In the Good Old Summertime

There's a time each year
That we always hold dear,
Good old summer time;
With the birds and the treeses
And sweet scented breezes,
Good old summer time,
When your day's work is over
Then you are in clover,
And life is one beautiful rhyme,
No trouble annoying,
Each one is enjoying,
The good old summer time.

Lyrics - Ren Shields
Music - George Evans

Father & Son Outing
July 23-25, 2008

Tom and Hugh ventured out for three days last week on a memorable trip before Tom leaves on his mission.

Hugh (center) looking and listening on the Hearst Castle tour.

Tom with his deep sea fishing catch for our Friday night fish fry.

Good Friends - Kaley Thacker, Janna Blair, Zoe Burgess

Lancaster Stake Girl's Camp

FRIENDS FOR GOOD

July 22-26, 2008

MORE COUSINS COME TO TOWN
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Me, Doyle, Julie, Cassie, Jim, and my sister, Beth

Alas, so much to blog, so little time. The summer is not over yet and our busyness continues with more doings to report. I'll try to keep up. Hope you're having a great summer!

A Pioneer Day

"Stand as witnesses of God at all times

and in all things, and in all places"

(from the Young Women Theme, Mosiah 18:9)

"So where should each of us make our stand? As we demonstrate our devotion to God by our daily acts of righteousness, He can know where we stand. For all of us this life is a time of sifting and refining. We all face trials. Individual members in the early days of the Church were tested and refined when they had to decide if they had the faith...to put their belongings in a wagon or a pioneer handcart and travel across the American plains. Some did not have the faith. Those who did traveled “with faith in every footstep.” In our time we are going through an increasingly difficult time of refining and testing. The tests are more subtle because the lines between good and evil are being eroded. Very little seems to be sacred in any of our public communication. In this environment we will need to make sure where we stand all of the time in our commitment to eternal truths and covenants."
James E. Faust, “Where Do I Make My Stand?,”Ensign, Nov 2004, 18

Through all our playing this summer, Janna took the opportunity to participate in our stake youth conference. It was a reenactment of the pioneers crossing the plains. Their version involved pushing and pulling fifteen handcarts through the high Sierra's for four days along with other activities to enhance their understanding of the pioneer experience.

Janna with her pioneer family, The Chandler's, marching into the Great Salt Lake Valley.

I can't recount all of Janna's feelings and knowledge she gained from the event, but I do know how I felt as we greeted and hailed the incoming pioneers. I get emotional just thinking about it. No doubt our adulation was similar to those who were met so long ago. When Janna and I saw each other our eyes filled with tears. Hearts communicated with hearts. She was so grateful to be home. Grateful for the gospel. Grateful for her faith in Christ. I felt those things too. Surely our hearts were comforted and knit together in love.

Glad to have Janna home. Glad to be home.

Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert - I might mention that in celebration of Pioneer Day (July 24th)there will be a special broadcast on Saturday, July 26, at 7:30 p.m. mountain daylight time, (6:30 p.m. pacific daylight time). LDS.org will provide a one-time, live Internet stream of the Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert, featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and special guests, the Osmonds. This presentation will not be archived like other broadcasts. Hope you read this post in time to view this special program. I'M ALL ABOUT IT!

Honor thy Father and thy Mother

Through all my blogging I haven't mentioned my parents much and yet they take a good portion of my time and concern. They are aging and I'm a caregiver, of sorts. I say, of sorts, because they are still living at home. They have tried to stay in their own domain, but as their health has declined they have needed more and more support. They need daily care and I'm not in a position to give it. It might be easier if my parents were closer in vicinity, like next door or living in my home. They do live in town, but it is a bit of a drive. Their care has become more and more of a burden on me because of their choices to try and stay "independent".

We've encouraged them to get more help, but my mother has refused to pay for what they really need. Yes, she's called repairmen, a housekeeper, yard help, etc., periodically, but still more help is required. I walk a tentative tightrope in offering my opinion on what I think would be in their best interest and letting them preserve their autonomy. Some days I think I'm outright irresponsible as I let them make choices that seem wrong for their welfare. It's a constant concern about what is best for them and where to draw the line in fostering their independence. It seems that what I do is never enough.

Anyway, I always include some kind of picture with my post. I have a wedding photo displayed instead of a picture showing my parent's current state of affairs. They have been married 57 years. Once robust and active, these days their situation is really quite awful and I'm not inclined to exhibit their ruin. Their gradual demise is sad and demeaning. My dad has Alzheimer's. He is literally the walking dead. My mother is diabetic with congestive heart failure and a bit of dementia I might add. She is full of anxiety and worry as she tries to hang on to what she once had physically and mentally. There is no quality of life. They are in a downward spiral.

Currently, I have opted to let them make choices and then stand back and watch, but things seem to be escalating. My mother finally admitted to me this week that maybe she does need to live with someone. My mother would like to wait in dealing with these decisions because my sister, Beth, is coming to visit next week. With Beth's help and my brothers' too, hopefully, we can come up with a consensus for my parent's well-being. We'll see how it goes.

Dorothy & Bill Reynders - A BETTER DAY

"Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

Exodus 20:12

PARTY ANIMALS!

COUSINS:
Michael, Janna, Sammy, Becky, and Emma

My brother, Adam, and his children arrived over a week ago. Zoe's friend, Sarah Shelley, is in town too, visiting from Florida. We had 13 plus people, at times, in tow or at home, as we kept everyone entertained. It's been fun, but it's just the beginning of a crazy busy month. We are booked with cousins and other activities. This is just an example of it:

Monday - Family Home Evening/Apollo Park/Foster's Freeze
Tuesday - Zoe's Luau
Wednesday - Swimming Party at the McEwan's
Thursday - Movie
Friday - Beach House, visiting the Shirley Family/FIREWORKS
Saturday - BBQ/Sparklers
Sunday - Church

No wonder everyone likes to visit Aunt Martha. Between all this is eating, piano, Pioneer School (my home version of summer school), chores, appointments, tending Poppy and Grandma, etc., etc., etc. Am I booked or what?! We're the hub of activity.

Adam is back in Utah today, but he left his kids here for more cousin time. My sister, Beth, will be here next week with her two youngest. And we'll all be rendezvousing with my other brother, Mark, sooner or later. I could share more details, but I won't. I'm too busy!!!

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." -- John Lennon

Happy Birthday to ME!

My mother says she doesn't want a senior citizen for a daughter, but it's finally happened. The 4th of July has rolled around again celebrating our nation's birth and my birth. I've hit the golden age of 55 today. Guess what my present was? I was home alone. Everyone went to the beach and I stayed home. How sad you say? Au contraire, my house seems to be constantly filled with people these days, I was happy to take a break. When everyone got home, we had tossed salad and chimichangas. Later that night, after the firework show, we had sweet bread with berries, topped with fresh whipped cream. "Happy Birthday to Me!" It was a great day. I'm glad to share my B-day with America and I'm proud to be a citizen of this country, a senior citizen that is.I’m proud to be an American
Where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died,
Who gave that right to me.
--Lee Greenwood

WEEKEND REPORT

Dave's Getting Married in the Morning -
Saturday morning that is, June 28th, we joined David Reynders (my nephew) and Yvonne Murphy (his bride) and a host of other family and friends in the Fresno Temple. It was a great day and we were glad to be there.

"Choose a companion you can always honor, you can always respect, one who will complement you in your own life, one to whom you can give your entire heart, your entire love, your entire allegiance, your entire loyalty."

President Gordon B. Hinckley

Ensign, February 1999, 2

Reynders Biggest Loser - $100 PRIZE Awarded
8 week competition comes to a close
Top 3 winners were announced at the wedding dinner.
Annie Spiel/1st PLACE, Adam Spiel/3rd PLACE, Houston Blair/2nd PLACE

The Thrill of Staying in a Hotel -
Fun for Sam, but oh my aching back!!!!

Blessed Baby, Reagan Reynders - This picture was taken Saturday night at the wedding reception, but none the less, it represents our Sunday doings. We got to be part of the joy displayed by my nephew, Robert. Paige and he are so pleased with their little girl and we are pleased for them. Robert blessed his daughter, Reagan Reynders, who was 11-days old, Sunday, June 29th.

"I am a child of God,

And He has sent me here,

Has given me and earthly home

With parents kind and dear."

by Naomi Ward Randall

"Honey, I'm HOME!"

Hugh has served in the Lancaster Stake presidency seven years and he was released last night at our stake general priesthood meeting. It is the same meeting he was sustained in seven years ago. This will certainly be a change in our life. He will miss the opportunity he had to render service in the stake, but he will now get to serve in other ways. It will be interesting to see where he will be called next and maybe, just maybe, we'll have him home more.

Happy to have Daddy home.

Janna, Becky, Hughie, Tom, Sam, Martha

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."
Mosiah 2:17

"Let Us All Press On"

Last month the Lancaster Stake revamped all the ward boundaries. I was in the Juniper Ward. Now I'm in the Sierra Ward. I was the Primary Music Leader. Now I'm the Relief Society Secretary. I have been very busy with a number of things and the creation of our new ward has been part of it .

Our first Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment meeting

in the "new" Sierra Ward, Thursday, June 12, 2008

"Let Us All Press On"

Martha Blair, pioneer of old

Terri Wick, Stake RS President - Guest Speaker

Sharon Beesley, modern-day pioneer

The faith of our fathers—I love that phrase.

For many members of the Church, these words bring to mind valiant pioneers who abandoned the comfort of their homes and traveled by wagon and on foot until they reached the valley of the Great Salt Lake. I love and honor the faith and courage of those early pioneers of the Church. My own ancestors were living an ocean away at the time. None were among those who lived in Nauvoo or Winter Quarters, and none made the journey across the plains. But as a member of the Church, I claim with gratitude and pride this pioneer legacy as my own.

