Susan's obituary

You go can right here to read about Susan's life. 

We will miss our Susan.

Our precious Susan, my Dad's wife, quietly slipped away into the next life, on Christmas Eve morning. 

We will dearly miss her!





















Susan's Memorial Service
Jan 5th, Saturday
11am
Fowler and Tollhouse 

And this happened at the post office last week

My sweet friend had a sacred experience at her post office last week, and she wrote this poem that very day. 

It is too good not to share. And she said I could. 



Reaching Out, Reaching Up
©2018 Susan Noyes Anderson

The week before Christmas, I wait at the post office,
mailing one last precious thing.
The line isn’t quite out the door, but it’s close,
and our holiday mood’s taken wing.

With senders disgruntled, and workers the same,
there’s a spirit of dissatisfaction.
A young mom, with toddler and baby in tow,
offers me a much-needed distraction.

Such a cute little girl, such a sweet little guy,
and they’re hangin’ in pretty darn well.
But after a while their endurance breaks down,
and the toddler commences to yell.

She is not a small girl, but her mom picks her up,
calms her down, and hands baby a treat.
I smile and she smiles back, a meeting of minds.
(That mother-to-mother thing’s neat.)

I mind my own business, but keep glancing over.
It’s clear that the outlook is bleak.
Her daughter now screaming, the mom’s on the floor…
and her smile looks progressively weak. 

When her turn finally comes, Mama jumps to her feet
with more vigor than I can believe.
She has 20 packages she needs to mail,
and she’s still there when I go to leave.

I walk by her window; she’s back on the floor
as the worker weighs, measures, and labels.
It’s clear that my urge to go home should give way
to a need that transcends my timetables.

I stoop down beside her and ask, “Can I help?”
She seems startled, then looks in my eyes.
She blushes, then pauses, then blurts, “Do you mean it?”
her desperate voice hard to disguise.


“Sure do,” I reply, and she grants me the grace
of accepting my offer with trust.
“Could you find the wallet in that diaper bag?”
I admit, I was somewhat nonplussed.

But I dug through the bag, found the wallet at last,
and was told where the credit card lay.
I handed it to her, but she didn’t take it,
just asked me to use it and pay.

I did as she said, so she stayed on the floor
with her little girl, now fast asleep.
When the payment was finished, her son caught my eye
with a sweet grin that warmed me, heart-deep.

He drop-kicked his Cheerios, signaling me
to retrieve them with all of his charms. 
My memory flew to another young boy
and those days he was safe in my arms.

It all came together: the mother, her children,
my Todd, and the families he’d served.
It was like he was with me, and I was his hands.
For a moment, I felt quite unnerved.

But as I said goodbye, I was happy and grateful,
strong feelings that moved me to tears…
I had sensed Todd beside me, and we were a team,
spreading Christmas cheer from our own spheres.

Mine was just a small favor, but it brought such joy.
I could see in her eyes what it meant.
Best of all, I don’t think she was very far off
when she called what was done “heaven-sent.”

You see, Todd was a helper; it nurtured his soul.
Every job that he held had that purpose.
From counseling parents to placing the homeless
to medical school…he sought service. 

This one act of kindness showed me a new way
to connect with my son, without fail.
As I reach out to others, our hands will be joined,
showing love from both sides of the veil.

Daisy Part 2

I asked Tyler and Karen how they are adjusting so far to Baby Daisy, and how their first visit together went. 

Tyler's reply:


And knowing Leo as I do, 
I know he is very serious about that introduction. 


And Karen added this:



And this. Tyler is the leader of the young men in his ward at church. His bishop sent him this little clip the day after Daisy was born...

(although we can not make out for sure what they are saying after Congratulations.)

But how very thoughtful!
Congratulations from the church youth group from Jill Shelley on Vimeo.

Daisy has arrived! Part 1

It was a very exciting night last night. But before I get to that, I want to start with Monday evening because this all ties together. 

We were visiting our very lovable 90 year old friend Neva in a care center. Not sure she wanted her picture taken so I just got this one of the little tree by her bed...



Her grandson last week had hoyer lifted her into her wheelchair 
and drove her to Dollar World 
so she could buy some decor for her door. 

It's the little things, you know.


I proceeded to tell Neva that 
we are expecting a grand baby any day now.

She asked what her name will be.

When I said, "Daisy" she right away started singing, 

"Daisy, Daisy, Give me your answer do
I'm so crazy, all for the love of you...."

Soon Dennis was singing too. 
He knew all the words, and then I thought, ohmygosh, so do I.

I had not thought of that song in years!

