Thinking of Thanks and Other Things

OK, so we just got through a poetry unit in school, but I really like alliterations anyway. This has been a very nice and calm Thanksgiving. Steve and I got up at 7:30 to start the process of draining the brine off the turkey and then stuffing it with fruits and veggies. We just stood there side by side for about four hours cooking and cleaning and it was very pleasant. That is my first thankful thought for the day. I am so very thankful for him, for his putting up with me and all my ideas and plans, but mostly for his loving me. I know he does and I hope he knows how much I love him.

Thankful thoughts also take me to children far away and those who have come home. Cari and Josh have been a home away from home for Chris since April and I love them for all the "space" they gave him. He seemed to really enjoy their company and friendship. What a wonderful couple who do so much good in this world. I am thankful that Chris is home again and a happy man. (There is a Beetle's song by that name that I always liked.) He is a man, and I am thankful for who he is and all that he will become. On the 15th he had a special day to share with our newest granddaughter, Caysley Ruth. (Michael and Tara's 2nd and I am ever so grateful to have them so close to us.) Right after stake conference Caysley was blessed and Chris was ordained an elder. Thankfully Jinny and Omar and the boys could be there for several days, including these important events.

So related thankfulness would have to include how thankful we all are that Omar is one of our family. Steve calls him for many purposes and can't seem to do certain jobs without him (like fixing the spa). Grandma Ruth misses him and all his tender care that he gave to her when they lived next door. She talks about missing them often. Jinny is a blessed lady for having three very special guys in her life. I'm thankful her much the same way that Steve is thankful for Omar, which makes me very thankful for cell phones and email. I'm also thankful for how much she loves her siblings and they love her (despite years of abuse when mom and dad were away and she was in charge).

So thankfulness extends beyond family to other needs being fulfilled, including a need to eat vegetables right out of the garden. The beans that struggled all summer long have proven to be extremely abundant and thankfully my grandkids came to the rescue and helped me pick enough for everyone to enjoy for dinner. They are such a joy to have around. Ava kept eating them right out of the bucket. Helaman and Isaiah weren't that excited about the eating part...only the picking part. Oh how I love to help things grow....

Which brings me to my new calling in the Young Women's Program. I am so thankful to work with some of my dearest friends Leticia and Robyn in helping the young women of our ward "grow" their own testimonies of the savior and His gospel. I am the 2nd counselor working with the Beehives and Greta is the President of the class. I love these girls. Many of them are with me at school every day, too. They are going to be a lot of fun to be with. Poor Greta can't get away from me, though. She is also the President of CJSF at school and I am the advisor with my friend/coworker Becky. Those are a great group of kids, as well, and I am thankful that Greta loves me enough to work with me and plan with me and have great ideas with me. If only she could learn to love to sew....I guess I have to be thankful that she shares my great love and appreciation for music instead. (With the hope that the sewing may still come...)

Speaking of music and getting back to the far away children that are coming home soon, I am so thankful that Bill made it back to our side of the world. We loved hearing about all his adventures in Australia and the Pacific Islands. Cruising for five months is apparently challenging as well as adventurous, but I am thankful to know that soon I will be able to get one of his big bear hugs that I so dearly love. Thankfully he called in time for us to save him some of the Thanksgiving pie that he loves from Grandma. (Which makes me thankful for a freezer that will keep it for him until he gets home.)

By now I'm sure Spencer is wondering if I am thankful for him. Good question. (Just kidding.) I love that boy. He's got a very loving way about him that is just good. Good in a sense of righteous desires and faithfulness to what he commits to doing. He may not vacuum right when I ask him to, but if he says he's going to do it during lunch, he does. I'm thankful that he helps me, or Steve, or Chris, or Greta, or Grandma when we need him. He is a caring and loving young man and I am so thankful for all the people who tell me how much they like him. It serves as a reminder of what a good person he really is.

The lesson in YW and YM was about gratitude today. The question that caused me to think the most was "How do you show gratitude?" If gratitude is a feeling of thankfulness and I want to show someone how thankful I am, what will I do? Will I give them a hug, sing their praises, write them a letter, tell them in person, face to face, or just hope they know by the way I serve them? I think the best answer is obviously all of the above depending on the circumstances, but the most important sense of gratitude or thankfulness I feel comes from the great blessings that have been given to me by a loving and attentive Heavenly Father, who knows me and my shortcomings and yet continues to be patient and kind and shower my life with tender mercies that are too numerous and sometimes too sacred to mention. I am thankful for Him and for His son that came to earth in the most humble of circumstances and yet made the most profound contribution the world will ever know-the atoning sacrifice. And what is my hope, my goal, my most fervent desire? That the life I live will show my gratitude.

