My friend sent me this photo on the last day of Trek. He’s home!
Daniel on Pioneer Trek
Daniel is off to Pioneer Trek this morning. If you see me with a distant look this week it’s because my thoughts are in Wyoming as I weave a long prayer for safety and strength for these kids. Or it’s because I’m choosing not to think and not to worry. This sendoff is a hard one for me. I try to send the kids off for adventures because it’s the right thing to do. I have raised our kids in a world that looks down on parents who let their kids out of their sight. It’s hard not to be affected by that paranoia. Plus I had heat stroke when I went on trek 3 years ago and I don’t want that for anyone.
I’m convinced that worry is the opposite of what God wants us to do with our thoughts. So this week it’s prayer and work and zoning out, but not worry for me. Because even in my worst experiences in life, I have been lifted. Daniel will be lifted, too.
Girls Camp 2015
We held Girls Camp at my parents’ property in Spring Lake. I think the girls had a good experience. I know that I did.
Escape
We made our escape to the cabin on the Smith and Morehouse river for twenty-four hours to inaugurate summer. Somehow almost all I did was sleep in the warm sun coming through the windows of the porch bed, my book open but unread, my doll ready to sew, but untouched. We took a hike Monday morning up the mountain. Later I took a stroll down the tree covered lane to the family cabin and felt my memories whispering inside of me. I felt an ache for family members who are gone and a sadness that the flowers continue to bloom without them. The summers of my childhood played again in my mind as I moved among the trees and flowers at the ranch. As the breeze brushed past, so did the memories; the feelings they invoked so tangible that they tugged my heart until it hurt. Glorious stuff.
Our plans this summer allow for a lot more time in the woods, plus some time jumping in the waves. My computer is not working and I type this post with my thumbs and forefingers on my phone. I am taking it as a sign that I should take a break from the blog for a while. I go through times when I feel foolish for needing to write an insignificant blog. I’m having one of those times. Plus, the clutter in my house needs some attention. Does anyone want about 1/3 of our stuff?
I hope you know that I appreciate you stopping by. Thank you!
-A
Paige’s Graduation
Quiet Paige is Formidable
As Paige is graduating this week, I thought I’d share one of my essays about her from my memoir project.
Quiet Paige is Formidable
When Paige was four or five years old, she was part of a class of children in church with two darling teachers, Katrina Kuriplach and Lisa Stott. One day during the lesson the children were challenged to pick up a penny without using their thumbs. This task was designed to be impossible, perhaps to point out the amazing design of our bodies. Children took turns coming to the front of the room and tried to pick up the penny with only their fingers, but each failed. Quiet, hesitant Paige surprised them all when she walked up to the penny, brushed it off the book without using her thumbs, and caught it with her other hand when it fell.
When Paige was three, she dressed up for Halloween as Mary Poppins. Our neighbors’ daughter Kaitlyn was her best friend. We went trick-or-treating together as families and watched our little girls run ahead of us to the next house. Kaitlyn’s mother took the opportunity to tell me that Kaitlyn had tried to get Paige to dress in a coordinating costume. Kaitlyn was a blue dog, and she wanted Paige to be the pink dog. (Blue and Magenta from the show, Blues Clues) However, Kaitlyn’s mother said that Paige would have nothing to do with the idea. “Paige is independent and strong-willed,” she told me. I had worried that Paige’s silent nature might mean a life of getting pushed around by others, and this was a welcome insight!
I have learned from having a quiet child and being quiet myself that it’s possible to have strength, resilience, and ingenuity while being quiet. It is an important day when someone will acknowledge that.
At age eight when Paige was interviewed by our bishop for baptism, I received a call from the bishop telling me that he had been impressed by Paige’s answers to his questions about the gospel. He told me that it was a “Charlie Brown” moment in his life. He had become the adult whose words were muddled and unimportant as Paige’s clear and profound answers became the focus and highlight of the conversation. Many years later when we were living in Arizona, this bishop wrote to me,
Paige remains the most amazing baptism interview of my Bishop career…she left an indelible impression of goodness and purpose… Her light reflects her intrinsic beauty, value and a maturity far beyond her mortal years… Her understanding of and her insight into our Father’s Plan of Happiness leaves her untroubled with the ‘Do’s and Don’t’s’ of the commandments… While I may no longer recognize her in a crowd, I will love her forever.
Bell Canyon Reservoir
Daniel was in charge of the family home evening lesson last night and he decided to take us on a hike. We have this great trail 5 minutes from our house that leads to a reservoir and waterfall. It was so green and the hillside was covered in flowers. The boys threw about 2,000 rocks in the lake and we enjoyed the views of the valley from the trail. I loved it.
Seminary graduate
Paige graduated from seminary this weekend. She was asked to play a piano solo and she did a beautiful job. She began her seminary journey in Arizona in early morning classes and ended it in a huge high school seminary in the Salt Lake Valley.
Art show and retrospective
Paige has been gracious to let me post these.
We have a winner in the school election at our house! It will be a good thing for Timothy to serve his school next year. He is smart, dependable, and precise. He’s tall, handsome, and adventurous. His best friend returned from his year-long trip around the world, so happy days are here for Tim this summer.
Daniel took off this year in many new directions, from student government to robotics, becoming a fan of English grammar exercises and hosting the first teen parties at our house. Daniel is a good driver, a great friend, and people can count on him to get things done, even if it’s moving 2,000 pounds of Mason jars 6 times for Prom. 🙂
Mark delights me with the things he says. Sometimes brutally honest, always insightful, and very often funny, conversations with him have been a joy. He’s grown so much, his legs no longer having the soft lines of childhood, but the long bones and prominent knees of an older boy. His permanent teeth have grown in this year, and the whistle in his speech is disappearing.
We attended Paige’s senior awards night this week. She was honored for having a 4.0 cumulative GPA and received a scholarship and other awards. Because of our unconventional choice to home school, Paige needed to make up a year’s worth of high school credit if she wished to graduate. Colleges are great about accepting home school students, whether they graduate or not, but she decided to go for the diploma. She did 4 years of high school work in 3 years, 95% of the makeup work being done during her senior year. She has a summer job and is off to BYU in the fall. It’s a time of celebration for Paige this week. We are so very proud of her.
Band concert
Timothy is a member of the school jazz band and beginning band. When he stood up to play an improv solo I felt a flutter of nervousness for him. Silly me, he was fine. Richard’s parents were in town and saw the concert, too. How nice.
Mr. Vought, the middle school band and orchestra teacher whom we love is leaving to work at a high school next year. We are so sad to lose him. He made middle school more bearable. Our boys called him a favorite. Now I know why people write sentimental songs about band leaders. Maybe I need to go listen to some.