To Our Beloved Missionary Grandsons

Gramps and I read your letters with great interest. We are thankful that Heavenly Father blesses you with many tender mercies and that he is helping you both to be successful and to be happy in your work. We pray daily, and usually, more often than once a day, that you will be blessed. You are in our thoughts continually and we are proud of you young men who are serving our Father in Heaven and our Savior.

We are here in Colorado Springs for the second week. Kirsten had surgery on her jaw and had it broken in four places so that her joints would work as they should. She has been in constant pain with them and the spacers the orthodontist had her wearing for the last four years did not work. The surgery was extremely painful and I am certain that it would have killed me. (Especially since I cannot take many pain relievers.) She had the surgery on Wednesday, and then came home to pain and drugs. That was when the trouble started. She had two ambulance rides in two days. Monday, either the oxycodone, hydrocodone, or Keflex caused her to have a severe allergic reaction. She swelled, got hives and had great difficulty breathing. At the ER, they were unable to determine what caused the problem for certain. Although the Dr. there thought that it was most likely that it was both the narcotics. They took her off of everything at the hospital, except for Tylenol. (I do not have time to look any of this spelling up.) They kept her overnight and, in the morning, they put her on a morphine-type drug and sent her home at noon. We got back about 1 p.m. but had to go to Walgreens and get the new drugs. Guess what? She took the first dose and started to swell again. She was not as bad the second time and did not need to stay the night. The next day, on a Wednesday, one week after the surgery, we were headed to the surgeon when she started to swell again. We ended up back at the ER where they treated her and sent us on to the surgeon. It took the three times before they finally figured out which medication was making her stop breathing. Apparently she cannot take any narcotics. It is a good thing that she never took up drugs. ;) They also had to take away the steriods which were supposed to keep her from swelling because they gave her panic attacks.

I am certainly happy that I never had the same surgery. At one point, one orthodontist said it might be a good thing to do to cure my TMJ but I found a different specalist who just made all my teeth fit together. The orthodontist who took over Dr. Kitchen's practice after he died in the airplane accident was the one who told us that Kirsten did not need braces and that her mouth looked just great. HAH! Can I sue at this late date. I know, I know, he did the best he could at the time. She was just 12 or 13. I am too old for all of this fear of dying. Could you guys all knock it off, OK? Just be healthy, strong and do NOT have surgery or accidents. :)

My tooth was removed, the bone graft done, and, in six months, I will get an implant. I have a new cap on the tooth that was decaying under the old cap. I am in good shape. I hope Kirsten soon will be. I think she is very brave and has had so much pain, in addition to the allergies.

Well, Gramps and I wanted you both to know that you were loved and remembered. Take care, keep safe, and remember, no accidents or surgeries. I am too old for the trauma.

Lots of love, Grammy and Gramps

January 13, 2013‏

We had an interesting day, this Sunday. We are now called, as you know, to see to it that a sacrament meeting service is provided at the elderly care center within our ward boundaries. We have, Gramps and I, been assigning ward families to present the programs. They play the hymns and a 101-year old resident of the home leads the music. Sometimes a resident will also say the opening or closing prayer. The priesthood in the family, assisted by others as needed, prepares and serves the Sacrament. The presiding priesthood member of the family presides and conducts and other family members give two and a half minute talks. Gramps said that the Spirit there this a.m. was so very strong that it was glorious.

I stayed home to put the finishing touches on my Sunday School lesson.

In our Sacrament meeting, we had our five serving missionary's moms give reports on their missionaries. One of the Elders is serving in Africa. He is very tall, 6-foot 6-inches, and he is sometimes having to ride in a small bus with lots and lots of other people. It makes a tight fit for him. Each of the moms was equally proud of her missionary son and the meeting was full of laughs, smiles and tears as they shared the tender moments of the missions their sons are serving.

In Sunday School, Gramps and I teach the missionary preparation class. One of the young men is going to Italy. The other two are waiting their calls. It was my turn to teach the lesson and I had such a wonderful time discussing the temple with the three men. Gramps was there, of course. What a great experience it is to be with the young Elders.

