Tribute to Sally and a bit about our talents

 

April 23, 2023

Dear Family:  Happy Birthday next week Kenlee!

This has been a tough week and weekend for my niece Haley Schnell Lewis, Steve Lewis & my nephew, Rob Schnell, Angie and Sally’s grandchildren.  It has also been sad for those of us who loved their mom, Sally. Saturday morning, my sister-in-law Sally left this earthly life for the next adventure in Heaven. For reasons that I won’t go into now, Sally, Rob and Haley and I lost 25 years of being able to show love to each other and make memories together.  Thankfully two and a half years ago, Nov, 9, 2020, Rob was able to reach out to me and we all were able to start the connection again.  Shortly thereafter I drove to Haley and Steve’s home and we spent hours reconnecting, reminiscing and just enjoying each other’s company again with Sally present.  Sally had been rescued and a long time consuming journey through court, attorneys and bank accounts by Haley and Steve saved Sally financially.  It was a horribly sad and painful process.  Through it all I couldn’t help but admire my niece Haley for her loyalty, strength, ideas, power and determination. I will treasure the many visits and dinners with them.  I will also treasure one on one time I had with Sally while Haley and Steve went on a well-deserved little vacation. We sat and laughed our heads off while working on little sewing projects.  Last August I was invited to Sally’s assisted living facility to help celebrate Sally’s birthday.  Sally, Delaney and her fiancé threw a great birthday party and I was honored to participate. Last Thursday I visited with Sally and Haley in Providence Hospital.  After listening to the doctor with Haley I realized the sad truth.  It wouldn’t be long.  

In the last 2 ½ years Sally and I were able to reminisce on Fast Sunday Dinners, that started in 1980, our Disneyland trip (two families together), 

1983

a couple trips to Alpenrose Dairy Christmas Land, Halloween Donuts, beach trips and much more.  On one visit to Gresham Sally said, “You know me better than anyone.”  (I’m sure I didn’t but I think she meant from those outside her family.)  She was expressing her love to me and it brought tears to my eyes. My renewed relationship with Haley, and resultantly her family, is one that I will always and forever treasure.

Today I want to talk about gifts and talents that have been given to us by Heavenly Father.  I’m not going to address spiritual gifts today, but gifts that we can see and experience.  In the last 25 years I have been able to develop talents that I had no idea I could be able to develop.  Prior to that, as a young person I remember learning to sew (with help from mom and a school sewing class).  I could have just stopped it in high school, but I realized it was something I was good at and I have continued to sew continuously ever since.  I could go on for hours about making my children’s clothes, leisure suits for Rich, family pajamas, wedding gowns, and in the last 20 years lots of quilts.  I remember being able to make all my grandchildren hand knitted sweaters because my grandmother Mary Glenn Leishman taught me to knit, crochet and embroider. Lately I’ve totally enjoyed making Barbie clothes for my great granddaughters and great niece.  Mom started teaching me piano when I was 8.  When I was 11 I decided that I could teach myself to play “Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley, and “Allegeny Moon” by Patti Page. (Mom brought me the sheet music from their trip to Portland while landing Dad a new job.) My piano lessons started in earnest when we moved to Portland when I was 12.  I have to hand it to my parents who were always strapped for money: 1) Mom played piano for the dance teacher in Vale so Judy and I could have dance lessons.  2) Then in Portland our parents made sure that all 4 of us girls got piano lessons. 3) I remember Glennda taking piano lessons also, but somehow realized that she had more talent as an artist.  Look at her today.

 I would never have believed that when I was 54 I would start playing in bands.  Thankfully my piano teacher taught me chords before I finally quit at age 15.  40 years later I still remembered the chords and my journey in music continued.  You all know that now I teach piano and have done so for 12 years.  And I have my own small band.  Even though my marriage to Burgess didn’t last, he taught me indirectly and directly to be a better piano player, how to be a big band musician, band protocol and culture, and how to be a band manager.  What a blessing.  Last week I mentioned I had 2 gigs the previous week.  These are on youtube.  You don’t have to listen to the whole song.  But even 20 seconds will give you an ideas about my band.  Some of you may never have heard it.  A 5 piece band sounds different than a big band for sure.  Realize that my band is designed for ballroom dancers.  Luckily it has lots of different genres.  Enjoy.

