Celebrating 13

 

I always liked the number 13. So many happy things have happened to me that I associate with 13. My sister was born on the 13^th. My little brother was born on the 13^th. My first date with my husband was the 13^th. We got engaged on the 13^th and got married on the 13th. So many people think 13 is an unlucky number but I don’t. So I think 2013 is going to be a great year. But it’s going to be a hard year full of new adventures.

I was looking on the Internet to see what things were listed on the 13^th year of several centuries. I guess most of what is recorded tends to be bad news; wars, deaths, etc.

 in1713 Galileo may have unknowingly viewed undiscovered planet Neptune

In 1813 pineapple was first planted in Hawaii, and the first performance of Georg F. Handel’s “To Deum “ & “Jubilate” was made.

In 1913 the first modern elastic brassiere was patented by Mary Phelps Jacob , The French painting “Nude Descending a Staircase" was displayed in New York City; and the first prize was inserted into Cracker Jacks boxes.

Since January is traditionally the time to look back on the past year and decide what goals we would like to make for ourselves in the coming year, I thought I would jump right in and plan to do 13 things-13 times. I will celebrate 13!

Since we will be moving. Some of these will be necessities. Others will be continuing what I have been doing and enjoy. Some will only start with 13. Some I will do 13 in one month and others I will have to stretch out.

This is my list:

1.Make 13 new friends

2.Make 13 quilts

3.Read 13 books

4.Contribute to 13 charities or 13 times

5.Paint 13 paintings

6.Write 13 poems

7. Pack 13 boxes

8.Do 13 acts of service

9.Finish 13 started projects

10.Clean out 13 Cabinets or closets

11.Unpack 13 boxes

12.Write 13 short stories

13. Learn to play 13 hymns on my piano. (I haven’t learned how to play the piano yet)

Other people may choose lose 13 lbs. walk 13 miles, go to church 13 times, try 13 new recipes, have 13 dinner parties, invite the missionaries over to meet 13 friends; go 13 places you’ve never been before. The ideas are endless.

I hope you will join me in celebrating 13! What would you choose?

Have a fantastic! Exciting! 2013

Happy New Year

I’m cold, said the mouse
To the clock on the shelf.
This winter time weather
Is hard on myself.

I’m old said the year as
It wearily looked
At the torn calendar
Which Laid out in the book

Then bouncing with joy
The new year toddled in
The smile of discovery
Above his wee chin.

Let us go! was his shout
As he tossed the old year.
What adventure we’ll have
Now the new one is here

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, everyone, where ever you are and what ever you believe. I love you and appreciate you. I'm glad the world didn't end today. There are too many things left undone. Show someone you love them today.
Plan a fun activity for your bucket list in the coming year.
Support your favorite charity and a new one too.
Be true to yourself.
Believe in yourself .
Listen to what your parents taught you.
Get a cat.
Remember that you are a child of God and he loves you even if you don't believe in him. But it's sad to be a parent to a child who ignores you.
2013! I wonder what is in store for the family of mankind. It will certainly be an adventure!

You Can't Be a Beacon If Your Light Don't Shine

 

When we were in Rhode Island during Hurricane Sandy, I had my breakfast in the Hotel restaurant. As I was leaving I asked my waitress if I could ask her a question. She said yes and she had a question for me too. I wanted to know if they had oatmeal on the menu. She wanted to know if she should have knee surgery at the end of the week. She was nervous about it and assumed from the way I walked that I had just had it done. What an opportunity to spread a little faith! But I chickened out.

I asked her if she was religious. She said well she was spiritual. I said it would be good if she had a prayer circle to help her through the surgery. She said she once shook the hand of the Dali Lama, isn’t that just as good?  “Well,” I said “It wouldn’t hurt.’

I’ve been listening to some records that were favorites of mine in the early 70’s.

One of the songs is “You Can’t be a Beacon If Your Light Don’t Shine” by Donna Fargo

“You can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine

There’s a little light in all of us by God’s design,

But you can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine.

How can you ask for the truth
When you do not truthful live
How can you ask forgiveness
When you do not forgive
I don’t mean to bring you down or speak to you unkind
But you can’t be a beacon if your light don’t shine”

Have there been times when you have reacted to someone’s actions in a less than pleasant manner? Do you honk angrily at the slow driver, or when someone cuts you off? Do you look away and ignore someone who may need your help? Do you walk away from those in shabby dirty clothes?

I am reminded of Matt: 25, 34-40

34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

35.For I was an hungered and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger and ye took me in:

36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me,

 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee: or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 

 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee?

 39 Or when saw we thee sick or in prison, and came unto thee?

40 and the King shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

This December take the opportunity of the season to let your light so shine. Be a beacon to your fellow men.

Crisp Cold Chill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If I knew how to ski

Or wanted to skate

I’d probably love the cold snowy weather.

But I don’t.

I prefer the crackling fire

The hot chocolate and

A good book,

Chatting with friends,

Sitting by the window watching

Glittering snowflakes fall onto the bare branches.

I love the smell of evergreens

The sharp shiny holly with it’s red berries,

Cookies and goodies shared with neighbors,

Holiday music,

Smiles on faces anticipating the season

The old year bedding down

Rembering the fun we had.

Looking forward.

What’s next!

The Orphan Quilt

 

I think this house has ghosts. I don’t live here yet. But as I wander the many hallways, climb the stairs to the attic, and walk through the orchard, they come and talk to me. The first was Isabella. She is a sweet lady, sly and mischievous. Angus, the Scotsman wanders through the orchard. He has put in a few appearances but is strangely silent. I may learn his story on a later trip. Jess didn’t appear till I hung her portrait. It must have been her portal into my home.

