Thursday, January 31, 2008
What Do You Say....
Today was a very sobering day for me. I went to school not feeling well and decided I better get a sub and head back home. Before the sub was able to relieve me from my duties, one of my Thursdays "Reading Moms" came into the classroom. She walked right up to me with her big eyes and sadly said, "I need to let you know that this is the last day I will be able to come in and read." I was shocked! She had always indicated that she loved coming in and would go the extra mile to make sure every child was able to read to her--regardless of how long she has to spend at the school. She then proceeded to tell me that she was going to have surgery the following week and was not sure what was going to happen after that. It was at that time that Rian (her daughter) approached her and gave her a hug. There was a weird look on her face. The mother told Rian, "Yes, I told her." I was so confused. The mother noticed and clarified by stating that Rian wanted to make sure she had told me that this was her last day. By this time, I wasn't quite sure what to say. I told her I would miss her service and had appreciated all she had done. She apologies for having to quit and then it all came out.....apparently, she has breast cancer. She is going into surgery on Tuesday and will then have to do Kimo and radiation. She indicated that she is considered a stage 2-cancer patient. There are 3 stages to breast cancer (at least according to her). I was dumbfounded, she is probably my age or younger. I asked if they found it fairly early. She said, "I found the first one and when I went in to get it checked out they found 3 more." As she spoke, I could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes…a glisten of tears. She encouraged Rian to go play with her friends. Then there was that moment of silence, when be both were looking at each other. I wasn't sure what to say. I truly just wanted to reach out, hug her, and promise her it was going to be nothing---that nothing bad would happen! When I looked over at Rian, saw a little nervousness about her, I wanted to say the perfect words that would grand security and healing! Yet, my tongue was frozen for that brief moment. She then shared some thoughts about things she had heard about her treatment. I stayed up beat and expressed my confidence that it would all work out just fine. By this time, my sub had come and it was time for me to leave. As I walked out of the classroom the mother turned to me and said, "I sure hope you get feeling better!" Me, I thought...don't worry about me! Just take care of yourself! So here I am worrying about her, hoping that it will all work out and wondering.....what is the right thing to say when that moment of silence comes. That moment when another individual tells you a very large burden they are caring and they are so uncertain and scared. When it is not appropriate to reach out and just hold them. I think every situation is different but I sure hope she felt my love and concern for her! May the Lord grant the wishes of her heart! Life is definitely full of ups and downs...that is for sure!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
In loving Memory
While I mourn the passing of President Hinckley, I am forever grateful for the great man, leader and example he was! He will be missed but never forgotten!
*Prophetic Passing *
I imagine he's running to Marjorie now,
Yes, running, not waving his cane.
I see him embracing his father and mother
While they keep repeating his name.
I see him now meeting his forebears,
Brother Brigham and Joseph are there.
Sweet reunion of prophets, united by service
That only such noble men share.
I see him embraced by the Savior
While Father says, "Good and well done.
So faithful in stalwart endurance, I welcome
My noble, most excellent son."
I then hear the ripples of laughter
As he says the reception's just fine,
But he hopes that he'll get an assignment or two
Since there's no need to waste any time.
I can hear his clear voice in the stillness
At the close of this sweet Sabbath day,
Have faith and move forward — there's work to be done.
President Hinckley would want it that way.
Anna M. Molgard
January 27, 2008
Time for Meaning
What we do with our time is what we do with our lives. When we are “unable” to spend time on what we most value, it is because we have not found a clarity of purpose. We have lost our rudder, and we drift aimlessly, as if time were not passing, as if this teaching life were not ours to live.
Randy Bomer
Time for Meaning
Randy Bomer
Time for Meaning
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Advantages and disadvantages of being single
When William Shakespeare stated, "To be, or not to be: that is the question" he wasn't referring to "marriage."
As with William Shakespeare I am not here to debate if single life is better or worst than married life; I am only going to state some facts that us single folk have encountered....
Advantage: Balancing your checkbook is so much easier with only one person.
Disadvantage: There is no "communication mistakes" or another person to blame overdrafts or unbalanced checkbook mistakes on.
