A SEASON OF BOUNTIFUL BLESSINGS

IN HIS GLORY by Del Parson

As I ponder on this past year, I can say that through the tender mercies of the Lord I can handle hard things.  With Him  before me I can face challenges with a strength I don't possess on my own.  Through His love I can smile when tears threaten.  In any looming darkness, I feel His warmth on my face and His arms around me.

In my lack I find bounteous blessings.  I understand the trials that beset me are teaching me humility.   The service opportunities  that present themselves to me make me more loving and compassionate.   The hurts that fall upon me teach me forgiveness.  Not knowing what comes tomorrow has increased my faith and my faith has given me greater hope. 

I am filled with JOY at knowing I have a loving Father in Heaven and His Son that know my heart and bless & comfort me.

I am grateful for my precious family ( both here & there), my increased health, my testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the angels that constantly keep watch over me. 

I cherish the lessons learned and blessings showered on me in 2011 and hope that I can keep my countenance reflecting the joy that I feel and share that joy with all those I am around in 2012! 

With much love to you for being in my life, my wish for you is to have a

HAPPY JOYOUS & BLESSED NEW YEAR!

For My SUNSHINE!

ANDREA ANN HALL

~ANDI~

My world became brighter on November 3, 1982.

That was the night that you took your first breath  ~ and took my breath away.

Carrying you within me for those precious 9 months created so much joy, but the joy that was to come made that pale in comparison.

Such a happy baby!

Just look at that SMILE!

You entered this world so easily, I think you must have been so excited and anxious to meet your family waiting here!  It had been a long wait for us - twelve years since your brother joined us!

I couldn't stop looking at you.  You were so perfect.

Indeed, you were everything I dreamed you would be.  What a good baby!

O, the fun of dressing you in frilly pastel dresses with lots of ruffles.  Little bows in your hair.  That wonderful scent of baby powder and lotion!

Loving

Your hugs and kisses

The cute little treasures you created in school

The dandelions you picked for me

Watching you be so tender with your babydolls

That repeated "Mom, LOOK!" as you performed something new

That lump in my throat "Hi, Mom" at your gymnastic recital

Hearing the giggles of you with your friends

Learning to skate

Ride a bike

Getting your driver's license
Your first car

Your first job

Your first place of your own

The tears of JOY at hearing "You're going to be a Gramma"

Watching you become a woman, a mother, a great friend

Yes, YOU are my Sunshine!

Feeling helpless to stop your pain at

Losing your Grandma

Your BEST friend - your BROTHER

Your Grandpa

Your Aunt Norene

Your Aunt Wanda

Your Aunt Lena

Watching you become stronger

Loving

Your determination

Your strength

Your loyalty

Your honesty

Your tenderness

Your creativity

Your generosity

Your helpfulness

Your beauty within and without

I am so proud of you ,  my baby girl!

HaPpy hApPy BirTHdAy!

You make me happy when skies are grey -

and ALL the time.

THESE LITTLE HANDS

Ten little hand-prints!

These were done in our Primary classroom, tracing each little hand, by the Primary President and myself at the beginning of summer.  I thought they were going to be used in a program or given to the bishopric.  Anyway, I had forgotten them.  The weekend of our family reunion, the presidency gave a "thank you" get-together lunch that I obviously missed.  They handed out these cut-out prints, each class tied together, to each teacher.  I got mine yesterday before Primary began.

What a treasure! 

Each one draws up the memory of that child's sweet face, and smiles that light up my world.  Each one brings the thought of it with it's tiny partner folded together in reverence or prayer.  Each one re-creates the picture of it waving in the air excitedly to share something wonderful with me, or to answer a question.  Each one brings that warm remembrance of feeling it slip into my hand with faith and love.

These hands have touched my life in ways they will never know.

But, most of all -

These hands have touched my HEART!

I LOVE my Primary children!

A Drop in the Bucket?

Our stake had a blood drive yesterday.  I have been a donor for many years and really was excited about the prospect of helping someone.  I have really tiny veins.  It usually takes a couple of tries to find a good one.  I therefore end up with holes and bruises every time.  Well, after three different attendants, both arms, two different chairs, turning the second chair around, and getting the supervisor they managed to find a vein and hook me up!  Oops!  Seems that it wasn't flowing at a very good rate.  I usually fill the bag very quickly.  My blood is extremely rich in iron - they say it is more like a man's blood than most women. 

Well, as I lay there waiting and squeezing the little ball they gave me, I was able to muse on Mom and Dad and their attempt at donating blood.  Dad was an excellent donor for many years.  I think he received a lifetime of free blood for his service.  He had an international blood type O2, which only 7% of the population have.  It can donate to any other blood type but only receive blood from another O2.  I remember thinking how cool he was for being so special and in demand!   Then there was Mom...  she always wanted to donate.  She told me once that every time the opportunity came up, she was either at "that time of the month" or pregnant!  When she was finally through with all that "female" stuff,  she went to donate, and they wouldn't take her blood.  It seems that she had really LOW iron.  She pulled down her lower eyelid to show me that inside of it was barely tinged pink when it should have been a healthy red.  (I told that to the supervisor who poked me and she said she was going to check that out on the rest of the donors that day.)  Mom's doctor did give her an iron supplement, but they didn't work, because her system just wouldn't absorb it.  I think she chose not to have the shots.