August Rest

OK...so I thought August was a Rush, but it feels more like a rest right now.

Let me backtrack a bit...Greta told me I forgot to say anything about our last trip to Utah. Maybe that's because it was important to her because it was her 13th birthday while we were there. Cari and Josh bought her a crown, Becca got her some balloons, and we all got her up at 7am and took her to breakfast "all dolled up" and in her pajamas. It was great fun! Kneaders makes most delicious breakfast food - especially the syrup! (Becca got the recipe and then Steve did, too, from a coworker at Children's Hope. It his new favorite thing that he even made himself on Sunday!)

That day Greta also got to go to Lagoon for the second time in one week with Chris, Spence, Becca and her fiancee Montie, and Montie's sister, Mary. The first time was when she went with her cousins Candace and Katelyn when the three of them were staying with Grandma and Grandpa Hepworth for a few days (which was also a great experience for her). She is no longer afraid of rollercoasters.

Greg took us out on Utah Lake on Saturday afternoon and Greta got up on the wakeboard. Chris and Spence spent their time behind the boat on the tube for a wild "Greg ride." Greg and Becca showed us how to surf behind the boat...so like a dummy I said I wanted to try it. I think Greg knew I was a dummy, but he let me try anyway. (He personally seems to get pleasure out of "great bodily harm" type sports.) It only took me about three seconds to pull a muscle in my leg. Greg's only comment was, "You should have warmed up first." I think he really wanted to say, " Whoa, Mag, you are really out of shape! What were you thinking, old lady?" It's just a good thing I love him anyway.

We had a delicious birthday dinner for Greta and Jane, Scott and Natalie's baby, when we got back. I just wish Steve had been able to come, too. He was home recuperating from a hernia operation that he had earlier that week.... Oh, and mowing the lawn, and rototilling the garden, and playing with Ava.... not a whole lot of taking it easy from what I understand. I do love that he is loving the garden, however.

We got to visit for a couple of hours Sunday morning with Grandma and Grandpa and Steve's brother Alan before we drove home. Grandma Ginny grows the most gargantuan hybiscus flowers in her garden. Her gardener friends can't figure out how she does that in Utah.But check them out in the picture.

You gotta' love Nevada's speed limit on the freeway, except for the fact that every summer there are miles and miles of "road construction," or at least the cones where it might be happening at some point. So the trip was a little longer than usual getting home. But when we got there the flowers were still all blooming, the vegetables ready to be picked, and we all had some time before Chris had to go back to Texas so he got a little time to play with Ava since at the front end of his trip he got to play with Helaman and Isaiah.

OK so the "rest" part? School doesn't start until August 31st this year. Teachers don't technically have to be back until the 25th. So I have been able to do a little gardening, some shopping, and even some cleaning out of drawers and cupboards (and a little work at school). Best of all is that I have had time to read my book, "Three Cups of Tea" about Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber that had some amazing experiences in Pakistan and now builds schools for the children there. It's a very inspiring story that Billie told me about two years ago and I have been wanting to read. My favorite quote from what I read today was, "the British policy was 'divide and conquer.' But I say, 'unite and conquer.'" He was talking about the group of men in Pakistan he had gathered to help him build the schools, observing that as they all sat there together laughing and sipping tea- "an infidel (that would be Mortenson) and representatives from three warring sects of Islam." He had learned that in order to accomplish what he desired it was just as important to build relationships as it was to build projects. I have believed that for many years, and as a teacher one of my favorite sayings is, "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." My friend Cynthia and I say..."Relationship, relationship, relationship." And one last fun poster that I had on my refrigerator for years as my kids were growing up. It was a picture of a cute bear family that said, "The most important things in life are not things." Whether it's peace in the world, the workplace, or the home, if what we are looking for is having meaningful lives I believe we can do that best by losing ourselves in the service of others.

I'm so thankful for the rest this August to help me "regroup" and think about caring, learning, and what is really most important. September here we come....

August Rush

It's been about six weeks and I have been to Canada, Utah (twice), and on a Church History Tour back East for 10 days. I have almost two full weeks left before I have to be at meetings for the starting of school. My list of things to do is going to have to be examined carefully and prioritized so that my "August Rush" doesn't run over me. The garden is beautiful thanks to Steve's hard work (and new rototiller) and the tomatoes and corn have been delicious, along with the potatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. Thankfully they have mostly cooperated and ripened in between the trips.

