Beneath the Wraps

               The heat had contributed to not only drinking more water than normal in order to stay hydrated but also made me somewhat disoriented.  A worker at the Jurassic ride had allowed me to cut through the line in order to get out – I saw two different exit signs and had gone towards the first as that is where I was being sent.  Maybe not.  I saw people sitting like they were tired of standing in an endless non-moving line.  Thus I decided I would go in the direction of the “ other exit ” .         I don ’ t remember having gone through a door.   Oh, maybe I did to exit.   The doors were marked “ employees only ” all of except for the last one.   It said “ door alarm will sound ” I could see it was attached to some electronic device.   I chose the first one before it.   As soon as the door shut I realized that I was no longer in the park and had no way of ...

When the “Come Follow Me” program was introduced at the same time as two hour meetings, we were told to use the third hour to study at home.   We were also told that we wanted to develop the habit for one day when we were unable to attend church meetings for whatever reason.   None of us had predicted this soon however. We had cancelled our last RS activity due to the weather and decided to cancel our upcoming as well.   We had made the decision before the church announced NO MORE MEETINGS until further notice ( here ). Only seminary will be held unless the schools shut.   But as of now only seminary is the only meeting that will be held at the ward house.   No others.   Not even sacrament meeting.   Why do people panic instead of remaining calm?   Why do so many always expect the worse.   Instead of viewing the police car at the high school as “Oh, good.   They are keeping my child safe” a parent may panic and demand, “What...

             Lockdowns, shootings and bomb threats were unheard of during my youth - not in my neighborhood.   It was such a foreign concept by yesterdays standards.   Today it is the beginning of norm.             We were living in West Valley.   Jenna was in the fifth grade. I had been working on the scrapbook that I mention here .   I find it ironic that I had come to a page to explain about how life was then, and what makes her life experiences different from my own when I received a computerized phone call from the school.   The school was on lockdown and no one would be coming in or going in until whatever cause for lockdown was lifted.             As it turned out, there had been two teenage girls in the area who had been going from residential door to door to steal what they could from houses that seem...