And They're Off

May is such a gentle month. With new pink roses and Grumpy's happy young tomato plants, it softens the edges of some of the changes Hannah may be talking about below, which arrive suddenly and without notice around this time of year, just like the spring, itself.

This month has brought our family plenty of transformation. The dear Marshalls returned from the trip of a lifetime with the Greater Marshalls in Hawaii, where they cavorted with sea turtles, and then immediately headed to Virginia, Abe taking the first leg at the helm.

They surprised beautiful Sister Liz Thomas in Nauvoo, then landed in the supposed front hall of the Virginia Evanses around 1:45 a.m. only to learn from a piece of mail that they were in the wrong house with the red front door. We made the same mistake last October! We should send those people some chocolates.

Rachel and Micah appeared in the red solera on Gilmer Drive in the nick of time to take the sting off the departure of Abraham and his beloved parents, and Craig and Micah are finishing days nine and ten of our Grand Circle tour of Southern Utah's great parks. Craig has taken an average of about 450 photos a day. Maybe he will post some! C & M are probably on hike #13 this morning. Yesterday they saw the wreckage of a just downed plane in Garfield county. The tops of my ears are burned, and it hurts so good! We saw rainbows, a papa-sized buff and black snake, antelope, and a series of showers and sunlight moving majestically across a hundred mile expanse from the top of Bryce Canyon, culminating in a vast sheet of a rain cloud spread like a curtain above us. As we stood in wonder, it burned brilliantly pink and orange into our eyes, then faded to charcoal, then black, just at the close of a day that should have lasted forever! The air was pure and bracing.

Our trip had its sobering side, as we were also witness to the immediate aftermath of a very brutal beating when all we had meant to do was get a "Panguitch" for dinner. Micah called 911, washed the considerable blood from Jason, the victim, covered and comforted him and tried to keep him conscious in the very long time it took to summon any law enforcement or medical help. The store owner, friend and employer of Jason, and an EMT, had left her injured friend to go immediately to the home of likely suspects to inspect fists. The culprit with bloody knuckles was not discovered until hours later hiding in that home after tips from Craig to the deputy late at night from our motel room. In the oft-repeated words of Debra, the owner of the Indian Jewelry store, "I told him not to mess with these country boys."

By the next morning when we called to see how Jason was doing, he and Debra were themselves afoul of the law, probably caught in a cycle of addiction and violence. None of us wants to move to Panguitch, or spend much time there again. The next day, another officer tried to give me a ticket for speeding on a dark, empty, straight park road, but didn't have the heart.

Yesterday, Rachel and I reluctantly left our men at the turnoff to Highway 12 outside of Ruby's Inn to return home so she could begin teaching today. We passed a large truck with stacks of beehives buzzing with bees, the entire load surrounded with netting. Last night, we were up until after 2:30 preparing packets and reviewing lesson plans. Beginning in one minute she will start teaching pre-reading to her first class of four to five year-olds at Weber State. I dared her to say, "Hello. My name is Snow White, and I will be your teacher for our reading class. Can you tell me what letter 'Snow' begins with?" By 5:45 this afternoon, she will have taught three classes averaging two hours long with a total of 46 students, ranging from the young class starting now to junior high students. Isn't she amazing?

We were so grateful that Laurel joined us for the first leg of our trekking, but after a few days she found it wearisome being with two couples who were "always kissing," and jumped at the chance to come home with Maggie and go to school and the ELP water fight social yesterday. She and Hannah always enjoy the opportunity to "hang" with each other, and Hannah came over to give her company. Mom and Dad took such good care of Morgan and the house the entire time. Some things you can count on.

Love to all and welcome home, Amy!

In The Quiet Misty Morning

"In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red."



We live in a world where all that is seemingly solid with obvious plans of staying, forget their role. For the time always comes when the pleasantly stagnant frame which holds our necessary image of normality constant, shifts. With a crisp crack, small cut's appear, and break apart. There is no longer a border holding it in place. The image changes, and is sometimes unrecognizable.

The owner stands rigid, afraid of getting cut on the shards of the picture that used to be normality and comfort, but is now defining confusion and sharp disarray. If one allows the help and time to look deeper, with the eyes to see, the smallest of puffs of air slowly fills the holes and craters between life's ever changing chapters. An image that was always underneath can in pieces be seen. This image never broke. It never could. It's frame was created by a set of hands unhindered by the inevitability of decay and destruction. Sometimes it takes the shattering of a seemingly clear and modest image, from a pleasant chapter to move on to the next, and see what the subject of the framed image that was in actuality intended for the owner.

This is a glimpse of the image often hidden behind my own, that the creator with uninhibited hands showed me this weekend, because I allowed myself to be still instead of moving quickly and risking a splinter from the wreckage of a lessor image of my own making.



"In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red."





-Hannah

(please don't show this to Dad, I want to give it to him)

Commandments Not a Few

Today in GP, Sister Wulstenhuem talked about "commandments not a few" found in verse 4 of D&C 59. It reminded me of thoughts I've had on the interesting phrase. Clearly, the verse shows that commandments are blessings, and not to be looked at as restrictive or controlling. But beyond that, the verse implies that further commandments, beyond those given to the collective church, will be given to the "faithful and diligent." Elder Bednar discusses this idea in his talk, "In a State of Happiness," a very fine talk. He says that "I find it fascinating that one of the greatest blessings related to keeping God’s commandments is additional commandments. Now, individuals who find commandments restrictive and constraining clearly will not regard more commandments as a blessing and as a source of happiness. But the Apostle John taught that for one who has come unto Christ and been born again, God’s “commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). Thus, individuals who have eyes to see and ears to hear will readily recognize the consummate spiritual benefit and happiness that come from additional direction from heaven.
What are these “commandments not a few” and how do we receive them? The individual and personal “commandments not a few” we receive frequently tend to focus upon the good things we can and should do to develop and deepen our discipleship—as opposed to focusing primarily upon the bad things we must avoid or overcome."
Elder Bednar then goes on to give examples of "commandments not a few" given to individuals: to pay additional offerings to the church, to control thoughts, to work honestly in a profession.

Ariel and I have experienced these experiences occassionally. I felt prompted in the temple after my mission to destroy (not sell) all of my music collection from my pre-mission life (hundreds and hundreds of dollars worth of music). I went up to the cabin and burned the pamphlets and CDs, and felt that it was an additional, tailored commandment to me to deepen my discipleship. Ariel and I have also recognized the commandment to have a baby, and when to have a baby. We have felt prompted in our tithes and offerings with personalized commandments of what the Lord would have us give and where he would have us give. I want to have these commandments given me.

I want to know from you Galli gals and guys what you do to prepare yourselves to receive "commandments not a few," and I would also love to hear your examples of having these commandments given.

My first Galli Gals post!