Father's Day Poem from Benj

Daddy Flying over House

June 7, 2011

Whicker-Wide Photo Album

Please remember that Glenn has created a photo site for ALL family-wide activities.  We can post photo's of our family reunions, gatherings, campouts...so that all of us can access and enjoy them!  Thanks, Glenn!

To view the photos, go to  http://picasaweb.google.com/108326893341501531188

If you have pictures to upload & share, go to the above URL, then sign in as wikr@earthlink.net.  (You will need to text Ry @ 801-529-4102, email Glenn, or call G'ma for the password, as this blog is viewable by all.  But a text only takes a second!)

Family Party Planning

We did the scheduling of this party so that those who are in school could come during their days off of school.  However, we still ran into problems with the ones who were working.  We could do it on a weekend in another year, since Christmas and New Year's Day are not always on Saturday.  Here are some pros and cons about when and where to have our next get together.  Jeff has suggested that we just have a one day get together on an annual basis rather than try for a three day reunion every five years or so.  Please let us know what you think?  If you have date preferences, let us know about those,

Seeing Through A Glass Darkly

Dearest Family All:

I recently learned a valuable lesson as I read the other day, I believe it was Daniel Peterson in the Mormon Times. I have often pondered the scripture involved, (Corinthians 13) but it has stayed with me more forcefully because of Bro. Peterson’s treatise of the meaning of verse 12 in that chapter. My perception of what he was trying to say was this:

When Paul talks of "seeing through a glass darkly", most of us think of just not having the understanding we need in order to see things clearly. But Bro. Peterson explained that he thinks it is pretty plain that there is more to it than that. The whole of chapter 13 is devoted to the superiority of charity above all other gifts; indeed it makes it clear that if we have ALL those other great, great gifts named there, but do NOT have charity, we are nothing at all! Then, in verse 11, he moves to the contrast between childish understanding and mature understanding.....then comes verse 12:

"For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face:

now I know in part; but then shall I know even as I also am known."

He then closes the chapter by referring once again to the greatest gift....charity.

Bro. Peterson says that in the Hebrew language, the word they used for 'glass' actually meant closer to mirror. That made very good sense to me when finishing the sentence..."then shall I know even as I also am known"! For me, that changes the focus of the whole idea; now I understand that I am not seeing through a glass darkly pertaining to knowledge in general, but rather I am seeing through a mirror darkly -- in other words, I do not see myself accurately -- however, THEN shall I know myself even as I am known!

My thoughts continued on to connect the subject of the whole chapter, charity, in correlation to knowing myself as I am known. I can't really even explain exactly how I got there, but my conclusion was (and I believe Bro. Peterson indicated this also) that I desire to obtain the gift of charity AND use that gift to help others to know fully who they really are, as they are known by their Heavenly Father.

It has truly given me a much more meaningful perception of charity itself, as well as greater understanding of how well our Heavenly Father knows each one of us.

Love to all, forever.

Mom/Gma/Rea

Family Memories Entries Please!

OK, here's the important section of this letter, for those of you who get bored or antsy taking the time to read my letters!

I need your help for a 2012 project. I would like to give all of you a subject each month and request that you write a short story (or long if you wish) about that subject. (Of course, if you don't want to do this, that's fine.)

For instance, for January, the subject is FIRST DATE

This could be about your very first date with anyone, including all it's painful awkwardness and possibly the phone call that led up to it or whatever is embarrassing, funny, tragic, stupid, tense, etc., etc.

OR, it could be about your first date with your spouse. (It would be fun to have the two daters write about the same date and see the different perspectives!)

Please be as descriptive and thorough in your explanations as possible.

OR, if you are below dating age, write about who you would like to go out with and what he/she is like!

I'll assign the subject each month, probably send you the other 11 months all at once sometime during this month. They won't all be funny........like one of them will have to do with where you were, what you were doing, and what your first thoughts were when you heard about 9/11.

