Wonders of the week

While our thoughts and prayers are with Ukraine making it hard to focus at times, I'm trying to treasure, even more, the blessings in my own life...

Just a little of what's going on around here....

1.  Logan and Amy's 17th wedding anniversary just a few days ago....

Thank you Jonas for taking the picture!

And to her friend Katie who told her to take a picture on each anniversary. 

2.  Some sister love in Idaho...Juliet and Daisy

3. My niece's son, Roland, got pecked in his eye by one of their chickens. Eye doctor said no permanent damage. 

Just another day being raised on a farm.

Grandma Gaynor would understand.

She grew up eating her pets, too. 

4. My dear friend Darlene, made this very lovely rice pack for me.

I put it in the microwave for 3 minutes, 

and I can't tell you how wonderful it is after we turn off our heat each night.

5. And we so enjoyed Violet's birthday as she turned 11 over zoom!

Is that not a genius way to blow out her candles pandemic style? 

Right after the party Dennis asked me, 

"Do you think you can ask Erin if she would save a piece of cake for me?

I said, "Sorry, I can't ask her that." 

Well apparently Erin had it planned all along

...because it was soon delivered to us by Brock.

And Dennis wasted no time.

6. I follow this young mom in her stage 4 cancer journey. 

Very sad, yes, but she has such a richness to her soul.

People who go through really tough challenges, know things the rest of us may not.

I try to learn from them. 💙

Respect makes a difference

I saw something this week at Savemart I'd never quite seen before. 

This was the first time Den and I had been out in public, except for two dental appointments, in weeks and weeks. 

We were wearing masks. 

While standing in line to check out, this one woman gets in line behind us. She was maskless (as were about half the customers.) Then suddenly she backs up at least 6 feet, but more like 10 feet, and waits there instead. 

This was particularly noticeable because no one else was distancing in any of the other lines.

It was obvious to me, that while she was maskless and most likely believed differently than us in that regard, she showed respect for our beliefs or concerns, and gave us space. 

I was very touched by her kindness, and also by her character. I was hoping to tell her so but we were soon put in another line and I lost sight of her. 

It was a sweet experience I'm thankful we got to witness. 

Quite different from how we both felt last November coming home from the UPS store. As we were getting in the car, we noticed a sign in the window of a small business...

If you can't see the sign, it reads:

MASK USE STRICTLY

PROHIBITED ON THIS

ENTIRE PROPERTY

IF YOU ARE SCARED

STAY HOME

I guess it's no wonder there were no customers inside.

We do have rights, and we can make choices.

But kindness with those choices makes a HUGE difference.

I understand better now

It finally occurred to me yesterday why my Dad loved the hymn Love at Home so much. He had us sing it every single time we had FHE. Always off key. So grating to my ears. 

I would cringe each time it was the chosen hymn at church. Oh no, not that song again.

Yesterday it was our closing hymn at the end of Sacrament meeting and that’s when it hit me. He heard this song differently than I did.

After his Mom died when he was only 6, so went his happy home. His Dad quickly remarried and his step mom was not very nice to him, or his 5 siblings. They began quickly leaving home as soon as they could. But Dad was only 6, so he had to endure it the longest. 

I’m sure he yearned for what he didn’t have. 

“Roses bloom beneath our feet, All the earth’s a garden sweet.

Making life a bliss complete. When there’s love at home.” 

“There is beauty all around when there’s love at home

There is joy in every sound. When  there’s love at home.”

There is not joy in every sound when you grow up with 7 siblings. Or later, when you parent 4. 

That song always sounded so beyond reality, and laughably sweet, but I’m finally getting it. It sounded like heaven to my Dad. 

I’ve never known anything but a happy home. Growing up, and the ones I raised my kids in, and the one Den and I have together now. 

What I took for granted, my Dad yearned for.  While I didn’t hear “joy in every sound” he probably thought that's how it would be if he just had a Mom and Dad who were there for him. 

What he didn’t have, he wanted for all of us. So he married our angel mother and worked as hard as he could so we could have her with us every day. He learned about family life from her, and then gave it his all as best he could.

This made a huge difference for his posterity after him.

He graduated from this life on Valentine’s Day three years ago today. 

I didn’t thank him enough while he was here, for all he gave to us. Somehow, I hope he knows how grateful I am.

Anyway, that's what I've been thinking today.

Hugging one of his many great grandchildren (Téa) the week before he passed.