What Is This Thing That Men Call Death?
What is this thing that men call death?Gordon B. Hinckley
This quiet passing in the night?
‘Tis not the end but genesis
Of better worlds and greater light
O God, touch Thou my aching heart
And calm my troubled, haunting fears
Let hope and faith, transcendent, pure
Give strength and peace beyond my tears.
There is no death, but only change
With recompense for vict’ry won
The gift of Him who loved all men
The Son of God, the Holy One.
It seams that the past 8 month we have been involved with funerals of family and friends. I love the poem by President Hinckley, it is very comforting. Besides my parents passing this summer and fall we have had 3 other funerals in the past few months. I mentioned one in an earlier blog and we have had two more recently. Sister Morris that I told about in the last blog and then the mother of an investigator passed away this past week. Life is very fragil and we need to love and appreciate those around us and enjoy their presence. I love the song, God be with You. The wonderful part of the gospel is that we will all meet again. That is part of the plan. Death is only a new beginning. President Monson said: “I declare my personal witness that death has been conquered, victory
over the tomb has been won. May the words made sacred by Him who
fulfilled them become actual knowledge to all. Remember them. Cherish
them. Honor them. He is risen.”
As my sweet friend said before her passing. I know where I am going and I know who I am meeting. I will meet him with a smile. She understood the plan. She was ready to meet her Savior.
We send our love and thoughts to our dear friends John and Carol Jarman and Lynn and Maxine Droge. How fortunate we are to have the knowledge of the Saviors plan and to be a part of His plan as members of the restored church. We love you and hope that you will continue to receive comfort from Him and those who love you.
On February 16, we had a couples activity at Heritage Park. Paul and I had been asked to plan it. We had each couple bring a part of the lunch and a game to play. The morning of the activity it was warm and sunny, but as the day progressed it got cooler and the wind blew. We all just about froze to death. After a few get to know you games and lunch we retired to a little church beside our picnic area and played some more games and sang some songs. It was a very enjoyable day. I think everyone had a good time despite the weather. After everyone else left, Paul and I finished cleaning up and we stayed and walked through the park to see some of the buildings we missed the day we check the place out. It has a lot of history of St. Pete.
We took little William Morris to Busch Gardens to try to take his mind off of all that was going on with his mom. We had a great time. He started to call us grandma and grandpa that day. We loved having him with us. We saw a couple of fun shows. An Ice show and the animal critter show. William seemed to enjoy it all. We saw huge alligators, kangaroos, and I even rode the "little" roller-coaster with him. When we got on and were beginning to go, William looked up at me and said "I don't think I want to go". Too late. But he loved it. It only lasted about 10-15 seconds. When we had lunch he put away a lot of pizza. We ate at a pizza buffet and he loved every bite.
I've started to teach a young 18 year old girl who is planning on going on a mission in a year. I had brought along my keyboard and we sold it to her for a nominal fee. I now teach her piano lessons and hope that she will become somewhat proficient at it in the next year. When I first met her in Seminary I didn't think that she spoke any English. She was so quiet but as time has gone on we were able to get her to participate in reading scriptures. Her English is pretty good. As we've gotten to know each other she has relaxed and is more talkative and open with me and we have a great time at her lessons. I really enjoy teaching her.
A young couple in our ward, Todd and Nicole, were married by the Bishop on Feb. 22nd. They had asked me to play the piano and provide any music that may be needed. I played some hymns before the wedding and then hooked up my galaxy player and played some love songs I had on it. He is a member and she is investigating the church. I really think that she is going to join, eventually, but she still has a few issues with some of the doctrine that she says conflicts with her old beliefs. But she is in church every Sunday. I'm sure when she joins she will be a strong member of the ward. She and Todd will bless this ward with their talents and abilities. After the wedding they had a light luncheon provided by the R.S. and then they did some dress up activity. A little different than what we are used to. But the Elders really got into it. Someone brought a large bin with all kinds of dress up accessories. The backdrop was for the professional photographer.
