My sisters, mom, and I planned to go to an outdoor concert together, but one by one, people had to drop out. It morphed into a Ross family plus one occasion. The performer said this was the first time in a year and a half that she was able to sing for people. She was pretty emotional about it. We were surrounded by 3500 people on a hillside at Deer Valley and it felt good to be there.
Daniel recommended this game to us, so we tried it with a few friends last night. It’s a series of questions to inspire conversation and connection. We laughed and had fun and talked about important things. I recommend it. It is mostly a talking game, but I will tell you that music was a big part of it, and we came away with a few choice drawings.
We’re Not Really Strangers is the name of this game and we played it with people we know well. Daniel first played it with people he hardly knew at all. Both groups had fun.
Today I am setting the table with two extra places for missionaries to have dinner inside our home. They haven’t been allowed inside for dinners until recently. I feel very happy that we can entertain them, and I was so excited, I prepared dinner early. I definitely have a soft spot for missionaries and their message.
I believe we’re here to figure out how to live a life filled with miracles (Alma 37:41) and joy (2 Nephi 2:25). I believe that our journeys of faith are perfectly designed, including the people we meet and the people who teach us. I believe that Jesus Christ helps us live, breathe, find peace, summon faith, find forgiveness, grow, become whole, and come home again. I am thankful for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, but most of all, I am thankful for Jesus.
It is our duty for the Sanchez family reunion (later this month) to teach how to shoot a slingshot. I know what you are thinking: How can I be a part of this reunion?
There’s just a random collection of things to share this week.
Reading: Simple Justice by Richard Kluger (history about Brown v. Board of Education) and Miss Buncle novels (fun)
Eating: corn on the cob and every fruit
Thinking about: my next writing project (Which project do I choose? How long will I spend each day working on it? Who is my audience? How will I find the solitude to do it?)
Looking back over the month of June: We got through all the doctor checkup appointments and wisdom teeth extractions. I hiked more than I have in years. We finished and ordered 50 copies of my dad’s book.
Watching: a broad variety of things, mostly with Mark, who is also a cinephile. If you like biography, the Garth Brooks documentary on Netflix was interesting and inspiring. For kids, we liked Luca and The Mysterious Benedict Society on Disney+. Richard and I enjoyed The Terminal with Tom Hanks.
Listening to: Elmer Bernstein’s To Kill a Mockingbird soundtrack; Josh Groban (His duet, Both Sides Now, with Sara Bareilles is really good, but it’s impossible for me to sing along); silence.
Relieved about: the dogs behind our house are gone.
Wondering: if this blog is worth anyone’s time.
Inspired by: the people of Ammon in the Book of Mormon (Alma 26; 27:10, 29-30) What acts of courage are required of me? Also, Doctrine and Covenants 67 is a beautiful formula and foundation for staying true to the faith: trust the Creator, don’t focus on flaws of leaders, don’t fear, don’t be prideful and jealous. God will reveal himself to you as you are humble. Continue in patience.
This is literally all I can find to show for this fun weekend reunion with 35 people. Maybe our kids have some photos. I’ll let you know.
It’s been a personal project for several years to write fewer things on my TO DO list. I don’t want to be at the mercy of my plans. I want to be focused, but flexible.
I began simplifying so I could be more present with my family. As I look back on a couple years of efforts to simplify, I see it has sometimes been a struggle. At times, I resented that it was my own fault that I was too busy. Wasn’t I supposed to be achieving and stretching? I felt sorry for myself when I didn’t allow more check marks to prove my value. I feared that I was limiting myself. It is so ingrained in our culture to be busy that I felt like I was choosing to be lazy. I didn’t trust that I was still “anxiously engaged in a good cause” if I was free in the evenings, available to talk or watch a show.
Over time, I began to see that clear space in the day is essential. This is the creative space, the spontaneous, fun space, the space for connection. I have noticed that I am producing as much as I ever did, and I’m still making steady progress towards larger goals. The big difference is that I am less weary, distracted, and fragile.
So, for the past few years, I haven’t let myself fill every line in the day planner. The idea is to have empty lines and white space on the page.
I like to choose a monthly focus and a few weekly goals. I choose a focus of the month to remind myself that I don’t need to think about everything all the time. This month, the focus is Health. Next month, the focus is Celebrations. Sometimes there isn’t a neat focus word for the month but I write down a word or two to help me see where I am headed. It helps!
Last week’s reading assignment in the Doctrine and Covenants had a line that stood out to me, “Seek not to be cumbered.” (Doctrine and Covenants 66:10; See also Luke 10:40.) To me this means don’t try to fill life so full, even with good things, that I can’t enjoy the best things. I think it also means adjusting my attitude about the things I must do. Sometimes the most cumbersome thing I deal with is my own terrible attitude. I believe no matter your season of life, your personality, or challenges, that “seek not to be cumbered” is a really good idea.
I love creating and hosting celebrations. I enjoy thinking about what my guests like to eat and what is important to them. How can I make them feel special? I spent a lot of time during the pandemic looking at beautiful place settings and menus. We kept our tradition of gathering on Sundays with our kids when they could make it, but we haven’t had a larger dinner party for a long time. Today we invited my parents to join us for a Father’s Day dinner.
A few weeks ago we started a Sunday dinner journal. Each week we ask a question and I write down everyone’s responses. Questions are usually about gratitude, such as, “What is something nice that someone has done for you?” Everyone gets an opportunity to share as long or as short an answer as they like. Today we talked about things our fathers have taught us. I loved it. I think it will be sweet to go back and read these notes of our dinner conversations someday.
Summer goes by so quickly!
