Thanksgiving and Family
It's been a little while since I last updated, so I've got several somewhat unrelated things to talk about. Please bear with me.
My second eldest sister and her husband are building a house and serving as their own contractor. They're subcontracting out all the work, of course, but they've got a lot to keep track of. That's a big job in and of itself, but my sister is about eight months pregnant. They plan to move into the new house the week before she is due. Needless to say, she's having a difficult time of things. I've been trying to help out as much as I can. I babysit their two children so they can go out and get things done or just so they can have a break. Last Tuesday, I spent the night so that I could help my sister clean in anticipation of the carpet cleaners coming the next morning. She really put me to work! As a consequence, I missed The Amazing Race. Family comes before fandom, after all. In fact, my sister intended to tape it so we could both watch it, but she forgot and only got the second half hour. Bummer. But that's why I had no comments on the episode, for those of you who were waiting breathlessly for my observations about it. Sorry.
I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was lovely. I went up to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. They live about three hours' drive away from Phoenix, in northeastern Arizona. Since my youngest sister left on her mission, my youngest brother and I were the only ones coming for Thanksgiving. All the other siblings were with their in-laws or lived too far away, such as my sister in Boston. So, we had the smallest Thanksgiving my family has had in over ten years: My parents, my brother, my grandmother, Ernie, and me. (Ernie? Who's Ernie? you may ask. Well, he's an elderly gentleman without family whom my parents invited for Thanksgiving. They invited both him and his wife, but she was ill and could not come. He has a definite New Jersey accent, although he has not lived there since he was twenty-six. He's quite the character, and it was interesting to hear his life story and get to know him.)
I provided the small turkey, as my employer gave a ten-pound turkey to each of his employees. It was delicious. And, of course, Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without Grandma's noodles. Yum!
After the meal, my father asked each of us to tell a little of what we are thankful for. My grandmother started, and she turned to each person at the table and told why she was thankful for them in particular. Grandma is almost 93, and it humbles me that this gracious and kind lady has a soft spot in her heart for me. When she turned to me, she said, "What would we do without you? I don't know where we'd be without you." I choked up a bit right there.
My brother went next, and he said he was thankful for his job and for his life. It took some coaxing on my part to get my brother to come up with me in the first place, but he relented in the end. I was so glad he was there. (I even let him sleep on the better guest bed! I am such a nice older sister, aren't I?)
My mother talked about how thankful she is for our family. Although most of the family was not there, we knew they were happy and healthy and in good company on this day. My parents are empty-nesters for the first time now. They have no children living at home, but Mom said she hasn't noticed too much difference because there's been so much going on. I think the realization has not yet settled in for them. They haven't been living alone together for thirty-three years. It's a bit of a change, I expect.
My father was next, but he deferred to me. He said that as patriarch of the home, he reserved the right to go last. I had anticipated waiting through two more people before I said my piece, but the spotlight was thrust upon me suddenly by my father. (Thanks a lot, Pop.) I also said how thankful I am for my family. I have friends and acquaintances, but my sisters are my best friends. I may not always get along with them as I ought, but our relationships with each other have dramatically improved now that we've all left home. My sisters can tell me things no one else can. They can tell me when I'm messing up or when I'm wrong, and they won't offend me, because they're my sisters and I know they love me no matter what. My brothers-in-law are good men and wonderful fathers to their children. They fit in well with our crazy family. In fact, sometimes I prefer their company to that of my sisters! My brothers are good people, and the older of the two is such a good father to his little girl. He and his wife are struggling in more ways than one, but they make things work out in the end. My youngest brother has some issues, but he makes the effort to participate in family gatherings. We never want him to be on the outside looking in or to feel like he does not belong.
And then there's my sister in the MTC. I just wrote a letter to her, and the best thing I could tell her is "I'm praying for you." There is great power in prayer, and I know that my parents pray for me daily, as do most of my siblings. My family is not perfect; far from it. But, there is a quiet strength in the knowledge that they love me enough to pray for me to Someone who will always listen and understand and help. One of my favorite quotes about prayer comes from Elder John H. Groberg. (His missionary experiences in Tonga were dramatized in the movie The Other Side of Heaven. I highly recommend it.) He relates a story about his mission and how his family prayed for him. He said, "I was given to understand [...] that there are [...] circles of love and concern unbounded by time or space to which we all belong and from which we can draw strength. God does not leave us entirely alone--ever!" Later in the same talk he says:
"Remember, all that we are commanded to do in this life is patterned after that of a better life. Do you think it a strange thought that maybe part of the power of family prayer is in the fact that we are part of a heavenly family, that they are interested in us, and that by tying in with them some way we get hold of something much bigger than ourselves?