I feel so grateful to my parents for setting a good example to me. 

I was rudely torn form my musing by a very annoying high-pitched sound coming from the little scale my bag of blood was resting on.  The supervisor came running over and said the bag was filling too slowly and she needed to move the needle slightly to help it run better.  She did turn the needle and twist and push and I almost came straight up off my chair.  In all the years of being poked and bruised, I had never experienced any pain.  Omygosh - this was not fun anymore!  She said the needle and vein was laying hard on a nerve, and to keep me from getting a knot in the vein or the nerve she had to pull the needle.  Well, the bag was only 3/4 full which means that it can only be used for testing purposes and can not be given to a patient.  I was crushed.  I felt I had wasted everyone's time as well as a bag of blood!  If you know me, you know what happened next.  Yep!  I started to leak from my eyes.  This cute little supervisor thought she had really hurt me badly.  I explained that it was mere disappointment, and she said she totally understood as she had had a similar experience. 

The only other time I was not able to complete a donation was at the LDS Hospital before Mom went in for her heart surgery.  My vein had simply closed before the bag was full.  I really felt torn up over that.  It was a gift for my Mom!

So, I really did have good intentions, but didn't even leave a drop in the bucket.

Past Attempts at Greatness

Cleaning the garage brought forth a few of my attempts at ART.  Some I feel pretty good about, and others  - well, let me just say - I tried.  Most of these were done in highschool, a couple when I was first married, and two in honor of my grand daughter's birthdays.

This woodcut was done my sophmore year.  My first attempt at woodcutting and printing.

Same period - first of five prints on this woodcut - Top String.  Have no idea who has the others.  Because these are old, they are both becoming very fragile.  the paper is yellowing and crinkly!  O, wait, so am I! 



Following are some of the water colors that I painted my Junior year.  Most were done on site.

This was in the Washington fields looking toward Pine Valley Mountain.

Front view of same housein the fields
.

Backside of an old house in Santa Clara close to the Jacob Hamblin home.

Painted in the classroom.

Read about this one Here

Portrait of a fellow classmate done in conte crayon my senior year.

(I did get the art award that year)

This was drawn from looking at a photo of a dear friend in the 70's.

Following are a few pencil sketches I did when I was first married.

I loved sketching trees!  I still doodle trees.

 -done in crayon on a foam board for Haylee's B-day party a couple of years ago.   They played pin the shades on the rock star - with sun-glasses made out of art foam.  (Haylee put the bright circles on the cheeks at a later time) 

-dry erase markers for Haylee's party

My next attempt will be scanning some of my ancient poetry to muse on!

Happy FATHER's Day to...

Julian A Cluff
That would be my DAD on the right.  He died when I was a mere 11 months old when his plane crashed near Payson, AZ.  I only got to know him through the stories that were told.  But, those stories let him be a HERO in my mind.  Flying airplanes - riding motorcycles - and he was sooo handsome!  The visits that I had with him were frequent trips to the cemetery with Mom to take him bunches of oleander and wipe down his headstone.  I loved being in that green, cool oasis.  Listening to the birds singing in the trees and feeing the soft breeze against my little tanned body I could feel peace and happiness there.  But, he wasn't there to put his arms around me, or hold me on his knee...  I have to be honest and admit that I felt abandoned by him and somewhat angry.  My big brother, Jim, took me to the crash site when I was much older.  After hiking in from the highway Jim pointed out to me the canopy of the plane still leaning against a treeon the little hill, pointed in the direction of the tiny airport.  Some of that anger began to melt.  My DAD had been returning to the airport  - he knew there was a problem and was going back.  I sat right down in the dirt and let the tears come.  As I sobbed the 47 years of pain and longing and yes, anger, all washed away.  My Daddy had been trying to come home.  I know now that he has been watching over me my entire life!  Happy Father's Day.  I love you! 

Eddie Lee Jones
That would be my DAD on the left.  I was almost 6 years old when my Mom married him.  I really wanted a daddy, but knew there were going to be many changes for this little girl.  From their courting, I could already feel the sterness.  I could tell that the discipline was going to out-weigh the tenderness he may feel towards me.  I was right.  I had lots of moments of his harsh discipline.  I was too sassy and was always punished for "talking back".  But, I really only wanted to be a "daddy's little girl" and make him love me.  I learned a lot about life from him.  He taught me the importance of doing a job well, and smiling while doing it (I may have had the hardest time with the smiling part), being frugal (straightening used bent nails to re-use), respecting the animals that would feed us, bring money to our family on their sale, or simply be our friend.  He was a hard worker,  soooo Handsome, loved to sing, and was so much fun on family camping trips.  I really became close to him in his later years, and learned how much I loved him as I became more involved in his care.  Thanks for making me yours, Dad. Happy Father's Day!

Toni & Todd

Two Birthdays exactly 4 years apart.

Each one treasured within my heart.

O, day of JOY!

A baby Girl! A baby Boy!

How miraculous and sweet,

That tender moment when we meet -

Mother and babe.

One shared but a moment -

One, twenty five years.

Only my heart knows the sorrow and tears.

But, how miraculous and sweet -

When in Heaven again we meet -

Mother and child.