Category: Family

Relationships, children, and the dynamics between family members.

Handprints on the Glass

Jeanne 1 Comment

Over the last 2 weeks, I’ve been viewing old family video tapes in an attempt to organize them and reproduce them on DVDs and other digital media.  One tape in particular contained images of each of my children as babies.   It had all of their first steps, birthday cakes, Christmas dresses, Halloween costumes, and so much more.  Some went back so far that I honestly can’t remember that moment.  Time passes so quickly.  What a blessing to be able to take a trip into the past.  I’ve posted this poem before, but, here it is again:

 

Why is it that those golden days of babyhood

So quickly waste away with daily household cares?

And one day soon we wake to find our little ones

Have stopped their testing antics and left us unaware

That we could ever wish for handprints on the glass,

Evidence of that playful mischief, now in our past.

 

I like this short clip from LDS.org:

http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-06-012-moments-that-matter-most?lang=eng

 

 

Remember, Remember

Jeanne 1 Comment

I just finished a book, “The Time Keeper” by Mitch Albom. Since I have always been intriqued by ‘memories’, this book was also intriguing. It dealt with ‘time’. One quote from the book:

“You marked the minutes,” the old man said, “But did you use them wisely? To be still? To cherish? To be grateful? To lift and be lifted?”

Think of each moment as a grain of sand in the giant hourglass of our lives, and we hold that one grain right now. All the sand above and all the sand beneath–the past and future cannot be dealt with right now. Only one grain at a time.

Make memories, for that is what life is made of. Spend time with those you love while you have the time.

I remember precious moments in the past that give the present hope and light.. I love to collect memories and wish I could add to my collection every day. Days when I fail to do this are barren, and if there are too many ‘barrens’ in a row, life begins to feel meaningless.

We have nothing to remember if we do not savor life now. Memories are the acts of the present that bear fruit in the future.

Remember! Remember! from whence we’ve come, on trails of glory, from Thy Holy Son.
To prove on earth, our own true worth, This is our purpose, while here on earth.
Remember! Remember! to turn to Christ, so we may obtain eternal life.
Remember! Remember! The Holy Ghost, that He may guide us through Satan’s host.

Remember! Remember! Without our Lord, we could not follow His sacred word.
Nor understand His one true way, to lead us home to God one day.
Remember! Remember! His one true church that teaches us to pray, seek and search.

Remember to seek Christ when we are weak, with humble heart, sincere and meek.
The Holy Spirit will lift our soul, and help us know which way to go.
Remember! Remember! without God’s Son, we cannot return to the Holy One.

Remember! Remember! We have chosen Christ to guide us through earth’s trials to eternal life.
We need Thee, Lord, every hour and day; Thou art the light, the truth, the way.
Remember! Remember! To fast, search, serve, seek and pray,
And we will be lifted home to live and serve in our Father’s perfect eternal love one fine day.

Remember, Remember, Remember…….

http://www.lds.org/blog/think-to-thank?cid=HP_WE_1-11-2017_dOCS_fBLOG_xLIDyL1-A_&lang=eng

The Best Talker is a Good Listener

Jeanne 1 Comment

The best talker is a good listener. Why is this so?
Everyone wants to be listened to, they love to be heard, you know.
So, if we want to be listened to, by loved ones and those we meet,
Listen with full intent, to each soul that we greet.

The next part of talking is to choose our own words well.
Bring out your own thoughts carefully and be patient with those who fail.
Pray and ask for guidance to know what we should say.
The Holy Ghost can guide us who listen and obey.

Encourage those who share with us by questions to learn more:
Like, “Tell me more.” “What happened next? or “What made you feel so sore?”
When talking with family or friends, or a stranger along the way,
A listening mind and hearing heart serves us well each day.

A simple recipe on how much to talk is 1/2 when two are there,
1/3 if 3, 1/4 if 4, and less is best to others caught in sorrow, hate or fear.
The best talker is a patient and kind listener, remember this and grow,
For we can be a truer friend when we listen with heart, mind and soul.

James 3:3-5, 13. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, withersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a fire…Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

For a 3 minute video illustrating this concept in the context of a family, go to
LDS.org
and then type in “Parenting:touching the hearts of youth” in the search bar.

Adversity

Jeanne 1 Comment

Adversity can build the muscles of each troubled soul.
Without opposition, how can we choose to grow?
We learn through pain and sorrow to have more empathy.
Persecution can turn us to prayer and deeper charity.

A redwood tree grows strong and tall, but it’s roots don’t grow so deep.
Against the wind-tossed storms of life, one lone tree finds little peace.
But as they grow together, as their roots intertwine,
No gale that blows can topple those giant redwood pine.

