Our Fall Road Trip

A few weeks ago Dave and I took a trip north to see our grandchildren, and their parents. We had a great time!

We went to a 4H dinner with Rachel, Dave and their children. They all received an award or two. We are proud of all they do in that organization.

We went to the lake, and played at the school, the weather was wonderful considering it was October.

We spent some time with Robin, Dennison and the boys ~ we went to the zoo,

pretended it was Jude's birthday,

and enjoyed seeing our kids as parents.
(I don't know how Dennison avoided the camera)

Carter wanted to wear the chicken suit one more time before it got handed-down.

to cousin Ike

Scott's boys were working hard getting ready for winter

we love being with our darling grand children

and seeing the fun things they do, like building a bike jump.
We love our family and are so proud of the good things they are doing.

I Stand Amazed

We are studying Isaiah in Sunday School right now; there so much material there to cover in only a few weeks. How blessed we are to have our own scriptures; we can sit down and feast on the words of God whenever we choose. I love the imagery of Lehi's vision in the 8th chapter of 1 Nephi where we see that the iron rod ~ the word of God ~ leads us to the tree of life, which is the love of God ~ Jesus Christ. Yesterday we were in Isaiah 40 - 49 where we read about and discussed the characteristics of our Savior and the results of following or failing to follow Him. There are beautiful passages there, messages of hope and peace that comes to us only through Jesus.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Isaiah 49:15-16

In Sacrament meeting we sang one of my favorite hymns: I Stand All Amazed (text and music by Charles H Gabriel)

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.

I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.

I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.

Oh, it is wonderful
That he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful,
Wonderful to me!

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have of Jesus and his mission to save us. This knowledge comes to me through the scriptures, the words of the prophets, and through the sweet whisperings of the Holy Ghost.

Catching Up

Wow, I didn't realize how long it's been since I shared anything with all of you! I guess that means we have been busy.

I did spend a week in mid August serving as a hostess at Campus Education Week at BYU, I loved it! I will have to write about some of the things I learned in a future post.
We also bid a sad farewell to most of the members of the BYU 2nd ward, we love our association with these amazing young people. Now we have many new members of the ward ~ we had a fun bbq/water games day in the park last Saturday, and and our Sunday meetings have been wonderful; we are looking forward to a great year.

Someone sliding into home plate during the 'kiddie pool kickball' game

keeping the pools full

Cache is back, he spends his mornings with us 3 days a week. He is so much fun and I'm amazed how much goes on in his little brain.

It's been a weird garden year. Our zucchini plants died! Do you know anyone who is able to kill their zucchini plants? And our other squash got lots of blossoms but very little fruit ~ so we have carrots, peppers, and some tomatoes (although the tomatoes look sadder than usual). The strawberries are still producing though, and Cache loves them.

whatever Cache doesn't eat goes into the freezer

We harvested our corn about the first of August, it was delicious!

this is all the corn we got, but Dave and I both think it was the best corn we ever ate

Dave built this arbor a few weeks ago, it turned out really nice

Summer always goes too quickly for my liking, it's hard to believe Labor Day has come and gone already. We have some fun plans for the fall: we would love to go north, before it gets too cold, to see Rachel and Dave and their family, and Scott, Donna, and boys, and we have planned a trip to see Rick, and a 'Vocal Point' concert in November.

Morning thoughts

I take a morning jog several times a week. My usual route takes me through the city cemetery.

this is my favorite tombstone, it makes me laugh

I sometimes find myself wondering about the people buried there ~ what were their lives like? Were they pleased with the choices they had made, with the man or woman they had become?

Life events occasionally force us to face our own mortality. The death of a loved one, a serious accident or illness, or even just the passing of another birthday or anniversary. The end of our mortal lives will come someday, we will have become the person that we have created through our choices.

I love the Old Testament; I love the symbolism of Christ that is everywhere in this ancient record. I recently read about the tabernacle that Moses was commanded to prepare and carry with the children of Israel through the wilderness that God might dwell among his people. I also read about the various sacrifices that the Lord commanded them to offer, to point their minds forward to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and their total dependence on him for redemption. I have found scriptural heroes like Moses, Abraham, Esther, and Noah. They loom large in my imagination, bigger than life, yet they were just ordinary people like us, asked to do extraordinary things in extraordinary times.

I found a statement in an OT commentary in the introduction to Numbers 13-16. It says: “The Old Testament has some stories of great and marvelous men and women..who provide inspiration to all who desire to achieve true greatness. But the Old Testament also records many tragedies. The tragedy was not so much in what happened, but in what was lost, in what could have been, compared to what was.” Old Testament Student Manual, Genesis - 2 Samuel, Religion 301, 205.

These two ideas merged in my mind this morning on my way through the cemetery. When I die, will I have become the woman that God intends me to be? Will my life be a triumph or a tragedy? I know that my Savior Jesus Christ has paid the price for my sins, rebellions, misjudgments, and carelessness. I know that as I repent I am made pure and clean through his blood, and that he is able to affect changes in me that can make me a pure and sanctified person. But, he waits for me to choose to accept his offering and let it be effective my life; I must decide if I will follow him, live as he asks, obey his commandments, and yield my will to his that I may become holy through his love. His is the power and ability, the choice must be mine.

Our Sun Oven

I got a Sun Oven for my birthday this year.

A few days later, it was used to bake a loaf of Rosemary bread.

There are plans in the works for cookies, rice, brownies, some kind of chicken dish, and some soup or stew all baked/cooked with the power of the sun.
So stay tuned for updates on our cooking adventures.

A day filled with family

Last Thursday was a day filled with family. It was the day of my Uncle Erwin's funeral. He is my dad's only younger brother ~ the eighth child and fifth son of my Haws grandparents ~ and was my dad's only living sibling, until July 1 when he passed away.

It happened in a room in the ER in a local hospital, where he was surrounded by some of the many people who love him. It was a bitter-sweet time; good-byes with those we love are always difficult. As we stood close to each other in that quiet room, we heard the beeping of the monitor as it tracked his gradually slowing breathing and heartbeat, and the whispers on phones to loved ones too far away to be there in person.
We felt a sacred reverence for the event taking place. My grandfather Haws died when his family was young, at least his two youngest sons, my dad and my Uncle Erwin, were under 8 years old. As we waited, knowing the end of his life was minutes away, we thought of those who have gone before ~ his parents and brothers and sisters ~ and their joyful anticipation of a long-awaited reunion, only moments away.
Loving words were spoken, to and of him. The sacred priesthood power was exercised in his behalf, invoking the will of our Father, and expressing our love and respect for this man who has been such an influential part of our lives. Tears were shed, prayers were offered and heard. There were many hugs and 'I love you' s spoken, and we eventually left that room grateful to have been there to bid farewell to this man we love.
Thursday was a day filled with family ~ as we gathered to celebrate the life of our Uncle Erwin, and to rejoice in 'the great plan of happiness' of our God that promises us that families last forever.

"America"...powerful new patriotic original

This is definitely one of my favorite times of the year. I love the 4th of July parade, patriotic music, the hallowed words of our founding documents, and the inspiring lives of those who were raised up to create this system of government that has blessed the whole world.
A friend posted this video on facebook, and I want to share it here.
I hope you enjoy it and feel increased gratitude for living in this land.