Dearest Families:
Yesterday was a supercalifragilistic day, following a great weekend.
Sunday, the chapel in Farmington was absolutely packed for C.J.'s farewell. Dad/Gpa and I counted around 60 from our family, and then there were all the Lindsey's besides many, many friends. C.J. gave such a great talk; we were all very uplifted by it. He will make such a great missionary! This morning, Rachael, Colten, Jacci, Buddy and his Rachel, and Bradley, the boys' cousin, all took him to the MTC and I hear that it was quite a tear-jerker when they parted! I know that C.J. is very excited for his mission, but this is his first time away from home, so it will be difficult in that way, at least for awhile. Let's flood him with letters....I'll send the address as soon as I get it.
Glenn, Pam, Katie and Lyndsey came on Saturday and we had a wonderful visit with them. RJ and David came to share that time for awhile Sat. night. Then Jami and James and their two little gals came on Sunday, and Alison. Perris couldn't make it. Connie and all of her children and grandchildren (except Mary, who only came to the farewell, and Richie, Jessica and Sierra) came over after the farewell, so we had quite a houseful! Rachael also came for awhile...we were so glad she was able to make it on such a busy day for her. It was a lot of noisy joy!
Yesterday (Wednesday) Spencer, Christopher and Colten all needed some assistance with their cars, so we got to see them all in one day! Grandpa enjoyed working with them all, and I enjoyed just visiting. Colten got a massage from Chuck while he was here and loved that, of course! Spencer was here too early for a massage. Spence brought us some brownies that he had made, and they were delicious. Very chocolaty (chocolatey? -- I know, there's no such word.) We missed seeing Jacci and Jessica. One more month (or less) and we'll get to meet little Brooklyn Ann Campbell!
In the evening, Jack, Natalie and Jackson came over for awhile. Jackson is just so cute that Jack can hardly stand it! (Natalie too, I'm sure, but she just doesn't say as much!) When I held him, he laid his head on my chest and just stayed there, calm and content! I thought it was because he was still sleepy from his nap in the car, but whenever I would move him a bit, he would glue himself right back to me and never let me separate us for at least half an hour! Jack says he never does that....lays so quietly and calmly and cuddly for so long! Natalie says he likes her Mom to cuddle with him, too, but not for that long! I was quite honored, as you might guess!! What an adorable 7 month old! I told them they have to come at least once a week now, because he is nearing the age where he may be a little afraid of strangers, so I want him to continue being familiar with who I am! He also sat on Grandpa's knee (Grandpa's usual baby-holding position) for quite a while, completely content and mellow!
Rea Jo and Anna came, too. I helped Anna a bit with a song she wants to play for her class today and RJ also "accepted" a massage!
So thanks, everyone for sharing your time and love with us.
Chuck is doing well in his school, learning a lot. He loves to have the practice of doing the actual massages, so please come on over if you would like one. Rebecca will be here in June for about a week. She'll get to experience a Kaysville 4th of July. Maybe some others will get to be with us, too. Fred and Penny, we hope you will come! I think Richie and his family will be here, right? WHICH REMINDS ME: Don't forget that Grandpa pays for all of you at the Kaysville breakfast. If you don't see us there in line, just tell them you are with the Whickers, as we will have already paid........assuming you won't be too early! We usually get there around 8:30 or 9:00. Call us if you aren't sure what the status is when you get there.
I believe Rachael Maria is planning to be here for the 4th, also. We'll all get to meet their new baby girl, too! It will be a great summer, and FULL of new babies! We are praying for all of you Mommies who will be experiencing that this year...........oh, and next year, too! (I won't tell you who that is, as she may want to tell you herself).
Love you all oodles!
Mom/Gma
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
To Those Who Are or Will Be MOMS!
(You guys can read this, too!)
Do you all realize how many very, very good mothers we have in our family alone??!! How thankful I am for all of you!
In was so impressed with the talk that "someone" gave at General Conference....I was almost asleep, and don't remember the person who said it....but I think it might have been Pres. Monson.....and he said that the women in the church are to lead, not to be led by other women of the world. For some reason that really struck me. And it brought the memory of a story I thought I'd share, in honor of those women in our family who are leading by example and obedience. This story has to do more with confidence than leading, but there is a link between the two, I think.