We choose not to stand alone through our adversity.
We turn unto our loving God and friends and family.
We pray for help and plead for strength that we may overcome,
That through our trial, we may learn true wisdom from God’s Son.

Hate, anger and bitterness cause cankers on ones’ soul.
Repentance, forgiveness and patience help our inner peace to grow.
Adversity can be good or bad, it’s up to us to choose
To grow in understanding, or let Satan light our fuse.

We choose to use adversity to humble us to God,
To strive for help through prayer and hold fast the iron rod.
We gain strength from friends and family as we let our roots entwine.
Together with Christ’s true church, adversity becomes a tool to strengthen each heart and mind.

Real faith is something that I believe takes most of us a lifetime to acquire, if we ever do at all. I find myself in the same spot of struggling with reconciling God’s will for me, and my own plans and desires. I can have faith if I feel that God will grant me my desire, but my heart tells me that isn’t real faith, that’s just expecting God to fill our orders, and that is assuming that we always know best…The video clip in the link below addresses that very problem very well, and challenges me to ask myself, “Does it really matter?”

There is a scripture in Ether 12:27 in the Book of Mormon that is quoted in the video clip. What are some of your thoughts about faith, humility and adversity?

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/topics/adversity?lang=eng&_r=1

The Divers

Jeanne 1 Comment

A couple of weeks ago I attended the funeral for my Aunt, who was the last of all my Aunts and Uncles, and it seemed like a chapter was closing. My own mortality seemed a little too close for comfort. For those of us who have finished our era of child raising, time seems to have passed alarmingly quickly. Although this can certainly be quite depressing, it also helps us to understand the importance of enjoying the present journey…not fretting about what we did or didn’t do in the past, and not being consumed with worry over what might lie ahead. My Aunt was exemplary in demonstrating the development of talents and sharing them with others. Bit by bit, she influenced many in a positive way. Her poetry has been a catalyst to me with my own writing, and especially this poem:

The would-be divers slowly climb the steps to the top
The platform
High and intimidating, bids them “Stop!”
And yet, their feet drive to the brink
And off they go,
No time to think!

We watch below and shake our heads.
This, we will never do, we said.
Unaware that we are in the line
Pressing forward all the time.

The oldest ones have gone before
One by one,
Now in our past.
Occasionally a youthful soul
Pushed through the line.
We watched, aghast.

Our steps for now are slow and gay.
We take our time.
We sing and play,
Unaware that our steady steps
Lead us higher every day,
Until, at last, we reach the top.

How the decades fled!
We are now atop.
Some feel peace, and some feel dread.
All surprised
How short the time
From bottom to the top,
A few short years, just a lifetime,
So much shorter than we thought.

Our time will come when toes grip the rim.
Our teeth and hands are clenched,
And we are shoved or nudged,
First flying, and then drenched.

Be assured, our time is coming.
Ignore the pace…the distant drumming,
Be with those who now surround us,
Else we miss the purpose of the climb.

Only as we enjoy the journey,
Will the diving be sublime!

This link is http://www.lds.org/media-library/video/feature-films/2016-10-0002-mans-search-for-happiness-1986?lang=eng a remake of my favorite short video when I was a child. I deals very effectively with the issue of “time”.

4th of July!

Jeanne 2 Comments

I woke up this morning feeling tiny pieces of excitement that I used to feel on this day. The anticipation of a loud and happy celebration. My mind went to the dozens of 4ths that I have celebrated. The cannon blast waking up the Monroe residents who dared to sleep past 7am. The crowds at the city parks. The picnics. The special treats of red, white and blue. The parades, and the music….bands and marching. The sprinklers in our front yard, a delight to the grandkids in their swim suits. Don’t forget the slip-n-slide, and the fireworks–2 varieties 1) the small on-the-sidewalk ones that delight and terrify young ones and dogs, often lit off way before dark because they will be long in bed before 2) the big ones at 10PM. Sometimes we watched the big ones from our roof, and now we drive to them, and I still feel the excitement I felt watching them launched from the city hill, very visible from our childhood back yard. This year my heart is heavy. I have no grandkids to celebrate with me this year. No squeals of delight. No sparklers. No picnic. No swim suits. And that is precisely why I am not in the mood to post a patriotic poem today! Perhaps I’ll have more time to contemplate the great gift of freedom, and the price that has been paid, and rejoice that I am so blessed to live where I do, and to have the family that I have. Today I will thank God abundantly for these amazing blessings! What will you do today?




