A LESSON LEARNED

Dad held down the fort and finished up our class at the University of Portland.

Dad was the ever-present source of strength, comfort, and love through all of this!!

Emmilie, Tasha, Shane and Brother G brought a wonderful ray of sunshine to my Portland Hospital stay.

I couldn't fit all of the flowers into the picture, but they were absolutely wonderful.

With hours of time, staring me in the face, I got brave enough to bring TJ's quilt along with me. It proved to be a good conversation piece and a great comfort to pass my alone time. Many of the staff members shared "Grandma's quilt" memories with me. One nurse came in in a panic because my machine kept beeping. She laughed when she saw me quilting and realized that the beeping was caused because I was using my finger to sew!

I sat down to write this blog and realized how contented I am to be home!! I woke up very early and have retreated to my favorite little nest--my sewing room. Already, my day has had a better start that the past week has had. I'm out of the hospital; my pneumonia almost gone; waiting for my gall bladder to "cool down," so it can be removed. I spend an hour doing research on gall bladder disease and am appalled at how much damage I've done to my body in the past few years. I am going to try to follow the wise counsel I've collected and will say no more about my own stupidity.

I was so reminded, once again, of the sweet and tender mercies of the Lord, and the wonderful lessons learned from small experiences. Throughout this past week, it seemed that each time I reached the depths of despair, I was rescued by some small experience. Monday evening when I was in the throes of a gall bladder attack, my sweetheart was visiting his mom, and I felt very, very alone!! I was, though, reminded in the depths of my despair that I was not alone--ever. I remembered to call on my Father in Heaven for comfort and received comfort and strength immediately. I spent the next couple of days in the local hospital in White Salmon and certainly took a walk down memory lane. Each time I felt that pain, I made myself remember!! Fun reminiscences about the birth of our five babies in this hospital; a thirty-year old memory of a panicky Tom trying to open the emergency room door--his eyes huge--when Susan was born. Another of a man's huge hand as he tenderly tried to get a needle into the arm of a very, very ill baby Marie. Another of holding Annie for the last time, as a nurse silently wept. My favorite words became, "Hi Mom," as I received phone call after phone call from each of you. My ambulance ride brought another new perspective. It's the first time I've been looking east while the vehicle is moving west through a rain soaked Gorge. In the huge campus of Legacy Emanuel Hospital, I developed a great fondness for the people who helped me!! One sweet technician and I had a discussion about windsurfing, etc. He had never been to the Gorge, and, as I extoled its watery virtues, he said, "Lady, I'm from North Carolina; I never go near the water!!" Everyone seemed sooo young and sooo capable and in pajamas. On one particular day when I was feeling old, out of sorts, etc., Tom was visiting and explained that he had tried everything he could to dissuade Brother Gubelin from visiting to no avail. Sure enough, here he came with three of our students bringing flowers, a card, dinner for Tom, and a sweet song and prayer! How could I stay in my funk long? One event was particularly charming. The fellow who delivered meals was a Hawaiian in bright floral shirts. He spent the morning meal ordering me around: "Tell the nurse you need a table right here; You need helps you get that nurse in here, etc." By the second meal, I was a bit nauseated because I'd gone six days with no food by mouth, and, although there was a beautiful--in delivery and color--piece of pie, I just couldn't force my protesting stomach to get it down. I left the pie and fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke a few hours later, I was surprised to see the piece of pie still on my table!! Tender mercies. All is now over for a while, so I will enjoy the six weeks I have off and remember that I have received another reminder that I am loved, accepted, and okay.

BALL GAMES, BIRDS, AND BEAUTY

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder according to the poet. I’m looking at a magnificent storm—hail and rain; in its way, the storm is exquisitely beautiful. I remember when Aunt Joan was dating Garth. One day as she walked home from school in Utah, she was struck by the exquisite beauty of the autumn leaves at her feet. She decided to share the lovely leaves, put them into an envelope and sent them to Garth in Washington. Years later, Garth revealed that he couldn’t figure out why Joan had sent him a bunch of dead leaves. Increasingly, I am finding beauty in nature but also, I am becoming increasingly moved by the beauty of people who surround me.

