Mother daughter poems

It's rainy and cold in the desert today
And most of my loved ones are far far away.
I want to curl up by the fire with you
But I must walk along
And try not to be blue.
I'll smile
And hope that you're thinking of me.
With our feet in the surf of a warm
Ocean lea.




It's sunny and bright in the city today.
I wish you were here and we could go play.
We'd romp through the streets
Singing songs with the birds
They'd sing the tune and we'd
Sing the words.
We'd stop for a cocoa
Because it's still cold
Go to a museum and
See paintings old.
But you are out West
So far, far away
And I with my needle and thread have to play
xox

I had a fun vacation in San Francisco and New Mexico. I hope you had a nice month as well. I got to spend some time with a cousin, who I have not known very well. Because of some talks I have given in church lately, I asked her why she doesn’t go to church any more. She was really sweet about it and told me that after she finished her mission she wondered why a God who was supposed to love us would let bad things happen to us. If He were all-powerful why would he let his children, whom he loved be hurt? I wanted to ask her if, as a parent, wouldn’t she let her child try to walk, even knowing he would fall, rather than carrying him everywhere for his whole life? Many times as parents we have to cringe and let our children try out things for themselves instead of doing it for them. This makes sense to me. But my cousin doesn’t have children

The Sunday I was in New Mexico the Sunday school lesson was about Joseph Smith and his murder at Liberty jail. He knew it was going to happen and went anyway. He said, “I go like a lamb to the slaughter” (D&C 135:4) The teacher, then asked us “Would we die for Christ?” Then as we have been asked before “Would we live for Christ?” But her most important question for me in the lesson was “Are you willing to grieve?” Are you willing to accept the hard learning experience in life in order to gain all that God has waiting for us? She asked a sister who lost everything she owned in a fire in 2000 if she had gained more than she had lost in this experience. Yes, she was assured. “Are you sure? Yes! She asked other class members by name, who had lost family members to illness, who had medical conditions of their own. “Are you willing to grieve? Can you see your blessings? Are you sure?

The next, Sunday, after I had returned to Arlington, I went to a Relief Society lesson that continued my odyssey. Andrea Watkins gave a lesson on two conference talks by Richard C. Scott. He said, “He (God) therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain.

When you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Who am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? Willing sacrifice of deeply held personal desires in favor of the will of God is very hard to do. Yet, when you pray with real conviction, 'Please let me know Thy will' and 'May Thy will be done,' you are in the strongest position to receive the maximum help from your loving Father.

You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you. The tempering effect of patience is required. Some blessings will be delivered here in this life; others will come beyond the veil. The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you."April 1996 General Conference talk

As a quilter I know that darks and lights in my quilt make it more interesting. So it is with life.

Yesterday I went to see a new dentist to see about having a tooth pulled. While discussing my health and personal history, he asked me what anti depressant I was on. I said none. He said,” How can you live with all the things that have happened in your life?” I smiled, and said “I write poetry.”

I am grateful that the Lord trusts me enough to help me stretch and grow closer to him
Have a good month.

Happy Birthday

OCTOBER

October sights
Of red and gold
October sounds
Are crisp and bold
October smells
So tart and sweet
October trails
As seasons meet
October moon
The brightest glow
A hunter moon
The days all slow
October road to inspiration

We just got a new computer last month and I’ve had fun finding new things to do on it. I was exploring I tunes radio stations and found one called Gospel Twang and I liked it. I was trying to figure out why. I decided there are two reasons. First it reminded me of Elvis singing gospel songs. Secondly, we use to have a trio of guys In Mutual (my day’s YMYW). they played guitar, banjo, and fiddle for our meetings.
I guess that even though I had a rather boring youth, I had a pretty good time. At least there were things to look back on fondly. Listening to “Gospel Twang” reminds me of it, and recharges my batteries.

Elder Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teaches us, “Spiritual nourishment is just as important as a balanced diet to keep us strong and healthy. We nourish ourselves spiritually by partaking of the sacrament weekly, reading the scriptures daily, and praying daily in personal and family prayer. Our spiritual strengths are like batteries; they need to be charged and frequently recharged.” So how are you charging your batteries?

I like to listen to Gospel music, whether it’s the Tabernacle Choir or Elvis. I like reading Gerald Lund novels. I like taking hot bubble baths and writing Sacrament meeting talks in my head in case I’m ever asked. I’ve been doing it for ten years and finally got asked in August. And I was prepared!

One of the songs on the Gospel Twang station was “In The Garden”. I’ve loved that song since I was young. I had a sister in the ward play it on her violin, for my husband’s funeral in 1976. In 1991, on his birthday, another sister in another ward played it for my son’s funeral. I can picture them walking away together in Heaven’s garden whenever I hear that song.

My mom, an avid gardener, use to quote, “You’re closer to God in a garden, than any place else on earth.” I will always have a garden to work in, even if it’s only a potted plant on the balcony, or a piece of bamboo wedged into a container of water with small black river rocks.
I hope you have a good month and find some soul charging experiences. I’m heading out to San Francisco to see my cousin that I only remember meeting three times, and then back to New Mexico to see my daughter and dad.

What do you remember?

I wrote my poem for September ending with a question. My sister sent her answer. What's yours.



September Joy

What brings you joy
When you think of September?

What makes you dance
In the streets, in the fall?
Is it Indian Summer?
Or going to School?
The leaves red and amber
The nights turning cool?
Apple pie warm and spicy
The last day at the pool?

What brings you joy?
Tell me what you remember.


Turquoise blue skies behind amber gold leaves
White bars of Aspen from dry grassy sheaves
Red-sweatered children near mom and dad's hand
Pic-nic rejoicing in family and land

It's August Already!

It’s August. It’s hard to believe that for many students school is just weeks away.
I always loved the fall. I was excited to see who’s class I would be in; who my classmates would be; and what we would learn that year. In elementary school that only lasted a week or two. Then I was excited for Friday to come and we could have a couple of days off. I was reminiscing with my daughter today and she says she feels the same way. For the month before school started each year she would pack and unpack her backpack of supplies every day in anticipation. The year she was going to start middle school she and her dad would ride up to the school to peek in the windows, she was so excited.
Even this year, as her last year of college approaches, she got one of her class books early and is reading it.
One of my son’s friends recently reported that the school some of his children attend has lost their principal, and the band director. However the band plays on. The Marching Band students, knowing that competitions are coming and not wanting to be behind, are getting together on their own to practice marching and playing a new program. Having been a band parent, I know the dedication these band students can have, and the work they have to go through to accomplish their goals.

Why should we continually seek spiritual and secular education? D&C 93:36-37 says “The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one.”

President Henry B. Eyring says “We will have to make some hard choices of how we use our time… But remember you are interested in education, not just for mortal life but for eternal life. When you see that reality clearly with spiritual sight, you will put spiritual learning first and yet not slight the secular learning… “…And since what we will need to know is hard to discern, we need the help of heaven to know which of the myriad things we could study we would most wisely learn.

Robert D. Hales adds, “Lifelong learning is essential to the vitality of the human mind, body, and soul. It enhances self-worth and self-actuation. Lifelong learning is invigorating mentally and is a great defense against aging, depression, and self doubt.”

For many years after graduation I would take a community night school class, learning how to fix my car, woodworking, water color classes, pottery, quilting and photography among others. These have enhanced my life, and given much enjoyment to me and benefits to my family. Now I do my learning through books. I have an “ insatiable curiosity” as President Eyring says.
Last year I explored Mongolia in the 1920’s and the Modern Art Movement. This year I’m enjoying the lives of our presidents and first ladies.

What would you like to know more about? What are you reading?

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson