I Love the Mountains: February 2023

Dear family and dear friends,

What is the season? Sunshine is tiptoeing in and warming our mountains, fruit trees and the layers of our hearts are awakening to the beckoning invitation of springtime.

When will it arrive?

My mom tells us that February is a month of extending interest, good wishes, and heart-felt greetings of goodness.

What lifts you in the bleak midwinter, as your inner soul longs to see green buds peeping out from branches?

Our January was sprinkled with a flood at one daughter’s and a painting party at another’s,

welcoming news of a baby blessing in New Mexico,

and connecting with grandchildren in person and via video. Some of our best learning can come with grandchildren!

In January, we learned that goals work well when accompanied by focus when taken piece at a time, like the flecks of butter cut into Grandpa’s whole wheat biscuits. Little by little, our hopes blend into delightful offerings.

We talked to our grandchildren about faith being “evidence-based hope.” How do you like that idea?

It is fun to watch grandchildren devour, share and anxiously anticipate new volumes written by favorite authors.

A favorite quote in a recent visit to grandchildren heralded a father and son returning from a Saturday Science Olympiad event: “Hail the conquering heroes!” (And "May the Force be Equal to Mass Times Acceleration!")
We are hailing courage of a 9-year-old to shed a leg brace after a December knee operation; a victory of 10-year-old spelling bee contestant over such words as “feral" and "brindled.” We are wondering, if “drought” is spelled with a “g,” why we don't find a “g” in “doubtful”?

So, speaking of a month that points to love, What is it that you love?

Some of our grandchildren love jokes!

10-year-old: Why would T rex be afraid to go to the library? We don't know. Why?

Because his books were millions of years overdue!

Seven-year-old: When is the best time to go to the dentist?

Our answers: bed time? morning? NO! 2:30 ("Tooth hurty")

Eight-year-old: What kind of doctor works in an auto repair shop? A dirt doctor? No, a dent-ist!

Twelve-year-old: What is a fly without wings? We don't know. What is it? A walk!

This grandma cherishes walks to visit her mom, reviewing letters to grandparent temple missionaries of decades past,

stories of car rides with big brothers and no seat belts, braving corners. Calls from a two-year-old brother, “On, buddy!” (Short for “Hang on, everybody!”)

In moments where our worlds can carry tilt and tumult, it can help to prune away

the “extra,” less useful branches

(speaking of useful branches--upon hand therapy discharge Wednesday, Laurene pushed 55 pounds with her right hand--humbled with
"healing in His wings.")

as we add a bit of “umph”--sometimes defined as stretch and effort--into “spring” tidying. Learned at Maria's--our motto, can be (rather than flawless or pristine) be "Less and Better!"

Val and I are growing in patience and understanding as we interact with city comrades to encourage protection of our electric grid and historic property. In one of these afternoons "inviting" at our library, working to fill a moment of cold stillness with no passersby, I opened an email with a link sent to me, where my father’s first cousin Loni had input dozens and dozens and dozens of pictures and stories. Wow! Hours later, I knocked a door next to our Kaysville daughter to meet a daughter of one this same remarkable cousin, Loni’s good friends. Lani emoted: “I am named after Loni!”

A few houses later, needing to go home, but determining I could try one last door to finish my page of signatures, the door opened to reveal and help me discover some beloved neighbors we have lost touch with and missed, ever so long! Is it not funny, how willing completion of duty can offer incomparable blessings to a long day?

Especially, as we await and anticipate connecting with our own “Northern light” (grandchildren in Washington state soon, as we watch the seasons change and think about the warmth of the season of Valentines, I can exclaim that I have my very own Val-entine!

Speaking of the word beloved--this month marks a warm and wonderful influence in our lives, as we commemorate a special someone who passed this past week, 15 minutes into her 97^th birthday.

Aunt Lorraine, wife to Val’s father’s brother offered her basement to us perennially between our Washington/Utah journeys. So bright and cheerful, despite aging eyesight and hearing, our effervescent aunt emoted in exclamations of delight (one favorite, "Oh, my heck!") or a funny story to share about her children and family. How we will miss Aunt Lorraine! Oh, how thankful we are for beloved gifts of heaven--treasures of remarkable family members-- memories and moments with them.

This week in the temple,