The Empty Sea

Kimball was the first of Shane's brothers to enter the MTC, when Shane was only four years old. He was with us during all six trips to the MTC with each boy in turn. I think it was three years ago, when we took Colin down to begin his mission, that Shane told us that he always thought we were going to the empty sea on the earlier trips when he heard us mention the MTC. That's where he is tonight, safe and sound, ready to go forth and serve, he's in the MTC. He's the last of our missionary sons, but the first one to depart from his own hometown. As of last June, families no longer go inside the MTC with the new arrivals. Since the church will pay for airfare to SLC, we said our goodbyes at the Boise airport rather than making the ten- to twelve-hour round trip drive to Provo. His good friend, Stewart Wayment, greeted him there, and then drove down to Provo where they picked up another friend, Evan Darrington,, to have lunch together at the BYU Creamery.

Privileged is the best word to describe how I've felt during these last few weeks with Shane. I was with him yesterday when he received a beautiful patriarchal blessing from our new stake patriarch, Brother Buhler. Shane told me that for the first time, he felt that God knew him as an individual, not just as one of the group of His many many children. When that realization sinks into your heart, that you really are known and loved by the Lord, the love of God can really burst into full bloom, bringing about amazing growth and enlightenment! I remember when it happened to me. I suddenly felt God's love for me, an obscure and ordinary person. And I knew since He loved me no matter who I was, or wasn't, I wasn't really just obscure and ordinary at all, and that He loved ALL of His children. I also knew that if He loved everyone else, so should I! I began to sense that each individual is precious. I believe that I witnessed Shane coming to this understanding in recent weeks as well.
Remarkably, gratefully, the channel of revelation from the Lord we'd felt earlier in the day, remained opened as President Porter set Shane apart as a missionary in the New York New York South Mission later that evening. After so many evidences of friendship and concernfrom our ward and others, Shane told me that he never realized that so many people cared about him. I wish everyone could feel that way, but it may be that many have not yet felt it, maybe because it has not yet been adequately shown to them. I hope I can begin to help them know it by the way I speak to and treat them though.

A hearty thank you to Ethan and Missy for coming to Shane's farewell. We thoroughly enjoyed your visit. His talk alone was worth the drive, wasn't it? Thanks to his friends for coming, too. Thanks to each of you, Cindy, Karen, Phil, and Kirt, for the temple trips. Shane was able to go there about 8 times over the last three and a half weeks to bless and serve in sealings, baptisms, endowments, and initiatories. He even went one time on his own. As I said, thanks to the influence of the Spirit, and of many good and caring people, and to Shane's own righteous choices and desires, he is prepared to serve the Lord, nowe and forever. May it ever be thus, is my humble and ongoing prayer for him, and for all of our sons and their families.

Tea and Crumpets

Believe it or not, I am actually sitting here at the computer (alas, not in the drawing room), with a cup of tea (licorice spice tea) and a plate of crumpets. Will wonders ever cease? I hope not! I've been delving into the bygone days when fairies roamed the land freely, and somehow, it awakened a desire to try tea and crumpets for myself. The crumpets are a bit of a disappointment, not nearly as tasty as I imagined, but then, perhaps my technique left something to be desired. The recipe made a yeasty, pancakey type batter, and the finished product is a chubby little pancake sort of thing, not terribly impressive but greatly improved by a generous application of butter and strawberry jam. Hmm, I just took another sip and another bite, and I think they're growing on me (or maybe I'm the one doing all the growing)! Scandalous though it may be, I may just try a whole wheat version of crumpets. After all, I'm planning to serve them to Greg and the children when they come visiting next month, and I'm aiming for healthy as well as delicious fare. Drat it all! I just put the teabag on my plate, and accidentally picked it up and popped it into my mouth, thinking it was a crumpet. Yucko, blindness can be hard on the tastebuds!