Then I remembered, my Mom use to sing this around the house while she was cleaning. I have it locked in my brain because of her. 

And now all these years later, the song comes to surface, 
waiting for our little Daisy to be born. 

So the following night, l learned Daisy was on her way! 

I took my phone to bed with me about 9pm (something I never do) and got to share the labor/delivery journey with them through texts, pictures, videos and even FaceTime.

She arrived at 11:31 PM (Idaho time) on 12-18-18
6 lbs, 7 oz
19 1/2 inches

And here she is! 


Today the siblings got to meet her for the first time.
This picture has love written all over it. 





I have more to share about welcoming Daisy, 
so I'll be back later...  

An odd combination of updates

1. We are on baby watch around here. Karen is dilated to a 4 and has been for days. I jump every time the phone rings, which is so not me. 

2. Last night walking around Savemart with Dennis, I suddenly saw this new ice cream flavor, and felt sick. Really, pancake flavored ice cream? This actually appeals to someone?

3. Den still has what it takes....
Even the man at the shooting range said, "The old guy still has it!"  

4. McKenna says McKay and Annie look like twins here...

5. Just a little FYI that's interesting...

6. And this is pretty much perfect...




Thinking about my Mom today

This was written on Saturday, December 8th.


The only birthday party I ever remember my Mom talking about, was the one she had on Dec 7, 1941 when she turned 12.
(actually she turned 12 the next day, Dec 8th)


I grabbed this from my Mom's writings....



My favorite line in all of that above,
"After this, major changes took place in our lives, 
some good and some bad. It was years later before 
we knew which was which." 








This morning as I first turned on my computer I noticed that Facebook sent me an alert about one of my "friends," 
Boyd Willden, also having a birthday today. 


Boyd Willden was the missionary who baptized 
my Dad into our church in 1955. 

I hadn't realized he shared a birthday with Mom.

So I went right to his page to wish him Happy Birthday, 
and noticed he passed away about 3 weeks ago!

A little searching and I found THIS LINK to his obituary.

Then the day was rounded off by a text 
that my niece Natalie sent to her Dad:

Sounds like Natalie had a Grandma Gaynor kind of day.
Right down to the bell pepper!

We sure all miss her. I think of her everyday.
Truth be told, several times everyday.
If I could say one thing to her, it would be "THANK YOU." 
I did not tell her that enough while she was alive.




Here's where the Rozier and Bush families intersect

Well, just barely, but still interesting enough to mention.

President George and Barbara Bush lived for a short time in Bakersfield, Ca in 1949. Along with 3 year old George W. 


2101 Monterey Street

 
My Mom was born in Bakersfield in 1929, but moved from there to Fresno, before 1949. Their homes were just 2 miles apart.
So their paths didn't exactly cross.

However.....

I have a cousin in North Carolina that I recently found (actually he found me through my blog.) His name is William Rozier, and he's the grandson of my Grandpa Romeo's brother William. 

Yesterday my cousin William sent me a clip of himself nearly 40 years ago, in a commercial with George HW Bush. 

The video clip is interesting all these years later, even if you don't want to see my cousin.

Go to This Link

Then select "George HW Bush for President" thumbnail 
Right about 3:29 you will see a Real Estate Agent in a red coat. That's my cousin William Rozier. 

The house was actually a listing of Rozier Realty, the firm William's Mom, Marian Glidden Rozier, founded. 

Christmas 1983

The year was 1983.

Brock was 6, and Logan 4. 

My sister Robin had brought over a sort of heavy Christmas gift for them and put it under our tree days before Christmas. They were SO excited about that gift. I remember them touching it, talking about it. 

Finally Christmas came and they got to open Aunt Robin's gift. 

Now before you see their reaction, keep in mind that it truly was a great present and I was very pleased with it, and I know they used it A LOT. 

But sometimes kids don't appreciate the best gifts right away.

I don't think she liked it, but not sure.

So while my hair girl was painting low lights through my hair, we were both talking about the fires in Paradise, Ca. We traded stories we'd heard from both the media, or people we knew who had been there.

I told her one story I read on the news that she knew nothing about, and that's where the conversation changed a bit.

It's about a bus driver who was at one of the elementary schools in Paradise, ready to leave when there were still 22 children whose parents could not get to them. The flames were near by and they had to go now, so he took all 22 children, plus a kindergarten teacher and a 2nd grade teacher and off they went in the school bus. 

There were flames and smoke surrounding them. The bus was so smokey it was hard to see, and the lungs of the kids were filling up with smoke. 