I will be the editor and send each of you an ebook with all the stories at the end of the year. If we all like it like I think we will, then we will continue in 2013 and beyond.

 

The deadline will just be the last day of each month. If you don't make it in time, it may not be put in the 2011 edition!

****************************************************************************************************

We will continue in 2012 with our book project if we all enjoy it, not in 2013 as stated. When I re-read my letter, it sounds like this is a project we will start in 2012 instead of that being the year the first book would be ready! Actually, I am hoping to have it ready for Christmas of 2011. We start THIS month! I am excited!

Love, Mom

Whicker Winter Family Party 2010

On the VERY snowiest, windiest, most dangerous night of the century (in Kaysville, at least) the Whickers held a family party. If you weren't there, you really missed some fun, but if you didn't feel good about driving in that storm, you most likely missed some UN-fun, so congratulations! We sure did miss all of you who couldn't come. We had 35 there, which is approximately half of what it would be if everyone came!

Actually, I was worried about all of you coming and going, and felt pretty relieved when everyone was home safely. It took Rachael and Brooks 45 minutes to get from Farmington to Kaysville because of the wrecks and visibility.

We felt especially bad for out little Ethan, as he was sick last fall when we did a party, and didn't get to come at the last minute even though he had been SO excited.....then Weds. he was excited again, but his wise father and mother didn't feel it would be a good idea to go out in that blizzard. I heard it was even worse in West Haven, where they live.

Anyone who took pictures that night, please put them on the website that Glenn wrote about. I especially want to see them!

We did the scheduling of this party so that those who are in school could come during their days off of school. However, we still ran into problems with the ones who were working. We could do it on a weekend in another year, since Christmas and New Year's Day are not always on Saturday. Here are some pros and cons about when and where to have our next get together. Jeff has suggested that we just have a one day get together on an annual basis rather than try for a three day reunion every five years or so. Please let us know what you think? If you have date preferences, let us know about those.

Christmas!

Dear Ones:

I hope everyone had a very joyful time celebrating the birth of our

Savior.

The Halls came over Christmas eve afternoon  and brought gifts.  They are

such fun!  Ryanne had spent many many hours making a beautiful album for

me for  my birthday with pictures of me as a baby and gradually

progressing to a grey haired old lady!  It is really a nice one, and I

can't wait for the rest of you to see it.   Paytie had me polish her

fingernails and then she polished mine!  Good thing it was clear polish,

because my knuckles wouldn't look too good in  red!

We had fun at Rea Jo and David's house Christmas Eve.  We had their names

this year, so we went over and took pizza to add to their other goodies,

and ate with them.  Then we opened the gifts from them to us and from us

to them.  Rea Jo suggested we each give the receiver of our gifts a wish

for the coming year, and that was fun.  Amazing thing-- RJ wished I

would be headache free (I can't remember if she said all year or what)

but anyway I was TOTALLY headache free on Christmas Day, which hasn't

happened for a very long time! It was wonderful!

Christmas Day we spent visiting, then when we came home, Fred came over

and spent some time with us, which was GREAT!  We haven't been able to

spend that much time talking to him for such a long time!  Penny and her

Mother had gone  to her sister's in SLC for a quilting project, so he

didn't have to get back home or  anything.   It was a great Christmas

present for us!  Jeff, Lynda, Christopher and Michael came over while

Fred was  here and they were all so glad to get to visit with  him, too.

They brought us some of their wonderful Christmas dinner, which we really

enjoyed,  as we hadn't had much but junk snacks for lunch!

PARTY

I want to let you know that the Glenn Whicker fam will with us!

