Monday, March 31, 2008
What Do You Do???
What do you do when a man asks you out....he seems to be a decent sort of man...interesting, a mystery yet...but you realize if anything were to come out of it you would have to take on a name that would make your initials WWW? Is that shallow to worry about what your name would become if you got married. I mean Winnie Winward is a tongue twister in itself, but would I be able/willing to handle Winnie Winward Whitehead? Now I am sure nothing is going to come out of dating this man...but it has made me think, is it really shallow to consider dating a man based on his last name? What do you think?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Compensating Blessings
Compensating blessings have been a big part of my life. I call them compensating blessings because they are blessings the Lord has granted (I feel) in place of the blessings I have desired, prayed for and perhaps even fasted for but are unable to be fulfilled. I know the Lord wants us all to be happy. As happy as is possible. He also knows the laws that govern this life, the freedom of agency and the negative consequences that might occur even when granting a righteous desire. It is because of His perfect knowledge and love for us that the Lord provides many blessings, "compensating blessings" as I call them, to help uplift, sustain, improve and bless our lives. I have experienced many of these "compensating blessings" lately. One recently occurred to me today. I have been taking classes to get my ESL endorsement. I have completed two classes and have begun on my third. Last Wednesday the first day of the the 3rd class started. As the class began a girl walked in the room. I was shocked it was Kim. A girl who I know from California. Her sister and I are great friends. She knows my sister and I believe was in her ward. She also became great friends with mark. We quickly said hello before the class started and then exchanged phone numbers after class. Well, today we sat next to each other and started to chat. Unfortunately, like myself, Kim was married to someone who did not treat her the way they should have. Worst, she is still in the process of getting a divorce--months now. We ended up chatting for an hour after class. We talked about how ironic it was that Kim had only 1 ESL class left to take and was thrown into our group (the group I am in will be taking the entire 2 years worth of classes together). As I drove away I realized a "compensating blessing" that occurred. I have felt a little left out in the classes I am taking....the other teachers, for the most part, are taking the class as an entire school...so I have been the "lone man" out. Having Kim in the class is such a blessing. Also, since I have traveled the same divorce road as Kim is currently traveling...I should say I am just a bit ahead of her time wise is all....I feel we were/are able to share and support one another. Kim is an amazing individual and I am so grateful I have her to chat with and I hope that my knowledge and understanding of life might be of some benefit to her! I will always be so grateful for "compensating blessings" in my life.....at times they are even better than the blessings that were originally desired!
Teaching a point...a funny experience:
They say that using a "real life" experience (that children can relate to) is the most effective way to teach a new concept or word.....this is true....let me explain.
Yesterday, one of my students asked me what the word "drags" means. Seeing that I was in front of the class, with all eyes on me eagerly waiting for an answer, I quickly decided to lower my "ankle length" skirt...it has an elastic waist band and I was wearing a longer top so it was OK to do....and started walking around the classroom (a "real life experience"--right?!?!). I then turned to the student who wanted to know what "drags" means and asked him what my skirt was "doing"...of course he said, "It is dragging on the ground." We then related it to the word drags, etc. and went on with what we were doing.
Well, unfortunately that wasn't the end of my lesson. Apparently when I slipped my skirt down my slip went with it....when I hiked my skirt back up---my slip did not follow!!! So, to solidify the concept of "drags," about five minutes later I noticed that the slip I was wearing had reached my ankles and was "dragging on the floor." The students of course noticed also.....so, I had to think fast as I was ripping my slip back up....I decided to used it as an example in re-teaching about the word "drags." The kids thought I did it on purpose and thought I was really funny.
After settling them into an activity, I quickly walked outside into the hall and turned the brightest color of red ever! How embarrassing!! I haven't heard anything from my students' parents so I think I am OK. I can state--with certainty though--that all 27 students have a very firm knowledge of the word "drags."
Teaching is so fun!
Aren't you glad your kid isn't in my class!!!
Yesterday, one of my students asked me what the word "drags" means. Seeing that I was in front of the class, with all eyes on me eagerly waiting for an answer, I quickly decided to lower my "ankle length" skirt...it has an elastic waist band and I was wearing a longer top so it was OK to do....and started walking around the classroom (a "real life experience"--right?!?!). I then turned to the student who wanted to know what "drags" means and asked him what my skirt was "doing"...of course he said, "It is dragging on the ground." We then related it to the word drags, etc. and went on with what we were doing.
Well, unfortunately that wasn't the end of my lesson. Apparently when I slipped my skirt down my slip went with it....when I hiked my skirt back up---my slip did not follow!!! So, to solidify the concept of "drags," about five minutes later I noticed that the slip I was wearing had reached my ankles and was "dragging on the floor." The students of course noticed also.....so, I had to think fast as I was ripping my slip back up....I decided to used it as an example in re-teaching about the word "drags." The kids thought I did it on purpose and thought I was really funny.
After settling them into an activity, I quickly walked outside into the hall and turned the brightest color of red ever! How embarrassing!! I haven't heard anything from my students' parents so I think I am OK. I can state--with certainty though--that all 27 students have a very firm knowledge of the word "drags."
Teaching is so fun!
Aren't you glad your kid isn't in my class!!!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
When does a scar heal?
"Scars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin (or other tissue) after injury.
A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process.
With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound (e.g. after accident, disease, or surgery) results in some degree of scarring.”
I have found that life can be great one minute and very trying the next. I am ever so grateful for the great times to get me through the trying ones...and yet find myself also grateful for the trying times…to help me appreciate the great ones.
I guess I better make a disclaimer here first.....Please don't take this wrong! I am not depressed....ready to stop life....feeling alone....etc. I guess I am just "thinking" aloud, if you will, at 12:30 in the morning; pondering, expressing gratitude and trying to understand a question that has caused my heart to ache for quite awhile now.
Anyway, back to my thoughts. I have been wondering what one does with a scar that one receives during a "trying time."
What do you do when the Lord literally "carries you to the hospital", "nurtures you", "takes away the pain" and eventually "heals your wounds"....and yet...you find yourself with a scar left where the wound was made. Not something painful....that would still be a wound, but a scar nonetheless.
Please don't misunderstand....I know the Lord is the Great Physician and I am not, nor ever could discount the power of the Atonement. I have personally felt and experienced His unexplainable healing powers more times than I desire in this earthly existence.....but I have found there are certain things that have "scared" my soul that seem will be a permanent part of my earthly life. How better to explain the thoughts of my heart:
Recently, my grandma and I were talking about grandpa and the scar he has on his abdomen. Apparently, he had his appendices out when he was a little boy. She was telling me that, although the scar was from an operation years (even decades) ago grandpa still flinches if she even comes close to touching him around that area---as if it were a fresh wound. Why is that?
Why is it that, even though 24 years ago I was given 10+ shots in my hands and feet, the memory still causes me to fear and cringe when I am told I need to get a shot? Why, when I honestly cannot "remember" the hurtful feelings that caused me to faint numerous times during the ordeal, do I fear any situation that reminds me of a shot?
Scars. The "natural part" of the "healing process" that helps mend the damaged tissue. Mends the broken, but leaves a reminder of what has happened.
I truly believe “scarring” is natural and a blessing in ones life. I do however wonder what to do with those scars that are like my grandfather's. The ones we don't want anyone to come near. The ones that cause us to jump and run at anything that reminds us of how we received it. The scars that are so sacred and deep that only our Father and His Son can understand and heal. The ones that causes the Savior himself to leave His courts on high to literally carry the soul of the wounded (if the wounded allows) until the perfect scarring tissue of the atonement can close and heal the wound. He leaves that job to no one, that I know!
Yes, I personally think "scarring" is so very important in this life. “Scarring” can help remind us of where we have been and where we never want to be again. They can allow us to "mourn with those who mourn" and help us remember the infinite goodness of a loving Savior--whose miraculous atonement has (and can) literally mended us in every way imaginable.
Physical scars can also remind us that we are living in mortality---that we are here for a test and that we have very imperfect bodies. It can remind us of the gift of the resurrection and the perfect body we will receive in the next thanks to our Savior.
As I look upon the scars on my hands (the ones I received years ago) I realize that I don’t notice them very often. I don't feel the pain of that dreadful day. I can't remember it, I can't relive the experience.....I have been healed in every aspect.....yet they are still there....ever reminding me of that horrible day that caused me so much pain…or if my “view” is different….if I "choose" to look at it in a different way… I can then see the recovery and healing process that has occurred in my life.
My hands have also remind me that Christ Himself bares physical scars. Even the Great Jehovah has scars! What a profound thought. Scars that I AM to think on daily. Scars that remind me that I am indebted to Him; that one can have scars and still be a happy radiant being. I am so grateful that He literally has set the example in all things.
So, as I try to overcome the fears associated with some of my scars, I will continue to look to one who's physical scars have been kept past the resurrection. I will look to Him and remember that, even though I have the “scars,” I have been healed, can continue to be healed and will be made perfect in the life to come because of Him (3 Nephi 11:14-15, Doctrine and Covenants 6:34-37--personal favorite).
Therefore, my thoughts tonight (or this morning) are...always remember it is natural and normal to find yourself with “scar tissue” here in mortality yet, if we live worthily, with faith, hope and charity I know, thanks to our Eldest Brother, our bodies and souls will rise in their perfect form to meet Him and the Father again. I am ever so grateful. I am so grateful to know this simple yet very profound truth! He lives! He lives and I will live because of Him, “scarless” someday! How I love Him for it!
A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process.
With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound (e.g. after accident, disease, or surgery) results in some degree of scarring.”
I have found that life can be great one minute and very trying the next. I am ever so grateful for the great times to get me through the trying ones...and yet find myself also grateful for the trying times…to help me appreciate the great ones.
I guess I better make a disclaimer here first.....Please don't take this wrong! I am not depressed....ready to stop life....feeling alone....etc. I guess I am just "thinking" aloud, if you will, at 12:30 in the morning; pondering, expressing gratitude and trying to understand a question that has caused my heart to ache for quite awhile now.
Anyway, back to my thoughts. I have been wondering what one does with a scar that one receives during a "trying time."
What do you do when the Lord literally "carries you to the hospital", "nurtures you", "takes away the pain" and eventually "heals your wounds"....and yet...you find yourself with a scar left where the wound was made. Not something painful....that would still be a wound, but a scar nonetheless.
Please don't misunderstand....I know the Lord is the Great Physician and I am not, nor ever could discount the power of the Atonement. I have personally felt and experienced His unexplainable healing powers more times than I desire in this earthly existence.....but I have found there are certain things that have "scared" my soul that seem will be a permanent part of my earthly life. How better to explain the thoughts of my heart:
Recently, my grandma and I were talking about grandpa and the scar he has on his abdomen. Apparently, he had his appendices out when he was a little boy. She was telling me that, although the scar was from an operation years (even decades) ago grandpa still flinches if she even comes close to touching him around that area---as if it were a fresh wound. Why is that?
Why is it that, even though 24 years ago I was given 10+ shots in my hands and feet, the memory still causes me to fear and cringe when I am told I need to get a shot? Why, when I honestly cannot "remember" the hurtful feelings that caused me to faint numerous times during the ordeal, do I fear any situation that reminds me of a shot?
Scars. The "natural part" of the "healing process" that helps mend the damaged tissue. Mends the broken, but leaves a reminder of what has happened.
I truly believe “scarring” is natural and a blessing in ones life. I do however wonder what to do with those scars that are like my grandfather's. The ones we don't want anyone to come near. The ones that cause us to jump and run at anything that reminds us of how we received it. The scars that are so sacred and deep that only our Father and His Son can understand and heal. The ones that causes the Savior himself to leave His courts on high to literally carry the soul of the wounded (if the wounded allows) until the perfect scarring tissue of the atonement can close and heal the wound. He leaves that job to no one, that I know!
Yes, I personally think "scarring" is so very important in this life. “Scarring” can help remind us of where we have been and where we never want to be again. They can allow us to "mourn with those who mourn" and help us remember the infinite goodness of a loving Savior--whose miraculous atonement has (and can) literally mended us in every way imaginable.
Physical scars can also remind us that we are living in mortality---that we are here for a test and that we have very imperfect bodies. It can remind us of the gift of the resurrection and the perfect body we will receive in the next thanks to our Savior.
