Family letter September 25 2022

 

September 25, 2022

Dear Family:

I was supposed to wait until next week to write to you, but I decided that my heart was full and that I needed to share with my family.  Sometimes things happen and you think that no one cares, or notices or that your life could only be a scandal to others who don’t know you.  And then years and years go by and you are able to share something from your experiences that helps someone else.  That happened to me today.

It was very nice sitting in Relief Society today.  We only have it twice a month now.  Being in Primary for 8-10 years caused me to really miss talking to other women in the ward.  Before Relief Society I had some nice chats with sisters near me and during Relief Society someone stood and offered a comment.  I immediately recognized this sister from 25-40 years ago.  She was someone that was in our stake when I was raising my children and someone that I was acquainted with because of serving in stake callings, etc. but hadn’t been necessarily close with.  After Relief Society I walked up to the front of the room and approached her and she recognized me immediately and she grabbed me and hugged me over and over and over.  She isn’t from our ward.  She lives in Utah now but was visiting a son and his family of one of the older sisters in the ward.  She wanted to know how I was and I told her I was fine.  Then she confided in me that she had been divorced for a year.  I didn’t know and was shocked.  She knew about my history and wanted to know how and why I was doing so well.  I told her that 28 years ago a dear friend who lived out of state sent me a newspaper clipping.  It said, “Success is the best Revenge.”  I told her that I’d had counseling, etc., but that sentence had changed my total outlook on life. She proclaimed that it was meant to be that she just happened to come to our ward.  She kept hugging me and I was so pleased that someone from long ago could see that I survived all that and that I came out ok. She said, “I can do it too, can’t I?”  Of course I said, “YES – it isn’t easy but you can do it”.   After 20 minutes, we exchanged telephone numbers and promised to call each other. 

I tell you all this because our lives rarely turn out as we hope they will.  Senior missions, traveling together after retirement, visiting our children together, welcoming them into our home all went out the window.  Judy passed away – that didn’t turn out at we all hoped.  Brad lost his wife to brain cancer – that didn’t turn out as they had hoped.  I do hope that your lives will be charmed, but don’t be shocked if you encounter illness, financial hardship, job disappointments, (even vacations that turn out to be huge disappointments), or things that you just think you can’t recover from. 

I’m here to tell you that you can recover.  Heavenly Father doesn’t run before us and shoo away any obstacles that appear in our way before they hit us.  He doesn’t come down and change things for us.  He expects us to encounter life head on.  He expects us to show him that we can take courage from his life and his words.  He expects us to do our very best and not give up.  But I’m also here to tell you that sometimes he sends someone else to help us.  He sent my sisters Glennda, Judy and my friend Kristine.

Today’s experience with my old acquaintance taught me that my experiences might be of an inspirational nature to someone else who is going through something hard.  I’ve been approached a few times in the last nearly 28 years by someone going through divorce.  Even though it’s been many years, maybe, today,  I helped her or maybe I can help her in the future.  I’m sure it’s a good thing that many years have gone by, because those hurtful first feelings are now history and in the past. 

I wanted to let you know also that autumn has yet to surface in the Pacific Northwest. Last Sunday afternoon I went to a Horse Farm way out between Sherwood and Newberg to watch one of my piano students compete in horsemanship.  I hadn’t driven out in the country for a long time and I noticed a lot of dead deciduous trees and evergreen trees.  The long hot summer has been hard on everything. The plants in our yards took lots of water to try to keep them from dying.  It was hard on trees and shrubs that normally survive Pacific Northwest Summers.  They don’t get irrigation like our yards. 

I had a great visit with Don, Scott & Glennda yesterday afternoon here.  I’m cleaning out my garage a bit and Glennda found a new home for the majority of the toys that Emery and Cooper loved so much a couple years ago.  I did keep a few that were Brad, Brian and Amy’s old toys.  I love my family.  I loved that visit with Don, Scott & Glennda. By the way we have decided that future cruises are probably out of the question.

Have a wonderful week.

Love Mom, Grandma, Gr-Grandma, Sister and Aunt Suzanne

Weekly letter September 11 2022

 

September 11, 2022

Dear Family:

Last week Alena had a birthday and 3 great grandchildren Cooper, Emery and India went to preschool.  I love the photos.  Laura Schnell’s birthday is September 16. Glennda and Scott are in Lake Tahoe and they have tons of smoke too.  I don’t’ know if those of you who live out of state realize that we in the Pacific Northwest are living in smoky skies from lots of wildfires and wind blowing the wrong way.  We are hoping that we get wind coming off the ocean soon and clear it all out.  We had a Big Band Concert that was postponed yesterday because of it.