I would like to try doing our Minute to win it party a little differently

this time.  I think it would be fun to have all of us watching when

anyone is doing a game.  I also would like for the little kids to be able

to compete within their own peer group as much as possible.  Soooo,

here's an idea:

These are the age groups of the little ones that I think will be there (I

haven't heard from all of  them yet, so I may be wrong)

Besides the tiny babies, we have:

2 18 month olds (Chloe and Ella)

3 2 yr. olds (Aubree, Sierra, Jaycee)

2 3 yr. olds (Sophie and Payton)

2 4 yr. olds (Lexi and Addie)

2 5 yr. olds (Kayden and Ethan)

I want the little kids to have their time in the spotlight, and I want to

watch all of them, so what do you think about having a game that all 5 of

the youngest could attempt together, the the 5 that are 3 and 4 years old

do one together, and let Kayden and Ethan compete against each other in

some kind of a relay race, etc.  We could do all of them,and then divide

up into teams for the adults to play.

I believe we will have quite a number of adults and young people there,

so I hope that we can have each team pick one person to do each game to

represent their team, and have about 8 games.  We will pick the teams

when we get there, as it depends on how many of us there are.  When those

games are done, then we could  do like we did last time and have a free

for all, letting everyone try any game they want to all at the same time.

To do this, I would like to request that parents of one of the youngest 5

prepare a game for that group, parents of the 3-4 year olds prepare a

game for that group, and Benji or Mikelle prepare a game for their two.

As we did last time, everyone please bring a dish of any kind (dessert,

salad, soup, or main dish).

However, since there will be so many of us, I would like to have you

prepare a game if you want to so that we will have at least 8 games

besides the little kids games, but as long as we have 8 we will be good,

so everyone won't HAVE to prepare one.  If we have more than 8, it will

work out fine.

DUPLICATES

Let me know which game you would like  to do just so we won't have

duplicates.  Glenn  & Pam are doing the Kissing Christmas tree

ornament...that's not the official name, but you will know if you've seen

it.  We will have Nut Stacker again.  That's all I know of as of now.

The set up of tables and equipment for games, etc., will begin at 3:30

p.m.   We have the church reserved until 8 p.m.  A lot of people have to

work, so we will plan on eating at 5:30, then  playing games after

cleanup. If anyone wants to bring things that the little kids would enjoy

playing with while we clean up and after they get through with their

games, please do.

We will bring the paper plates, cups, utensils.  I haven't planned any

table decorations, so if someone wants to guide us on that, I would much

appreciate it.  I'll bring whatever you tell me to bring for that!  I

have some garland stuff, etc.   I'm just no good at planning it.  Maybe

we could all just bring a centerpiece?  Does anyone know where to get the

white paper to go on the tables?  PLEASE let me no promptly!

This takes place at our church building about 800 East on 200 North.

Any questions or suggestions, send immediately!

Should be a lot of fun!  See you there!

Love,

Mom/Gma

a little history

Thought you grandchildren might like to read this bit of our history, although I'm sure you've heard some of it. Lyndsey asked us about reasons and dates, etc., for moving around the country. The first part of this I had already sent to her earlier this month. This letter is just about the reasons for our moves. Love,Gma

The moves we made for the first 7 years of our marriage were usually because of the Air Force. However, we moved many times while we were stationed at one base, always hoping to find a better place to live. We were the lowest in pay scale, and at that time, air conditioning was only available in the houses owned by wealthy people. Most of the rental homes around a base did not even have a foundation of cement, but rather wood studs, or whatever you call them. This allowed many, many cockroaches and other disgusting insects to get into our houses, especially in the kitchen. I will give you a few such situations.

Gpa was going to Flight Engineer School at Rantoul AFB, Illinois in 1953. When we moved from Rantoul to Champaign (just a few miles apart) it was because of large, overgrown, sick flies! We lived in a small lean-to that was built onto some kind of a business; seems like maybe it had to do with mechanics working there, or something. We had a small bedroom, which also served as a living room, a bathroom that had a door so narrow that when I was 6 months pregnant with our Rea Jo, I began to have to somehow twist through the door instead of just walking through it! The kitchen was tiny...that's all the rooms we had. The wood around the large picture window in the living/bedroom was rotting and full of holes, and we could watch the termites entering and leaving this favorite abode of theirs!

