Showing posts with label ward. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ward. Show all posts
Friday, May 13, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Pause
I sit here in my warm house, watching my three youngest play and laugh. I can hear the faint sounds of glee outside; today is the first warm(ish) day in a long time. The sunshine and the mild air lured my two big kids outside with friends. They are crushing the remaining snow, practicing on the Christmas scooters, and playing hide-and-seek.
Yesterday our little ward experienced another tragedy--another baby died in a tragic accident. He was only seven months old. I just saw him and his family on Sunday. It's been just over three months since my friends' baby passed away.
There just aren't words.
And so I sit here, warm and safe and surrounded by love and life. There is sorrow. But there is also gratitude. I am grateful to heaven for my blessings, grateful for the faith the Gospel gives me. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement and forever families.
Yesterday our little ward experienced another tragedy--another baby died in a tragic accident. He was only seven months old. I just saw him and his family on Sunday. It's been just over three months since my friends' baby passed away.
There just aren't words.
And so I sit here, warm and safe and surrounded by love and life. There is sorrow. But there is also gratitude. I am grateful to heaven for my blessings, grateful for the faith the Gospel gives me. I am grateful for the knowledge of the Atonement and forever families.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Warmth
The sun shone brightly today, and for whole minutes at a time I closed my eyes and turned my face to the light.
When my daughter was dropped off at the house after kindergarten, there was soup tureen full of taco soup, and all the fixings, sitting in a box on my front porch. A friend dropped it off while I was on the phone with Gee's teacher, having a makeshift IEP since I wasn't comfortable getting a sitter for Hebs.
Another friend, who has two small boys and is pregnant with her third, dropped by with a plate of cookies and some sympathy and love.
Bradley came home from work early to take Gee to his dentist appointment, so I didn't have to drag all five kids to an unpleasant event.
Maybe I'll make it through this week after all.
When my daughter was dropped off at the house after kindergarten, there was soup tureen full of taco soup, and all the fixings, sitting in a box on my front porch. A friend dropped it off while I was on the phone with Gee's teacher, having a makeshift IEP since I wasn't comfortable getting a sitter for Hebs.
Another friend, who has two small boys and is pregnant with her third, dropped by with a plate of cookies and some sympathy and love.
Bradley came home from work early to take Gee to his dentist appointment, so I didn't have to drag all five kids to an unpleasant event.
Maybe I'll make it through this week after all.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Mark McKell's Memories
Tonight we spent Family Home Evening with a wonderful older gentleman in our neighborhood. Brother Mark McKell is 94 years old, and he is a most wonderful and enjoyable host. He invited us into his home to get to know us better, and (despite less-than-well-behaved children) we had a marvelous evening.
Brother McKell was born in a little house on Center Street, and has lived here in Spanish Fork just about his entire life--he was three years in the army during World War II, and then he and his wife lived in Provo for several years as he finished his education at BYU. They bought a piece of land for $1000 in the mid-1940s, and then built a house and moved in 1947, and he has lived there ever since.
He has so many memories and information about Spanish Fork, the First Ward, and how things used to be. It is a treat to talk to him. He was the Bishop of the First Ward for six years, and only missed church twice. On one of the two sacrament meetings he missed, an older brother got up to bear his testimony. "I don't know why the Lord still has me here on Earth," the brother said. After he finished his testimony, he sat back down on the pew and...promptly died. What a week to miss!
Brother McKell showed us a Jex family picture taken in the City Park, up against the east side of the old City Office Building, in the mid-1920s. They tore that building down a long time ago, but it is funny to think about the young Brother McKell, looking out over the City Park, to where my house now stands.
Brother and Sister McKell (she died in October 2007) had their wedding reception at the old dance pavilion or ballroom--apparently this used to stand on the corner of the park directly across my house. He told us they used to go dancing there weekly. He remembers all the old songs, and plays them on his massive Lowrey Organ, every night before he goes to bed.
