A Day to SIng

Today begins another day to begin singing in choir again.

The choir and I have had a few months off. Since the summer for most of them. Since March 15th for me. That was the day of my accident on the way to practice.

Thanks to Heavenly Father and many prayers, I was miraculously healed from a bad fall from my bicycle.

Six months later we are ALL starting up again. I will sing praise to the Lord for his many blessings to me and for me. It's the least I can do for Him.

Last time I sang for Jim, now it's for someone far more deserving than even my choir president husband and my visiting teaching companion.
I sing not because I can, I sing in gratitude and desire to show I will do hard things I don't necessarily wish to, but for Him I'm willing.

Chris and Kristin Are Wed and Off

Timeless/Timely

This post serves as an additional reminder to me how life gets full to overflowing. My previous post was about Jake's birth 37 years ago, and now this one is about Chris's Marriage almost a year since that was posted.

Both eldest and youngest sons had big parts in the completion of our kids all married.

Chris found a wonderful girl in our stake to date right as he moved home from USU. Their meet-up and First date was about Dec 17th? At this moment I was down with jet-lag and then a bad cold when she first came around. Hardly said more than "Hi"or wave.
She was slowly introduced around the family by him, welcomed and fallen in love with, and near the end of April they were engaged.

By now this girl had fit right in and was the clear favorite over anyone he'd ever been interested and concerned over.

A perfect match; their humor and interests matched up well beyond what we might have hoped for.

Some of my first memories was her helping Dana handwash my hair on the great-room couch. She was a keeper from the start and he is one Lucky guy.

As an alternative sight from her house or ours, they spent lots of 'courting dates' at Jake's and being with his family.

And when the time came to set a date and make final plans; it was decided to hold the Wedding Luncheon in Jake and Amanda's backyard. August 1st. After Draper Temple we feated them from his beautiful backyard at 97 degrees!

We bid them goodbye to a camping/touring honeymoon, (thanks Spencer). And now they are off on an Asian "Adventure" to China, thanks to Jake and Steff and their family trips being so motivating.  Not to mention the testimony of Dana and Mark of romance in the Chinese mainland!

We hang on their every word or text these days across the miles, and know they are having an adventure Kristin has dreamed of, and Chris is predisposed to love twice as much!

HE Had Arrived.....

Thirty-seven years ago it happened! We had a complete set! Our family now was as equal as it would ever be again, so far.....
We had a BOY; and boy.... was that great!

I can still see Jim doing the "Rocky" cheer, the same one done at the top of the stairs in Philadelphia.

Our girl was so welcomed, but a boy made our Joy full.

It was something I had never witnessed, being from a all girl family. My poor Dad. Until then, I never imagined what he'd missed. I still have empathy for him not not get the completed set. I never saw or knew if he felt it. I never felt or noticed he was missing something.  Even when I got a microscope and a mitt at Christmas.

Jacob James was a wonderful bright light and spirit, entering earth life quickly as full Ackerman. He had the hands, toes, and nose to prove it! Attracting o-ohs and ah-hs most of his childhood, he was handsome, sensitive and affectionate, and had one problem...... "rookie" parents to raise him.

I still need his forgiveness for my erring ways, and am grateful he has overcome his upbringing (for the most part) and makes our family complete in all ways.

Thank You Son! You have taught us so much, and we still have a lot to learn from you!
Thanks for the thrilling ride, and vistas to come!

Can We Talk?

Well a multitude of seemingly senseless sensibilities are encroaching my determination to not write about this topic for fear of offending those that I wish to not offend. Yet the subject bears some serious discussion, and burns within me to have "its" voice.

I'm referencing with deference, the new and chosen technologies of communication these days. The Chiefly chosen and often preferred are cell phones and other hand held devices. Emailing and texting rather than speaking, and 'worse case', a voice mail message left. Also now popular are Instant messaging or twittering instead of real "heard" (audible) voices. This seems to rule the day and rock the age-long practice of speaking. To add to this [injury] making matters worse; coding and abbreviations abound with clever acronyms that are at times vulgar and lend themselves to improper English and cliches. Many which are flippant and most of which were forbidden years ago, when slang was discouraged as a form of communication because it was thought to represent lack of education and culture.

What do all these changes mean today? Have we progressed in intelligence and are we better communicators?

Suppose this:

I want to tell you I'd like to see you or 'take a meeting' together. Since you nor I have servants or secretaries, we are forced to consider other options. I can request an interface with you by "face time"ing your phone, in which case we could actually see one another speak or make the planned exchange.
But customarily I don't do that. I can leave a text message. Which is either a bit too short in content or explanation.  Or I leave pertinent details so it goes into several messages which are split up and then must be read in reverse order to glean the meaning of the 'message'.

I can leave a 'voice mail' message on your cell phone which must be screened, listened to, sometimes several times to hear it fully, and either right "now or later" the 'call' can be automatically re-dialed. IF I reach you and you answer, we speak, but otherwise it goes into the storage of your voice mail messages. Causing you at a pausing point, not now, to listen and then decide if you wish to 'delete' this, or choose to wait. Leaving it as a gentle reminder that we haven't spoken to each other yet. (And I may leave it on... for sometimes I just like the sound of your voice, what you said, and how it sounded... so I leave it.) Otherwise if I don't delete it, it's often because I'm too busy to do it and I'll get back to it later, when I have some time.

If you don't return dial me at once, my voice mail picks up your return of my call, so I may check my voice mail messages, my message machine, and even my email inbox multiple times to see if you have gotten my message and returned my call.