On the 23rd we had Ward Conference. It was a really good day. We had our Stake Presidency and other leaders speak to us in all of our meetings. Our Stake President left a blessing on each of us that were in the PEC meeting before church began. He named every person in the room, individually, and pronounced a blessing upon them. It was a very spiritual experience. The theme for the day centered around missionary work and the Temple. Ever since we have been here missionary work has been very important to our leaders both in our ward and stake. In April they are going to have a stake Temple day where the youth have been challenged to have 300 names or more to take to the temple. Also, Sister Mazey, who was baptized last March will receive her endowment and Sister Fleck will be sealed to her husband who passed away a little over a year ago. Lots of good things will be happening that day. Just after Sunday School I looked at Paul and his upper lip was swollen up to double - no - triple it's size. He looked really funny. We're not sure what caused it because he didn't have an insect bite or a cut or sore on his lip. It stayed swollen most of the morning and then gradually returned to it's normal size by the next morning. I would include the picture I took but I don't think he would want me to. It just doesn't look like him. After our conference, we served the leaders a light lunch before the rest of their afternoon meetings.
Two weeks ago I finished my Cabin picture and then did a card to try my hand at small things. I am now working on a watercolor pencil rose. It will be interesting to see how it will turn out.
This past week we had inspections for the missionaries apartments in preparation for transfers which was last Tuesday. After our District Meeting I took some pictures as I usually do of our District. There was a canoe on the stage and we used it as our prop as you will see.
On Saturday, March 2nd, we finally had the funeral of our friend, Sandra Morris. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. When we were preparing for the funeral I told Jeff to bring some of the things that were special to her and that showed her talents. She was an artist. He collected a few things and we made a table arrangement in the foyer. There was no casket because her remains were cremated and so we just had a little table with the Urn on it with some flowers. I was asked to play the piano and Paul gave a good talk on the plan of Salvation. Jeff, her husband, talked about Sandra and her life. The Bishop spoke and then when it was all over and people were up and walking out of the chapel, little William asked if he could talk. It surprised everyone. He thanked some of his friends that came and also Sandra's best friend, Lisa, who is very close to the family. He spoke of appreciation for those that came and commented on his love for his mom and dad. It was so sweet. He is a special little boy.
On Monday morning at 9 am we met at the VA National Cemetary and had a graveside service. Paul was asked to dedicate the grave.
It was finally closer for this little family that has struggled for so long and then had to wait two more weeks to bring things to a final close.
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We also had our car washed by the youth of our ward that morning. On our way to the funeral we stopped and they enthusiastically gave our car a once over. When we got there it was still early morning and overcast and trying to rain. The kids were glad to have the work.
Following the graveside we went to our investigator's mother's funeral. It was at at Giles Episcopalian Church. The ceremony was filled with recitation and music. It was different from the funeral we had on Saturday. They actually buried her first and then had the funeral. A luncheon followed that they called it a celebration of life.
We are now officially out of our ward building for the next three months. We are getting new windows, bathrooms, parking lot and a few other new things. It is a much longer drive for those of us in the north end of the ward. Gulfport is in the southern most part of St. Pete. We have been there now for two weeks and it is working out very well. We share Sunday School and Priesthood/RS meetings and then we each have our own Sacrament meetings. Because neither ward is bursting at its seams, there is plenty of room for all of us.
In looking for a member of our ward we met a young cuban girl. The person we were looking for had moved out and she had moved in. We talked to her for a while and discovered she believed in Jesus Christ and that she would be interested in having the missionaries come and teach her. She seemed very interested and humble. I pray that no one discourages her before we can get the Elders there and start teaching her. Hopefully we will have something to report next blog.
Friday we went to the Strawberry Festival. It was a fun and enjoyable day. We watched a couple of shows and walked through all the exhibits. Everywhere you went there were strawberry shakes, strawberry shortcake, strawberry ice cream, strawberry eclairs, and more. Mmmm. Paul and I chose an eclair to sink our teeth in. It was delicious.