You may find this hard to believe…….but my 60^th high school class reunion was today.  I was a little nervous because I had to go alone.  Previous reunions I had Cheryl with me (my high school girlfriend).  But she is no longer with us.  So I skipped church because it was at Kennedy School at 11-3pm.  I got myself a new haircut Friday.

new haircut

I got my makeup on, found one of Judy’s lovely’s tops that hid my arms and my tummy

(please ignore the mess)

 and I felt like I could do it.  So, I got there on time and I tried to talk with almost everyone.  I talked to two guys who told me that they asked me for a date and I said “no”.  One guy told me that he remembered me telling him all about the church.  Then my old boyfriend John Baker was supposed to come, but he was in the hospital.  He’s been married for 54 years and taught school in Boise.  He told his guy friends that he wanted to know about where I was and what I was doing.  So a friend of his came up to me and called John and we did FaceTime right there.  He said it would be okay with his wife and I should call him again.  He wanted to know what I was doing.    A lot of the people had health issues and I listened to them all. 

(3 friends - old girlfriend Dian on the left) - So you see I really did go!

Suzanne, Pam and Marlene

I will say that everyone was amazed at my involvement in music, teaching piano and my band and managing 3 other bands.  I even told Fred Bauman that I remembered in 8^th grade that he sat in front of me and told me I needed to shave my legs.  He was shocked! Couldn't believe he said that.  I told him I went home and shaved my legs.  He and his wife and I laughed our heads off.  I visited with my old girl friend Dian Rice Odell and in general I had the best time that I’ve had at any of the previous reunions.  I just decided, “yes I need to lose weight (so did lots of people there), yes, I’m old (so was everyone else there), yes I am alone, (so were most of other people there).   One of my old friends, David Ball, has primary progressive MS, so we talked about that for a long time.  I told him I understood his situation because mom had the same thing. I was on a natural high as I drove home.  Glennda and I talked a few days ago about every year is a gift. One of my friends lost her husband to Covid.  One lost her husband to Alzheimer’s disease.  I took Judy for granted and now I don’t have her around.  I miss her every single day.  Just knowing I could call and she would totally get me was something that I didn’t appreciate enough.  I miss our monthly lunches before and after Covid.   I will always treasure the 3 weeks that Judy and Don lived with me while they were remodeling.  So I’m going to treasure and appreciate every day, week, month and year and be grateful.

"Every new day begins with possibilities." Ronald Reagan

 I have a gig tomorrow around noon time at Charbonneau (Ladies Club) and next Friday at Springridge at Charbonneau at 4-5 pm….all polka music.

Mike is slowing regaining mobility from his knee replacement surgery and Haley Schell Lewis is just starting the recovery process. 

Have a great week.

Love Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma, Sister & Aunt Suzanne

Weekly Letter September 4, 2022

Dear Family:Dear Family:

News:  Dan, JoJo and Dawnie are back in Abuja Nigeria now, because they left Thursday and it’s a 2 or 3 day journey – yes even by air.  They enjoyed the outings and family get-togethers while they were here.

Don and his granddaughters.

I had two gigs last week, Wednesday afternoon, 

and Saturday afternoon in Corvallis.

Listen to Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White
 

Emery is going to pre-school.  India is back in pre-school. Marissa has enrolled in aesthetics school. Last Sunday Carter spoke in church.  Not only Brad & Sheri were there, but Riley and Cole, Taylor, Kelsy, Cooper and McKay were there also.  Carter has about 2 weeks before beginning his service on a mission. Hayden is deep into his 2^nd year of college at UVU with a major in construction management and he is living with 3 other guys in an apartment off campus.

 Tanner & Hayley are celebrating one month with little Claire.

 

Hayley Lewis will be having her knee replacement surgery in just a few days.

Last week I talked about Aunts and Uncles and their importance and the great influence they are and have been in our lives.  I should have included a couple more examples.  Amy has had a close relationship with her Aunt Glennda and Aunt Judy since she was a toddler.  I believe that Amy has looked to Glennda and her artistic abilities as an example of what was possible.  Amy is very creative thanks to Glennda, I believe. Specifically Judy is responsible for exposing Amy (and her brothers) to Swedish Berries.  Judy used to bring a little white bag each for my 3 little kiddos each Saturday for a very long time.  They are no longer easily available in the US.  I hear that Amy, in the last few of years, found some in Canada and filled her grocery cart with all that were on the shelves.  Judy was also responsible for teaching Amy how to twirl a baton. I have never heard Amy cry so hard as the day in May 2021 when she called to give me the news of Judy’s passing.

