Are those Christmas Bells I hear.....?

The kids are back in school. There is a slight (very welcome) chill in the air. I've flipped my calendar to September. And panic is setting in.

Because these things are all signs that Christmas is just around the corner. We have entered "The Season".

Never mind that I still have 4 birthdays to celebrate between now and Christmas. Never mind that we still have Halloween and Thanksgiving yet to come. Nevermind that I am ahead of even the most ardent retailer in my Christmas quest. I'm still worried about Christmas.

My worries? Will Jacob be able to come home for Christmas? If he can come, how much will I have to pay for a ticket to get him here? What do you get for the man who has everything and needs nothing? (my dad) Or for the kid who has everything, wants for nothing, but still needs something to open on Christmas morning?

I'm done shopping for Mary. I've actually been done with her for months (shopping, I mean!). And I have gotten a few little things here and there for the boys in my life.

But what if I get inspired and want to make something for someone for Christmas? If that's the case, then the ispiration had better come soon! It takes time to put these things together, you know. And what if I buy the wrong size? Or the wrong color? Or the wrong game?

You can see where this might be an issue. Maybe I'll just go on strike this Christmas. Maybe we'll just relax, enjoy each other's company, watch a movie and eat take out. Nah.....It'll never happen.

Now if you'll excuse me....I think I have to go call Travelocity.

Memorial Day...........

Memorial Day.

A day to remember.
But the question has become...remember what?

Remember to grab the lifejackets on your way to the lake?
Or remember to stop for flowers on your way to the cemetery.

Remember to get charcoal for the grill?
Or remember to lower your flag to half-mast.

Remember that you signed up to bring the potato salad?
Or remember those who gave their lives so you can live yours.

It used to be that Memorial Day was just that...a memorial day.
A day to remember those thousands who have died in service to our country.
There were parades and ceremonies and speeches.

Now, it's a three-day weekend, kids-out-of-school, let's-go-to-the-lake, I-wonder-why-that-person-is-flying-their-flag-today holiday.

Don't get me wrong. I'm all about three-day weekends. I miss the go-to-the-lake days of my youth. I love a good barbecue, and having the kids out of school for an extra day.

But let's at least take a moment. Sit down with the kids and remind them why they have this day off. Why some people are flying their flags. Why there is still a parade or two. Why those old men at the park are wearing their ill-fitting, out-of-date uniforms and looking at the flag with a tear in their eye.

Let's at least drive past the cemetery on the way to the lake and look at the rows and rows of white tombstones...each with a small flag waving in the breeze.

Let's talk to our kids about sacrifice, and duty, and love of country, and loss of life. Let's plant the seed of patriotism in their hearts so they can pass the legacy on to their children. Remind them why their grandfathers went to war. And their great-grandfathers, too. Why young men and women are still going to war today. And dying today.

Teach them to respect those who serve. Teach them to remember those they never knew. And if you want to make it more personal.....just read about Donn Sweet. And let Donn, as one man, represent the thousands who performed similar acts of heroism.

And then.......go have fun at the lake!

Mothers I have Loved.....

I've been thinking about Mother's Day this week. Thinking about how much I miss my mother...(who has been gone for 31 years now.) Thinking about myself as a mother, my daughter as a mother, and other mothers who have touch my life...

So Happy Mother's Day to those gone on ahead and those still here:

To my mother: Thanks for the memories.......the Sunday dinners, the family gatherings, the bedtime stories, the Christmas mornings, the movies we saw together, the endless miles of driving, the nurturing, the spoiling, the example, the love. I miss you, Mom.

To my Grandma Patch: Thank you for listening to the missionaries, and bringing the Gospel into our lives, for raising my Father to be such a hard-working, righteous, kind and loving man, for spending so many Christmases with us in Minnesota, for the life stories and the poems you left us, for the lessons of hard-work and perseverance, of getting up when life knocks you down and moving forward in faith. I miss you, Grandma.

To my Grandma Strom: Thank you for being there during my growing up years. For your toughness and resilience. For your courage to come to a strange new land and leave behind everything you'd ever known to start anew. For your no-nonsense approach to life and your example of working hard and playing hard. For your love. I miss you, Grandma.

To my daughter, Eleanor: Thank you for making me a grandmother. For bringing those two sweet boys into our family. Thank you for raising them to be responsible and brilliant and loving. I love you, Eleanor.