Then, after Relief Society and Priesthood meeting, our ward met in the cultural hall for a snack and send event (sometimes called a munch and mingle). There were cookies and crackers for those who stayed--hence the snack. There were also tables with stationary and pens waiting on their tops. Each of us was to write a letter to each of the five missionaries. The Bishop is mailing them to the various missionaries on Monday morning.

We then came home, finished fixing dinner, and drove some of it to Julie's home. Jim is in California taking care of the bees. Julie is at home with four little kids who have had the flu. That on top of losing her baby, which was due the middle of May. I can't remember if I told you that the baby died inside her at New Years. She went to the doctor the Saturday before and the doctor found that the heartbeat had stopped. At any rate, we knew how pressed Julie was. She had to stay home from church because of the kids. She lives way out in the country with the closest neighbors a couple of blocks away. So we took dinner to them. We talked briefly and then we left. She was afraid that if we stayed we would also get sick. (Gramps got stuck in the snow and had to borrow ashes from Julie's ashes bin to get unstuck.) It was certainly cold there--12 degrees below zero at 6 p.m.

I am finally getting over the cough that went with the flu that I had just after Christmas. I think I tired to die but it must not have been my time to go because I am still here. I suppose that you heard about the missionaries at the MTC who had the flu. It was an epidemic. There were 250 of them all sick at the same time.

We do love you! We are so proud of the work that you are doing. What a great service you are performing. (One of my friends at the temple calls it "preforming." So now, every time I say the word "performing" I think of her and her "preformed" concrete. She cannot hear the difference in the two words.) ;) So keep up the good work. We so enjoy your letters and also the letters of your cousin. Who would have thought, in advance, that you would both end up in California speaking Spanish? I am happy that you did but I was surprised. Dane and Kyle are the next to go out and we could have four of you out at once. What a blessing to the family that will be. Having two of you out is already a blessing!

Take care. Know that we love you!

"The Lord has great confidence in you. He trusts you." - President Uchtdorf at the CES Devotional.

Swedish Orange Bread

Swedish Orange Bread

1/4 cup warm water (105-degrees for dry yeast)

1 package active dry yeast

2 cups scalded milk 

2 tablespoons melted butter

4 tablespoons orange juice concentrate

2 teaspoons salt

2 cups of oatmeal flour

4 cups whole wheat flour

Pour 1/4 cup water into a bowl; add yeast and stir until dissolved. Stir the butter and orange juice into the hot milk. It will help cool it. Add the salt and stir well. Stir in the 2 cups of oat flour. Add to the yeast mixture. Add the remaining flour and knead well. Use the rise and knead method: let the dough rise for 15 minutes and then knead. Do this five times. In between kneadings, place the dough in a bowl, cover and keep in a warm place. Let the dough raise a final time until doubled. Punch dough down; squeeze out air with your hands; shape into a smooth ball and squeeze dough to divide into equal portions for two loaves. Form into two loaves. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled. Put in a 375 degree oven and bake until nicely browned and just starting to pull away from pan sides, about 45 minutes. Remove from over and turn loaves out of pans to cool before slicing or wrapping.

To make into Swedish Traditional Orange Rye Bread use 2 cups of rye flour in place of the oatmeal flour. Add 2 tablespoons grated orange peel and 1 tablespoon of caraway, anise or fennel seed.

The oatmeal version made great scones.

Just So You Know

Each time one of you loses a baby, early or late in the process, it makes me really sad. I know how I felt when it happened to me--as though someone I loved dearly, for years and years, had passed on. I know the gospel. I know that there is a plan. I have faith that the best thing happens. However, I still mourn. Forgive my mother's heart. I love you all. I am glad that each of you lived, grew up and gave me more people to love and more to worry about.

To one of my least critical children, though there are several of you, thank you for your private response and your understanding.

I am actually the one in mourning. I feel very sad.

