To Disobey a King

A couple of weeks ago, I taught the Sunbeams (the 3 year olds at church) about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Do you remember them?  

About 600 years before Jesus was born, just after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar , king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem and took captive many of Israel's finest citizens. Among those were four young men from the tribe of Judah: Daniel, Hanaiah, Mishael, and Azariah..  In captivity, the youths were given new names. Daniel was called Belteshazzar, Hananiah was called Shadrach, Mishael was called Meshach, and Azariah was called Abednego.

 

These four Hebrews excelled in wisdom and knowledge and found favor in King Nebuchadnezzar's eyes. The king put them into service among his most trusted wise men and counselors.

When Daniel proved to be the only man capable of interpreting one of Nebuchadnezzar's troubling dreams, the king placed him in a high position over the whole province of  Babylon. And at Daniel's request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego as administrators under Daniel.

As was common at the time, King Nebuchadnezzar a huge golden image and commanded all the people to fall down and worship it whenever they heard the sound of his musical herald. The awful penalty for disobeying the king’s order was to be thrown into a blazing furnace.  

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were determined to worship the One True God only and thus were reported to the king. Bravely they stood before him as the king pressured the men to deny their God. They said:

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)

Furious with pride and rage, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than normal. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were bound and cast into the flames. The fiery blast was so hot it killed the soldiers who had escorted them.

But as King Nebuchadnezzar peered into the furnace, he marveled at what he saw:

"But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods." (Daniel 3:25, ESV)

Then the king called the men to come out of the furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged unharmed, with not even a hair on their heads singed or the smell of smoke on their clothing.

Needless to say, this made quite an impression on Nebuchadnezzar who declared:

"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God." (Daniel 3:28, ESV)

Through God's miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that day, the rest of the Israelites in captivity were given freedom to worship and protection from harm by the king's decree.

And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego received a royal promotion.

Some things I like to learn and remember from this story – 

Isn’t that just crazy?! To make something and then to worship it?!  But sometimes I think we do that with our “things.” We don’t bow down and pray to them, but we give them all our attention and thought instead of thinking about being kind and obeying Heavenly Father.  Having and enjoying our stuff sometimes seems more important to us than praying, studying scriptures, serving, doing our chores, etc. 

I taught this story to the Sunbeams in a lesson about obedience.  But! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego DISOBEYED the king.  Why is that a good thing to remember?  We should be careful to obey Heavenly Father and righteous leaders, but when someone in authority tells us to do something wrong, we should obey Heavenly Father and not the other leader.

That leads me to think about when the Spirit told Nephi to kill Laban (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 4).  Nephi had been taught that killing was wrong.  So he checked back with Heavenly Father and told Him that the idea of killing someone really bothered him.  God told Nephi why He wanted Nephi to kill Laban.  Nephi was in the habit of praying to and LISTENING to Heavenly Father so that he knew the voice of the Spirit form his own thoughts or the voice of Satan.  I am sure he had a spirit of confirmation when he prayed about this.  This whole conversation took place in just minutes or seconds.  We need to learn to talk to and LISTEN to Heavenly Father so that we learn to know his voice. 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew that Heavenly Father COULD save them from the fire, but they did not know if He WOULD.  They said “But if not”.  I hear something like  “Even if we suffer in this life for obeying God, we will obey Him and Him only, trusting in His love and justice that all well be right EVENTUALLY. “  We need to learn to trust and obey Heavenly Father even when it seems to cause us trouble here and now.  

I hope we can learn to be more like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  

by the way - the kids loved it

thoughts on litter

A scrap of paper lying in the hallway creates a nearly irresistible urge to pick it up.  You would think that I must be a wonderful house keeper with a spotless home. Unless, of course, you know me.  Then you know that my home is not quite bad enough to be on “Hoarders” but …..  

Why?

Going past my building I notice a lot of litter in the landscaping.  I do not stop to pick it up.  

