SHEEP

Several years ago Steve and I spend 4 1/2 months in Wales to research his family history. We stayed in a small village called Pontygwaith and often drove to the Glamorgan Archive in Cardiff or the West Glamorgan Archive in Swansea with occasional forays to the archives in Neath, Cowbridge, etc. We also spent some time in Aberystwyth at the National Archives. How we loved immersing ourselves in the old records! It was a thrill to touch and read the old documents. And we found some amazing information.

The countryside of Wales is so lovely with many enclosed green fields dotted with sheep. I loved to see them. It is so very green and just beautiful! One day I wanted to stop and take some pictures of sheep so I pulled off to the side of the road , got out of the car and walked across the road because there were a lot of sheep in the back field. Steve wasn't as excited about the sheep as I was so he patiently waited in the car.

There was a wide metal gate sitting diagonally at the corner of the field. As I walked up to that gate the sheep at the extreme opposite end of the field saw me and started running my direction! Then it seemed they got shy and stopped so I moved and turned just a little and they then began to run again. I have wondered if they hoped I had a treat for them, just didn't know what they were thinking.

Over the next 10 or so minutes they alternated  between running towards me and acting shy. The more bashful sheep stayed somewhere near the middle of the field. But several continued to press forward. Eventually only 3 stuck their heads through the rungs while others milled around. Oh how I laughed at their antics.

I immediately learned two things. The sheep were not really all that cute up close. AND they smelled awful!!! I did not even dare pet them because they smelled so gross. I contented myself with taking a few photos and apologized  for not bringing a treat. Then I crossed the road, walked  back to the car chuckling all the way and drove back home to Pontygwaith. The sheep waited a bit and then gradually moved back into the field. If I had brought a treat for them it might have been even more fun.

It was a very funny experience for me and for some reason I told one of my daughters about it the other day. She reminded me of the many pictures we see of the Savior carrying a lamb. Then she drew the analogy between us and those sheep and how the Savior is always there, willing to pick us up no matter how much we stink.

The more I thought about what she said the more I realized how profound she was. We spend our whole lives getting dirty and smelly, catching ourselves on the difficult experiences and debris of the world. But always the Savior is there to love us, to pick us up, to clean us off through forgiveness and help us come 'home'. Likely the sheep the Savior held did not stink nor will we when we turn to Him.

[I wanted to add a photo of the Savior holding  lamb but it seems copyright law prohibits me from doing so. But I am sure you can see one in your mind 😌]

RENEW, RESTART, REFRESH, RESILIENCE TO MOVE FORWARD EVEN WHEN THINGS HAVE BEEN TOUGH

                                           Lots of photo ops in the Cabo market place.

Going on a cruise was a fun experience. Going on the RENEW23 Cruise was a phenomenal experience! It was so great to spend time with my eldest daughter enjoying things we like to do. The whole ship had been chartered for this group for a 5 night cruise starting in Long Beach traveling to Cabo San Lucas, Ensanada and back to Long Beach. I loved having a balcony room so we could enjoy the ocean and the views. It was great to see dolphins and whales along our way.

The bars and the casino were not busy since no one was interested in the alcohol or gambling. By the last 2 evenings the bar tenders had figured out how to offer non alcoholic beverages so we saw a lot of virgin pina coladas, etc  being served and the staff had opportunities to earn tips. On a humorous note, which we did not even notice until a couple of days in, several of the plentiful naked statues had been given 'togas'.

The musical offerings were pretty awesome. We enjoyed concerts by the Piano Guys, Conlon Bonner, Ofi, David Osmond, the Osmond Chapman Orchestra, Hilary Weeks. There were also a number of interesting presentations by various people but we just did not have enough time to enjoy them all. But they all followed a theme of spiritual/emotional survival, of getting back up again after tough times, of hope, of renewal. One of the speakers mentioned "sacred idleness" - a time to just be and allow ourselves to renew instead of being constantly busy. A time to ponder and refresh. That is important for me to remember.

I was cleared by my doctor to go on the cruise but not to go on excursions. I wore the back brace every day and used a walker when we were not on the ship. It was nice to just sit down on the walker seat when I got tired. Tracking my steps showed me that I walked between 1 and 2 miles per day without even leaving the ship. Our stateroom was about in the middle of the ship so we had to go one direction for our meals and another for our concerts. But medically it was a great break half way through my recovery and the walking was good to loosen me up. There was too much food of course. But I was not overly impressed with it or maybe there was just too much. And I did not gain any weight which was great!

