HAPPY SUNDAY TO  EVERYONE!

 

   It has been a busy week for us—doctor's appointments, haircuts, ministering (I still like to call it visiting teaching), school assignments, walking Sendai, missionaries' visit, and yesterday, the Temple.  I was really happy I didn't have to write a paper this week our calendar was so full.  I have learned so many interesting things in my class this term, and I love what I am learning, but yesterday the thought came to me that maybe I am "overthinking" some of the writing assignments, and making them more difficult than they need to be - and then I get stressed.  

 

Poor Dad!  He's been a real trooper and so helpful around the house.

 Thanks, Kevin!!!  

This has been a fun week to pour over some memories of days gone by -

I was talking with Angella earlier in the week and she mentioned that one day after school she "lost" Ben.  The person who was supposed to meet him at the bus stop was delayed, so Ben walked home with a friend. It's a scary thing for a Mom to think she has lost her child.

 This reminded me of the time when Kim was in Kindergarten, we lived off-base in Okinawa, we didn't have a phone, and cell phones weren't invented then (sorry, Kim that is dating us both 😀), and she didn't get off of the school bus. I remembered there was a ward member who lived a couple of blocks away who had a telephone so I had Adam in a stroller and Josh running behind, and we hurried over to see if we could make a phone call.  By the time we got back to our house, a different bus had pulled up our street and delivered Kim to our doorstep.  Kim reminded me tonight that she also got lost once in 4th grade (she walked home from school because she couldn't find her class), and once in 7th grade - we had just moved into our off-base apartment in Tokyo and she wasn't sure how to get home.  I think I found her at a nearby story!  

  This morning I was reading some old, old, letters that I had written to my Mom and Dad when we were in Okinawa.  I have decided that letters really are treasures that are lost on generations today because no one writes letters anymore - 

Anyway, this was a fun memory -

 "The kids are keeping me busy.  Joshua got to bring a hamster home from school for the weekend. I think it is yuccky!!!  But the kids love it - especially Adam.  

My neighbor just told me yesterday that her little girl has chicken pox, so I'll be really surprised if Adam and Joshua don't come down with it next week.  

Adam is talking more and more - though a lot of it only I can understand.  He's quite a smarty - Whenever he gets into trouble he always pipes up with "Jawa (Joshua) did it." 

What fun days those were 💖

I also came across this photo earlier in the week!  I do have the most beautiful grandchildren ever! (just missing Jake, Sayre, and Ben). 

Wouldn't it be great if we could ALL be together, even for just one day, for some hugs and a family photo???????     That's my dream ~

 Kate is amazing!  She has been teaching Sayre how to embroider and he made this Christmas tree.

She also designed this sweatshirt for Jonathan.

Kate and Jonathan also celebrated their 20th anniversary with dinner out Saturday night.

   

  

Got to see cute Lily this week.  We love it when the kids (or their parents come by) Lily is a year-round soccer player currently playing indoor soccer until February or March.

She sent me some photos of their "animal farm".  This is Lucy and Milo (no mice this week 😁)

Speaking of animals - 

 

This is Sendai telling Kevin she is tired of waiting for dinner, and this afternoon she is giving me "the look" of neglect - in other words, she wants a walk. 

Videos that made me smile this week -

Sayre learning how to make scrambled eggs 

And Paul with his cousin Grant - oops eating a very, very hot pepper, thinking it was no big deal 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE SUNDAY SELFIES!

 

Max had dinner with Zach and family tonight 💗

Yesterday, as we were driving to the Temple we listened to the Follow Him podcast and they were discussing the faith of the Brother of Jared.  The discussion lead to some thought about how harshly we judge ourselves - that we are not perfect, but the Lord compensates for our weaknesses.

This is just a partial quote that I loved -

"Think about it, it must have been a really hard journey. It was about a year that they were in the water, and for a year you're in this giant barge that's your bedroom, your kitchen, your bathroom. You're in there with all your siblings and they're poking you and pulling your hair. You have no idea where you are, you have no control, you have no sail, you have no motor. I have a large family, we travel to the coast of California to go to the beach, it's about 12 hours, and by the time we're there, everyone's about to kill each other. And we got air conditioning and we get to stop at Wendy's when we're hungry.

The people asked the Lord, to take care of them, and then they get terrible winds, they're buried, and there's eight different boats. They don't even know where each other are, they don't know if they're safe, if they're okay, but when we read Moroni later, he talks about it in positive terms and actually says that the people did praise the Lord. 

The reason they were grateful, at least in hindsight, was because they learned that those tumultuous experiences they had were actually what took them to the promised land. Maybe that's how they felt at first, maybe that's only how they felt in hindsight. Christ blessed them, he compensated the difficult things in their life to make them great. I can't help but think of Lehi's teachings in second Nephi that he will consecrate our afflictions for our gain, is they were blessed through the difficult experience and it was actually those very things that helped them accomplish their goal of taking them to the promised land.  

We all have times when life can get really hard.  But if we hang in there, and face the challenges with faith, it is amazing to me the growth that takes place and how the Lord makes us better for what we have been through.   HE LOVES US!

AND I LOVE YOU 💖  Have a wonderful week!