Beneath the Wraps

I've been working at various schools substituting for aides who need the time off for whatever reason.  This week I observed two different classes react differently to the same set of instructions:             "We will be doing these problems as a class.  Follow my instruction.  I will give you time to finish each problem.  Stay on task.  Do not go ahead of your classmates.  It's important that we do this together."             The first group did not even make the attempt to follow the directions.  Each had a private race against the other classmates.  Most of them really did seem to understand what was expected on the worksheets but still lacked in following the direction of staying on task and not moving ahead.             The second group stayed on task and focused....

                 I serve in the primary at my church.   I also do (and have done) things for the Relief Society, though I often forget as I feel as if my contact with the RS is so rare if at all.   The other day the presidency stopped by to give me a gift and card.   While I appreciated the hugs and the card and the sentiment of the gift, it was a plant that I am allergic to.                   I took the Poinsettia to my friend Carolyn.   She was happy to receive it as she had no other Christmas decorations.   Happy that it has benefited us both.   Thank you RS for thinking of me.  

            In November of 2016, I felt impressed to write a talk about Mother's Day.  I started my research and played around with different ideas.  May came and went and I wasn't asked to talk.  In fact, there was little mention about it even being Mother's Day.  The first speaker truly loves Mother's Day and I th i nk must have desired for a Mother's Day program.  She expressed her gratitude for Mother's Day and then went into her talk which had nothing to do with Mother's Day at all.             Perhaps the Bishop had changed the theme to spare the feelings of oh, so many who despise the holidays as it may trigger reminders of estranged relationships, imperfect relationships, non-existing relationships, or discomfort.   I realize that not everybody loves Mother's Day.   I know of several women who refuse to attend meetings on that day because of painful rem...

                As an accountant major, I am required to take 25 accounting classes                 Thus far I have had 22 classes, 11 instructors -                                 one of them four times.   Two of them three times.                                          Three of them two times and six of them only once.   There are three who have had flair for making accounting better than completely boring.            ...

     I remember one Mother's Day when the primary children were on the stage singing various songs.   One was LoveIs Spoken Here , a song that is done in two parts.   After the primary children finished up with the first verse, the members of the priesthood stood up and sang the second part.   It touched my heart and my eyes started leaking.   It was so awesome hearing them sing together.   I wondered if I would ever be awed like that again.               Today, toward the end of the program, the audience was asked to sing the second part of A Child's Prayer .   I thought the request was a bit odd as it doesn't even seem that the majority of the congregation would even know it.   And as our chorister was having such a hard time with teaching the song, how did the leaders think it was possibly going to connect?          ...

          The ward Christmas dinner is tonight - it's going on right now, actually.   And so is the light parade - which I will be missing this year - am missing.   It's barely past 6:00 and I am hearing fireworks - are you kidding me?   Why so early?   I suppose the answer to that would be because we have more hours of fog than we have seen - this being our forth Christmas in Myrtle Creek.                   It's been so dry, only a few days of rain,   and the fog lingers so much longer than I have ever seen.   Sometimes we have a couple of hours of sun but once it goes down (quite early by the way) the fog makes its way back.   I think there may pieces of smog mixed up in it.   Perhaps that is why it lingers.   It doesn't look as clean as it used to. Anyway, I guess if they don't set the fireworks off right now, ...

                            City noises are very different from the sounds in the country.   I definitely wasn't raised in the country, but it wasn't a part of the city during the 60's either.   Mom may have thought as our newly developed neighborhood as "hick country" as even the busiest part of SLC was nothing like the quietest part of San Francisco (was there ever a quiet place in San Francisco) but I called it a town.             We lived far enough from the city that we were not really a part of it, but close enough that we could drive to various places.   There was a 7-11 within walking distance.   It was built before any business was open 24 hours a day.   7-11 hours were from 7 in the morning until 11 at night.   I don't recall any restaurants or other est...