Thursday, October 21, 2010

Treat!!

This week's  Slice of Life prompt fits perfectly with last week's prompt of Trick. It is TREAT!!  Life is just a TREAT for me!  There are so many wonderful things that I could share.  The most recent TREAT for me was yesterday.  It was my birthday!! The whole day was filled with TREATS!!  My day started with a TREAT of beautiful flowers from my sweet husband, who remembered my birthday despite working a grueling 6 day a week 12 hour graveyard shift.  All my children and grandchildren phoned and TREATED me to several different renditions of  Happy Birthday. The Cha Cha Cha one was so cute!   I especially loved little Thomas singing because I could actually make out the words "Happy Birthday"!! Good job, Tommy!! Katie even sang to me twice!  I received many, many Skype messages from my FamilySearch missionary friends.  I miss serving with those wonderful people.  It was a TREAT being remembered.  All through the day on Facebook friends and family wished me Happy Birthday!!  It doesn't take much to TREAT others. I felt very loved and cared for yesterday,with the many, many birthday wishes. Sometimes just the simplest small things can be a huge TREAT for others, like me!! 

Friday, October 15, 2010

Trick

Trick is a great Slice of Life for October.  Our family is full of tricksters!  Mostly, we like to surprise people with people. One time, I went to Katie's house and she sent me to her closet to check something out.  I open the door and out pops John!!  Did I ever scream?? You bet!! It scared the heebeegeebee's out of me. I think my screaming scared him a little too! I was very happy to see him though!! 

Last summer, Evan and I pulled off a fun trick on Mike.  Our daughter-in-law Sariah and grandchildren were in town visiting.  She was spending the day at the Lake with her mom and sister's.  Her sister had a little doggy that needed a dog sitter so we agree to let the pooch spend the afternoon in our backyard.  When I realized the dog would be there when Mike got home, Evan and I concocted a story that someone in his program had a dog they couldn't keep anymore.  So, I told Evan we could adopt it.  Now, that is totally unlike me to make a decision like that without Mike's approval.  But, we put on such a sob story, poor dog had no where else to go, and I couldn't get a hold of Mike at work, so I agreed. At first Mike was very surprised and looked  majorly annoyed.  He really likes dogs though and is great with them.  So he went out to play with our newly adopted pet.  I think he was actually enjoying the idea.  At dinner we started talking about what we would need to get for the dog.  I mentioned that I would go to the store after dinner to get some dog food.  Evan pops in and says, "Would Sariah's sister like it if we bought dog food for her dog??".   EVAN!!!  OOPS!!  I think you just gave away our trick.  Mike got a good laugh out of that, we had him totally convinced.  However we were all happy to give the dog back because she a was yapping, little jumper!!   

Please join us and share a Slice of your Life here.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Finding Family

Seven weeks ago something happened that I would have never imagined.  I received a phone call from my daughter in law, Sariah, regarding an e-mail she said I might be interested in. It was from Ron, a half brother of mine who was looking for people related to our Dad.  He had found her name with an e-mail address on a Rootsweb's page associated with my Dad. Was I ever excited!! Yes, of course. 

You see, I had known that my father had another family although he never talked about them. Never shared a picture, nothing!  We had heard there was a bitter divorce. Our family moved across the country when I was six years old.  I didn't know the names of these children until several years after my fathers death, when my Aunt Phyllis shared them with me. I was surprised, there were four boys and two girls!!  What a big family!! Any other information was all hush, hush, and I was basically told to leave well enough alone.

I had often wondered about this family.  What were they like? How did they survive without a father in their lives?  Would they want contact from us?  Or would that be too painful?  With rather common names it was like looking for a needle in a haystack and I never seriously pursued the search.

As soon as possible I e-mailed Ron and the next day we talked for a long time on the phone.  Life had been hard, but he has forgiven our Dad for what he did, or I should say didn't do.  Ron struggled with bitterness, and alcohol, but turned his life around over 30 years ago.  He is an amazing man and has forgiven our father for what he did to their family!  According to Ron, there never was a divorce only a legal separation, and my dad never paid the family a penny.  That answered a few questions for me, like why our family moved so many times when I was growing up and why my parents got "remarried" when I was a teenager.


In the next few weeks I started to make contact with other family members via Facebook.  There are tons of nieces and nephews I am still trying to figure it all out. We have shared many pictures back and forth and are trying to get to know each other.  I have also had the opportunity to talk to two of my sisters on the phone  (Yeah, sisters, I always wanted sisters!!)  The end of this month, I'm going to be able to meet one of the sisters when she comes out west to visit her son.  I have learned from both of them.  Barbara told me that she was sorry she didn't get to see our Dad one more time before he died, just to tell him, "it's ok".  Gloria was also very forgiving. She also wondered about us too, but didn't think we would care.  How far from the truth.


