As a school assignment, Sarah was supposed to write historical fiction as if she were a pioneer. She chose to write as if keeping a daily diary. I found it entertaining.
Day 1: Ammon and Nathan went hunting for the first time today. They got a tick. Dad is pretty upset so he is off hunting for dinner.
Day 2: Last night, Beth would NOT go to sleep. So now I am soooo tired and I can barely walk.
Day 3: We are in Missouri now. Today we saw a guy and Dad asked the guy which way to California. The guy said to take the Death Trail and Dad said, "NO WAY!" That's the last time we ask for help in Missouri.
Day 4: Oh, by the way, we are going from New York to California. Today is the 4th of July and Mom made a great dinner. She also made me and the other kids t-shirts with the U.S.A. flag on it except it had 14 stripes. What's up with that?
Day 5: I think we travel faster than other people because we are in Utah now and it's only been 5 days.
Day 6: We decided to stay in Utah for awhile and rest.
Day 7: We are in California now and I have to admit, I like it here!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Thanksgiving isn't just a day
I think Thanksgiving is a very holy holiday as we pause to give thanks to God for what He has given us. It's very personal and also a great way to unite as families, communities, and a nation. This year has been a tough one for us. However as we reflect on what has happened, we are overwhelmed with our blessings. We are so thankful. I'm going to tell you about just a few of our blessings.
President Spencer W. Kimball (late president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) said, "God does watch over us and does notice us, but it usually through someone else that he meets our needs."
We have seen God's hand through many, many people this year. I will summarize. Chris was laid off from his job last March. Because he is a school teacher, he wouldn't be able to start any job until September. That's when school starts. We did what we could during those months to take care of ourselves, including selling almost anything we own of value. When we left Utah, we thought we had a place to live lined up in Yonkers. For whatever reason, that deal fell apart as we drove across the country. We got to New York with no home and had to put all of our things in a storage unit. It took us about six weeks to find a place to live. We have needed, and received, so much help this year. I don't think I can list all of the people who helped us. Like I said before, I will summarize.
**My parents, who provided us a place to live. We moved in with Mom and Dad intending to stay for a few weeks. It turned into over three years. Our financial struggles aren't new to this year. They're just worse this year. My parents have provided a loving home where we felt at home. We are so grateful.
**As we looked at different options for getting to New York, I immediately decided that we should see my brothers along the way. We planned our trip, making it a little longer than necessary, and I asked several people if we could stay with them. I am grateful to my brothers and their families, my cousin, my good friends in Nebraska, and Chris' brother--all of whom let us stay a night with them and eat their food. This saved us so much money in our move. But more importantly, it allowed us to turn the very emotional goodbye into an exciting time to see family and friends as if on vacation. We had a great trip across the country.
**Because I wanted to see my brothers, I didn't want to haul a U-haul with us. That would have been too much for Chris and me to do. Other families do it, but it just wasn't right for us. We couldn't afford any of the moving options. One day, out the blue, a neighbor approached Chris at church and said, "You can load up my truck and drive it to New York." My jaw was on the floor when I found out. Another friend said, "I have some vacation time. I'll drive the truck for you." And another friend offered to do the same. We told some neighbors about this kindness, and they offered us a trailer. We ended up packing in borrowed truck and trailer. We turned it all over to our friends who met us in New York. I am so grateful to these very Christlike people who offered this incredible service to us.
**There have been other members of our church who have gone out of their way to help us. There were offers of help in packing, babysitting kids, and loading the truck before we left. Once we got to New York, we moved into a motel. We went to church the following Sunday. We met a family who invited us to dinner that night. During dinner, we discussed our situation. They had moved across the country several times and had found themselves in similar situations. They invited us to save money on the motel by coming to stay with them until we found a home. We were a little reluctant--we have a big family and we were practically strangers. But, we had no money left and so we decided to take them up on it. Staying with this amazing family helped to ease the pain of my initial homesickness and loneliness for my sisters. It helped my children to have instant friends. After we had stayed there for about a week and a half, we went to stay with some other members of our church. They were equally welcoming to us, making us a part of their family. After a week and a half, another couple in the area offered to let us stay with them. I am still overwhelmed by the kindness and charity of these good people. When we finally found a home, we rented a U-haul and about five members of our church from the Yonkers area helped load it and drove an hour north to our new home. Here at this home, we had five or six complete strangers--whom we had contacted through the church--meet us to unpack. A neighbor sent over some food. Another member of our church offered to take our kids for the afternoon so that they wouldn't be bored as we unpacked. Since we moved in, we have had phone calls from people in our new ward--just checking up on us. We've had several invitations to dinner. We have been enormously blessed by the goodness of individual people. The only thing we have in common with some of these people is membership in the same church and faith in following Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for their exemplary lives of service.