"Think of the power of the thousands of prayers of parents and grandparents and back and back even to Jacob and Isaac and Abraham and beyond, all requesting essentially the same thing: 'Bless my children. Bless my children. Bless my children.' Can you hear it as it rolls and echoes throughout all eternity?
"Let us all be part of that great power for good.
"I testify that time and space are no barriers to these righteous influences, and no matter where we are or what our situation is--even in the depths of discouragement, far from our loved ones--we too can feel and be strengthened by those soul-stirring words, 'and bless John or Jane or whomever on his or her mission,' for indeed life is a mission. We are all here on assignment to learn to love and serve one another; and we can't do this as well as we should unless we have consistent, fervent family prayer."
(You can find the full article here.)
So, I told my sister I would pray for her, and that is the greatest thing I can do for her while she is gone. I'm thankful for her and that she has made good choices in her life.
Ernie was thankful to be invited and included without hesitation in what is usually a time for family.
My father concluded by echoing my mother's and my comments on family. He said that he is most of all thankful for truth and the gospel, for it is from those two things that all of our present happiness and blessings flow.
So, we concluded our Thanksgiving with true thanks. I do not think any of us were completely dry-eyed when we were finished. I was sad to have to leave so soon, but my brother had to open at his work the next morning, so we did indeed have to drive back Thursday night.
I had a nice surprise awaiting me in the mail the next day, however. When my sister and her husband were in Hawaii for a week, my father and I babysat their two children for them. I love my niece and nephew a lot, but a full week of them was almost too much! I learned that I was a very mean and bossy aunt because I made them pick up after themselves and do the chores they were assigned to do. My sister just laughed when I told her what they were saying. Apparently, they tell her she's the worst mom ever, then ten minutes later, it's "You're the best mom ever! I love you!" Anyway, because my father and I watched her children, my sister got us each a gift certificate to Amazon.com. (I spent mine the very next day, naturally.) It was very thoughtful on her part to give us the gift certificates. Neither my father nor I anticipated any sort of gift aside from her genuine thanks. The gift was unnecessary, but a lovely thought nonetheless.
I babysit my brother's daughter every Tuesday afternoon. He works at a used media store that sells books, graphic novels, CDs, DVDs, video games, and other miscellaneous stuff. Almost every time he drops his daughter off at my apartment, he brings a gift of a book, CD, or DVD. I always assure him that the gifts are unnecessary and I would watch my little two-year-old niece regardless, but he persists in bringing me gifts. Do not get me wrong; I like the gifts, but I do not want him to feel obligated to bring them. He has even gone so far as to request a list of DVDs I want so he can watch for them! Because of him, I now own about a dozen DVDs. Before he started, I owned none. If this continues, I might actually have to get a DVD player! (I just use my roommate's DVD player for now.)
My oldest nephew just turned six* a few weeks ago, and I gave him some Star Wars music CDs because he likes the movies and he likes music in general. He's always asking his parents to skip ahead to songs he likes in the car. He wasn't too impressed with my gift at the time, but he has later informed me that he makes his parents listen to the CDs all the time in the car. I think my sister hates me now. ;) Muahahaha!
Tonight, I watched the PBS special on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was originally broadcast on Thanksgiving night. Did any of you see it? Walter Cronkite narrated it, and it was excellently done. They traced the history of the choir and why it's such a great institution. The name of the program is "America's Choir." They had various individuals who had worked with the choir talking about their experiences. John Williams, Angela Lansbury, and Sting(!) all lauded the choir with great praise. They showed the choir singing various of their signature songs and many others. I always enjoy when they sing "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "God Be With You," and "Come Thou Fount." I love "Come Thou Fount"! It is truly a lovely hymn, and the choir sings it so beautifully. Maybe I'll get the CD that goes with the program. Hmm. Too bad I already spent my Amazon gift certificate.
Whew! That's a lot! If you got through all of that, congratulations! I expect I will have some comments tomorrow about TAR, so look for another update then. I am also compiling a list of my predictions for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. If the rumors turn out to be true that it will come out in the summer of 2005, I will post my predictions soon. If not, I'll hang on to them for a bit. I don't want to make any predictions a year and a half before the book comes out!
*In the card to him, I included that great A.A. Milne poem "The End."
