Spiritual Thought The Mound Edition 8 Oct 2005

Editor’s Note: Thank you to everyone for your entries. This was, I think we all agree, the hardest Mound to write so far. As much as our family has changes physically this past quarter, we have all experienced spiritual and emotional changes as well, and I hope that as you read this you will sense those changes. I talked to (Great) Grandma R on the phone today. She spent a night in the hospital not very long ago but she is doing much better now. She is on oxygen around the clock. She said that her and Grandpa are just living day to day. She told me a fun little story that I will share. One year when she and Grandpa were returning from their wintering in Arizona, they pulled into the drive at home and there were all of our brothers and all of Uncle Sid’s boys sitting on the lawn just waiting for them to get back. She giggled about it and I knew it must be a great memory for her to be able to recall it after all these years (especially since she barely remembered being in the hospital and can’t remember why they made her go). We talked for a while about things that I remembered from those days – Grandpa’s toothpick holder on the table at every meal and that he loved to eat peaches with milk or cream poured over them. I also remember her big steam press that was the size of a piano and how it would smell when she would send a sheet or a tablecloth through it. She wisely said, “It’s amazing that things that you never thought were very important become your treasured memories.” I agree. I hope we will all spend time making ordinary treasured memories. Last, but not least, there is a Christmas List at the end of this e-mail. I pulled the names out of a bowl at random, changing it only twice when the name was from someone who was in the family of the person buying the gift. If there are any problems or concerns with it please call me and we will get it straightened out. Thanks again! H Spiritual Thought: My "spiritual thought" for this edition of THE MOUND has to do with families--- especially our family. There is a song that says: "I have a family here on earth, They are so good to me. I want to share my life with them for all eternity." I do want to share my life with all 35 of us who are now members of our family, plus many more who are yet to come. To illustrate this desire of mine to be with you for all eternity, let me cite two entries from my personal journal, the earliest one, and the latest one. On January 10, 1977 (the day I started my journal) I wrote: "Tonight I helped Rh with her piano lessons. I’m happy with her progress. She can read the notes as she plays them. All the kids jumped on me; tickling, kissing, and giggling. Even 1 year-old B got into the act. At Family Home Evening every one was most co-operative. 3 year-old S thrilled us by answering several questions. A special day for H yesterday, it was her 5th birthday. She lived for it all week long. Counting down the days in anticipation. She still beams about it today." There are hundreds of family memories over the years that we have had. I remember at Family Home Evenings the homemade pulpit consisting of a cardboard box and a microphone made of a pencil with a ball of tin foil on the end. What great times we had growing up together. Yes 29 members of our family have been added since this journal entry was made. Please share with your family all that you can remember from your early family life. Even you kids should start writing down the fun things you do together. They will be precious to you later on as you read them to your children and grandchildren. Now, my latest journal entry* dated September 21, 2005: "It has been a full month since K's funeral. (The funeral at Redmond was on Aug. 20, 2005 and the one in Weiser was on Aug. 22---My 58th birthday was right in the middle Aug 21). K was killed in a tragic airplane crash on August 15th 2005 near Madras Oregon. I think of him every day. I am proud of him; he was called by God to serve his mission. My prayers are for him. I ask the Lord to bless him that he will be comforted. That he will be strengthened in his temporary separation from L and N and K. My prayers are also for L, N and K that they will be strengthened in their temporary separation from him. I trust that He is anxiously engaged in his assignments there. I also know that he has an expanded view of the eternal plan that we in mortality have yet to learn about. I still cry when I think about their struggles with death, but I also have much joy in knowing that they are sealed together forever as a family through the Holy Priesthood of God. I know that families can be together forever. Thus my tears are as much about joy as about sadness." In closing, I want to say in behalf of all of our family that I know that we will all be together as a family forever through Jesus Christ’s Atonement if we will sincerely strive to keep His commandments and follow His teachings. Perhaps, in order to be more accurate, the song should say something like this: "I have a family in Heaven & Earth, They are so good to me. I want to share my life with them for all eternity." I know that family relationships are eternal and that we can be a FAMILY FOREVER if we strive to keep all 0f Christ’s commandments. Love, Grandpa R *Actually, this letter will become my latest entry in my journal.