A Dusting of the Cobwebs: Beautiful December...

A Dusting of the Cobwebs....

welcome to my blog!
...allow me a brief introduction...

In a reacent conversation with my daughter, her questions were why I, and her Dad were so quiet about our lifes? Meaning writing or telling about our own personal historys.

I didn't think there was anything important to write about. As I was just a normal person, getting up in the morning and getting the day started, getting kids off to school, or meeting schedules of the whole family, cleaning house, and landry. Keeping little ones busy, and changing diapers, comming home fixing dinner, helping with homework, putting kids to bed, watch some news, go to bed. And then do it all over again the next day. Then some days was teaching lessons in Primary, RS, MIA, Sundayschool, cub scouts, or helping at schools, ect. Family home evening, Visiting teaching, and even some Home teaching and being the family schaefer. most of the time we had one car, 6 kids, one working husband. Oh yes, the multi years of music lessons, and baseball teams, coaching, and even one major jumproap champion, for one daughter.

We had trials too. some were very hard, just thinking about a single memory of losing our son, brings tears. But we are told that this life is to meet trials, and how we handle them will be for our own eternal growth.

A very wise Stake President, President Alred, once said "We are here to be schooled in the principles of eternity. We will work by the sweat of our brow, to work our way through this life... But remember we are here to be schooled in the principles of eternity."

So, I welcome you to my blog. Please feel free to stay and go as you please, and wander where you wish. And, as always, feel comfortable in sharing those stories that you may feel are just "an every day" thing as well...

Dec 20, 2009

Beautiful December...

It has been a very long time since I have written here, how ever it has been on my mind for the last few weeks.

I have received many blessings, some I hadn't noticed until I started thinking about Christmas and putting up our Christmas tree. I remember two years ago that we had our Christmas tree up, but didn't have time to decorate it. So there it was, standing tall, with all its lights on, and nothing elts.

Last year I had my first Hip replacement in March. I was still walking with crutches and in alot of pain. So much was going on in our lives at that time, that the thought of putting up a Christmas tree seemed impossible. I had a porcelain tree I had made back in 1980, and to my surprise it still worked. So that was our tree for last year.

I guess it was in Oct when I started thinking, about when I was going to put up the tree. A few weeks later I realized my blessings. I had the 2nd hip replacement this last June, and I was already off the cane. The 2nd Hip was worse than the first.
It is a great blessing, to be walking again.

Another Beautiful Surprise came today. We came home from church and found a Beautiful, dancing, snow storm in our front room. Well not really, but my surprise gift was beautifully hand cut snowflakes, hanging from my celling around our Christmas tree. Even a small one that looks like a star, was placed right over the top of the tree.

My Daughter Paulette and her husband James, had waited around the corner of the street, for us to go to church. Then they came in and hung snowflakes to surprise us. We have a lot of frost outside today, it has been fogy for the last two days. As we were coming home from church we discovered a frozen hand cut paper snowflake taped to our windshield. It had no name on it, but both Lynn and I said "its from Pauli".

For Years, we have hand cut, snowflakes, and included them with our Christmas cards, for friends, and family. I have kept most all the ones I have received. I started writing names and years on them, and last year I started putting them in plastic, so as to keep them. They are beautiful memories. And some of them are very delicately cut. Every one likes to look at them on the windows, and remember the year, they had cut each one. I even have two snowflakes from Auzie, Paulette's Jenday bird.

Another blessing that is coming, is most of my family will be here for Christmas. I am sooooo looking forward to being with my kids. Jodie and Tom will be here for a very short time, but Jodie has made arrangements for our family, on the 24th at 9:00 AM, to go to the SLC Temple and do baptisms for the dead. What a wonderful way to start Christmas together.

Another blessing I received last week was to listen to two of my daughters play a piece by Mannheim Steamroller's "Stille Nacht" (Silent Night) in two wards. One on Harp, Paulette, and Jennifer on Viola. To watch and understand the masterful touch of the instruments, and listen to the deep feeling, and quality of the music. Each of them have been given a great blessing and talent of music, and we who listen to their playing are deeply touched, and our lives are enriched because of their willingness to share.

Bishop Grua in a talk, asked that we take time to enjoy the beauty that is all around us every day. The last three days we have had fog here. Fog is very moist, and has been freezing on the trees and bushes. It is looking like a winter wonder land.
At close inspection of some of the trees you can see the ice crystals growing longer, like tiny spikes all over. Very Beautiful.... but extremely cold. The antenna on Lynn's truck looks like it was covered in long white fur.

I have another blessing that happened tonight, but I will keep this one until after Christmas. I will think on this one for a while...the way you do when it mean alot to you.
(update) This neet blessing I received was a calling as a Service Missionary.
I am pleased to serve. I will be helping in the Employment Center in Tooele, for a year, and possible extensions.... :)

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND HOPE YOUR NEW YEAR IS EVEN BETTER THAN THIS ONE.

A Dusting of the Cobwebs