It doesn’t take a lot of time to pick up one or two items.  When there are several, it takes more time and energy.   

And my house?  A LOT more time and energy.  Plus decision making.

Striving to live a righteous life is like that sometimes, too.  The more there is to work on, the harder it seems to be to do.  Instead of being overwhelmed by it all, we need to learn to to just do one thing at a time. It IS possible. So I tell myself.  Now I need to listen.  and DO.

The best funeral

It seems that I have been to many funerals. I have sadly been to funerals where the officiator clearly did not know the person or his family. Did not say the name correctly. Said nothing personal. I have been to celebrations of life. LDS funerals tend to be positive times of shared memories and testimonies of the Plan of Happiness and Salvation that assures us that death is not the end. When my great-uncle Esque died last December,  I attended probably the most personal and joyous memorial of all.

The officiator was warm, gracious, skilled, personal. We very surprised to learn later that he was not their long time friend and pastor, but that Kathryn had only met him after Esque died.

My Great Uncle Esque passed away on Dec 17th - a week before Christmas and 11 days before his 85th birthday. His wife Kathryn was not dismayed about the timing. They had celebrated together earlier.

Esque was the baby brother of Aurora Frost who married Gillette George McGinness, my grandparents. He often told my children and I of the love and kindness my grandparents showed him and brother Tom.

We were asked to wear bright colors as we rejoiced in his life rather than mourned. Some of his favorite music played before the services began. We were invited to share memories if we so desired. Person after person spoke of his kindness, work with California State Police, what a gentleman he was, and the great love he shared with Kathryn. Notable – his mother-in-law who is weeks younger than he is. Naturally she had some concerns when her daughter became involved with him, but he won them over with his love for Kathie and qualities of character. His neighbor almost could not speak as she wept – how many people even know their neighbors – let alone weep at their funeral? - She spoke of him as a dear friend and surrogate grandfather for her little girls. He was an expert marksman. I remember when he was in bomb disposal. A man of courage and dedication, generosity, and always good humor. As one of my sons said, when you visited with Esque, you always left with a smile.

The officiator eventually had to say, “This is the last one.” Then we enjoyed a slide show that began with a newspaper clipping of when their mother saved Esque and Tom (and Esque's Micky Mouse) from a fire and included him handsome in his uniform, and many other pictures from his life.

The service concluded with the Lord's prayer.

Esque was buried with other of my relatives half a mile from my house at St Mary's Cemetery during the worst part of a rainy, windy storm. Mourners huddled and shivered as Esque was honored by the military, the grave was blessed, and the casket lowered.

Later we met at The Cheesecake Factory where the hostess exclaimed, " I love Esque!"

Kathryn has been strong and brave. She chose to celebrate life and love.

not just for the aged

Last night I attended an End of Life Planning Seminar with The Swenson Law Firm http://swensonlawfirm.com/ 

Sam Swenson esq taught us about the various kinds of end-of-life planning with their pros and cons.

What I learned -

who needs end of life planning?  Pretty much EVERYONE who has rights/responsibilities.  Unless you are ok with the government making decisions regarding your possessions and dependents, legal battles, long probate

Everyone also needs (oh crud! I forgot the name) but the thing that authorizes someone to act for you if you cannot.  And possibly a separate document in which you say what life prolonging measures you do or do not want when things are dire.  It is a wrenching thing for the family to have to decide life or death.

Shocker - if I finally wrote a will and left my house and pennies to Miriam, the government agencies who have supplemented her health care would show up with a hefty bill and possibly take her off services and she would have to sell the house to pay them and  struggle to re-apply.

A Living Trust seems like the best way to go. 

Do It Yourself End of Life Planning may have unintended consequences because while they are pretty good in some ways, they don't know your situation,  the law for your state etc.

Here's what everyone should do

1. Write down their objectives - what do they want to happen when they die

or when they are incapacitated. (number 2 will help you figure it out maybe)

2. Inventory Assets and Debts

3. Select a professional to help.  Someone who know the laws and ins and outs.  Who can ask you questions and answer questions.