**I will summarize: Chris is getting paid much, much less than we expected. This isn't so much naivety on our part as is it complicated bureaucracy on New York's part. We think his salary will kick in at some point. Anyway, we have had need of financial help. We've received help from our parents and a brother. We would not be surviving without this help.
**And how about the New Yorkers who aren't members of our church? We've heard all our lives about how rude people are in NYC, right? Let me paint you a picture. We had just arrived in New York. We went to get some pizza at a small, family restaurant. We asked our server if she knew of any places to rent in the neighborhood. Within a few minutes, the owner was out front, leaning against the counter, with a ball of pizza dough in his hand, talking to us in his thick Italian accent. "I got a brother who can help you." That's, to me, the picture I see of New Yorkers. It seems like everybody knows somebody who can help us. The guy at the storage unit knew someone who was renting a house. Every time we stopped by our storage unit, he'd come out of the office to check on us and our situation. The lifeguard at the motel had lots of leads and was very concerned to help us find a place. People are so friendly and everyone is willing to help in whatever way they can. We have taken the train and subway as a family. Initially, we had trouble reading the schedules. People overheard us trying to figure things out and they'd pop in with advice. Helpful advice. You should have seen the whole crowd try to help us figure out what to do when we realized we were on the wrong train . . . I'm grateful for the kindness of strangers.
**When I was just graduating from college and for many years after we got married, I always, always wanted to live far away from my home. I thought it would be a good experience. And then, I thought, I'd move back. But then I got the opportunity. I guess this is what it took for me to realize what an amazing life I had built with our extended family. Chris and I made a decision early in our marriage that we would never miss important events. We make the trip to California for family events. And we go to every family event in Utah. In our church, we often talk about eternal families and eternal relationships. Those relationships start here. When we build a relationship on earth, we have the beginnings of eternity. I feel like one of the main purposes of this life is to build and maintain relationships that will continue in heaven. Many of the principles of the gospel and attributes of disciples are built around relationships: fellowship, compassion, charity, forgiveness, repentance, service, etc. I'm sorry. I think I got off the subject a little. My point is I am so grateful for my sisters. We have built an incredible support system together. My children are so very close to their cousins. While it's my sisters, their families, and my youngest brother I used to see most often, I am equally grateful for my other brothers and Chris' family. We're trying to maintain those relationships over this distance. It's not that easy.
**I have been very impressed, once again, with the organization of the Church. Our church has a brilliant system, an inspired system, to help the poor. Every month church members the world over fast (go without food and water) for two meals. We give the money we would have used on food to our local leaders. This money is used to help the poor. We have been, and continue to be, blessed by this organized service. I am grateful for it.
**I am most grateful for the power of prayer. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who hears and answers prayers. I am grateful for the people in my life who offer prayers in our behalf--to help us find a job, to help us find a house, to help us overcome homesickness, to help us pay our bills. I am also grateful for people who live their lives in ways that they can be the answers to our prayers. We have been the recipients of the great blessings sought by others in our behalf. Thank you.
This scripture passage has taken on a whole new meaning to me:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:35-40)
I hope to live my life like the lives of those who have blessed my family so much.
President Spencer W. Kimball (late president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) said, "God does watch over us and does notice us, but it usually through someone else that he meets our needs."
We have seen God's hand through many, many people this year. I will summarize. Chris was laid off from his job last March. Because he is a school teacher, he wouldn't be able to start any job until September. That's when school starts. We did what we could during those months to take care of ourselves, including selling almost anything we own of value. When we left Utah, we thought we had a place to live lined up in Yonkers. For whatever reason, that deal fell apart as we drove across the country. We got to New York with no home and had to put all of our things in a storage unit. It took us about six weeks to find a place to live. We have needed, and received, so much help this year. I don't think I can list all of the people who helped us. Like I said before, I will summarize.
**My parents, who provided us a place to live. We moved in with Mom and Dad intending to stay for a few weeks. It turned into over three years. Our financial struggles aren't new to this year. They're just worse this year. My parents have provided a loving home where we felt at home. We are so grateful.