Michelle sent me these wonderful pictures of their family night. Don’t you love Kobe’s intensity while he waits for the ball? Isn’t it beautiful?
Our Portland Institute experience is over except for one more class. I’ve found such beauty in our experience in Portland. I think of the colorfully dressed people of the Tongan Ward, the color mixture of nationalities and cultures in our classes, and the constant, ever-changing weather in the Gorge during our travels. We’re already moving on to our The Dalles experience. This Sunday we’ll be in The Dalles stake delivering posters.

Our entertainment lately has been the birds!! We now have birdhouses in three areas of the yard. In the morning, about 8: 30, the birds gather and sing their morning song—“Dad, we need food! We need food.” Feeding the birds seems to be a Kennedy trait. The picture is of Great-great Uncle John Kennedy who trained the crow on his shoulder to eat off his shoulder and hand. The chirping of the birds is almost overwhelming and almost cacophonous. We try to remember to buy a bird book so we can identify the various species that visit the yard, but never seem to remember. Of course, Mr. Squirrel, Mr. Blue Jay, and a Michele's Cat visit regularly to keep the birds’ heart rates healthy. We haven’t yet started planting flowers, so we not get such a kick out of the squirrels once we begin planting, but for now they’re a great source of entertainment.
Spring is here. Grandma is doing well

and so are we. Look constantly for the beauty in your life. Love, Mom

A NEW 'DO AND OUR FIRST GOODBYE

Wow!! April has stayed like a meek lamb, and we're so grateful!! For a while there, we thought we were going to be living in eternal winter, but April brought Spring. You can see the first blooms on the cherry maple tree in the backyard.

April has also brought a change of assignment for our mission. Beginning April 25, our assignment is The Dalles Stake!! This new assignment brings all sorts of possibilities for the last few months of our mission. There are very few young single adults in the stake, since there is not a lot of opportunity for higher education or high paying jobs. Our role will be to survey the stake for that information. The stake president also has some responsibilities for us concerning senior missionaries and potential senior missionaries, which he hasn't yet outlined for us. So, we've been weaning ourselves from our Portland students. It's difficult to imagine that one can become so attached to students in ten months, but we have. We said our first good-bye to Eric Chou, shown here with his girlfriend, Gemarie. Eric is a computer tech guy with a gas company, and Gem has about a month left of culinary arts school. Eric is a new convert, and Gem is an Idaho farm girl with a big heart. There are rumors of a wedding not far off, but nothing official. Eric waved us a nonchalant farewell as he will be in training for the next two Thursdays.

I've fooled with these pictures for a while and can't really get them organized, but you can see what our big project has been--a re-do of the upstairs bathroom. It has filled a lot of time and provided lots of frustration, as such projects usually do. Dad is so antsy from being cooped up inside that he is now ready to head outside for a while. There's still lots to do inside as well to prepare for the arrival of Marie and her family in a few weeks. We're excited for the possibility that all of us will be together this summer. Every day we have a discussion about some aspect of the summer plans. I'll send out a reminder on the reunion soon with some of our ideas soon.

On another note, Grandma is doing much better. She explains that she is just weak, and she is. That doesn't stop Grandma though, of course. Some workers left small bits of debris around her condo when they replaced some damaged siding, and she tried very hard, supporting herself with her cane, to get it all cleaned up!! Fortunately, Dad came to the rescue before she could injure herself. Although we have been visiting her each week to help her, she insists on fixing our meals and doing the dishes. It has to be frightening for her to feel that she can't continue to be mom, so we don't want to take over her role. Since the last "episode" two weeks ago, she has accepted help a bit more readily. She admitted that our visits cause her some anxiety, even though she enjoys them tremendously. This is something for each of you to consider as you now plan summer visits to her. Don't plan an overnight stay with her or an all-day visit. Try to arrive at a non-meal time and remember that she's not well enough to go out to dinner. Grandma's such a kick. She's been regaling us with family stories and family pictures. So fun. I found this quote which seems to sum up what's going on: "Not only is the end not in sight, the pace is not slackening. We have many future joys."

Dad and I are well , planning not to slacken our pace, and looking forward to many future joys. Happy Spring. Love, Mom