taking turns, sharing thoughts or things to cheer the heart. What a lovely idea! I know they did this for another dear friend, Jeanette, who lost her father this past year. I know it is impossible to take all the suffering and sorrow from each other in this life, but I also know how important it is to share and help each other through our love and compassion. Last night I attended my own Girl's Night Out. Our group has been together about 25 years. We went to Zupa's for dinner, Loretta hosted. It was and always is, amazing to me, the things we've been through together-ups and downs-health problems, kid problems, the loss of a beautiful daughter, the wayward child, unemployment, weddings, engagements, recipes, family celebrations, graduations, etc. Everyday that I get to spend with a friend or friends is honestly a day I kneel at my bed and say thank you. Thank you that I am surrounded by beautiful women almost everyday in my life. My best friends (one member of our recently released Stake Relief Society presidency used to laugh and say, "How many best friends can Marilyn have?" "Tons!" I say!), my Church friends and neighbors, especially those I work with or have worked with, the ladies that I Visiting Teach, my friends from my past, my art friends, my poetry friends. Pretty much the whole world. I wrote in a journal once, "Before I was married, I loved every boy I ever met. Now that I'm married, I love every girl I ever meet!" One member of our Girl's Night Out group moved to Idaho Falls a few years ago. So each Sept., the rest of us hop in the car (or cars) and head to Idaho Falls. We laugh and jabber all the way there, have lunch with Lois, then head home again, always stopping in Brigham City for chocolate. (One year when we went, Lois fed us a fabulous lunch, then took us downstairs. She and her husband, Val, had filled little kid's swimming pools with hot water. We sat around the pools and soaked our feet while Lois served us Pina Coladas and we had a little pedicure session! How fun was that!) When I mentioned that we do this to my father-in-law, he thought that was the silliest thing he had ever heard. "You go all the way to Idaho Falls to have lunch?" he scoffed. No, we go all the way to Idaho Falls to have a girlfriend day, solving all of life's problems on the way to and from...and we also serve and are fed by our dear friend, Lois, who moved away from us physically but not emotionally. Once a friend, always a friend.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
GIRLFRIENDS-They're Amazing
Recently it seems like all around us are suffering trials. My sweet daughter, Brandi, lost a good friend last month who died during childbirth, leaving a brand new baby and 4 other children and a heart-broken husband. My daughter and friends stepped up to the plate to serve this little family in the middle of their shared heartache. She called the Relief Society President or Compassionate Service Leader and asked if she and her friends could feed the family at the funeral luncheon. Of course their offer was accepted. Well, little did they know at that time, the final numbers for the luncheon would grow to 400 people! But miracles happen, the food extends, just like loaves of bread and fishes! Cooking was very important to MaryAnn and so they made a lunch of all of her favorite recipes. What a labor of love! Brandi has many wonderful friends, who all were eager to help. When two of Brandi's close friends (that didn't even know MaryAnn) heard that Brandi was organizing the food, they insisted on cooking all the rice! Can you imagine sticky rice for 400?! And they did. Thank you, Jenny and Rian! I love girlfriends! I love them in my own life and in the life of my daughter! The following weekend, the tables turned again and Brandi's friend, Rian, lost her brother, Reed, in an ice climbing accident. What a tragedy! Again I saw the circle of friends close rank to try and help one another. Brandi and her Girl's Night Out group are close. They have helped each other endure the sad and celebrated each other's successes. How important that we share with one another! One of the things that Brandi did for Rian was to make this bucket. The sign on it says, "Girlfriend's Wisdom" or something like that. The bucket is continually filled by each other