It is always fun to visit markets. I forgot to take photos but it was fun to see all the color. I found a very cute little Mexican shirt for my newest great grandson who will be born in May, as well as a very cute little 2 piece dress for the newest great granddaughter who will be born in March. It is pretty amazing to realize that I will soon have 13 great grandchildren! I am so blessed!

Next January RENEW24 will occur and I hope to participate and get that extra shot in the arm again. I just hope the weather cooperates a little better as my daughter had a hard time getting home with storms in the midwest which cancelled and delayed her flights into Nashville.

Now I am home in COLD Utah. And it has been COOOLDD! Well below freezing for a long time with occasional snow.

It was strange coming home - to reality I suppose- and seeing that my house still looks the same and trying to again figure out "what comes next".

As I looked toward my future trips I realized it was time to make sure my grandsons and I have our proper immunizations for our trips to  France and Kenya and Tanzania. I have absolutely no idea where I put the record of my immunizations! Of course I have my Covid shot records with my passport but I looked HARD and cannot find the other records. 

Tender mercies are very real. After my initial panic, and some prayer, I made a series of phone calls culminating with a fortuitous call to the Whatcom County WA Health department. The lovely person I spoke with sent me link for a form which I printed and filled out, my daughter helped me to get a photo of the form sent back and literally within 10 minutes on  a Friday afternoon I electronically received the whole list of my immunizations including all I was given in 2016/2017 preparing for our mission to Australia. What a relief and a HUGE shout out to the staff at Whatcom County Health department! I have an appointment Thursday to see my doctor and hopefully get his approval for a Yellow Fever Immunization. I need that "note from my doctor" since I am over 60. Then Friday I will get the Yellow Fever vaccine and anything else I still need. Hopefully the side affects are not too awful.

On Saturday my son came and picked me up and drove me to Salt Lake to see the final performance of my grandson with the Young Ambassadors. He pays a mean guitar and has spent 2 years with that group but he is now finished. It was such fun to be there to watch the performance and to watch my grandson jiving to the music. And it was so nice to have my son be my chauffeur and have that precious time to just visit. Steve would be really glad to see how nicely our children care for me.

Taxes are  a royal PAIN. I did mine the other night and discovered I have to pay this year. I guess that is not a huge surprise since I did not have any funds withheld in 2022. But what was a surprise was that along with the taxes I rightfully owe I am being charged $57 for not having had enough funds withheld. How is that fair????? Well Uncle Sam will get my taxes and my fee -  but not until April 14. And I will have to go in and change my withholding statement so that  next year I will not be charged for not taking enough out. Ridiculous! GRRRR

The days seem to flow by. I actually dared go  to church on Sunday - the first since my surgery in mid December. It was good to be there and not just watch on Zoom. Nice also to know that people were glad to see me and were concerned for me since my surgery.

Still reading a lot of books. It is sad when I find an author I really enjoy and then have read all of her books. [I have really enjoyed the  historical novels, mostly with a romance, written by Roseanna M White. She writes good clean stories with intricate plots.] Then I have to find a new author. I'm also watching a lot of TV offerings. It is easy to hide myself away in books or TV shows and not quite face life. I need to work on a schedule to make sure I am doing the things I need to do. It is just  much easier to hide. But I need to try to figure out things to do for other people.

I need to NOT hide but to get on with a purpose in my life. I am still going to grief counseling  Not sure just how long I will need that but it seems to help. Tears of loss still come at the strangest times but I feel very blessed and look forward to the future. I just have to figure out how to manage that future :)

The monitor in our room showed our progress and other details. From Long Beach to Cabo San Lucas to Ensenada and back to Long Beach. The weather was pleasant.

I did not take as many photos as I should have. My daughter took a lot and some of these are hers. I hope next time I travel that my head will be more in gear to find and take the great photos that are available. I really am a greedy traveller and want to see and absorb everything! And I love nature! So, a few pictures.

Our steward created a different towel animal every day! It was such fun coming back to see what he had done. Then Andrea named them!

                                    So grateful for the walker that made it all doable

                                                   Our more modest statue :)

So nice to also have a neighborhood friend along on this cruise. It was fun to hang out.

                                                                   Cabo

                                                        Ensenada

                                                        My delightful daughter

                                                              Olive trees

This was our 'formal' night. I bought this dress at the market. I think I am a little bit Bohemian sometimes.

 

Our wait staff who were absolutely fantastic. They took great care of us with lots of humor that made our evenings delightful!

