Laughing With Mother Nature

        I don’t know which Easter – two years ago I think – when I learned the resurrection rolls (some call them tomb rolls) from Emily Belle Freeman (In one of the Easter videos that she did with David Butler)  Neither David Butler nor I had ever heard of the disappearing marshmallow treat.  They souned good along with symbolic message and I tried them. 

          I vaguely remember explained the symbols as I held up the marshmallow and said that it would represent Jesus’ body and that we would symbolically prepare the body in oil (melted butter) and fine spices (cinnamon and sugar) and dress His body (the crescent roll or biscuit or whatever I happened to use) and when we opened the oven His body would no longer be inside.  I don’t know what recipe I used. 

          Yesterday I decided that I would surprise the other two as they slept, I would prepare the rolls so that they would be ready when Richard and Jaime arose.  They looked like small rolls going in, but quite disastrous coming out – more representations of the stone that had rolled away leaving several muddy trails.  I didn’t even think to take pictures of my step by step process.  When I decided I would blog about this, there was only one roll left.  And it actually does look appealing as a cookie.  But it is not a cookie but a deflated roll. 

          The results of my tomb rolls were not near as bad as the cold weather that was far from spring in air quality – though we have had signs of blossoms and new growth.  I admire the courage of the plants that have broken through despite the painful bites of the elements.  I  don’t remember such a cold Easter. Couldn’t tell that from today. 

Mother Nature’s April Fool’s joke.

Happy Birthday Jenna and Archer

 Jenna has never appreciated having her birthday fall on Conference weekend.  Often Conference has not been the factor for postponing or cancelling her birthday - but rather the weather has played a part on activities held.

Last year was nice and she had met up with a friend and went on an Easter egg hunt downtown.  She enjoyed his company and enjoyed the day.  Yesterday she had also met up with friends for a small gathering.  They met at a table at the park. Originally she had scheduled an indoor activity on April Fool's day but realized that more guests had been invited than what she had planned and felt our back room might not be large enough to hold them all.

It was a lot cooler yesterday than last year or the year before.  As I recall, the weather was quite awesome on her 16th birthday - but it was 2020 - a unique problem by itself.  That was the year that Archer was born.  We were able to see him just ten days ago.  Jaime would sing the song "We are the Dinosaurs" to him and so I ordered Laurie Berkner's "Whatdaya think of that?" after we had returned home and sent that to him - though it won't arrive until after his birthday.

For Jaime's birthday, Richard had made a card featuring Hamilton

On the inside he had included a ten dollar bill which he folded to pass off as a wallet size picture

and for Archer he had made a card featuring a Two-Rex.

I am grateful that Conference is recorded and I can refer to the talks more times than just the live session.  My thumb still hurts from Valentine's Day and my handwriting has always been horrible as is.  Throw the wounded thumb into the mixture . . . lets just say I will get more out of rewatching the talks than relying on my notes..

Tomorrow I will continue on with my spring break journey with Las Vegas and other parts of Nevada.  Now going into the kitchen to have some of Jenna's (Jaime) favorite breakfast.  That is French toast.

Bill's April Fool's Joke

          Bill and Jenna both share a similar personality.  They enjoy pranks even when it is not April Fools - so I really don't know what makes it different from every other day.  At least Bill separated the two events that occurred on April 1st.          

                  

                  

retrieved from Facebook.  I thought it was hilarious

 

          I remember having learned that the Julian calendar had originally started with April as the first month of the year but the other months were added.  History channel says "Some historians speculate that April Fools’ Day dates back to 1582 when France switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar."  Either way, the start of New Years supposedly once fell upon April 1st.  People who forgot about not being a new year were pranked.  Or else Bill and Jenna among others made certain their ancestors found a way to create the tradition of "April Fool"

          Bill and Kayla have a tradition of doing the Easter eggs and "gifts" on Saturday.  So the kids had already dug through their baskets buckets of treasures, experience the hunt for plastic eggs and decorated  (or attempted to anyway) almost two dozen eggs the day before Easter.