We returned in time for the Stake Youth Luau. It was a fundraiser for our youth who are going to Palmyra and the Hill Cumorah this summer. When we got there we met a sister from Farmington, Bev Graham whose daughter is the Stake YW Pres. Small world.
As my sweet friend said before her passing. I know where I am going and I know who I am meeting. I will meet him with a smile. She understood the plan. She was ready to meet her Savior.
We send our love and thoughts to our dear friends John and Carol Jarman and Lynn and Maxine Droge. How fortunate we are to have the knowledge of the Saviors plan and to be a part of His plan as members of the restored church. We love you and hope that you will continue to receive comfort from Him and those who love you.
On February 16, we had a couples activity at Heritage Park. Paul and I had been asked to plan it. We had each couple bring a part of the lunch and a game to play. The morning of the activity it was warm and sunny, but as the day progressed it got cooler and the wind blew. We all just about froze to death. After a few get to know you games and lunch we retired to a little church beside our picnic area and played some more games and sang some songs. It was a very enjoyable day. I think everyone had a good time despite the weather. After everyone else left, Paul and I finished cleaning up and we stayed and walked through the park to see some of the buildings we missed the day we check the place out. It has a lot of history of St. Pete.
Sister Keys - always smiling.
Sister Satchel telling about herself. She has the cutest sense of humor-everyone loves her. She has since gone home.
Paul conducting a get to know you game
Elder Satchel
Singing some fun kid songs-Hokey Pokey, Three Blind Mice, Bingo, etc.
The President's birthday was on the 14th and so we celebrated. We couldn't light the candles, it was too windy.
Baby it's cold outside!
The sun finally came out to warm things up. Senior couples from the Tampa Florida Mission
In front of the Old School House.
We took little William Morris to Busch Gardens to try to take his mind off of all that was going on with his mom. We had a great time. He started to call us grandma and grandpa that day. We loved having him with us. We saw a couple of fun shows. An Ice show and the animal critter show. William seemed to enjoy it all. We saw huge alligators, kangaroos, and I even rode the "little" roller-coaster with him. When we got on and were beginning to go, William looked up at me and said "I don't think I want to go". Too late. But he loved it. It only lasted about 10-15 seconds. When we had lunch he put away a lot of pizza. We ate at a pizza buffet and he loved every bite.
Let the fun begin.
William Morris
Beautiful Flamingos
I told William to put his head through and pet the Kangaroos. He did and couldn't get his head back through as easily as it went in.
I think he got caught up on his ears on the way back through
We were both screaming at this point
William had a ball in the blow up trampoline
I think this is my favorite picture.
I've started to teach a young 18 year old girl who is planning on going on a mission in a year. I had brought along my keyboard and we sold it to her for a nominal fee. I now teach her piano lessons and hope that she will become somewhat proficient at it in the next year. When I first met her in Seminary I didn't think that she spoke any English. She was so quiet but as time has gone on we were able to get her to participate in reading scriptures. Her English is pretty good. As we've gotten to know each other she has relaxed and is more talkative and open with me and we have a great time at her lessons. I really enjoy teaching her.
This was at our scripture chase activity a few weeks ago.
A young couple in our ward, Todd and Nicole, were married by the Bishop on Feb. 22nd. They had asked me to play the piano and provide any music that may be needed. I played some hymns before the wedding and then hooked up my galaxy player and played some love songs I had on it. He is a member and she is investigating the church. I really think that she is going to join, eventually, but she still has a few issues with some of the doctrine that she says conflicts with her old beliefs. But she is in church every Sunday. I'm sure when she joins she will be a strong member of the ward. She and Todd will bless this ward with their talents and abilities. After the wedding they had a light luncheon provided by the R.S. and then they did some dress up activity. A little different than what we are used to. But the Elders really got into it. Someone brought a large bin with all kinds of dress up accessories. The backdrop was for the professional photographer.
