Beneath the Wraps

         Each ward has a different cleaning schedule for the building in which church meetings are attended. The church was across the street from the first house in which we lived.   Two wards met in the building.   The two wards would trade off with the cleaning the building and the upkeep of the grounds (namely shoveling snow)   A list was passed around to the members of our ward to sign up for various weeks.   It felt like our family was involved with cleaning the church 4 – 8 times during the year. There are three wards which meet in the building which we currently attend. When we first moved into the ward we were told that each ward was assigned to clean four months out of the year.   The months were consecutive and not spread out.   Our ward would be cleaning the building each Saturday for the last four months.   I personally thought they should be spreading them out, but whatever. In ...

I was watching the news this morning and saw this human interest story about a horse who had been rescued from frozen waters.   It was told in a Twas the Night Before Christmas   type manner. The way it was told seemed somewhat cute in the beginning but seemed to drag into cheesy as the reporter kept on rhyming words.   It made me think of Jane Fonda’s character in “The China Syndrome” which was released in 1979. Kimberly Wells (said character) is sent on assignment to cover the story at the zoo featuring a birthday in honor of a residential tiger (or something like that) and would rather do hard core stories.   I don’t personally know any reporters, their dreams or ambitions, or how many indeed would rather do the hard core and investigation than those human interest stories. (If I were a reporter, I would personally like to deliver the human interest over hard core) Kimberly Wells finds her story at a nuclear power plant.   She wants...

  Almost every year since we moved to West Valley, Roland will ask, “When should we tell Jenna about Santa Clause”  I always answer, “Tell her what?” “There’s no such thing as Santa” “What do you mean?” He gives me a look. “Roland.   I believe in Santa.   I have been Santa.   And we have been recipients of Santa a huge amount of times.   What do you mean there’s no such thing as Santa?” “We need to tell Jenna that you and I are the ones who put the presents out.” “Oh . . . why?” “You don’t want her to be the only one in third, forth, fifth grade to still believe.” “Tony is 23, 24, 25 and he still believes in Santa Clause. I’m 48, 49 . . . and I still believe.” Another rolling of the eyes. Media warns us about targeted homes during this time of the year.   Robbed of Christmas by thieves.   We left the house around 2:30 and did not return until after 8:30.   We had always done Christmas ...

I don’t know which is worse – the Saturday before Christmas or the Friday after Thanksgiving.  I don’t enjoy shopping or trying things on or waiting in line or crowds or winter or parking or all the fragrances and plants which flare up my allergies.  Before I met Roland, I always had my Christmas shopping done by September –ALWAYS And then I met a man with a sporadic income, a greedy ex-wife, and a judicial system that sucks big time – you think we would have done better at spreading things out.  But we were struggling for our needs and so wants were ALWAYS on the back burner. I don’t know if Roland has always been procrastinastic about Christmas shopping.  As I mentioned before, he’s got a great heart.  He is always thinking of others.  But he doesn’t spend wisely for the most part. I opted to go shopping with him and Jenna yesterday – not that I really wanted to, but I wanted to get him a winter scarf because he asked for one – not ...

            Shortly after we moved to West Valley, Jenna started hanging at Alley’s house.  Every once in a while Alley and her brother came over to our house, but usually Jenna went to theirs.  I don’t know why they stopped playing together.  But they haven’t been hanging around together for at least a couple of years.   Jenna and I were waiting for the bus on Tuesday morning when Alley’s mom offered to drive us to school. Her oldest attends the same junior high that Jenna will be attending.  She had already dropped him off but seemed willing to make another trip.  She said she was also willing to pick her up from school – and the junior high gets out at least an hour before the elementary school does. So yesterday she picked Jenna up and took her to school and we picked her up last night.  Today brought the killer snow, and she was still willing to drive us. But as her children...

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness.   I give unto men weaknesses that they may be humble; . . .” Ether 12:27 How many of us wish we had a time machine that we might have opportunity for do over.   If only I had made a different choice.   If only I had spent more time (and probably money) perhaps we could have found our runaway dog.   I wish I had been a more positive influence when Roland’s girls came to visit.   I wish I hadn’t left Jenna in all day kindergarten after we moved. Regrets are demons if we allow ourselves to dwell on what could have been instead of just moving on.   Perhaps we may learn from or see growth from what it is we think we’d like to change.   Allow me to use Jenna’s kindergarten experience as an example. The school by our first house offered two all-day kindergarten classes.   There were few parents who desired just half day.   The instructors were able to devote m...

Last year Ellen took my mom to the store to purchase three gifts.  I don't know whether Ellen suggested it or if mom had thought on her own to get her three youngest grandchildren one gift each. When I saw them on the table I asked my mom about them. "What are these?" I asked. "I don't know.  I think they're Ellen's" I didn't think they were. I didn't see much of Ellen when I was at mom's house.  But somewhere we made a connection and I had asked if they really were hers.  She said that mom had purchased them for Jenna, Anna and Gary but she hadn't gotten around to wrapping them. I wrapped them and tagged them and placed them under the tree.  My mom kept asking who the gifts were for and where they came from.  She didn't seem to even know that Christmas was coming up pretty soon. She was like a kid on Christmas day.  Who knew it would be the last Christmas that we would spend in her house?  or that it would be her l...

As a youth, I remember participating in school programs each year.   When I was in forth grade I remember performing in various parts of the city – including the University of Utah.   I thought we must have been really awesome to be asked to sing there.   I didn’t realize that many other schools participated also. I remember learning songs for a variety of occasions.   And I remember dressing up for Halloween. At the end of January and the start of February 2012 I posted just a bit on the evolution of Jenna’s education.   Jenna has never dressed up for Halloween except for when she was in preschool – and even then they weren’t allowed to call it “Halloween”.   It got passed off as “Make Believe Day”.   Her first school was year round and Grades K-6 just happened to be off each Halloween. She had two and a half years of schooling before we had to move.   She completed two years of preschool and then we registered her for ki...

            Regardless of what else she may say, Jenna’s favorite season is winter.   Okay, she has admitted to not liking being cold.   But she’s got to admit that she LOVES the snow. Since she was little she has been magnetized to it.   Loves climbing snow drifts, making snow angels, throwing snow, eating icicles, drawing in the snow with icicles.   Jenna LOVES the snow!            We lived only five minutes away from her first school.   But we left the house at least twenty minutes early to give her time to dawdle.   The return home ALWAYS took twice as long.   But especially when there was snow.   Not a lot has changed in six years – except the school and transportation.   The other day she hit every snowdrift between the school and bus stop – and may have done it yesterday as well, but she forgot she said ...