taking turns, sharing thoughts or things to cheer the heart. What a lovely idea! I know they did this for another dear friend, Jeanette, who lost her father this past year. I know it is impossible to take all the suffering and sorrow from each other in this life, but I also know how important it is to share and help each other through our love and compassion. Last night I attended my own Girl's Night Out. Our group has been together about 25 years. We went to Zupa's for dinner, Loretta hosted. It was and always is, amazing to me, the things we've been through together-ups and downs-health problems, kid problems, the loss of a beautiful daughter, the wayward child, unemployment, weddings, engagements, recipes, family celebrations, graduations, etc. Everyday that I get to spend with a friend or friends is honestly a day I kneel at my bed and say thank you. Thank you that I am surrounded by beautiful women almost everyday in my life. My best friends (one member of our recently released Stake Relief Society presidency used to laugh and say, "How many best friends can Marilyn have?" "Tons!" I say!), my Church friends and neighbors, especially those I work with or have worked with, the ladies that I Visiting Teach, my friends from my past, my art friends, my poetry friends. Pretty much the whole world. I wrote in a journal once, "Before I was married, I loved every boy I ever met. Now that I'm married, I love every girl I ever meet!" One member of our Girl's Night Out group moved to Idaho Falls a few years ago. So each Sept., the rest of us hop in the car (or cars) and head to Idaho Falls. We laugh and jabber all the way there, have lunch with Lois, then head home again, always stopping in Brigham City for chocolate. (One year when we went, Lois fed us a fabulous lunch, then took us downstairs. She and her husband, Val, had filled little kid's swimming pools with hot water. We sat around the pools and soaked our feet while Lois served us Pina Coladas and we had a little pedicure session! How fun was that!) When I mentioned that we do this to my father-in-law, he thought that was the silliest thing he had ever heard. "You go all the way to Idaho Falls to have lunch?" he scoffed. No, we go all the way to Idaho Falls to have a girlfriend day, solving all of life's problems on the way to and from...and we also serve and are fed by our dear friend, Lois, who moved away from us physically but not emotionally. Once a friend, always a friend.
taking turns, sharing thoughts or things to cheer the heart. What a lovely idea! I know they did this for another dear friend, Jeanette, who lost her father this past year. I know it is impossible to take all the suffering and sorrow from each other in this life, but I also know how important it is to share and help each other through our love and compassion. Last night I attended my own Girl's Night Out. Our group has been together about 25 years. We went to Zupa's for dinner, Loretta hosted. It was and always is, amazing to me, the things we've been through together-ups and downs-health problems, kid problems, the loss of a beautiful daughter, the wayward child, unemployment, weddings, engagements, recipes, family celebrations, graduations, etc. Everyday that I get to spend with a friend or friends is honestly a day I kneel at my bed and say thank you. Thank you that I am surrounded by beautiful women almost everyday in my life. My best friends (one member of our recently released Stake Relief Society presidency used to laugh and say, "How many best friends can Marilyn have?" "Tons!" I say!), my Church friends and neighbors, especially those I work with or have worked with, the ladies that I Visiting Teach, my friends from my past, my art friends, my poetry friends. Pretty much the whole world. I wrote in a journal once, "Before I was married, I loved every boy I ever met. Now that I'm married, I love every girl I ever meet!" One member of our Girl's Night Out group moved to Idaho Falls a few years ago. So each Sept., the rest of us hop in the car (or cars) and head to Idaho Falls. We laugh and jabber all the way there, have lunch with Lois, then head home again, always stopping in Brigham City for chocolate. (One year when we went, Lois fed us a fabulous lunch, then took us downstairs. She and her husband, Val, had filled little kid's swimming pools with hot water. We sat around the pools and soaked our feet while Lois served us Pina Coladas and we had a little pedicure session! How fun was that!) When I mentioned that we do this to my father-in-law, he thought that was the silliest thing he had ever heard. "You go all the way to Idaho Falls to have lunch?" he scoffed. No, we go all the way to Idaho Falls to have a girlfriend day, solving all of life's problems on the way to and from...and we also serve and are fed by our dear friend, Lois, who moved away from us physically but not emotionally. Once a friend, always a friend.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven.