4. Have Legal Documents Prepared

5. Change Titles ! - it is no good to create a trust if you do not change the ownership legally

For you local people.  the Swenson meeting was NO pressure.  Just information. (and nice snacks.and not boring)  He will do an up to an hour FREE personal consultation during which he will not allow you to pay him or sign an agreement.  NO pressure.  They will send you  something if you want to hire him.  (not the thing they are sending me hopefully soon. That is just a worksheet to help you know what you have and what you want.  The agreement would be after the consultation)

I am pretty late to this party.  But I think everyone should consider it if you haven't already.

The challenge; choose 3 scriptures that represent you

The challenge; choose 3 scriptures that represent you.

The first one that I thought of is Mark 9: 23 “Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

Elder David A. Bednar expressed it well in October 2016 General Conference: ” I wonder if the intent of the man’s pleading was not primarily to help him believe in Jesus as our Redeemer and in His healing power. He already may have acknowledged Christ as the Son of God. But perhaps he needed help to believe the Master’s healing power indeed could be so individual and so personalized as to bless his own beloved son. He may have believed in Christ generally but not believed Christ specifically and personally.
We often testify of what we know to be true, but perhaps the more relevant question for each of us is whether we believe what we know.”

Elder Bednar said,”Is it possible to exercise faith in Him, follow Him, serve Him, but not believe Him?
“I am acquainted with Church members who accept as true the doctrine and principles contained in the scriptures and proclaimed from this pulpit. And yet they have a hard time believing those gospel truths apply specifically in their lives and to their circumstances. They seem to have faith in the Savior, but they do not believe His promised blessings are available to them or can operate in their lives. I also encounter brothers and sisters who fulfill their callings dutifully but for whom the restored gospel has not yet become a living and transforming reality in their lives. We come to know the Lord as we not only believe in Him but also believe Him and His assurances.”

It is as if this apostle knows me personally.

I identify a lot with Martha. Luke 10:38 “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

I often think that if Mary was  a bit more like Martha and helped, then Martha could be more like Mary and listen. I feel for Martha being left to serve alone. But Jesus didn't seem to think so. Mary probably helped before Jesus arrived. I think Martha was maybe a Martha Stewart type. It wasn't enough for the dishes to be clean, they had to be polished. Providing good, wholesome food wasn't enough, it had to be cut into shapes and look decorative. Needed tablecloths and floral arrangements. It was a way for Martha to show how much she loved and appreciated Jesus. Not bad things at all, but time consuming and eventually overwhelming for even capable Martha. Now, I am no Martha Stewart type by a long shot. I just know overwhelmed when I feel it which is a lot. I think Mary was more take care of the basics, keep it simple, and take time to BE with Jesus. I agree and identify with that, too; I just have trouble even taking care of the basics and start feeling overwhelmed and left to serve alone. Breathe, Martha. Let some of it go and feed your spirit.

Ok, the challenge might be limiting it to 3. But who say we have to? What will who do to me if I don't?

I love King Lamoni’s father. After being told about God, he prayed with great sincerity. Alma 22:18 “O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.” Am I willing to give away all my sins to know God? It's a good deal, but not easy.

A scripture I wish represents me, but I really need to work on it - Alma 56:48 “And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.”. I need to strengthen my own faith and testimony and to share them better with others, especially my children.

Corianton in The Book of Mormon, the woman taken in sin and brought before Jesus, Saul/Paul, and all of us - in need of forgiveness and grateful for the Atonement.

I could go on. The more I think about it, the more amazing and wonderful it seems that so many scriptures relate directly to me. But this is already unreadably long.

The Elephant's Tale

Early in October I saw a Care2 Petition decrying the treatment of Packy the elephant at the Oregon Zoo in Portland.  Having spend part of my childhood in the Portland area, indeed I was there (in the Portland area, not the zoo itself) when Packy was born, and having visited the zoo since then when visiting relatives in the area, I was surprised and questioned what the petition claimed.

