April Conference Weekend & after 10 years managing two community bands I'm retiring

April 1, 2023 Dear Family: No birthdays this week that I’m aware of. I have become very disenchanted with professional basketball. Yes! I know you will be surprised. Now I’m enjoying Mariner’s baseball. They’ve changed some things this year to make it faster and to give the infield and outfield more opportunities to show off their stuff. The bases are 3” bigger. 18” square; this is to produce more base stealing. And the pitchers have 15 seconds (no base runners) or 20 seconds (with base runners) to pitch the ball. No more exaggerated wind ups and taking forever to contemplate their pitches. So far it’s been better.

 I have been busy this last week preparing operations procedures and documents for the new manager of the New Horizons Big Bands. I have been involved in managing the two bands for 10 years. It was July 2013 that I started recruiting musicians, organizing a New Horizons group, and joining the national newhorizonsmusic.org. It is time for me to lighten my load. I am keeping my 5 piece dance band and I will still manager Brad Davis’ professional bands. With teaching 12 piano students I think that I will still be busy and won’t feel the burden of trying to find performance venues for the two big bands and keeping it populated by replacing musicians with turnover. There are 2 members that have been with us since day one, but the other 36 has seen a lot of turnover in all these years. I met with Aimee Clalfant yesterday. (She is an opera singer and married to a trombonist). I had collected files, blank contracts, blank invoices, blank applications, and tons more stuff to give her and she actually didn’t faint. I told her I’d be available by phone to answer questions. It is nice to have relieved myself of that burden. I love my dance band and I love playing for dancers and love to hear people come up and exclaim their admiration for the music and the tempos. I will continue to book Brad’s professional band as well. 

Today is the first day of General Conference and I loved listening to the morning speakers. I especially loved what Elder Gong had to say about ministering. I’ll admit that I have had a hard time transferring my references from Visiting Teaching to ministering, but I do love my friend Norma Smurthwaite and I’m always available to take her to the doctor or the beauty shop or whatever she needs. I still remember some of the sisters that I visited with years ago – one being Alena’s grandmother, Illah Green. I drove to Corbett right after morning conference and watched afternoon conference with them. Scott prepared a wonderful pot roast that we enjoyed together after conference. From their beautiful vantage point of windows that looks out on the valley we experienced sun, rain, a bit of snow and rain mixed and a torrent of hail and wind just as I was leaving. Crazy spring weather. I am very much looking forward to tomorrow conference. 

 This morning for the first time, for some unknown reason, I looked back 1, 2, and 3 years ago on the same April conference weekend in my letter. I’ve never looked back and reread any of the weekly letters. (I’m going to do it more). Two years ago I shared a couple paragraphs from Dalin H Oaks. This sentence from those paragraphs still rings true with me: “In ways that have not been revealed our actions in the spirit world have influenced our circumstances in mortality.” I’ve always been grateful for being born in America, born under the covenant, and raised in the church. I am happily anticipating what inspiration I will get from this weekend’s conference. It’s a short message this week. Have a wonderful week my dear family.

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

 PS – Keep Danny Lloyd in your prayers. As you know he lives in Abuja Nigera and he is having serious health issues. I miss him and he misses all of us.