I want to remember this day of health, warmth, light, work, and family. It was a long winter for me, and a worrisome season. There are moments in life that you can’t predict or arrange, whose simple power is that they can soften stings and weariness. These few hours of work with my parents, Richard, and Mark are Spring Lake made me almost laugh at my burdens of the past few months. “Was THAT all you were carrying?” the sunlight and snowdrops* helped me to see. “Look around and feel better!” I stayed in the light and felt warm after months of battling the shivers.
*Snowdrop flowers rightfully symbolize empathy and consolation.
These guys took a quick trip to St George to install some seat covers, eat some good food, and enjoy the great company of Richard’s parents and family.
The crunch the snow makes after resting on a hillside for a few weeks; the sight of deer tracks right beside my own; cousins, belonging; singing songs without knowing all the words (🎶hmm, ba da da da ma da, Madrigal! 🎼Under the surface, hem en em en em a…whoa oh oh oh!)
On Sunday, our good friends Paul and Beth from Austin, Texas visited us. We hadn’t seen them in about 12 years, and I told them that taking time to visit us while on their vacation felt like such a generous gift. I am so grateful for the memories, example, and faith of these friends, whose influence for good is felt wherever they go. The Wells Branch Ward may no longer exist on paper, but it still exists in our hearts.
Slowly, I am thinking more about my grandmother. I think it hurt too much to look at photos or read her writing after she passed away. A few days ago, I read her last message and looked at a few pictures and it didn’t kill me. I listened to her voice, recorded on my phone, and I didn’t cry.
I packed up a bunch of pictures right after she passed away and they spilled in my car on the way home. Every few weeks I discover another picture I didn’t find when I cleaned things up. If I make a sudden stop, this tends to bring them out of their hiding places. It’s like I have been showered in pictures since she left us. She was a little mischievous and LOVED being surrounded by photos. I like to think she smiles as I find these happy old memories.
This was our weekend. One went to Elko; one went to youth conference; some stayed at home and worked on projects; we had Richard’s parents here for Sunday dinner; and we found ourselves all home together later on Sunday evening so we played a game. The end.
Richard and his sister made a trip down to visit their parents over the weekend. I stayed home to take care of some needs here. The people who have our hearts live in different cities, so sometimes we have to divide our time or go in opposite directions. I am sure you can relate.
A lot happened in the two years since we gathered at the Weber cabin with the Sanchez family. The kids are all taller, smarter, and more confident. I am an observer in a group, so I saw many encouraging things about my family. I heard a recurring theme: things had been really rough for our teens during the past couple of years. From my vantage point, they are doing better than they know, and they have steady friends in their cousins. These friendships will continue to be a real source of strength in their lives. And those challenges they’ve faced? These have given them a new depth and maturity.
photos by Susan and Richard Jaussi
Our family moved from Arizona to Utah 9 years ago. We don’t see extended family as often as I thought we would, but living here makes it possible for us to be there for the little things. Life is made of little things like a shared meal, a group project, listening to music together, exchanging books, babysitting, and being available to come over and visit. I loved living outside of Utah, but I couldn’t do the little things when we lived away.
Today I am feeling a little longing for the family that we used to be, but I know it was good that we traded almost complete independence in Arizona for a more connected life in Utah.
The boys earned their Eagles about 18 months ago, just before the pandemic. We wanted to do a court of honor with family at the Weber, so we waited a long time for this. We gathered on a Sunday evening at Pines Ranch during the reunion, and I just love a mountain backdrop for this event. It was a special evening.
Our Cub Scout and Girl Scouts helped with the flag ceremony.I really like how the little cousins wanted to be in the middle of things.Richard and I made a slideshow of each boy, and Richard took some time to reminisce about Scouting with Tim and Mark.My dad pulled out from storage his uniform and presented the awards. We dug deep into our closets to find the Scout things we have neglected for 18 months. I remember picking up their Eagle awards in February 2020 (it feels a lifetime since then) and crying as I drove away from the Scout office for the last time.Their cousin Ray just completed his Eagle project, so while we couldn’t award him his rank, we honored him with a slideshow just like we did for Tim and Mark.A wild eagle flew overhead as Mark was presented with his Eagle.I was delighted, as you can see.singing with GrandmaMy boys (singing)The end.
Photos by Daniel Ross, Michael McLaughlin, and Richard Jaussi
The trading post was run by my parents. Kids could trade for knapsacks, toys, gear, and treats.They traded with beads they earned by doing good deeds in the weeks leading up to the reunion.Class 1: knots by PaulClass 2: orienteering by SusanClass 3: field study by MattClass 4: first aid by SarahClass 5: rock painting by Paige We have a tradition with the little kids to paint rocks and trees with water and they love it.Class 6: slingshots with RichardLots of river playMy dad gave everyone a copy of his book.Virginia Reel before bed