So I wrote to the zoo: "I grew up in the Portland area although I now live in Sacramento, CA.  I remember the excitement waiting for Packy's birth. "When is our Belle going to ring?" I have always held the Oregon Zoo in high esteem.  I was quite surprised to get a Care2 petition to save Packy from his sad life on a concrete floor without adequate exercise.  Please tell me what Packy's living conditions are and how he is doing. Thank you"

Today I received their response:

"Hello,

"Thank you for reaching out to the Oregon Zoo. We share your concern for Packy’s and all animals’ wellbeing, and are happy to address concerns.

"Unfortunately, some misinformation has been circulated about Packy’s condition and care. We’d like to provide you with accurate information, and we hope that it provides reassurance that animal welfare is our top priority.

"At 54, Packy is the oldest male of his species on the continent, and one of the oldest in the world. He was born at the Oregon Zoo in 1962, and lives here with his herd.

"Packy has tuberculosis, and so to prevent transmission to the other elephants, he must be physically separated from them. However, because they’re nearby, he can still smell and communicate with his family.

"TB has been documented in elephants for more than 140 years, in the wild and at zoos. As with humans, it is usually controllable with medication and often does not manifest in visible symptoms. The zoo routinely checks the elephant herd for TB as part of a comprehensive health program.

"In September, the zoo reported that a routine trunk-wash culture for Packy came back positive, indicating the presence of active TB. This was the first positive culture since Packy’s initial diagnosis in December 2013, and is an indicator that the current regimen has not successfully treated the infection. Zoo veterinarians are working with other experts to determine next steps.

"This result has had little impact on Packy’s day-to-day life: He has not exhibited clinical signs of TB, and has continued to play outside, dip in the pool, and get lots of attention from caregivers.

"Caregivers are thrilled that he has been exploring the full run of Elephant Lands — the habitat that reflects a new era in elephant welfare, and was informed by decades of learning from Packy about what elephants need to be both mentally and physically healthy. Packy ventured into the Elephant Lands South Habitat for the first time in July; he’s already identified a favorite log for pushing and scratching. In September he took his first dip in the 160,000-gallon swimming pool, bobbing for apples and yams. During the summer he was in the habit of bringing trunkfuls of water from the pool to get the mud wallow wet enough to fit his enormous body.

"Due to his advanced age, Packy has been reluctant to lie down. Caregivers have worked to get him into the pool in order to relax his joints. Now, not only has he played in the pool, but also this month he was spotted snoozing in the pool! Caregivers say Packy appears to be more agile. When he’s in the pool, he plays like he’s a calf again.

"As you probably know, Asian elephants are highly endangered in their range countries — threatened by habitat loss, conflict with humans and disease. An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 elephants remain in fragmented populations from India to Borneo. The Oregon Zoo is recognized worldwide for its Asian elephant program, and is proud to play an important role in conservation. We support a broad range of efforts to help wild elephants, and recently established a $1 million endowment fund supporting Asian elephant conservation.

"Thank you for reaching out to the zoo. Packy is a treasured member of our community, and we appreciate your concern."

I believe the Packy and his herd are well treated at the Oregon Zoo.  I also think that I need to be a little more skeptical about other Care 2 Petitions that come my way as I am, admittedly a bit of a sucker for wanting to do something to help animals in distress, especially when it is as easy as electronically signing a petiton.

Politics

I lay awake wondering how did we manage to narrow down a wide field of potential candidates to possibly the least qualified and least “Presidential” of the lot? I bear a burden of guilt for adopting a wait and see attitude, not getting informed and involved much, much sooner. I was too tired, too busy, and not expert enough. I opted to wait until some winnowing took place before choosing my candidate.  Suddenly, to my shock and amazement, the field narrowed to one to me unacceptable man.How did this happen?! What have I done (me and so many like me) by not doing?!