As I look upon the scars on my hands (the ones I received years ago) I realize that I don’t notice them very often. I don't feel the pain of that dreadful day. I can't remember it, I can't relive the experience.....I have been healed in every aspect.....yet they are still there....ever reminding me of that horrible day that caused me so much pain…or if my “view” is different….if I "choose" to look at it in a different way… I can then see the recovery and healing process that has occurred in my life.
My hands have also remind me that Christ Himself bares physical scars. Even the Great Jehovah has scars! What a profound thought. Scars that I AM to think on daily. Scars that remind me that I am indebted to Him; that one can have scars and still be a happy radiant being. I am so grateful that He literally has set the example in all things.
So, as I try to overcome the fears associated with some of my scars, I will continue to look to one who's physical scars have been kept past the resurrection. I will look to Him and remember that, even though I have the “scars,” I have been healed, can continue to be healed and will be made perfect in the life to come because of Him (3 Nephi 11:14-15, Doctrine and Covenants 6:34-37--personal favorite).
Therefore, my thoughts tonight (or this morning) are...always remember it is natural and normal to find yourself with “scar tissue” here in mortality yet, if we live worthily, with faith, hope and charity I know, thanks to our Eldest Brother, our bodies and souls will rise in their perfect form to meet Him and the Father again. I am ever so grateful. I am so grateful to know this simple yet very profound truth! He lives! He lives and I will live because of Him, “scarless” someday! How I love Him for it!
Friday, March 14, 2008
HOW TO FORWARD E-MAIL APPROPRIATELY
A good friend of mine sent me this information. I will try anything, at this point, to try and stop the massive amounts of junk emails I am receiving. So for your info:
Do you really know how to forward e-mails?
10% of us do; 90% DO NOT.
Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it?
Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!
How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:
(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top ). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the 'Forward' button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on 'Forward' first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC : (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your Bcc: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose Bcc: and that's it, it's that easy! When you send to Bcc: your message will automatically say 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the 'To:' field of the people who receive it.
(3) Remove any 'FW :' in the subject line . You can re-name the subject if you wish, or even fix spelling.
(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent. I know if I discover I must open umpteen paper clips or emails, I get frustrated and just delete before I ever get to the one I'm supposed to read!
(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more fight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's actually supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don 't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just aint so!)
(6) One of the main ones I hate is the one that says , 'Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen.' Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could be why I haven 't won the lottery??)
(7) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Justbout everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes. com/ or www.truthorfiction.com
It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.
Do you really know how to forward e-mails?
10% of us do; 90% DO NOT.
Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it?
Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel!
How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps:
(1) When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top ). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the 'Forward' button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on 'Forward' first, you won't be able to edit the message at all.
(2) Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC : (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your Bcc: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose Bcc: and that's it, it's that easy! When you send to Bcc: your message will automatically say 'Undisclosed Recipients' in the 'To:' field of the people who receive it.
(3) Remove any 'FW :' in the subject line . You can re-name the subject if you wish, or even fix spelling.
(4) ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent. I know if I discover I must open umpteen paper clips or emails, I get frustrated and just delete before I ever get to the one I'm supposed to read!
(5) Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more fight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's actually supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don 't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just aint so!)
(6) One of the main ones I hate is the one that says , 'Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen.' Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could be why I haven 't won the lottery??)
(7) Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Justbout everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to http://www.snopes. com/ or www.truthorfiction.com
It's really easy to find out if it's real or not. If it's not, please don't pass it on.
So please, in the future, let's stop the junk mail and the viruses.
5 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO
Ok, my old phone doesn't recognize the codes...but it is very old and my principal passed this information on to us after he tested it out---so you will have to let me know if it works on newer phones. I do know the free 411 works thought ;-)
Print and put in your car glove box!!
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:
FIRST ~ Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
SECOND ~ Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!'
THIRD ~ Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery.
This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
FOURTH ~ How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will ap pear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
FIFTH ~ Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends
Print and put in your car glove box!!
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:
FIRST ~ Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
SECOND ~ Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor's Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!'
THIRD ~ Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery.
This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
FOURTH ~ How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 # A 15 digit code will ap pear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
FIFTH ~ Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends
Annie Woodhouse Candland
Annie Woodhouse Candland
Born: November 13, 1838 - Advich, Lee Street, Yorkshire, England
Died: April 14, 1933 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Parents: Charles Woodhouse and Ann Long Woodhouse
Pioneer: Walked across the plains in the Hyrum Jeppson handcart company arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1852 (May be James J. Jepson - Sept. 10, 1852)
Spouse: David Candland
Born: October 15th 1819 - High Gate, Middlesex, England
Died: March 12, 1902 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Married: November 5, 1855 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Children: Samuel Charles Candland
Born: October 14, 1856 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died: January 18, 1858 - child
David Harry Candland
Born: July 9, 1858 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died: June 20, 1933 - Chester, Sanpete, Utah
Married: Phebe Maiben - June 5, 1889 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Nine children - six survived
Albert Henry Candland
Born: July 20, 1860 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died:
Married: Sabina Davis - March 11, 1884
Seven Children
Fredrick Herman Candland
Born: August 22, 1861 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Died: February 16 1942
Married: Miriam A. Allred - December 14 1882
Eight Children
Percy Howard Candland
Born: January 4 1865 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Died: December 11 1943
Married: Hannah Whitlock
Three Children
Victor Eugene Candland
Born: January 10, 1867 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Died: May 29, 1909 - Nephi, Juab, Utah
Married: Catherine Maiben - June 5, 1889 - Salt Lake City, Ut.
Eight Children - seven survived
Amelia Candland
Born: November 12, 1869 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah
Died: 1956
Married: Andrew Jensen - October 14, 1893
No children
Philip Earl Candland
Born: September 18, 1871 - Mount Pleasant, Sanapete, Utah
Died: September 18, 1871 - Infant
Fannie Vilate Candland
Born: April 17, 1874 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died: December 31, 1854
Married: Earnest Miles - September 6 1905
Two Children
Theodore Clement Candland
Born: June 26, 1877 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah
Died: December 16, 1960
Married: Ella Tuft - December 10, 1902
Three Children
Leo Long Candland
Born: August 18, 1879 - Chester, Sanpete, Utah
Died: December 14, 1933
Unmarried
Annie had eleven children - nine survived. She was noted as being an immaculate housekeeper, excellent cook and mother. She had a fine voice and sang in the Mt. Pleasant choir. She was the first Postmistress in Mr. Pleasant and acted as a secretary for the Relief Society for many years. She grew beautiful roses, kept a vegetable garden and did canning. She was a practical nurse, looking after the ill, making her own medicine from the herbs she grew. She did knitting and was an excellent seamstress.
Born: November 13, 1838 - Advich, Lee Street, Yorkshire, England
Died: April 14, 1933 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Parents: Charles Woodhouse and Ann Long Woodhouse
Pioneer: Walked across the plains in the Hyrum Jeppson handcart company arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1852 (May be James J. Jepson - Sept. 10, 1852)
Spouse: David Candland
Born: October 15th 1819 - High Gate, Middlesex, England
Died: March 12, 1902 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Married: November 5, 1855 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Children: Samuel Charles Candland
Born: October 14, 1856 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died: January 18, 1858 - child
David Harry Candland
Born: July 9, 1858 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died: June 20, 1933 - Chester, Sanpete, Utah
Married: Phebe Maiben - June 5, 1889 - Salt Lake City, Utah
Nine children - six survived
Albert Henry Candland
Born: July 20, 1860 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died:
Married: Sabina Davis - March 11, 1884
Seven Children
Fredrick Herman Candland
Born: August 22, 1861 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Died: February 16 1942
Married: Miriam A. Allred - December 14 1882
Eight Children
Percy Howard Candland
Born: January 4 1865 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Died: December 11 1943
Married: Hannah Whitlock
Three Children
Victor Eugene Candland
Born: January 10, 1867 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete Co., Utah
Died: May 29, 1909 - Nephi, Juab, Utah
Married: Catherine Maiben - June 5, 1889 - Salt Lake City, Ut.
Eight Children - seven survived
Amelia Candland
Born: November 12, 1869 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah
Died: 1956
Married: Andrew Jensen - October 14, 1893
No children
Philip Earl Candland
Born: September 18, 1871 - Mount Pleasant, Sanapete, Utah
Died: September 18, 1871 - Infant
Fannie Vilate Candland
Born: April 17, 1874 - Salt Lake City, SLCo., Utah
Died: December 31, 1854
Married: Earnest Miles - September 6 1905
Two Children
Theodore Clement Candland
Born: June 26, 1877 - Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah
Died: December 16, 1960
Married: Ella Tuft - December 10, 1902
Three Children
Leo Long Candland
Born: August 18, 1879 - Chester, Sanpete, Utah
Died: December 14, 1933
Unmarried
Annie had eleven children - nine survived. She was noted as being an immaculate housekeeper, excellent cook and mother. She had a fine voice and sang in the Mt. Pleasant choir. She was the first Postmistress in Mr. Pleasant and acted as a secretary for the Relief Society for many years. She grew beautiful roses, kept a vegetable garden and did canning. She was a practical nurse, looking after the ill, making her own medicine from the herbs she grew. She did knitting and was an excellent seamstress.
A History of My Mother - Annie Woodhouse Candland
By: Fannie V. Candland
I have always felt that the average pioneer woman has been sadly neglected in the recording the history of the State of Utah. I am therefore writing a short sketch of my mother's life, as I consider her a typical Pioneer woman.
Annie Woodhouse was born in Audrick, Lee Street, Yorkshire, England on November 13, 1838, the daughter of Charles Woodhouse and Ann Long Woodhouse. Her widowed mother embraced the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and came to America with her children when Annie was 12 years old. With her mother, brothers and sisters, Annie walked across the plains to Salt Lake City in 1852 in Hyrum Jeppson's handcart company.
The journey was a long and hard one. Scouts were sent ahead to see if the way was clear. When they came back with word that a creek of water was near the children would take off their shoes and stockings and wade in the water.
At the time a company of saints on arriving in Salt Lake City found no furnished homes awaiting them but were taken into the homes and hearts of the saints who had preceded them. Mother went to live with the family of David Candland and cared for his wife Mary Ann who had contracted what was then called "galloping consumption." This illness was a result of exreme privations while crossing the plains with her small daughters while her husband was filling a mission to the Eastern Sates and British Provinces.
Mother remained in the Candland home and on November 5, 1855, at the age of 16, she was married to David Candland in the Endowment House. He was 20 years her senior. Less than 3 years later Mary Ann died leaving 4 young daughters for Annie to raise.
When I was I often heard it said that as soon as a pioneer gilr put on long dresses she had every old man in teh place chasing after her and simply had to marry one of the old men to get rid of them, One day I asked mother hwo she came to marry a man 20 years older when she was such a pretty young girl. She promptly replied, "Because he was the handsomest man in Salt Lake City." More than 50 years of love, companionship and struggle convinced me that her love was genuine.
I wish I could make you see mother. Her eyes were such a dark blued they looked purple. Her rosy cheeks remained until the day of her death at the age of 83. Nature had set a permanent wave in her golden brown hair which has never been excelled by modern experts.
In the succeeding years Salt Lake grew from a village in the wilderness to a thriving city with its theatre, university, social hall and restaurants. Father's splendid education placed him far ahead of his time. He and his family enjoyed to the fullest all the advantages offered by the little city.
In 1861 father, with others, was called by Brigham Young to go south and help settle Sanpete county which was inhavited solely by hostile Indians, coyotes and jack rabbits. Against their desires father's wives Annie, Hannah and Kate packed away their pretty dresses, a few personal treasures, bundled up the children and left for Sanpete. They left a new home with the only wall papered parlor in the city and landed in a dugout with walls that had been plastered by bare hands and still bore the finger prints in the dry plaster. Mother said, "Father never made a complaint and we were ashamed to."
In the struggle through unbelievable hardships and dangers,their faith sustained them and very soon they had established a little new empire in the wilderness.
Mother was put in charge of the first post office in Mt. Pleasant because the government refused to recognize father, who was a polygamist. Soon there was a family of growing boys who need room to develop and an opportunity to work. With other neighbors the family moved to Chester, ten miles to the south, where there was plenty of good farming land.