The End
When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three,
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever
So I think I'll be six now
Forever and ever.
My second eldest sister and her husband are building a house and serving as their own contractor. They're subcontracting out all the work, of course, but they've got a lot to keep track of. That's a big job in and of itself, but my sister is about eight months pregnant. They plan to move into the new house the week before she is due. Needless to say, she's having a difficult time of things. I've been trying to help out as much as I can. I babysit their two children so they can go out and get things done or just so they can have a break. Last Tuesday, I spent the night so that I could help my sister clean in anticipation of the carpet cleaners coming the next morning. She really put me to work! As a consequence, I missed The Amazing Race. Family comes before fandom, after all. In fact, my sister intended to tape it so we could both watch it, but she forgot and only got the second half hour. Bummer. But that's why I had no comments on the episode, for those of you who were waiting breathlessly for my observations about it. Sorry.
I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was lovely. I went up to my parents' house for Thanksgiving. They live about three hours' drive away from Phoenix, in northeastern Arizona. Since my youngest sister left on her mission, my youngest brother and I were the only ones coming for Thanksgiving. All the other siblings were with their in-laws or lived too far away, such as my sister in Boston. So, we had the smallest Thanksgiving my family has had in over ten years: My parents, my brother, my grandmother, Ernie, and me. (Ernie? Who's Ernie? you may ask. Well, he's an elderly gentleman without family whom my parents invited for Thanksgiving. They invited both him and his wife, but she was ill and could not come. He has a definite New Jersey accent, although he has not lived there since he was twenty-six. He's quite the character, and it was interesting to hear his life story and get to know him.)
I provided the small turkey, as my employer gave a ten-pound turkey to each of his employees. It was delicious. And, of course, Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving without Grandma's noodles. Yum!
After the meal, my father asked each of us to tell a little of what we are thankful for. My grandmother started, and she turned to each person at the table and told why she was thankful for them in particular. Grandma is almost 93, and it humbles me that this gracious and kind lady has a soft spot in her heart for me. When she turned to me, she said, "What would we do without you? I don't know where we'd be without you." I choked up a bit right there.
My brother went next, and he said he was thankful for his job and for his life. It took some coaxing on my part to get my brother to come up with me in the first place, but he relented in the end. I was so glad he was there. (I even let him sleep on the better guest bed! I am such a nice older sister, aren't I?)
My mother talked about how thankful she is for our family. Although most of the family was not there, we knew they were happy and healthy and in good company on this day. My parents are empty-nesters for the first time now. They have no children living at home, but Mom said she hasn't noticed too much difference because there's been so much going on. I think the realization has not yet settled in for them. They haven't been living alone together for thirty-three years. It's a bit of a change, I expect.
My father was next, but he deferred to me. He said that as patriarch of the home, he reserved the right to go last. I had anticipated waiting through two more people before I said my piece, but the spotlight was thrust upon me suddenly by my father. (Thanks a lot, Pop.) I also said how thankful I am for my family. I have friends and acquaintances, but my sisters are my best friends. I may not always get along with them as I ought, but our relationships with each other have dramatically improved now that we've all left home. My sisters can tell me things no one else can. They can tell me when I'm messing up or when I'm wrong, and they won't offend me, because they're my sisters and I know they love me no matter what. My brothers-in-law are good men and wonderful fathers to their children. They fit in well with our crazy family. In fact, sometimes I prefer their company to that of my sisters! My brothers are good people, and the older of the two is such a good father to his little girl. He and his wife are struggling in more ways than one, but they make things work out in the end. My youngest brother has some issues, but he makes the effort to participate in family gatherings. We never want him to be on the outside looking in or to feel like he does not belong.
And then there's my sister in the MTC. I just wrote a letter to her, and the best thing I could tell her is "I'm praying for you." There is great power in prayer, and I know that my parents pray for me daily, as do most of my siblings. My family is not perfect; far from it. But, there is a quiet strength in the knowledge that they love me enough to pray for me to Someone who will always listen and understand and help. One of my favorite quotes about prayer comes from Elder John H. Groberg. (His missionary experiences in Tonga were dramatized in the movie The Other Side of Heaven. I highly recommend it.) He relates a story about his mission and how his family prayed for him. He said, "I was given to understand [...] that there are [...] circles of love and concern unbounded by time or space to which we all belong and from which we can draw strength. God does not leave us entirely alone--ever!" Later in the same talk he says:
"Remember, all that we are commanded to do in this life is patterned after that of a better life. Do you think it a strange thought that maybe part of the power of family prayer is in the fact that we are part of a heavenly family, that they are interested in us, and that by tying in with them some way we get hold of something much bigger than ourselves?