My perception of my father, though has changed.  I used to characterize him as a honest person.Honest people don't dessert their families.  I look at pictures of him with my half siblings and it makes me sad.  I look at pictures of him with the family I grew up with and think it's not fair.  I used to think I was a Daddy's girl.  But, I don't want to be that now, because it was at the expense of other children.  I know I have quite a ways to go to be forgiving, and I WILL get there with some time.  I know that he can receive the Lord's forgiveness, and I must forgive also. 


The youngest of the children, Kenneth, died in 1990 at the young age of 44.  I'm sad that I was not able to know him.  There are still two more brothers I would like to contact in the future somehow. 


Kenneth David, 1946-1990


I can't help but think about the timing of all this.  Six weeks after my mother died, and four weeks after my release from my family history mission.  Is my mom, helping with this somehow on the other side?  Is this just an incredible blessing for serving a mission?  I don't know, but I'm thrilled beyond belief to have this family in my life!


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

My Volcano Dream

Recently I had this very vivid dream.  The room had a giant picture window over looking majestic mountains.  Several of us were sitting there just eating and chatting, enjoying life. I am not sure who all the people were, but I do remember that Mike was there.  All of a sudden the furthest and tallest mountain erupted in a volcano. Smoke and ashes rising high the air.   We all watched in awe.  After a few seconds it stopped.  Then the earth shook violently.  The earth was angry and all around the mountains erupted in volcanoes. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Volcanoes everywhere, there seems to one erupting right under us.   Immediately, I knew this was the end.  This was how I was going to die.  Then everything turned white. I tried to reach for Mike's hand but he was too far away.  I remember just feeling very curious to experience what would happen next and said aloud, "it's going to be okay".  Then I woke up.

I have had dreams before where knew I was going to die.  Usually, I'm in a car that is careening off a cliff, and everything goes black and I wake up terrified with my heart pounding.  A couple of things about this volcano dream really surprised me.  First, at the end everything turned white, and not black, as I would have expected.   And second, I had no fear, just excitement to experience what was going to happen next.  And, I didn't wake up with my heart pounding uncontrollably.  This dream seems to say to me that we don't need to fear death, it is just a part of life and another step in our progression back to Heavenly Father.

Friday, October 8, 2010

The Harvest

The Harvest is this week's Slice of Life.  We have had gardens here and there.  The best vegetable garden we had was when we lived in Santa Maria.  We grew, peas, tomatoes, green beans, and yummy beets among other things!!  In our current house veggies don't grow so well because there is too much shade.  I can't say I really have a whole lot of experience with harvest or harvesting fruits and vegetables.  Do you want to know what I have loved growing and nurturing the best??  

FAMILY
We started with this!
  Just the two of us.

  Through the years we added lots of love, understanding, sharing, fun, laughter, worship, prayer and togetherness. One by one we started to grow. Until now from the two of us we have gathered in our harvest twenty wonderful family members and we are still growing.  I can't imagine life without anyone of them.


Isn't this a great crop??


David, Sariah, Spencer, Andrew and Leah

 April, Matteo with Thomas and Corbin


John, Amy and Aiden


Katie and Brad with Kyle


Rachel and Joey, with one of their doggies, Sasha






And last but of course not least, Evan!


I remember when David graduated.  I think I cried every day the week of the graduation.  I knew he would be leaving, going on a mission, and our family would never be the same again. . I was right.  Our family has change A LOT since our oldest grew up and became an adult.  The best thing was that our family grew and grew and is still growing, and it's better and better all the time. We are continually reaping the rewards of our careful sowing. You plant a little love and what a wonderful harvest!!  Amazing!

Friday, October 1, 2010

Get Into My Car

It is Slice of Life time again!  This week it's about cars!  My first car was a gray '72 Toyota Corolla. 



Maroon was the interior color.  How I loved this little car I affectionately named Mousy!!  I was already in college and studying nursing.  This would be a great help to me to get to the hospitals to do the clinical experience I needed.  

However, there was one very big problem with this car!!  It had a manual transmission and I had no idea how to drive a stick shift.  Ease off the clutch and give it some gas.  That was what I was told.  Easier said then done.  At least that was my experience.  I remember one time on the way to school  I flooded the car, and there I was stalled in the middle of an intersection.  Fortunately there was a cop behind me, who pushed me out of the intersection.  Phew.  After that I knew I needed to learn quickly.  Fortunately with practice it became easy.  I figured if I could learn anyone could!!  

Please share a slice of you life, here.

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