comings and goings

Teresa's mom lingered longer than expected, but finally passed through the veil Saturday, the 19th.  She was ready.

It was decided that leaders needed to take the Self-Reliance Finances class - the first three sessions.  In order to better understand the program and be better able to refer people who might need it.  First week I was mildly surprised to be reminded that Self Reliance is a spiritual principle.  If I had thought about it, I would have realized. And of course, the Lord has told has that He has not given us any temporal commandments, to Him all things are spiritual.  We learned to track all our financial transactions.  Fortunately, I am already good at that.  Today we learned about counseling with the Lord and with our spouse.  That lesson was less comfortable for me.  It is recommended that if you are single, you counsel with a family member or friend.  I am going pass on that (and therefore not pass that segment. lol) 

This past week

I babysat Sam and Peter for Strauss practice.  With Andrew.  Bless him! Only one evening.  Just wait for Strauss week next week, however!

I drove some girls up to Girls Camp (2 1/2 hour drive each way).  The drive was pretty and the girls were pleasant. 

I took my cat to the vet.  Just shots.  Now I have to license her or be fined $300! My scanner won't work to send a copy of my birth certificate so I either have to drive in to pay it or forfeit my senior discount.  I think I am already late with her license or I could mail a copy. Grr 

I donated platelets (and watched "First Man" about Neil Armstrong,first man to walk on the moon - not a great movie, actually). 

I went to the dentist for the first time in too long.  The hygienist was very nice.

And Saturday I drove to Stockton to watch Molly (Debi's step daughter) in a swim meet.  Swim parents are dedicated! Molly's first race, which I was not there for was at 8:30 am.   Then she raced about 11:30 and again around 1:30.   Fortunately they didn't put her on the relay team for the race that started after 4.   Debi and Lucas have been at swim meets (in town)  pretty much all day, certainly all morning,  almost every Saturday this summer.   I think today was the last as I don't think Molly qualified for Championships next weekend.  Her bio mom goes to every meet, too, and volunteers in the team tent where Debi thinks she hovers too much. ( I do not think the different parent sets interact) This is Molly's 3rd year on swim team.  Apparently she loves it.  I don't know what a family with multiple children would do.  This is time consuming!  But I am glad I finally made it to a meet.

Next week Andrew and I babysit Samuel and Peter 5 nights, 4 of them performance nights and I said I would take them.  Blessings on Andrew!  Sam is good until you tell him it's time to get ready for bed.  Peter is sad the whole evening.  Maybe he will be happy at the Festival.  Or we may have to leave.  I hope I get to see the show!  As I am so not a night person, this is going to be tough.  I am not committing to anything else this week.  I had a doctor appointment scheduled, which I decided to change. 

In  "Come, Follow Me"  I enjoyed Peter and Cornelius this week.  I liked learning that Peter learned to understand his vision bit by bit.  I liked the gospel being for everyone.  I liked that changes in policy and practice have taken place pretty much since the beginning.  I liked Cornelius. 

Who's Ministering To Whom?

Tuesday was a full day!

"Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" at the dollar movies at Arden Fair, "Dress Like A Cow Day" at Chick-fil-A, "Notebooks, &; Stickers, &; Pens — Oh My!" ideas and encouragement on journaling at Relief Society activity meeting.

I recently took some games over to a friend's house where  I was greeted by these conflicting signs.  

Lunch Friday at Sae Jong Teriyaki Restaurant.  Marcia invited me on behalf of herself and Galynn.  She also invited me to invite Holly.  And so it was, the four of us had lunch together.  Marcia and Galynn are my ministering sisters.  I am Holly's ministering sister  Holly is Marcia's ministering sister.  Poor Galynn, no one there was her ministering sister. (She said being with us was being ministered to. ) Galynn and Marcia insisted that they pick up the bill and split it between them, although Holly and I had asked for separate tabs.  I guess that Galynn and Marcia get Ministering points.  We sat and talked until the waiter told us that they were closing and asked us to leave.   (They close for 2-3 hours in the afternoon before re-opening for dinner)

Teresa hurried off to Utah Friday, hoping to arrive before her mother departs this mortal sphere.  Her mom was diagnosed with advanced cancer months ago and was given about 3 months to live.  All of her children came to see her.  Friends and her ward rallied around.  Radiation treatment.  She had a really good two months or so, but then she suddenly went into a decline and they don't think she will rally.  I imagine her surrounded by loved ones on both sides of the veil and hope the transition will be peaceful. 

