Last Post March 31st to April 6th.

This will be the last time I am posting my blog. With my age, I am finding that I don’t write as clean and clearly as I would like and unintentionally offended others.   So I want to apologize to anyone that I have offended by some thoughtless remarks and I ask for your forgiveness.  I also want my family to know I love them how grateful I am for their service and compassion. They certainly have lightened our load and have made our home a symbol of their love and selfless service.

Recently,  I am especially thankful for Chuck, Laura and Deborah for all their help with the house. As I walk around the house I am surrounded and reminded of the acts of service that they provided.  I love my china hutch more now because Deborah arranged it so beautifully. 

The china hutch

She made it more elegant and demonstrated to me that less is the best.  Also, I can now open my curtains to look out into my back yard through clean glass.  Deborah has a special glove that she tirelessly used it to make the glass sparkle. (I really have to get one.)  She also gave me the idea of putting the pictures of Mom and Aunt Gerrie above my piano.  I love them there.  On the piano I have just the Savior, our wedding picture and my horsehair pot.  When I look at the wall, it reminds me of my heritage, my Saviors love of His children, the best decision I made when I married Willard and the importance of service and the happiness it brings.

A simplified piano arrangement

When I go to my cupboards, I am so thankful for Laura and Deborah’s efforts in cleaning out all my outdated things and just throwing away stuff I didn’t need.  They organized and simplified by cupboards.  Deborah really helped us with our storage in getting rid of all bad bulging and out of dated cans.  I am so thankful for all of her painting, cleaning and attention to detail. She taught me by example that simple is the best and I have tried to use that example in redoing the house to the best of my ability.  (She certainly has more ability than I do.) She was a trooper; she paid a price of the service with an aching back.  Her service will always be remembered in the house.  

Laura, did such a great job also.  I really appreciated her love, service and support.  She opened up my eyes to the possibilities of our home by insisting that we get rid of all the clutter that would detract from the home.  She helped me make the house larger by getting rid of the junk.  She with Chuck and the help of Lance, her friend, helped us get rid of truck loads of junk.  She really went the extra mile in helping us get the home ready to show.  I certainly would recommend her to help anyone to sale their home.  I think her broker John Scott has the best program to get a home sold. I was very impressed with all their efforts, especially using a professional photographer to take pictures of the home.  She did a great job in selling the home and graciously helped us get out of the contract so that we could stay in it, of which I will be eternally grateful h daily.  She helped me appreciate and love the home I did have. 

I am so grateful also for Chucks help.  Every time I use the shower door or the toilet holder or other things he fixed in the house, I think of Chuck and marvel at how much joy it brings me just to have those things fixed that we had just been living with.  I so appreciated his help with packing up the truck at the expense of his back.  He truly went above and beyond his strength.  He is a great son-in-law.

I am also grateful to our other children, for their love, support and advice. I am grateful for 9 wonderful children that help us keep on the right path.

Lastly I am so grateful for a dear husband, who went along with all my whims. He worked until he couldn’t move because of his bad back, (bad backs seem to be an issue in the family).  He supported me and loved me throughout it all.  I so appreciate his love and his sacrifice. 

I did feel good about moving and then when we got the home all cleaned and fixed up, I didn’t feel good about leaving the home because of all the service and love reminders that are here in our home now.  It is like being engulfed, surrounded and comforted by my children’s, husband’s and the Saviors love for me. It brings quiet serenity to my soul.  

In fact, it has had a great effect on my spirit.  I have been trying to arrange for the primary “I Stand All Amazed” for the primary Sacrament program.  I have been struggling with writing it with the help of another sister for months. However, it just wasn’t working because it was too heavy and thick and we wrote too hard of an accompaniment for our new primary pianist to play.   Monday morning I woke up with simpler and lighter idea’s for the song.  I wrote it in 2 days and the chorister was thrilled with it.  I know the Lords helped me with this arrangement but it was just like cleaning house, I just got rid of the junk.

So the lessons that I have learned through all this experience is first, get rid of the junk and keep things neat, simple and clean both in physically, mentally and spiritually; less is more. Second, don’t be so quick to make decisions. Be patient and deliberate in making decisions.   Lastly, be happy with what you have.  Be grateful that you have a great husband, children and Savoir that love and supports you in spite of your mistakes.