**As we looked at different options for getting to New York, I immediately decided that we should see my brothers along the way. We planned our trip, making it a little longer than necessary, and I asked several people if we could stay with them. I am grateful to my brothers and their families, my cousin, my good friends in Nebraska, and Chris' brother--all of whom let us stay a night with them and eat their food. This saved us so much money in our move. But more importantly, it allowed us to turn the very emotional goodbye into an exciting time to see family and friends as if on vacation. We had a great trip across the country.
**Because I wanted to see my brothers, I didn't want to haul a U-haul with us. That would have been too much for Chris and me to do. Other families do it, but it just wasn't right for us. We couldn't afford any of the moving options. One day, out the blue, a neighbor approached Chris at church and said, "You can load up my truck and drive it to New York." My jaw was on the floor when I found out. Another friend said, "I have some vacation time. I'll drive the truck for you." And another friend offered to do the same. We told some neighbors about this kindness, and they offered us a trailer. We ended up packing in borrowed truck and trailer. We turned it all over to our friends who met us in New York. I am so grateful to these very Christlike people who offered this incredible service to us.
**There have been other members of our church who have gone out of their way to help us. There were offers of help in packing, babysitting kids, and loading the truck before we left. Once we got to New York, we moved into a motel. We went to church the following Sunday. We met a family who invited us to dinner that night. During dinner, we discussed our situation. They had moved across the country several times and had found themselves in similar situations. They invited us to save money on the motel by coming to stay with them until we found a home. We were a little reluctant--we have a big family and we were practically strangers. But, we had no money left and so we decided to take them up on it. Staying with this amazing family helped to ease the pain of my initial homesickness and loneliness for my sisters. It helped my children to have instant friends. After we had stayed there for about a week and a half, we went to stay with some other members of our church. They were equally welcoming to us, making us a part of their family. After a week and a half, another couple in the area offered to let us stay with them. I am still overwhelmed by the kindness and charity of these good people. When we finally found a home, we rented a U-haul and about five members of our church from the Yonkers area helped load it and drove an hour north to our new home. Here at this home, we had five or six complete strangers--whom we had contacted through the church--meet us to unpack. A neighbor sent over some food. Another member of our church offered to take our kids for the afternoon so that they wouldn't be bored as we unpacked. Since we moved in, we have had phone calls from people in our new ward--just checking up on us. We've had several invitations to dinner. We have been enormously blessed by the goodness of individual people. The only thing we have in common with some of these people is membership in the same church and faith in following Jesus Christ. We are so grateful for their exemplary lives of service.
**I will summarize: Chris is getting paid much, much less than we expected. This isn't so much naivety on our part as is it complicated bureaucracy on New York's part. We think his salary will kick in at some point. Anyway, we have had need of financial help. We've received help from our parents and a brother. We would not be surviving without this help.
**And how about the New Yorkers who aren't members of our church? We've heard all our lives about how rude people are in NYC, right? Let me paint you a picture. We had just arrived in New York. We went to get some pizza at a small, family restaurant. We asked our server if she knew of any places to rent in the neighborhood. Within a few minutes, the owner was out front, leaning against the counter, with a ball of pizza dough in his hand, talking to us in his thick Italian accent. "I got a brother who can help you." That's, to me, the picture I see of New Yorkers. It seems like everybody knows somebody who can help us. The guy at the storage unit knew someone who was renting a house. Every time we stopped by our storage unit, he'd come out of the office to check on us and our situation. The lifeguard at the motel had lots of leads and was very concerned to help us find a place. People are so friendly and everyone is willing to help in whatever way they can. We have taken the train and subway as a family. Initially, we had trouble reading the schedules. People overheard us trying to figure things out and they'd pop in with advice. Helpful advice. You should have seen the whole crowd try to help us figure out what to do when we realized we were on the wrong train . . . I'm grateful for the kindness of strangers.
