Relief Society General Meeting

Well, I didn't make it to the dinner. I'd planned to go, but Richard went on his all-day motorcycle run and James had a friend over, so...I stayed home and was a mom. And that was a good thing. James's friend was gone in time for me to watch the meeting without interruption. (Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE Dish Network and DVR? Yet another reason to enjoy living in the dispensation of the fulness of times.)

I truly enjoyed listening to the sisters and President Uchtdorf. Each speaker seemed to turn at least a portion of her talk right to me. I'm glad I recorded it. I'll be going back and listening again. Hearing Sister Beck speak on the purposes of Relief Society and therefore our purpose as women in the Church. Sister Allred spoke eloquently about the temple and the blessings therein. There were a number of things that she said that spoke to my heart and soul--probably because I need to renew my recommend. Sister Thompson reminded us of the rich heritage we share as Relief Society sisters. I can't remember if it was Sister Beck or Sister Thompson who said, "Relief Society is not the class you go to if you're not in Primary or Young Women."

But it was President Uchtdorf's talk that spoke to me most. He chastised us a bit for not believing in ourselves enough. He reminded us that we are daughters of God and because of our celestial heritage, we are meant to be creators. We need to model our happiness on God's happiness. Every sister in the Church is important. We are loved and we have many gifts and talents. We need to use them and quit beating ourselves up for our perceived failures. Boy...did I need to hear that. I hope I can remember it--or at least remember to go back and listen to it again from time to time.

Happy Birthday Dad

Yesterday was Dad's 90th birthday. NINETY! It's amazing to me. Dad was 47 when I was born. I am blessed to have him for my father and blessed that he is still around for my children to know. He taught me in the ways of the Greatest Generation. He never yelled or cussed. He and Mom never fought. He never even raised his voice, but he could (and still can) get an edge to it that told you when the conversation was over.

He'd moved around a lot as a kid. His mother died when he was about 10 and his father was an alcoholic. My grandfather remarried a fantastic woman who raised my dad and his sisters to the best of her ability. He came to Texas City in 1935 for a job at a lumber yard. He had a choice of Texas City or Sterling City. He says when he got off the bus in TC, he would've turned around and gone home if he'd had the money. But he stayed, eventually ending up boarding at the Owens' home--right across the street from a pretty little brunette named Louise. They married in 1942. They had two children--and then--after almost two decades--they had me.

I was spoiled, but not in an over-the-top way. I didn't have to do the work that my brother and sister did. By the time I came along, the house was paid for. We had a dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, and a woman who came to clean house once a week. Sophronia was her name. (She used to scare me.) But...Mom had to work. When I was a baby, they had a son in college and a daughter in high school--and then me. Yeah, they couldn't even pretend that I was planned. LOL

My father was very strict about a few things--the most important of which was respect for my mother--and by extension, himself. The one thing that would make him angry enough to spank me was for me to disrespect my mother. And it happened. More than once. My mother and I were pretty good at getting into yelling fights--but only when Dad wasn't home. Sometimes Mom would let it go and other times she's "tell on me." And sometimes, I'd forget or not realize that Dad was home. Big OOPS! That's when the belt got unbuckled and I got it across my backside. It wasn't abuse. There was never a mark. I was never hit anywhere but my rear end and never on bare skin. And I learned the lesson.

He worked hard--leaving at 6:00 in the morning and usually coming home around 6:00 in the evening. He worked at Hoffman Lumber Company. I used to love to visit him there. I loved the smell of that little-bitty store, all the hardware and the smell of the wood. He let me play with his big adding machine. I'd pretend I was doing the books and answering phones. (I still do a pretty mean 10-key! But now you don't have to push so hard on the keys!)

He retired during my senior year of high school. He used to pick me up from school. Didn't buy me a car! He'd get there early and watch all the kids leaving the school. He's very observant. He'd could've gone to college, but that wasn't in the cards for him back in the 30's. He hated retirement and went back to work at the same lumber yard the next year. He's worked there ever since.

My dad is a hard worker and cares for people, but he doesn't show much emotion. He certainly didn't show much in his younger years. He's always been very quiet and kept his emotions close to the vest. But I remember sitting in his lap as a child. I remember when he ran over my cat. I know he felt awful,but he didn't apologize that I remember. He just let me sit in his lap and he comforted me. I loved sitting in his lap in his big recliner.