Advantage: Your home is as quite or noisy as you decide it to be.
Disadvantage: Sometimes the silence is deafening.
Advantage: You can eat on your timetable....whatever you want.
Disadvantage: Cooking for one is really a pain so cereal and toast become a staple.
Advantages: You can go anywhere, anytime without having to tell anyone.
Disadvantage: You mainly go everywhere alone.
Advantage: You can always go to the movies and see the movie you want to see
Disadvantage: Often times you go alone and have to sit by yourself
Advantage: Things are never moved to new locations and unable to be found when needed.
Disadvantage: You still misplace your things.
Advantage: You can stay up as late as you want and no one gets annoyed.
Disadvantage: You have no one to snuggle with when you do go to bed.
Advantage: Your schedule is your own.
Disadvantage: People assume you have nothing to do in your life so you are available at the last minute for anything and everything.
Advantage: If you have to go to the restroom on a road trip no one is there to complain about it.
Disadvantage: You have to worry about who might be in the rest stop area and how long it might take someone to notice that you have disappeared.
Advantage: Your alarm is the only one that goes off in the morning.
Disadvantage: There is no one to wake you up when you are sleeping through your alarm (like this morning!).
And those are but a few of the advantages and disadvantages of being a single individual!
As with William Shakespeare I am not here to debate if single life is better or worst than married life; I am only going to state some facts that us single folk have encountered....
Advantage: Balancing your checkbook is so much easier with only one person.
Disadvantage: There is no "communication mistakes" or another person to blame overdrafts or unbalanced checkbook mistakes on.
Advantage: Your home is as quite or noisy as you decide it to be.
Disadvantage: Sometimes the silence is deafening.
Advantage: You can eat on your timetable....whatever you want.
Disadvantage: Cooking for one is really a pain so cereal and toast become a staple.
Advantages: You can go anywhere, anytime without having to tell anyone.
Disadvantage: You mainly go everywhere alone.
Advantage: You can always go to the movies and see the movie you want to see
Disadvantage: Often times you go alone and have to sit by yourself
Advantage: Things are never moved to new locations and unable to be found when needed.
Disadvantage: You still misplace your things.
Advantage: You can stay up as late as you want and no one gets annoyed.
Disadvantage: You have no one to snuggle with when you do go to bed.
Advantage: Your schedule is your own.
Disadvantage: People assume you have nothing to do in your life so you are available at the last minute for anything and everything.
Advantage: If you have to go to the restroom on a road trip no one is there to complain about it.
Disadvantage: You have to worry about who might be in the rest stop area and how long it might take someone to notice that you have disappeared.
Advantage: Your alarm is the only one that goes off in the morning.
Disadvantage: There is no one to wake you up when you are sleeping through your alarm (like this morning!).
And those are but a few of the advantages and disadvantages of being a single individual!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Information Explosion
"There has never been a time in our history when so much information has been available to the general public, and never before have our lives depended so much on our ability to use information successfully." Source: information Anxiety
This was the first quote given to me by my professor during my Foundations of Literacy class a few weeks ago.
She then proceeded to state the following:
1. More new information has been produced in the last 30 years than in the previous 5000.
2. The Sunday issue of the New York Times contains more information than the average person in the 17th century would encounter in an entire lifetime.
3. In the early 1300s, the largest library in Europe had 1338 volumes. Today's largest libraries have an inventory of well over 8 million books.
4. The volume of information doubles every two years. By 2010 the volume of information will double every nine months. By 2020 information will double every 73 days.
5. Ninety percent of the reading our students will do as adults will be for the purpose of acquiring information.
Our professor then stated that, “Never before in our history have children faced a world where their future success will literally depend upon their own ability to read.....and not only be able to read but to be able to process what it is they have read.”
We then, as educators, discussing how important it is for us to not only teach students how to read effectively but also teach children how to LOVE reading.