Greetings from Nephi (at least, two Nephites) ;)‏

We had a spiritual day at church, as always, beginning in Sacrament meeting and moving on through our other meetings of the day. Bro. Paul Sutorius spoke about the great gift the Savior gave each of us: the atonement. He spoke of the wise men (we really don’t know how many there were) and how they were “seeking” of the Savior when the star appeared. They knew it for what it was, because they were prepared to recognize it when they saw it. They went to Herod who had, apparently, either not seen the star or had not attributed it to anything of import. However, the wise men did understand its significance and did follow it seeking the Christ. 

Bro. Sutorius spoke of the many stars each of us have to guide us, chief among those the scriptures, our families, our teachers, the prophets and others who love and serve us. Those are stars we may follow in our own seeking of the Savior. First of all, we must seek the Christ and then He will grant us the stars we need to lead us to him. Our stars, in addition to the scriptures, are usually people.

We have a young woman in our ward who was injured in a terrible car accident a couple of months ago. For awhile, it was not certain whether she would live or, if she did, if she would walk again. She is now on crutches and is our ward miracle girl. At any rate, Bro. Sutorius asked her to hop to the podium and asked he a few question. He then asked her what she saw when she looked out at the congregation and she replied, “Stars.” She did so a bit tearfully and many of us shared her tears.

His main message? We must remember that the Savior can only be found if we are looking. 

He was also our instructor in Sunday School. We discussed charity and its meaning. We learned from the Book of Mormon that the word atonement can be substituted for charity. Because charity is the love of Christ for us, expressed by his willingness to atone for our individual sins and for our pain and suffering. We must accept the gift he bestowed upon each of us and each day of our lives we should try to emulate our Savior in our daily living. If we seek Him, we must try to be like Him.

We also learned great lessons about charity in our Relief Society lesson.

We are enjoying your letters and we know that you are serving others as you serve our Savior. Certainly, you are having experiences that will help you all of your life. We are also enjoying your letters and that we are grateful that you include us in your circle of loved ones. 

Judging from the many young women coming to the temple to be endowed prior to their going on missions, many of them coming in your direction, you will soon have an army of young women there to assist you in your efforts to bring the gospel to the Latinos in California.

Take care and know that you are loved and that we pray for you often each day. We love you!

About Program

I'm sorry that I invited you to the Christmas Relief Society program held in our stake. 

I could tell, by their sobbing, that some of the sisters found the program very touching. Judging from their crying throughout, I thought that they were active participants emotionally, sitting there in the dark with hands on laps turned upward so that we each could feel as items, such as the coarse linen, were placed in our hands. Our ears could hear the sounds from the music and narration but I really am a visual learner and it was not as appealing to me as it could have been had my eyes been allowed to see.

I noted that none of us cried. I know that neither of you like the "touchy-feely" sort of program any more than I do. In addition to that, there were some parts that bothered me, like wearing a blindfold for 75 minutes and having babies cry because of the dark and having to have their feet touched. I know that we were to touch the small baby feet and think of the birth of our Savior as though we were at the stable but I did not think the point was worth having a baby be the representative.

I also do not know if Satan tempted Jesus in the period of time that Heavenly Father left him alone on the cross so I did not like the song that was sung during that period. I do not think that music from "Jesus Christ, Superstar" was as appropriate as words from a more sacred work might have been. For example, I think I may have liked something from the "Messiah" much better.

I value the Savior, His life and His sacrifice, but I prefer more visual programs than the one we attended. 

I just wanted you both to know that I was not as sold on the program, after seeing it, as Annette Lovell was, prior to the program, when she was telling us that it would change us for the better. At any rate, I wanted you to know what I thought. 

You have such busy lives and made time to go to the program with me simply because I am your mother and I invited you. We went early, another sacrifice for each of you on a busy day during December, so that we could gain entrance and would not be turned away since there were a set number of seats available. That took even more of your precious time.

Dad said I should probably appreciate the work someone had put into the program but I found it a bit maudlin (effusively or insincerely emotional). Perhaps you both loved it and were glad I invited you. If so, just ignore this.

Investing Tip

Investing for the future might need to be more practicle than ever thought. According to an email being sent around, folks should maybe think more about stocking up on canned goods and water than on hiding away gold or investing in stocks and bonds.