We adjusted to the termites and we didn't have to live there in the winter, so it wasn't too miserable.....UNTIL, one night when I got up to make a trip to the bathroom, with bare feet, I stepped on something that crunched and was also mooshy. I screamed and Grandpa jumped up and turned on the light to see what was wrong. (Now this is no exaggeration, although it will definitely sound like a Halloween story!) As we looked down at the floor, horrified, we saw literally hundreds if not thousands of larger than normal and slower than normal, black crawling flies. They covered our floors, our kitchen cabinets, sinks and everything that wasn't in a cupboard or drawer!

They couldn't fly. Obviously, they were somehow diseased or disabled. More and more of them seemed to be slowly emerging, congregating on the floors, so we followed their direction (backwards) until we found that they were coming from a hole in the baseboard near our back door! Every time I remember this incident, I still cringe. We left the apartment (?) and went to the store to purchase some poison spray. We sprayed into the hole and all over the house to kill them. After quite awhile, they stopped coming out of the hole. We gathered up our belongings (which were not much at that time) and immediately went to Champaign and rented a two room apartment in the upstairs of a very nice house, where we stayed until we were assigned to Randolph AFB, Texas.

We bought our own home in Bowers Beach, Delaware, and it was the happiest time of my life before we moved to Utah. We joined the church there in 1959, and our 5th child was born, so it was a huge turning point in our life. I dreamed of being back there many times, especially whenever trials came up in my life. It was as if my heart and mind thought that if I was back there in Bowers Beach, all the problems would be solved! It was always the same dream, and my joy was so great in the dream that I didn't want to wake up, even though I evidently knew it was a dream!

In the Spring of 1963, a major hurricane hit the beach area. I will never forget that morning. Grandpa was on a trip. The kids were just beginning to get up and start getting ready for school and/or the day. I went to the back window and looked out at the swampy area that was just beyond our back yard, and saw the water creeping up at a pretty fast rate, coming toward our house. I ran back up to the front of the house, yelled upstairs that we might have to leave, so they needed to hurry and get dressed. Immediately, I took another look at the back yard and was astounded at how far the water had advanced since my last look, so I RAN to the stairway again and hollered, "Never mind your clothes, just put your shoes on and come down to the car!" The quickly obeyed. Our car sat near the front door on the highest ground of our property, but when I opened the front door, the wind nearly knocked me over and I knew that only the 2 oldest children could possibly stand up in that wind, as the water was now up to the middle of the hubcaps on the car! I carried each child, one at a time, to the car. Rea Jo and Glenn had to also have my help, but I didn't have to completely carry them. I hung on to the support at the corner of the porch and then grabbed for the car door so that I could stay standing in the wind, and in the deep water I had to wade through. We ended up staying with a neighbor whose house sat on higher land, as we couldn't get out of town because of the deep water on the road. Our furnace was ruined in the flood. (It was a floor furnace) We didn't have the money to replace it, so we sold the house and moved in to Base Housing. That was a very sad day for us.

Side Note: Grandma and Grandpa Clodfelter were listening to the radio as the storm progressed when it was announced that a family in Bowers Beach with 5 children had drowned. Since it was pretty unusual for families to have that many children, and because there was no phone in service so that I could call them, they thought it must be our family. So, it was a pretty panicky time for them.

(3) Grandpa is not sure whether he told you this, so this may be a repeat. In 1964, Gpa was up for reenlistment, and had made the decision to stay in the AF 4 years longer. While he was flying on the day he was to sign the papers, he suddenly had the very plain inspiration that we were to NOT stay in the AFB, but get out and go to Utah. He came home that day, announced to me that we were getting out, and we started packing. He had no job, no insurance, no place to live in Colorado or Utah, but we knew it was right.

