Sunday, we took the nursery children into the big class. We have three children that are already 3 years-old and they wanted to go. They went the previous week and did really well. We had just finished our lesson and the other things we do the first hour and were getting the toys out when one of the boys said, “I want to go to primary.”
The other children agreed, so we put away the toys and went. The only problem is that we have two children that are only 18 months old and they are not ready. I decided that next week we need to divide the class and one of us take the older children to Primary and the other adult stay in the nursery with the little ones.
After church we went home and had enchiladas, rice, and beans. Since we did not have a work crew (that I had cooked for) we have food for several meals.
Maria came over later and we went to the neighbors whose home had been destroyed in the tornado. Saturday we had helped them take another load to put in storage. Now, there were tables and boxes of items they did not want. The problem is that when his mother died, they just packed up everything and brought it home, and it ended up in their shed.
Since then, they had not had the time to go through the stuff, but decided that now was the time to sort and de-clutter.
One person’s trash is another person’s treasure…and we found several treasures. I really like glass and found several pieces I liked as well as other little items. Maria and the girls found some things, too.
I called some ladies to come and go through the stuff, but before we got rid of all of it, a storm came out of nowhere on Tuesday evening, and hail and high winds ruined most of the items. The rest will have to go to the trash now.
Monday, I worked all day, then came home and made more rice and beans as
Tuesday was Rebeca’s birthday party.
Tuesday, I worked all day and came home just in time to help get things into the car and head over to a friend’s home. We were having Rebeca’s birthday party at their house for two reasons. One; our place still isn’t completely cleaned up from the tornado, and two; Rebeca was turning eight and was baptized. This family has a pool and as the drought never let our lake be filled up adequately….Rebeca said, “ Mommy, the lake is slimy. I don’t want to be baptized there.”
I have decided, I do not like hosting parties from other people’s homes. She was so gracious, but we had forgotten so many items: birthday candles, chips, salsa, ice, etc., and I had to keep asking her for things. Then after the baptism service and just as we were done eating, a thunderstorm came up out of nowhere (we have had 100 degree hot dry weather the whole week) and it started to rain, then hail, then the wind was so bad we all had to invade their home.
Then it got worse and the electricity went off. It did not come back on the whole evening. Her sons came to our house later as when we arrived home, we did have electricity.
I felt so bad. All these dripping wet bathers and people were crammed into her house with leaves blown in, birthday cake crumbs on the floor, and so on. I made Matthew get down on the floor and clean up the best we could with napkins.
But, we really did have an enjoyable evening despite the storm. Good conversation and good friends always make up for whatever life throws our way.
I worked all day Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I have been arising at 5 am or 5:30 in order to accomplish all that I need to. Friday morning, I made 19 small loaves of poppy Seed bread to take some to an open house on Friday evening. Other mornings, I did dishes, cleaned my mom’s section, did work, sent job applications, and so forth.
Elizabeth (who is 11) has taken over the task of laundry. If it weren’t for that and for all that Fito and the others do, I would never be able to keep this schedule. I only have five more weeks like this…yea!
I did not go to the open house with the family on Friday night. I was helping a friend of Matthew’s with some Economics’ homework and we ended up working on it till late. It was so infuriating. The on line class kept dropping off-line and we would lose what we had done, and the teacher is very confusing.
Each part had two right answers, but one was supposedly better than the other, but I felt like some were vague or difficult to discern. To me, when professors try to do this type of thing it is a waste of time. The purpose is to teach material, help the students learn and retain it, then find a way to assess them. Not try to be tricky, vague, or complicated.
Saturday, was one of the best days I have had in a long time. It did not start off well; Fito and I had a disagreement, but then we worked things out and just enjoyed the day together. We watched a movie, weeded a garden, took a nap, and looked at some stuff on line, and so on.
I made Chinese noodles and shrimp, and took some fried rice out of the freezer I had, heated it up in the microwave and that was better than going out to eat.
Today, our family was the speakers for church. Rebeca spoke first after the primary children sang two songs. She did so well. We had been practicing a talk I had written for her all week, but she didn’t seem to get it, so we finally told her to just say what she felt in her heart. She spoke about her father and it was so heart-warming…she even began to cry.
Then Elizabeth spoke and did a marvelous job, too. She told a story of when she was a toddler and had burned her feet severely. Her father gave her a blessing and her feet were partially healed. She told the whole experience so well and we all cried with her, too.
Then it was David’s turn. The week before in church, a young man had mentioned in his talk that his father had never spanked his children. That he had just used persuasion and love to get them to obey.
Well, David started off his talk saying that unlike that father…his father used the “Board of Education” (as I call it) to influence and persuade his children. He is quite a good writer and it showed up in his talk. He said that his father gets frustrated at times when they are working outside and talks to them in Spanish and he doesn’t know if his dad is calling him a one-legged rooster or what.
He then went on to praise his father and talk about the importance of fathers.
Felipe gave a talk on examples of fathers from the scriptures. He and David completely did their talks by themselves and they both did excellent jobs.
Tony and Matthew surprised us and were at our church. They usually attend the single’s ward, but had come because of Father’s day. I whispered to them to go ahead a say a few things. Both did wonderful.
I then spoke about how society is demeaning and belittle ling of families and fathers and unless we change that and make fathers the head of families again, and make families the basis of society, calamities will continue to befall the earth.
Fito spoke last and spoke on service. He had the spirit so strong and his talk was so appropriate for Father’s Day; for a true father, a true parent: serves. And the service never stops, but it does bring great blessings.
Last week, when I was helping the neighbor who had lost her home and shed, she told me how grateful she had been for all the help we had given her. I told her that actually it had helped me.
I had been so overwhelmed in the past few weeks that there were times, tears would rise to my eyes, and I felt inadequate for what I had to do. But each time I would go and help her, I would regain my perspective and realize that my problems and dilemmas were manageable and not anything compared to what she was enduring.
I think this is why we are to serve. It helps to keep a perspective on life and hendure, and life keeps moving along.
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