Mary and Martha...from the LDS painting contest of Christ and the New Testament

Things I want to remember from our 2015 Christmas trip...

1. Maddy: "I can say a good prayer!" and she does...including, "Bless Mommy to lose weight."
2. Seeing my mother prepare 24-7 for her RS lesson. I now know where I get my obsessive, over-the-top, perfectionism.
3. Making chocolate chip cookies with Will and Maddy. Aye yi, yi. The beater turned on when it was up in the air and the dough splattering everywhere. That was OK 'cause Brittany cleaned up the floor.
4. Joshua: photobombing. Every time I would aim to shoot a picture, at the exact moment I wanted to click, this little naked boy's face would pop up right in front of my camera.
5. Joshua: calling his daddy, "Honey" because that is what his mommy calls him.
6. Family Home Evening with Linda's family: Will would conduct as if he was a bishop, using the exact terminology as in sacrament meetings and calling on his parents using their entire names. At the end, Josh stood up next to him and mimicked everything he said. I will remember that Dave was giving this very spiritual lesson (for the 3rd week in a row according to Will) on baptism...primarily for Will and keeping a straight face while Will licked the entire inside of both hands. what I will remember most, though is when everyone, including Will and Maddy, bore their testimonies.
7. Christmas at Linda's with the Johnson family, my mom, and Mike and I. No one was on their I-phone or computers...during the lunch or conversations afterward. We truly enjoyed each other with full attention. The children ate unattended with no problems, then they played for hours with play dough so peacefully.
8. The New Year's Eve Party at Linda's. Wow, she had everything all planned to entertain the kids. I was so impressed. We had her brother-in-law over there, whose wife fixed a Puerto Rican feast.
9. Watching the Rose Bowl Parade at my Mom's house. That was a tradition I always enjoyed.
10. How long the commercial times were on New Years Day games. Dave had a commercial-free app and during commercials, the TV just had a screen showing till after the commercials.
11. Playing games with the kids. Chutes and Ladders with Will and ??, Trouble with Hannah and Abigail.
12. Will's baptism. I was worried that it would not be special because it was a Stake Baptism and no one was on the program from our family, but it was special. The Stake Primary had interviewed each of the children and introduced them up front. Will was the last one to be introduced and when he was almost up to the podium it became obvious he discovered the projector and he was studying the wiring and when she called his name he was not there. Where was he? He had ducked down below the rail to follow the wiring and see where it was connected. It was very apropos that the thing he is best at was "electronics". After the baptism of Will by his father, the family members were ushered into a separate room for Will's confirmation where everyone wrote their testimonies or a message to Will on 3 x 5 cards while he was dressing.  After the confirmation, the Primary president got up and shared two special stories about Will, and every grandparent was invited up to bear their testimony to Will. It was very special. Family pictures afterward, then we all went out to eat. On Sunday, Will was called up to the front to recognize him. He walked up so reverently with fold arms, then saw Mike and I and waved. After the recognition, he continued to walk to his seat reverently after a brief leap down 3 steps. That's my Will.
13. The Vocabulary Word of the Week. Linda has a chalk board in the kitchen with the vocabulary word of the week. We tried out the word 'eager' by using it in a sentence and they recognized the word. The next week it was 'tedious'. So impressed by her diligence in educating her children!
14. Finding Josh. If you didn't watch him, he not only was up the stairs and outside, or he was hiding in a closet.
15. Poor little Ally falling down the stairs.
16. Emma sharing her gift, by letting all the girls color it. Maddy sharing her gift by letting all the kids play with her play dough.
17. Going to the LDS History Museum. Wow. I was so impressed by the Joseph Smith Museum down stairs, but the Art Show upstairs with pictures of Jesus was awesome. There was an art room for children upstairs and downstairs there were many interactive items for children to do to help them understand the translating of the Book of Mormon. I particularly liked the translation booth where you wrote what was said with a model of a quill pen (having to fill it with ink) all the while remembering what was said. It then calculated how long it would take you to translate the Book of Mormon vs. how long it actually took. I also liked the type-setting section where you had to put the type-setting letters reversed and in reverse order. I love that place.
18. Going music shopping with Linda.We played music and went through many pieces. Afterward, Linda and I sat down to practice directing the pieces. I am so happy she has this opportunity to direct. She is so teachable. I hope she can take college courses to take her further, but I showed her many things from my college courses and she got them.
19. As always, curling up with novels. These trips are always a joy to actually take time to read fiction. I love it. I actually got extra time because of the snow.
20. Watching a show about my mom's family and listening to the recordings of when we were children with my mom.
21. Watching "Once I was a Beehive" with Linda's family. Watching Silent Night with Mom.
22. Playing Telestrations with Janet, Linda, Susan, Errolyn.
23. Josh sitting on my lap mimicking everything I do. I blew my nose and of course I always wipe each nostril with my finger in the Kleenex when I'm done. He looked at me, looked around, then stuck his finger in his nose.
24. Don't ever drive a pick up truck in the snow. Every one I saw did not have enough weight in the back and swerved all over the road when they hit ice or snow.
25. Maddy running out with tears when we were leaving.