          After the children were asleep, Bill made some Jell-O and put it in cups.  On Sunday he brought them out and told the kids that he had made a special drink for them and that they should drink their "punch" as quickly as possible.  They enjoyed his little "trick".  But none bothered to eat the Jell-O.  

Bill's weren't filled quite as high

Symbolisms and Parellels

I don’t know how old I was when I was introduced to the parallels between the ancient prophets and Jesus – and how there have been so many symbolisms throughout their life.  For example:

 Pharaoh's orders to slay the male children (Moses) and Herod’s orders to slay male children (Jesus)

Noah and his family in the ark for 40 days and nights as Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights 

Joseph’s brothers (Judah in particular) selling him to the Ismaelites for twenty pieces of silver as Judas Iscariot had betrayed “selling” Jesus for silver pieces.

Or Jonah having been inside a whale’s belly for 3 days before he was spit out or Jesus having been inside a tomb before the stone rolled away

As well as countless others.  As I searched for scriptural references, I found these three links (Moses, Joseph, Joseph Smith) that go into a lot more detail than what I have here. 

As the last speaker in our sacrament meeting yesterday related the account of Mary looking into an empty tomb and weeping, and checking it again to find two angels.  I thought of the story found in 1 Kings, particularly vs. 7 when Samuel asks a woman to prepare a meal for him and she tells him it is all that she has.  But as long as she continues to prepare his meal first and then return to fix meal for herself and her son.  I wonder if she looked on with the same surprise and awe as Mary may have when she found angels where her Savor was supposed to be.

Danny had prepared the lesson for primary.  She had decorated the room in plastic eggs – which excited Thomas to no end.  I just happened to be sitting next to him and did my best to try and control his excitement - and asked why we celebrate Easter.  The lesson was good.  Danny really put a lot of thought into it, and demonstrated our imperfect lives (chewed up gum) to the possibilities of making us whole (none of us were able to put our chewed gum into the wrapper to make it appear as it had before we chewed it)

Afterward, Danny allowed for a match game.  Hidden in each egg were pictures depicting the Savior's life.  24 eggs and 12 pictures.  After all the pics were matched, Danny than allowed the children to put the pictures as they would see them on the timeline of the Savior's life. 

We then sang "I Stand All Amazed" - a hymn I had memorized several decades ago as my eyes are always too blurred to actually see the lyrics.  I was a Spiritual wreck by the time class ended.

           

Another Send Off - Returning Home

Before Jenna turned five she was introduced to Isaac – a cousin to Paula – who, at the time, was Biff’s platonic girlfriend. 

Roland asked Isaac how old he would be (or what age he’d just turned – I forget what time of the year it was) We both figured at least nine.  Both of us were quite floored when he answered seven..  He was too tall to be only seven. He was actually quite tall for nine.   Surely Jenna and Isaac were more than just two years apart.

     Isaac’s mom was involved with an Easter tradition.  Every year right after Church, the children would look for the plastic eggs that the adults had hid around the yard – her father’s yard to be exact.  Paula had outgrown the tradition and had asked Biff to bring Jenna so that Isaac and Paula’s brother weren’t hunting for eggs by themselves.  So from 2009 to 2012 Jenna has always done Easter with Isaac and his family.  

 

     Each year the hunt happened at Grandpa’s house – until last year.  Ruth and Nim had moved into a new house – she felt that her yard was ready.  Biff and Paula hadn’t spent much time together, but he was still friends with Isaac’s mom, Ruth.  She had asked him if he would assist with Easter set up.  He took Jenna with him and they spent the night.

Paula had told me that she came from a dysfunctional family.  I didn’t realize how dysfunctional until earlier this year. It’s true that Ruth had been excited to have Easter at her house – but it was not the same as it had been at grandpas.  I think Grandpa himself had been invited, but nobody else in the family had.  There had been a falling out, continuous squabbles – quite strained relationships among Ruth and her siblings.  It sounded horrible.  I feel quite grateful that I couldn’t (nor can) relate.