What happens to me generally at this point I decide I don't really want or have time to mess with this. Did I want to see you that much? Because this 'hassle' to plan our meeting has become too great for me to worry and waste all day wondering or checking if your return to my call has gone awry or straight to my voice mail because I was 'on a call', or heaven forbid my battery or signal was weak and the call was never put through for me to know.

But upon retrieving your call much later, via 'missed call', I wonder, did you hear my message? And if you did why didn't you reach me? Or I can't hear your message! And if you didn't hear, what happened to that call, was the signal dropped? Did my message even show up on your phone? OR Will it drop now, like in the commercial, just as we are about to make a commitment to meet up?

Such are the 'joys of our desiring' the dilemmas of our day!

Might I just forget about trying to get to speak to you by phone? At which point I begin to analyze; is it better to send a quick text or would it be better to compose an email detailing the reason I'd like to talk to you about getting together? Perhaps a note... no... not left on your porch!

Notice the time I've spent here explaining; it may approximate the wasted time it has cost me for attempting to talk to you and then it occurs to me...
I have another option, and my brain drains through my files and I attempt to retrieve the things I know about you and......
IF you may be on facebook? SO, If we're already friends I can quickly log on and send you a message! You may see it quickly or not, depending on my luck, your use of facebook, and you checking the message part at your next log-in/out, a cell phone perusal or your noticing the green dot of mine,  I might reach you "right now"and by your responding to the little 'tone' telling you I'm trying to establish contact since you are logged in currently! I decide if I should take this chance, for rejection sometimes feels real, especially if I see you quickly log off as I contact you. But if you respond, we may even get to type short sentences and phrases to each other. If this happens I'm elated, I've reached you! My one goal. AND this conversation is practically 'real'.

SO I'm considering all of the above in my life, now that it is in written language I am horrified by what it represents.  I wax introspective at this point asking what it is I Know?

And.....

What can I do about this in my life with the ragged edges of feelings I have about this?
How can I ease this frustration and alter my, and possibly your, process, to reach one another?

If healthy people ask for what they "want and need" I can practically hear you saying, "I don't have enough time to answer my phone and be tied up with a call that will surely take more time and energy from me than I feel I can give right now."
And my healthy asking self is saying, "Let me simplify my efforts to reach you; let me 'know' more about you by hearing your voice tones and inflections and we will both benefit from a human/personal interaction, even if you pick it up and say, "I can't talk", "call back tonight", or "I'll call you back later". I may say, "I need 2 minutes", you may say, "I haven't got it", or "I have 1".

At this Choice contact moment; hopefully You'll define your need right then, and I mine. Quickly, upfront, and with our genuine intuitive natures we will accomplish this.  And we may decide to go on, or to schedule a conversation time at a later date. Done. WHEW! That was easy?

 WITHOUT completing the call, the  anticipated baggage of worry and fear here must be born by both parties. And here a keen sensing style is warranted.
Respect and Value, or lack of those, for you and me will be an automatic outgrowth of our exchange.

A Remodel Project

In what appears to be a theme with me.... I feel a need to re-make myself again. Am I discouraged no! Though it will be a daunting task if I can stick it out I'll be a better me!

What is Love?

When a mother is at "final approach" of the marriage of her final daughter she really has thoughts that burst forth; fireworks practically, in an attempt to capture a few of these I write......

I still remember her sweet and surprising birth,  November 1988, and then a few months later the blessing day of Cecily.
Such Joy! I was as nervous as a bride. A true and trusted friend, Valerie, had crafted her dress for me of white linen with inserts of battenberg lace. That morning I woke up and couldn't take a deep breath, was stricken with a terrible case of reflux or gurd like I'd never before or since had.
Our house would be full this day. We would have visitors and guests to participate.
My sister Cindy had ridden, kneeling all the way, from California with a bruised tailbone. She helped assist me dressing Cecily, and calmed me with her pleasant nature. All the family helped to make it a great day and magical memory.

  It has been 24 Years and we have come full circle another celebration and ordination.
Cindy can only be reached by  telephoning. Everyone has full and crowded lives.

This time, 2013, and again I was so elated, yet the anticipation of celebration and ordinance made me crumble, without strength. I needed much support and assist, my social nature and panic under pressure practically put me under.

But Cecily and Spencer deserved better....
AND So the miracles began to appear!

Ever gracious Teri came and completed my half brain. She talked and walked with me. She loved and went with me, truly lifting my hands from hanging down. Laughing and loving and working at understanding my vision for the celebration.

 Fabulous friends Donna and Tiffani, stemming the tide and filling in ways we did not begin to anticipate!! Thinking on their feet and filling in the gaps and making everything O.K.

 Old and treasured friends, Patti and Bill just putting aside their evening to serve and do and help and work. And work.

Then there was dear and sustaining Shirley, laughing and washing and helping and visiting and giving her all.

Family to the rescue at moments inspired, and lastly positive Pam, still there helping when all else were worn to capacity, loved and stayed.

 At crunch time, along came Jennifer, the fabulous Mother of the Groom, to lovingly assist, calm and support us in dressing and comforting the Bride's and my rough edges, right up to her eyelashes and earrings. It has been a sacred experience.  One I won't soon forget!

"I will be with you" truly was made manifest in all the love we were given from the inspired friends that had the time and hours to lend and lift me in those hours of weak knees.

Love is something that grows and multiplies as it is  shared. It was a 'growing' time for me and we are Grateful beyond measure for all, and our cup runneth o'r.

Inspiration! Thanks....

My thanks to a fellow blogger that inspired me to post today, and to dig out some old still unpublished drafts written over two, almost three years ago!!
All were not lost, just benched, waiting to be thrown in when the score wasn't close/ or was?