Ingrained memory of Susan

A Dibble relative was going on a mission so the whole clan came to our sacrament meeting to hear her going away talk. When I went over to talk to Jan Dibble and Allison Dibble, they asked about the family. Since Susan and Allison were the same age, Jan asked about Susan. Then she said, "I will never forget your daughter. I will never forget her comment in a parents meeting we were having." I asked what it was. Jan replied, "I don't recall the type of meeting, but there were parents there and for some reason they were raising their hands to tell of the commandments their child had broken and how their child was lost, wayward, and the parents were lamenting the 'cause' of their children. There had been several parents tell their stories, then Susan, a teenager girl raised her hand and said, 'I think you are forgetting that there is repentance. Christ suffered and atoned for our sins so we could repent." Sister Dibble said, there was silence and that there were no more negative comments after that.  She will never forget what Susan said and the courage it took to raise her hand in the middle of all the parents who were older than her.

Nothing Wavering

Today in Sunday School, the lesson was on James...and of course, the James 1:5-6 scripture came up. I have quoted it at least a hundred times. As I rattled off "nothing wavering", I guess I have thought of it as meaning something akin to being strong in our faith. Well, today the teacher described incidents where people have prayed a prayer, received an answer, followed the answer, and when things go wrong, they question their answer. How many of us do that? It was surprising how many raised their hands in class. We all do it at some time. That is when our faith is wavering.

I recall a time when my faith was wavering about a previous decision I had acted on. I questioned my previous answer so much, I asked for the answer again. When I received it again, it was strong. "How could it be so strong, when the action I took seemed so wrong?" I thought. Rather than go against this doubly confirmed action, I went to the Lord and wrestled for a blessing. I said, "I know Thou dost not lie. Thou hast told me to do this action, so I know that good will come of it and it is not happening. I am casting my burden on Thee and pleading for Thee to make up the difference. Give me the success I need in this venture."

And He did. And He has done this over and over again.

Life is hard, but when we act in faith, nothing wavering, the Lord is bound to bless us. It may not be exactly the way we thought or in the time frame we thought, but He will not let us fail if we follow what He has told us.

The Sunday School teacher also showed this video clip. If anyone thought they were failing but persevered and did not give up it was this person.

http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/daily-bread-experience-2

I find it very ironic...

...that the very people who are posting posts about keeping out the refugees that are mostly Christians who have been persecuted because of their religion have also posted pictures of Jesus and ask, "Would you invite me into your home?" They all type, "Yes." and share. But I type, "Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ".

