Showing posts with label diane ellingson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diane ellingson. Show all posts

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Coincidence or By Divine Design - Relief Society


            When I'm teaching primary, I'm sitting down.  When I taught RS, I was standing up.  The sisters have decided to put themselves in a circle, which has its benefits.  I thought I might try walking around and pace myself back and forth as I've seen another instructor do - but my voice doesn't seem to carry as loud as hers nor did I have much of a voice on Sunday and so had to stand behind the microphone.

            NONE of the shoes that I wear on Sunday are very comfortable and so my feet hurt as I neared the end of my lesson and later on that night I was experiencing back pain.  I blame the shoes.  I think Roland would blame my weight.  Probably a combination of the two.

            There are posts on either my own or my brother's blog which provide several reference to everything I discussed in my lesson - well almost everything.  


Dear Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin spoke of an occasion when President Thomas S. Monson said to him: “There is a guiding hand above all things. Often when things happen, it’s not by accident. One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren’t so coincidental after all.”


            After I had passed around the photos of my mom and dad found in this post, I shared an experience that Roland and I had while he was a realtor.  He had made appointments for showing clients houses that were still occupied by their owners.  The clients noticed a newly listed house across the street that hadn't been on Roland's agenda because  he hadn't known about it, but as it was also occupied, he might have to make arrangements for another appointment and return at a later date.  As it turned out, the owners were gone and we were able to go inside.

            The interior of the first house seemed to have dark walls in most of its rooms.  No photos on the wall.  Just a couple on a night stand.  I thought it seemed poorly lit. The house across the street was the same exact floor plan except in reverse.  And with brighter walls.  A great big picture of an LDS temple (though I forget which one; the picture was definitely the largest I have seen - exceeding the entire length on the couch) LOTS of photographs and "families are forever" themes. It was roughly 20,000 more than any other house they looked at.  But it's the one that they wanted.  Was it a coinsidence or divine design?
  

"But remember, He has always used ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things" - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017


            I'm sure that to most people my dad was as ordinary as they come.  He was a very quiet man which I have mentioned in a post I created  the year that I started my blog. Even though we lived in the same house for over 30 years, talking to dad was often like pulling teeth.  Most of what I had shared with the sisters was second or third hand information from sources other than my dad.  I shared a bit about my dad's upbringing and his not having a testimony of the gospel - or perhaps it was just the church itself that he had strayed from.

            He was quite studios and a very good student.  In 1955 he'd been offered a full scholarship to BYU but had turned it down in order to join the navy - which he loathed.  He had joined the navy choir and had enjoyed that.  The nation was between wars and so he was never involved in active duty.  I don't think he had even left the country, but I could be wrong. Overall he really did not appreciate his time in the service.  Since he didn't talk about it, we can only speculate about what we think it was.  I think he may have found the vulgar language and lack of ethics among many of the sailors to be upsetting.

            I think my dad used Church as an escape from the navy.  One fast and testimony meeting he remembers a girl of about ten years of age (this is one of the few sources I have directly from my dad's own mouth) bore her testimony and said she knew the church was true, and he thought  - "If she can know, I can know."  And he devoted more time into finding God and getting reacquainted with the LDS faith.

          One night he was given permission to go to a Church dance.  There he met my mother.  They were married 14 months later.  They were married in Los Angeles Temple and had their wedding reception in the Church in the photo I had passed around where my father had had his picture taken 12 years before.  I don't know if my dad made the connection.  Probably not. I don't remember having seen the photo until my brother Corey posted it.  Had this all come about by coincidence or by divine design?

"Our lives are like a chessboard, and the Lord moves us from one place to another—if we are responsive to spiritual promptings. Looking back, we can see His hand in our lives" - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017
             
              I then asked the sisters:  "How many of you have ever made plans about where your life was headed?  You work so many years of your life to stay on that path toward your goal and all of the sudden there is that fork in the road.  God may nudge you to go one way or perhaps you believe you made that choice on your own.  And one day you look over to where you could have been and compare it to where you are on the road right now and think:  "Hey, wait a minute.  I'm supposed to be over there on that path.  I don't think I like where this path is taking me"

            I asked the sisters if any would like to share an example.  When nobody did, I continued. The next example I shared was about Diane Ellingson. I had breifly mentioned her remarkable triumphant found here.  You can also hear her life story in her own words in a two part video fournd here.

"Sometimes life is hard and seems unfair but you are only defeated when you stop trying." - Diane Ellington Smith


" Most often, our good works are known to only a few. They are, however, recorded in heaven. One day, we will stand as a witness of our whole-souled devotion to works of righteousness." - Ronald A. Rasband,  Oct 1, 2017


            I also shared some examples about how often when we ask for blessings, God will send us the tools we need to acquire that blessing.  I used the example of Princess Merida from Disney/Pixar's "Brave"  here.