My mother has been on my mind. She and Dad visited from Washington during Thanksgiving but toward the end of the visit, she started becoming winded and exhausted. On her return, a doctor's check-up revealed congestive heart failure. It has been several months of exams and tests to figure out what has been going on and I know Mother has been discouraged and fearful. Who wouldn't be. The Book of Mormon begins, "And I, Nephi, being born of goodly parents..." The phrase "being born of goodly parents" describes how I feel about my parents! They have been the perfect parents for me. They are both such fun and I love them dearly. I realize how lucky I am to have parents that made me feel like I was the most beautiful, talented and wonderful person in the world. It was a hard shock to go out in the world and find out I wasn't. But when I go home, I'm still the princess! So, today's post is my tribute to them, my goodly parents. I recorded this several years ago in my life history (and this is the method I teach to classes I teach about writing personal history. The incidents are recorded in little "vignettes." Try it, it's fun!
In The Beginning, Maxine Becomes a Pirate
When Maxine was a sophomore in high school, the James family moved to Rupert, Idaho. Maxine loved school and was an excellent student. She was musical and played first chair violin in the orchestra. She really wanted to play the piano but her father said anyone could play the piano, but it took a real musician to play the violin and so she played the violin. Much later she taught herself to play the piano! She was also a yell queen (cheerleader.) She had transferred from Buffalo, Kansas and their mascot was the Pirates, the same as the mascot for Rupert. Try-outs for yell queen involved a competition to write new cheers. Maxine just changed the wording from Buffalo to Rupert on a few cheers and won a spot. Her favorite cheer went like this:
"Choo-choo, get off the track.
For Pity’s Sake, don’t hold us back.
Ready. Aim. Fire.
(then you make a hissing sound like a bomb is going off)
Boom!"
The War Effort
However, her parents, George and Mary James, were very strict...especially when it came to dating and dancing. She tells how she was not allowed to stay for the dances after the football or basketball games...and that many a night she would walk home crying from the game while her friends all stayed to dance. When Maxine was allowed to date in high school, her older brother, Denver, also had to come along! In spite of this, she was still very popular! During her sophomore, junior and part of her senior year, she worked at "Larry Dean’s Ice Cream Shoppe." Aunt Marie Garner says of this time, "She was the cutest little blonde in town!" This was the era of the "Big Bands"-Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman were all big names. Life was pretty good...although a war was raging first in Europe, then Pearl Harbor and the Pacific. One by one the boys in her class joined the service, dropping out of school, with the exception of two boys who were farmers. Maxine did her part for the war effort by writing to half of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines corps! She wrote to all the hometown boys and relatives. The mailman was always relieved to get by the James household since his pack would be cut in half!
The Legend
One of the boys that she wrote to was named Keith. They had a few classes together at Rupert High but didn’t really know each other. She thought he was the best dresser she had ever seen but never would have thought of dating him...he was MUCH too WILD for her...why, he even skipped school! And he drove a bright Model T. coupe with pink elephants painted all over it! He was just one of the hometown boys she wrote to. But, after a while, the nice friendly letters arriving from Keith started to get a lot more serious. He started writing how things were "going to be" when he got home between the two of them and talked about plans for the future ("I dream of when our lips will meet!") Maxine was taken by surprise and thought she’d better stop and think about how deeply she had begun to feel about his guy. Maybe it was serious...he really was cute. About this time she went to the town library to check out a new book to read. She randomly picked one out and when she got home, the book fell open. Inside was a letter addressed to another girl in town (the girl who had previously checked out the book.) Maxine looked closer and thought she recognized the handwriting. She began to read the letter...about "how things were going to be when he got home and talked about plans for the future." Maxine was furious! Here was Keith writing to how many girls...and writing the exact lovey-dovey things he was writing to her! She wrote him off and quick! She thought that was the end of that!
And that is the story of the beginning of my mother, Maxine, and father, Keith, and their happily ever after.....
