It has been a busy, memorable week. Last Sunday Neal was sustained and ordained the bishop of the Olean Ward. We know he will be a blessing to his ward and his family will be blessed. Their family has been very ill for the last two weeks but is getting better. Anna spent six hours in the emergency room with many seizures. When Katrina recognized that the seizures were probably caused by the fever and infection, the ER, pediatrician, and neurologists decided that Katrina knew more about Anna than they did so allowed her to go home so Katrina could monitor and care for Anna there. Katrina taught the RS lesson on Sabbath Day today and was concerned about emphasizing that sisters should wear skirts, not pants, to Sacrament Meeting without offending or hurting feelings. That has become a problem in our ward also.
We are so pleased that Emily’s eyes are getting better and that the promise is being fulfilled that “there will be no lasting effects from the hemangioma.” This is a testament to faith and obedience. Desi, will your assignment change with the new church handbook? Mike we hope you are enjoying teaching Gospel Doctrine class since you were released as Elder’s Quorum President.
We love to have Kristilyn and the boys come to visit. What a delight to have them greet us with “Surprise! We’re glad you came home from your mission to see us.” Kristilyn arranged a special number for her YW with the three melodies of “Away in a Manger” with a violin obbligato.
We look forward to Talisa’s preschool program on Tuesday night. Keith sang with the choir in his ward for their Christmas Sacrament Meeting this morning. Kim is doing some very creative blogs. Talisa and Kira have been sick which has made it a challenge.
Julie had a busy, different day yesterday correcting papers from a section of BYU’s Teacher Education 301 class. Julie wrote the syllabus and class outline and taught the class two semesters. The assigned teacher this semester became very ill and was unable to do it and grades had to be in by a certain time. Julie and Jason sang with their ward choir today and will be speaking in church next Sunday.
We hope that Melody and Brandon’s car situation has eased for a while and that the weather will cooperate. They’ve had some very dangerous weather. Melody is the Cub Scout Den Leader and Brandon is the ward organist. We’d love to hear him play again.
We are enjoying the Christmas cards, pictures, letters, and emails we are receiving. This is our favorite mail time of the year.
This past week has been memorable. Temple Square is absolutely beautiful with Christmas lights and music. We’ve both had excellent students and spiritual experiences. (See previous blogs.) Tuesday was the RS social. They had a program telling about the Nativity from various points of view with music. I was the Inn Keeper’s wife and John sang “Let Him In” from The Forgotten Carols. Wednesday, the Elijah Combined Choirs sang for the devotional and luncheon on the 26th Floor of the Church Office Building. Elder Kent Richards of the Seventy was our speaker. Thursday night, John and I watched the simulcast of the David Archuleta and Tabernacle Choir Concert in the North Visitors’ Center on Temple Square. (Julie and Jason saw it live on Friday evening with Jason’s parents.) Friday was Go Forth meeting and the temple session. Many dear missionaries are leaving and they will be greatly missed. Saturday I played for the baptism of an eleven-year-old girl in our ward. This morning we sang three numbers with the ward choir and John sang “Silent Night” a capella with a men’s quartet. It was heavenly! John has a beautiful voice that blesses lives as he willingly shares his gifts. Our Sacrament Meeting was wonderful with eight musical numbers with various groups and two brief speakers. I thought how wonderful it was that all of our children and grandchildren were in church as usual and were enjoying and participating in similar programs in their wards no matter where they lived.
Monday morning is the last Christmas Concert for the Elijah Choir with our conductor Elder James Brague. Elder and Sister Brague are going to the Nauvoo Mission. He was head of the music department at BYU-I and has been very demanding of us but has made it fun. With practices at 6:24 AM, it had better be enjoyable!
Today I was looking at the babies and remembering Christmas 1972. We were living in Frankfurt am Main where John was in the Army. It was our first Christmas together with children. The year before I was home with my parents and Katrina and John was alone in Germany. In 1972 we were a family far from our homes and families in Utah. The building where we had been living on the Germany economy had been sold and we were homeless with 16- month-old Katrina and newborn Michael John. A couple was returning to the States for the Christmas season and allowed us to live in their apartment while they were gone. We felt very much like Joseph and Mary with our babies, sheltered by kindly strangers (members of the church who we met once). We had bright hopes for the future but the Lord has blessed us far beyond anything we could have dreamed of at that time. To have six beautiful children with firm testimonies of the gospel who have married faithful, talented spouses and who are living the gospel is an incomprehensible blessing. We are so grateful for the way our grandchildren are being raised and look with an eye of faith to an increasing righteous, faithful posterity. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”—III John 1:4
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