"Think of the power of the thousands of prayers of parents and grandparents and back and back even to Jacob and Isaac and Abraham and beyond, all requesting essentially the same thing: 'Bless my children. Bless my children. Bless my children.' Can you hear it as it rolls and echoes throughout all eternity?
"Let us all be part of that great power for good.
"I testify that time and space are no barriers to these righteous influences, and no matter where we are or what our situation is--even in the depths of discouragement, far from our loved ones--we too can feel and be strengthened by those soul-stirring words, 'and bless John or Jane or whomever on his or her mission,' for indeed life is a mission. We are all here on assignment to learn to love and serve one another; and we can't do this as well as we should unless we have consistent, fervent family prayer."
(You can find the full article here.)
So, I told my sister I would pray for her, and that is the greatest thing I can do for her while she is gone. I'm thankful for her and that she has made good choices in her life.
Ernie was thankful to be invited and included without hesitation in what is usually a time for family.
My father concluded by echoing my mother's and my comments on family. He said that he is most of all thankful for truth and the gospel, for it is from those two things that all of our present happiness and blessings flow.
So, we concluded our Thanksgiving with true thanks. I do not think any of us were completely dry-eyed when we were finished. I was sad to have to leave so soon, but my brother had to open at his work the next morning, so we did indeed have to drive back Thursday night.
I had a nice surprise awaiting me in the mail the next day, however. When my sister and her husband were in Hawaii for a week, my father and I babysat their two children for them. I love my niece and nephew a lot, but a full week of them was almost too much! I learned that I was a very mean and bossy aunt because I made them pick up after themselves and do the chores they were assigned to do. My sister just laughed when I told her what they were saying. Apparently, they tell her she's the worst mom ever, then ten minutes later, it's "You're the best mom ever! I love you!" Anyway, because my father and I watched her children, my sister got us each a gift certificate to Amazon.com. (I spent mine the very next day, naturally.) It was very thoughtful on her part to give us the gift certificates. Neither my father nor I anticipated any sort of gift aside from her genuine thanks. The gift was unnecessary, but a lovely thought nonetheless.
I babysit my brother's daughter every Tuesday afternoon. He works at a used media store that sells books, graphic novels, CDs, DVDs, video games, and other miscellaneous stuff. Almost every time he drops his daughter off at my apartment, he brings a gift of a book, CD, or DVD. I always assure him that the gifts are unnecessary and I would watch my little two-year-old niece regardless, but he persists in bringing me gifts. Do not get me wrong; I like the gifts, but I do not want him to feel obligated to bring them. He has even gone so far as to request a list of DVDs I want so he can watch for them! Because of him, I now own about a dozen DVDs. Before he started, I owned none. If this continues, I might actually have to get a DVD player! (I just use my roommate's DVD player for now.)
My oldest nephew just turned six* a few weeks ago, and I gave him some Star Wars music CDs because he likes the movies and he likes music in general. He's always asking his parents to skip ahead to songs he likes in the car. He wasn't too impressed with my gift at the time, but he has later informed me that he makes his parents listen to the CDs all the time in the car. I think my sister hates me now. ;) Muahahaha!
Tonight, I watched the PBS special on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. It was originally broadcast on Thanksgiving night. Did any of you see it? Walter Cronkite narrated it, and it was excellently done. They traced the history of the choir and why it's such a great institution. The name of the program is "America's Choir." They had various individuals who had worked with the choir talking about their experiences. John Williams, Angela Lansbury, and Sting(!) all lauded the choir with great praise. They showed the choir singing various of their signature songs and many others. I always enjoy when they sing "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "God Be With You," and "Come Thou Fount." I love "Come Thou Fount"! It is truly a lovely hymn, and the choir sings it so beautifully. Maybe I'll get the CD that goes with the program. Hmm. Too bad I already spent my Amazon gift certificate.
Whew! That's a lot! If you got through all of that, congratulations! I expect I will have some comments tomorrow about TAR, so look for another update then. I am also compiling a list of my predictions for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. If the rumors turn out to be true that it will come out in the summer of 2005, I will post my predictions soon. If not, I'll hang on to them for a bit. I don't want to make any predictions a year and a half before the book comes out!
*In the card to him, I included that great A.A. Milne poem "The End."
The End
When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three,
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever
So I think I'll be six now
Forever and ever.