When I went off to college, we couldn't fit everything in the car on the first trip. He brought me my winter clothes--drove from Texas City to Denton and back in one day. He's loaned me money and given me money. He was frugal with his money, but we never wanted for anything. And even had some extras. I remember when he had a tether-ball pole made for me because I loved it. And when I got my own TV for Christmas.

In my adult years, I've certainly come to appreciate more and more who my father is and what he's always stood for. He stands for the right. He stands for service and hard work. He is 90 years old and he works 20 hours a week (or more) at the lumber yard. He is the treasurer for his Lions' Club chapter and is on the administrative board at his church. He gets to the church around 7:00 every Sunday to get the a/c or heat on, doors unlocked and coffee going.

In the last two weeks, he rode out Hurricane Ike all by himself in the same house we all grew up in. He was without power for about a week, but he said that he was doing fine. He picked up ice every couple of days and "I don't have children to feed or worry about here, so I'm okay." On days that he doesn't go in to the lumber yard, he walks two miles around the city's walking path. He's healthy and happy. He misses my mom, but he's comfortable being alone. He stays busy.

My brother and sister and I have a lot to live up to. I'm not sure it's possible. He's set the bar pretty dang high, but he still shows us how to live. I can only hope that I am as healthy and steady as I age.

Thank you, Dad. Thank you for being a great father. Thank you for bailing me out when I needed it (not literally!) and for leaving me to fix my own mistakes when I needed to learn. Thank you for your wise counsel. I love you, Dad. Happy birthday!

Ooh...Random Thoughts

Random thought #1: Dad got his electricity back this afternoon! Yay! He called to let me know so I could quit worrying about him. He said he came home from work (work? on Saturday? at almost 90 years old? Really? Of course, they had a/c!) to find the power crews working in the alley near his house, but they didn't know for sure if they would get to "his" transformer. So he took himself to his traditional Saturday lunch - crunchy tacos at Taco Bell. (Side note: He used to get crunchy tacos for himself and Mom on Saturdays. Since her passing, he has kept the tradition for himself.) When he came home, his porch light was on. Yay!

Random thought #2: How long does it take to spend your monthly paycheck? We got paid yesterday. This morning, I paid bills. Then we went shopping. Shoe shopping. With James and John. Heavy sigh, but we survived and came home with two pairs of shoes each, plus two for Richard. Then J&J haircuts - had a free haircut coupon, so that was nice. Oh...went to the bank for our monthly cash withdrawal as well. Dropped off the boys, got some lunch at home and then went bookshelf shopping. IKEA has Billy bookshelves on sale this weekend. The big ones for $59.99. Got two of those for the office area. Then over to Target for two more bookshelves for the family room. Then grocery shopping. It's not a checking account. It's a pass-through account.

Random thought #3: How long does it really take to get out of boxes and have things put where they belong? We're settled in, but the walls are still bare and there are still boxes on the floors. Today's bookshelf shopping will hopefully alleviate some or most of that, but who knows how long it'll take to get them put together. I was really hoping to have the place put together and decorated before school started. Bwahahahaha! Ok, that was a pipe dream, but I'd still like to have something on the walls. And I'm thinking of painting the family room.

Told ya they were random thoughts.

Special Stake Conference

We had a special stake conference today. It was attended by Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. And it was fabulous! Elder Nelson was gracious and loving. There wasn't time at the end for him to greet all 1939 people who attended the meeting, but we were lucky enough to see him driving away--window down and waving. He looked right at me and James--and smiled the sweetest smile. Of course, James is looking extra-cute right now, imo, because he desperately needs a haircut!

Elder Nelson spoke of teaching our children and allowing the Holy Ghost to teach them as well. He spoke almost exclusively about the children and our role as parents in teaching them. He left a wonderful blessing on us. The spirit was quite strong and it has stayed with me this afternoon--which quite honestly is unusual. So often on Sunday afternoons, the spirit leaves quickly as brothers begin arguing, everyone's looking for lunch, teenagers are sulking around...but that didn't happen today. In fact, as I type this, I realize that I haven't heard a peep from upstairs, much less an angry peep. :::knock on wood:::

Our other visiting authority was an area authority seventy named...wait for it...James B. Martino. Elder Martino was the Denton Stake President when I joined the Church. His family and Richard's family have known each other for decades. Richard grew up with his younger brothers. And now he's a general authority. It was so fun to hear him speak to us. It's been years since we've seen him, but his voice, cadence, stance on the stand, they were all familiar. I'm sorry we weren't able to be close enough to actually see him. I think I even taught some of his kids a few years ago--or at least his nephews. LOL And our own stake presidency gave wonderful talks that I will have to go back and reread my notes on.

