We went camping with several families in the Escalante area over Spring Break. We had adventures, saw beautiful views, had a midnight tow for our truck from a remote location, laughed with friends, danced, went kayaking, hiking, and exploring. The slot canyons we visited and the falls at Calf Creek were spectacular. The other families were generous, fun, and great company.
Easter music has accompanied me this week in the car. I’m working through Handel’s Messiah sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir this afternoon. Today the choir at church sang two beautiful numbers. I am thankful for music at Easter time. It gives voice to what’s in my heart and helps me make this a real day of celebration.
Paige and I had an adventure this week across town and noticed that we were close to the Oquirrh Mountain temple. We had never visited this temple so we stopped by and took a picture. On the way home we drove past the Jordan River temple and looked around. The next day we stopped at the Provo temple for tradition’s sake. When I was a little girl I would ask my parents to take me home by way of the Provo temple, which wasn’t in our path home, but I never remember them saying no to my request.
The kids were out of school so we were able to go on an early birthday picnic for my mom. We gave her a tiara. If you see her today, remind her to put it on. She’s a queen and it’s her birthday.
Happy, happy day!
I have been looking forward to this week for a long time. It’s Spring Break and the kids are home with me. Hooray!
It’s also Easter week. To celebrate, each day I am focusing on something specific to be a better disciple of Christ. I’m focusing on personal religious practices, missionary efforts, and service. When I first started thinking of what I could do each day, the ideas were pretty basic, but now that I have this focus on trying to be a better disciple, I find that the day is full of unexpected and interesting opportunities and there is a spirit of adventure in the search and in the acts.
Jesus Christ really is the great liberator.
I am reading Middlemarch by George Eliot. It is taking me forever. It’s a real study in human psychology. One character named Mr. Casaubon is someone you learn to abhor, but also understand. His main problem is selfishness. He believes his personal project is a sacrifice for mankind, but really, his work serves to feed his ego. He doesn’t realize how his pride and selfishness taint his view of humanity. He misinterprets acts kindness as insults to his abilities. He is hyper-sensitive to suggestions, thinking they are criticisms. His focus on self shows the smallness of pride and the insecurity that follows. He’s such an interesting character.
Will not a tiny speck very close to our vision blot out the glory of the world, and leave only a margin by which we see the blot? I know no speck so troublesome as self.
-Middlemarch by George Eliot
We gathered at Spring Lake for the annual Easter egg hunt, hosted by my parents.
The Round House is gone, and there are only the footings of the new house in place.
The boys and Richard helped my dad haul literally a ton of rocks and remove dead wood. Paige and I helped my mom hide all of the eggs while they were thus distracted.
Timothy and Mark enjoyed working with the saw and pruners.
Mark was especially proud of his bundle of sticks and asked to make one more before we left.
Some cousins arrived and baby Ruth and Sparky hit it off almost immediately.
Sparky noticed that she needed a little face wash and he cleaned her right up.
It was such a pleasant day. We had some lunch and began the Easter egg hunt.
We spectators had a great time watching the kids find the eggs. Richard *might* also be smiling because we bought that truck in the background on Friday. It’s a nice ride.
This is a picture of Richard and me eating chocolates and watching the kids play.
This is the view of the new temple from my parents’ property. Beautiful.
We missed Sarah’s, Matt’s, and Paul’s families who couldn’t make it. We know what it’s like to miss the Annual Easter Egg hunt, but the beauty of family traditions is that there will always be next year.
(Most of these photos were taken by Paige. Thank you!)
I have decided to hang a few pictures above my desk. Here I will display a few of the life events, people, and accomplishments that are important to me. I have a photo of my college graduation, my seminary class in Texas, the Young Women in Arizona in front of the Mesa temple, our kids beside the community pond that we maintained in Arizona, a violin performance, and a few others.
I am having trouble finding a photo to represent what I am accomplishing right now.
What I do is repetitive. It involves a lot of time behind the wheel of the van. It is messy. It is either very quiet or very noisy. My life is the observation of tiny expressions, mumbled teenage words, small conversations, and lessons. It’s not on stage; I’m not posing in front of a great monument; there are no journals waiting to publish my words. But it is full. And it is good.
Mothering (our own children or others’ children) is full of minute acts. It’s creation. The world is focused on finished products. Because motherhood is creation, the work is never really finished.
I have decided to hang an empty frame on my wall to remind myself that the life I am living right now is what I came here to do, but a photo wouldn’t be able to capture the facets of it. My empty frame will remind me that THIS stuff that I am doing right now is my greatest work.
Now that I write this, rather than an empty frame, I think a small mirror could be my reminder to keep creating.
A favorite spot in our home is the kitchen in the morning when the light comes through the windows. Light coming over a mountain has a different quality than any other kind of sunrise.
This morning the light is streaming across our little tomato seedlings sitting in the window. Earlier today I noticed that their 1 1/2 inch stems were all angled toward the window. I rotated them so they curved away from the light. Already I can see them straightening up and turning the other direction toward the light.
They have it figured out. No matter what changes occur, they will seek the light. We can learn a lesson from the seedlings. We can’t afford to turn away from the Savior. Sometimes that means giving up things we love or seeing popular philosophies for what they really are: a means of turning us away from life-giving light.
As an observer and a participant in these perilous times, I don’t believe that we need more sophistication, but more simplicity. The light is predictable and strong and we simply need to turn toward the light, angling our spirits, our actions, our thoughts, and our words in line with the source. It helps to remember that there is power in that. The light is the source of energy behind those enormous redwoods and the source of energy to make delicious fruits. We need the Savior every minute, and we can’t afford to turn away from him.
We had a few cousins over on Sunday afternoon during General Conference. I took a picture of what they looked like as it began. Five minutes later, the cousins were looking for something to do.
I promise that this wasn’t my idea, but they decided they wanted to sew. They had never sewn anything before (they are in preschool and kindergarten) but they saw that Mark knew how to embroider, so they wanted to do that, too.
They embroidered little sketches I made of swords as we watched Conference.
The older brother was so excited about his sword that I framed that he decided he wanted to do another project: the Easter Bunny. And he wanted it to be pink.
Does anyone believe me that they wanted to do this? These little boys sat for an hour together, then the older brother sat for another hour, completely focused on their work. I sat with them, threading needles and saying good job. It was focused attention and I loved it.
They had a good time here, and that was a relief. I know that I am not the fun aunt or the young aunt. But yesterday, I felt like my version of an aunt was okay. I am the aunt who will untangle knots in your thread, make drawings for you, and feed you carrot sticks and lemon bars.
I’m also the aunt with the fun kids to play with. There was a mighty game of dress up clothes and battles in the basement. It was a good time, and I am glad that my brother could take his older kids to a session of Conference in the Conference Center.