Friday evening the Relief Society Presidency watched a North America West Area Presidency Broadcast.  Mostly about how we need to ramp up our efforts in gathering scattered Israel.  This was a repeat viewing for the rest of the presidency and a first for me.  We all confessed to feeling overwhelmed at first. I barely manage my life.  My house and yard are both a mess and I barely make any headway.  Not sure I even do.  More like one step forward, two steps back.  But I keep trying. Then there's the calling and the ministering. What about extended family, friends, and dare I dream, hobbies? Now we need to reach out, find, and minister to nonmembers.  We cannot leave it all to the missionaries.  (as wonderful as they are!) So much to do!   However,  these great women of faith testified that if the Lord asks us to do it and an apostle promises angels and miracles, then we can do it.  

I am thinking about  "feed my sheep"  "feed my lambs" "feed my sheep".  Maybe there are the sheep in the fold that still need tending. (Believe me!) The lambs who are new in the gospel - even if they were dipped long ago.   And the sheep in the wilderness that need to be brought in.

The "Come, Follow Me" lesson this week includes the story of Saul. I had not paid much attention to Ananais before. Now I see him. He received a call that seemed  off to him. He neither refused nor blindly obeyed. He expressed his concern humbly and sincerely. Then he obeyed. And received with warm, kind fellowship someone he never would have expected to join the church. How do we react when a wild looking sheep approaches the fold neither looking or smelling like a member of the flock? 

I like Saul's reaction when being called out, too. Instead of collapsing and wailing, "I'm dead and damned!" He asks what the Lord would have him do. 

Can you imagine how awkward it might have been when his friends and family learned of his complete turn around?  Although, I think he probably did not go back to them.

Now, I do think that a big personal vision gives one a big edge up in conversion. Precious few if us get the dramatic experience. Would it change our response? I would think so, but maybe not.  So why do some people get angels and bright lights while most if us get a quiet feeling?  If it would make a big difference in our decision and how we lived our lives, would it be fair?  From an October 1976 talk by Neal A. Maxwell, then of the First Council of the Seventy: "In the economy of heaven, God does not send thunder if a still, small voice is enough, or a prophet if a priest can do the job." Some of us may need a mightier message, but it is whether we really accept the message that makes the difference. Maybe it would not really change things. Laman and Lemuel had angels and miraculous shocks, but they got over it. What does it take for me to listen?

In her talk "Careful vs Casual" Becky Craven reminds us that the river of filthy water flows NEAR but not TO the Tree of Life. I reflect that many people of seemingly good intent both in and out of the church disagree on many points and often back their argument with scriptures - even the very elect might be deceived. Of course, we each think it's the other guy, but ...We must be humble and strive diligently to discern truth.

Legos, Cows (?), and Journals Tuesday, July 9, 2019

"Lego Movie 2: The Second Part" at the dollar movies at Arden Fair, "Dress Like A Cow Day" at Chick-fil-A, "Notebooks, & Stickers, & Pens — Oh My!" ideas and encouragement on journaling at Relief Society activity meeting.

In case of lightening: lay flat, get down on your knees, or run towards the last strike?

 It is easy to look around and say, "I have got to get rid of this clutter!"  But when it comes to individual items, it gets hard. very, very hard

Andrew and I sorted games - keep, maybe keep (lol), give away, trash (after possible salvaging). Some games require brief testing before we futher decide. I am shocked at how many variations of Monopoly we have - especially as I personally don't much care for the game. Classic, Millennium Edition, UBuild Monopoly (put together a 30, 60, or 90 minute track), Monopoly Deal Card Game. And yet, when Andrew volunteered that we could give up the Millennium Edition, I said no, it's such a nice game set - metal box, nice metal pieces, transparent house and money - pretty ritzy. Even so, we slightly reduced our game collection and are renewing our acquaintance with the ones that we are keeping so maybe we will play more.

