CAN'T IGNORE....

WITH THIS THOUGHT ALSO GOES MY HEART FELT FEELING FOR THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS WHO ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF  UNKNOWN HAPPENING...... A WEEK OF RAIN AND TORNADO'S.......ALL THE NEWS IS RESCUING THOSE POOR PEOPLE WHO WAKE UP WITH THEIR HOMES FLOODED......YES, THE WORLD IS WICKED AND THE LORD IS SENDING US A MESSAGE.....DO WE GET  IT?????  HISTORY IS BEING MADE.....

DID YOU EVER WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO GO TO THE BATHROOM......THEN CAN'T GO BACK TO SLEEP?  WHAT I NEED TO DO IS MAKE A LIST OF THINGS TO THINK ABOUT TO PUT ME BACK TO SLEEP.....LIKE ROAD TRIPS,  WHY I LOVE TO SHOP AND MY SISTERS DIDN'T, WHY ALL I WANT TO DO ANYMORE IS SLEEP........AND ON AND  ON.  I REMEMBER SITTING FOR HOURS LOOKING AT THE SEARS ROEBUCK AND MONTGOMERY WARDS CATALOGUES THAT CAME TWICE A YEAR......MY START FOR SHOPPING I GUESS.  OF COURSE I HAVE TAUGHT MY KIDS AND GRANDKIDS ABOUT IT......AND CALL IT "RETAIL THERAPY!"

YESTERDAY KEN WANTED TO GO TO THE DI AND THE SAVERS......BOTH GOOD JUNK STORES......HE IS LEARNING.

THE REASON WHY.....

THIS TIDY LITTLE BUNCH IS MY FAMILY........MY BEGINNING.

MY PARENTS ARE THE REASON "WHY I AM".......... AND "WHO I AM".....

YOU DON'T QUESTION WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG WHY AM I A MORMON OR WHY AM I A REPUBLICAN.......YOU ARE BECAUSE YOU ARE WHAT YOUR PARENTS WERE AND THEY WERE WHAT THEIR PARENTS WERE   ETC.......JUST LIFE........AND THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF OUR LIVES WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T CHANGE THINGS.

I WAS ALWAYS SO PROUD OF MY FAMILY......THREE LITTLE SISTERS.....JOAN, DIXIE LEE AND LESLIE RUTH AND THEN FINALLY JIMMY DICK........A BABY BROTHER......!  A WONDERFUL GRANDMA AND GRANDPA GOFF A BLOCK UP THE STREET.....A SMALL TOWN WHERE I KNEW EVERYONE AND GREW UP SAFE AND HAPPY AND KINDA POOR......WHICH I WAS NOT AWARE OF??  MANY PEOPLE HAVE REALIZED IF THEY ARE LOVED.....POOR DOESN'T COUNT!!!!!

NOW DAYS I WATCH MY GRANDCHILDREN WADE THROUGH MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE OR JUST SHACKING UP.....AND MY HEART BLEEDS FOR THEM.......THEY ARE FACING SO MANY MORE TESTS IN LIFE THAN I HAD.........BUT THEY ARE PART ME AND THEY WILL SURVIVE.........I HAVE BECAUSE OF TWO WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT ME TO THIS EARTH...... AND SIBLINGS WHO WERE ALWAYS THERE FOR ME........THANKS DICK AND HAZEL YEOMANS.

WITH OR WITHOUT........?

WELL, I'T'S SUNDAY AGAIN.........

KEN AND I WENT TO CHURCH THIS MORNING......WELL, I AM NOT SURE IF IT IS BEST TO WEAR YOUR HEARING AIDS SO YOU CAN HEAR THE SPEAKERS.....BECAUSE I ALWAYS SIT IN THE VERY BACK ROW......SO I CAN ESCAPE WITHOUT SOMEONE ASKING ME TO DO A JOB....OR NOT WEARING THEM SO I CAN'T HEAR ALL THE BABIES CRYING....WHO HAVE DEAF PARENTS...... IN PRACTICALLY EVERY ROW IN CHURCH TODAY.......I AM DONE!!!  ONE OF THE LONGEST CHURCH SERVICES I HAVE BEEN TO LATELY,,,,,,,,

I AM STRUGGLING TO FIND MY PATH......GROWING UP I DID NOT HANG OUT WITH THE FEW MORMON KIDS IN TOWN.......ONLY THE METHODISTS.   THEN WHEN I GOT MARRIED IT SEEMED SO MANY OF OUR FRIENDS WERE LUTHERAN, JACK MORMON OR NOTHING.......THE KIDS WERE BAPTIZED BY THE FAMILY....AND THEY WENT TO PRIMARY AND SUNDAY SCHOOL ....BUT?  THEN WHEN DON WALKED OUT AFTER 30 YEARS OF MARRIAGE......I WAS ANGRY AT THE CHURCH....SO WAS INACTIVE....AND NOW I DO A LOT OF WONDERING.......\

I RESPECT EVERY RELIGION FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE.......WHY DO I ALWAYS HAVE JEWISH NEIGHBORS?.......I HAVE BEEN INVITED TO A JEWISH CIRCUMCISE ON A CARD TABLE IN  MY NEIGHBORS  BASEMENT WHEN THE BABY WAS 8 DAYS OLD..... WHEN I LIVED ON MADRID ST........THE MOTHER CRIED......THE BABY HOWLED.....AND THE WITNESSES DRANK WINE????  MY JEWISH NEIGHBORS DR. MORT AND DIANE STENCHEVER ON LAURI KAY DRIVE INVITED ME TO A BARMETSHIA FOR ONE OF THEIR SONS......HE HAD MEMORIZED A LONG THING......THEN WE HAD A PARTY!!! MY JEWISH NEIGHBOR AUDREY NEVER HAD A CHRISTMAS TREE.....BUT TAUGHT MY KIDS HOW TO PLAY DROODLE AND LIGHT THE MENORAH..... AND WHY DO JEWS WEAR THAT THAT LITTLE SKULL CAP.....I GUESS THE SAME REASON MORMONS WEAR THOSE GARMENTS?