So the bus driver took off his shirt and tore it into pieces. He then took the only bottle of water on the bus, and wet down each piece of torn cloth. The 2 teachers on the bus helped each child put a piece of the wet shirt to their mouth and breathed through that. 

He said later that it seemed to help.

At one point they picked up a stranded preschool teacher from another school, along the way. 

It took 5 1/2 very scary hours to reach safety, and to very relieved parents, who most likely thought their children were gone forever.

As I'm telling this story to my hair girl we are chatting back and forth and we are both in awe over what happened and commenting what a hero the bus driver was.

Then I told her, "The news report said "at one point, they prayed." 

My hair girl went silent. Nothing. Long pause.

I thought, that's odd. 

So I said, "Those kids will always remember that they prayed to safety."

Still nothing. She had nothing else to say, and then changed the subject. 

I'm not sure if this means she does not believe in God, or if she was offended that I do. 

But I kept thinking of a little quote that I have on my fridge. The president of our church said it, just weeks ago:

She may not have any idea what Jesus Christ has done for HER. 



If you want to read the story just google, "bus driver from heaven." 

Susan's 80th birthday party, and what I learned

Such a special night when lots of Susan's family came together to wish her a Happy 80th!


Shown above with her sister Corinne and her brother in law. 



Several of Susan's grandchildren attended, 
including her very youngest granddaughter Sophie:
I got so involved talking to her, that I didn't take many pictures.

I told her, "You were just a new born baby when your Grandma Susan married my Dad in '07."

She disagreed, "No, I was a year old when they got married,"

I gently said, "No, you were just a few weeks old. What year were you born?"

Sophie: "I was born in '06."

Me: "Uh, no, you were born in '07."

She tilted her head and rolled her eyes when I said that. You know the look. (But it was adorable on her!)

Sophie: "I was not born in '07. I was born in '06. 
I'm going to go ask my Mom." 

Good, I thought. 

She came right back, and announced to me: 
"My mom said I was born in '07." 

She could have just walked away. But that sweet little girl was so honest and she came right over to tell me she was wrong. 

But you know what also she did for me? 
At my age, I can be the one who has the wrong memory. It just felt good that it can truly happen to anyone. Even a little girl who is 11 and thought she was born in '06. 

I wish Sophie lived closer. I think we would be good friends. 


But wait, before you go, I have a back story.
Here it goes.

Den and I knew there would be many people invited to this grand celebration. We also knew Oakmont's party room is not very large with very limited seating.

Turns out some sat outside in the cold, 
some sat in the library (next door) 
and many stood around the main room. 

It didn't seem to bother anyone that I could tell. 
We were just all so happy to be together. 

However, Den worries alot about this kind of thing. 
He worried about it all week actually.
He is such a gentleman, and continually, and I mean continually worries about others' feelings. 

But....he worried more about this particular party because he hurt his back about a month ago and it can get horribly painful to stand for any length of time. He worried that he should give up his seat to someone else. He always will gladly do this, but then the pain in his back would flare up from having to stand. 

I'm thankful I am not a man.

So finally I told him several days before the party:

"Hey, you know that hair appt I had to cancel last week? Well I really need to make another one and my hair girl is available Friday night at 7:30. So how about we get to the party early, and then when we are finished eating we can give our chairs to someone else, and  leave. I will just tell everyone I have a hair appt. We don't need to tell anyone about your back."

He seemed okay with that. 

It all seemed fine in planning, but it was after I told a few people there, "We have to leave soon because I have a hair appt." 
that I realized how bad it sounded. 

But this was also a good lesson to me:
When someone else says something 
to me that doesn't sound right, don't judge, 
because we really don't know their back story. (no pun intended)


We so enjoyed the time we got to be there Friday night.
We are SO thankful for Susan and her great family.



The food catered by Cafe Rio was perfect!


And I loved most of all how we got to go around that room 
and all say what Susan means to us. 

She deserved all those kind words.
My favorite was from her son Jon.

He said shortly before Susan met my Dad, and after being single for 20 years, she whispered to Jon that she was ready to remarry 

She said that she wanted to find someone she could take care of.

The angels in heaven must have been listening.

I hadn't known that before and it was so sweet to hear. 


And my Dad, after singing his famous birthday song, announced, 
"I can't believe I'm going to bed tonight 
with an 80 year old woman!"

And on that note, I will just say,
Happy Happy Birthday Susan!
You are so loved. 

Look what happened last night

  Just a little pre-graduating gathering for our DIL Amy.... Not everyday a Mom of 7 and a Grandma of 7, graduates from college. It was not ...