Both of these appointments, one in March and the other in
June, went well, with one exception. Dr.
Farooqui, the only person so far who has performed a topnotch bone marrow
biopsy for me, is no longer with the NIH.
and oh how I miss him when BMB time rolls around again. But, I have “endured many things, and hope to
be able to endure all things!” I
actually surprised myself by making up my mind to cast all squeamishness aside
and just take it on the chin. Well, not
the chin, but you know what I mean.
My siblings and I held our second annual temple sealing
family reunion this summer at my sister Becky’s home in Phelan, California.
. One of the sealers allowed us to
surround the altar and seal several siblings at the same time to their
parents. That was a first for us, but I
hope not the last. Here in Boise, when I
inquired about sealing two or more siblings to their parents in the same
ordinance, , I found that it isn’t
permitted at this time. Looking ahead to
our third sealing reunion, I’m hoping to hold it in Utah, in conjunction with
two four-generation family reunions on the Smith and the Washburn sides of the
family. I pray we can put our shoulders
to the wheel and pull it off! I firmly
believe that the family is of God. Every
generation is to be remembered, honored and cherished. And that is exactly what my dear husband Dan and
I are striving to do. First, we raised
our sons together, and now we are seeking out our ancestors together, and
providing the saving ordinances for them.
In doing so, I have felt the promised blessing of receiving a return
wave of love from those who have gone on before. Amazingly, when a living family member is
sadly out of sorts, the love and gratitude from ancestors restores the joy of belonging
to a family! We continue to meet cousins
we never even knew we had, too. My
sister Jamie met our 92-year-old cousin, Vallene Smith Daly, from our father’s
side, and Steve Redding, a cousin from our mother’s side of the family. I’ve called Vallene several times, thereby
learning many interesting details of the lives of our great aunts and uncles
from her.
We’re also very happy that Neil and Penny and family decided
to move to Idaho! They’ve been with us
since May, and will be here until perhaps December, or whenever their beautiful
new home is ready for occupancy. . Until little 19-month-old Lincoln was born
here in Boise, we were always long-distance grandparents. Now we get to experience the fun of having three
grandchildren close by!
Dan and I, along with my sister Julie, drove about an hour
and a half to Ola, ID, last Monday, Aug. 21st, to
reach the great American solar eclipse’s path of totality. What a unique and thrilling opportunity it
was for us, and millions of others, too.
I got to see it through Julie’s eyes!
I have always appreciated her ability to describe the beautiful sights she
sees, almost bringing them to life for me.
This joyful day is the 44th wedding anniversary
for Dan and me. We have learned so much
along the way, and know that we have still more to learn! I’m eternally grateful for his loving
support. Sometimes we’ve been like a couple
of hard-headed mules, butting heads and kicking up our hooves. But that was then. This is now, and now is great. And tomorrow, I truly believe, will be better
still