                                    *******

As I lay there in the dark in my mother’s bed I could feel her eyes on me. They were dark, piercing, unsmiling. I wonder what she was thinking silently staring out of the painting I had hung on the wall in the red room.

I always liked the headshot. It was a copy from a full-length portrait of my great grandmother Janet. Her story is a mystery. My mother and her sisters would never speak about her. And yet I have her portrait. Her sisters sent it to my mother and later I asked for it. But- who are you Grandmother Janet?

                                                ******

“Children, They break your hearts.  I never wanted to be a mom. But there I sat on the boat, slowly rocking back and forth in the surf’, my stomach extended more than I ever thought was possible. What was I going to do now? Soon I would be ashore, my husband would be meeting me. He would know this child wasn’t his. He left home three years ago. There was no way he would accept this child as his own. How was I going to survive the mess I had gotten myself into?

I married young in Glasgow Scotland. I was running away from an abusive home and ended up in the arms of a cold stern Presbyterian minister.  He left one morning to sail to America to make his fortune in the coalfields of the Great West, and to save the souls of the savages. “Jesse”, he said, “I’ll write and send for ye. Be a good gal na.”

Tenderly I ran my fingers across my stretched belly. Hush, hush, we’ll be there soon. Hang on. I had been having contractions since late last night. I was anxious to give birth to my burden, but I’d rather not drop it into the ocean while wading to solid ground. The trip had been horrid. I had passage in the hull of the great ship. Having little money, I wasn’t able to get a cabin of my own or even one with ten other people crowded into it. I was in steerage with the seething masses trying to get out of England. We had left six weeks ago and tossed through the waves, the ship sometimes nearly lying on its side, ravaged by the winds and the rains.

The other women on the ship took pity on my little one. Each had contributed a piece of precious fabric or a quilt block from her own store. Together we spent the long trip stitching in the weak light till we had enough for a baby’s blanket. We called it the orphan quilt. I don’t know if it was because a different hand made each of the blocks or because they weren’t sure I’d make it. The wee bairn may be an orphan yet if my husband turns us away.

I folded the precious blanket, a memorial of my shipboard friends to pack away for the trip ashore.

The largest block is called The Battle of Thor. It is an ancient symbol from Germany. It is believed to represent the sun and be a sign of peace. I need that assurance. Lottie gave me that one. “ She had been a good friend, caring for me during my bouts of upheaval on the ship. I don’t suppose I’ll ever get on a boat again. I need the firm ground beneath me.

Marne gave me a similar block in black and white. She’s from India, and sang soothing chants to help me sleep through the storms. The same symbol in Hindu means Life is good. There is value. I’ll need to remember that through the next few weeks, I know.

I must finish packing to go ashore. I can’t wait to be on dry ground.

                                    ***********

Trial of Your Faith

 

The end of October brought some interesting experiences into our lives, those of us who live on the East Coast of the United States. My husband and I were planning on taking the train from Virginia to Rhode Island for a conference and to visit some of his relatives in Connecticut. Knowing that a hurricane was brewing off shore I was concerned. What if it hits and destroys the train tracks? How would we get home? But my husband, full of faith, and wanting to see his family, some maybe for the last time, assured me that we would be fine. The trip to Connecticut was lovely. The trees were brilliant. We rode the route, which followed the coast; with water views most of the way. Being with family was a joy, catching up, talking about our genealogy, and having a great meal. Sunday the conference began, and Monday, the hurricane hit New Jersey. While my husband went to conference sessions I hunkered down in my warm, dry, quiet hotel room and watched the news. It was devastating. One such report follows…

“Four days after Sandy lashed the East Coast with high winds and a huge storm surge, frustration mounted across New York City and well beyond as millions of people remained without power and motorists lined up for hours at gas stations in New Jersey and New York.

In the city's Queens borough, a man was accused of pulling a gun Thursday on a motorist who complained when he cut in line at a gas station; no one was injured. And as the Friday morning commute began, long lines at gas stations in suburban Westchester County snaked along expressway breakdown lanes and exit ramps.”

There was no way we would be able to take our train home to Virginia. Bus travel, too, had to go through New York City’s flooded streets.

While waiting to see how we were going to be able to find our way home, I read:

October 2012 General Conference

  Trial of Our  Faith By Elder Neil L. Andersen

“Like the intense fire that transforms iron into steel, as we remain faithful during the fiery trial of our faith, we are spiritually refined and strengthened.

Our faith is centered in God, our Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer.

The Apostle Peter identified something he called a “trial of your faith.” He had experienced it. Remember Jesus’s words:

“Simon, … Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”

Peter later encouraged others: “Think it not strange,” he said, “concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”

These fiery trials are designed to make you stronger, but they have the potential to diminish or even destroy your trust in the Son of God and to weaken your resolve to keep your promises to Him. These trials are often camouflaged, making them difficult to identify. They take root in our weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, our sensitivities, or in those things that matter most to us. A real but manageable test for one can be a fiery trial for another.

How do you remain “steadfast and immovable” during a trial of faith? You immerse yourself in the very things that helped build your core of faith: you exercise faith in Christ, you pray, you ponder the scriptures, you repent, you keep the commandments, and you serve others.

When faced with a trial of faith—whatever you do, you don’t step away from the Church! Distancing yourself from the kingdom of God during a trial of faith is like leaving the safety of a secure storm cellar just as the tornado comes into view.

President Ezra Taft Benson said, “Every [person] eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there … must make his stand.” Don’t be surprised when it happens to you!”

Our trials were small this time compared to those of many others. But it gave us an opportunity to remember the blessings we have been given, and an opportunity to serve those around us. Many are hurting, and homeless. What can we do to share our wealth of good fortune?

It means a lot to me that my Savior said,

“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”