February 22, 2015
Dear Riley,
We knew winter couldn’t really be over. But it came back yesterday and we even have
the tiniest skiff of snow on the ground.
And the wind blew like crazy last night.
But the sun is out and we know that what’s left of winter can be
weathered.
I loved your letter last week. It’s good to know 1) that you survived your
eating experiment and 2) that you are willing to testify as you were called to
do. Even in a foreign tongue, the Spirit
carries your words to a willing heart.
What a miracle. I post your blog
on facebook where I also post the family pictures. I had a couple comments on your last letter. E said the locals will love you for your
willingness to eat their food. And a
friend of Dad’s from high school, who also served a mission, commented “Just
read and was inspired by those same verses in Alma 5 this morning. It is sweet
to be reminded how others have felt what I feel and know what I know.”
I do have to correct one thing: Josie is three. A very precocious three who can pose herself
with the rest of us behind her and only a camera on a tripod in front of
her. We’ll say things like don’t smile
or look bossy. She is the star and rest
of us supporting cast. But I wanted you
to see her grow up a week at a time.
So let’s start with Josie this week. She gave a talk in primary and she has been
so excited for a couple weeks for her turn to do this. Her topic was that through the atonement of
Christ, all mankind may be saved. So she
took some jewels and explained that they are precious to her. She told what she loved about them. Then she told that she feels sad when she
loses them. She likened us to precious
jewels to Heavenly Father. She said that
we were sent to earth to learn to make choices and that we sometimes make bad
choices. Since we do, we can’t be with
Heavenly Father again. So He sent Jesus
Christ to earth as a baby to teach us.
Then Jesus suffered and died so we could repent and not be lost
anymore. She did such a good job, speaking up so clearly and confidently.
She just amazes me.
One cute thing that Dad and Josie say is when he goes to
leave, he’ll say, “Hug and kiss.” And
then he’ll ask, “’Cause what happens if you don’t get a hug and a kiss?” and
she answers, “You feel sad and I feel sad.”
It’s so cute. I’m not sure how it
started, but I like to hear it.
Aleah celebrated Chinese New Year all week. She asked the family to go up to Lehi High
School for their activities Monday night.
Since I had the flu, Dad took just Elise and Aleah. Then Thursday Cascade was invited to UVU to
put on a show. It was actually really
neat to hear the kids speaking and singing, acting out plays and reciting
poetry, all in Chinese. Then very
kindly, UVU fed the families dinner. It
was a nice event. Friday they performed
for the school and hosted parents for activities. I didn’t go because Dad couldn’t come stay
with Josie and I didn’t want her to miss her nap. Aleah was disappointed. But they got dumplings at that
celebration. She just loves her Chinese
program.
Elise turned 13 yesterday.
Isn’t she just the sweetest thing?
She actually wasn’t with us most of the day yesterday as the young women
went on a retreat up to the W’s cabin.
It wasn’t automatic for Elise, she wanted to be home for her
birthday. But we planned out how we
could accomplish everything with her going.
They sang her happy birthday and put candles in her French toast. And they decorated her room in the night. She probably got more special treatment than
she would have if she’d stayed home.
Elise asked for cheese fondue for her dinner with Dad’s sourdough bread,
broccoli, and asparagus. She wanted
chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling, raspberries, and fluffy raspberry
frosting. It was a delicious meal.
Then Elise asked to watch a movie so we went to Redbox and
she chose Night at the Museum. Do
remember how that movie made our museum trips?
Elise! She would FREAK and have a
panic attack at the Bean Museum, paralyzed, petrified. I’m laughing that she chose THAT movie. It was fun.
Elise is the one who requested a family fast laste week. Doesn’t that just
bring tears to your eyes? What a sweet,
sweet girl.
Parker is doing really well. He sent a text Friday afternoon to
see if he and Matt could watch a movie at our house Friday night and I said
they could as long as he preserved my pride.
So he cleaned up, he even scrubbed the ring of grime under the toilet
rim. Cambry did not know that he had
this planned and she got a movie at Redbox on the way home. So to accommodate them both, we started her
movie early, hoping to finish before M came over. But we had 30 minutes left of it when he
arrived. We asked if they would be
willing to watch the last 30 minutes with us, but they were ready to jet M's house, so of course we turned it over
to them. I made them kettle corn and
Cambry had made gingersnaps.
Parker hiked the Y yesterday morning with Cambry as her
other hiking buddies backed out on her.
He loved it. Cambry said that she
couldn’t have done the hike without Parker.
She said the first couple turns are really long and steep and she was
discouraged and the optimist in Parker assured her along. Now doesn’t that make you smile? Parker is hometeaching at the care center
with Grandma this afternoon as Grandpa still isn’t well enough (though he is
improving and the doctors don’t think it’s anything serious). It will take about 2 hours to see all 11
people.
Cambry has decided picky is better than remorseful when it comes to suitors.
I had the flu this week.
It started coming on Sunday night and intensified Monday. Though I was fasting, I decided my body
needed hydration to fight the infection, so I still drank water. I was in bed Tuesday and some of Wednesday, a
little of Thursday and I sat still finishing my book Friday. I read All the Light we Cannot See. It is a historical fiction, which is probably
my favorite genre. The story is of a
girl who goes blind in WWII times Paris and also about a German boy in an
orphanage in a mining town. Their
stories are told separately until they collide at the climax of the story. I enjoyed the book. Probably my favorite passage was an
interchange between the girl, Marie-Laure who is 14 and blind and in the charge
of her great uncle and his faithful servant since her father has been
imprisoned. She is speaking to Madame
Manec, the servant, about faith. Madame
perceives that she is asking really about her father and says, “You must never
stop believing; that is the most important thing.” Then we hear Marie’s thoughts and she wishes
that life were like a Jules Verne novel (Around the World in 80 Days and 20,000
Leagues Under the Sea) and you could page ahead when you most needed.
We are not meant to
see perfectly in this life. And we are
called to believe and sacrifice in this life for eternity. But here’s the paradox: living in faith and
sacrifice for eternity grant more rich and full living in THIS life. Go figure.
God designs seem to work best.
Dad finished the last shelf in the garage last night just
before the movie last night. Tadah! Now for moving in… I’m so excited. They are super sturdy. In fact I went out to get something from the
fridge and I didn’t see him out there, but a noise made me look around, perhaps
for a scurrying rodent. He was probably seven
feet up on the second from the top shelf, screwing the shelf to the supports.
Well, son. We love
you. We love knowing about your
adventures. We love sending you
pictures. When do you get the paper
ones? I mail them on Wednesdays and I
think you’re getting them two weeks from that point? I’m mailing them so you can look at them
anytime, not only during computer time.
I’ll send some way to clasp the photo sheets when I send your birthday
package. It looks like it needs to be in
the office by what I think is the transfer meeting April 15. So I need to mail it in month or so. So start sharing your wishlist so I can be
collecting.
Take care and have another great week!
Love,
Mom
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