NONE OF THIS HAS EVER BOTHERED ME.....I FELT LUCKY TO BE INCLUDED IN SUCH SACRED CEREMONIES OF OTHER CULTURES.....AND YOU CAN NEVER LEARN TO MUCH.  I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THEM......BUT MAYBE SOMEDAY.

AND MAYBE NEXT SUNDAY.......NO HEARING AIDS!!!!!

I DON'T UNDERSTAND......

I LOVE THIS PRAYER........

MY FAMILY CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY I DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THE TEMPLE.........SEEMS TO ME....IT IS JUST A THING YOU DO SO YOU CAN BRAG YOU HAVE DONE IT.......I HAVE NO PARTNER TO RETURN TO OR WITH......AND THERE WILL BE NICE PEOPLE WHERE EVER I END UP.....I AM SURE.  AT 85 HOW BAD CAN IT BE TO HAVE A CUP OF COFFEE OR A GLASS OF WINE ......A COUPLE OF THE ENJOYMENTS I HAVE LEFT AT THIS AGE........AND IF I GO THROUGH THE TEMPLE I HAVE TO PROMISE GOD I WILL NOT DO THAT ANYMORE.....TOO MANY PEOPLE I KNOW HAVE GONE THROUGH THE TEMPLE .......THEN TOOK OFF THEIR GARMENTS WHEN CONVENIENT TO WEAR A FANCY DRESS.....DRINK COKE BY THE GALLON ETC.   IF I DON'T PROMISE GOD......THEN AT LEAST I AM NOT BREAKING A VOW.....PLUS THE PROMISE.

ECCLESIASTES 5:4-5

WHEN THOU VOWEST A VOW UNTO GOD AND DEFER NOT TO PAY THAT WHICH THOU HAS VOWED.....BETTER IT IS THAT THOU SHOULDEST NOT VOW, THAN THAT VOW SHOULD VOW AND NOT PAY.

FOR SOME REASON........THIS IS WHERE I AM STUCK......I GUESS ALL I CAN DO IS JUST KEEP PRAYING FOR THE ANSWER........(this has been on my mind for a long time and every time someone thinks i need to go through the Temple.)

GOT THE INVITATION TODAY.......

LOVE THIS BOY.....BRAYDEN.  WE SPENT SUCH QUALITY TIME LAST YEAR WHILE HE ATTENDED LDS BUSINESS SCHOOL.   WEDNESDAYS WERE LAUNDRY NIGHT AND WE COOKED DINNER AND TALKED OF HIS DREAMS AND GOALS.......THEN HE WENT HOME TO VERNAL FOR THE SUMMER AND MET LIBBY SLAUGH......JUST BACK FROM A LDS MISSION IN MALAYSIA.......AND THE REST IS HISTORY.

THE WEDDING INVITATION CAME TODAY......THREE WEEKS OFF.  THEY WILL BE MARRIED IN THE VERNAL TEMPLE WITH THE RECEPTIONS IN CHISTENSON'S BACK YARD.......SHERRIE HAS BEEN MIGHTY BUSY, BUT IS GETTING A GIRL IN THE FAMILY...C0NGRATULATIONS YOU TWO.

BEEN THERE DONE THAT......

WELL, WE FINALLY GOT AN ECLIPSE CLOSE ENOUGH TO HOME FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY.......MANY DROVE MILES, TRAFFIC JAMS, SHORTAGES OF GAS AND WATER AND PLACES TO STAY......BUT MANY WERE DETERMINED.  ABOUT 30 YEARS AGO I SAW ONE IN MALAYSIA.....KOTO KINA BOUTA.  I WAS ON MY FIRST CRUISE WITH NADINE LYNGLE AND WE STOOD ON THE SHIPS DECK.......GLASSES ON.....AND WHAT AN ERRIE FEELING.......THIS ONE........ I TURNED ON TV AND SAT BACK.......TRUTHFULLY WAS NOT QUIET THE SAME.  I WON'T BE AROUND FOR THE NEXT ONE FORECAST IN THE US......BUT I CAN CHECK IT OFF MY BUCKET LIST ANYWAY.

FINALLY.......

A HAPPY GROUP AT THE SPAGHETTI FACTORY........WHERE WE ALWAYS CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS.......I DON'T KNOW HOW HAPPY PAM IS TO BE 60.......BUT WE REALLY HAD A GOOD TIME.   ANY PARTY WHERE I GET TO LOVE MY GREAT-GRANDSON IS A SUCCESS.

THEN PAM AND ROB WERE OFF THE NEXT DAY TO  FISHING LODGE IN DRIGGS, IDAHO.......FOR HER BDAY.  HE SURPRISED HER WITH 60 RED ROSES, A SPA DAY AND LUNCH WITH TWO GOOD FRIENDS.......WHILE HE FISHED!  THEY ALSO TOOK IN THE ECLIPSE ALONG WITH HUNDREDS OF OTHERS IN DRIGGS.   I TENDED BREE.