In advancing the email, Gordon Smith, had one more suggestion. "Add toilet paper to that list.  I never did like using the old Sears catalogues," he said. 

I actually did not know what that catalogue was doing in the old outhouse I visited when I was little. I sat and looked at it and wondered where the toilet paper was. ;) Eventually, someone came and found me and then I knew what it was for. That was at an older lady's house, Grandma Kate Childs' home, where we were visiting for a holiday. She made really good cookies in her old coal stove's oven. YUM!

About Dad

That was one LONG day for both of us. The surgery was scheduled for 11 a.m. Just before we left home, they called and scheduled it for an hour and a half later. We still waited and waited. They finally took Dad in at 3 p.m. By the time all was said and done, we did not leave there until dusk. I got to drive home in the dark. :) (You all know how I love that.) But it was not bad. Poor Dad, he had gone without food since 7 p.m. the night before. Thanks to Julie, we came home to roast and brown rice which she had cooked and left in the oven for us. I tried to get Dad to eat a banana on the way but he did not feel like it. (WHAT?? You know how he loves slightly green bananas. He must feel really lousy.)

When I say it was a long day for both of us, that is because I had to impatiently (I was the impatient one, not Dad.) wait with Dad. I was perched on a little doctor's stool. They took us back to the prep room not long after we got there and got Dad ready. Then we waited and waited and waited. Of course, if it had been Dad who was the person needing the extra time we would have been thankful that the doctor gave him the time so we tried to be cheerful.

Dad looks pretty good, considering that they cut out a chunk of his eyelids. They also tightened the muscle that holds the eyes open. He has wide, wide eyes now, even though they are both black. The doctor said that by morning we can expect them to be swollen shut so, for a few more days, no one will be able to see how wide and nice they are. He has to sleep either in a recliner or on top of three pillows. He gets to wear an ice bag over his eyes for the next couple of days off and on. He gets to take extra-strength Tylenol for the next couple of days, as well. I was feeling really sorry for him until they wheeled another patient into the same discharge room we were in. It is sort of a little good-bye room with recliners that they have the patient sit in until they have their sea legs and while the spouse (or whatever) goes to get the car. The woman's whole lower jaw was swathed in an elastic-style brace/bandage and she was complaining about extreme pain. I still feel sorry for Dad, of course, but I am glad he was not in that situation. UGH!

In six weeks we go back to the doctor. And, hopefully, that should be that.

Dad's RN was a person that Auntie Helen had trained in nursing. Her maiden name was Anderson. Her first name was Alys (said Alice). She was so happy to wait on a relative of Auntie's that we got the royal treatment. She was the nurse who got him ready for the surgery and who kept tabs on him while we waited and waited. (The Primary song: "Pioneer Children Sang As They Walked and Walked and Walked" made me think of Dad. "LHT joked as he waited and waited and waited. . .")

I am just thankful that, even though I drove through the rush hour traffic of Salt Lake City, I got us home in one piece and that I did not make any driving mistakes. When they remodeled the freeway, they should have added a fifth and sixth lane I am thinking. We did the bumper to bumper traffic on the way to Provo and I was in the HOV lane. What does that tell you? At least I didn't have to worry about speeding. 

I just gave Dad his last meds of the day and fixed his ice pack so he is tucked in for the night (or until the ice melts). I am heading to bed myself. 

We love you all.

Who will be here for Thanksgiving?

Myrna wrote: Plans for Thanksgiving 2011 are now made. I know who will be here and how much turkey to cook.

Thanks to my family for all of the responses to my question about who will be where on Thanksgiving. I now know who will be here to celebrate with us and who will be celebrating elsewhere. Let's all have a great day. Thanksgiving is still one of my favorite holidays: food, family, fun. Of course, there is also gratitude, thankfulness and lots of good and happy memories.

One year for either Christmas or Thanksgiving, when Joey and Walter Olpin lived next door, they were our only guests besides our own small family. We crowded into our small kitchen, that was years and years before the addition was added, and ate, laughed and enjoyed a great meal. 