Operator Please
Towards the end of Maxine’s senior year, the local telephone company was having a large turnover. The manager came to the high school and asked the principal if he knew of anyone who would make a good operator. The principal said, yes, he knew of two girls would make excellent operators-Maxine James and a girl by the name of Francis Johnson. Every day after school, Maxine and Francis would walk to the telephone office where they went through training at no pay. When they graduated from high school, they then went to work for the phone company for 35 or 40 cents an hour. (Note: When Maxine left the telephone company in 1955 to move to Moses Lake, Washington, she was the chief operator. She was one of the two highest paid operators in Rupert and worked forty hours a week for $50.00)
Going Steady
Maxine was working at the telephone company when the war ended and the boys came home. Maxine was a little afraid of Keith because now, instead of driving a wildly painted Model T, he was driving a huge black motorcycle! But he persisted and he WAS handsome and she weakened. Then he wanted her to go steady. She told him absolutely not. He was just home out of the service, and was just playing around. Why, he didn’t even have a job! There was no way that she was going to go steady with someone that didn’t have more roots than that! Well, Keith hopped on his motorcycle, drove to the nearest gas station, walked in and got a job as a car washer, roared back to Maxine’s house and said, "Well, I’ve got a job. Will you go steady with me now?" Maxine ran out of excuses!
Green Gold Fish
Going steady with Keith had its difficulties. As you might have guessed from previous stories, Keith wasn’t very faithful! But he did try. Maxine had always wanted some goldfish. Keith went out and bought her some. But when he brought them to her, they were a little greenish in color. She was disappointed because she had really wanted "gold fish." Keith told her not to worry...that they would get gold when they got a little bigger. She was doubtful! Well, shortly after this time, they had an argument. The next thing that Maxine knew, Keith had accepted a date with another girl to take her to her Senior Prom. He even bought her a beautiful corsage. (Note: Almost 40 years later, Maxine says of this moment, with indignation, "My goodness, she had to be 1 ½ heads taller than Keith. He would have had to sit her on a fencepost to kiss her goodnight!")
Encore For the Fish
Well, our little romance had hit stormy waters. Keith and Maxine didn’t date for several months after that. One day they ran into each other. The meeting was a little tense. Keith, trying to make conversation, asked how the goldfish were doing. Maxine replied that they were fine. "Had they turned gold?" "Yes, " was the reply. "Well," he asked, "could I come over and see them?" That did it...she doesn’t even remember him later proposing...just remember that he slipped a ring on her finger one evening. Maxine says, "We got married in my folk’s home at 210 Maple Street in Rupert, Idaho and have lived happily ever after!"
(P.S. Did I mention Keith was late for the ceremony because he was out water skiing on the canal?)
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Belated Valentines
David told me a few days before this Valentine's day, that he had made arrangements to go out to dinner at one of my new favorite restaurants, Harry’s, with our best friends, Kirk and Cathy. The guys had already made reservations which really impressed me. When Kirk and Cathy picked us up, David made some comment in the car, to which Cathy replied, "You know, Dave, that is one of the things we like so much about you...you’re so predictable!" And we all laughed. Later, we were seated for dinner, having our salads, when four men in tuxedos appeared with roses in their hands. I could tell they were singers and thought how cool that Harry’s had arranged for a quartet to go around singing at the tables for Valentine’s Day. Were Cathy and I surprised when they addressed us personally and then sang two love songs especially for us. Our husbands had "arranged" for these men to come and serenade us! Could anything been less predictable?! Cathy and I both cried! It was awesome! So, for Valentine’s sake, I’ll share a few thoughts on my dear, unpredictable, predictable mate.
One main reason I feel in love with my husband: He was nice. I’ve always been a big fan of nice. I had no time for boys who thought they were cool or were arrogant or rude.
Why I still love him: He’s still really, really nice. Except when I beat him in "Nertz." (A fast card game like War). When I beat him at "Nertz", I can kind of see why a few guys have wanted to fight him after a basketball game. But mostly, he’s just awesome.