The Rings
The Happy Couple
Goofing off
The Elders presenting her with a Book of Mormon
On the 23rd we had Ward Conference. It was a really good day. We had our Stake Presidency and other leaders speak to us in all of our meetings. Our Stake President left a blessing on each of us that were in the PEC meeting before church began. He named every person in the room, individually, and pronounced a blessing upon them. It was a very spiritual experience. The theme for the day centered around missionary work and the Temple. Ever since we have been here missionary work has been very important to our leaders both in our ward and stake. In April they are going to have a stake Temple day where the youth have been challenged to have 300 names or more to take to the temple. Also, Sister Mazey, who was baptized last March will receive her endowment and Sister Fleck will be sealed to her husband who passed away a little over a year ago. Lots of good things will be happening that day. Just after Sunday School I looked at Paul and his upper lip was swollen up to double - no - triple it's size. He looked really funny. We're not sure what caused it because he didn't have an insect bite or a cut or sore on his lip. It stayed swollen most of the morning and then gradually returned to it's normal size by the next morning. I would include the picture I took but I don't think he would want me to. It just doesn't look like him. After our conference, we served the leaders a light lunch before the rest of their afternoon meetings.
Two weeks ago I finished my Cabin picture and then did a card to try my hand at small things. I am now working on a watercolor pencil rose. It will be interesting to see how it will turn out.
This card is pencil and colored pencil
We got two new Sisters (Hermanas) in our district. The two blonds.
Elder Farnsworth and our new Elder Sholler. He was born in Russia and adopted and brought to the states when he was three.
Elders Walker and Smith came to the door wearing the eyepiece and mustache. I asked what the occasion was and they said that they just wanted to make these and wear them today. There is never a dull moment with the Elders!
On Saturday, March 2nd, we finally had the funeral of our friend, Sandra Morris. It turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day. When we were preparing for the funeral I told Jeff to bring some of the things that were special to her and that showed her talents. She was an artist. He collected a few things and we made a table arrangement in the foyer. There was no casket because her remains were cremated and so we just had a little table with the Urn on it with some flowers. I was asked to play the piano and Paul gave a good talk on the plan of Salvation. Jeff, her husband, talked about Sandra and her life. The Bishop spoke and then when it was all over and people were up and walking out of the chapel, little William asked if he could talk. It surprised everyone. He thanked some of his friends that came and also Sandra's best friend, Lisa, who is very close to the family. He spoke of appreciation for those that came and commented on his love for his mom and dad. It was so sweet. He is a special little boy.
On Monday morning at 9 am we met at the VA National Cemetary and had a graveside service. Paul was asked to dedicate the grave.
It was finally closer for this little family that has struggled for so long and then had to wait two more weeks to bring things to a final close.
This is the only picture of have of their family that I have.
Sandy was a horse lover and rode a good portion of her life. She was also an artist. She drew the picture of her little dog. It is called scratch painting or art. Her artwork was amazing. Very detailed.
Luncheon
Brother Kennedy on the left. Second Counselor in the Bishopric
William, on left, loves to play basketball. He and Paul always play when we go visit.
Jeff and William Morris
Lisa, on the left, and Sandra were best friends for 50 years.
.JPG)
Bishop Bangerter, Sister Jameson, Jeff, William, Lisa, Paul, Sister and Brother Hillis
We also had our car washed by the youth of our ward that morning. On our way to the funeral we stopped and they enthusiastically gave our car a once over. When we got there it was still early morning and overcast and trying to rain. The kids were glad to have the work.
Following the graveside we went to our investigator's mother's funeral. It was at at Giles Episcopalian Church. The ceremony was filled with recitation and music. It was different from the funeral we had on Saturday. They actually buried her first and then had the funeral. A luncheon followed that they called it a celebration of life.
