Life according to Angela – Page 89

8 years ago

Eight years ago my dad and mom began their missionary journey. They were asked to come to the Church office building in Salt Lake City for several interviews before being called as a mission president and companion and there was a lot of training which began 6 months before they went to the missionary training center. My mom learned Spanish. My dad revisited his Spanish speaking skills. He shaved his mustache.

They moved out of their home and said goodbye to the grandchildren. It was a big deal in our family to see this happen.

They served for 3 years in the California San Bernardino mission. My mom taught, cooked, entertained, cooked, taught, loved, and spent a lot of time on the phone dealing with the health issues of their missionaries while my dad presided over the mission. There isn’t time to list all the things a mission president does for the missionaries, the people who are being taught by the missionaries, the members, and the community. I saw both my parents shine as they did the work. It was a busy, busy time.

Just a few months after they came home they were called to serve in the Provo Missionary Training Center. My dad served in branch presidencies and as a Branch President for Spanish speaking missionaries. This meant they would be at the MTC usually 2 nights a week and all day on Sundays. It meant my dad would read and respond to letters from his missionaries on another evening each week. My family was able to attend a sacrament meeting at the MTC on Christmas Day a few years ago. The missionaries spoke Spanish at whatever level they could. I saw how they loved my parents and how parents loved them. My dad has a great zeal for the gospel and my mom has a quiet wisdom that the missionaries love.

They were released on Sunday morning, which means that their service was accepted and they are no longer serving as missionaries. My heart broke a little bit for them, especially my dad. I am so proud of my parents. It’s been a marathon… an 8-year marathon, and they have touched so many lives.

Lessons I am Learning

1-1975 deer hunt 2 — My dad took this picture in 1975.

I’m still living with pain. I’m not going to share details, but I want to share what these weeks have taught me.

1. I am a hopeful person. I keep telling myself that tomorrow will be a better day, and that seems to help. Hope is powerful.

2. Pain makes me become so self-centered and it’s an awful feeling. One day this week someone called and asked me to help them with some sewing. I was so grateful for the relief from thinking about myself! Providing service is a blessing, even (and especially) for those who have troubles of their own.

3. There are people to help me. I have decided to be more proactive and seek help from a specialist, if necessary. When I showed up for some lab work, my Relief Society President was working there and helped me, and that was a tender mercy to help me to feel encouraged and understood.

4. Our lives and our bodies are a gift, no matter what we are feeling. I am grateful for shadow and light, pain and comfort, joy, and a little sorrow because every season can reveal God’s hand in my life.

Timothy’s Summer Job

Timothy earned some extra money this summer because he got a job mowing a neighbor’s lawn. He has been faithful and hard-working. I know it was a challenging thing for him to do, but he didn’t act like it was.

Timothy is a saver. He decides what he wants and takes the time to save for it. He bought a Lego set last week that he’s been working for all summer. After he built it, we decided it was terribly overpriced. I almost want to write a letter to Lego. Their profit margin is over 30% and when I think of all the hours and labor that this boy gave for that disappointing set, I am a little frustrated. Timothy is happy, but I think he has learned to be a little more cautious.

Happenings

1-DSC_2292 — Just a smattering of thoughts today, readers.

1-DSC_2290 — These super hero prints were a gift to the kids from the artist, Josh Talbot. We bought my new violin from his wife.

1-DSC_2295 — I love pumpkins, and pumpkins from a friend are especially nice.

1-DSC_2291 — Photo is from Halloween 2006

There are fewer costumes to get ready for Halloween this year. When I think back to the years when we coordinated costumes for the kids, I feel thankful that we made those memories. Super Heroes, The Wizard of Oz, and Star Wars were my favorite themes. I spent a little time sewing Halloween bunting over the fall break. Mark has been my helper to decorate the house. One day he spent an hour wrapping little skeletons in t.p. so they would look like mummies. He emphasized to me that the mummies are NOT for the house, but special for his room. Mark and I found this to be a mutually agreeable use for the mummies.

1-IMG_20141017_174447 — Mark told us that he didn’t need help with his tie. Okay.