Mother was a very good cook and though times were hard and things hard to get, she could always fix a dinner. Her mince pies and cookies were known for miles around.
She always kept her house and children very clean. IT was said about her that no matter the time of day you went to her house she always looked as if she had just come out of a band box. She always wore a sack, as she called it, with a skirt. Over this she wore a full apron, tied around her waist. She always had a piece of white ruching around her neck. On Sunday she wore a white apron. To do her garden work and chores she wore an apron made out of blue denim which hung just inside the kitchen door. She kept father's clothes spotless and althought ey were so warn they shined they were always mended and pressed.
She was the soul of system and this combined with her unconquerable spirit and determination were her leading characteristics. When she made up her mind to do a thing it was as god as done. The word failure had no place in her vocabulary. Early to bed and early to rise was tghe strongest article in her creed.
Let's follow the daily routine of life on a farm that faced those pioneer women:
Monday was wash day. The hard alkali water must first be softened by other water drained through oak wood ashes and heated in a huge boiler on the kitchen stove over a wood fire. The only soap was a compound of bits of fat and the aforesaid water that had been drained through hard wood ashes. Each separated piece in the wash must be rubbed on a wash board, put through two waters, boiled, rinsed, blued and then dry. The clothes were hung to dry on outdoor lines in the heat of the summer or the biting cold of the winter and were held on the line with small tin pins. Wooden pins had not as yet made an appearance. in the winter clothes and hands alike were frozen stiff. The clothes were finally brought in the house piece by piece and hung to dry on a line behind the kitchen stove after the family had gone to bed.
preparing three meals a day for a hungry and steadily increasing family was no easy task in itself. Our table was always properly set--red and white or blue and white checkered table clothes were used for every day meals and white tablecloths on Sunday. I can never remember eating off an oil cloth. Each child had his own place, plate and mug. I think we learned to read from the alphabet on the rim of our plate.
We were not told the facts of life when were were four or five years old. New babies came into the home as a matter of course and were welcomed and loved. The older children took turns rocking the cradle. Mother had 9 boys and 2 girls.
The ironing was done with sad irons which were heated on top of the kitchen stove oer a wood fire.
Churning, baking, mending, and knitting stockings for the entire family was sandwiched somehow in the day's activities. Most clothing was made at home.
Mother was a very practical woman. If we were inclined to complain she always reminded us to be thankful for what we had and make the most of it---to out our shirt according to our cloth.
In summer caring for the vegetable garden and even milking the cows usualy fell to the lot of the women. The men were busy with the harvesting and hte hauling of the winter's supply of wood. It took 2 to 3 days to get a load of wood and it required 12 to 15 loads to see us through the winter. The tenth load went to tithing. The "grub-box" for these arduous trips had to be filled with good nourishing food.
Spring housecleaning meant whitewashing the walls with lime, filling the bed ticks with fresh straw, and tacking down a new rag carpet over a straw covered floor. All this was the work of women.
Saturday the entire house had to be cleaned for Sunday. Water was heated in the wash boiler and a wash tub was hauled in by the kitchen stove. Then mother took charge bathing the youngest one first and going straight up the line. There was not fresh water for each one--just a dipper or two of warm. My sister, who was some way up the line, declared that when it came her turn the water was so thick she could out it in nice thin slices.
Sunday morning breakfast called for hot chocolate or something a little special. We slipped into our Sunday clothes and father, being the Sunday School Superintendent and owning a light spring wagon, gathered up every child int eh neighborhood. The youngest sat in teh seat with him, the little girls sat flat on the bottom of the back and the little boys hung on behing. Mother stayed home cook a good Sunday dinner.
At home again our Sunday clothes were taken off, folded up carefully and put in our very own littel boxes ready for next Sunday. We had no clothes closets in those days. When dinner was over and the dishes were washed father and mother drove off to a 2 PM meeting and we were free to play. This schedule was maintained year in and year out.
Let me impress this fact on your minds. The work was never considered drudgery, and the women never looked like drudges. They were filling the mission for which they were placed on earth and were happy and satisfied.
Father had several wives, but as mother was the first wife who was living at the time of the Manifesto, he married her again to make it legal. He provided a home for his other wicves so they would not need for anything. When mother received her Black Hawk pension she received some money as back pay. After paying her tithing she gave half of what was left to the other remaining wife. Ask why she did it, she said that she wanted to meet father with a clear conscience.
Mother lived to the age of 83 and died April 14, 1922 secure in the faith she had adopted as a child, happy in the knowledge of a grand reunion with those of her loved ones who had preceded her.
I will always maintain that if there wer any reserved seats in Heaven they will be occupied by these early pioneer women who, with no help except an occasional mid-wife or neighbor, brought large families into the world and somehow kept them fed, clothed and warm and sent hem out into the world as good, respectable citizens with confidence in themselves and the future and an abiding faith in a just and beneficient God. Today that same faith is our greatest heritage.
I have always felt that the average pioneer woman has been sadly neglected in the recording the history of the State of Utah. I am therefore writing a short sketch of my mother's life, as I consider her a typical Pioneer woman.
Annie Woodhouse was born in Audrick, Lee Street, Yorkshire, England on November 13, 1838, the daughter of Charles Woodhouse and Ann Long Woodhouse. Her widowed mother embraced the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and came to America with her children when Annie was 12 years old. With her mother, brothers and sisters, Annie walked across the plains to Salt Lake City in 1852 in Hyrum Jeppson's handcart company.
The journey was a long and hard one. Scouts were sent ahead to see if the way was clear. When they came back with word that a creek of water was near the children would take off their shoes and stockings and wade in the water.
At the time a company of saints on arriving in Salt Lake City found no furnished homes awaiting them but were taken into the homes and hearts of the saints who had preceded them. Mother went to live with the family of David Candland and cared for his wife Mary Ann who had contracted what was then called "galloping consumption." This illness was a result of exreme privations while crossing the plains with her small daughters while her husband was filling a mission to the Eastern Sates and British Provinces.
Mother remained in the Candland home and on November 5, 1855, at the age of 16, she was married to David Candland in the Endowment House. He was 20 years her senior. Less than 3 years later Mary Ann died leaving 4 young daughters for Annie to raise.
When I was I often heard it said that as soon as a pioneer gilr put on long dresses she had every old man in teh place chasing after her and simply had to marry one of the old men to get rid of them, One day I asked mother hwo she came to marry a man 20 years older when she was such a pretty young girl. She promptly replied, "Because he was the handsomest man in Salt Lake City." More than 50 years of love, companionship and struggle convinced me that her love was genuine.
I wish I could make you see mother. Her eyes were such a dark blued they looked purple. Her rosy cheeks remained until the day of her death at the age of 83. Nature had set a permanent wave in her golden brown hair which has never been excelled by modern experts.
In the succeeding years Salt Lake grew from a village in the wilderness to a thriving city with its theatre, university, social hall and restaurants. Father's splendid education placed him far ahead of his time. He and his family enjoyed to the fullest all the advantages offered by the little city.
In 1861 father, with others, was called by Brigham Young to go south and help settle Sanpete county which was inhavited solely by hostile Indians, coyotes and jack rabbits. Against their desires father's wives Annie, Hannah and Kate packed away their pretty dresses, a few personal treasures, bundled up the children and left for Sanpete. They left a new home with the only wall papered parlor in the city and landed in a dugout with walls that had been plastered by bare hands and still bore the finger prints in the dry plaster. Mother said, "Father never made a complaint and we were ashamed to."
In the struggle through unbelievable hardships and dangers,their faith sustained them and very soon they had established a little new empire in the wilderness.
Mother was put in charge of the first post office in Mt. Pleasant because the government refused to recognize father, who was a polygamist. Soon there was a family of growing boys who need room to develop and an opportunity to work. With other neighbors the family moved to Chester, ten miles to the south, where there was plenty of good farming land.
Mother was a very good cook and though times were hard and things hard to get, she could always fix a dinner. Her mince pies and cookies were known for miles around.
She always kept her house and children very clean. IT was said about her that no matter the time of day you went to her house she always looked as if she had just come out of a band box. She always wore a sack, as she called it, with a skirt. Over this she wore a full apron, tied around her waist. She always had a piece of white ruching around her neck. On Sunday she wore a white apron. To do her garden work and chores she wore an apron made out of blue denim which hung just inside the kitchen door. She kept father's clothes spotless and althought ey were so warn they shined they were always mended and pressed.
She was the soul of system and this combined with her unconquerable spirit and determination were her leading characteristics. When she made up her mind to do a thing it was as god as done. The word failure had no place in her vocabulary. Early to bed and early to rise was tghe strongest article in her creed.
Let's follow the daily routine of life on a farm that faced those pioneer women:
Monday was wash day. The hard alkali water must first be softened by other water drained through oak wood ashes and heated in a huge boiler on the kitchen stove over a wood fire. The only soap was a compound of bits of fat and the aforesaid water that had been drained through hard wood ashes. Each separated piece in the wash must be rubbed on a wash board, put through two waters, boiled, rinsed, blued and then dry. The clothes were hung to dry on outdoor lines in the heat of the summer or the biting cold of the winter and were held on the line with small tin pins. Wooden pins had not as yet made an appearance. in the winter clothes and hands alike were frozen stiff. The clothes were finally brought in the house piece by piece and hung to dry on a line behind the kitchen stove after the family had gone to bed.
preparing three meals a day for a hungry and steadily increasing family was no easy task in itself. Our table was always properly set--red and white or blue and white checkered table clothes were used for every day meals and white tablecloths on Sunday. I can never remember eating off an oil cloth. Each child had his own place, plate and mug. I think we learned to read from the alphabet on the rim of our plate.
We were not told the facts of life when were were four or five years old. New babies came into the home as a matter of course and were welcomed and loved. The older children took turns rocking the cradle. Mother had 9 boys and 2 girls.
The ironing was done with sad irons which were heated on top of the kitchen stove oer a wood fire.
Churning, baking, mending, and knitting stockings for the entire family was sandwiched somehow in the day's activities. Most clothing was made at home.
Mother was a very practical woman. If we were inclined to complain she always reminded us to be thankful for what we had and make the most of it---to out our shirt according to our cloth.
In summer caring for the vegetable garden and even milking the cows usualy fell to the lot of the women. The men were busy with the harvesting and hte hauling of the winter's supply of wood. It took 2 to 3 days to get a load of wood and it required 12 to 15 loads to see us through the winter. The tenth load went to tithing. The "grub-box" for these arduous trips had to be filled with good nourishing food.
Spring housecleaning meant whitewashing the walls with lime, filling the bed ticks with fresh straw, and tacking down a new rag carpet over a straw covered floor. All this was the work of women.
Saturday the entire house had to be cleaned for Sunday. Water was heated in the wash boiler and a wash tub was hauled in by the kitchen stove. Then mother took charge bathing the youngest one first and going straight up the line. There was not fresh water for each one--just a dipper or two of warm. My sister, who was some way up the line, declared that when it came her turn the water was so thick she could out it in nice thin slices.
Sunday morning breakfast called for hot chocolate or something a little special. We slipped into our Sunday clothes and father, being the Sunday School Superintendent and owning a light spring wagon, gathered up every child int eh neighborhood. The youngest sat in teh seat with him, the little girls sat flat on the bottom of the back and the little boys hung on behing. Mother stayed home cook a good Sunday dinner.
At home again our Sunday clothes were taken off, folded up carefully and put in our very own littel boxes ready for next Sunday. We had no clothes closets in those days. When dinner was over and the dishes were washed father and mother drove off to a 2 PM meeting and we were free to play. This schedule was maintained year in and year out.
Let me impress this fact on your minds. The work was never considered drudgery, and the women never looked like drudges. They were filling the mission for which they were placed on earth and were happy and satisfied.
Father had several wives, but as mother was the first wife who was living at the time of the Manifesto, he married her again to make it legal. He provided a home for his other wicves so they would not need for anything. When mother received her Black Hawk pension she received some money as back pay. After paying her tithing she gave half of what was left to the other remaining wife. Ask why she did it, she said that she wanted to meet father with a clear conscience.
Mother lived to the age of 83 and died April 14, 1922 secure in the faith she had adopted as a child, happy in the knowledge of a grand reunion with those of her loved ones who had preceded her.
