Ain't Life Grand?: December 2009

(written by Joe)

November has been a month of good family time. Julee and Ceseley were with us for a couple of weeks. Ceseley finally warmed up to Debby and they became friends. We had a great family gathering at Betsy’s on Thanksgiving Day and then followed up with a gathering of Debby’s kids here on the day after. On both days, we missed family members who weren’t with us but enjoyed the company of all who were. Blake and Brett were home from school for a few days. I even got to play a little Rook one night as Blake and I gave lessons to Lori and Patrick.

A highlight of the month was Katie’s baptism. It was wonderful to see her excitement at the opportunity and to share the time with family and friends who came to support her. It is sobering to consider how quickly time moves along. Kids just don’t stay kids for very long. Debby and I were talking to each other about the covenants we make at baptism. It is a phrase often used but the details of which are seldom specified. It seems that, reduced to its simplest form, the covenant is simply to follow Jesus Christ for all our life. Each baptism helps me to remember mine and be reminded of important things. After we left church, Eric and Kristi hosted a nice lunch at Little House and the Whites and Debby & I enjoyed a really nice afternoon out there with them.

We had stake conference on the 14^th and 15^th. One of those ah-hah moments came when President Meredith related that their little 18 month old child was in the habit of throwing things in the toilet. He said that they had to really keep an eye on him or he would throw everything in there—even things like his pacifier that he really loved. He likened that unto us, reminding us that if we aren’t careful with our lives, we could throw very important things into the toilet and be left with nothing of value. If we aren’t careful, we will spend a lot of time chasing the wrong things, things of the world, and throw the most important thing, our relationship with our God, into the toilet.

Our friend, Arthur Hale, has occupied a lot of our prayers and thoughts lately. He found out that he is on the heart transplant list. He is actually #7 nationwide for his body size and type. He has been told to stay packed and ready to rush to the hospital at a moment’s notice. In the mean time, he has been in the hospital twice this month under very serious circumstances. Currently, he is at home, somewhat weak during his recovery from his latest procedure, and in pretty good spirits. He is not allowed to drive so I occasionally get to drive him to run an errand and that gives us a chance to visit a little.

On the ninth, I picked Arthur up at Doctor Foster’s office. He needed a ride home but I suggested that instead of going home he might want to go out to Rocky River and rest in a rocker on the back porch. He agreed but he was really weak. He had only been home from the hospital for a day or so. I thought the change of scenery might do him good but I was afraid Nancy would think I was keeping him out too long. The last ordeal at the hospital really scared her and she was being very protective of him. My fears were multiplied because I had already called Corky Crawford, who was working in Spencer for the day, and asked him if he wanted to join us at Little House later in the day. He quickly agreed and offered to buy our lunch and bring it to us. That, of course, sealed the deal. While we were driving out there, by a roundabout way, Nancy called to check on him. He told her what we were up to and it did worry her. After getting her permission to continue, she sent him a text message that went something like this---“I have been in love with you since high school, you take care of yourself.”

We had a last-minute gathering of some of our “old friends” at Rocky River on the 21^st. We invited several and fourteen of them were able to come help us eat chili and Mexican cornbread and visit. The weather was nice but brisk enough to enjoy a campfire. A good fire always facilitates conversation and warmth of more than one kind. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and we received the expected compliments on our Little House and setting. We want to do more of that as time and circumstances permit.

This year Debby decided that “we” would be part of the Black Friday shopping frenzy. As a seminary teacher, she gets up each morning at 5:30 anyway so the early morning bargain hunting didn’t scare her any. So, we took off to Lowe’s to be there by 6:00 when the doors opened. We were there before 6:00 but could tell that the store had been open for some time because people were already out in the parking lot loading up cars and trucks. We purchased a few bargains there and then went to Penney’s. We tried Wal-Mart but the checkout lines were too long and most of the deals were already gone and some of the “deals” weren’t’ deals in the first place. Probably won’t do Wal-Mart again.

Debby's Addendum

Lori hosted a birthday party for William at Rocky River on the 7^th – which actually was her birthday. William wasn’t two until the 12^th. The 7^th is what worked, though, and Lori – being the selfless person that she is – let all the attention be focused on Will. It was a beautiful weather day and everyone had a good time together. Will was especially glad that Ceseley was there to help him celebrate.

Julee and I prepared a birthday dinner for Lori here on the 10^th. Julee made some yummy soup and I made some yummy sandwiches. The chocolate cake that Grandma M made for Lori was dessert – along with a fresh fruit salad that I made. It was another nice evening spent with family.

Joe shared a Pres. Meredith quote from conference and I have another one. He announced that he and his wife are expecting their sixth child. He said that after they told their children he asked his oldest what he thought about the news. Answer: “Well, you know dad, the scriptures say to multiply and punish the earth with children.” That drew quite a laugh!

It was a beautiful day on the 16^th with rain in the forecast for the next day. Joe had work to do here, but leaves needed to be moved from the Little House yard so I called Grandma M to see if she felt well enough for me to come get her so that she could enjoy a day at the river while I raked and blew leaves. I finished that job in time to wash the windows, too. It was a nice, productive day.

It was wonderful to have Julee & Ceseley here for an extended visit. Ceseley finally got used to having Joe and me around and warmed up to us before she left. That made it much harder to see her go, though. She had actually started letting me cuddle with her a little bit. Over the next few days, I gradually got things put back where they belong. A lot of things got moved from the lower cabinets to the top of the fridge and other places due to Little Miss Ces. She is also quite an eater and her mommy goes to a lot of trouble to make sure she has a very healthy diet. It’s so fun to watch her eat. She takes it very, very seriously.

Olivia invited us to her 5^th birthday party on the 30^th, which we were able to “attend” via Skype. It was fun to be able to sing “Happy Birthday” to her and watch her open her presents. Sure do miss that little bugger - and the big ones, too.

After our Thanksgiving meal here, we had a little birthday celebration for Baylor. It was his 6^th. My, how time keeps “slippin’ into the future.”