 Sleepless pondering led me to realize the responsibility is not the electorate's alone.  It takes a certain amount of ego to run for any office, let alone President. However, it is easy enough to often think “I could do a better job than that guy” and often be right. In which case is not one then obligated to step forward? The ego becomes a problem when multiple candidates similarly qualified and of not widely divergent views, rather than unite in a common cause, each insists that (S)HE is the chosen one. There is no one clear choice, so intelligent, thoughtful, involved citizens are divided among them until none of them has enough support to go on. The last man standing is the one absolutely least qualified who had found some point of unity around which to rally enough supporters to out number the divided more otherwise reasonable options. Divide and be conquered and they did it to themselves. Ego.

Does this relieve me of culpability? No. Had I (and other wait-and-see-ers) become involved sooner, we might have tipped the balance for a more worthy candidate. This representative democracy thing is work.

On the other hand, it was only in the almost too late desperate last moment the less egotistical candidate of my now enthusiastic choice came forward. Evan McMullen

the best laid plans of Mice and woman

    In planning and preparing for a vacation, it is a good idea to prepare to roll with the unexpected.  Things do not always go as planned.
    As the time approached for my youngest to return from his LDS mission to South Korea, I began dreaming of going to Disneyland with my singles - the new RM Benjamin, Joseph, Andrew, and Miriam.  I tried scheduling several times but something was always wrong - like Soarin and Splash Mountain both scheduled to be closed!  Soon Benjamin was married and went to Disneyland with his bride!  Joseph, a true homebody, just didn't want to go.  He hates packing and being in the car for hours.
     Finally, Miriam, Andrew and I were set to go for a vacation the likes of which we have never had before.   The plan - drive Monday (with possibly a stop at Colonel Allensworth State Historic Park on the way).  Visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on Tuesday, then go to Disneyland Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and drive home Saturday.
       Andrew arranged with his professors to be out of school this week.  EXCEPT a you cannot miss it 23% of your grade exam that started at 3pm (or was it 3:30?)  Anyway, instead of leaving Monday morning, we now had to leave around 5:30pm or so.  That eliminated the state park stop and would get us to the hotel around midnight. 
       Sunday afternoon the day before departure, we were rear-ended and Gracie, my Honda CR-V, was no longer able to make the drive.  Fortunately we have AAA.  Gracie went to the shop and I got a rental Monday.  Good thing we had already altered our plans to leave late in the day!  Besides, Miriam and I had not finished packing.
        Andrew feels his exam went well.  So did our drive down.  Andrew had to take over for me the last few hours, but he was fine with that and at that time of night the famous LA traffic had gone to bed.
         We stayed at the Hilton Universal which was very nice. A little more than I am at home with  but with fewer amenities that we want and had later at the Best Western.  We booked for 3 people but they gave us things in 2s until we asked- like bottled water and keys. No breakfast included. The wifi was free for 3 devices only - while we each had a phone and a computer.  But we were only there for the night, so it didn't matter much.  I think only Andrew and I actually used our computers.   And, nicely,  the parking we paid for lasted until 6pm Tuesday, so we could leave the car there and take the shuttle to Universal Studios.  Everyone was polite and pleasant, but not really friendly.
           For those who have trouble walking, it was a very long walk from shuttle drop off through City Walk through security and the park entrance to the wheelchair and scooter rental.  Miriam rented a regular wheelchair while I chose to limp along.   We enjoyed the Wizarding World of Harry Potter very much.  We delighted in a delicious breakfast in The Three Broomsticks (awesome place), visited most of the shops in Hogsmeade (resisting many expensive temptations), walked through the castle - very cool, but a bit too dark- and declined the ride which we heard made even the non-queasy prone sick, and rode the Hippogriff rollercoast.  Fun! and as our cars pulled in, for some reason the helpers asked "Do you want to ride again?!"  I thought they meant to come back again, but no, they sent us around for a second time.  This was Andrew's first roller coaster.  It was fun the first time, but both of us enjoyed it more the second time around.