Ahem, as I was saying, when Greg arrives, I'll have a little fairylland awaiting them. Shane's room is going to become a forest/fairy themed space where fairy houses are constructed, fairy tales are told, and the wee folk are made to feel at home. Shane's not exactly delighted, but that's ok, the fairies are kind. When he's back home, they'll gladly relocate. In the meantime, magic is in the works.

Licorice Spice Tea

How a former non-tea drinker, me, became a fan! All those lovely herbal tea names always sounded so enticing - peppermint, chamomile, lemon ginger, etc., - but they tasted weak, watery, flavorless to me. So I swore off them and never looked back. Until, that is, I attended a book club last week where the hostess offered an array of items, including vegetables, cookies, pumpkin crisp and ice cream, apple cider, hot cocoa, and three kinds of tea. When she added that licorice spice tea was her favorite, I decided the courteous thing to do would be to choose it. What a surprise! It is uniquely delicious, and according to a post on the CLLC Friends forum, posted by Penny, it just may figure into a strategy of protection against the H1N1 virus, as well. I can't vouch for it, but I think it sounds fairly sensible. I checked Snopes though, and they convincingly dispute its authenticity, but quote a doc who says something to the effect of go for it if it makes you feel better, but be advised that some of the recommendations are not evidenced-based. So, see what you think:
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic
of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 in
spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation
is.
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order
to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections,
some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can
be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face
(unless you want to eat, bathe or slap).
3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt).
*H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate
and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way,
gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu
has on an infected one.. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful
preventative method.
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean the nostrils at least once every day with warm salt
water. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas
to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both
nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing
down viral population..*
5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other
citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that
it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids such as teas, etc. as you can. *Drinking warm liquids
has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating
viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or
do any harm.

The homeless pumpkin

"Oh, pitiful pumpkin, outside you must sleep."
"Why?" you ask. "Because of the company you keep."

In the Temple

Dan and I received our endowments in the Salt Lake temple; Ethan, Kimball, and Greg in the Seattle temple; Neil, Jordan, Colin, and Shane all received theirs in the Boise temple. Shane may have felt a bit of apprehension yesterday, but for me, it was a time of pure joy. Thank you to our friends who were able to be with us. I am imagining how wonderful it would be to gather our whole family in a temple somewhere someday. I won't stop hoping, it can happen if everyone shares that joyful vision.

"As the pioneers had the larger vision in their daily challenge for survival, so also we need to have a greater vision and understanding of our eternal destiny. Our challenges are more subtle but equally hard. Maintaining our spiritual strength is also a daily challenge. The greatest source of that spiritual strength comes, as it did in their time, from our temples."

"I urge all who have not yet received these greatest of all blessings within the walls of the temple to do whatever may be necessary to qualify to receive them. To those who have received these blessings, I invite you to prepare yourselves to savor again the experience of being within the sacred premises of the holy temples of God and have the visions of life eternal open again to your hearts, minds, and souls."

(James E. Faust, in"Eternity Lies before Us," Ensign, May 1997, 20)

Gladsome Tidings

1. We will be in the temple tomorrow with Shane.
2. His last Sunday at church here for two whole years will be on Nov. 15th. He will be speaking then, and all who would like to join us are warmly invited to do so. Let us know, and we'll treat you to a hearty dinner, too.
3. Our good friends, the Farrers, are planning to visit us for Thanksgiving. JoLyn will help me (what am I saying, she'll do it) transform Shane's room into our temporary guest room.
4. Greg, Tori, Juli, and Christian are going to spend the week after Christmas with us, and we'll be able to ring in the New Year together.
It's wonderful to have good things to look forward to, isn't it? It keeps me smiling.

Beautiful Bread

Bread

Wheat is a stream of gold

a living river

a golden, whispering,

dusty stream

how many sacks of flour?

how many loaves of bread?

in what far-off lands?

Up it thrusts

boldly piercing the hard earth

to unfold as a field

over the prairie province.

(from "A Cup of Sky)

I know precious little of presentation. Ah, but I do know how to savor the feel, the aroma, the taste of ffreshly baked whole wheat bread.