Mark Twain Had it Right

 This has been a very sweet birthday..I am seventy-two today, as of 10:30 in the morning.  It was my mother's tradition to retell the story of my birthday.  It was a short narrative, but always made me happy.  She was hanging wet clothes on the outdoor clothesline - on January 17 in frigid temperatures, standing on the snow-covered ground.  She became suddenly aware that it was time to go to the hospital.  

Aunt Adell was summoned to take care of Judy and they headed to what was then called the "Dee Hospital," on Harrison in Ogden.  I arrived that same day - at 10:30 in the morning, so it must not have been a lengthy labor and delivery.  When she was dismissed from the hospital (she would have been in there several days because having a baby was strenuous and they separated mothers and babies while the mothers were basically pampered for up to three weeks!), she, Judy and I went to Wellsville, where we stayed with Grandma Jones til Mom was up to caring for a newborn and a rambunctious 2-year-old.

Our Zoom meetings today were as follows:  Sacrament Meeting, Sunday School, Missionary Meeting with Newest Members, Support Meeting with Senior Missionaries Who are Serving Young Adult Missions, Planning Meeting With Two YA Reps.

Right smack dab in the middle of those meetings, Dave and Deb showed up with lunch and gifts.  They were taking a terrible chance, because technically we aren't supposed to be leaving our areas, and we aren't supposed to be mixing households.  But hey, Dave is 65 years old and I have known him since the day he arrived home from the hospital.  It certainly seems like you should be able to mix households with your own brother if you choose. 

They brought a very English lunch - pasties and chips.  Pudding and shortbread cookies for dessert.  It was so fun to have them here for the brief time they stayed.  We also had bubbly apple juice which is exceptional.

I heard from some of our great young people, from dear friends in Denmark, from our children and some of our adult grandchildren, from dear friends and siblings.  That is what is great about a birthday....just having loved ones reach out with a simple message "I am aware of you and that it is your special day."

Our young missionaries came over to sing Happy Birthday from the parking lot, and some of our YAs brought some really delicious cookies and stood in the parking lot talking with me for awhile.    

Mark Twain said, "I can live for two months on a good compliment."  Well......this may last me the rest of my life!  



Here they are with picnic basket in hand!


Dave solemnly stated that he had brought a birthday card from the queen.  I thought it was a bit interesting that her handwriting closely resembles Dave's handwriting.


They even brought paper plates and cups....and Bubbly Apple Juice



Comments

melissa said…
Wow! Sounds like a lovely birthday. Especially with that card from the queen. 😉
January 17, 2021 at 7:24 PM
Erin said…
Yes I agree with Melissa. What an honor! So happy you had a great birthday in spite of Covid!
January 18, 2021 at 1:39 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Master Teacher

In the 1st Ward today, an 11-year-old boy gave a talk that was one of he best sacrament meeting talks I have ever heard.  He got up to speak and his head just barely cleared the podium.  He is small and has a shock of dark hair topping a cute slightly freckled face. It will be several years yet before his voice deepens.  He had his written talk, and he read most of it, but he was familiar enough with it that he looked up often and it seemed as if he was speaking from his heart. He began with a quote from Nephi in 2 Nephi 25:29, where Nephi prophesies about the future and then tells us how to worship the Savior. How? this boy asked us. He went on to answer his own question.  Nephi says "with all our might."  The boy then asked how that is done. He cited the story of the converts in the Congo who threw all of their idols into a massive waterfall where they were unrecoverable.  The boy said that when we worship the Savior with all our might, that mea...
Read more

Going Home

  Fifteen missionaries are returning to their homes this week.  For this Saturday night zoom conference broadcast, each bore their testimony from their flats with their companions by their sides.  SK and I teared up many times as we listened to humble, sweet and strong testimonies.  It is easy to see the difference as they get close to their release date.  It they have been faithful, there is a maturity and a sweetness that is unexplainable. Here is a smattering of what was said: There is no growth in the comfort zone.  I am about to go home to my comfort zone...but it struck me that my old comfort zone is no longer comfortable for me.  I want to be in a growth zone. The early apostles did not succeed, but they knew we would. One elder quoted Dave's poem "If."  "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same...Hold on...even through the hardest times."  "How can I accomplish these things?  Jesus Chr...
Read more

Shark!

Image
We left our flat way too early for my taste this morning, heading out to go south to Farnborough.  Forty-eight miles, supposedly an hour and twenty minute drive.  We got into some heavy stop and go traffic and it was closer to 2 hours before we got there. We inspected the two young sisters' flat, which was beautifully clean and organized.  They are cute sisters.  They had been in London yesterday for zone conference and excitedly shared all they had heard and been taught.  They had their notes out and were very cute to repeat some great messages from President Checketts.  I hardly ever talk to him when he isn't dealing with numerous issues in the mission and in the middle of at least one or two crises, and planning the next gathering....all at the same time.  It must be that he and Deb are in a constant state of stress.  But he has cleared the half-way mark.  I wonder if he knows how highly he is esteemed by these young missionaries, who ...
Read more