I will always maintain that if there wer any reserved seats in Heaven they will be occupied by these early pioneer women who, with no help except an occasional mid-wife or neighbor, brought large families into the world and somehow kept them fed, clothed and warm and sent hem out into the world as good, respectable citizens with confidence in themselves and the future and an abiding faith in a just and beneficient God. Today that same faith is our greatest heritage.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Meadowbrook Farm
While visiting with Joy Hadley on Sunday she related a few stories to me about her father (my great-grandfather). These stories were ones I had not heard before and so indicated. She then handed me the following....
Meadowbrook Farm
We say those words knowing that they evoke strong memories-tied to deep emotion-from the seven children of Bryan and Elsie Winward. Bryan and Elsie's grandchildren have heard snatches of stories told them by their parents. And the next generation, their great grandchildren, probably "only wonder" about the place that was Meadowbrook Farm and the people whose lives evolved there...
Today, let's share memories and make them more vivid for family members of four generations. Let's leave our reunion with all of us knowing a little more about the place that was Meadowbrook Farm and the people who made that place relevant in all of our lives.
Meadowbrook Farm. The time was the span of years from approximately 1920 to 1950. The people were Patriarch Bryan Hunsaker Winward, Mother Elsie Farmer Winward, and their family of seven children- Ofa, Lola, Sheila, Mark, Ned, Farel and Joy.
Memories of the place are captured as Ofa explains, "When Mother and Dad returned from the mission field, they bought the farm in Clifton, Idaho." Mark tells us that "We had a couple of sections of pasture land including the little mountain and Deep Creek where the cattle pastured." He adds that "all memories of growing up in the family of Bryan and Elsie Winwasrd - on the family farm at Clifton Idaho, - are happy ones," and that he is grateful for this start in his life.
Of this time, people and place, Ned writes, "Life for mom and dad was undoubtedly easier for them in Tonga, than it was farming 65b acres of irrigated land and 40 acres of day land in Clifton, Idaho. Dad worked from daylight till dark. Then two nights every nine days, Dad would spend all night tending the irrigation stream. he would take a flashlight and blanket and nap between changing the stream.
But even as hard as Dad worked, life was probably more difficult for mom, Imagine bearing and raising seven babies in primitive, crude cxonditions! Mom had no bathrooms, no refrigerator and no close-by grocery store. The wooden frame house had no insulation. It was cold int ehwinters and hot in the summers. Thank goodness for spring and autumn!"
All seven children remember 'work - hard work' on the farm. They had milk cows to feed, water and milk. there were horses, pigs and chickens to care for. They raised potatoes, corn, peas and sugar beets to sell, and wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa for their livestock. Mark emphasizes that, "It was a family farm and all the girls worked in the fields and barns too."
Ned explains, "We were usually happy and w had reason to be. Dad and Mom wisely used their kids to promote the welfare of the family. Sure we worked hard and long. That is the way our farm paid off. Work, coupled with sincere prayer, were the keys to our success. Somehow Mom and Dad not only survived, but they gradually climbed the economic ladder and made a success out of their farming enterprise."
Outside the farm itself, Mark remembers that he and his siblings, "would hunt magpies nests on Deep Creek each spring. The county paid 1 cent/egg and 1 1/2 cent/magpie head. They also paid 3 cent for squirrel tails, We - the brothers anbd sisters - could make dollars doing this." Joy especially remembers hunting magpies with Ned. She says, "He climbed the thorny Hawthorne trees to get the babies for the nest. I'd make the babies cry so the mama came for Ned to shoot her. I had to wring their necks. He got 10 cents a head." In all, Mark says, "our farm survived the Depression of the 1930s. I attribute this to the hard work of all the family."
So the Winward family knows the value of hard work. The principle of self-reliance is an eternal principle. It is ordained of God from the beginning, and brings great blessings into our lives and the lives of our families. Bryan and Elsie taught that there is great dignity and worth in an honest occupation, and set an example for their posterity to follow.
Of that time, Ofa tells us, "We didn't have lights or running water. Our playmates were our brothers and sisters. We had cats and dogs, but our really dear pet was our horse, Bucky Boy. While growing up there wasn't much time for play because of the chores, but we had fun riding our horse, We also shared a doll...We raised most of our own food. We put our mild and butter in a well to cool. Mother made our butter. We canned the fruit and vegetables."
Farel writ3es, "When we were kids we didn't have many games. We played marbles and out-door games like Run Sheep Run and Hide and Seek. Mother fascinated us and taught each of us how to play the string game of Cat's Cradle. She could do it so fast and was always very patient while teaching us."
Joy raised a "bum" lamb, or a motherless lamb, that her father brought home and told them was a "buck." She jokes today about how the next spring "Billy" had twins, and she was in business! She remembers doctoring, taming, and loving all the wild animals that needed her. her Dad would bring any injured or orphaned animal he found to her for care. Again she laughs about the huge kingdom she might need in the next life if all her pets meet her there!
And that takes us from the things of this life to the things of the next. Overwhelmingly the seven children remember the part "living the gospel" played in their early years, these memories take in the generalities of gospel living as well as specific experiences that served to cement their faith in Jesus's teachings.
This from Farel...."When we were kids, we didn't have many books, but Mom and Dad were able to purchase a se to Church books and read to us often, never tiring. Mother knew many of the stories about our Savior. She held the books so we could see the pictures while she taught us about him." And, then, this story that puts the Savior's teachings into practice: "Mother was always good to the tramps who walked the railroad tracks. This was during The Great Depression. They would come to our farm, which was close, to water and food. After sharing food with them she would let them rest in the shade. And then they would chop wood to show their thanks."
Farel also remembers, "great trips to Brigham City to pick peaches at Brother Barnes' big orchards." And, she says, "That was the best work ever- to get to eat thos big, juicy peaches while we filled our buckets. Dad always loaded our trailer to capacity so he could share with other families who didn't have a car or a trailer."
Then, of her mother Farel writes, "Our mother was the Ward Primary President for years and years. In the winter, she'd bundle up the pre-schoolers and drive the sleigh over two miles to the chapel. Mother showed the same kind of caring to the new convert of the Church who was willing to serve in a music capacity for the Primary but who was frightened at the thought of being called on to offer a prayer. So mother told her not to worry about hte latter explaining that there were plenty of others who could pray but they certainly couldn't do what she could with the music!" And Mom was of the very generous nature too. This same convert sister remembered how much mother had loved flowers. Apparently when this family moved to a bigger farm out on the hill, Mom took her a tub full of flower starts. The sister hesitated at taking so many plans, but Mom just said, 'Don't you know that the more flowers you give away the more they grow?!"
There were times when prayer, the Priesthood, and the fellow Saints blessed the family that lived on their Meadowbrook Farm. One of Ofa's clearest memories is of her baptism in the canal that ran about a block from their home. She writes, "The currant was so swift I couldn't keep my feet on the cement bottom, so Dad held me by my arms as my feet floated down the canal. As I recall, I was baptized on my 8th birthday with Mother, Lola, Sheila and Mark watching."
Mark and Ofa both tell the terrible accident Mark had at age four - when riding Old Buck. Apparently Old Buck go tangled up in some barbed wire and fell to the ground - Taking Mark with him, Mark hit his head on teh ground knocking him unconscious. The horse came home without Mark on it, so the family went looking for him and found him lying in the dirt. He remained unconscious for three days, but finally recovered 9and probably not without much fasting and prayer).
Farel's appendicitis brought the whole family together in prayer. She was only in the second grade, but she remembers very well how bad the pain was. She crawled under her bed at night and cried into her pillow so that no one would know how badly she hurt. Finally Farel told her family aobu the pain, but "mother refused to let Dad take her to a doctor because a cousin had died the year before when they had operated on her form a ruptured appendix. A priesthood blessing was given from Dad and cousin Bert, and Mom made me chicken soup. They and the Lord worked together to save my life."
When Ofa was in the first grade, she had diphtheria. She says simply, "My Mother saved my life by syringing the chunks from my throat every hour or so - and the prayers...."
Everyone remembers the fire that completely destroyed their home and all of their belongings. And everyone remembers where they were when it happened. Farel said, "Mother and Dad were serving in the Logan Temple, which was their home away from home, when they received the call about the terrible fire and had to return quickly to Clifton." Ofa, who was in Logan too - at Nurse's Training - was there when they got that emergency phone call, and she "risked being kicked out of the nursing program to accompany them home to get them support and to survey the damage." And, then, Sheila can never forget the image of the lone man at twilight - poking through the glowing embers that once was his home. She could only imagine what his thoughts were at the time......A family of nine, no home, no clothing, not even food and he was the one responsible for his family's well being....
Ned called the fire on April 2nd 1937 "one of Dad and Mom's greatest trials." He goes on to say that all the kids except baby Joy and 20-year-old Ofa were in school at Clifton. He remembers running home through the fields only to find nothing left of 'home.' He says, "When Mom and Dad drove up an hour or so later, I ran to the car and stated the obvious - 'We still have the clothes we are wearing.' - For that Mom gave me a hug and a compliment."
And, so, where were the blessings? Where was the comfort? Ofa said that the dress made out of bark that she wore as a toddler in Tonga was saved in a trunk along with some precious photographs. Mark says the family lived in Karl and Wilma's house till a new home was built. And Farel said, "Mother was like an old Mother hen comforting all of us kids. Once more she was courageous and helped each of us through that awful time in our lives." Ned tells us that the food was dispatched to their temporary two-room dwelling. And he said, "Dad expressed his gratitude for the Church assistance many, many times following the fire."
But, maybe no one remembers the fire and the lessons learned there better than Lola. A negligent plumber was at fault, and many advised the family to sue for damages. But Patriarch Winward would hear nothing of this.... Years later, when Lola suffered from an accident at the school in which she worked and was counseled to file suit, she remembered her father's example and didn't.....
How do you summarize the spiritual influences of Bryan and Elsie on their seven offspring? Ofa calls her mother a saint. "She taught us Gospel principles and loved them. she paid her tithing first always, and the other things came late." Of her father she says, "Dad was honest as the day long." And of the family life? She writes, "We had reunions with our aunts, uncles and cousins often. We would get together when the cattle needed branding or at other times when we would help each other out. I know all of my first cousins. My love fro them extends and grows with me to this day."
And Faral expresses it through memories like this. "My most spiritual memory is of our family kneeling in family prayer. Dad called on Mother to ask the prayer, and I couldn't understand her - but I knew she was praying in Tongan. Often through the years,and even after her terrible strokes, she would ask the family prayer in their beloved Tongan language. And then she remembers when her Father was able to buy the book about our Savior, Jesus the Christ....He would sit by the big stove and read. Tears would roll down his cheeks as he read aobut Jesus praying to our Father in Heaven in the Garden of Gethsemane and later being hung on the cross to suffer more. And, oh the joy, when "Dad read out loud to all of us about he resurrection of our Savior."
So, now, let's look at the lives of those who "lived" the Meadowbrook Farm - through the simple, but poignant, kinds of memories. Ned remembers hunting ducks with his father on Old Buck. he remembers his father's first asthma attack and getting him safely to the hospital. He remembers how his father taught him "to be brave in the throes of physical pain...when I got hurt, Dad would say, "Gosh, I can't feel it a bit!' He remembers mowing alfalfa and what happens when yo have a run-in with a skunk! He remembers hitting a silver dollar in midair with his 22 rifle for Al, and another time sharing his freshly-killed deer meat with he and Sheila.
And 'this' from Joy...She remembers riding her horse down on Deep Creek accompanied by her dog...swimming in the canal...Walking the railroad tracks looking for half-burned flares....Sleeping overnight with friends Delora Winward, Bonnie Dip, and Thelma Willis....Playing ginnie...eating gooseberries, green apples and raw rhubarb but not getting sick!....Thinning and topping sugar beets adn coming in from the fields with shaky knees...Looking for watercress at the spring....Giving up her bed every time they had company....Crawling through the canal tunnel by straddling the stream that oges through the tunnel....And walking the mile to the highway to catch the school bus.
Mark wants us all to know what it was like listening to the coyotes howl at night as they prowled around their house - and how frightened the seven kids were to go out after dark because of them. His memories include swimming in the twin lakes canal -and one day riding his bike off the edge and into the water below. He remembers their parents taking them into Dayton to roller skate, and he remembers riding four miles to the Clifton Church on his bike for mutual and scout meetings.