           The Universal Studios Tour was fun and exciting.  From there Andrew and Miriam barely made it to the Special Effects Show.  I was too slow but I didn't care as much either.  I relaxed and did some people watching by a cooling station.  Lots of matching-shirted groups led by a guide carrying a small flag and taking selfies.   One group of red-shirted Things.  Dad of Things, Uncle of Things, Things of various numbers.   It seems that Asians of all ages and young women of all colors are most comfortable being  photographed and taking selfies.
            We admired wands of the well-known witches and wizards.  With some slight difficulty resisted purchasing one.  Cost was a factor and my favorite wands are from Griffindor while I am Hufflepuff.  Besides, what would I really do with it?
         I wanted to have the Great Feast for dinner at The Three Broomsticks, but the Feast is a platterful of food enough for 4 very hungry people – some people say it will feed 5 or 6 – roast chicken, spareribs, roast potatoes, corn on the cob, salad and veggies (maybe more?) and there were only 3 of us.  Miriam had roast chicken, Andrew had a chicken salad, I had the spare rib platter which had much of the Feast foods, but not chicken, salad, or seasonal vegetables.  Delicious!  I particularly liked the spare ribs and corn on the cob.
          We all agreed it was a great place to visit, but except for The Three Broomsticks and maybe the Universal Tour, we don't feel a big need to return soon or often.  But very glad we went.
        Best Western provides free wifi without restrictions and a very good buffet breakfast at Captain Kidd's restaurant.  It also has an in-room microwave (which Hilton did not) as well as a small fridge (which Hilton did).  Although the room was slightly smaller, it was clean and quite comfortable.  Overall, I personally prefer Best Western.  I think the busy, slightly harried staff was friendlier.
          We had booked scooters to be delivered at 8 in the morning and picked up Saturday at noon.  Before our trip, the driver texted me to say he started work at 9 and the delivery would be some time thereafter.  I told him the Park opened at 10, we wanted to be there by then, and to text me when he was on the way or when he arrived.  He agreed.   I went to the lobby at nine and waited, not entirely patiently.  At 9:30 I texted that I was getting anxious.  He responded “It's there”  “It's” is not a good word in this case.   There is an in house scooter rental with a different company, so I had ignored the scooters next to it. Oh, ONE of them had my name (misspelled) on it. The hotel called the company and we waited for the scooter.  I must say the driver was not very interested in showing us how they worked.  But at last! We were going to Disneyland!! Well, California Adventure, actually.  We enjoyed exploring Grizzly Peak Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.  Loved it.
      But while there, not more than an hour into our park experience, I noticed that my power indicator showed 1 red and 3,no 2, no 3, no 2 yellow lights instead of a lovely spectrum of 1 red, 3 yellow, and a whole bunch of greens.  We called the scooter company who told us to stay in the park and do what we were doing and a new one would be brought to us.  Of course, that didn't happen.  The driver started calling us, telling us that of course he could not enter the ticketed area and asking us where to meet him.  How would we know? It was our first time here. We worked our way out to the big plaza between security and park entrances. And waited and waited.  He could not find us based on what we described near by. Andrew figured out where he was and went to get him.  The scooter guy put new batteries in my scooter.  It showed full power and we were off again.  Not an hour later, I was out of power.  I called again and they agreed to bring me another scooter.  This time I really ran out of power and Andrew pushed the scooter from the far end of Cars Land to outside the entrance. Now it was after noon and we have lost half of an expensive day in Disneyland.  A bit disappointing, but this time the scooter lasted the rest of the day although I was a bit nervous about it and it did run down faster than Miriam's scooter (because she weighs less?).  Having scooters made a huge difference for our gimpy bodies!  The rest of the day was great! until the end.