Why did we stop moving when we got to Kaysville? Because I was sick of moving! Also, because I fell in love with our house in Kaysville, as soon as I saw it for the first time. Even though Grandpa was worried about making a house payment that was a whole $20 more than the rent we had been paying in Centerville, he knew how I loved the house, and so he asked for a raise, got it, and we moved. It was such a wonderful day, and there's no doubt that THIS is my favorite place of all! Grandpa had to commute a lot to get where he was actually based for many years, but I had told him when we bought the house that I never wanted to move again....I wanted to be buried right here! He worked hard to honor that desire!

Well, that was probably a lot more than you wanted, but maybe some of it will be appropriate for your paper!

Love you, Lyndz!
Gma

Conf.

We are at Glenn's and Pam's, having a great time. Yesterday, Pam and I (mostly Pam, of course,) were able to get a bunch of pickled beets done, which is Glenn's favorite (mine, too). One of the bottles exploded in the canner and got beet juice all over the kitchen and on to the burner, making the house smell like burned sugar! Such fun!

This morning, early, Glenn and Dad/Gpa got up and went flying in Glenn's plane. They went over Zion's and around. Now it is time for Conference. I am really looking forward to watching all of Conference this weekend.The Spirit is always so strong.

John and Ryanne are having serious water problems over at their house. Barely getting a little water occasionally until last night, then we had to have the water turned off completely, because we found out that the water meter is still running.....which means that there is at least a chance that water is running constantly somewhere, causing expense without the benefit of water in the house. It is such a mystery! Anyone have any ideas? WHY is it that every time we come to St. George, we have water problems of some sort at home???

Chuck, I have told them that they could come to our house for showers if they need to. They think they can get by for a few days until we can find the problem, so they probably won't be doing that, but just wanted you to know of the possibility.

Jeff, thanks so much for helping us with this problem. And Lynda, thank you for sending my forgotten flashdrive, camera and exterior back up disk. Sorry to have caused you both so much extra time and effort.

Often, as I am listening to a speaker, if I am blessed with the Spirit I find that truths come to my mind that are NOT what the speaker is saying, but are for my own particular learning. I can recognize these times because at each instance, I am able to comprehend all that is being spoken perfectly while simultaneously hearing the words for my own instruction. This morning, during Conference, Pres. Uchtdorf spoke of being sensitive to the needs of others. That concept led me to think of an instance recently in my life. I evidently said something one morning in a voice that was NOT sensitive to the feelings of my husband. I noticed all through the morning that he felt "down". Later that day, he said he was sorry for the times when he 'disgusted' me. Having no idea what had brought these thoughts to him, and not remembering being disgusted with him at all, I asked him when the last time was that I sounded disgusted. He said that it was that morning, but he couldn't remember what I had said or what it was about! I tried and tried to think what it could have been, and he did too, but nothing came.

Knowing that I have often said things that sounded different than I intended, I knew this was one of those times. I also knew that whatever had transpired was not at all the important
thing.........only my tone of voice had caused the pain in his heart. I would not have caused him that kind of pain for anything, IF I HAD JUST CONSIDERED THE SOUND OF MY WORDS BEFORE I SPOKE!

I've heard other spouses speak or act in uncaring and unfeeling ways to their mate, and I'm sure they didn't mean to appear that way at all. I have felt the hurt that has caused their spouse, although no verbal complaint was made on their part. It is then that I know I must change my own way of speaking and acting in all incidences. I intend to consider how my words sound before I speak, and how my actions will 'speak' before I act. I want to know that my words and actions speak only tenderness and caring, no matter the situation.

I also want to apologize and ask forgiveness for the times I am sure I have seemed thoughtless to all of you in my family. Please bear with me as I strive to overcome this weakness! I know there is absolutely no rigihteous reason for sounding or acting as if the other person, especially spouses and children, are not the most important thing in the world to me, because all of you are just that! If we can speak kindly to others outside our home and family, then obviously we can find a way to speak that way to our most beloved ones!

I wanted to share that with you, and tell you all that I love you very much.

Love,
Mom/Gma