The litmus test: In my patriarchal blessing, it stated that I should question each boy that I dated how he felt about his parents. Did he love and honor them? I was told that how he treated his parents would be how he would treat me and our offspring someday. This was really my litmus test while dating. If a boy said he didn’t get along with his parents or that his parents were jerks, it was a red flag to me. David loved his parents and only had thoughtful things to say.
Meeting the family: One Thanksgiving, when we were in college, David asked me if I wanted to go home to Idaho with him to meet his parents. I said yes. We drove all the way there and sat out in the car for a few minutes after our arrival. I thought to ask him what his parents said when they found out that he was bringing a girl home. He said, "I didn’t tell them it was a girl." I about died! If I could have gone right back to Utah or hid in the car, I would have! His parents thought he was just bringing a buddy home! But they were gracious and quickly made sleeping arrangements for me!
Boundaries: One thing I loved about him is that he gave me boundaries. I knew that he didn’t put up with games and nonsense and I was so goofy and fickle, I needed someone to rein me in. David loved to have a good time but was more serious in nature. I acted like a total blonde but inside I had a strong spiritual self. He was one of the most intelligent boys I had ever met. I basically went out on every boy I ever went with but David let me know that poor behavior was not acceptable. I needed that boundary.
Crap Shoot: We dated for a year and a half before we got married. I thought we knew each other so well after that time but I don’t think you ever know anyone until you live with them. Marriage can be a crap shoot. And I don’t mean that disrespectfully. I just mean that you think you know someone and find out after you are married, you didn’t hardly know them at all. The most wonderful surprises were in store for me. The qualities I love so much about David through the years are not qualities I even knew he possessed before we got married. I adore him. He is so good and kind. He doesn’t talk about people and always realizes there are two sides to every story. He is the hardest worker that I know. And he works smart. So many people come to him for advice and counsel and I stand at the head of that line. And with marriage, you have to realize that "happily-ever-after" doesn’t mean every day. And that it can still be heaven.
Summary: And even though he likes horses, and I like poetry, he talks "torte" in his legal profession and I bake them, he loves watching ball games (endlessly) and I watch cooking and decorating shows, he’s really athletic and I’m, well... not so athletic, he’s brilliant and I’m scatterbrained, he’s left-brained and I’m totally right-brained, he thinks we need a dump truck, I think he’s nuts, he’s traditional and I’m a little bit funky... and we really don’t have that much in common...
except love, and respect, and humor, and living well together, with the same values, trying to be nice and honest with each other and others, not to mention doting on our wonderful family....and realizing
that we’re extremely blessed. I remember when I was young and would try and cut out my first Valentines, free-hand. The edges were always out of sync- one side lopsided, the other side ballooned. Love can be that way sometimes. But how much easier, when you fold the paper in two, and cut both sides together. When the core is the same, how beautiful the result. Did I mention, I love my Valentine?
Postscript: When we were newly weds, we sat in a theater and I cried all through "Love Story." It was a real tear jerker. The famous one liner in that show was "Love means never having to say you're sorry" to which David replied (out loud) "Now isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever heard!"
One main reason I feel in love with my husband: He was nice. I’ve always been a big fan of nice. I had no time for boys who thought they were cool or were arrogant or rude.
Why I still love him: He’s still really, really nice. Except when I beat him in "Nertz." (A fast card game like War). When I beat him at "Nertz", I can kind of see why a few guys have wanted to fight him after a basketball game. But mostly, he’s just awesome.
The litmus test: In my patriarchal blessing, it stated that I should question each boy that I dated how he felt about his parents. Did he love and honor them? I was told that how he treated his parents would be how he would treat me and our offspring someday. This was really my litmus test while dating. If a boy said he didn’t get along with his parents or that his parents were jerks, it was a red flag to me. David loved his parents and only had thoughtful things to say.
