Happy Birthday Angela!

 

   One of the joys of

         having a son

               is having a

          daughter-in-law

                like you!

On the Road

Missing Limbs.  I recently had some especially interesting and enjoyable experiences.  I keep thinking that I will probably stop driving pretty soon as I accomplished my goal of paying Uncle Sam but then I have a week like this and I wish I could drive forever!  It started when I picked up a ride in Tempe.  She was a beautiful young woman in her mid 20’s who came out of the facility in a wheel chair.  I carry cold water bottles in my car to offer to my passengers because of the hot weather here and so I offered her one.  She declined and said that she was so hungry she felt sick.  I’m not suppose to stop once the trip begins but I decided that she needed something to eat more than a hurried trip home so I pulled into a Jack-in-the-Box and bought her some lunch.  As we visited, she told me how she lost her leg beneath her knee.  After a violent attack the man threw her to the ground and her leg was underneath her body.  Before someone found her the nerves in her lower leg were so damaged that she ended up having to have it amputated.  I felt honored to be able to share some time with her.  In that same day I picked up a ride in Phoenix.  She told me that she was born without an eye and only has vision in the other one.  She was at an eye doctor when I picked her up and she was so excited because she had found out that she had glaucoma but it was treatable so she wouldn’t lose vision in her other eye.  She told me that she volunteers at the School for the Blind to help other people deal with their vision loss.  The next day I picked up a lady in Mesa and drove her 45 minutes away to north west Phoenix.  She too had lost her lower leg and had been at a doctor’s appointment where they were fixing the nerve endings where the prosthesis connects to her leg.  I don’t know how she lost her leg but was touched by the story she told of her 16-year-old son who passed away after a long battle with cancer.  Each of those women were so inspiring as they shared a glimpse of tragedy without dwelling on their loss but on the hope, they had, that everything would be okay.  “I cried because I had not shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.”  How honored I am to learn such important lessons from others who have experiences I have a hard time even comprehending.  

Graham--6 Years Old

 

Unbalanced

I have had many impressions lately that my life needs to be more in balance.  It became out of balance as I was no longer a wife to a husband who needed me day and night.  It became so when I needed to get out of the house each day and work.  It was out of balance as I have had to learn how to be alone.  It had been out of balance when I met people each day who were in my car for a short amount of time and yet in those brief moments I wanted to tell them that I cared about them even if I couldn't remove the trials they dealt with each day.  

President Nelson taught a group of children the following when he was asked, "Is it hard to be a Prophet?  Are you like, really busy?  He told the little girl, “Of course it’s hard. Everything to do with becoming more like the Savior is difficult. For example, when God wanted to give the Ten Commandments to Moses, where did He tell Moses to go? Up on top of a mountain, on the top of Mount Sinai. So Moses had to walk all the way up to the top of that mountain to get the Ten Commandments. Now, Heavenly Father could have said, ‘Moses, you start there, and I’ll start here, and I’ll meet you halfway.’ No, the Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it."

As I have thought about my life that seemed to be out of balance, I needed to remember what President Nelson taught those children.  And although I sometimes feel like I should be doing more, I also feel wonderful when perspectives gives me a better definition of balance.  I am being reminded that it isn't what I lack.  It's recognizing what I am doing right.  It's the importance of sometimes looking at our lives, focusing on what may seem to be off balance but feeling grateful that we can recognize where we're lacking, and then figure out how to make it better.  And the best part of all of this is knowing that the Lord loves effort!

Schools in Session

 

Northern CA & Southern OR

Another camping and exploring trip for the California Duncans!  This time they  headed north and it sounds like it was a great trip with loads of things to see and do. Another Junior Ranger Badge, some serious tree climbing, driftwood buildings, sea creatures, insects, a hungry lion, good books to read, Paul Bunyan and friends, beach time, berries and yummy ice cream.

 

Blanding, Utah!

Last weekend Lincoln and I drove my much missed neighbor Robyn and her son Grayson to Utah.  Grayson's grandpa sold him his old pick-up truck and so we drove them up and spent a few days exploring some beautiful country.  On Monday we followed them and the truck back to the valley.  I am completely convinced that the only way to travel at my age is to have grandkids who are amazingly kind and know how to get me from point A to point B.  While in the area Lincoln and I visited the Monticello Temple then went to Moab.  While there we drove along the Colorado river and were awed by the beautiful cliffs, rock formations, and breathtaking views.  We also visited a museum there.  For me the highlight was finding a McDonalds so I could get my daily diet coke!  On the way back from Moab we stopped at a very unique (and for me--kind of creepy} place called Hole in the Wall,   A man and his wife literally cut out a large part of the mountain and opened a restaurant in one part of it and a home in the other.  It was about 2700 square feet.  Although it was interesting to see, I have to admit my anxiety level grew as we walked around their home.  I was extremely grateful to walk out into the fresh air and the light again.  You have to be very unique to live like that and especially when you realize that much of the chipping away was done by picks and shovels.  We also went to the town of Bluff and visited an amazing re-creation of Bluff Fort where the pioneer Saints went to colonize the area and make a home for their families.  It was so interesting and well done.  We enjoyed a movie in a very old movie theatre in Blanding,  We attended church on Sunday and met many very friendly people who made us feel welcome.  After having breakfast before church with Robyn and Grayson and lunch after church with Brother and Sister Shumway (Robyn's mom and dad) Lincoln and I drove over to Colorado.  We visited the Mesa Verde National Park and saw a number of cliff dwellings and other unique places that were developed by the ancient Pueblo people.  It was a wonderful way to finish out the day.  We left for home on Monday morning and stopped in Kayenta, AZ at a Burger King.  We stopped there to see a little museum in the restaurant dedicated to the Code Talkers.  It was a beautiful tribute to those who stepped up and kept the Japanese from being able to break the codes that were being given to the soldier in the area.  I hope Lincoln enjoyed the time we spent together as much as I did.  Sister Shumway told Robyn that I must be a really good grandma because she didn't think any of her grandkids would want to go traveling with her.  I'm sure she is a great grandmother but she probably doesn't have so many wonderful and generous grandkids as I have!

France

Meet the Teachers

Jane, Eden, and Graham start school this week.  On Friday Eden and Graham  went to school to meet their new teachers.  Jane will be a sophomore this year.  Eden a third grader and Graham will be in first grade.  Duncan is going to another school and he gets a couple of more weeks before he starts.  He is now in Junior High.

Good Samaritans!

Last weekend Perry and Katie went to the Flaming Gorge area in Wyoming to scuba dive with some other enthusiasts.  On the trip up there, he and Katie witnessed a motorcycle rider decide that those ahead of him were going to slow so he pulled out of the traffic line and sped up to get ahead of the other drivers.  Unfortunately for him, the reason for the slowdown turned left onto a side road just as the impatient motorcyclist approached.  Fortunately, Perry and Katie were there to offer aid.  Perry had taken an EMT training course while he was still at BYU and Katie of course is a trained CMA.  Perry grabbed his first aid kit and he and Katie took care of the injured motorcycle rider until an ambulance arrived.  I am so grateful they were there to render aid to someone in need.  

I also hope all of you know why you should never buy a motorcycle!!!!

Happy Birthday Andy!

48 Years Old 

I may not be the perfect mom, but when I look at my sons I know that I got some things in my life perfectly right.