Oh, that organ. Brother McKell never played a note in his life before his late 70s, when he and his wife decided to get an organ. Now it is his pride and joy. He takes organ lessons down in Payson, and loves every minute of it. He played at least four different songs for us, all very sweet and beautiful. We sang along with some of them. And there is an applause button that he pushes after every song. Hebs especially enjoyed that, and made sure to clap along every time.
We ate ice cream cones on the front porch near the end of the evening, and he talked about his farm down in Leland (just south of Spanish Fork proper), and the cattle he had for years and years. (In fact, he just got rid of his cattle last winter, after one mean cow kicked him and broke his hip (or his back, I can't remember). Remember, this was when he was 92 years old, still going out most every winter morning to feed those silly creatures. Amazing.)
But amazing is just what Brother McKell is. He started and ended the evening by showing us pictures of his family when the kids were very young, and then the big picture taken a few years ago with all the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He has a mighty posterity, and he wanted to impress on us how important is it to stay close to the gospel, to teach the children how important families are, and how quickly they will grow and become parents of their own children. And how wonderful that is.
I hope, when I grow up, I can be as amazing as he is.
Brother McKell was born in a little house on Center Street, and has lived here in Spanish Fork just about his entire life--he was three years in the army during World War II, and then he and his wife lived in Provo for several years as he finished his education at BYU. They bought a piece of land for $1000 in the mid-1940s, and then built a house and moved in 1947, and he has lived there ever since.
He has so many memories and information about Spanish Fork, the First Ward, and how things used to be. It is a treat to talk to him. He was the Bishop of the First Ward for six years, and only missed church twice. On one of the two sacrament meetings he missed, an older brother got up to bear his testimony. "I don't know why the Lord still has me here on Earth," the brother said. After he finished his testimony, he sat back down on the pew and...promptly died. What a week to miss!
Brother McKell showed us a Jex family picture taken in the City Park, up against the east side of the old City Office Building, in the mid-1920s. They tore that building down a long time ago, but it is funny to think about the young Brother McKell, looking out over the City Park, to where my house now stands.
Brother and Sister McKell (she died in October 2007) had their wedding reception at the old dance pavilion or ballroom--apparently this used to stand on the corner of the park directly across my house. He told us they used to go dancing there weekly. He remembers all the old songs, and plays them on his massive Lowrey Organ, every night before he goes to bed.
Oh, that organ. Brother McKell never played a note in his life before his late 70s, when he and his wife decided to get an organ. Now it is his pride and joy. He takes organ lessons down in Payson, and loves every minute of it. He played at least four different songs for us, all very sweet and beautiful. We sang along with some of them. And there is an applause button that he pushes after every song. Hebs especially enjoyed that, and made sure to clap along every time.
We ate ice cream cones on the front porch near the end of the evening, and he talked about his farm down in Leland (just south of Spanish Fork proper), and the cattle he had for years and years. (In fact, he just got rid of his cattle last winter, after one mean cow kicked him and broke his hip (or his back, I can't remember). Remember, this was when he was 92 years old, still going out most every winter morning to feed those silly creatures. Amazing.)
But amazing is just what Brother McKell is. He started and ended the evening by showing us pictures of his family when the kids were very young, and then the big picture taken a few years ago with all the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He has a mighty posterity, and he wanted to impress on us how important is it to stay close to the gospel, to teach the children how important families are, and how quickly they will grow and become parents of their own children. And how wonderful that is.
I hope, when I grow up, I can be as amazing as he is.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Ward Campout
Our ward campout was held this weekend up Diamond Fork Canyon. Marvelous weather, good food, fabulous entertainment, and a great turnout combined to create a terrific activity.
Lots of adorable children ran loose and had a very good time.
The entertainment was provided by local bluegrass/country group Dyer Highway. This talented group is made up of three siblings, aged 16, 13, and 12. They were amazing!
It really was a fabulous campout. Thanks so much to Lindsay and Angela who made it happen. I love you guys!
Lots of adorable children ran loose and had a very good time.
The entertainment was provided by local bluegrass/country group Dyer Highway. This talented group is made up of three siblings, aged 16, 13, and 12. They were amazing!
It really was a fabulous campout. Thanks so much to Lindsay and Angela who made it happen. I love you guys!
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