Ironically, after a lengthy discussion on what our duties as teachers are, the topic of mothers came up. We were discussing our personal "reading time lines" and the experiences we have had in our own lives that have shaped our opinions and attitudes regarding reading. Interestingly, without exception, every teacher brought up an experience they had with their mother as a child. We each ended up sharing a time when our mothers read us a story, or when our mothers taught us nursery rhymes, etc. We all concluded how important those experiences were and how most of them happened before kindergarten (or at least in the lower grades). We then discussed how most of our mothers were stay-at-home mothers and were able to read to their children...who valued the opportunity they had to read to their children. As a teacher, I once again was made aware of how powerful and important a mother's influence and role can be in the life of their child. May we never forget how important the role of a mother is….or forget to read to our future generation and instill in them a love for reading!
Thanks mom for reading to us kids! I will always love Blueberries For Sal because of you! I will always keep in my heart your hand guiding mine over the Hymns at church or the fight I had with my siblings to get to sit in your armpit to hear Secret Garden or Trumpet of the Swans...or many of the other books you read to us kids. I will never forget how you insisted on us eating in silence while you read to us the Book of Mormon during breakfast (although I think as a child I was glad when that time passed ;-). I will always love to read and you have directly influenced that! Thank you, thank you! It's effects are so far reaching.....You are amazing mom....and I love you!
This was the first quote given to me by my professor during my Foundations of Literacy class a few weeks ago.
She then proceeded to state the following:
1. More new information has been produced in the last 30 years than in the previous 5000.
2. The Sunday issue of the New York Times contains more information than the average person in the 17th century would encounter in an entire lifetime.
3. In the early 1300s, the largest library in Europe had 1338 volumes. Today's largest libraries have an inventory of well over 8 million books.
4. The volume of information doubles every two years. By 2010 the volume of information will double every nine months. By 2020 information will double every 73 days.
5. Ninety percent of the reading our students will do as adults will be for the purpose of acquiring information.
Our professor then stated that, “Never before in our history have children faced a world where their future success will literally depend upon their own ability to read.....and not only be able to read but to be able to process what it is they have read.”
We then, as educators, discussing how important it is for us to not only teach students how to read effectively but also teach children how to LOVE reading.
Ironically, after a lengthy discussion on what our duties as teachers are, the topic of mothers came up. We were discussing our personal "reading time lines" and the experiences we have had in our own lives that have shaped our opinions and attitudes regarding reading. Interestingly, without exception, every teacher brought up an experience they had with their mother as a child. We each ended up sharing a time when our mothers read us a story, or when our mothers taught us nursery rhymes, etc. We all concluded how important those experiences were and how most of them happened before kindergarten (or at least in the lower grades). We then discussed how most of our mothers were stay-at-home mothers and were able to read to their children...who valued the opportunity they had to read to their children. As a teacher, I once again was made aware of how powerful and important a mother's influence and role can be in the life of their child. May we never forget how important the role of a mother is….or forget to read to our future generation and instill in them a love for reading!
Thanks mom for reading to us kids! I will always love Blueberries For Sal because of you! I will always keep in my heart your hand guiding mine over the Hymns at church or the fight I had with my siblings to get to sit in your armpit to hear Secret Garden or Trumpet of the Swans...or many of the other books you read to us kids. I will never forget how you insisted on us eating in silence while you read to us the Book of Mormon during breakfast (although I think as a child I was glad when that time passed ;-). I will always love to read and you have directly influenced that! Thank you, thank you! It's effects are so far reaching.....You are amazing mom....and I love you!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Why Serve
Tonight grandma had her "Empty Nesters" party. She had a single woman come and talk to us about her service missions. She mainly has spent her time in West Africa. She was so inspiring and motivating! In her presentation she gave us a few quotes. These quotes really touched me and I thought I would document them!
"All about us there are many who are in need of help and who are deserving of rescue. Our mission in life, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be a mission of saving. There are homeless, the hungry, the destitute."
President Gordon B. Hinkley
"Service softens, not burdens, our hearts. The gospel gentles us and tames us. Service keeps indolence at bay. Pure love keeps us from all manner of lasciviousness. Service keeps us from forgetting the Lord our God, because being among and serving our brothers and sisters reminds us that Father is ever there and is pleased when we serve, for while the recipients of our service are our neighbors, they are his children."