      After all the upset over the scooters (I spent some time crying in the Happiest Place on Earth), we knew it was time for our first Mickey Bars.  Delicious and refreshing!  After hearng me talk about them since Sariah took me to Disney World three years ago, I was afraid that Andrew and Miriam would be less than impressed, but they agreed that they are very, very good ice cream bars.  We looked forward to more later.
      We had fun in both parks. Although at first we thought it might be kid stuff, Luigi's Rockin Roadsters was great fun. I would gladly ride again!  Can't miss the classic Small World, Soaring Over the World was awesomely great (but I still miss Soaring over California which I had enjoyed at DW with Sariah). 
        Dinner at Goofy's Kitchen was delicious, plentiful and great fun!  Pluto, Minnie, Chip, and Dale all visited our table and interacted several times.   At a table near us, a couple separated their 50th anniversary.  We asked Minnie how long she and Mickey have been together.  She said 87 years.  Then pointed to her ring-less left hand and looked sad. She is a very patient mouse. (Mickey-and-Minnie-Mouse-facts-that-will-make-you-believe-in-love-forever)
        Finally it was time to use our Fast Pass for Radiator Springs Racers – which we had picked up very early in the afternoon.  Great ride! We loved it. No wonder it is so popular.  However when Miriam went to get up out of the car, something snapped in her leg and she could not raise herself.  With some effort, Andrew and the ride worker helped her out and into a wheelchair which Andrew pushed back to our scooters.  The World of Color had started by the time we got there.  Andrew could see part of it, but Miriam and I could only listen to the music and see the tops of the water fountains.  But there's still two more days.
      Back at the hotel, we realized that Miriam was going to have trouble without aids.  We were able to upgrade to a handicap accessible room so she could use the bathroom on her own.  She needs help (or handicap bars) getting up, then she can stand and walk a little (per normal for her). 
      I don't know what we thought.  I thought maybe after resting the night, she would be better.  I think she knew otherwise, but one can always hope.  Thursday morning instead of enjoying early park admission, we faced the big decision.  Lots of tears on my part and the other two were sad, too, but we knew that plans with Miram's body are always subject to change. We pretty much felt that Miriam should be checked sooner rather than later.  She doesn't think this is one, but some things get seriously worse if not seen too immediately. We have had incidents that could have killed her and leg problems that could have resulted in permanent loss of use if we hadn't gone in right away.  Even if not, Miriam was not going to be able to go on rides or feel comfortable and happy sitting on a scooter waiting for us to ride all day. And we would not have fully enjoyed them either.  We realized our time was up. Miriam contacted various medical and Medi-Cal people.  Medi-Cal will not cover her seeing a doctor outside of her county unless it is life threatening.  She got an appointment for today (Friday) and we cancelled our room, our scooters, our Saturday morning Character Breakfast.   I will get partial refunds and what is not refunded will be partially covered by my credit card travel insurance. 
      I read on-line that one can get Mickey Bars at Downtown Disney (after Security but before ticketed entrances).  So we went.  But I was wrong.  We could not find Mickey Bars.  Miriam decided to buy us Haagan Dazs, but Andrew got his card out faster.  I appreciated their treating us/me.  Chocolate ice cream with dark chocolate coating.  Very Good.  Not a Mickey Bar, but very good.  And then we headed home.
      I emailed my boss.  Thursday and today are now family sick leave not vacation. But I am being slow and lazy today so far.  I should make good use of this time before time to go to Miriam's appointment – she will definitely need help getting out of the car.  Maybe in.
      I had fantasized about driving Route 66 for my 66th birthday next year.  But that would take weeks and be somewhat costly.  Maybe I will go back and visit Route 66 in Cars Land instead – as well as the rest California Adventure and Disneyland. 
      We didn't do Space Mountain or Splash Mountain or the Matterhorn or lots of other things we were looking forward to.  Maybe next year. It should be partially covered by the refunds.
Universal Studios and Disneyland vacation