Dearest Family,
I just came home from the Weinerts where the
Utah family gathered to have dinner and then watch the afternoon session
of our church General Conference. Our very favorite Mexican food
restaurant in Utah is "Cafe Rio" - Jeannie has mastered their menu and
the dinner today was absolutely wonderful!!!
Jeannie fixes the shredded pork, the rice,
cilantro, diced tomatoes, black beans and a dressing. THEN we all count
on John's famous avacodo quaqomole (sp,?) to top it off. We also had
chips and fruits. Annie made chocolate and vanilla fondue to go on top
of cubed cake and fruits. It just couldn't have been better and I was
flabbergasted when Jeannie suggested we change menus the next time we
get together - I don't see how it could be improved!!!
I want to list those family members who were
there: John, Jean, Rick, Ricky, Barbara Jean, Boyd, Preston, Gracie,
Mary Ann, David, Sarah, Ann, Ron, Jimmy, Bob, Claire, Laura, Brett,
Katie & Grandma B. We missed the Roy Mellors, the Steve Reeves, the
Jared Richards, Russell, Lee Anna & MIchael & Staci. Jared & Jessie are
in Arizona having school interviews at Arizona State University - I
think it would be GREAT for them to go to school so close to Susanna &
Steve & their family. Russell was translating Malagasy for our church
conference and I'm SO proud that he can do that, Lee Anna was having a
special time with her college roommates and I'm not sure where Michael &
Staci were.
I enjoy these family times together more
than anything else I do in my life. I just get "caught up" with
everyone and it thrills me to see what a WONDERFUL family I belong to.
I can't help but wish Preston & Jackson and
Caroline & Gracie could grow up together but they will be friends even
though they will only get together at special times. Preston is growing
into such a delightful little boy - he loved to "dance" for us and of
course we all loved to watch him. Gracie is an absolute "clone" to her
Mom - she looks exactly like Barji did and has her same personality.
Boyd is gone some during the week but he surely does make up for it when
he gets home - he's a GREAT Dad!!!
Susanna and Barji - THANK YOU for your
letters. I LOVE to hear about your lives and especially your children.
Susanna & Steve are trying to "break" Jackson from having his pacifer
and they gave him a HUGE Easter basket as a reward but Annie told me
today that he has a hard time taking a nap. I remember when Roy took
John's "bottle" away from him and threw it in the garbage truck - I even
have pictures of that!!!
Our General Conference was very good and
it's interesting to learn the General Authorities have new things to
warn us about. They have been concerned about pornography for a long
time and they are still concerned about that - my young grandsons told
me today that the Priesthood session last night was centered on their
concern about gambling. I would think the young people would be much
too busy to spend time with that but WHAT DO I KNOW!!! I will always
remember Lynn, Bob, Roy & John going to those Priesthood meetings - Ann,
Jean and I would usually go to "Hancock Fabrics" to get material to make
something new. They are happy memories!!!
Conference was special for one of John's
good friends. His friend's name is John Lant and his Mother was
sustained as the new General Primary President. That is such an honor
and John kept saying "she is really a smart woman" - she is a founder of
"Front Line Phonics", the company John worked for when he came home from
New York. They have nine children and she operates a "day care school"
so she is going to be one busy woman. Primary is an auxilliary of our
church and children from 3 to 12 attend it - I'm sure each one of you
remember the times you spent in Primary. I remember when Bishop Gonce
made a BIG DEAL out of having Roy graduate from Primary - he was home
from college but they didn't have a record of his Primary graduation and
Dave Gonce wanted it done - HA!!!
This has been kind of a "funny" week hasn't
it? It seems to me that we spent the week waiting for people to die.
The Schiavo case monopolized the news until she died and then Pope John
Paul was expected to die for several days before he finally did. There
have been so many different opinions about whether or not Terri Schiavo
should be kept on her feeding tube that I didn't dare express my opinion
openly.
I personally felt they should disconnect it
and let her go into a better life and I will NEVER understand why her
parents were so opposed to that. I am sorry about the passing of the
Pope - he was truly a remarkable man who did GREAT things for people in
all circumstances and was truly a man of God.
Many of my "old" friends are having
problems. A woman who just celebrated her 90th birthday has just moved
into a resthome and she is VERY unhappy!!! I visited with her one day
and she had genealogy scattered all over her bed and I wanted to get her
a card table so she could work better - maybe I will. Another friend
who was 84 years old passed
away and I went to her funeral. OH ME!!!
I went to a Thai Teacher reunion on Friday
afternoon and that made me feel guilty. Many of my former missionary
companions are serving other missions - a couple at the reunion had just
returned from Nigeria and they said Thailand was the "Ritz" compared to
that place. I don't plan to go on another mission - I can do lots of
humanitarian work here at home.
One of my Thai teacher friends has just
moved to Farmington and it will be fun to spend some time with her. She
lives with her son and his family and they have just built a new home
East from the Weinerts - way up on the mountains. She is much younger
than I am so I won't be going to visit her in a resthome soon - Ha!!!
I need to report that John surely does look
good. I don't see him as often as I do some of you except for Roy &
Patrice. He enjoys his work and it's fun to have him tell us about his
horses - I feel SO good about his home, I just love it. He and Annie
have helped with the Lehi "Stuff" and I'm grateful for that. I had
planned to go to the Thai reunion by myself so I could stop in Highland
and also go by the Lehi farm BUT Virginia called and wanted for us to go
together. Her brother-in-law is one of the twelve apostles and her
family from Idaho was coming to spend time with her so we had to just
hurry to Orem and come right back. It was fun to visit with her again
too - we don't get together as often as we used to. She works two days
in the temple, teaches an Afghanistan family three days a week and also
a Spanish family one day a week - WOW!!!
THAT'S ALL THE NEWS I THINK - I LOVE EACH
ONE OF YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. PLEASE BE SO VERY, VERY CAREFUL IN
EVERYTHING YOU DO. Grandma B XXXXXOOOOO