Most years, we traveled elsewhere. I don't know why it was that we stayed home that year. It was most unusual but it was fun. Perhaps all of our usual haunts had other plans. Strange that I do not remember why we were at home. It must have been Christmas. We usually stayed home Christmas Day after all of the children started to have lots of gifts to pack around. We would sometimes have family come to our home for dinner and sometimes not. 

We always had Auntie Helen's Christmas party in early December and met together as a big family then. We also, at some point, visited in Kenilworth, Price and Huntington. There we exchanged gifts prior to Christmas and were fed great meals. These are all good memories to warm my old age.

Oh, wait, I am old. Well, they warm my memories now and, perhaps, someday I will actually remember whether it was Christmas or Thanksgiving that we hosted the Olpin neighbors.

From Grammy and Gramps

I think that I am finally happy that I live among cowboys. It has taken some time for me to feel that way but, over the years, I have been in great meetings where humble and spiritual cowboys have taught great lessons. 

For example, at sacrament meeting one week ago, Bro. Davis, first counselor in the bishopric, told of his experience with his cell phone. He is the new church cattle ranch manager for the cattle ranch in our stake. He replaced Bro. Don Berezay when he died. At any rate, our ward is having, at the St. George Mission President’s request, a bring-a-friend-to-church-day on November 11. There is an assignment that goes with the request--we are to pray each day for inspiration, we are to read certain scriptures, we are to seek the spirit--then we are to approach the person with love and respect and ask them if they would like to attend church with us on that day. 

Paul Sutorius, our retired seminary principal and gospel doctrine instructor, said that, if they refuse, we should continue to be friends but that when we approach them we should teach them how to recognize the spirit when it inspires them. There is a list of scriptures we should use: 1 Cor. 2: 11-14; Moroni 10: 4-5; John 14: 26; Alma 32: 28; Alma 5: 45-46; and 3 Nephi 18: 18-20. 

At any rate, Bro. Davis was out rounding up cattle with Mitch Durban, Berezay’s son-in-law, when one of the calves decided to take off away from the rest of the cattle and make a run for it. Davis said that he knows from experience that the only thing to do is to chase the cow and work to cut it back to the rest but that it often leads through rough ground and tall brush. It cuts at the flesh of the cowboy and tears at his clothes. He did get the calf back to the herd but, at that time, he realized that the cell phone he had in his pocket was gone. He knew that it might seem a trivial and unimportant thing but to him it was vital. It had the contacts he needed for the church and for the other church business activities involved with his job. Those could be replaced but it would take time that he could ill-afford. So still in his saddle, he prayed and reminded Heavenly Father that the cell phone, in the eternal scheme of things, was not very important but that to him, Bro. Davis, it was. He asked him to help find it. Then he yelled to Mitch and told him to mind the cows while he looked for his phone. The problem was that he had been all through the brush in a zigzag manner and one stand of brush looks much like another. Still he looked as best he could for 45-minutes. Then it occurred to him that since he wanted help for this project, he should ask in a more formal way. So he got off his horse and knelt and offered a formal prayer. He got back on the horse and rode a short distance and there the phone was shining in the sun. He got off his horse, picked it up and then knelt again to thank Heavenly Father.

Bro. Davis said he wanted us all to know that we were important to Heavenly Father. He took time for each of His children and, if they wanted His help, He was there. “If He would help me find something so unimportant to anyone but me, He will help each of us with any of our problems. All we need to do it ask.”

He then said that the people we wanted to come to church with us were so important that He would help us reactivate them or convert them if we asked for His help and if those people were then ready. However, He was going to send us to the people who were ready. They would be the ones who would be inspired to accept our offer just as we had been inspired to seek them out. Gramps and I enjoy your missionary letters. 

We feel your great spirit in each of your letters and we are so happy that you are serving our Father in Heaven. The only way that any of us can ever truly feel the peace of the gospel is by living it. "Living the gospel does not mean the storms of life will pass us by, but we will be better prepared to face them with serenity and peace." Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, May 2000.

We love you. We hope that you got your Halloween card in time. Grammy doesn't yet know how long it takes to get things to you.

Lots of love, Grammy and Gramps