  It took some doing, but we did get some games, cookbooks, and a small amount of never used kitchen tools to the DI trailer.  At first the trailer was not at the church as the Stake Calendar said it would be.  A few emails and phone calls resulted in the trailer being put in place on Friday the 28th instead of the previous Tuesday.  I took another small stack of games to the home of a single mother.  Leaving us with keeps and maybe keeps.  Actually, even the keeps are maybes, but more likely the maybes are keeps.  We can always decide to pass them on later.

Sunday, the 30th.  David, Teresa, Joseph, Andrew, and I tested "The Survival Game" and "Global Pursuit".  Both games were voted  keep.  Odd survival questions and one might despute some of the "correct" answers.  Global  Pursuit has 4  five piece globe puzzles - People and Places, People and Products, Historical, and Geographic.  They can be played building the individual world maps or mixing them which is what we did.    Friday we tested UBuild It Monopoly playing the "30 minute game".  It took almost 30 minutes setting up the starter track and we played for over an hour.  Which, admittedly is still shorter than a regular Monopoly game.  Teresa, who like  me is not a Monopoly fan,  laughed and laughed throughout the game.  (although much of the time she was laughing at me and my game grumblings) I think we are keeping it as well.   I am looking forward to more game testing.  : )

Saturday the 29 was a Family Picnic Day all the better because it was Aurora's last day here in California.  We had reserved the Group Picnic area at Shasta Park because it is a nice picnic area right next to a cool playground and close to a library with real restrooms.  However when I arrived by 11 as required by our reservation contract, I found the playground closed and fenced.  The playground next to our picnic area and the one on the other side of the other picnic area - both closed and fenced!  There followed a lot of texting between the various households as we decided what to do and where to go.  Every time someone suggested a place, I asked for someone to go see if there were picnic tables available.  I was not leaving until I knew where we would be able to gather.  We ended up at Tahoe Park.  A great park and where we usually seem to go.  We actually saw very little of Aurora.  She and the other kids spent most of the time enjoying the park and playground.

I complained to the parks department and got a free replacement  reservation for Tahoe Park on August 10, one of the few days that Debi might be able to join us and there was park availability. (Shasta was already fully booked pretty much every Saturday)

I feel like I have been plenty busy (at a slow Grandma pace with occasional naps) but I have pretty much nothing else to report.  One day Andrew and I did another "Ministering Bike Ride"  - we each write letters to our people and then bike together delivering them.  Exercise and ministering.  It's about a  9 mile ride or so.

A Flag Raising and Pancake Breakfast on the Fourth of July.   Dinner that day was a red, white, and blue salad - greens buried under red strawberries, white chicken meat and feta cheese, and blueberries  served with raspberry vinaigrette. Also blueberry muffins.  We have yet to get to the watermelon and blue tortilla chips.   On the West Sacramento River Walk we enjoyed the fireworks display for Raleys Field Fourth on the Field.

Our Come, Follow Me lesson this week followed the apostles when they were first on their own after Christ's ascension.  They were ready.  Ready to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and lead the church by inspiration and revelation.  Ready to spread the Word.  Ready to stand before judges and even to rejoice in suffering for Christ's sake as He suffered for ours.  Personally, I need to learn to be more receptive to the Holy Ghost - to learn to recognize promptings and to act more promptly.  And while I want to have strong testimony like theirs, I am considerably less eager to face the tests they faced.  I hope I don't have to, but if I do, I pray that my faith will be strong.  As I have been reading in an addiction recovery book, we cannot wait for the battle to become battle ready.  We must prepare and train, train constantly.  We need to study and practice.

I thought we should lie down if caught out in a lightening storm and I was not alone, but I was wrong.  Get down on your hands and knees with your head down.  Really?  That was the game answer if I remember right. 

 Actually, I think we are supposed to crouch.  Although getting down on one's knees would serve a dual purpose!      
How to Survive Lightening
How to Survive Lightening