The kids had a piano recital this weekend. Paige played the Mendelssohn Concerto in g minor op. 25, 1st movement. Daniel played Maple Leaf Rag by Joplin and a nice contemporary concerto called Concerto Bravo by Olsen. Timothy played Bach’s Solfeggietto and a piece called Frenzy. Mark surprised us again with very expressive dynamics in Spy Bot (He’s a real showman!) and amazed us with his speed at playing Cinnamon Popcorn. The older kids who played concertos were accompanied by their teacher, who spent a lot of extra time working with them on their pieces. She’s in the photo with the kids.

1-DSC_2297 — Mark’s measurement robot. I can’t tell you how many times this robot comes to my mind when I am working in the kitchen.

Home school with Mark is comfortable, sweet, and a joy. I’m savoring the time with him. Our studies follow a familiar path through ancient history, math facts, science, and writing. With each child, however, there is zeal for different favorite subjects and I enjoy seeing Mark’s personality and strengths emerge as we work on projects. Mark is good company, and we have the best conversations, and by that I mean we talk through a depth and breadth of his thoughts about super heroes, Star Wars, planets, Calvin and Hobbes, and Harry Potter. I write down some of the things he says as a keepsake of this time together.

On another front…

I find sharing my faith on Facebook to be very tricky. I admire people who can share concise, genuine statements about their testimonies. One thing I am thinking about is how to convey my testimony more effectively (online, among friends) without sounding like a Puritan or shaking so much in my boots. I posted the following paragraph on Facebook, but didn’t get any “LIKES” from my friends of other faiths. Does this mean I sounded like a Puritan to them? Who knows.

The LDS missionaries in our area needed some teaching practice so they picked our family. I loved how they taught and shared their love for the gospel of Jesus Christ. I wish I had invited someone to join us. Next time you see the missionaries, consider listening to their message with an open heart and mind. It will make your day. Their message is the most important part of my life.

Do you have thoughts about sharing your faith online?

I write this as the missionaries sit outside with Richard at a correlation meeting. They are around our house a lot. I am NEVER prepared when they come. One day I walked into the kitchen after showering, looking for a hair brush in my purse. It wasn’t until I had loaded the dishwasher while sporting wet, messy hair that I noticed that the missionaries were in the next room watching me make a fool of myself. Today they have to sit outside because every living area in the house is full of toys and friends. I just never know when they are going to show up.

This is probably one reason people respond well to online missionary work. I just need to learn how to do it better. Really, do you have suggestions?

Not getting through the list

I make TO DO lists because if I don’t, I’ll forget something, such as a ballet recital (I’ve done this), Scout workshop, or that we’ve run out of frozen corn. My lists allow me to be prepared and achieve goals. However, lately I can’t get through my lists. They are too long and there are so many directions we are being pulled.

One night last week I lay in bed and began going over the unfinished things on my lists. We are involved in baseball, piano, orchestra, band, two musicals, school, home school, scouts, shed and fence building, rewiring part of the house, and teaching violin. The errands and time associated with these activities are significant. Church, school, and music are the priorities these days, so most of my ignored tasks involved housework. The cluttered corners of the house seemed to project themselves before my mind and taunt me. Then I decided to stop the nonsense be kind to myself.

I reflected on the things I HAD done. I was glad that I had spent time with each family member, made dinner, and learned something. I thought of the progress I had made (small) on a personal goal. I closed my eyes and went to sleep peacefully. My unfinished projects could wait for a later time.

I have learned that season changes affect my energy levels. The summer-autumn change is most significant for me. I slow down and often have a few health issues emerge because the adrenaline of summer activities is gone. This season change has been no different. I am struggling with some pain (nothing to worry about), but being gentle with myself when things on my list get pushed to another day.

40 Most Influential People

00baca76aa21b704983b5ff7c1b64a48 — Image from Etsy by Janet Hill

I turn 40 in less than a month. I threw myself a birthday party when I turned 30 and invited everyone in town. I wanted to do the same thing for my 40th. I’ve juggled all kinds of fabulous plans. Then I saw a photograph of some of my friends dressed in 1940’s costumes at an outdoor party with twinkle lights and movie posters from the 40’s. Yes, someone had come up with the perfect 40th birthday party in my neighborhood, just 2 months before my own. I haven’t had the heart to think about other ideas since.

