I often dodged having my photo taken in high school because I didn’t like how I looked. My grandfather took this photo in 1989.
Hair volume aside, when I see this snapshot, I realize that my negative thoughts about my looks were big fat liars.
I have a temporary workspace set up in Paige’s empty bedroom where I am sorting through family history documents and photos. I have two main goals: identify individuals in the photos so we can attach them on the FamilySearch website, and assemble a family tree of Great-grandmother Cerie’s Swedish relatives.
I have found a lot of incidental treasures in the process:
It is a big puzzle, and I have spent many hours studying, reading, and cataloguing these things. It is incredibly slow work. I have learned that in 100 years, when your great-grandchild is sorting through your photos, she will not know the identities of your close loved ones. Please, label your photos with care, including first and last names and locations.
Richard awoke at 3:30 am on Saturday and had an impression that he should check the furnace room. He found the beginnings of a flood in this basement area, and bleary-eyed, we cleared out the wet boxes and vacuumed up excess water on the floor through the early hours of the morning. We were able to discover the leak was from the water heater. There was minimal damage, and the carpets are fine.
We were disappointed, as we had plans to go to Susanna’s wedding reception on Saturday, which we had to miss. We were also without hot water for a couple of days.
The thing that we will remember is that we were so completely cared for by the Lord.
He inspired Richard to wake up so he could protect our home. The flood began before we were scheduled to be away from the house. Mark was home on Saturday and could help Richard move out the old water heater and bring inside the new one. Richard had tools, knowledge, skill, and some helpful insights from others so he could install the water heater himself, long before any plumber could come.
I don’t know why we were spared the trial of a fully flooded basement, but I know who spared us.
Last week, my presidency completed our round of ward conferences for 2023, where we ministered to the needs of Primary leaders and children. I was also given the assignment to speak in three sacrament meetings for these conferences.
My presidency and I were able to teach hundreds of children during their Primary meetings. We also visited each Primary president to listen, encourage, and provide guidance.
It is a blessing in my life to be on Team Primary.
And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
Isaiah 54:13
I discovered a list of journals that Joseph Smith kept for different purposes. Knowing this about him makes me feel some companionship in my quirky habit of keeping several journals at once.
He kept a journal of observations. He kept a personal history and kept track of his letters. He made sure that the things discussed in Church councils were recorded. He kept a record of the names of the faithful and wrote tributes about many people.
This is my current stack of journals, and each has its own topic. I think that they’re important in my process of becoming, whether or not anyone else benefits from them.
The magic hour for conversations with Mark is between 10 and 11 pm. This has been true for most of our kids, and I read somewhere that teen circadian rhythms shift several hours beyond usual bedtimes. Late nights simply don’t feel late to them.
We try to be available for conversations late at night and early in the morning before school. This is also when we pray together.
I hope the rhythm of prayer will continue for our children long after they grow out of the funny rhythms of their teen years. I can think of no better comfort and help than prayer.
This is the poinsettia that I bought in early December. I have never had one last this beautifully for this long!
I like to use the phrase, “Every day is Christmas” when I think about my blessings. Recently, I found this great quote,
As a child…[I] thought Christmas came once a year. “As an adult, I now realize that it is Christmas every day. Because of the benevolence of our Heavenly Father and our beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, we are the recipients of a continuous flow of heavenly gifts—every day. Heavenly gifts too numerous to mention.”
Kevin R Duncan, Christmas devotional 2017
I will never get tired of seeing all of these faces, even if it’s only possible through a video call because of distance.
Utah, Guam, Alabama…these are places we never guessed we would be. Our family is open to change, and this has enriched our life experiences. Sometimes, despite loving a place or a situation, we have left because we felt led to do it.
I have learned to not identify myself by where I live or even what I do. It can all change very quickly.
To Do Today:
What am I actually doing ?
I am watching YouTube videos and writing this nonsense.
