Letters from Home – Page 55 – A blog by Angela Ross

Rhythm, melody, and harmony

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I have definitely felt a low after coming down from so many high-impact events this summer. I think this is pretty normal, kind of like the days after Christmas. I have retreated from extra events, and count, stitch, and pull strands of thread to reestablish some order in my mind. I have just needed to be still.

I stepped away from reading for a while, but this week, I finally finished a book that I started in early July. It was called The Worst Hard Time 😂, and maybe you can see better than I could that this was not a great reading choice for me this summer.

We are still trying to establish some footing in our new schedule for the school year, but we are getting there. It feels like layering, one piece at a time. Eventually, we’ll find our rhythm, melody, and harmony again.

summation

I am maintaining my goal to work on temple and family history work for a short time each week. One project this month is to go through old mail and cards that I have kept throughout my life. I am letting go of a lot of it. For scale, I would say I have one banker’s box left, and still plan to say goodbye to much more.

I haven’t been reading every letter, just sorting them by sender. Even without reading, I am amazed at what I learn about my grandmothers as I do this. I thought that I had already gathered their writing, but I have found so much more. Perhaps I am coming to know them better after they are gone, when the sum of their words and kindness are laid bare on the sorting table. I always knew they were good to me, but seeing their words from every stage of my life is an incredible gift.

I visualize my Grandma Ruth standing in the grocery store next to the greeting cards, finding just the words and images she wanted to convey. I picture my Grandma Stewart at her writing desk, penning her brief notes, often ending with “Take care–,” which of course meant, “I love you.” I see them, clearly in my mind, and know they are still with me.

Goodbye, Tree

We are losing a tree this week, one of our tall Cottonwoods, and for some reason I didn’t take a hundred photos of it while it was alive. I took a moment last night before the carnage began to look up through its empty branches into the sky in gratitude.

Cottonwood trees sound like a canyon stream as the wind blows through their leaves. They have kept our yard cool and full of shade in the mornings, and given us privacy from neighbors. We have three Cottonwoods, and these trees were one of the things that drew us to this house, as their presence felt kind of sacred. We traveled hundreds of miles to see the Redwood trees one year, and the stillness and permanence of those forests made an impression on me. The blessed realization is that we have a similar feeling in our own backyard. It is a good thing to have tall trees and some wilderness space. I will miss our middle tree!

Sister leaders

There were so many surprises awaiting me when I was called to be a stake Primary president. Actually, everything was a surprise. I didn’t know anything a stake Primary president was supposed to do. (Someone told me that my job was to show up and look pretty… Um, no, but I do find myself smiling a lot.)

I didn’t know how much I would be working with bishops and their counselors.

I didn’t know that high councilors would become my friends.

I didn’t know that in addition to my presidency, I would grow close to the stake Relief Society and stake Young Women presidents. (Pictured above.)

I didn’t know that the stake presidency would take so much time to listen to the concerns and ideas of sister leaders.

I didn’t know how often I would be called upon to speak to different congregations, sometimes with very short notice.

I didn’t realize how much I would admire the ward Primary presidents and see their strengths so clearly. I didn’t know that I would be praying for so many children and parents.

On Sunday, the stake Relief Society presidency was released and a new set of sisters was called. I will miss sitting with Molly in stake council meetings and on the stand during stake conferences. She served in her calling while I was a ward Relief Society president, so she has been a kind of mentor to me for 7 years.

I never pictured myself in this leadership role. I don’t see myself as a Primary leader type, but the more I let go of my ideas, my limiting thoughts, and my personal script, the more I grow.

11th Grade

Mark’s junior year will bring less time at the high school, more time at home doing online classes, a new piano teacher, and longer hours at the piano. He has a calling to serve the special needs youth in the area as a counselor/companion/ “buddy” to someone during weekly church activities. It is a very different formula than we could have predicted for his school year, but we will trust the Lord.

Mark’s screen print T-shirt collection from his travels is refreshed, his maroon shoes match his school colors, and he remembered to get a photo before he left for school.

Richard gave Mark a priesthood blessing last night and I “covered him in prayer” this morning. Let’s go!

Yellowstone 2022

Our family story is punctuated by late summer adventures, year after year. Summer 2022 was important, so we ended it big. Seven of us traveled to Yellowstone in my brother’s 10-passenger van. We stopped short of ordering matching T-shirts, but we were pretty much a tour bus with people that poured out of the doors at each stop.

My heart dwells in so many memories of Yellowstone. But this time, I was a mother of adults and a junior in high school, which is a very different experience.

summertime snaps

We are in the final week of summer break. This morning I took some time to look over some snapshots and screenshots from the last few months, and chose a few to share. These are some of people and places I want to remember. Two really good friends passed away. We have been really focused on wedding preparations. Mark was gone a lot, and his social connections got stronger. Richard worked from home. I lived my own version of The Secret Garden, increasing my strength. We planted a lot of flowers, and I am especially proud of reclaiming my favorite corner of the yard, the one that feels like a forest. We sat beneath outdoor lights on many nights. Paige and Michael were especially helpful hanging the lights. Tim made it to Guam. We said goodbye to friends who are going on a mission. Lots of lasts and firsts this summer. This means growth.

Thou crownest the year with the goodness.
Psalm 65:11

Sara and Christopher

Sara and Christopher’s reception completes our summer as a wedding reception venue. I don’t have many photos, but it was a lovely evening. I love celebrating events and milestones at our house.

Besides the happy couple, my favorite memory is the cousins from Shari, Richard, and Rebecca’s families laughing and joking together in our kitchen as we packed up lots and lots of marbles and flowers. Little things.

Open House for Daniel and McKenna

This is what we have to show for our family’s efforts this summer, a party full of lights and people, a celebration for Daniel and McKenna.

So many people helped us, and I have kept a record of the tender mercies that got us to this day.

watching a flight

We changed the flag in front of our house as our missionary flew from Vancouver to his original mission assignment in Guam this week. It is a time of competing feelings, and we are thankful for the kindness of so many people in Vancouver, and look forward to hearing about Tim’s mission experiences in Guam.

Because of an email error, when Daniel arrived at his mission, I didn’t hear from him for a week. I just wanted to know he had arrived safely.

This time, Google automatically added Tim’s itinerary to my calendar, so I had updates on my phone for the 27 hours he traveled. I could also check the progress of the flights on a website. Don’t judge me, I was desperate for news last time. I didn’t want the same story this time.

It is a tender mercy just to know.