Small and Wonderful Things . . .

  

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard 

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.  

 

I am so thankful for all the letters/cards that I have received.  I am trying to respond in kind to each of them. I really appreciate them.  That someone would take the time out of their day to send me one means a lot.  It is a difficult time for all of us.   I will think I am doing okay and then bang all of a sudden it will hit me and I am blubbering all over the place.  There is no sense or rhyme or reason to it. Grief is a funny thing I guess and very mysterious.  In any case I want you to know your cards have brought me comfort and they do mean the world to me.  I think it was the day after mom's funeral, my brother face-timed me and he shared the cards they had received over there with me.  That meant a lot too . . .  for him to include me in that.   

I am not sure how this grief thing works.  We, each my brother, sister and I, had our own special relationship with our mother. And to each of us it feels as nobody can be feeling as bereft as we are, but the truth is, we all feel the same depth of pain and loss and grief.  Its very personal, and . . .  just very, very hard.  

  

 

This letter from my son Doug and his family were the highlight of my week.  I hope he knows how much it meant to me!  I was thrilled beyond measure! 

 

I know you might think this is morbid, and maybe it is. My sister went yesterday to leave some plastic flowers on our mother's grave, because well it is Winter.  She took a photograph to share with me.  This meant a lot to me. Because I wasn't able to be there in person for any of it, it was strangely comforting to see where her body lays.  I am hoping one day I can go and put some flowers on it myself.  That would be nice.   

 

Snow drops . . .  they're popping up all over the place.  Can Spring be very far off?  I don't think so.  These are the flowers of hope! 

 

  

My mom had a really old fashioned answering machine.  I think my brother helped her set it up, but I could be mistaken. I was talking to my dad yesterday and he says then when he calls my mother's house and nobody is there, the answer machine kicks in and he gets to hear her voice. Sometimes it makes him really sad.  I find myself wanting to call the house just to hear it.  In my head I can.  I pray that we will each of us always remember the sound of her voice. 

 

I got through the teaching of my lesson alright yesterday.  Teaching in Relief Society really takes me out of my comfort zone.  I don't believe I am a natural teacher, and this new way of teaching, that of orchestrating  and encouraging discussions really takes me out of my comfort zone.  I try to  compose meaningful questions to put to the sisters, questions that would inspire them to want to talk and voice opinions, etc. but it is really hard!  Always in the back of your mind is the thought that nobody will speak, and then  . . .  what do you do?  All of the lessons are based on talks given at our General Conferences.  I don't want to just seem like I am reading the talk to them.  They can read the talk themselves.  I want to be able to pick out some meaningful discourses or doctrines from the talks and then have us discuss them, and share our feelings about them. I suppose I must be doing okay.  Nobody has fired me at any rate! haha! 

  

 

I know this is a really old photograph.  That is my Aunt Freda on the left holding me, my mom and my Great Grandmother at the far right, standing on my Grandparents front porch prior to my mom and I leaving for the long journey to Germany.  What a trip that must have been for my brave sweet mother, flying on an airplane for the first time, etc. and across an ocean no less!  Today would have been my Great Grandmother's 148th Birthday.  Happy Birthday Grammy Best! I think in this photograph she would have been 83 or 84 in this photograph.  She died on Christmas Day the First Christmas that we were back from Germany at the age of 88. I only have glimpses of memories of her, but she was a huge part of my mother's growing up years so I know lots of stories of her shared with me from my mom.  She was a farmer's wife and a mid-wife and was a widow for some 20 odd years. 

 

The Engineer will be coming today to look at our stove.  I am so grateful that we pay for insurance on it.  This means that there will be no charge for the engineer and if he can't fix it, they will replace the cooker for free.  That is an extra special blessing, as we wouldn't have the money to buy a new one or pay for repairs.  Whew!  So happy we have kept up the insurance.  We pay for all our major appliances, the dishwasher (which they replaced last year), the washing machine and the stove.  All big ticket items.  

I am running out of time now.  I don't know how that happens!  In any case I have a life filled with a multitude of small and precious blessings.  Every day has a silver lining and something good about it. Even the seemingly bad days.  I am blessed beyond measure.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★•。Sometimes when things

are falling apart, they may actually

be falling into place.

~Unknown  •。★★ 。* 。 

  

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . . Turkey Mexi-Melts.  Yummy!  Quick and easy as well. No fuss, no muss! 

I hope your week ahead is filled with small and wonderful things.  Don't forget along the way, 

 

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And I do too!