Meeting the family: One Thanksgiving, when we were in college, David asked me if I wanted to go home to Idaho with him to meet his parents. I said yes. We drove all the way there and sat out in the car for a few minutes after our arrival. I thought to ask him what his parents said when they found out that he was bringing a girl home. He said, "I didn’t tell them it was a girl." I about died! If I could have gone right back to Utah or hid in the car, I would have! His parents thought he was just bringing a buddy home! But they were gracious and quickly made sleeping arrangements for me!
Boundaries: One thing I loved about him is that he gave me boundaries. I knew that he didn’t put up with games and nonsense and I was so goofy and fickle, I needed someone to rein me in. David loved to have a good time but was more serious in nature. I acted like a total blonde but inside I had a strong spiritual self. He was one of the most intelligent boys I had ever met. I basically went out on every boy I ever went with but David let me know that poor behavior was not acceptable. I needed that boundary.
Crap Shoot: We dated for a year and a half before we got married. I thought we knew each other so well after that time but I don’t think you ever know anyone until you live with them. Marriage can be a crap shoot. And I don’t mean that disrespectfully. I just mean that you think you know someone and find out after you are married, you didn’t hardly know them at all. The most wonderful surprises were in store for me. The qualities I love so much about David through the years are not qualities I even knew he possessed before we got married. I adore him. He is so good and kind. He doesn’t talk about people and always realizes there are two sides to every story. He is the hardest worker that I know. And he works smart. So many people come to him for advice and counsel and I stand at the head of that line. And with marriage, you have to realize that "happily-ever-after" doesn’t mean every day. And that it can still be heaven.
Summary: And even though he likes horses, and I like poetry, he talks "torte" in his legal profession and I bake them, he loves watching ball games (endlessly) and I watch cooking and decorating shows, he’s really athletic and I’m, well... not so athletic, he’s brilliant and I’m scatterbrained, he’s left-brained and I’m totally right-brained, he thinks we need a dump truck, I think he’s nuts, he’s traditional and I’m a little bit funky... and we really don’t have that much in common...
except love, and respect, and humor, and living well together, with the same values, trying to be nice and honest with each other and others, not to mention doting on our wonderful family....and realizing
that we’re extremely blessed. I remember when I was young and would try and cut out my first Valentines, free-hand. The edges were always out of sync- one side lopsided, the other side ballooned. Love can be that way sometimes. But how much easier, when you fold the paper in two, and cut both sides together. When the core is the same, how beautiful the result. Did I mention, I love my Valentine?
Postscript: When we were newly weds, we sat in a theater and I cried all through "Love Story." It was a real tear jerker. The famous one liner in that show was "Love means never having to say you're sorry" to which David replied (out loud) "Now isn't that the dumbest thing you've ever heard!"
About Constant Growing Amazement
I've always been a journal fan- diaries as a child through college, lots of cute journal books with just a few pages filled as a young mother, copies of letters preserved that serve as great journal entries and my years of playing "catch-up" recording my life and of writing consistently these last few years. I teach classes (not professionally) on journal writing and especially about writing a creative life history and recording the most important things first. I guess my sweet cousin, Deanna, who lives in Arizona, was the first to really share with me about blogging. She told me about blogs that she loved and looked forward to reading. I didn't really know what she was talking about. Now I do and I get it! On Tuesday, I hosted a new women's group at my home. It's called a "Fill Your Bucket" group. My dear friend, Valene, and I were talking on the phone and we expressed the need and desire to form a group of women, to get together once a month for lunch (of course) and sharing wisdom and thoughts. I actually shared with them my testimony of writing sacred journals- how important it is to actually try and capture our personality and life lessons, in writing, so that our influence can be felt, for generations beyond our own. We had a marvelous time together and afterwards, one of the members made comment to Valene how wonderful it was- how important it is for women to be able to share with each other. It is a edifying and safe environment in which to share our hearts. I can see that blogging will be a new and exciting way for me to share and learn with and from others. I have kept my journals on the computer for years but I love the idea of being able to add pictures automatically.