Ofa, trying to be helpful at the age of 5, tried carring fresh milk to the house and spilled it on the way in. She felt so bad about it that she stooped down and tried to pick it up out of the snow! Another time she was helping her Dad with chores when one of the cows kicked her into the manure trough! She remembers that wearing overalls to help with the chores, but otherwise she never wore pants. In fact, she even took the overalls off to eat lunch.
Ofa and Lola shared memories too. There was a rattlesnake in the weeds. Ofa took off running and Lola stood there and chopped the rattlesnake into pieces. Ofa and Lola came home from a Halloween Party one night to see their yard lit up with electric lights for the first time. And both remember their first Ford automobile. It had curtains at the windows instead of glass! Lola once received and unforgettable kind of gift from Sister Ofa. Ofa gave Lola money to buy frames for her glasses that Lola had only dreamed of getting. There was a vacation to Yellowstone National Park-and fishing....When the two girls were in high school, their mom went to visit one of Dad's older sisters--where she gave birth to child number seven, Joy. They were thrilled when Mom brought home a beautiful baby sister.
Farel remembers the real, living mountain lion on Deep Creek. She remembers a Mother Who loved playing ball and who gave everyone all the strikes everyone needed until they could hit the ball. Especially real is the memory of another fire caused by sugar syrup, boiled over. Lola spotted the smoke first, and the whole family ran in from the beet field to rescue Mother and baby Joy.
Sheila remembers the long ago with a sotry about her Dad that bespeaks the kind of man he was-and is-today...."One morning while it was yet dark Dad came back into the house as upset as I ever saw him be. "Elise," he cried, "We're ruined!" He explained in great agitation that most of our cows had been killed by a train. The railroad track ran right by our house and barn. He was angry because he knew someone must have left the gate open. Mom tried to calm him, and siad it wasn' the end of the world. But he was too distraught to listen. He assured her and everyone within hearing distance that htis was a blow we'd never recover from.....Eventually, he went back out to round up what was left of our cows, and all were safe and accounted for. The gate was closed-just as it should have been....The dead cows belonged to Jack Chole. But Dad wsa not at peace. He was more upset than ever as he said, "No way can Jack stand such a great loss. He's youn and just starting out." And, then, came the words that I'll never forget. Dad said, "Why, oh why, couldn't it have been our cows instead of Jack's?"
Sheila tells stories of her Mother's simple goodness-a gooness that followed mother Elsie till the very end of her earthly life. "One day, in her latter years, when Mom did not understand as she had in the past, I was getting her ready to go to the car. And since I didn't want her to have an accident on the way, I took her to the bathroom, sat her down and suggested she try to have a bowel movement. she looked at me puzzled and said, "What are you talking about?" I tried again, "Push down and try to move your bowels, Mom." But this, too, was to no avail. Finally, in desperation, I said, "Mom, Poop!" Her response was immediate and very clear. In a loud voice she reprimanded, "Shame on you!" And that is kind of a fun story to start winding things up with...
So what was it like living in those days - and in that place? Maybe we all know, feel and understand that a little bit better now?!....very simply, Ofa explains, "The church was our life line. Religion was a backbone of our family."
From Mark, "Dad and Mom were good parents. They took us to Church and taught us to work and get along with other people. I love my family very much!"
And from Ned, "Suffice it for me to say that Mom and Dad left us with a rich legacy while living on the farm, (our Meadowbrook farm), in Clifton, Idaho."
Joy personally told me that not only did her Dad not hold the plumber accountable for the destruction of his homebut also assisted in helping pay for his son to go on a mission---since his business was never the same after that accident. Although I have no documentation to back it up I don't doubt her word.
It is fun to read and learn about ones family!
Meadowbrook Farm
We say those words knowing that they evoke strong memories-tied to deep emotion-from the seven children of Bryan and Elsie Winward. Bryan and Elsie's grandchildren have heard snatches of stories told them by their parents. And the next generation, their great grandchildren, probably "only wonder" about the place that was Meadowbrook Farm and the people whose lives evolved there...
Today, let's share memories and make them more vivid for family members of four generations. Let's leave our reunion with all of us knowing a little more about the place that was Meadowbrook Farm and the people who made that place relevant in all of our lives.
Meadowbrook Farm. The time was the span of years from approximately 1920 to 1950. The people were Patriarch Bryan Hunsaker Winward, Mother Elsie Farmer Winward, and their family of seven children- Ofa, Lola, Sheila, Mark, Ned, Farel and Joy.
Memories of the place are captured as Ofa explains, "When Mother and Dad returned from the mission field, they bought the farm in Clifton, Idaho." Mark tells us that "We had a couple of sections of pasture land including the little mountain and Deep Creek where the cattle pastured." He adds that "all memories of growing up in the family of Bryan and Elsie Winwasrd - on the family farm at Clifton Idaho, - are happy ones," and that he is grateful for this start in his life.
Of this time, people and place, Ned writes, "Life for mom and dad was undoubtedly easier for them in Tonga, than it was farming 65b acres of irrigated land and 40 acres of day land in Clifton, Idaho. Dad worked from daylight till dark. Then two nights every nine days, Dad would spend all night tending the irrigation stream. he would take a flashlight and blanket and nap between changing the stream.
But even as hard as Dad worked, life was probably more difficult for mom, Imagine bearing and raising seven babies in primitive, crude cxonditions! Mom had no bathrooms, no refrigerator and no close-by grocery store. The wooden frame house had no insulation. It was cold int ehwinters and hot in the summers. Thank goodness for spring and autumn!"
All seven children remember 'work - hard work' on the farm. They had milk cows to feed, water and milk. there were horses, pigs and chickens to care for. They raised potatoes, corn, peas and sugar beets to sell, and wheat, barley, oats and alfalfa for their livestock. Mark emphasizes that, "It was a family farm and all the girls worked in the fields and barns too."
Ned explains, "We were usually happy and w had reason to be. Dad and Mom wisely used their kids to promote the welfare of the family. Sure we worked hard and long. That is the way our farm paid off. Work, coupled with sincere prayer, were the keys to our success. Somehow Mom and Dad not only survived, but they gradually climbed the economic ladder and made a success out of their farming enterprise."
Outside the farm itself, Mark remembers that he and his siblings, "would hunt magpies nests on Deep Creek each spring. The county paid 1 cent/egg and 1 1/2 cent/magpie head. They also paid 3 cent for squirrel tails, We - the brothers anbd sisters - could make dollars doing this." Joy especially remembers hunting magpies with Ned. She says, "He climbed the thorny Hawthorne trees to get the babies for the nest. I'd make the babies cry so the mama came for Ned to shoot her. I had to wring their necks. He got 10 cents a head." In all, Mark says, "our farm survived the Depression of the 1930s. I attribute this to the hard work of all the family."
So the Winward family knows the value of hard work. The principle of self-reliance is an eternal principle. It is ordained of God from the beginning, and brings great blessings into our lives and the lives of our families. Bryan and Elsie taught that there is great dignity and worth in an honest occupation, and set an example for their posterity to follow.
Of that time, Ofa tells us, "We didn't have lights or running water. Our playmates were our brothers and sisters. We had cats and dogs, but our really dear pet was our horse, Bucky Boy. While growing up there wasn't much time for play because of the chores, but we had fun riding our horse, We also shared a doll...We raised most of our own food. We put our mild and butter in a well to cool. Mother made our butter. We canned the fruit and vegetables."
Farel writ3es, "When we were kids we didn't have many games. We played marbles and out-door games like Run Sheep Run and Hide and Seek. Mother fascinated us and taught each of us how to play the string game of Cat's Cradle. She could do it so fast and was always very patient while teaching us."
Joy raised a "bum" lamb, or a motherless lamb, that her father brought home and told them was a "buck." She jokes today about how the next spring "Billy" had twins, and she was in business! She remembers doctoring, taming, and loving all the wild animals that needed her. her Dad would bring any injured or orphaned animal he found to her for care. Again she laughs about the huge kingdom she might need in the next life if all her pets meet her there!
And that takes us from the things of this life to the things of the next. Overwhelmingly the seven children remember the part "living the gospel" played in their early years, these memories take in the generalities of gospel living as well as specific experiences that served to cement their faith in Jesus's teachings.
This from Farel...."When we were kids, we didn't have many books, but Mom and Dad were able to purchase a se to Church books and read to us often, never tiring. Mother knew many of the stories about our Savior. She held the books so we could see the pictures while she taught us about him." And, then, this story that puts the Savior's teachings into practice: "Mother was always good to the tramps who walked the railroad tracks. This was during The Great Depression. They would come to our farm, which was close, to water and food. After sharing food with them she would let them rest in the shade. And then they would chop wood to show their thanks."
Farel also remembers, "great trips to Brigham City to pick peaches at Brother Barnes' big orchards." And, she says, "That was the best work ever- to get to eat thos big, juicy peaches while we filled our buckets. Dad always loaded our trailer to capacity so he could share with other families who didn't have a car or a trailer."
Then, of her mother Farel writes, "Our mother was the Ward Primary President for years and years. In the winter, she'd bundle up the pre-schoolers and drive the sleigh over two miles to the chapel. Mother showed the same kind of caring to the new convert of the Church who was willing to serve in a music capacity for the Primary but who was frightened at the thought of being called on to offer a prayer. So mother told her not to worry about hte latter explaining that there were plenty of others who could pray but they certainly couldn't do what she could with the music!" And Mom was of the very generous nature too. This same convert sister remembered how much mother had loved flowers. Apparently when this family moved to a bigger farm out on the hill, Mom took her a tub full of flower starts. The sister hesitated at taking so many plans, but Mom just said, 'Don't you know that the more flowers you give away the more they grow?!"
There were times when prayer, the Priesthood, and the fellow Saints blessed the family that lived on their Meadowbrook Farm. One of Ofa's clearest memories is of her baptism in the canal that ran about a block from their home. She writes, "The currant was so swift I couldn't keep my feet on the cement bottom, so Dad held me by my arms as my feet floated down the canal. As I recall, I was baptized on my 8th birthday with Mother, Lola, Sheila and Mark watching."
Mark and Ofa both tell the terrible accident Mark had at age four - when riding Old Buck. Apparently Old Buck go tangled up in some barbed wire and fell to the ground - Taking Mark with him, Mark hit his head on teh ground knocking him unconscious. The horse came home without Mark on it, so the family went looking for him and found him lying in the dirt. He remained unconscious for three days, but finally recovered 9and probably not without much fasting and prayer).
Farel's appendicitis brought the whole family together in prayer. She was only in the second grade, but she remembers very well how bad the pain was. She crawled under her bed at night and cried into her pillow so that no one would know how badly she hurt. Finally Farel told her family aobu the pain, but "mother refused to let Dad take her to a doctor because a cousin had died the year before when they had operated on her form a ruptured appendix. A priesthood blessing was given from Dad and cousin Bert, and Mom made me chicken soup. They and the Lord worked together to save my life."
When Ofa was in the first grade, she had diphtheria. She says simply, "My Mother saved my life by syringing the chunks from my throat every hour or so - and the prayers...."
Everyone remembers the fire that completely destroyed their home and all of their belongings. And everyone remembers where they were when it happened. Farel said, "Mother and Dad were serving in the Logan Temple, which was their home away from home, when they received the call about the terrible fire and had to return quickly to Clifton." Ofa, who was in Logan too - at Nurse's Training - was there when they got that emergency phone call, and she "risked being kicked out of the nursing program to accompany them home to get them support and to survey the damage." And, then, Sheila can never forget the image of the lone man at twilight - poking through the glowing embers that once was his home. She could only imagine what his thoughts were at the time......A family of nine, no home, no clothing, not even food and he was the one responsible for his family's well being....
Ned called the fire on April 2nd 1937 "one of Dad and Mom's greatest trials." He goes on to say that all the kids except baby Joy and 20-year-old Ofa were in school at Clifton. He remembers running home through the fields only to find nothing left of 'home.' He says, "When Mom and Dad drove up an hour or so later, I ran to the car and stated the obvious - 'We still have the clothes we are wearing.' - For that Mom gave me a hug and a compliment."
