Donna's Journey

Back to the pool this morning!

Mary is still sick. We cuddled up and kept reading A Little Princess. O K, I am a soft hearted one. I cried my way through the last chapters. When I finished Mary cheered. I suppose that sometime this weekend I will let her watch the DVD version of the book.

This afternoon, I went to Salt Lake City with Roger to look at a car. We were less than dazzled. We stopped on the way back from Salt Lake at Adam and Ki’s to pick up a loaner laptop for Julia.

Traffic was nuts and time was short, so I had Roger drive me straight to Nickie and Gove Allen’s house and drop me off. I had no time to stop home and get my commonplace book. I arrived just before the meeting got rolling! Blaine Rindlisbacher spoke on Liberal Arts Education and his personal journey. I am glad I attended. It all boiled down to, what I call “homeculture.” TJed is a lifestyle and a mindset.

We did not make it to water aerobics this morning. We had to be at a funeral for Roger’s sister’s mother-in-law in Spanish Fork, by 1030, and still pick up my mother in law.

What a woman! Boy was she active and she even took a 50 mile back packing trip in the high Unitas for her 50th birthday.

We had steak on the grill, cooked in a snow storm last night. Tonight we had Steakaghetti for dinner. There were two bottom round portions left that were not cooked up last night. So, I sliced them in strips and sautéed them in olive oil, garlic, six pepper seasoning, and basil. Then I added spaghetti sauce and served it with angel hair pasta and accompanied with salad.

This evening was a Court of Honor and Jeremy conducted, James earned his 2nd class rank. Dustin Thacker had his eagle Court of Honor that followed.

I had been up late last night. We had attended a stake youth fireside where our beloved stake president and first counselor gave parting counsel to the youth and parents, as these men will be released on February 10th. As the fireside concluded, word spread like fire that the prophet had just died. We returned home late and checked the news. There was a documentary on KSL and we opted to watch it. It began at 10:30!

Needless to say, this morning was hard for me to get up. I did and I was back at the pool this morning beginning my third week. I had overcome the pillow temptation to stay in between cozy sheets. When water aerobics ended, I felt drawn again to do victory laps, because I had victory over the mattress!

Mary has been sick since last week and she did not go to church on Sunday. I stayed home with her. Julia did not got to church either. Her knee was quite swollen from a fall ice skating with the Single’s ward on Saturday night. Mary and I snuggled together to continue reading A Little Princess. We are enjoying the time together. It is much easier to read than the Secret Garden was. I rescheduled Princess Academy until next week Wednesday, giving both Julia and Mary time to heal. This book has made for lots of teaching moments and discussion between Mary and I.

Besides Mary’s illness, and Julia’s injury, I also have the funeral of my brother in law’s 90 year old mother to attend on Wednesday.

This afternoon, Roger and I headed for Sam’s club for a weekly run. The win whipped and the snow fell. traffic slowed on the interstate to a crawl, and we were slammed into from behind. Needless to say, after having been hit and having our car totaled last week, Roger was very shaky. We pulled to the shoulder and were almost impacted a second time. There was no damage to our car, though they hit our bumper hard. We got off the interstate and went home. I read more to Mary and we went to Sam’s Club later when road conditions improved. We got restocked before the storm moved in.

I made taco soup and stone soup tonight.

FHE was the you tube clip of Julie Beck’s talk as posted on the 22nd of January.

I am grateful that I live during a time that God calls a prophet to guide his church. Though President Hinckley died tonight, it is God who is in charge and at the helm. 35 years ago when I joined the church the prophet was Harold B. Lee. Before I was a member a year, President Kimball became the prophet. He was the prophet when I began my marriage and had my first 3 children. He set the tone in our early marriage. In 1985, President Benson became the prophet. His talk to the Mothers in Zion, directed me further. I had three more children during those years. Then President Hunter was prophet for less than a year. President Hinckley became prophet and my last child was born, and my grandchildren came. President Hinckley said “Carry on” when he became prophet. He will be missed. He missed Marjorie so, and now they can be together. We now pray for the prophet that will don the mantel.

2 minute 13 second You Tube my son showed me.

I think of all the things this man has done, and how long he faithfully served Christ. His optimism is inspiring!

To the new prophet I say, “We ever pray for thee, our prophet dear, that God will give to the comfort and cheer..”