When we were in the Air Force and had not yet begun studying the gospel, I was invited to join the NCO Wives Club. I've never been a "joiner", but for some reason I decided to give this a try. So, I went to the first meeting. I was 23 years old, pregnant with my fifth child. Everyone there was dressed very nicely in fashionable clothes and beautiful hair styles. I probably wasn't as strange looking as I felt, but my clothes were at least 6 years old, because I know I had not purchased any new clothes until quite awhile after we were married (when I was 17). Being pregnant with my fifth child seemed to cause quite a stir among several women, and I didn't feel anything positive from them! I felt frumpy, out of style and completely unknowledgeable compared with the conversation that they shared with each other.
Well, you can guess that I decided I probably didn't fit in there! I lacked confidence anywhere at that time, and only felt worse in this group.
We began studying with the missionaries shortly thereafter. I think you all probably already know that it took us a long time....four months of very intense studying and praying. -- before we were baptized.. Your Dad/Gpa was converted long before I was. I had to prove everything by prayer AND the New Testament, since I wasn't sure about the Book Of Mormon yet. (That's another story, though!) Everything was definitely there, in the New Testament, but it did take a lot of studying.
Anyway, by the time that we were baptized, I guess I knew more of what my life's purpose was and who I was. I didn't realize that I had really changed in my feelings about myself that much until I went to my second meeting of the NCO Wives Club......(don't ask, I cannot imagine why I went to the second meeting!) It had been several months, and I think they were still trying to recruit me. The surprise was that all the time I was there this time, I had NO feelings of inadequacy, frumpiness, unstylishness or lack of intelligence! But my eyes were now open and it was clear to me now that the things these women talked about, that I didn't know anything about - were mostly very shallow and not much worth learning! I didn't feel "above" them in any way, but I was just surprised that I hadn't been aware of this before! Without casting any shadow on them, I have to say that they were still, without realizing it, women of the world. I had no interest in spending time with them when my time was such a rare treasure, in which I could study and read and learn! I wished that I could share the gospel with them, but I was way too young and shy and as yet unprepared to do that.
Thank you, all of you, who are so valiant in your leadership! Your role as mothers, friends, wives and sisters and daughters will have much more lasting value than you can realize now.
Love, Mom/Gma
Do you all realize how many very, very good mothers we have in our family alone??!! How thankful I am for all of you!
In was so impressed with the talk that "someone" gave at General Conference....I was almost asleep, and don't remember the person who said it....but I think it might have been Pres. Monson.....and he said that the women in the church are to lead, not to be led by other women of the world. For some reason that really struck me. And it brought the memory of a story I thought I'd share, in honor of those women in our family who are leading by example and obedience. This story has to do more with confidence than leading, but there is a link between the two, I think.
When we were in the Air Force and had not yet begun studying the gospel, I was invited to join the NCO Wives Club. I've never been a "joiner", but for some reason I decided to give this a try. So, I went to the first meeting. I was 23 years old, pregnant with my fifth child. Everyone there was dressed very nicely in fashionable clothes and beautiful hair styles. I probably wasn't as strange looking as I felt, but my clothes were at least 6 years old, because I know I had not purchased any new clothes until quite awhile after we were married (when I was 17). Being pregnant with my fifth child seemed to cause quite a stir among several women, and I didn't feel anything positive from them! I felt frumpy, out of style and completely unknowledgeable compared with the conversation that they shared with each other.
Well, you can guess that I decided I probably didn't fit in there! I lacked confidence anywhere at that time, and only felt worse in this group.
We began studying with the missionaries shortly thereafter. I think you all probably already know that it took us a long time....four months of very intense studying and praying. -- before we were baptized.. Your Dad/Gpa was converted long before I was. I had to prove everything by prayer AND the New Testament, since I wasn't sure about the Book Of Mormon yet. (That's another story, though!) Everything was definitely there, in the New Testament, but it did take a lot of studying.