And, so, where were the blessings? Where was the comfort? Ofa said that the dress made out of bark that she wore as a toddler in Tonga was saved in a trunk along with some precious photographs. Mark says the family lived in Karl and Wilma's house till a new home was built. And Farel said, "Mother was like an old Mother hen comforting all of us kids. Once more she was courageous and helped each of us through that awful time in our lives." Ned tells us that the food was dispatched to their temporary two-room dwelling. And he said, "Dad expressed his gratitude for the Church assistance many, many times following the fire."
But, maybe no one remembers the fire and the lessons learned there better than Lola. A negligent plumber was at fault, and many advised the family to sue for damages. But Patriarch Winward would hear nothing of this.... Years later, when Lola suffered from an accident at the school in which she worked and was counseled to file suit, she remembered her father's example and didn't.....
How do you summarize the spiritual influences of Bryan and Elsie on their seven offspring? Ofa calls her mother a saint. "She taught us Gospel principles and loved them. she paid her tithing first always, and the other things came late." Of her father she says, "Dad was honest as the day long." And of the family life? She writes, "We had reunions with our aunts, uncles and cousins often. We would get together when the cattle needed branding or at other times when we would help each other out. I know all of my first cousins. My love fro them extends and grows with me to this day."
And Faral expresses it through memories like this. "My most spiritual memory is of our family kneeling in family prayer. Dad called on Mother to ask the prayer, and I couldn't understand her - but I knew she was praying in Tongan. Often through the years,and even after her terrible strokes, she would ask the family prayer in their beloved Tongan language. And then she remembers when her Father was able to buy the book about our Savior, Jesus the Christ....He would sit by the big stove and read. Tears would roll down his cheeks as he read aobut Jesus praying to our Father in Heaven in the Garden of Gethsemane and later being hung on the cross to suffer more. And, oh the joy, when "Dad read out loud to all of us about he resurrection of our Savior."
So, now, let's look at the lives of those who "lived" the Meadowbrook Farm - through the simple, but poignant, kinds of memories. Ned remembers hunting ducks with his father on Old Buck. he remembers his father's first asthma attack and getting him safely to the hospital. He remembers how his father taught him "to be brave in the throes of physical pain...when I got hurt, Dad would say, "Gosh, I can't feel it a bit!' He remembers mowing alfalfa and what happens when yo have a run-in with a skunk! He remembers hitting a silver dollar in midair with his 22 rifle for Al, and another time sharing his freshly-killed deer meat with he and Sheila.
And 'this' from Joy...She remembers riding her horse down on Deep Creek accompanied by her dog...swimming in the canal...Walking the railroad tracks looking for half-burned flares....Sleeping overnight with friends Delora Winward, Bonnie Dip, and Thelma Willis....Playing ginnie...eating gooseberries, green apples and raw rhubarb but not getting sick!....Thinning and topping sugar beets adn coming in from the fields with shaky knees...Looking for watercress at the spring....Giving up her bed every time they had company....Crawling through the canal tunnel by straddling the stream that oges through the tunnel....And walking the mile to the highway to catch the school bus.
Mark wants us all to know what it was like listening to the coyotes howl at night as they prowled around their house - and how frightened the seven kids were to go out after dark because of them. His memories include swimming in the twin lakes canal -and one day riding his bike off the edge and into the water below. He remembers their parents taking them into Dayton to roller skate, and he remembers riding four miles to the Clifton Church on his bike for mutual and scout meetings.
Ofa, trying to be helpful at the age of 5, tried carring fresh milk to the house and spilled it on the way in. She felt so bad about it that she stooped down and tried to pick it up out of the snow! Another time she was helping her Dad with chores when one of the cows kicked her into the manure trough! She remembers that wearing overalls to help with the chores, but otherwise she never wore pants. In fact, she even took the overalls off to eat lunch.
Ofa and Lola shared memories too. There was a rattlesnake in the weeds. Ofa took off running and Lola stood there and chopped the rattlesnake into pieces. Ofa and Lola came home from a Halloween Party one night to see their yard lit up with electric lights for the first time. And both remember their first Ford automobile. It had curtains at the windows instead of glass! Lola once received and unforgettable kind of gift from Sister Ofa. Ofa gave Lola money to buy frames for her glasses that Lola had only dreamed of getting. There was a vacation to Yellowstone National Park-and fishing....When the two girls were in high school, their mom went to visit one of Dad's older sisters--where she gave birth to child number seven, Joy. They were thrilled when Mom brought home a beautiful baby sister.
Farel remembers the real, living mountain lion on Deep Creek. She remembers a Mother Who loved playing ball and who gave everyone all the strikes everyone needed until they could hit the ball. Especially real is the memory of another fire caused by sugar syrup, boiled over. Lola spotted the smoke first, and the whole family ran in from the beet field to rescue Mother and baby Joy.
Sheila remembers the long ago with a sotry about her Dad that bespeaks the kind of man he was-and is-today...."One morning while it was yet dark Dad came back into the house as upset as I ever saw him be. "Elise," he cried, "We're ruined!" He explained in great agitation that most of our cows had been killed by a train. The railroad track ran right by our house and barn. He was angry because he knew someone must have left the gate open. Mom tried to calm him, and siad it wasn' the end of the world. But he was too distraught to listen. He assured her and everyone within hearing distance that htis was a blow we'd never recover from.....Eventually, he went back out to round up what was left of our cows, and all were safe and accounted for. The gate was closed-just as it should have been....The dead cows belonged to Jack Chole. But Dad wsa not at peace. He was more upset than ever as he said, "No way can Jack stand such a great loss. He's youn and just starting out." And, then, came the words that I'll never forget. Dad said, "Why, oh why, couldn't it have been our cows instead of Jack's?"
Sheila tells stories of her Mother's simple goodness-a gooness that followed mother Elsie till the very end of her earthly life. "One day, in her latter years, when Mom did not understand as she had in the past, I was getting her ready to go to the car. And since I didn't want her to have an accident on the way, I took her to the bathroom, sat her down and suggested she try to have a bowel movement. she looked at me puzzled and said, "What are you talking about?" I tried again, "Push down and try to move your bowels, Mom." But this, too, was to no avail. Finally, in desperation, I said, "Mom, Poop!" Her response was immediate and very clear. In a loud voice she reprimanded, "Shame on you!" And that is kind of a fun story to start winding things up with...
So what was it like living in those days - and in that place? Maybe we all know, feel and understand that a little bit better now?!....very simply, Ofa explains, "The church was our life line. Religion was a backbone of our family."
From Mark, "Dad and Mom were good parents. They took us to Church and taught us to work and get along with other people. I love my family very much!"
And from Ned, "Suffice it for me to say that Mom and Dad left us with a rich legacy while living on the farm, (our Meadowbrook farm), in Clifton, Idaho."
Joy personally told me that not only did her Dad not hold the plumber accountable for the destruction of his homebut also assisted in helping pay for his son to go on a mission---since his business was never the same after that accident. Although I have no documentation to back it up I don't doubt her word.
It is fun to read and learn about ones family!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Winnie Who......
A few days ago I was asked to take a "personality test" for a stupid online dating service (yes, much to my dismay...and going against my own vow of never doing "the internet dating" thing.....I use the internet to meet new people. Let's just say being a divorced woman over 30 in an LDS community---not to mention a teacher to boot....makes meeting people of the opposite sex quite difficult!!!).
Anyway, my results are in and if you know of anyone who might be compatible with my personality feel free to send them my way to have a gander....I must say I have no more pride--I know pathetic...but according to "statistics"...my best chance of meeting someone (or anyone at this point) is through others---so I guess if I put it out there at least I tried!
I think it "hit the nail on the head."
My favorite part:
"You drive through life faster than the speed limit...."
In the category of "agreeableness":
You are best described as:
CONSISTENTLY TAKING CARE OF OTHERS
Words that describe you:
* Sympathetic
* Trusting
* Altruistic
* Selfless
* Tenderhearted
* Compassionate
* Straightforward
* Deferential
* Generous
A General Description of How You Interact with Others
"What can I do for you?" These words probably feel very natural to you. More than most people, you are genuinely interested in the well-being of others. If they are in trouble, you offer compassion and go out of your way to be helpful. If they need someone who will listen, you are attentive, trustworthy and sympathetic. And you are direct with them; when they need advice or counsel, you offer it in as straightforward and direct a manner as you can.
There may even be times when you put others' needs in front of your own. And you do so without the expectation of some reward or recognition. Yours is a different kind of compassion; you are genuinely tenderhearted and take pleasure in helping others while expecting little or nothing in return. For you, it's not tit-for-tat, you truly want to do things for others that will better their lives. You mean it when you ask, "What can I do for you?"
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
Though your motives arise from genuine compassion, some people might think of you as "a little too good to be true." They could suspect that your kindness is something you use to ingratiate yourself with others or to get them to like you. Others may suspect that your altruism is a mask for your own problems; you take care of others but never let others get to know you well enough to offer you their care. Some of this suspicion may be genuine; they just can't believe you're this kind. But it may also be triggered by envy; people see in you a tenderheartedness they don't find in themselves, and it makes them uncomfortable so they take it out on you with their suspicions.
Another critical response others may have may be something you want to take a serious look at. If you spend your time taking care of others, you may not have enough left to take very good care of yourself. If you're always asking, "What can I do for you?", you may not focus enough on your own needs. You're so busy taking care of others that you neglect yourself and empty your reserves of energy and good health. Like we said, give it consideration and if it doesn't fit move on.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
For the most part, people will feel gifted to come across someone like you. For those you help, you will be light in the darkness, a hand up when they've fallen into a ditch. Your true graciousness and selflessness is rather rare these days and is often a breath of fresh air in this all too often dog-eat-dog world. Others will see in you the kindness that each of us seeks in life, both in our own characters and in our relationships with others. And you will become a model of that honest compassion; someone others may even look up to. Hopefully that feels okay to you.
On the Openness Dimension you are:
CURIOUS
Words that describe you:
* Original
* Inventive
* Thinker
* Brave
* Eccentric
* Avant-Garde
* Out-of-Touch
* Unique
A General Description of How You Approach New Information and Experiences
You think like an artist. Or better, you SEE like an artist. While most people look at life's straight lines, its height and depth and width, you're bending the lines with your imagination and turning black and white into shades of blue and yellow. And in conversations at work or with your friends you want to ask, "Do you see what I see?" A few might, most don't, but you've piqued everyone's curiosity with your own original and inventive ways of thinking.
You can, if you must, think in conventional ways. But left on your own, you'll usually opt for the eccentric or avant-garde; in fact you're usually bored with what everyone else is comfortable with. You learn from reading, talking, watching people and other fauna and flora, and simply sitting in the soft chair of your mind and wondering how people would learn how to count if they could only use uneven numbers. You are out in front of conventional ideas, bravely originally defining true and false, right and wrong, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward Your Style of Thinking
You drive through life faster than the speed limit, and when you hit speed bumps, and you hit a lot of them with your mind distracted from the straight line ahead your wheels leave the ground.
For people who like life at a safer speed, you move too fast and lose touch too often with the solid ground they prefer, hence their discomfort with you. As odd as you might find this, many people feel safe in the shelter of the world they already know. They like the familiar. They breathe easily and sleep deeply knowing with more certainty how the world works. So although they might enjoy your company and be curious about your latest notion of how to count backwards by threes, they can only take you in small doses. And they wish you'd quit trying to push the boundaries of their personal and social cosmos.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
Even those whom you make uncomfortable know, as just about everyone does, that you're not a flake. You think well, and even your wildest fancies have their roots in the deep soil of sound ideas and tested beliefs. So even if some people don't want to drive at high speed with you, they will respect you for your courage as an innovative and unconventional thinker. You lend color and imagination to what would otherwise be the straight black and white lines of their work world and social environments.
A few more daring people of your circle might even learn from you to take a risk they would otherwise never consider. As comfortable as they are on solid ground, they may be curious about what it would be like to go faster than the speed limit, or paint the living room two shades of blue, or question ideas or beliefs they've fingered like sacred beads since they were children.
After all, they watch you do it, and you seem no worse for the risks you take. In fact, your eyes are wider and your breath quicker, and maybe they can find at least a bit of this for themselves. To be certain, they don't want their wheels to leave the ground, but maybe the next time they approach a speed bump they might just brace themselves and speed up just a little bit.