            I concluded with a poem Corey had written which could be used to desribe almost every "ordinary" person.  His poem can be found both here and here.

            Other references for my lesson include: 


Ronald A. Rasband
                                        talk found here

                my comments from talk found here

              

Mom &Dad

                                 great pictures here and here

                      dad's service in navy and awesome tribute by Corey/Cody here

               

Merida

                        trailer for Brave here       

Friday, July 15, 2016

Making Dreams Happen - even if there're obstacles

          I LOVE the movie "Cool Runnings" - a movie that depicts marathon runner, Derice Bannock, going for his Olympic Dreams.  And when the obstacle of running into other track members knocks his dreams off course, he looks for an alternate way to take him to the Olympics.

          He discovers an "has been" Olympic athlete who had received a metal for a bobsledding competition.  There's no snow in Jamaica, but Derice (with the help of the ex-Olympic star) forms a team of members who are willing to learn bobsledding so that they may enter the winter Olympics.



          The show, of course, is probably only 5% accurate, if that.  The real "Derice" had very little training before the Olympics.  He said he saw a bobsled for the first time in September 1987 here and here

          It doesn't make me appreciate the movie any less.  I love the depiction of going for your dreams - even if you have to altar it because of whatever obstacles may fall into your path (in Cool Runnings, the obstacle was being disqualified for the summer Olympics due to the falling of the runners)



          One of my very favorite quotes comes from Cool Runnings when Derice learns that the medal had been taken away from the character (played by John Candy) who coached them.

          Derice (as well as all of us) is told: "... a gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you're not enough without one, you'll never be enough with one."
         
          Last week Roland and I watched the movie "Eddie, the Eagle" also only about 5% accuracy - at least according to Michael "Eddie" Edwards which you can read about here and here



          Eddie's goal was to be an Olympian - not necessarily to win - but to be.  The movie depicts him as being clumsy and one who is unable to make the cut at so many sports.  There are several obstacles which he tackles all throughout the movie (as well as in real life).  When he runs out of money, and can't seem to keep up with the high cost of the sport, he finds a job that includes housing and helps him keep up with the expenses of ski jumping - something he feels qualified for as England had never had a representative in ski jumping before.

          Like Darice of "Cool Runnings", Eddie asks to be coached by an Olympic has been (which did not occur in real life) and finds himself competing in the Olympics that exact same year as the first Jamaican Bobsled team.  That year (1988) the Winter Olympics were held in Calgary.

          I loved the determination of the character of Eddie Edwards, and even the real life Michal Edwards.  There were obstacles that he had to overcome, but his persistence paid off.  Oh no, he did not walk away with a medal in any place.  His jump was not that great comparatively - it didn't matter.  He was the first ski jumper to set any kind of record for England and it seemed to be that was all that mattered.

          Suppose the obstacles would divert you in a whole new direction.  I thought of Jill Kinmont and Diane Ellison.

          Jill was a promising young skier who had looked forward to participating in the 1956 Olympics.  She was on the cover of Sports Illustrated on January 31, 1955.  That same week she had a skiing accident in Alta, Utah. (see here) She did not make it to the Olympics at all. 

          The movie portrayals of Jill Kinmont in “The Other Side of the Mountain” and  “The Other Side of the Mountain Part 2” are probably more accurate to her life than the two examples above.  She couldn't even walk anymore, let alone ski. Her dreams changed. 



          Jill lived 52 years longer than she was told that she would.  She graduated from college.  She struggled to find school that would allow her to teach.  She made an impact on those that she taught and I'm sure made a difference in the lives of each that knew her.

          Diane's dream was to go to the Olympics as  a gymnast.  She had to come up with a way to pay the expenses of gymnast lessons herself (see here) She was taller than the other girls who were in the class.  She was referred to as "Big Bird".  She excelled and went on to perform in several competitions.  



          In 1981 Diane was asked to join U.S. Professional Gymnastics Classic.  During a workout  she had decided to make a move without her spotter.  see here

          I hadn't known Diane until after the accident.  She always seemed to have a positive attitude.  I did not know her well, but I did enjoy spending time with her when the situation allowed.  I remember being a passenger in her car once.  It was different to see her operating the van with just her hands (as there has been no movement in her legs)

          Like Jill Kinmont, Diane also graduated from college and found a teaching position at a school district in Salt Lake (actually the same school district that Jenna was schooled in until we moved to Oregon) She has given over 400 volunteer firesides, has been a motivational speaker,  She says that ironically, one of the biggest aids to her recovery was gymnastics. (see here)


         I also love her biography Don't You Dare Give Up by Renon Klossner Hulet .  I think it's a great resource for not giving up - despite the obstacles.
I would like to end this post with one of my daughter's favorite songs: