Whose Shoes?

"Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he'll be a mile away - and barefoot. -Mark Twain

Haha, that's definitely (notice the correct spelling of the preceding word) not scriptural, but it is funny. And for that reason, I stuck it in our sharing time presentation yesterday. Our little class was assigned forgiving as our topic. I tell you, it's a subject I have to revisit almost daily. When the Shanester left today for a short camping trip without saying goodbye, I put our advice from yesterday into practice to good effect. We'd discussed and demonstrated through several scenarios matched up with a variety of footwear, the concept of walking a mile in someone else's shoes in order to be able to have a forgiving heart. So I put myself in Shane's hiking shoes, and then realized he doesn't have the perspective of a parent, and wasn't intentionally trying to cause me extra worry, and, presto, I was able to forgive him. I'd pondered D&C 64:9-10 in preparation for the presentation, and I'm happy to say that I learned a few things.

"Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."

Definitely (there's that correctly spelled word again) worth pondering. Is the Lord holding us to a higher standard than Himself by requiring we forgive everyone, while he chooses whom He'll forgive? Looks a bit like that at first blush. On second glance though, it makes perfect sense. His grasp of the entire situation is clear and faultless. We, on the other hand, are not nearly so knowledgeable. When we apologize or repent of a sin or error, we expect full forgiveness from the Lord and others, but if we are not willing to be as merciful and generous as He is, we are setting ourselves up to know better than He does what is best. We could actually end up attempting to claim the blessings of His great atonement for ourselves, while denying them for those we refuse to forgive, a major affront, or worse, to the Savior. So come on, boys and girls, let's play nice, and stay nice!

Here's another point to ponder: What does forgiving really mean? I'll tackle that question later, but I'd dearly love to read anyone's thoughts who's willing to opine. I probably won't do that until we're back from Denver though. Happy Fourth of July, everyone! BTW, here's a festive drink for the Fourth. Dig out those old-fashioned items called ice cube trays, and freeze a couple of them filled with red and blue Powerade. Drop several cubes of each color into a clear glass, and pour 7Up or Sprite over them. Voila, you'll be sipping a fun and fizzy Frosty Fireworks drink for the Fourth of July!

Sweet Stuff

We've had out-of-town guests on three different occasions this month, and without fail, they've all commented on the moss roses Dan planted for me under the maple tree in our front yard. He did it of his own accord for Mother's Day, while not feeling at all well. I think it may be the best gift he's ever given me, because (1) it was a complete surprise; (2) it's something I really really like; (3) I had never thought of doing it; and (4) moss roses were one of the favorites of his mom, who was a fantastic gardener. The fact that he did it when he was sick, not waiting till he felt better, just makes it that much sweeter. They haven't exactly flourished with all the rain we've had this spring, but we have high hopes for them yet.



We enjoyed Dan's sister Janet's visit a week and a half ago. She filled us in on some of the exciting Utah Washburn news. Some examples: we have a new little nephew we're eager to hear more about from Cindy! Daniel bought a cozy little home, and Cliff and Bugs have acquired a trendy new business. Next, our second guests were Rick and JoLyn Farrer, with two of their grandsons, Ashton and Isaac. JoLyn has this magical way of getting the most out of every minute she's here, so that a short visit seems longer than it was in actuality. Colin entertained the boys, who were weary from a six-hour drive, while we went to the cemetery. I feel a little closer to Jordan when I'm there, and the Farrers share my feelings of sacred reverence for these places which have been the site of great outpourings of emotion, and, at a future time, will be glorious places of joyous reunion. Afterward, JoLyn and I made a mad dash, my first, to the awesome sporting goods store, Cabela's. I only call it a mad dash because we hurried in just 30 minutes before closing time, and 30 minutes in such an enormous and interesting place is not nearly long enough. But it was long enough for me to part with $82, buying the first ever peach rings I've had, some watermelon licorice, and a Father's Day gift for Dan, a two-burner propane camp stove combo, meaning a propane lantern was included. Our last guest of the month is our son, Ethan, who's here doing his penultimate rotation in his quest to become a physician's assistant and graduate from the program in August. It's a pretty sweet deal to have such wonderful guests visiting.



