Dearest Loved Ones:
The last of the landscape bark nuggets have been distributed in the shrub beds--a total of 545 bags. The corn seed and four tomato plants are in (the rest of the garden boxes will lie fallow this year), the repairs on the pool tile are completed and the pool cover has been cleaned, the windows in the house are sparkling and the gravel beds are raked. I’m ready for summer!
We have been sleeping with windows and screen doors open. The combination of cool night temperatures and the chirping of birds in the early dawn hours is delightful. And when the rhythmic thrum of the irrigation sprinklers is added, it is a truly glorious symphony!
Scott has been offered a thirteen week assignment at Jacobsen Construction; this is a wonderful chance for him to “get back in the game” after being laid off from his architecture/construction/development job four years ago. He commutes from Heber to West Valley City every weekday and keeps us company in the evenings. As I mentioned in my last letter, the loneliness of being away from Analia and the children is softened by the opportunity to see and talk to them each evening via Skype. Ana is an amazing woman—she is managing all of the home chores, working at the hospital several nights per week, and is a competent and loving mother. And she does it all with a smile!
We enjoyed the blessing of being with some of you at Clark and Ali’s sealing in the Salt Lake Temple on May 10th, reveled in the easy companionship of loved ones as we celebrated their union afterward at a lovely luncheon in the Joseph Smith Building. Boyd and Julie sure know how to throw a party! I was thankful for the counsel and instruction given by the sealer in the temple, the reminder of the blessings Heavenly Father is able to extend to us when we live obediently. Our covenants, when honored, are truly a strength and protection against much of the evil and corruption (and unhappiness) in the world.
Gene and Tanya invited us to celebrate Grandma Flora’s 84th birthday at a barbecue on Memorial Day in their backyard. Again, the blessing of family…! It really is difficult to believe she is 84. She is beautiful, looks much younger than her years, remains active and involved in many things, and is a blessing to all who know her. I am inspired by her example, and need to “step it up” to keep up with her.
I just finished a book by Andrew Olsen about the companies of handcart pioneers called The Price We Paid. In many ways, the participants were unprepared for the great challenges they faced as they made their trek to Utah, but they came because they had the desire and faith to gather to Zion, and it was that faith (and nothing else) that drove them to keep going when the weather was harsh, the provisions ran out, and their health failed. They buried loved ones in shallow graves and kept walking because they believed God would sustain them in the important things. And despite the tragedies and the hardships, He ultimately DID sustain them. Reading of their experiences again has caused me to re-frame my ideas of success, and to examine many of my motivations. I am ever grateful for the eternal perspective the gospel provides, for the opportunity to avail myself of the Savior’s offer to succor and sustain us and to carry much of our sometimes heavy loads.
We love each of you; you are choice sons and daughters of God. Thank you for your examples of faithful endurance. We are part of a great family!
Uncle John and Aunt Carole
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