Life according to Angela – Page 66

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

Day 17 without a washing machine at home

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.

Technical difficulties

My late July and all August posts were deleted and I have been locked out from my site for many days this week. I am just grateful it was only pictures and no writing that I lost. I have the pictures on several computers and they are backed up. My writing isn’t. I think it was an automatic WordPress update that was the culprit.

We will see if this post will show up.

I have been devastated by the loss of my forum this past week. That is a sad reflection on me, I think.

Pioneer Day 2017

Pioneer Day in Utah is a lot more fun than Pioneer Day in other states we have lived. Mark was excited all day for the fireworks. His excitement translated into some entertaining conversation topics and extra energy to push the cart around Costco. I felt especially bothered by Costco yesterday. I could not get out of there fast enough. Does this ever happen to you? Daniel worked on the Cooking Merit Badge until he almost passed out from standing so long and maybe locking his knees. I think it may have had to do with handling raw meat, too. Note to self: cooking is a bigger service than you know. Mark made dinner, a nice ham quiche, while Daniel and I worked on dinners to freeze for an upcoming Yellowstone trip. In the evening, Paige and I drove the boys and Richard around the neighborhood in the truck, collecting the Scout flags that were displayed for the holiday. Later, we shared our sparklers with our little neighbors. “Can I have another sparkler, please?” little Andy kept asking. Thankfully, we had about a zillion of them to give. We have some serious fireworks enthusiasts on the street next to ours which we benefit from, so we have never bought aerial fireworks. This year, the favorite Ross-level firework was the “Cracker Barrel,” a tiny firework that just kept going.

Today I am working on my family reunion assignments, Church stuff, and the mudroom. But first, I sit in the trailer with the heater on as it dries out the rain that came through a zipper. This is why you are getting a post about minutiae.

What a Week

There were uncomplicated, lovely times last week: a Relief Society garden party in Charlene’s gorgeous backyard, my nieces’ puppet booth, and a good date night. There was an unplanned trip to a joke shop and a small town drive-in with Timothy and Mark, where they said the food was the best they had ever had. Daniel went on a backpacking trip with a friend, which felt like a milestone because he has never done something like this without adults. He came home covered in bug bites (not mosquito), but had a great view of the valley.

It was a week of work for body, mind, and heart. There was the satisfaction of finishing a quilt top and removing bags of unneeded things from the house and cleaning up a flower bed in the backyard. I prepared several messages for my Church calling, only to realize that the simplest one was best. I felt deep concern for some friends, and molded it into prayer. In return, I feel heard, and more like the person I should be: more connected with God and my neighbors.

This upcoming week peers around the corner, and I see glimpses of what can be, and I smile.

Thankful

A phrase from a scripture really captured my thoughts recently, “when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God…” (Alma 37:37)

I have been working to show more gratitude in my morning prayers, and not just dump my list of concerns and requests. I like what it does for the day to begin with more gratitude.

Here are some things I am thankful for today:

everyone home safely from camps
children who do not complain
roses blooming
the fragrant summer rainstorm last night
a favorite new music album
lemon bars
my white kitchen
a new sewing machine
my dad’s 50th anniversary of being baptized last week
opportunities to serve
beautiful views of mountains
summer evenings outside
good neighbors
trees that make a rushing sound in the wind
strength to run errands
the boys’ friends
Paige playing, “Girl with the Flaxen Hair”
Timothy playing, “If You could Hie to Kolob”
Mark playing all of his jaunty pieces
Daniel’s stellar piano arrangements
family is eating all the food I prepare
strength of the women in my neighborhood
things I am learning in personal study
things I am learning from interacting with many people
things I am learning from my mistakes
the Book of Mormon
Richard.

Allow him

I think I can say that I am an expert on our son Mark, and this week he was different. He is used to being home alone without friends, so when he started to show frustration that he couldn’t get in touch with one of his friends, I was a little baffled. Over a few days, he kept asking me to contact his friend’s mother after his efforts to make noise and peer through the fence didn’t work to get his friend’s attention.

On Wednesday, the day before his Scout camp, Mark was especially lonely for this friend, but we couldn’t reach him. I took him out into the garden with me and we worked together. I looked at Lego sets with him online. I told him to clean his room (my answer for boredom). Eventually, the back gate opened and they were together at last.

That day they talked a lot about Scout camp and Mark talked his friend into going. “I had him at guns, Mom.” (There are rifles at Scout camp.)

I didn’t want to destroy his hopes, but I knew there were some hurdles to getting this boy to Scout camp the next morning. I tried to explain to Mark that it was up to the boy’s parents to get him ready, and there was a lot to do. I told him there might be trouble getting all the forms filled out, and the camp might not let him go at the last minute. This time, it was Mark’s turn to be baffled at me. He was sure his friend was going to Scout camp.

Mark was right, and the love he showed his friend was the key to getting him there. This sweet friend is a Church member, but doesn’t feel comfortable among the kids at church. Mark misses his friend on Sundays.

I realized that Mark’s discomfort all week was probably the Spirit prompting him to act. My attempts to divert his attention and dampen his enthusiasm didn’t make his job any easier. As I read a text of gratitude from the boy’s mother, what had begun for me as cautious encouragement for Mark turned to open admiration for his courage. Next time, I hope I will do more to allow him to follow the promptings he feels from the Holy Ghost.

It seems strange now, but I had spent some time this week worrying about sending Mark to camp. As he stepped out of the car when I dropped him off, I saw Mark’s confidence and maturity as he went straight to his friend to welcome him. There is strength and perception and power in our eleven-year-old. Trust me, I know because I’m a Mark expert.

I forgot about these

My quilt group made these blocks about 18 months ago and exchanged them with one another. I made the ones with the smiles. I was busy and put them away and forgot about them. It’s definitely time to sew them together and make this quilt! I plan to ask my sisters and mom to help me hand quilt around the figures during our family reunion. I’m bossy like that.

Vamp

In the score of a musical, there are measures marked “vamp,” and you repeat these simple measures over and over as the actors do their lines before jumping into song. Some nights the actors take a little longer with their lines, and there will be more repetition. If you want an example of what I am talking about, listen to “Tradition” from Fiddler on the Roof on YouTube. As Tevye speaks, the orchestra vamps.

This week I am between numbers, just vamping: sleep, pray, eat, work, sleep, pray, eat work. Richard is at Scout camp, and I’m a little aimless, except for my goal to pick up all the pieces. I find myself free to clean out drawers and organize files. Clutter, beware. I can’t vamp forever, with a family reunion and a trip to Yellowstone coming up, but the simple beat of sorting through our home will make the transitions easier.

It’s just good to know where the socks are. It’s good to refill the empty sugar and flour containers, and discard old plastic cups that have taken over the kitchen drawer. Somehow in all the sorting, I find myself again. I get so lost when we are away from home.