I am so grateful for Neil and Penny, too, who invited Greg and his three little ones, Tori, Juli, and Christian, over to their home for a lovely pot roast Sunday/Father's Day dinner. It looks like Penny even let them decorate the cake for their Daddy. Dan and I are so very happy to see the brothers and their families showing kindness to one another, caring for and strengthening each other in a multitude of ways. They've got the brotherly love thing down pat! Suh-weet!

Dirtywork

I can't work in the garden without getting covered in dirt, and bringing a lot of it indoors. No standing and hoeing out those pesky weeds for me. I have to scoot around on my behind, fgrabbing hold of the weeds with my hands, getting some extra oomph with my small hand shovel when necessary. I also crawl from row to row, and do some kneeling too. I just get downright dirty out there, and I'm not proud of it! But desperate times demand desperate means, right? Right. And these are desperate times. Time to plant if you're going to plant! We're on our third wave of planting, and we've even already done a bit of harvesting. Sugar snap peas and lettuce were the firstlings of our crop. It was only a small bowl of peas though, accompanied by a horrible, nasty intruder! I held it up between my thumb and forefinger to ask what it was, hoping against hope that it wasn't a slug. Dan took it from me and showed it to Brianna, and confirmed my fears. Serves him right, he then had to listen to the shrieks of two women instead of just one. I can't believe I held a slug, or that I ate the first pea without washing it, maybe even one of the ones that the slug had slimed. I always pop cherry tomatoes right into my mouth without washing them, but after this, I'll be rethinking that habit. Oh, I can hardly wait till August, when everything's in full production. I'm so grateful for all the weeding help from Colin, Shane, and Brianna. They're faster and more efficient than I'll ever be!

Slugfest, but not in our peaceful kingdom.

Until today, I'd held off on planting any flowers this year. But I know how much Brooklyn and Lilly love picking them when they come for a visit. So, I found a spot or two for a few four o'clocks, verbena, celosia, nasturtiums, zinnias, and petunias, after all. Brianna asked if we could eat them. She's so funnny, she wants all of the space for vegetables only. Well, grapes and berries would also pass muster, but definitely not flowers. Happy compromise, nasturtiums are edible, both the leaves and the flowers. And they say the flowers are so pretty in a fresh sallad.

Dan and I have also become avid couponers. We can't say how long our new hobby will last, but we'll have fun with it for as long as we enjoy it, and then discontinue it without a qualm. We gave it a try way back when the kids were very young, but since we didn't know the finer points of getting the biggest bang for our buck, the benefits weren't enough to keep us going with it. Now, thanks to some good web sites and blogs, we are becoming highly educated couponing machines, so we'll see if we can clean up with coupons, and cancel out some of that dirt. Just yesterday, we purchased 6 $25 gift certificates for $2 apiece to use over the next year at several restaurants. We're not usually much on dining out, but I guess we can manage it if we have to. Besides, Colin and Shane can easily use them all, if we let them, on dates or other outings.

Glad to Be a Grad

It's graduation week. Shane graduated from seminary on Sunday, May 31st, giving a talk while he was at it. Just yesterday, June 3rd, he graduated from Borah High School. When the nice customer service rep asked me what I wanted written on the card that went along with the festive edible arrangement I was ordering for him, I surprised myself (and probably her too) by starting to cry. This is the beginning of a whole new chapter for Shane, but it is the end of an era for Dan and me. As we walked into the Taco Bell Arena for the commencement exercises, Dan said, "We should stop saying this is the last time for this or that, and look ahead to the future, and say instead, we get to start doing this or that." That rates as good advice from a good guy in my book.

And now, it gives me great pleasure to present our beloved graduate from the Class of 2009 to you. Please join us in smiling upon the quiet, the stalwart, the absolutely delightful, Shane Joseph Washburn.