The hardest part of setting up an online journal was what to call it. But all I had to do was look next to my computer, to my new favorite quote from Elder Busche, from a talk entitled "The Only Real Treasure:
"When we consistently follow the Holy Spirit, in a continuous, constant spirit of prayer, the world of miracles is open to us now, in this life. A life of adventures, of constant, growing amazement, of surprising vision, of new aspects of life, of new dimensions of joy and peace will be the consequence."
I love this quote and I believe it is true. As a poet, I make an effort to pay attention to the world around me and am constantly looking for the metaphor in life. That is probably why the scriptures speak to me so profoundly. I study them earnestly and they are a constant source of strength and light to me. As is trying to live a life in such a manner that I can be in tune with the Spirit, to know what I need to do, know who could use my help, to help guide me and comfort me in the very moment I need. I am lucky that as a young child, I KNEW that God was there for me. I heard and recognized His voice and through the gift of His presence, I know that He loves me (and you!) And yet I am constantly amazed at His love and His attention to me. I believe that we can find His presence in the everyday and that is the kind of thing I would like to record. Life as it happens, the big and small of it, the sweet and hard of it. In the book Mrs. Mike, this woman who lived a harsh prairie life states that life is not made up of all the big (sometimes terrible) things of life but in the small, everyday. I think that it true. My life is made up of family (a wonderful husband, 5 kids (one living at home), 3 in-laws that I adore, 9 grand kids with 2 in the oven and both sets of parents who enrich our lives), girlfriends, the scriptures, poetry, painting, cooking, dining, girl's night out, the bucket group, the gospel, serving. My life is full and rich! I love to laugh, love to share, love to do anything right-brained (creative!) I love to learn, I love to write, I love to read. So, to end this first introductory blog, I'll share an excerpt from my journal from one year ago that pretty much sums up how I feel about what is important about life.
GROCERY CARTS
Just Friday night I needed to run to the supermarket. I had my cart and as I was standing and examining something on the shelves, I noticed that someone dropped something in my cart. I looked up to see two high school boys. They had put several things in my cart and then they were further down the aisle getting something else. I thought perhaps they thought my cart was their cart and said, "Hey!" They looked back at me and I said, "Did you think this was your cart?" They acted confused like they didn’t know what I was talking about. I just kind of laughed as they walked off thinking "Great, just a couple of goofy boys horsing around in the grocery store. That is something I could see Tanner and his friends doing." As I was on another aisle, sure enough, they would show up and put more groceries into my cart. This time I just rolled my eyes. I thought to myself, "you know, if they knew I had just been up to the hospital with my sick granddaughter, they probably wouldn’t be harassing me." I continued shopping, forgetting about the boys, but they showed up again when I got to the meat department. As I was looking at steak, they promptly threw armfuls of 2 liter bottles of pop into my cart. This time I started to laugh and called out to them, "Hey, you two, get over here and take this cart. I really don’t want your stuff!" The boys smiled and came back and started taking out the unwanted items from my cart. They were smiling and one said, "You passed. You were nice." Come to find out, they said they were video taping grocery store experiences for their psychology class. They had dropped a wallet with money in it and taped whether people returned the wallet or pocketed it. They also put groceries in people’s cart to see how they reacted. They said, "You passed. You were nice."I hope that is what will happen when this life is over for me. Maybe going through life is like shopping in a grocery store. I go through life picking out what I think I need or want. But, somehow, all this stuff that I didn’t really want keeps popping up in my cart. It starts loading me down. It requires a lot of effort to remove it or deal with it. But I hope when I get to the checkout stand, I hear the words, "You passed. You were nice. Enter the kingdom of your reward." But rewards aren’t just something we have to wait for in heaven. Rewards are what I get every day of my life, when I kneel at my bed with gratitude for the things God has given me and also "the things that I learned" that day. Feb. 2006
so......be nice. It is a nice mantra to try and live by!