We are now officially out of our ward building for the next three months. We are getting new windows, bathrooms, parking lot and a few other new things. It is a much longer drive for those of us in the north end of the ward. Gulfport is in the southern most part of St. Pete. We have been there now for two weeks and it is working out very well. We share Sunday School and Priesthood/RS meetings and then we each have our own Sacrament meetings. Because neither ward is bursting at its seams, there is plenty of room for all of us.
In looking for a member of our ward we met a young cuban girl. The person we were looking for had moved out and she had moved in. We talked to her for a while and discovered she believed in Jesus Christ and that she would be interested in having the missionaries come and teach her. She seemed very interested and humble. I pray that no one discourages her before we can get the Elders there and start teaching her. Hopefully we will have something to report next blog.
Friday we went to the Strawberry Festival. It was a fun and enjoyable day. We watched a couple of shows and walked through all the exhibits. Everywhere you went there were strawberry shakes, strawberry shortcake, strawberry ice cream, strawberry eclairs, and more. Mmmm. Paul and I chose an eclair to sink our teeth in. It was delicious.
We took this picture for our grandson, Tristan. It is a cake.
A dragon cake
And, of course, a golf cake
Mmmm! It sure was good.
We returned in time for the Stake Youth Luau. It was a fundraiser for our youth who are going to Palmyra and the Hill Cumorah this summer. When we got there we met a sister from Farmington, Bev Graham whose daughter is the Stake YW Pres. Small world.
This was a money dance. While the girls danced people went up and put money on them and around them.
William
The Elders joined the young men in the warrior dance.
There's never a dull moment around here as you can see. Saturday morning I went to a baby shower for, Marina Ross. We attended her sealing a year ago. She is now going to have a little girl. She got some very nice things from the sisters in the ward. We had a brunch and played a couple of games. During the luncheon, I walked up to the table to get a dessert and my back froze on me. It was the weirdest thing. I couldn't take a step or move for about 10 seconds. When I did move it was very painful. I managed to get through the rest of the shower and when I got home and was going up the walk I froze again. Couldn't even walk. So for the rest of the day I stayed home and rested, put some oils and heat on my back. Today it is feeling better. A chiropractor in our ward said to take Omega 3 to help with the inflamation instead of ibuprofen. So I am doing as the doctor says. It is now just a matter of time and healing. But I am up and around. Today is p-day and no art lessons so I am finishing this blog, doing laundry and cleaning.
I have to share a recipe with you that is so yummy and easy to make. No mixing bowl, beaters or clean up.
5 Layer Bars 
Mix 1 1/2 cups graham crackers and one stick of butter together - pat crust in the bottom of a 9X13 dish. (I used my 7X11 dish) Next sprinkle 1 cup butterscotch chips, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup of shredded coconut. Then...pour a can of condensed sweetened milk over the top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars. It is delicious.
Paul and I have finished reading the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price together. We are now starting on the Old Testament. It has been fun reading together and being able to talk about things that interest us and sometimes confuse me. It has been a time of learning together. And the adventure continues. Someone yesterday said that the Old Testament is like trudging through tar. I disagree. There are so many stories and things that we can learn from the Old Testament. Yes there are some areas that we can go a little faster than others but those words are there for us to learn from and understand. There was a reason they were put in that book.
Well, folks now you have it. I know that this is a long, long blog but as my friend said in her blog last month, this is my journal and I need to document my experiences. So it's okay if you just look at the pictures or whatever.
It's been a busy few weeks but that is how I like it. This week is following the same pattern. We are still teaching our brother who is returning to the church, and are keeping in touch with Don, our investigator. He is stepping back for the moment and so we are going a bit slow with him. But he still calls us or we call him weekly. We are also still working with the Leonards and hope and pray that he will have his heart softened now that his mother is gone. We've had members and non-members for dinner a few times also. Paul is always inviting someone over for dinner. Good thing I like to cook.
Thank you all for your love and support. This has been a wonderfully amazing experience. A learning experience. An experience I wouldn't change for anything else in the world. We have 4 months left which is unbelievable. I know it will go too fast.
We love you all.
