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!)