This morning was the end of my second week doing water aerobics. I know that if I let my guard down and sleep in one day, it will somehow break the magic and I will find the next day much easier to excuse.

Today after Malinda’s class, I waited for the class to clear the pool and then I began to stretch out on my back. First I did two lengths doing what I call reclining bicycle. I lay on my back with my arms above my head stretched out as lean as I can be, then bending my legs down from the knees, I pedal towards the other end of the pool (I can go in either direction). Then I stretched out into a lean back stroke. Then I glided through the breast stroke, stretching and gliding as I moved forward. I did my ostrich walk, in grand exaggerated steps. I walked side ways and returned moving in the opposite direction. I ran backwards. I loved to stretch and glide through the water. It was the perfect ending of my first two weeks. Victory laps.

This morning I awoke with the words “This day will bring some lovely thing” upon my mine. I had retired later than usual and had set my alarm so that it would go off. So, just after I said those words over again in my mind, I heard the seagulls cull. My alarm has bird calls or a traditional alarm. I awake to the gulls, when I must set an alarm. Again, this morning showed me that my body is into a new pattern of awaking early.

So, this morning I think of Grace Noll Crowell’s poem This Day Will Bring Some Lovely Thing. Something worth remembering. On Wednesday night my sandblasting and engraving mentor , Dr. Lew Jensen, stated, Those who lift as they go rise the highest. Lifting as I go has been something I have felt to do and why I started Mentoring Our Own and Momculture, as well. Lew went on to tell a group of us, your own self talk will determine your attitude and your altitude. He pointed out that “A program that succeeds is one of commitment not convenience.” Of course, it takes vision to have commitment. He ended with a thought, “It might make a difference to eternity what happens today. A lot to contemplate.

So, I return to my mantra and also know that Chaos Theory, or sensitive dependence on initial conditions. has a place in my understanding. Ah, the Butterfly Effect, “The flapping of a single butterfly’s wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month’s time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn’t happen. Or maybe one that wasn’t going to happen, does. (Ian Stewart, Does God Play Dice? The Mathematics of Chaos, pg. 141)” So, with this knowledge, what I do matters. and so does what you do. I see the story A Little Princess much the same way. Little Sara Crewe and her Pollyanish ways makes a difference.

Each of us has impact. The question is, what kind? We live in a world of sensitive dependence on initial conditions, and that is why I have to be a butterfly, going as it were “into the world and spreading joy and happiness where ever I go,” as my patriarchal blessing counsels. A smile, a twinkling eye, a word of gratitude, and encouragement. If you have read this far I challenge you to be the change you wish to see in the world, as Ghandi spoke, and do it this day. Your impact is more powerful that you can imagine.

So I end this blog entry with another Poem–

What We Fear the Most

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure,
It is our light not darkness that most frightens us,
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear;
Our presence automatically liberates others.
–by Marriane Williamson

I spaced that I was doing a luncheon today until bedtime last night. The luncheon was fine and I made chicken scampi fettuccine. I cried when I chopped the onion, and remembered the last time I cut an onion and cried, and thought, “there is nothing to cry about.”

We did water aerobics again today. I keep going! On the way home I stopped at the home of a lady I visit teach and invited her to lunch. She saw my hair was wet and I told her it was from water aerobics. She said she just got a Gold’s Gym pass. I invited her to join us. I think she will.

We found out the motorist that hit my husband gave false insurance information and was not presently insured. So, we are out a car and are not likely to see any money.

I talked to my sister in law and her husband’s mother, who I knew, died today. Her son, my oldest nephew, is losing his children to Utah DCFS, what a nightmare for them. and I cried, as I thought of what they are going through.

Mary and I made it to the chapter on the Diamond mine page 69 in Little Princess.

My friend Nickie called and as I recounted to her some of the things there were going on, I choked up a bit.

I sat down to work on my thesis, the front door opened and in walked both my daughter’s and my daughter’s old roommate. I knew Julia was coming but did not know Jennifer was. I cried for joy as I embraced Jennifer and was grateful for the surprise.

I spoke to my missionary’s wife and found out he was diagnosed with Leukemia on 13 December and started treatment the next day. It crossed the blood brain barrier this week, and he has less than one week left in mortality. I cried again as I thought of what this family is going through.

I have been a bit close to the surface today. That is not my usual chipper self.