I need to mention the influence that my Aunt Margaret has had on me.  She taught me about how to treat company; as if they were honored guests.  That started when we dropped by her house on the way home from Disneyland one time.  Brad told me that he wanted me to be a grandma like Aunt Margaret.  In 2011, I spent a considerable amount of time with her, helping her work on her “Personal History” and the “Short family history”. She taught me about my Dad’s family and things about my dad that he never talked about.  She gifted me her entire collection of unfinished quilts and all her fabric stash (two big cardboard boxes sent by UPS).  I finished all those quilts..  I returned some to her daughters and every once in a while I use a fabric that she gave me.  She also taught me about family reunions and her devotion to her nieces and nephews.  I totally admire her and miss her.

Since contracting Covid in July, getting better has been on my mind a lot.  It has been an uplifting feeling as the fog has started to lift, and the energy has started to return.  I have frequently thought, “I am 78 years old, what if I stay like this and I don’t return to how I used to feel?” I am almost back to normal now but I have learned that it is okay to “NOT” accomplish tons of stuff every day. Brad and I talk and he said, “It is okay to sit down and take it easy on occasion. I give you permission.”   “Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength.”  I’ve heard it many times and now I get it.

I probably will bore you with my pondering about our health, but I saw my sister-in-law Sally come down with Covid several months ago.  She survived the hospital stay, but never really returned to the way she was.  Admittedly she was slowly declining, but now she lives in memory care.  That caused me concern.

Then Judy came to mind.  She complained of a rash on her face for a few weeks and being very tired, and then she passed away a week after her diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia.  That was a shock and I am still mourning not having her around.

I remember Joelle’s lengthy illness and how hard it was on her family in so many ways.  I remember Don’s hospital episodes. I remember his most recent heart surgery.  I remember Scott’s recent hearth surgery.  I’ve experienced firsthand Glennda’s scary migraine/dizzy episodes. She worries that it could happen at any time. I remember Brad having to have 3 surgeries as a baby and toddler.  I remember Brian’s pyloric stenosis surgery and heart murmur worries as a baby.     I remember Riley having eye surgery as a little girl.  I remember Conner’s football injury and having to have surgery. Mike had knee replacement surgery about 6 weeks ago and I remember the difficult return to being able to walk.  I remember Hayden having to have heart valve surgery twice.  I remember worrying my head off (Megan worried more) when Brian was diagnosed with Vasculitis/Wergner’s disease.  I remember worrying right along with Brian/Megan and Hayden as Hayden’s health became a big concern in the last few years.  Several months ago, Jay suffered a fall at work, and has battled to gain all his strength back in his left arm, even after corrective surgery.

I don’t live with my grandchildren and their young families, so I don’t know the day to day worries you have about the health of your little ones.  But I do remember ear infections, and pink eye and skin infections, diaper rash, sunburns and scars and bruises from falls and dog bites.  Oh and I remember chick pox while Brad, Brian and Amy were preparing for the high school musical, ‘Annie Get Your Gun’.  I’m sure you are going through much the same things.  Unfortunately we can’t expect to go through life with no cares, worries, tragedies, accidents, illnesses but I enjoy reading about how other people view “Health”. I hope you will enjoy them too.

• “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”  Mahatma Gandhi
• “Health is not valued until sickness comes”.  Thomas Fuller
• “Happiness is the highest form of health.”  Dalai Llama
• “He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.”  Thomas Carlyle
• Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. (unknown)

 

So, regarding the 4 of us who got Covid on our cruise; Don was the smartest and got Paxlovid immediately. 

This was Don's View of our Excursions

He got better the fastest.  Jay, Alena and I are well on the road to recovery and we only cough occasionally.  We are still a bit tired, but it is less and less every day. Luckily Glennda and Scott escaped the cruise without getting Covid.

 

I knew you were all just dying to see more of the FOG Cruise photos.

Some school districts are already back in school.  I start piano lessons again on Tuesday. 

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Love Mom, Grandma, Great Grandma, Sister, Aunt Suzanne

PS I'm still in a learning curve regarding blog posts.  Bear with me as I learn.