Anyway, by the time that we were baptized, I guess I knew more of what my life's purpose was and who I was. I didn't realize that I had really changed in my feelings about myself that much until I went to my second meeting of the NCO Wives Club......(don't ask, I cannot imagine why I went to the second meeting!) It had been several months, and I think they were still trying to recruit me. The surprise was that all the time I was there this time, I had NO feelings of inadequacy, frumpiness, unstylishness or lack of intelligence! But my eyes were now open and it was clear to me now that the things these women talked about, that I didn't know anything about - were mostly very shallow and not much worth learning! I didn't feel "above" them in any way, but I was just surprised that I hadn't been aware of this before! Without casting any shadow on them, I have to say that they were still, without realizing it, women of the world. I had no interest in spending time with them when my time was such a rare treasure, in which I could study and read and learn! I wished that I could share the gospel with them, but I was way too young and shy and as yet unprepared to do that.
Thank you, all of you, who are so valiant in your leadership! Your role as mothers, friends, wives and sisters and daughters will have much more lasting value than you can realize now.
Love, Mom/Gma
Thursday, May 6, 2010
What Legacy?
Someone in our family, some years ago, wrote this and I found it in myold Word Perfect files. It gives food for thought! Maybe it willinspire us to write legacy-worthy thoughts in our journals????Love, Gma
I had a philosophy professor who was the quintessential eccentricphilosopher. His disheveled appearance was highlighted by a well-worntweed sport coat and poor-fitting thick glasses, which often rested onthe tip of his nose. Every now and the, as most philosophy professors do,he would go off on one of those esoteric and existential "what's themeaning of life" discussions. Many of those discussions went nowhere, butthere were a few that really hit home. This was one of them:"Respond to the following questions by a show of hands," my professorinstructed. "How many of you can tell me something about your parents?"Everyone's hand went up.
"How many of you can tell me something about your grandparents?" Aboutthree-fourths of the class raised their hands.
"How many of you can tell me something about your great-grandparents?"Two out of sixty students raised their hands.
"Look around the room," he said. "In just two short generations hardlyany of us even know who our own great-grandparents were. Oh sure, maybewe have an old, tattered photograph tucked away in a musty cigar box orknow the classic family story about how one of them walked 5 miles toschool barefoot. But how many of us really know who they were, what theythought, what they were proud of, what they were afraid of, or what theydreamed about? Think about that. Within three generations our ancestorsare all but forgotten. Will this happen to you?
"Here's a better question. Look ahead three generations. You are longgone. Instead of you sitting in this room, now it's yourgreat-grandchildren. What will they have to say about you? Will they knowabout you? Or will you be forgotten, too? "Is your life going to be a warning or an example?
"What legacy will you have? The choice is yours. Class dismissed."Nobody rose from their seat for a good five minutes.
I had a philosophy professor who was the quintessential eccentricphilosopher. His disheveled appearance was highlighted by a well-worntweed sport coat and poor-fitting thick glasses, which often rested onthe tip of his nose. Every now and the, as most philosophy professors do,he would go off on one of those esoteric and existential "what's themeaning of life" discussions. Many of those discussions went nowhere, butthere were a few that really hit home. This was one of them:"Respond to the following questions by a show of hands," my professorinstructed. "How many of you can tell me something about your parents?"Everyone's hand went up.
"How many of you can tell me something about your grandparents?" Aboutthree-fourths of the class raised their hands.
"How many of you can tell me something about your great-grandparents?"Two out of sixty students raised their hands.
"Look around the room," he said. "In just two short generations hardlyany of us even know who our own great-grandparents were. Oh sure, maybewe have an old, tattered photograph tucked away in a musty cigar box orknow the classic family story about how one of them walked 5 miles toschool barefoot. But how many of us really know who they were, what theythought, what they were proud of, what they were afraid of, or what theydreamed about? Think about that. Within three generations our ancestorsare all but forgotten. Will this happen to you?
"Here's a better question. Look ahead three generations. You are longgone. Instead of you sitting in this room, now it's yourgreat-grandchildren. What will they have to say about you? Will they knowabout you? Or will you be forgotten, too? "Is your life going to be a warning or an example?
"What legacy will you have? The choice is yours. Class dismissed."Nobody rose from their seat for a good five minutes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)