                                        A rainbow is ALWAYS a good sign!

                                                     I love being a Grandma!

56 YEARS AGO - A LIFETIME AGO

56 years ago on a cold winter's day Steve and I  were married in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although we were young and naive, Steve was 21 and I was 19,  we were full of faith in the Lord and love for each other. It was our desire to raise up a family to the Lord and to live so that our sealing in the temple would allow our family to be together forever.

We had no idea what the future would bring but felt confident that together we could make it. Our years were filled with many miracles but also many hard times. We were blessed with 10 beautiful, healthy children who have grown up to be amazing humans and who seem to have mostly forgiven us for all of our parenting mistakes. It is a joy when I am able to be with them and their families. I know that Steve would have enjoyed this time of continued association with our families. But it was not to be. The Lord had other plans for him.

It has now been 1 year and 7 months since Steve died and I miss him. This time of being alone, and especially as I have been recovering from this back surgery, has provided ample opportunity  to reflect and remember. I have been reading old journals from the 1980's. Steve was a great journal keeper and wrote almost every single day. His entries help me remember so much. We had so many adventures together. We lived in Utah, Illinois, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Washington, before finally settling back in Utah. When Steve retired his co-workers asked if we would now travel and he said "likely not" and yet we did travel. We visited Hawaii, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, England and many states in the US.

Steve was truly the 'wind beneath my wings' and my 'safe harbor'. He supported me and encouraged me as I ventured out of my comfort zone. He loved me unconditionally. His healing hugs often saved my sanity. I am  grateful for the 54 years, 4 months and 19 days we had together. Before he died I told him that he "was the best thing that every happened to me" and I meant it.

Now I rely on strengthening memories to sustain me as I move out of my comfort zone. Ironically one of the things that has been hard for me is driving. It is so weird because I was the primary driver for many years after Steve had his accident in 1998. I drove thousands of miles all over the US and Europe, plus on the "other side of the road" in Australia and the UK. But getting behind the wheel after he died was hard. It is becoming more natural now but I have yet to drive over 200 miles. I hope that will change as I would like to drive to see our granddaughter's family in Wyoming and to see our children in Denver.

So, I press forward, still trying to figure out just who I am now. Thankfully I have my family, my friends, a comfortable home in which to live, a good car and the means to do some traveling. I appreciate all Steve did to provide for me. On this anniversary I will begin a new journey by taking  a cruise with our oldest daughter. It seems that going during this anniversary time would be a comforting and diverting  experience. Steve had absolutely no desire to ever go on a cruise - so this is brand new experience for me.

I am grateful for our marriage in the temple those 56 years ago and for my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that provides the way for families to be together forever. Someday I will be with Steve again and feel his healing hugs.

            Oh how young we were! and this was in 1972  after 5 years of marriage and 3 children.

                                       On a trip to Ruegen, Germany in 2014

The day we moved into our single level  home in Syracuse, 13 June 2020 - one year to the day before Steve left us.

A LEGACY OF MUSIC

It's interesting how much time is spent just thinking while I am in recovery from this back surgery. After reading many unimportant books and watching lots of unimportant TV I also occasionally will just sit and ponder. I was listening to some Mozart the other day and remembering many hours of hearing my daughter practice her flute. I miss that.

I also miss the busyness of early morning practicing. There was a time when every morning would be filled with strains of piano, violin, flute, drum pad, trumpet and later saxophone and clarinet and more flute and more trumpet and more piano and guitar. Music filled our home for countless hours for many years. I loved it and I miss it.

My hope was that each of our 10 children would learn to play the piano well enough to be serviceable  and able to play hymns at church if needed.  We also wanted our children to have the opportunity of enjoying music. They almost all went through the school band or orchestra programs and we attended lots of concerts. Marching band was also a big deal when our children went to Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum. Utah. There was even Mariachi Band when we lived in Los Fresnos, Texas.

Moving from Utah to Texas changed the dynamics of music in our home. Piano lessons were so  much more expensive  and bartering for lessons became a thing of the past. Sadly our younger children were not able to take piano lessons and my efforts to teach them usually resulted in tears. But somehow through band they learned to love music and even played a little piano.

Our old upright piano, a gift from my mother, served us well for many years. I enjoyed hearing our children practice and I also enjoyed playing duets for flute, trumpet and violin with some of our children. We also sang around the piano. Of course as the children grew up and moved away the piano was often quiet.  Then when we prepared to serve our mission in Australia and needed to store our furniture we found a new home for the piano where other children could learn to play and enjoy it.