The White Line

Jeanne 3 Comments

Thirty Four years ago, Bob brought me a small, gray stone with a narrow white line straight around the circumference. As he proposed to me, he explained that the dark gray of the rock represented the unavoidable and unpleasant darkness we encounter in life. The white line is us, traveling together in the light. I still have that little rock, and everywhere we go we are always on the lookout for dark stones with white, continuous lines. Over the years we have quite a collection. This year, on our 43rd wedding anniversary, we camped at Teton National Park. I was standing on the beach of Jackson Lake at Colter Bay, enjoying the incredible scenery of majestic mountains, abundant spring wildflowers, and the clear lake waters lapping on the shore. Soon I noticed a rock out some 15 feet or so. It caught my attention because it was dark gray with a wonderful wide white line belting it. I tried to ignore it and snap photos of the birds and mountains, but my mind kept drawing me to the rock. I considered. How far out? How deep? How cold? I’d need to wear my shoes because the small surrounding stones were apt to be sharp to walk on. I’d get very wet. Was it worth it? After intense deliberation, I finally decided that it was worth it. Bob would be immensely pleased and surprised, and so, I ventured out, shoes and all. The water was only chilly, and maybe mid-calf deep. I arrived at the rock, but suddenly realized that it was much larger now that I was close. I reached for it, but found I couldn’t even budge it, let alone carry it out. Reluctantly, I bid it farewell and returned to Bob cooking breakfast. And so the moral to the story is….? You tell me.

Well, that’s not too inspirational. For ultimate inspiration please search lds.org. There is much gold there!

Little Princess

Jeanne 1 Comment

This post is a tribute to my Dad. He was an amazing man….kind, gentle, smart, hard-working, talented, compassionate, honest, fun-loving, ever present, generous, calming, and so much more. I can still remember the day that I decided he was incredibly smart. I asked him how big, heavy airplanes can stay up in the sky. He was a gifted teacher, and explained it very well, as he did many other things from farming, to math, to the moon phases. He passed away in 1988, but his memory brings warmth to my soul and courage to my heart. The following is a song I wrote in an attempt to express my love for him:

Little princess, my princess, I know that you are.
I’ll sit on your bedside and plunk my guitar.

He called me his princess and lingered awhile.
The love there was wordless, a touch or a smile.
And when I was all grown and moved far away,
When I came home, he’d still sit on my bedside and say:

Little princess, my princess, I know that you are.
I’ll sit on your bedside and plunk my guitar.

I’ve lived by his warm touch for so many years.
His words and his music still ring in my ears.
His ways were so gentle, his smile made me glad.
I’ll always, forever, be proud of my Dad.

I miss my dear Dad and I often recall,
His words at my bedside when I was so small.
At bedtime in our house at the end of the day,
I stop by each bedside, I strum and I say:

Little princess, my princess, I know that you are.
I’ll sit on your bedside and plunk my guitar.

Forgotten Song

Jeanne 3 Comments

This has certainly been a time of an increased show of sentiment for Mothers! Family is such a powerful little group of people. Our happiness is so very tied up in the welfare of each member, and when we take the time to reflect on what we mean to each other, it is usually an emotional experience. I’m glad we take the time to do that. Being a mother is truly a supremely difficult job. My heart goes out to those who struggle with balancing family and job, and everything else that goes with life. I felt that conflict when my children were very young, and I struggled to become a song-writer.

The fleeting song was being passed from anxious heart to pen,
But the solitude was broken when chubby hands pressed in.
My thoughts were lost by curious whys.
Muffled chords were all I heard.
My toddler needed drinks and demanded an approving word.
And, in the end, I’m sad to say, the song was gone–
Unwritten and forgotten.
I felt a loss, as of a parting friend who gives no promise of return.
Perhaps the time just isn’t now for serene creative days.
No time to shape the feelings into prose or song today.
For now’s the time for gathering and storing feelings in the heart.
The day will come when silent days will release the pent-up song with uninterrupted art.
And I will talk of days gone by,
And wish for chubby hands now gone,
And miss the constant why and wheres that often stopped my song.
Oh may I see the season now as one for storing in,
That when the season comes to share, there may be something there.

A Light House

Jeanne 1 Comment

Let’s make ourselves a light house for all lost souls to see.
Our homes can radiate God’s love and set our spirits free.
Each child can share this wondrous live with friends and family.
Grand kids touch us with their light and make our lives happy.

We each can charge our inner lights, each and every day
Prayers and study of God’s words help us grow in truth’s way.
The Sabbath’s Holy sacrament helps Christ’s pure light to shine.
As we repent of all our sins, Christ helps us to refine.

Our homes will radiate with love as our lights chase hate away.
Our souls will fill with charity as we serve, fast and pray.
Let your light so shine before others, so they can see Christ’s love.
Then others will feel the pure joy that comes from up above.