tomato bounty. Lego figures placed at my bedside by two of my boys to make me smile. New rose bushes in bloom. The lavender rose is so heavy with petals, it droops under the weight. Its fragrance is just everything. The yellow roses smell like a garden from childhood.

Welcome September!

Earth from elements

12th and 9th in high school
6th in middle school
Day 17 without a washing machine at home
Charlene took us out to lunch

 

Today’s morning prayer included:

  • gratitude for yesterday’s trip to the laundromat with Paige
  • a plea for help for my boys at school
  • gratitude for a lunch with two of the Charlenes in my life
  • gratitude for my parents who came over last night for dinner and to help Daniel with some Scout stuff
  • gratitude for a beautiful house
  • a plea for forgiveness
  • frustration about some things
  • the names of many ward members
  • a realization that I have so much help this year for school, including busing, a piano teacher who comes to our house, and an army of teachers to replace my efforts
  • a plea to know who I can help today and for the emotional strength to do it

I said amen, thinking, “Did I kind of fall asleep during part of that prayer?” Realizing that I had, the thought came that if God could make the earth out of elements, he can work with a servant who is a bit dozy. Then the thought came that I needed to find my cell phone because someone needed me. I figured it would be one of my boys who had just left for school. Almost immediately after finding my phone, it lit up. Someone was calling to ask me to help. I wouldn’t have heard it because it was on silent mode. Sometimes, especially lately, I need intervention like this to know what to do because my perception feels foggy. I couldn’t have thought to call this neighbor, so she had to call me. I’m glad she felt that she could. I am grateful the thought came to find my phone.

Keep praying, all. It works.

Eclipse shadows

I take this view as a tender mercy. I didn’t buy glasses to view the eclipse, didn’t make the drive to Idaho, and didn’t do anything I would normally do to engage in an experience with the kids. Richard, Daniel, and Paige all had opportunities to view the eclipse with glasses at work or on the U of U campus. We at home made a viewer out of a Cheerios box as the eclipse began and saw the tiny image of the sun in the box. As the light changed, the blue sky turned gray, and I saw hundreds of images of the eclipse dancing at our feet. Now, that was unexpected and beautiful and a lot more amazing than what we saw in our viewer.