Neal A. Maxwell
"All about us there are many who are in need of help and who are deserving of rescue. Our mission in life, as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be a mission of saving. There are homeless, the hungry, the destitute."
President Gordon B. Hinkley
"Service softens, not burdens, our hearts. The gospel gentles us and tames us. Service keeps indolence at bay. Pure love keeps us from all manner of lasciviousness. Service keeps us from forgetting the Lord our God, because being among and serving our brothers and sisters reminds us that Father is ever there and is pleased when we serve, for while the recipients of our service are our neighbors, they are his children."
Neal A. Maxwell
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Mom's Christmas Extravaganza!
For those of you who know my mother you are well aware of how beautiful and extravagant her home becomes during the Christmas season!
This year was no exception! She definitely has an amazing talent of knowing how to put things together and adding the right touches to create something wonderful...just like her mother....not sure if I have inherited that skill yet...have to have a home to adorn first ;-) ....but I sure hope so!
Anyway, I thought I would post some of the beautiful things that were titivating every nook and cranny of her home this year!
The fun thing about my mother's home is that it is always different every Christmas!
The front room tree this year had a Victorian theme to it.
It was very pretty!
Flowers, Santa, bird cages, angels, even peacock feathers trim this tree!
Next we move to the front entry area.
This is new this year! 
The famous bonsai Christmas tree (my grandmother made up years ago for a Christmas tree decorating contest) had an ice theme this year....
Mom placed it on a huge mirror. When the lights are on the lights not only reflect off all the beautiful ornaments but also the mirror! It is so pretty lit up!
The next tree is my mother's "pencil" tree. She calls it her kitchen tree. If you look closely you can see ornaments hanging from the tree with Santa's face painted on them. My uncle Talt made these. He literally gathered branches from his backyard, carved out Santa faces on each and then painted them! He also sent a larger head that mom placed on the fireplace...you will be able to see it later on. Talt is so talented! I think they are so cool!
Isn't this ornament cool!
Here is the pictures of the family room....
On to the Grandma's kitchen...
Finally, a few pictures from the dining and front room.
Jewels were a new addition to the house this year as well! If you look close you can see red jewels and glass looking snowflakes on the runner...they were also on the window ledges.
It is always fun to go home at Christmas time to see what is new! It also gives the house such a welcoming Christmas feeling! It was beautiful this year mom! Thanks for creating so many fond memories, I love you!
This year was no exception! She definitely has an amazing talent of knowing how to put things together and adding the right touches to create something wonderful...just like her mother....not sure if I have inherited that skill yet...have to have a home to adorn first ;-) ....but I sure hope so!
Anyway, I thought I would post some of the beautiful things that were titivating every nook and cranny of her home this year!
The fun thing about my mother's home is that it is always different every Christmas!
The front room tree this year had a Victorian theme to it.
It was very pretty!
Flowers, Santa, bird cages, angels, even peacock feathers trim this tree!
Next we move to the front entry area.
This is new this year! 
The famous bonsai Christmas tree (my grandmother made up years ago for a Christmas tree decorating contest) had an ice theme this year....
Mom placed it on a huge mirror. When the lights are on the lights not only reflect off all the beautiful ornaments but also the mirror! It is so pretty lit up!
The next tree is my mother's "pencil" tree. She calls it her kitchen tree. If you look closely you can see ornaments hanging from the tree with Santa's face painted on them. My uncle Talt made these. He literally gathered branches from his backyard, carved out Santa faces on each and then painted them! He also sent a larger head that mom placed on the fireplace...you will be able to see it later on. Talt is so talented! I think they are so cool!
Isn't this ornament cool!
Here is the pictures of the family room....
On to the Grandma's kitchen...
Finally, a few pictures from the dining and front room.
Jewels were a new addition to the house this year as well! If you look close you can see red jewels and glass looking snowflakes on the runner...they were also on the window ledges.
It is always fun to go home at Christmas time to see what is new! It also gives the house such a welcoming Christmas feeling! It was beautiful this year mom! Thanks for creating so many fond memories, I love you!
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