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.

Happy 21st


Master Copy

In 21 years, Paige has brought so much goodness and grace to this planet. And whimsical art. And beautiful dancing, expressive piano playing, and all the good things ever.

(Sorry for cell phone quality pictures and shadows on her artwork.)

Happy birthday, Paige! We love you.

Middle School

Mark had an exciting day yesterday.

He got his middle school schedule. His trumpet arrived. He walked the halls of the middle school with his friend Adam. I helped them find their classrooms and lockers, pointing out landmarks and reminding them which floor they were on, then I stepped back and allowed them to figure things out on their own. By the end, I was no longer walking with them. They grew confident in that hour.

Overheard as I walked the halls with them:

“It’s a relief to know I couldn’t actually fit in this locker if someone tried to stuff me in.”

“This is actually not as intense as I thought it would be,” as they looked at a display in a classroom.

Mark played his first notes on the trumpet. “That sounded beautiful,” said Adam. “Yep, it did,” replied Mark. “No regrets.”

Robotic Ribbon Cutter

Daniel’s robotics team is at the Utah State Capitol building today for a ribbon cutting ceremony for a traveling STEM program bus. Their robot is cutting the ribbon. The mechanism is his design. I won’t be able to attend the event, but I am enjoying the little videos he shared with me.

 

At the Pulpit

This book from the Church Historian’s Press addresses the dilemma that we face as we try to understand the role of women in Church history.  It allows women speak for themselves, and they trample stereotypes and popular assumptions of who Mormon women are. Their words and their lives are inspiring to me.

I have learned something from each woman in this volume, but these are a few favorite discourses:

The School of Experience by Mattie Horne Tingey, May 19, 1893 (World’s Congress of Representative Women address about motherhood, including doctrine of a Heavenly Mother)

The Religious Crisis of Today by Elsie Talmage Brandley, June 9, 1934 (Dealing with doubts; encouraging questions in the youth; being willing to grow)

My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is Light by Alice C. Smith, Oct 1, 1969 (The most beautiful message about visiting teaching I have ever read.)

Latter-Day Saint Women in Today’s Changing World by Belle S. Spafford, February 11, 1975 (I loved this because I was amazed at her understanding of women’s issues and Church history. She teaches that the Prophet Joseph turned the key for emancipation of all women.)

A Latter-day Saint Theology of Suffering by Francine R Bennion, March 28, 1986 (How we understand the sources and purpose of suffering in this life matters.)

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

Photo by Heather
Photo by Jaussis

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.