I'm changing assignments for school again this year (which in itself is interesting since "flexible" is the word that hit me between the eyes in 1976 in my first official "education" class at BYU), and I will be teaching one 7th grade History/English Language Arts core group along with two "Life Skills" classes and a fine arts exploratory called "Yearbook". Yes, that means I am in charge of putting together the Sycamore yearbook this year, but I get to teach some digital photography and other related graphic arts skills. I don't mind that one since I'm not afraid of taking pictures and laying out designs for display. It's all done on the computer now, too, so it's not like when Toni Flores and I were co-editors of the yearbook in 1974 and everything had to be hand drawn and cropped using blue pencils then mailed in to the company.

So back to the trips....first was the trip to Windsor, Canada with Mom, Billie, and Deb. My cousin Mike Hawkeswood and his wife Nancy treated us all like royalty in their home.

I teased Mom telling her it was because she was the "queen" and we were in her wake. Honestly, though, our other cousins,Vic and Mary Hawkeswood, and all the Benedict girls and Uncle Win were so gracious and good to us as we all visited Mom's hometown and family that she loves so very much. My favorite parts, besides getting reacquainted with all my cousins, was the cardinal that lives in Mike's beautiful back yard and eats out of his bird feeder, the trip to Lake Erie with Mom skipping her stones, and that most delicious "Tiger, Tiger" ice cream splurge with Mike. It was all wonderful.

As you watch this video think 89 years young.

Right after we all got home from Canada our niece Katy lost her quintuplets at 21 weeks into the pregnancy. She and Jeff have been so amazing through all these months and I do truly love and admire them for their strength and examples. They had a family gathering at the graveside in Spanish Fork the second week of July. It was a time special time of reflection and tenderness as we all contemplated the eternal nature of our family. I flew back to Utah to be there with them which also gave me some very precious time to spend with Bill before he ventured out into the Pacific Ocean to spend five months playing his beloved guitar on the Sun Princess and see that side of the world.

I came home in a car with Billie, Becca (newly engaged), and Deb. We made the trip go faster by reading a book together...not your typical story kind of book, but a book I bought Billie for her birthday, "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Menopause, But Was Afraid to Ask." I thought I bought it as a joke, but apparently it's not so funny when it's true. Oh the joys of growing up!

The Big Trip

July 13th to the 22nd took Steve, Greta, our nephew Derek, and I to the East to visit Church History sites with a BYU Alumni Tour. It was such a fun trip! We started in Palmyra with the printing press, then a walk through the Sacred Grove, and a session in the Palmyra temple. Then ended the day with the Hill Cumorah pageant. After seeing all the sights in New York we took a side trip to Niagra Falls and a wet excursion on the Maid of the Mist. I have always wanted to go there and now I know why. What an amazing sight and wonder of nature.

We headed to Ohio for a couple of days to go to Kirtland to see the temple and all the important church history sites there. It was interesting to be there and hear the stories of the early saints and all their struggles to find a place where they could live and worship in peace. It was impressive to try to envision what their lives might have been like. We flew out of Cleveland to St. Louis and then got on another bus and headed to Nauvoo.

The bus rides were very enjoyable not only because of the time it gave us to relax and process everything we had seen, but because the group of people we were with enjoyed each other's company so much. The mix of personalities seemed to blend very well and made for deeply spiritual moments as well as extremely fun and humorous times.

In Nauvoo we saw the sun go down on the Mississippi by watching it's glow shine on the front of the Nauvoo temple as we waited to see the Nauvoo pageant. The temple stands on the hill in the distance behind the pageant stage. It made the most beautiful backdrop for the beginning of the pageant. Then as night fell and the end of the pageant came the temple was lit up at the appropriate moment and it felt like the story had come full circle. It was a very poignant moment. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of Old Nauvoo for the next couple of days and again gained a greater appreciation for what the saints lives may have been like 160+ years ago. Another highlight was when Greta and Derek were able to do baptisms in the temple while Steve and I went through a session. Amazingly the weather there could not have been more pleasant. It is typically hot and muggy with a lot of mosquitoes, but we didn't experience that at all.

Our final stops included visiting Liberty jail, Adam-ondi-ahman, Far West, and Independence, Missouri. We saw so much, understand a little bit better, and have so much more to learn about what the early saints had to endure in order to live the gospel as they longed to do. I am in awe of their strength, their faith, and their courage and inspired by their lives. I pray every day that I can be strong and faithful in my convictions to live the gospel and that I will have the courage to do as the Lord would have me do. I feel such gratitude in my heart for Joseph Smith and his great mission and all those who gave so much to follow him in bringing us the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am also grateful to Grandpa Don and Grandma Ginny who helped make this experience possible for all of my children in one way or another. Jinny, Billy, Michael, and Cari saw the New York and Ohio sites in 1999 with Granpa,their cousins, and Aunt Mary. Spencer and Chris experienced the Nauvoo area sites in 2004 with Granpa, their cousins, and Aunt Mary. Thanks again, and we love you (and wish Mary could have been there with us!)

