Weeks 41 & 42: Feelings for Family

This entry will cover two weeks. We missed last week because we were enjoying our family and didn’t want to miss a moment with them. Then the day after they left we welcomed 28 new missionaries into our mission and had 18 leave. We are just catching our breath.

Picking blueberries

I’m including several photos of our adventures with the Merrells. We went to the Olympic Game Farm and the northern part of the peninsula one day. Another day we went to Seattle. The highlight was getting to spend a little time with Christopher. We enjoyed showing them some of our favorite spots and eating at some of our favorite seafood restaurants. We even found a new hidden treasure – Charlotte’s Blueberry Park – where we got to pick blueberries for free.  

Getting to see Preston was a bonus. He came up to spend time with his Grandma Shanna, but we got to spend a day with him as well.

Feeding Ivar's french fries to the seagulls

My heart was also turned to home and family as my mother has been critically ill.  The surgery she had to install a pacemaker device didn’t go as well as expected. She spent some time in the ICU and is having a rough recovery. I feel so incredibly helpless, but am incredibly thankful for my brother and sister and their spouses who have been (and still are) there to help her. Mom is home now, but very weak. She won’t appreciate me sharing her troubles, but I want her to know that I have been thinking of and praying for her continuously.

My heart was turned to my father this week as well. If he were alive, we would have celebrated his 81^st  birthday on Friday. Had I been in Vernal, I would have gone fishing in his honor. Instead, I ate a Salmon sandwich for lunch. 

Flippin' Chickens

Our P-Day activities included a matinee movie: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The movie provided some good food for though. We were particularly moved by the portrayal of the beauty of loving, caring family relationships.

Nearly all our children and grandchildren were able to gather this weekend in Kamas for a picnic and the Demolition Derby. We are so grateful that they make an effort to be together. How grateful we are for each of our children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, etc. We love each of you. O the wisdom of our Heavenly Father as he established, ordained, and organized us in family units. It is in the family that we learn how to be like. and return to, our Father. 

Our family is definitely a “work in progress”, but we shall continue to “Watch for Deer” and Keep Moving Forward.