Dear family and dear friends, 30
May 2023
Yesterday, in honoring the memories of loved ones who are no longer with us, we visited the graves of grandparents and great grandparents.
While preparing to depart from Roy city cemetery, a cousin to Val who lost a beloved spouse a few months ago under the age of 60. She mentioned that the time seems to have gone by so quickly, and yet it seems like forever—our exact sentiments about our past few months. Thank you, for your patience, and prayers to help us through difficulties and triumphs. What happiness accompanies graduations, reunions,
welcoming of spring and summer to a ready earth, and overcoming of daunting challenges!
Anyone have high waters? Or an overactive sprinkler? We only got to help with one damp basement, and looking at Grandma's painting...it didn't look so bad!
(This is Grandma Starkey's fruit room after a sprinkler valve was stuck open during her visit to celebrate the blessing of a great granddaughter--
also, a reminder from one of her paintings that things can get wetter!)
Are we grateful for living water? Yes! In multiple ways!
(And, have you ever felt like you were hanging by a thread, until you looked up to see heaven's handiwork?)
Our biggest thanks come with recognizing heaven’s hand as
our son Tom combed the job woodwork, to start fresh with a
career that would allow time for home life as well as employment. In a downturned economy and job market, with dozens
of applications and concerted effort, we rejoiced to learn of a promising interview
directly following a family fast. A
succeeding interview and accepted written offer, and viable first week of work
is affording confidence for this family to retain their chosen location to live
and attend school, and on the way, provide invitations to grow, learn and
extend already-honed abilities in sales and leadership. God is good! Are we not appreciative of faith united?
The end of April and beginning of May hosted some happy reunions. Val and Laurene accepted an assignment to
again serve in the Bountiful temple as ordinance workers on Friday mornings. 
Our first day working, we rushed home to discover a reunion at my mom’s house
to celebrate the graduation of a niece in applied mathematics, preparing
to add her expertise and possibly wisdom to the world of Artificial Intelligence. Our Tom says his super power is Actual Intelligence,
which we are attempting to follow! Our
second Friday at the temple culminated in a drive south to visit my mom’s Michigan sister and a gathering of six of the seven living siblings out of nine. 
Is there a better way to celebrate than perusing of histories, photographs, and connecting with cousins over Aunt Arlene’s home canned grape juice and rhubarb cake?
I rejoiced to meet cousins I do not remember meeting,
and felt joy in the sharing of recently collected records.
Grateful for a quick visit to our beloved Guatemala missionary nurse companion neighbor next door!
As grandchildren race in track and compete with Olympiads—STEM and science, I am learning to withhold judgement about how things are going. One granddaughter was invited to program a ball called “Sphero” to race from one colored dot to another, circling a cone and returning home. The progress seemed questionable as a neighboring competitor had their sphere circling and her team seemed to advance to only the second mark.
My consolatory text, “It takes courage to TRY!” was met with an announcement that she had taken second place.
Lesson--Don’t give up hope if you see yourself on only second base!
Another joy was helping a grandson off to a
National Science Olympiad, thirty plus hours of road trip, made safer with a
kind great grandmotherly offer to help fund a rental car. 
Speaking of preparing to meet adventure, I was
invited to bike several miles south
and later walk with grandchildren to their elementary school to prepare for a family vacation where they hope to walk and walk and walk.
Amber's family drove across Texas and adjacent states, arriving in Georgia, with a repeat planned this coming week (for Amber and Jake with a second vehicle) in a planned move to Georgia for Jake’s new assignment to teach ROTC at a university there.
We are exploring gifts and “super power” of family support
in challenge, invitations to grow and adventures.
What is your super power?
One granddaughter likes to organize
  |
| (She also likes to draw and label our rooms and help us remember pioneers!) |
Some of us appreciate the super power of music to lift burdens. We are inviting heaven’s help as Laurene is invited to accompany the funeral following another unexpected passing of a father to a neighbor family this month. Thank you for your prayers—the very best super power! And cheers to developing and magnifying your own "super powers"! We love you! Laurene and Val
Are we not grateful for the Super Power of Springtime?
Beautiful letter! We love you!!
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