My husband lit a fire in the wood burning stove and did not fill the house with smoke, so my son made popcorn on the stove, burnt it, and filled the whole house with smoke.

Its passed my bedtime…

Wow. We started off his birthday with a high powered hour of water aerobics.

I came home from water aerobics and read the first four chapters of A Little Princess.

I spoke to the Director of Distance Studies. I discussed appropriate formatting for the Primer. I could:
A. Divide the book into two volumes and put the resources with each chapter.
B. Divide the book into two volumes and put the resources in an appendix
C. Keep the book in one and place the resources with each section
D. Keep the book in one and place the resources in the appendix
E. Divide the material into two volumes; one with the Primer the second with the resources.

I have chosen E because I feel it will be less overwhelming for people to read the Primer and then have the resource book for the journey. As it is, it will be over 300 full sized pages. Divided into two volumes I feel is best. After I speak to my publisher friend, she might change my mind, but only if I feel she has valid points.

Roger and I did lunch at Los Hermanos and stopped in Lindon at the Lexus dealership to look at the pre-owned cars. Checking for a used Toyota or Honda.

We stopped at the Chiropractor on the way home, yes my husband is feeling whiplash. The chiropractor put me on the shiatzu massage table and wow, that helped so much!

I got home in time to see my report card for last semester– 14 graduate credits of A. Cartwheels, High Jumps, shout for joy!!! I also got the feed back on the princess primer, so I have a little bit of polishing, but it is close. Work, but I will not lose sleep over it.

Two years ago in February I read an article on LDS Living about blogging. I followed a link found there to a site called Small Hand. There I found a list of links and checked them out. Then I contacted my site administrator and asked for a blog. Honestly, he tried to talk me into a blog when I started my school website, but I was too distracted to get its value. Now I have a few blogs. One for recipes and health. I have another about my Liber experience for posting the books I have read, as I finish them. Another about our going Neo-Georgic Experience. i have found that blogs can work as a temporary website, as well. Blogs are quite handy!

Today I read another article in LDS Living. This one spoke of ipods and using them for learning. OK, looking like I am connected to the BORG is a strange way to learn. I see all these people with wires in their heads, unaware and seeming disconnected from those around them.
Learning the iPod Way by Dana Alan Koch
I am not sure if I will leap into this techie thing, but then again, who knows. It is not interactive, so it is low level learning, memory work. I will have to toss the idea in my mind for a while.

It looks like the world has gone mad. If people do not look like you can plug their head into an outlet, they may have a little silver bar stuck in their ear. Of course that is not what you notice first. They appear schizophrenic talking to people that are not there, speaking loudly and making hand motions. They look like they have multiple personality disorder, carrying on a conversation that appears quite real, with the other people in their head. Then just as you are afraid to pass them for fear they might do something wild, your fears are laid to rest as they turn and you see that little silver thing sticking in their ear. Are they talking to someone on their handless cellphone ear devise, or are they part of the BORG. Have we been invaded?

In the end, I consider technology to be electronic servants. I do not want to turn them into a master. Going Neo- Georgic is moving me away from the popular culture, in some ways.

Three days ago I celebrated the joy that has come into my life because I stepped into the water 35 years ago and changed everything, forever.

Tonight my husband received a phone call from Becky West, the wife of the missionary that taught me the gospel, Elder Henry Kim West. 15 months ago we were down to Thatcher, Arizona and visited with them. His daughter married this summer. Becky and Kim still have a 14 year old son at home. Tonight’s phone call brought sad tidings. Elder West is losing his fight with leukemia and it has gone to his brain. At this point, there is nothing that can be done, so they are stopping all treatment. They are so far away. I wish I could put my arms around that sweat little family.

Elder West had been an incredible missionary and a great blessing to many. He grew very ill on his mission and was hospitalized. I was thankful for his courage in staying and sharing the gospel with my sister and I. When he returned home they expected him to die. Yet, he miraculously recovered, married, and enjoyed a family. From his teaching me the gospel, my sister and I joined the church and were sealed in the temple to our parents. Four missionaries in three countries. Seven temple marriages. There have been 13 children born in the covenant. Six grandchildren born in the covenant. Hundreds of ancestors have had saving ordinances performed by proxy for them. Countless others have been blessed through temple work, service, and sharing the gospel.

You can count the seeds in an apple, but you cannot count the apples in a seed.