Something learned when I taught Laurels...Linda

Occasionally, one of my daughters compared herself to her sister and came out on the negative end in her eyes. (As I say, it was only in her eyes, because having a different voice doesn't mean it isn't as good in its quality for that kind of voice.) Our family tends to have the kind of talents that people can see...or at least they make sure people can see them. Having so many children, so close together, so similarly talented or interested in the same talents, it was hard to make sure everyone had equal opportunities to learn, perform, and feel happy about their talent. Susan, by sheer birth order, was always ahead, and since she loved and was self-motivated to compete and perform it was easy for those coming after her to compare their existing state to hers. Some of you didn't have the same drive, but had the same love for that talent and were similarly talented. There came a time in two of my daughters' lives that they thought of themselves negatively and thought they had no talent. I tried to overcome those times and failed miserably (the secret admirer tapes to Janet--LOL). Linda, had talent, but somehow thought she didn't. There were several times she vocally asked why she didn't have any talent. There were classes in Young Women's when she would come home and say she had no talent. Nothing I would say could deter her from her own lack of self-worth. I remember telling her she had talents that weren't the kind you could display or get awards. (That went over like a lead balloon.) But I had an experience when I taught the Laurel class that gave me the answer I never gave her...and I would like to give it to her now.

Linda, I was teaching the lessons on the divine qualities we inherit from our Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. We listed them on the board. We talked about how we could  nurture and find those qualities that could be so buried. As we listed qualities found in the scriptures, such as empathy, nurturing, compassion, kindness, tenderness, charity etc. I realized that you did not have to hunt for those qualities, they were your gifts, your talents. You scoffed at my telling you something similar to that when you were a young woman, but when I looked around at all those outwardly talented girls, I realized that you had been given the greater talents. They were the talents that the other girls sought, but you already had them. They are evident in all that you do. I thought how blessed I was to have a daughter already so much like her Heavenly parents. I knew that was your mission, to be a wonderful mother, since you were given those gifts. I watch you use them every day.

Yes, Linda, you can read music and have a beautiful singing voice. Yes, Linda, you can write the most beautiful poetry. Yes, Linda, you have the ability to be a great leader. Yes, Linda, you have a talent for decorating. BUT, most important of all, Linda, you are a daughter of God with all those Divine characteristics evident, nurtured, and entrusted to be a partner with your Heavenly parents to parent your own children. I am so proud to have you as a daughter. I am so happy you are who you are. I know that you have trials of the flesh, but Linda, you have more of the Divine in you than you know and it was given as a gift to you to overcome the flesh, for your mission as a mother, and to be a light and joy to all you come in contact with. We feel that love, Linda. We feel the joy that you give us. I hope you feel it yourself. I love you, Linda.

things I want to remember from babysitting this weekend

1. The humor of watching Mike unsuccessfully chase after Gunny (Gunner) several times in the house, when all he needed to do was stop, sit, and the dog would run to him.

2. Wondering why Olivia kept pulling her front hair and twisting it, until Mike told me that is what I do and she was copying me.

3. Watching Lizzy be a mother to Olivia. I saw her be Janet, to Olivia. It let me know how sweet of a mother Janet is.

4. Getting stuck trying to climb under James's bed playing sardines. Finally getting out and then watching the remaining children come to the room and Olivia's smiling eyes popping up between the bed and frame. Yep. She gave it away. And I don't want to remember pulling a muscle when I tried to unsuccessfully hide under a dirty laundry pile.

5. The children all sleeping in the same room so they could go to sleep.

6. Listening to Olivia say, "I hate the night." and, when I came in to comfort her after putting her to bed, she said, "Don't want this Grandpa. You go out. Want other Grandpa." We finally got her to differentiate grandma and grandpa when we left.

7. Watching the children come down to hug their parents when they returned.

8. Not being fast enough to get to Olivia before the Legos were dumped, the plants were dumped, the potato sticks were dumped, the picture frame stripped of it's picture, climb to the handrail of a slide to do the splits on top with outstretched hands posing, knocking over a block building, raiding Clara's jewelry box, etc. Faster than a speeding bullet, this whirlwind of destruction can charm your heart.

9. Listening to Olivia sing in her crib.