With the same joy, I claim the legacies of today’s modern-day Church pioneers who live in every nation and whose own stories of perseverance, faith, and sacrifice add glorious new verses to the great chorus of the latter-day anthem of the kingdom of God.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf,

“Faith of Our Father,” Ensign, May 2008, 68–70, 75

The Competition

It's Mud Run Saturday, June 6th, at Camp Pendleton, CA. Our white-headbanded team is stoked and ready for the competition. Rick Blair, Chelsea Blair, Billy Blair, Brandon Pyper (Chelsea's brother), and Tommy Blair.

Sticking together through thick and thin!

"We did it!" This was the last main event of our reunion.

"Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success."
--Henry Ford (1863-1947)

The Reunion Continues

Last Wednesday night (June 4th) we celebrated the two babies one-year old birthdays, Ammon (May 3rd) and William (June 3rd). It was a spaghetti dinner with cupcakes, ice cream, and some special gifts. It was fun!

Thursday was our day in the temple. Tommy was going through for the first time. The grandkids and Sam were outside with Becky, Zoe, and Janna. When the rest of us came out Zoe took pictures for us. We won't be together like this for at least another two years. Then we went out to eat, all 17 of us plus Zoe. It was a great day!

"When you come to the temple you will love your family with a deeper love than you have ever felt before.

The temple is about families."

Richard H. Winkel,

“The Temple Is About Families,”

Ensign, Nov 2006, 9–11

Camping in the Sequoias

This is just a glimpse of our reunion doings.
Ammon Dedman and me (Grandma) - sitting around the campfire, examining his goods from the Cousin Safari.

Our reunion started Sunday attending church together. The next three days we were camping in the Sequoias. We ate, hiked, sang, had a Cousin Safari (a treasure hunt), laid and swung in the hammock, had what I titled "Pine Cone Wars" (shooting pine cones and rocks with the water ballon launcher), water slides, devotionals, talking, and whatever. We also burned lots of wood trying to keep warm. We were glad to get back to civilization today. We had some good times, but it sure got cold. Everyone held up in spite of the weather. We know this is a special time together before Tom leaves on his mission and Rick and his family return to Okinawa.

"Parents should act to preserve time for family prayer, family scripture study, family home evening, and the other precious togetherness and individual one-on-one time that binds a family together and fixes children’s values on things of eternal worth. Parents should teach gospel priorities through what they do with their children."

Dallin H. Oaks, “Good, Better, Best,” Ensign, Nov 2007

Called to Serve

We've been on pins and needles waiting for Tommy's mission call. It finally arrived today. Check out the "Let the Game Begin" post to see the winning guess.

Tommy has been assigned to serve in the Texas Houston South Mission - English speaking. He reports to the MTC (Missionary Training Center - Provo, UT) August 20, 2008 - 10 days after his 19th birthday.

You will bless the lives of those you teach and their posterity after them. You will bless your own life. You will bless the lives of your family, who will sustain you and pray for you.

And above and beyond all of this will come that sweet peace in your heart that you have served your Lord faithfully and well. Your service will become an expression of gratitude to your Heavenly Father.

You will come to know your Redeemer as your greatest friend in time or eternity. You will realize that through His atoning sacrifice He has opened the way for eternal life and an exaltation above and beyond your greatest dreams.

If you serve a mission faithfully and well, you will be a better husband, you will be a better father, you will be a better student, a better worker in your chosen vocation. Love is of the essence of this missionary work. Selflessness is of its very nature. Self-discipline is its requirement. Prayer opens its reservoir of power.

And so, my dear young brethren, resolve within your hearts today to include in the program of your lives service in the harvest field of the Lord as a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

President Gordon B. Hinckley
"Words of the Prophet: Forget Yourself and Go,” New Era, Oct 2002, 5 and "Of Missions, Temples, and Stewardship", Ensign, Nov. 1995, 52

The Next American Idol

I may be a bit partial, but oh well. Move over David Archuleta, get out of the way David Cook, here's my niece, Janet Reynders - the REAL next American Idol!

Buchanan High School Spring Concert - Clovis, California

Janet Reynders, soloist, with Matt McLelland on the guitar

“Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade?”

--Benjamin Franklin

Three Little Kittens

Janna, Sam, me, and Becky.

My three little kittens.

These were the only kitties at home with me today. I got a Mother's Day greeting from everyone else by phone. Tom was gone too visiting Billy in Arizona.

I have a poem to post. You've probably heard it before. It has always been a favorite of mine. It also illustrates what I want for Mother's Day. Every year my children ask me what I want and my reply is always the same, "I want you to be obedient." Hence, the scripture that is continually displayed on my blog: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." 3 John 4

Which Loved Best
by Joy Allison

“I love you, Mother,” said little John;
Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on,
And he was off to the garden swing,
Leaving his mother the wood to bring.

“I love you, Mother,” said little Nell;
“I love you better than tongue can tell!”
Then she teased and pouted half the day,
Till Mother rejoiced when she went to play.

“I love you, Mother,” said little Fran;
“Today I’ll help you all I can.”
To the cradle then she did softly creep,
And rocked the baby till it fell asleep.

Then stepping softly, she took the broom
And swept the floor and dusted the room;
Busy and happy all day was she,
Helpful and cheerful as she could be.

“I love you, Mother,” again they said,
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think that Mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best.

Make Mother’s Day Merry with MamaBlogga