On Emotional Stability you are:
RESPONSIVE
Words that describe you:
* Open
* Accessible
* Too Sensitive
* Reachable
* Candid
* Unguarded
A General Description of Your Reactivity
You are an emotional person. In some ways, we are all emotional; we feel joy, anger, sadness and fear; some of us more powerfully than others - and you more powerfully than most. Your emotions are closer to the surface, and your feelings more obvious to you than is the case with most people. You've got your life in a good place, your dominant mood is upbeat, and unless life has been particularly trying for you, you greatly enjoy the richness and intensity of life that being so open with your emotions brings you.
Sure there are times when your feelings come very close to the surface, and life becomes more complicated. At these times you may grow self-conscious, or feel a bit anxious. But all in all, you much prefer being open with your emotions, breathing in all that life offers, than shutting down any part of your emotional experience. Granted, there may be times when these emotions are hard but you realize that is part of life. And more often than not you feel enriched by your emotions, by your ability to be open to all that life brings you. You know that even when you have those times that get you down, there will be even more times when you see life in ways that others just can't.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
Undoubtedly you have met some people who get uncomfortable being around you because your feelings are so close to the surface. They may keep a bit of distance, especially around any subject that might trigger an emotional topic they are uncomfortable with. Over time, they might even stay away from you more and more. You will find you have decisions to make; do you temper your style for their comfort or do you hope they will find ways to become more comfortable with emotional expressions? Given the richness that seems to stem from your emotional life the most meaningful response is probably very apparent to you.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
You are a cherished companion for those friends who can handle emotions well. They will appreciate the candor with which you express even difficult feelings like anger and fear. Your openness will make intimate conversations even more intimate, and make the connections between you as friends deeper and stronger. Some people who have trouble expressing their feelings might find in you a good example of how to be more vulnerable and more open. Your willingness and ability to share your emotions could encourage them to share theirs, and invite them into ways of being friends that will help enrich their lives.
Your approach toward your obligations is:
FOCUSED AND FLEXIBLE
Words that describe you:
* Casual
* Informal
* Compliant
* Reliable
* Organized
* Solid
* Dependable
* Uncommitted
* Genuine
A General Description of How You Interact with Others
When you take on a task at work or at home, you are reliable; you get the job done. In an organized way, you define the goal, lay out a plan, figure how long the task will take, and get to work "solid and dependable you".
But and this is important you're not a slave to the plan. You're committed to it, but not chained to it; the connection is more casual and informal. You know that sometimes "the best laid plans" fall off the tracks; when this happens, you clean up the train wreck and start over, undeterred.
Though not happening often, when plans change, you're okay with it. In fact, sometimes you change the plan. It's too nice of a Saturday to finish organizing the garage. Let's go for a bike ride instead. True, the next rainy Saturday will likely find you back in the garage, but for now the work can wait.
What an interesting combination of qualities in you're organized, but casual; solid, but compliant; and dependable, but informal. At home and at work, people know they can rely on you. You take great satisfaction in knowing that people think of you as disciplined and responsible, but you also know that you have something of a free spirit in you, and when this spirit moves you, off you go, following the impulse of the moment. You are rightly proud of your work ethic, but you also enjoy your willingness to lay the tools down, crank up the music and play like a child.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
Some people live like Marines: duty-bound, disciplined and driven. To these people you might seem uncommitted; where they would never leave work for play or change plans in the middle of their life's forced march, you let the circumstance sway you and move in a different direction, and they don't understand.
Others live like kites on a string, attached by thin threads to the solid ground of responsibility and are blown about by every gust of impulse or imagination. To these people you might seem too cowardly, like you'll flirt with your impulses but never give in fully, play on a Saturday but never blow of the entire work-week to "follow your bliss".
While these Marines and kite-flyers might look down on you for your combination of focus and flexibility, others might be envious. They can't free themselves from a sense that they're not doing enough, or from the equally frustrating feeling that they're not free enough.
And here you are with your accomplishments and your pleasures, getting the job done but also getting your hair blown back as you run with the wind. As far as these people are concerned, you're lucky you've got the best of both of the worlds in which they feel they fail.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
What a great life you have, and a great attitude to boot. You know when to buckle down and push ahead to get the job done, and you do it well. You know when to lay the tools of your trade aside, grab your kite and head for the meadow where you can run with the wind. Many people will see and admire in you this lovely combination of a person who can focus, but who is flexible enough to know when to let the spirit move you in some new and livelier direction.
It's a life they aspire to, and they delight in seeing it played out in your life. They may ask your advice and turn you into a mentor of the full and balanced experience. They will want to know how you do it, what the costs are, and if you get frightened that you're not working hard enough or playing often enough. They may make you think about your own life more than you have, so you can share it with those who want to emulate this balance between flexibility and focus. They may be correct lucky you!
When it comes to Extraversion you are:
OUTGOING
Words that describe you:
* Friendly
* Gregarious
* Full of Life
* Unreserved
* Kindhearted
* Talkative
* Emotional
* Spontaneous
* Vigorous
A General Description of How You Interact with Others
People light you up. In conversations, planning meetings or almost any social situation, you bring your energy and your friendly, outgoing personality into these engagements with other people, and you come away pumped up. You can hardly wait for the next event, as long as other people will be there. And you're good at it.
You know how to communicate. You listen well, the first rule of good communication, and then, when it's your turn, you talk vigorously and with animation; in your uninhibited way you give all that you've got to the encounter.
In situations where you feel very safe, when you know and trust the people you're with, you can be very kindhearted and unrestrained. You let your affection for and pleasure in being with others flow freely. You're wide open And when you get back this same kind of unrestrained warmth, you are deeply satisfied. Because you are so friendly and full of life, these are among your favorite moments.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
As much as you like being with other people, not everyone will like being with you. Hard to believe, but your gregarious and warm manner is not everyone's cup of tea. Some people are more cautious than you in personal encounters; others think the work place should be more formal, more impersonal than is comfortable for you. Still others, who may want more of the spotlight, will find you too much to compete with once you get your lively and outgoing self in motion.
Here's another word of caution. You've been at this warm and open way of relating for a while, but for some people it's a brand new experience. They may be protecting something inside themselves, some fear or guilt or shame, or some private part of their story that they're not yet ready to share. Your openness might threaten them, and they'll take a step back and be reluctant the next time to engage you in the kind of exchange you find so easy and satisfying but they find so dangerous.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
Many people, most probably, will be glad to be in the room you're in. At work you make the environment livelier and the banter more interesting, so the time moves swiftly and the experience is a happier one. At home you keep everyone connected because you engage each of them in the conversational action, and as a result they are more connected as well with one another. You make home a warmer and more interesting place for everyone who lives there.
You might also be helpful to some people. There are those who need to talk but aren't very good at it. They don't know how to begin the kind of conversation that would allow them to share whatever is in their personal stories that they'd like or need to talk about. You could make that easier for them with your way with words. Some people just need an example and a little encouragement to come out of their shell and get into the greater fun and personal connectedness that will make their lives so much more satisfying. Again, you might be just the right person to make that happen for them.
So almost everyone will be glad to be with you, you make life more interesting for those you live and work with, and you could help some of your friends who need just a little encouragement to open up and find in themselves the kinds of energetic and warm connections that you thrive on. Not that you are a pushover; in fact, you are often quite assertive. In taking care of yourself you also make sure that others are engaged and energized.
3/21
Anyway, my results are in and if you know of anyone who might be compatible with my personality feel free to send them my way to have a gander....I must say I have no more pride--I know pathetic...but according to "statistics"...my best chance of meeting someone (or anyone at this point) is through others---so I guess if I put it out there at least I tried!
I think it "hit the nail on the head."
My favorite part:
"You drive through life faster than the speed limit...."
In the category of "agreeableness":
You are best described as:
CONSISTENTLY TAKING CARE OF OTHERS
Words that describe you:
* Sympathetic
* Trusting
* Altruistic
* Selfless
* Tenderhearted
* Compassionate
* Straightforward
* Deferential
* Generous
A General Description of How You Interact with Others
"What can I do for you?" These words probably feel very natural to you. More than most people, you are genuinely interested in the well-being of others. If they are in trouble, you offer compassion and go out of your way to be helpful. If they need someone who will listen, you are attentive, trustworthy and sympathetic. And you are direct with them; when they need advice or counsel, you offer it in as straightforward and direct a manner as you can.
There may even be times when you put others' needs in front of your own. And you do so without the expectation of some reward or recognition. Yours is a different kind of compassion; you are genuinely tenderhearted and take pleasure in helping others while expecting little or nothing in return. For you, it's not tit-for-tat, you truly want to do things for others that will better their lives. You mean it when you ask, "What can I do for you?"
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
Though your motives arise from genuine compassion, some people might think of you as "a little too good to be true." They could suspect that your kindness is something you use to ingratiate yourself with others or to get them to like you. Others may suspect that your altruism is a mask for your own problems; you take care of others but never let others get to know you well enough to offer you their care. Some of this suspicion may be genuine; they just can't believe you're this kind. But it may also be triggered by envy; people see in you a tenderheartedness they don't find in themselves, and it makes them uncomfortable so they take it out on you with their suspicions.
Another critical response others may have may be something you want to take a serious look at. If you spend your time taking care of others, you may not have enough left to take very good care of yourself. If you're always asking, "What can I do for you?", you may not focus enough on your own needs. You're so busy taking care of others that you neglect yourself and empty your reserves of energy and good health. Like we said, give it consideration and if it doesn't fit move on.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
For the most part, people will feel gifted to come across someone like you. For those you help, you will be light in the darkness, a hand up when they've fallen into a ditch. Your true graciousness and selflessness is rather rare these days and is often a breath of fresh air in this all too often dog-eat-dog world. Others will see in you the kindness that each of us seeks in life, both in our own characters and in our relationships with others. And you will become a model of that honest compassion; someone others may even look up to. Hopefully that feels okay to you.
On the Openness Dimension you are:
CURIOUS
Words that describe you:
* Original
* Inventive
* Thinker
* Brave
* Eccentric
* Avant-Garde
* Out-of-Touch
* Unique
A General Description of How You Approach New Information and Experiences
You think like an artist. Or better, you SEE like an artist. While most people look at life's straight lines, its height and depth and width, you're bending the lines with your imagination and turning black and white into shades of blue and yellow. And in conversations at work or with your friends you want to ask, "Do you see what I see?" A few might, most don't, but you've piqued everyone's curiosity with your own original and inventive ways of thinking.
You can, if you must, think in conventional ways. But left on your own, you'll usually opt for the eccentric or avant-garde; in fact you're usually bored with what everyone else is comfortable with. You learn from reading, talking, watching people and other fauna and flora, and simply sitting in the soft chair of your mind and wondering how people would learn how to count if they could only use uneven numbers. You are out in front of conventional ideas, bravely originally defining true and false, right and wrong, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward Your Style of Thinking
You drive through life faster than the speed limit, and when you hit speed bumps, and you hit a lot of them with your mind distracted from the straight line ahead your wheels leave the ground.
For people who like life at a safer speed, you move too fast and lose touch too often with the solid ground they prefer, hence their discomfort with you. As odd as you might find this, many people feel safe in the shelter of the world they already know. They like the familiar. They breathe easily and sleep deeply knowing with more certainty how the world works. So although they might enjoy your company and be curious about your latest notion of how to count backwards by threes, they can only take you in small doses. And they wish you'd quit trying to push the boundaries of their personal and social cosmos.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
Even those whom you make uncomfortable know, as just about everyone does, that you're not a flake. You think well, and even your wildest fancies have their roots in the deep soil of sound ideas and tested beliefs. So even if some people don't want to drive at high speed with you, they will respect you for your courage as an innovative and unconventional thinker. You lend color and imagination to what would otherwise be the straight black and white lines of their work world and social environments.
A few more daring people of your circle might even learn from you to take a risk they would otherwise never consider. As comfortable as they are on solid ground, they may be curious about what it would be like to go faster than the speed limit, or paint the living room two shades of blue, or question ideas or beliefs they've fingered like sacred beads since they were children.
After all, they watch you do it, and you seem no worse for the risks you take. In fact, your eyes are wider and your breath quicker, and maybe they can find at least a bit of this for themselves. To be certain, they don't want their wheels to leave the ground, but maybe the next time they approach a speed bump they might just brace themselves and speed up just a little bit.