So, even though it was a crowded place and we had to sit on the stage at the back of the cultural hall and watch the video screen (or try to around my bil's gigantic head--sorry Randy) and listen to quite a few small children who really didn't like sitting there for two hours, it was a spirit-filled day. I have been in the presence of and taught by an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Whew!

I heard from my dad this morning. He rode out Hurricane Ike all by himself in his 66 year old house. The levees that surround Texas City did their job and he didn't even get water in his yard. If you see coverage, Texas City is up I-45 from Galveston. It sits on Galveston Bay, not the Gulf of Mexico. The storm surge wasn't as high as they predicted, although it started much earlier than they thought. I've never seen waves overtop the Galveston Seawall! But he's just fine. Part of that pecan tree did come down and he thinks there may be some damage to the back part of his garage, but he can't see for sure. He left his car outside of the garage for just that reason! (Can you tell the man has been through a few hurricanes?)

His power is out--so is his phone and cell phone won't work yet. He was out driving around assessing damage this morning (are you kidding me?!?) and went by his usual yard man's home--probably to get on the list for yard cleanup--and they happened to have phone service. That's how he was able to call me. I called my sister and brother, and then thought to call my aunt as well. Dad has said that he'll wait and see how long it takes to get the power back on to decide what to do next. If he gets too uncomfortable--hot, etc.--he said he'll leave. Maybe he'll even come visit me! We're supposed to visit him next weekend for his 90th birthday--but we'll play that by ear.

Thank you to everyone who has kept us in your thoughts and prayers. They certainly helped. My dad has no idea the number of prayers that were sent up in his behalf the last couple of days! The peace that I felt last night and today could only have come from one place.

Ooh...I hear rain outside. Look like Tropical Storm Ike is starting to dump on us here in Dallas! Gotta love it!

Here We Go Again

Well, here comes Ike! It's looking like a direct hit for Galveston/Texas City. And Dad decided to stay. He says he feels safe. He's filled the bathtub and has some Gatorade and water filled for drinking. He's not worried about the winds (only about 100-120 mph, doncha know) and he's not really worried about the tide. He says that between the pumps and the levee, he thinks all will be fine.

Texas City didn't have a mandatory evacuation. Dad was telling me about the huge levees, which I had forgotten about, and they closed the floodgates at Moses Lake at low tide a few days ago so that there's more room to fill it when they start the pumps.

Funnily enough, he's already taken care of things like photo albums. He put them in the old freezer. I guess if the house gets enough water in it to float the freezer, it won't matter anyway! :-)

I've been really worried all day, but after talking with him this afternoon, I feel a lot better. He reminded me about the levees and all that, so I'm feeling much more at peace. I'm just keeping him in my prayers and hoping the the tree doesn't fall on the house and the levees keep most of the surge back. And I'll try to stay busy tonight and tomorrow.

Kindergarteners

Ya know...kindergarteners say the darndest things. Two great ones--just yesterday.

One kindergartener called his teacher over during lunch and showed her his unwrapped granola bar. He said, "My mom put this in my lunch. I unwrapped it and looked and it and said, 'What the hell is that?'" The teacher, hiding her laughter, told him that he could certainly ask, "What is that?" but that he should leave out that other word because it wasn't nice. The boy looked at her and said, "But I still don't know what it is!"

In my own music class, we were singing "Oh How We Love to Stand." This particular class has 22 children--14 boys. We do a LOT of movement songs. In the middle of the second verse, one little boy announces quite loudly, "This is annoying!" I told him that I couldn't believe he said that, that I'd never been spoken to so rudely by a kindergartener. (Yes, I lied.) He looked at me incredulously and his whole face seemed to be saying, "What? It *is* annoying. Hasn't anyone else ever told you this before?" The extra funny part? This child is in my ward. Bwahahahahahaha!!!

Ok...so I'm making myself laugh. Got to.