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ogbl#inbox?projector=1   (Swing the Moon and the Fifties)

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox?projector=1   (Roaring Twenties Medley)

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox?projector=1  (South – a Dixieland Tune)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXCyacqTIus   (Kansas City)

 So much for my talent story!  I remember making sure that my children got to try different sports and activities while they were young.  Brad tried ice skating after watching the Winter Olympics sometime in the 70’s.  He also played little league baseball and enjoyed being a catcher.  Then a music teacher encouraged him to develop his voice.  Private lessons and a college scholarship ensued.  Brian was very athletic and tried track and field.  He was shy and was hesitant to try things (he didn’t want to be compared to Brad and being shy was a hard thing to overcome.)  In grade school all his teachers said he was really smart and he got great grades.  He became aware that reading and learning was fun.  He was also completely organized in many areas and he still is. It has served him well in his career choice.  He was the first to teach himself about computers.  Amy took piano lessons longer than her brothers did, and she can still play a bit.  She took dance as an 8^th grader and her brothers encouraged her to tryout for the High School “Annie Get Your Gun” production.  Then they encouraged her try out for Gendrils – the dance team at school.  She loved it and made the team as a freshman.  I first realized Amy had an eye for interior design when Brad was on his mission.  She wanted to redecorate his bedroom and I let her. It had a race car theme.  It was totally amazing and I was so proud of her. 

Brad still has a good voice, Brian is still a computer genius and organized and Amy has an eye for beauty and design.  Congratulations you guys!  I remember them encouraging their children to try things also.  Kenlee and Riley danced a lot.  Carter learned to play guitar, as did Taylor and Michael.  I see Kenlee has her girls in dance/tumbling?  Michael and Laura got India involved in art.  Kelsy and Taylor are encouraging their boys in exploration of their mind and their reflexes.   I guess what I’m saying is…continue to give your children lots of experiences to discover and develop their talents.  They may not become “Professionals”, but every experience advances confidence, self-worth, ability to expand.  I see it every week in the parents of my piano students.  Not only do they take piano lessons, they take gymnastics, soccer, etc.  I do remember feeling like an unpaid chauffeur for a few years.  But it paid off.  Remember talking about Michael and his dream of being a photographer.  Finally he learned that he would have to postpone his dream, but I’m sure one day he will succeed.  Brad realized in college that he had a great voice, but if he wanted a family and to be able to support them, he couldn’t do it singing.

• ·        "If your teacher, coach, or mentor believes you can do something, you're more likely to do it."
• ·        "Success is often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable." — Coco Chanel, fashion designer
• ·        "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." — Maya Angelou, American poet, and civil rights activist
• ·        "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do." — Pele, Brazilian soccer player
• ·        "People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." — George Bernard Shaw, playwright

• Now I have to tell you a story about Hayden.  I remember when he was about 7 or 8, he asked me to give him a piano lesson.  I went to his house, we spent about an hour and I taught him until he was tired.  When we were done he said, “Why can’t I play like you?”  It was his first lesson.  I explained to him that he would have to continue to take piano lessons and PRACTICE.  He did. His parents supported him.  He is amazing and I love to talk piano and show him piano chords, etc., when we are together.  I have told this story to everyone of my piano students.  It takes more than one lesson.  It takes years of practice.  This week after several months of their son floundering and only slowly progressing in piano, his parents asked how he was doing and for me to give suggestions.  I told them to sit with him once a week while he was practicing and talk about the assignment I had written and what he was supposed to do.  I told them that he needed to do his theory at home because if he didn’t, we had to do it in class and it slowed his progression. I did compliment him on finally being able to try to play with curved rather than flat finger.  Parent involvement is the key to steady progress.  They said he was practicing all by himself.  It shows!!

Well enough for today.  I hope I have been able to share my feelings about Haley and Sally and about talents.  Every night when I say my prayers not only to I pray for each of you, I thank Heavenly Father for giving me talents.  

My love to each of you.

Love mom, grandma, great grandma, sister and aunt Suzanne