Reflecting on my own musical journey brings many, many memories.  I became the recipient of my mother's wish to play the piano. She never had that opportunity but wanted her children to have that privilege. As immigrants trying to find our way in the world, money was not plentiful. But my father was truly amazing! Going along with my mother's dream for us to play the piano, he used his ingenuity to provide a way. 

One day he procured an old ornate pump organ from an elderly woman who had no further use for it. He stripped out the keyboard and the pump mechanism and got rid of the wooden cover. I wish someone had had the foresight to take  photos of the process. But my mind remembers.  He built a plain wooden box with a place for the key board. Inside the box he arranged the bellows and all that was needed to allow the keys to be played. He found a small vacuum which he attached to the bellows. When we wanted to play the "piano" we had only to plug in the vacuum cord and the keys became alive. So, at the ripe old age of 9, I had my first "piano" and lessons to learn to play.

When I was 12 years old our family  actually got our first real piano. It was beautiful and a wonderful surprise when we moved to our new home. Then I could learn to play staccato notes and learn the touch of actual piano keys as opposed to the soft touch of the organ. I took lessons a few more years but never became really proficient. My father often requested that I play La Paloma which was a favorite of his. My sister and brother far surpassed my ability although I was always pretty good at sight reading. I have always loved music. It was a gift my parents gave me in a rather unorthodox manner.

Not all of our children have continued to use their musical talents but all have an enjoyment of music. One of our sons is a composer and a music engineer in his home studio. Several of our children and grandchildren are proficient in various aspects of music, the guitar, voice and various instruments. There is a continuous thread of the musical enjoyment running through our family. My children saw to it that I have a nice electric piano in my home which I do play from time to time; and the grandchildren take full advantage when they visit. It makes me happy.

And now when I want to listen to music I just have to say " Alexa, play Mozart" or whatever I am in the mood to hear and it plays throughout my home for my enjoyment. Grateful thanks to my mother and my innovative father for my  musical journey and the legacy they left their posterity.

A beautiful sky in Newfoundland in lieu of piano photos.

I USED TO BE A GOOD COOK!!!

Food and I have a strange relationship. Ofttimes I wish someone would just bring me my meals all prepared and ready to eat. Sometimes I don't even like food and often I end up eating things I shouldn't since I have type 2 diabetes.

Today one of my daughters called to get the doughnut recipe I had used many years ago. We used to have doughnut Fridays with videos on the rented VHS machine we got at the local service station. I remember the counter covered with waiting dough which was cut into doughnut shapes and then deep fried. But I have not made doughnuts for at least 3 decades now.

Years later we had pizza and root beer float video nights. Homemade pizza was a regular occurrence at our house. Every one could add their own toppings. But now it has been some time since I have made a homemade pizza.

When all 10 children were still home I became a master at stretching our budget. I could make one chicken serve 12 people. I created many casseroles usually based on mushroom soup and/or canned tomatoes. [I would bottle 10 bushels of tomatoes and they would be bottled the way I like them in quarters with no skins.] Our garden yielded bushes of green beans and I also canned them. Every summer/fall we canned what even we could find -beans, tomatoes  peaches, pears, applesauce, cherries, etc usually about 500 quarts. And we froze corn, broccoli, spinach etc.  We always ate our breakfasts and dinner together. One of my sons said I was "a good cooker". I loved to make soups whether from soup bones of turkey carcasses. I made homemade noodles which were so good. My mother could never figure out how I could pull together ingredients to provide  a meal. But I did.

Our children grew up on homemade bread. My first effort at bread baking was actually funny. The outside looked so beautiful but when I tried to slice the bread I discovered the inside to be totally doughy. Over the years I got better at handling and kneading the bread dough. I had often made good sweet roll variations when I was in high school and I finally mastered the art of bread baking. At one point Wednesdays were set aside for baking and I would produce 20 loaves of bread, various batches of cookies and desserts much of which went into the freezer. Each of the children learned how to bake bread on their own. One son actually baked his own bread and sold sandwiches at high school to earn his own income.

Our family dynamics gradually changed with university and marriage. At one point my fridge was so full of leftovers by Fridays that Friday became leftover day. About that time I discovered that previously our boys had enjoyed a 4th meal past midnight sneaking downstairs and helping themselves so there were no leftovers. I had to adjust how much food I prepared.