To my mother-in-law, Mitzi: Thanks for raising a wonderful son. For being a wonderful grandmother to my children. Thank you for your love and energy and willingness to help. Thanks for your example to my children of service to the Lord. We miss you, Mitzi.

To Lois: Lois is not my mother, but the mother of my best friend growing up. Lois was and remains my 'other mother'. Considering the amount of time I spent at their home growing up, she had a great hand in raising me and instilling certain values in my life. Thanks, Lois, for putting up with me, for loving me in spite of my short-comings. For your sharing, and caring, your endless patience and understanding, your unconditional love. I love you, and wish we lived closer so we could visit more often. I hope you have a great Mother's Day!

This list could go on and on, as there as endless women who have influenced my life by their actions and examples. So, to all the women in my life:

Happy Mother's Day!!

A New Year........

I love the first day of a 'New Year'.

The days and months that will follow are still filled with possibilities and potential. I have not yet made any major parenting mistakes. I have yet to put my foot in my mouth. I haven't hurt anyone's feelings or neglected my church callings. The new year is still pristine and perfect, like new fallen snow.

I love to sit at the dawn of a new year and ponder. What changes will this new year bring? What adventures await? Surely there will be disappointments and sorrow. Those are to be expected. But just as sure will be the pure unadulterated moments of joy, love and happiness.

I try not to expect too much of a new year. I have expectations, to be sure, but I don't want to pressure the new year to be something it cannot ever be. As President Hinckley once said: "Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve..."

So, what might some of our adventures be for this new year?

A move to Macon? Another Eagle Scout? Weddings? Funerals? New Callings? New friends?

Only time will tell. I only hope that I will have the strength to meet the challenges that come my way and that I will appreciate and recognize the blessings (they sometimes come in disguise, you know.) I hope that I can stay the course and help my children to do the same. I hope that I can renew aquaintances and deepen friendships. That I can hold tight to those people who uplift me, and let go of those who drag me down.

So.....to one and all.....happy new year, happy ponderings, happy comings and happy goings, happy days, happy nights.............and mostof all........happy life.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom Not My Own.....

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year

'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied, 'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God

Trod gladly into the night

He led me towards the hills

And the breaking of day in the lone east.

So heart be still!

What need our human life to know

If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things

Both high and low,

God hideth his intention."

--Minnie Louise Haskins

I found this written in one of my Grandmother's journals. I love this poem......it is my hope that I/we can go forward into this new year with trust in God's plan. As this poem says.."What need our human life to know, If God hath comprehension?"

Happy New Year!

Party Time!!!

Thanks so much to Scripture Mom for sending my this awesome Cheez-it Party Mix. I was the winner of her birthday giveaway and the Party Mix was my prize!! It arrived just in time for a long Thanksgiving weekend munch fest! (I do, however, feel bad that it cost her $6 to send it!)

Thanksgiving Day 2008

Happy Thanksgiving to all! Here is a poem I just made up in honor of Thanksgiving....(keep in mind I've been up since 6 AM)

Thankful....

I'm thankful for friends, old and new
Yes, this means you, and you, and you.

I'm thankful for memories of days of old
Of summers hot and winters cold.

I'm thankful for family far and near
(To those who are far, I wish you were here)

I'm thankful for sons and daughters, too
for parents and brothers and a sister true.

For friends who gather to share our feast
for turkey and stuffing and three pies at least!

Thankful for all that's been given to me,
I'm thankful, yes, thankful, as I can be!


I know it's not much, but remember, I'm sleep deprived! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!

The Morning After......

Here is the carnage that we woke up to the morning after Halloween. My grandchildren and the other kids in the neighborhood were devestated by the destruction of their pumpkins that they had carved. They were proud of their creative carvings that they had worked so hard on. After seeing the mess in the street, Sabian, age 3, said: "I'm mad at somebody!!" Sirius, age 5, said: "We call those people bullies." Claire, the 5 year old from next door, just cried and cried. I would like to thank the vandals for this amazing display of thoughtlessness. You have made a huge impression on my grandchildren. They have now felt the pain of having their personal property destroyed and as such, I am fairly certain the they will NEVER feel inclined to cause that pain to others.

Here is a 'before' picture, taken Halloween night.