This week I decided that I will celebrate my 40th birthday by writing letters over the next few weeks to 40 of the most influential people in my life. I am writing this on my blog so I will be accountable. I haven’t decided if I will publish my list, but I’ve begun writing. I think it’s the best celebration I could come up with, even though it doesn’t include costumes and big band music.

A Reunion of Friends

I joined some of our friends from our early years in Texas for lunch this weekend. (Richard couldn’t come because he was on the elk hunt with his dad.) Our oldest children were babies together, and now they are all grown up. We became friends at an exciting time in our lives, far from our home states. These and other couples became our family.

My Grandma Stewart encouraged me to find friends during our newlywed years. She and Grandpa made lasting friendships during their early years of marriage. Richard and I have moved around quite a bit so our friendships have not been so constant as my grandmother’s. However, gathering together on Saturday, I can see why I called them friends all those years ago and that we really haven’t changed much. There are lots of sweet memories. We share a common history and that is not easily forgotten. It’s only when we talk about our children dating, driving, and going to college that we begin to feel our age.

O Magnum Mysterium and an Old Friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKGBuwISjCg

(Play this while you read this post.)

I had a pen pal for a couple of years in high school. I met Karl at a music camp and he played the trombone. I can’t remember details about our meeting or what started our conversation that lasted so many years. He lived in Washington and we saw each other at summer music camps and during a few visits he made to family in the area. There were long walks and sad goodbyes, one at a train station where his sister placed coins on the tracks for a keepsake to give to me. The bulk of our friendship was built with ink, paper and stamps. We wrote long letters, but eventually I stopped writing. He came to BYU and we met several times during our years there.

Karl is an accomplished musician and has been a member of the President’s Own Marine Band for 14 years. The band came on tour to our high school last week and I was able to talk to him for a while during intermission. This is the song they played right after we talked, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the bright light I felt about my youth and this friendship I made through music. I am grateful for this friend who was a real gentleman to me.

I hope my children find (and be) good and decent people like this to fill their memories in their high school years. No one seems to write letters anymore, which is a shame. Some of my favorite relationships have been held together by writing.

Do you want to see a picture?

1-Karl Johnson — Richard surprised me and took this picture after I left the concert. Thankfully he had Daniel pose beside Karl because that would just be awkward to see a selfie of my husband and my old high school crush posing together. 😀

The Homecoming Dance and Dress

I went out of town for the weekend to visit my grandmother and I missed seeing Paige’s homecoming date. Richard took pictures for me. The dress looks so much pinker in natural light. In the store and in the house, it is a lot more muted in tone.

Paige and I found the dress on a clearance rack after shopping at 10 stores. It was only 12 or 14 sizes too big and it lacked sleeves, but it was the right length and the beads were gorgeous!

It had pockets, too, and I knew we could make some cap sleeves with these.

It was a very nice dress and fully lined, which meant I had a lot of reconstruction and hand sewing to do. The finished dress had about 8 inches less fabric around the waist and the cap sleeves went on very easily, thanks to an online tutorial. I watched episodes of The Paradise while I hand stitched the lining back into place. I probably ate chocolate while doing all of this, so really, it was pretty fun, although time consuming.

Daniel’s Day

Daniel joined our family in the early evening, a perfect baby after a difficult pregnancy which included major abdominal surgery. I was ecstatic that my little Daniel had made it through the lion’s den of my health issues. Prayer, faith, and a priesthood blessing were important elements in that miracle. (You can read about that here.)

He has always been resilient and strong. It’s a blessing that I don’t have much to worry about with Daniel. His independence, height, resourcefulness, and encyclopedic memory set him apart. He is great company in the car because he always has something interesting on his mind. You could come and hear him play a piano concerto on October 17th if you are in town.

Today we celebrate with homemade pizza, cheesecake, and presents, but the best celebrations are in my heart for a son who constantly amazes me. How thankful we are for Daniel.