Sooner than I would have thought Steve and I were back to only 2 of us for our meals. It wasn't as much fun to cook for only 2 and my recipes served so many more. We found that Sam's and Costco had lots of options that did not require much cooking. I pretty much stopped baking bread or even many cookies. I learned I had diabetes so it was not a good idea to have lots of cookies in the house  because I would eat them.

I would have been happy to get by with a peanut butter sandwich but Steve still wanted a real meal so I tried.

After Steve retired we served out mission in Sydney Australia and we often were too busy for me to really cook. We got used to quick food and fast food. The only thing I really prepared were Morning Glory Muffins which I often prepared for the missionaries for meetings we had. Then on our 8 1/2 month family history trip to Wales and Europe there were few opportunities to cook and we learned to love  the soups and wonderful soda bread.

We arrived home and began  to settle into our new life when Steve had his first stroke. That changed everything because I could no longer cook for him when he was in the hospital and I just grabbed what ever was available. A short few weeks in our daughter's home when she tried to tempt him with various dishes. Then we were in our new one level home in Syracuse. But Steve pretty much liked mac and cheese, and other easy dishes. I ate whatever. As Steve declined food became less and less important. And then he died. And I didn't really care what I ate.

There are things that sound good but when I actually cook I don't much care for what I make. It is strange because  food prep used to be such a huge factor in my life. Now it is a nuisance.

Our children have been wonderful in that they have scheduled visits with me on Sundays and they bring dinner, often leaving me an extra meal of leftovers. 

I look at my old recipe box which is falling apart. It is stuffed  with so many recipes that used to be a part of  my life and there are many good memories there. I enjoy when some of my children ask for recipes they remember. But I think my cooking days are gone. Gone are the days when I cooked a huge Mexican food meal over Christmas, when I made dozens of pizzas for my children friends, when I made lots of good winter soups, when I had a lot of people over for Sunday dinners, when I set a pretty table and filled it with good food.  I am not sure I am even a 'good cooker' anymore.

Now that I am alone I guess it is time to find a new way to cook and prepare food and set my table. Occasionally I see a recipe or think of a certain food and feel a pull to cook again. But it seems there are other interests and time consumers that pull me away; the creative writing  class, my back surgery,  my travel plans, and my own laziness.

Food is definitely interesting. I think I have "love-hate" relationship with it.

HELLO 2023...WHAT DO YOU HAVE WAITING FOR ME?

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

January 1 has always been my favorite day of the year. It has always represented a clean slate - a new start - new opportunities.

But this year things are a little murky, well not exactly murky but less straight forward. I have discovered that recovery from this surgery involves more pain than I had expected.  I have learned that I do not feel very motivated when I am in pain. My days are not filled with exciting thoughts of refining plans or goals or new resolutions. Instead I find them filled with a lot of light reading and mindless movies just trying to hold on.  I am a little disappointed in myself and have become even more impressed with people who live with chronic pain and still remain productive and cheerful. I hope I can soon pass through the pain and be able to move forward.

I did discover the TV series The Chosen and have 'binge watched' the first 2 seasons and now wait for the weekly installments of season 3. Somehow the writers and the actors have done a remarkable job of bringing the reality of the Savior and His mission to the forefront. I am grateful to be watching it as I feel more mindful of the Savior.

The holidays passed quietly with a sense of peace and contentment.  My children made sure I was not alone on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and days before and after. I am grateful for my family. They are a huge blessing in my life. I am also grateful for caring friends. It is nice to be remembered and to know that people care about me.

I am still wearing a back brace and am not supposed to bend, twist or lift anything over 10 pounds for 3 months. Doctor also said no laundry, no vacuuming and no loading or unloading the dishwasher for 3 months. It is hard to remember not to pick things up. But I have a 'grabber' which extends my arms a couple of feet and allows me to 'pick things up'. But I still need to ask for help with some of the basics.

Our family had a game night planned at the clubhouse in my neighborhood. But about 1 hour before it was to begin our neighborhood  power went out. So we had to cancel our game night. It was a disappointment but all is well. One of my sons immediately drove up to care for me until the power was restored and I realized in all of my organizing I had not prepared for power outages. Now I have some nice little lanterns that he brought. Hopefully I will not have to use them often.

I missed taking a picture of some beautiful  snow we had. For a week or more my patio was filled with about 14". It was beautiful and pristine the way it hung on the patio furniture.   I miss it now that most is melted. I hope we get more.

It is hard to believe that it has now been 1 1/2 years since Steve died. In many respects it seems like it has been forever not just 18 months. As I have been reading in his journals from the 1980's I have been struck by the many sacrifices he made for me and our family. I am grateful for him and the privilege of our life together. I miss his healing hugs and his soothing foot rubs. He was not a perfect man but he was a good man who loved me, our family and the Lord.