On Emotional Stability you are:
RESPONSIVE
Words that describe you:
* Open
* Accessible
* Too Sensitive
* Reachable
* Candid
* Unguarded
A General Description of Your Reactivity
You are an emotional person. In some ways, we are all emotional; we feel joy, anger, sadness and fear; some of us more powerfully than others - and you more powerfully than most. Your emotions are closer to the surface, and your feelings more obvious to you than is the case with most people. You've got your life in a good place, your dominant mood is upbeat, and unless life has been particularly trying for you, you greatly enjoy the richness and intensity of life that being so open with your emotions brings you.
Sure there are times when your feelings come very close to the surface, and life becomes more complicated. At these times you may grow self-conscious, or feel a bit anxious. But all in all, you much prefer being open with your emotions, breathing in all that life offers, than shutting down any part of your emotional experience. Granted, there may be times when these emotions are hard but you realize that is part of life. And more often than not you feel enriched by your emotions, by your ability to be open to all that life brings you. You know that even when you have those times that get you down, there will be even more times when you see life in ways that others just can't.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
Undoubtedly you have met some people who get uncomfortable being around you because your feelings are so close to the surface. They may keep a bit of distance, especially around any subject that might trigger an emotional topic they are uncomfortable with. Over time, they might even stay away from you more and more. You will find you have decisions to make; do you temper your style for their comfort or do you hope they will find ways to become more comfortable with emotional expressions? Given the richness that seems to stem from your emotional life the most meaningful response is probably very apparent to you.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
You are a cherished companion for those friends who can handle emotions well. They will appreciate the candor with which you express even difficult feelings like anger and fear. Your openness will make intimate conversations even more intimate, and make the connections between you as friends deeper and stronger. Some people who have trouble expressing their feelings might find in you a good example of how to be more vulnerable and more open. Your willingness and ability to share your emotions could encourage them to share theirs, and invite them into ways of being friends that will help enrich their lives.
Your approach toward your obligations is:
FOCUSED AND FLEXIBLE
Words that describe you:
* Casual
* Informal
* Compliant
* Reliable
* Organized
* Solid
* Dependable
* Uncommitted
* Genuine
A General Description of How You Interact with Others
When you take on a task at work or at home, you are reliable; you get the job done. In an organized way, you define the goal, lay out a plan, figure how long the task will take, and get to work "solid and dependable you".
But and this is important you're not a slave to the plan. You're committed to it, but not chained to it; the connection is more casual and informal. You know that sometimes "the best laid plans" fall off the tracks; when this happens, you clean up the train wreck and start over, undeterred.
Though not happening often, when plans change, you're okay with it. In fact, sometimes you change the plan. It's too nice of a Saturday to finish organizing the garage. Let's go for a bike ride instead. True, the next rainy Saturday will likely find you back in the garage, but for now the work can wait.
What an interesting combination of qualities in you're organized, but casual; solid, but compliant; and dependable, but informal. At home and at work, people know they can rely on you. You take great satisfaction in knowing that people think of you as disciplined and responsible, but you also know that you have something of a free spirit in you, and when this spirit moves you, off you go, following the impulse of the moment. You are rightly proud of your work ethic, but you also enjoy your willingness to lay the tools down, crank up the music and play like a child.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
Some people live like Marines: duty-bound, disciplined and driven. To these people you might seem uncommitted; where they would never leave work for play or change plans in the middle of their life's forced march, you let the circumstance sway you and move in a different direction, and they don't understand.
Others live like kites on a string, attached by thin threads to the solid ground of responsibility and are blown about by every gust of impulse or imagination. To these people you might seem too cowardly, like you'll flirt with your impulses but never give in fully, play on a Saturday but never blow of the entire work-week to "follow your bliss".
While these Marines and kite-flyers might look down on you for your combination of focus and flexibility, others might be envious. They can't free themselves from a sense that they're not doing enough, or from the equally frustrating feeling that they're not free enough.
And here you are with your accomplishments and your pleasures, getting the job done but also getting your hair blown back as you run with the wind. As far as these people are concerned, you're lucky you've got the best of both of the worlds in which they feel they fail.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
What a great life you have, and a great attitude to boot. You know when to buckle down and push ahead to get the job done, and you do it well. You know when to lay the tools of your trade aside, grab your kite and head for the meadow where you can run with the wind. Many people will see and admire in you this lovely combination of a person who can focus, but who is flexible enough to know when to let the spirit move you in some new and livelier direction.
It's a life they aspire to, and they delight in seeing it played out in your life. They may ask your advice and turn you into a mentor of the full and balanced experience. They will want to know how you do it, what the costs are, and if you get frightened that you're not working hard enough or playing often enough. They may make you think about your own life more than you have, so you can share it with those who want to emulate this balance between flexibility and focus. They may be correct lucky you!
When it comes to Extraversion you are:
OUTGOING
Words that describe you:
* Friendly
* Gregarious
* Full of Life
* Unreserved
* Kindhearted
* Talkative
* Emotional
* Spontaneous
* Vigorous
A General Description of How You Interact with Others
People light you up. In conversations, planning meetings or almost any social situation, you bring your energy and your friendly, outgoing personality into these engagements with other people, and you come away pumped up. You can hardly wait for the next event, as long as other people will be there. And you're good at it.
You know how to communicate. You listen well, the first rule of good communication, and then, when it's your turn, you talk vigorously and with animation; in your uninhibited way you give all that you've got to the encounter.
In situations where you feel very safe, when you know and trust the people you're with, you can be very kindhearted and unrestrained. You let your affection for and pleasure in being with others flow freely. You're wide open And when you get back this same kind of unrestrained warmth, you are deeply satisfied. Because you are so friendly and full of life, these are among your favorite moments.
Negative Reactions Others May Have Toward You
As much as you like being with other people, not everyone will like being with you. Hard to believe, but your gregarious and warm manner is not everyone's cup of tea. Some people are more cautious than you in personal encounters; others think the work place should be more formal, more impersonal than is comfortable for you. Still others, who may want more of the spotlight, will find you too much to compete with once you get your lively and outgoing self in motion.
Here's another word of caution. You've been at this warm and open way of relating for a while, but for some people it's a brand new experience. They may be protecting something inside themselves, some fear or guilt or shame, or some private part of their story that they're not yet ready to share. Your openness might threaten them, and they'll take a step back and be reluctant the next time to engage you in the kind of exchange you find so easy and satisfying but they find so dangerous.
Positive Responses Others May Have Toward You
Many people, most probably, will be glad to be in the room you're in. At work you make the environment livelier and the banter more interesting, so the time moves swiftly and the experience is a happier one. At home you keep everyone connected because you engage each of them in the conversational action, and as a result they are more connected as well with one another. You make home a warmer and more interesting place for everyone who lives there.
You might also be helpful to some people. There are those who need to talk but aren't very good at it. They don't know how to begin the kind of conversation that would allow them to share whatever is in their personal stories that they'd like or need to talk about. You could make that easier for them with your way with words. Some people just need an example and a little encouragement to come out of their shell and get into the greater fun and personal connectedness that will make their lives so much more satisfying. Again, you might be just the right person to make that happen for them.
So almost everyone will be glad to be with you, you make life more interesting for those you live and work with, and you could help some of your friends who need just a little encouragement to open up and find in themselves the kinds of energetic and warm connections that you thrive on. Not that you are a pushover; in fact, you are often quite assertive. In taking care of yourself you also make sure that others are engaged and energized.
3/21
Sharing Too Much??
Today I felt prompted to share something in Relief Society. I often times feel very uncomfortable when this happens because I worry that others might think I am sharing too much....or that I might embarrass my family members around me by "being a sharer"....or I sound too "churchy"....or that the sacred thoughts that burn so strongly within my heart will be taken "lightly." Pathetic I know....I definitely have a long way to go....but at least I have come to the conclusion that, even though I feel very uncomfortable the majority of the time sharing--and I might embarrass those who know me, I fear offending the spirit more (or losing the opportunity to be an instrument in His hands) that I will open my mouth.
Anyway, the lesson was on Prophets. The teacher asked the class if anyone would share an experience that they have had with prophets (or the words of the prophets) that have changed their lives or helped them personally. I sat there quietly waiting for someone to share their experience....with no thought of searching within to find something to share....when it hit me. It was a very recent experience that passed through my mind. It was something I didn't want to share....since it exposed a lot of my flaws....but as the experience flooded my mind and heart the spirit was so overwhelming that I literally had to take a deep breath...and then the next thing I knew my hand was raised. "What are you doing?!?!" I thought. "You don't want to share that! It doesn't relate to others...it is too personal and revealing!"
Too bad, I was called on. I took a deep breath....I even excused myself for the silent second that passed and then opened my mouth to share. After I shared my comment I sat there in utter fear. Usually grandma will lean over and say something nice...but alas nothing. Fear struck again. "Were the feelings of my heart and the spirit that I felt conveyed correctly. Was it a dumb comment...are others wishing I hadn't shared....did I embarrass my grandmother? Why is it I often feel compelled to share...Is my Father pleased...did I fulfill the task?" I sat worrying and worrying...how sad I am, I know.
At the conclusion of Relief Society I got up quickly. I wanted to leave and not have to face anyone. A friend next to me asked me a question before I could follow my grandma out of Relief Society room. When our conversation concluded I turned the other direction to find myself literally in the arms of an older woman. She hugged me for a very long time and thanked me deeply for sharing my comment. She made some references to my experience and said some very special words. At that moment I was so grateful I had not given into my fear of "sharing too much."
So, the point of this whole blog is don't be like me....share those thoughts of your heart--WITHOUT FEAR--when you feel the spirit prompt you. Don't worry about others....you may be an answer to someones prayer! Even if everyone else around you seems to think you are crazy, share (Samuel the Lamanite did)! Even if no one says anything to you after....have the confidence that you fulfilled what was asked of you! I have learned a lot from this experience. I hope that someday I will completely overcome my pathetic complex of worrying about what others think....but...until then....I hope I will always continue to overcome the fear of withholding my thoughts--when the spirit has directed me--to share...why because I always want to be an instrument in His hands...regardless of how pathetic others might think I am!
Anyway, the lesson was on Prophets. The teacher asked the class if anyone would share an experience that they have had with prophets (or the words of the prophets) that have changed their lives or helped them personally. I sat there quietly waiting for someone to share their experience....with no thought of searching within to find something to share....when it hit me. It was a very recent experience that passed through my mind. It was something I didn't want to share....since it exposed a lot of my flaws....but as the experience flooded my mind and heart the spirit was so overwhelming that I literally had to take a deep breath...and then the next thing I knew my hand was raised. "What are you doing?!?!" I thought. "You don't want to share that! It doesn't relate to others...it is too personal and revealing!"
Too bad, I was called on. I took a deep breath....I even excused myself for the silent second that passed and then opened my mouth to share. After I shared my comment I sat there in utter fear. Usually grandma will lean over and say something nice...but alas nothing. Fear struck again. "Were the feelings of my heart and the spirit that I felt conveyed correctly. Was it a dumb comment...are others wishing I hadn't shared....did I embarrass my grandmother? Why is it I often feel compelled to share...Is my Father pleased...did I fulfill the task?" I sat worrying and worrying...how sad I am, I know.
At the conclusion of Relief Society I got up quickly. I wanted to leave and not have to face anyone. A friend next to me asked me a question before I could follow my grandma out of Relief Society room. When our conversation concluded I turned the other direction to find myself literally in the arms of an older woman. She hugged me for a very long time and thanked me deeply for sharing my comment. She made some references to my experience and said some very special words. At that moment I was so grateful I had not given into my fear of "sharing too much."
So, the point of this whole blog is don't be like me....share those thoughts of your heart--WITHOUT FEAR--when you feel the spirit prompt you. Don't worry about others....you may be an answer to someones prayer! Even if everyone else around you seems to think you are crazy, share (Samuel the Lamanite did)! Even if no one says anything to you after....have the confidence that you fulfilled what was asked of you! I have learned a lot from this experience. I hope that someday I will completely overcome my pathetic complex of worrying about what others think....but...until then....I hope I will always continue to overcome the fear of withholding my thoughts--when the spirit has directed me--to share...why because I always want to be an instrument in His hands...regardless of how pathetic others might think I am!
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