When Jenna was in first grade, Grandpa’s home was a sanctuary – I told her that if I was ever late picking her up, she was to wait for me at Paula and Isaac’s grandpa’s house. That was before the adult brother moved in and basically pushed his parents into the back room – taking away almost every inch of space from the house to store his worthless belongings and himself.  This year I told her NOT to go to Grandpas.  Even Ruth and Isaac would rather not be there.  I now understand why it takes him so long to cross the field.

Ruth, from what I understand, has always been insecure about her looks.  She has always felt overweight and unhealthy.  Others had made fun of her size and said unkind things that did hurt her emotionally.  But she was very strong willed and never unkind to anyone.  She was a friend to everyone – including those that had put her down. I thought she was beautiful both inside and out.

She did not have the Easter hunt this year.  Her health has been poor.  She was scheduled to have her hernia removed back in May.  But there was the issue with her weight.  She needed to lose several pounds and reschedule.  I don’t know how many times the surgery was postponed.  I had talked with her over the phone only a few times during the summer.  I had been to her house only one time.

Ruth’s home was always in chaos.  She just didn’t seem to have the strength to pick up after her two boys.  She considered them more than a blessing.  She said that Nim and the boys completed her life.   But somehow the boys didn’t appear to give her any help.  I don’t know why.  Isaac is such a sweet and thoughtful boy.  He has been a tremendous friend to Jenna. 

His little brother has a crush on Jenna.  He also looks older than he is – a little replica (well, smaller version – both boys are huge) of Isaac.  He just started kindergarten this year and Isaac will be starting junior high (or middle school) next year.

Ruth’s last surgery was scheduled for Friday, October 11.  She so wanted to lose the weight and get healthy not just for herself but for her boys. She died on the operating table.  I seem to be shedding more tears than with my own mom’s death.  I just feel so bad for Isaac and Marvin.  Marvin was so attached to his mother.  I don’t know if he will fully understand that mommy isn’t coming back or why.  He cannot depend on her anymore the way he used to.

Biff and I attended her funeral this afternoon.   We had gone early to attend the viewing.  I saw Ruth’s brother in the hall.  Her mom was near the casket – but that was all the family I saw.  No grandpa (her father) no Isaac, no Marvin, no Nim.  Ruth was in her casket smiling.  It was small, but still, it appeared as a smile. I don't think I've ever seen a smiling corpse before.

I visited with the principal of the school that both Isaac and Jenna attend.  She was the only person (besides Ruth) that I recognized. (How convenient it was for both of us that the funeral was just next door to the school.)  School let out before the funeral was over. 

You would think a family like that would have seen death before – but the funeral itself seemed to be a very unfamiliar situation for most of the family – at least from my point of view. I would imagine both Ruth and her dad have attended funerals before. 

Somebody escorted the two boys into the chapel.   I went to where they were seated and gave Isaac a hug and asked if he was okay.  He was holding a stack of homemade cards that I'm guessing had been created by his classmates. I started crying before I returned to my seat. I just couldn’t seem to pull myself together.

Nim joined his boys shortly after I sat down.  I’d never met him before and so introduced myself.  He looked broken.  They sat in the chapel with some other of his family members.  I don’t know if they were ever in the same room with the casket

Nim and the boys missed out on the family prayer as it was in the RS room and they were in the chapel.  Perhaps it was easier for them.  I don’t know. When the congregation was told to stand while the family filed in, Nim and his family stood along with the congregation and thus most all of the family members who filed in remained standing also. 

I think it is the first LDS funeral I’ve been to where I have seen the family stand and not take their seats once they had filed in. I know I've taken my seat as a family member while the congregation stood for us.

The services were nice.  Ruth is very well loved.  I enjoyed learning more about the great woman that she was.  I hope Isaac will remember the love and that he will take the advice of the speakers.  She will definitely be missed.