As my life moves forward I find I am much more laid back. I am learning that lower expectations bring less disappointments. Being grateful for many little things strengthens me and eliminates feelings of sadness that I might have experienced in the past if plans did not work out.

There are many plans in place for 2023. I hope I will feel well enough to take the trips and spend  time with my family. I hope I can have a clear enough mind to organize my family history materials and write the stories that need to be written.  More and more I recognize my own mortality  and hope I can fill my remaining time on this earth with experiences that will strengthen my posterity.

May you all be richly blessed in this New Year!

Amaryllis are one of the joys of the Season!

SPONDYLOLISTHESIS OR 'SPONDY' ...AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Spondylolisthesis  - so, that is a new word in my vocabulary and a word which has changed my life. Basically it is a condition in which two discs run out of alignment with each other. In my case L4 and L5 were out 1 inch when ever I stood up causing back and leg issues. Little wonder that I had so many leg/foot issues on my trip to Canada!

After a CAT scan and an MRI and much prayerful consideration I decided to follow the surgeons recommendation and have surgery to fuse those two offending discs. Now it has been 1 week since I have 'gone under the knife'.  Amazingly the pain in my right leg was gone immediately after the surgery and I am optimistic that my other  back and leg pains will diminish and allow me to have an active life again.

My family and friends have been so helpful and I have survived this far. Last night I was able to roll over in my bed without agony which was huge. The brace is uncomfortable but reminds me that I must not bend, twist or lift - for the next 3 months. The surgery pain is diminishing but is still definitely there. I am optimistic that I will be up for a cruise on Jan 25 with my daughter.

By necessity holiday celebrations will be minimal but 2 of my sons decided I should not be alone, so on Christmas Eve a family will visit and on Christmas Day another family will visit. Phone calls, texts  cards, and other visits have been most welcome. And we have scheduled a Family Game Night for December 27 when those who can will gather for a time together.

Today is the birthday of one of my sons who is a remarkable human and I am grateful to be his mother. I am grateful to be the mother for my other 3 sons and my 6 daughters. They are ALL remarkable humans as are those they have married who treat me as their own. I am grateful for 38 plus grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren and the 2 who are on the horizon. And there are bonus grandchildren so our 'clan', if you will, numbers well over 70 people. Steve and I would have been married 55 years this coming January 2023 if he had not died in June 2021. We could not have imagined all these wonderful additions to our families.

My gratitude is overflowing. I am at peace with my life. 

I am grateful for my marriage of 54 years, 4 months and 19 days to a remarkable man who loved me despite my weaknesses and  provided me with all I needed in the way of physical comforts.  I love my house and feel good being here. I am grateful for a car which takes care of my needs. We struggled financially earlier in our marriage but somehow we were blessed with all we needed and all that I now need. But of course I miss him.

I am grateful for a few fun January days in New York with a grandson. I enjoyed his company. It was wonderful to have a son and his family stay with me while they waited to move back to Tokyo. I enjoyed a few days in San Diego and Yuma with a daughter's family - for a grandson's  performance on the Battleship. And then a couple of days in Star Valley to visit Steve's grave and his brother's family.

The long awaited and heavy planned trip to Canada and our 45 days of "sister" time. And then the San Diego trip with some of the other widows from the Villas. Not so excited for my subsequent bout of Covid but grateful I survived. Glad for my sister's October visit and her help in my getting more organized; and we got to see Southern Utah. Glad for my creative writing class which has given me some writing skills. Looking forward to more writing in the future. Glad for our daughter and family to be here for Thanksgiving!

Grateful to have my house decorated to Christmas. My sweet daughter-in-law insisted she could put up my tree when I had decided it was too much work and she just did it. 

This has been a very busy year. I have not had time to be bored and in fact still have things that need to be organized to be fully moved into this house.

Next year marks the beginning of the "Grandma trips" when I will hopefully take all of my grandchildren on trips. Paris in April with a grandson will be the inaugural trip and then a Safari in June with 2 more grandsons. Also a cruise with my daughter the end of January and a cruise with the villa ladies the end of April. There will not be time to be bored.

So, this year ends with gratitude and hope for the future; with my testimony that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Real. It is a simple testimony that I know the Plan of Salvation is Real and that a loving Heavenly Father watches over all of us and will make everything right in the end.

May your lives be richly blessed!