Testing

I'm learning to do this by trial and error. So far I've been experiencing the error part while trying to upload a slideshow. Oh well, Jinny and Omar will be here tonight for her birthday and I know if anybody can straighten me out about this it would be them. Greta and I are off on errands while Dad is at Scout camp. We are going to head to Yuba City and kidnap Lynne Haeberle for a matinee and dinner. I'll have the little boys for two days while the Valle's go for a get away weekend so I'm sure I'll have fun pictures to post later. This test is to check to see if the notifications all go to my kids the way I just tried to set them up. Here goes...

In the beginning...

I've been wanting to start a blog for quite a while. I just couldn't quite figure it out. So here it goes....the happenings.

Steve is busy getting caught up at work so he can leave with his 11 year old scouts for the overnighter at scout camp on Thursday. He loves working with the youngest scouts because they are excited every week to see what he is going to do with them. He also gets to teach them on Sunday in their Primary class which gives him the best of both worlds. He really is a great teacher.

Maggie (me) is catching up from being gone to Canada for 6 days with my sisters and mom. That was a wonderful opportunity to see people that we hadn't seen for many years. We were treated royally and enjoyed great food along with the great company. I came back late on Monday night and turned around and went straight up to girls camp to teach the music class every day at lunchtime. I also got to spend the rest of the day with my great friends in the kitchen cooking for the 150 people that were at camp. We dubbed ourselved the "Liberty Ladies" because we were either all from Liberty Ward or used to be in Liberty II Ward. Greta was there for the first time which made it even more fun because I could get lots of hugs and kisses throughout the day as well.

Greta is in summer mode with a long list of things she wants to do this summer. Most of the list concentrates on accomplishing her Personal Progress goals because she wants to be finished with all of it before she turns 13 in July. I'm not sure she is going to be completely done (and she knows it's going to take a little longer, too), but I'm pretty sure she will be done before we go back to school the end of August. Her biggest project is to paint the teacher's lounge at Sycamore where I teach and she will be in the eighth grade. It's very dreary and in need of something more uplifting. We're thinking about using that bright green she has in her bedroom.

Spencer is in a decision making mode right now trying to decide where to go for school this fall. He's still the shipping and receiving manager at the local ACE Hardware store. They are really good to him there and work around his schooling. He's also been asked to be in charge of a huge undertaking for the Young Single Adults at church. They are having a huge conference statewide in August and he and his friend Jennifer are organizing the YSAs from Gridley to Redding in addition to being on the planning committee.

Chris left us in April to go live in San Antonio with Cari. He is sooo happy there. He and Josh are bonding and Cari is a good sport and great big sister. He is working for a company that prints checks for banks. Josh works for USAA which is an insurance company that was started by some military men. It's a great company and he is happy there. Cari has been substitute teaching in the schools in their neighborhood and is thinking about working full time this fall. They are going to Utah for a wedding the end of July so we are all going to meet them there (including Chris who is flying home first for a couple of days). It might just turn into a mini-reunion. :)

Jinny is turning 30 on Thursday so I invited her to come home and let me have Helaman and Isaiah for a couple of days. She and Omar are going to have a couple of days to themselves in Sacramento to play and go to the temple. They moved to Ridgecrest, CA in the middle of the high deserts of So Cal. Omar is an engineer working for the Navy while Jinny plays with the little boys in their sandy back yard. They took a house with a very interesting color scheme (you'd have to see the pictures to understand) and turned it into a very nice home.

Bill (handsome as ever) is in Salt Lake City for a little while longer. He is going out on a cruise ship to play his guitar for 4 months. The cruise starts in Australia and heads north to Viet Nam and Thailand, etc, for 3 weeks at a time. We will miss him, but thanks to Facebook and email we do get to keep up with him somewhat. His music is what I listen to most.

Michael is already gone this week to Scout camp. He's the 14-15 year old leader (I can't remember the official scout title) and teacher for them on Sundays. He loves to play so this is a great job for him. His paying job is still working as a banker for Wells Fargo in Chico. Tara and Ava Belle are heading to So. Cal. to be with her sister while he's gone. Tara's been teaching swimming lessons in their pool and Ava is fearless in the water. That, of course, makes me all the more nervous - it's a grandma thing.

That's the update for now. We've got some traveling to do next month so if I can remember how to do this....I'll be back.