The hardest part of setting up an online journal was what to call it. But all I had to do was look next to my computer, to my new favorite quote from Elder Busche, from a talk entitled "The Only Real Treasure:
"When we consistently follow the Holy Spirit, in a continuous, constant spirit of prayer, the world of miracles is open to us now, in this life. A life of adventures, of constant, growing amazement, of surprising vision, of new aspects of life, of new dimensions of joy and peace will be the consequence."
I love this quote and I believe it is true. As a poet, I make an effort to pay attention to the world around me and am constantly looking for the metaphor in life. That is probably why the scriptures speak to me so profoundly. I study them earnestly and they are a constant source of strength and light to me. As is trying to live a life in such a manner that I can be in tune with the Spirit, to know what I need to do, know who could use my help, to help guide me and comfort me in the very moment I need. I am lucky that as a young child, I KNEW that God was there for me. I heard and recognized His voice and through the gift of His presence, I know that He loves me (and you!) And yet I am constantly amazed at His love and His attention to me. I believe that we can find His presence in the everyday and that is the kind of thing I would like to record. Life as it happens, the big and small of it, the sweet and hard of it. In the book Mrs. Mike, this woman who lived a harsh prairie life states that life is not made up of all the big (sometimes terrible) things of life but in the small, everyday. I think that it true. My life is made up of family (a wonderful husband, 5 kids (one living at home), 3 in-laws that I adore, 9 grand kids with 2 in the oven and both sets of parents who enrich our lives), girlfriends, the scriptures, poetry, painting, cooking, dining, girl's night out, the bucket group, the gospel, serving. My life is full and rich! I love to laugh, love to share, love to do anything right-brained (creative!) I love to learn, I love to write, I love to read. So, to end this first introductory blog, I'll share an excerpt from my journal from one year ago that pretty much sums up how I feel about what is important about life.
GROCERY CARTS
Just Friday night I needed to run to the supermarket. I had my cart and as I was standing and examining something on the shelves, I noticed that someone dropped something in my cart. I looked up to see two high school boys. They had put several things in my cart and then they were further down the aisle getting something else. I thought perhaps they thought my cart was their cart and said, "Hey!" They looked back at me and I said, "Did you think this was your cart?" They acted confused like they didn’t know what I was talking about. I just kind of laughed as they walked off thinking "Great, just a couple of goofy boys horsing around in the grocery store. That is something I could see Tanner and his friends doing." As I was on another aisle, sure enough, they would show up and put more groceries into my cart. This time I just rolled my eyes. I thought to myself, "you know, if they knew I had just been up to the hospital with my sick granddaughter, they probably wouldn’t be harassing me." I continued shopping, forgetting about the boys, but they showed up again when I got to the meat department. As I was looking at steak, they promptly threw armfuls of 2 liter bottles of pop into my cart. This time I started to laugh and called out to them, "Hey, you two, get over here and take this cart. I really don’t want your stuff!" The boys smiled and came back and started taking out the unwanted items from my cart. They were smiling and one said, "You passed. You were nice." Come to find out, they said they were video taping grocery store experiences for their psychology class. They had dropped a wallet with money in it and taped whether people returned the wallet or pocketed it. They also put groceries in people’s cart to see how they reacted. They said, "You passed. You were nice."I hope that is what will happen when this life is over for me. Maybe going through life is like shopping in a grocery store. I go through life picking out what I think I need or want. But, somehow, all this stuff that I didn’t really want keeps popping up in my cart. It starts loading me down. It requires a lot of effort to remove it or deal with it. But I hope when I get to the checkout stand, I hear the words, "You passed. You were nice. Enter the kingdom of your reward." But rewards aren’t just something we have to wait for in heaven. Rewards are what I get every day of my life, when I kneel at my bed with gratitude for the things God has given me and also "the things that I learned" that day. Feb. 2006
so......be nice. It is a nice mantra to try and live by!
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