**When I was just graduating from college and for many years after we got married, I always, always wanted to live far away from my home. I thought it would be a good experience. And then, I thought, I'd move back. But then I got the opportunity. I guess this is what it took for me to realize what an amazing life I had built with our extended family. Chris and I made a decision early in our marriage that we would never miss important events. We make the trip to California for family events. And we go to every family event in Utah. In our church, we often talk about eternal families and eternal relationships. Those relationships start here. When we build a relationship on earth, we have the beginnings of eternity. I feel like one of the main purposes of this life is to build and maintain relationships that will continue in heaven. Many of the principles of the gospel and attributes of disciples are built around relationships: fellowship, compassion, charity, forgiveness, repentance, service, etc. I'm sorry. I think I got off the subject a little. My point is I am so grateful for my sisters. We have built an incredible support system together. My children are so very close to their cousins. While it's my sisters, their families, and my youngest brother I used to see most often, I am equally grateful for my other brothers and Chris' family. We're trying to maintain those relationships over this distance. It's not that easy.
**I have been very impressed, once again, with the organization of the Church. Our church has a brilliant system, an inspired system, to help the poor. Every month church members the world over fast (go without food and water) for two meals. We give the money we would have used on food to our local leaders. This money is used to help the poor. We have been, and continue to be, blessed by this organized service. I am grateful for it.
**I am most grateful for the power of prayer. I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who hears and answers prayers. I am grateful for the people in my life who offer prayers in our behalf--to help us find a job, to help us find a house, to help us overcome homesickness, to help us pay our bills. I am also grateful for people who live their lives in ways that they can be the answers to our prayers. We have been the recipients of the great blessings sought by others in our behalf. Thank you.
This scripture passage has taken on a whole new meaning to me:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (Matthew 25:35-40)
I hope to live my life like the lives of those who have blessed my family so much.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving
The past couple years, I have written daily Thanksgiving posts during the month of November. At other times in my life, I have kept gratitude journals--sometimes in November, sometimes (shockingly!) at various times of the year. I love doing these things. I wanted to do daily Thanksgiving posts again this year. It's incredibly beneficial to me and my state of mind going into the holiday season. However, it didn't get done. Lots isn't getting done in my life. Today, I sat with the kids and made Grateful Lists. My idea was that Beth would come up with six things, since she is 6-years-old; Nathan would have a list of eight things, since he is 8; etc. I think you get the idea. That worked for Nathan and Beth. Sarah and Ammon saw what I was doing--an ABC list--and chose to do it that way. Here are our lists:
Beth:
1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Family
4. Sky
5. God
6. Jesus
Nathan:
1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Me
4. T.V.
5. Beth
6. Sarah
7. Ammon
8. My home
Sarah:
Ammon
Beth
Christ
Dad
Eden
Family
God
Hopping
Ice Cream
Jam
Kelani
Love
Mom
Nathan
Orange
Phones
Quimbys (She's enjoying Beverly Cleary right now.)
Rain
Sarah
Time
Umbrellas
Vacations
Woods
X-rays
Yo-yos
Zoos
Ammon:
America
Beauty
Cats
Dad
Elisabeth
Forest
Good food
Health
Ice cream
Jell-o
Kit Kats
Love
Mom
Nathan
October
Priesthood
Quillows
Rocky Road
Sarah
Trees
Umbrellas
Vacations
Water
X-ray
Yummy food
Zoology
Me, Megan:
Ammon (who has a quiet desire to be the best he can possibly be.)
Bible (and other revealed scripture, a peaceful guide to living.)
Chris (I'm grateful for him more and more every day.)
Democracy (Even after a bitter and emotionally painful year when I became exhausted with the election cycle, I am deeply grateful for democracy.)
Elisabeth (who has a gentle nature.)
Family (both immediate and extended. I love every single one.)
God (Who is aware of me and loves me.)
Home (We were without a home for a while this year and the Lord blessed us with a home that is better than we could have imagined. I walk around in it filled with gratitude to be here.)
Illustrations (I love art in general, but I have a special love for children's picture books filled with beautiful illustrations.)
Jesus Christ (my Lord and Savior. I depend on His mercy daily.)
Knowledge (I'm very grateful for my own education and the process of educating my children.)
Love (I am in awe at the love we have been shown the last several months.)
Mountains (I love the beauty of the earth!)
Nathan (who makes me laugh and always looks out for others.)
Oceans (Again--I love the beauty of the earth!)
Parents (I have the very best ones. I'm also grateful for my in-laws.)
Quiet time (Awww . . . . )
Reading (a favorite past time both alone and with the children.)
Sarah (who is creative, giving, and always has a party up her sleeve.)
Trees (Our new home--New York--is breathtaking.)
United States (I believe in America. I believe in the goodness of America.)
Volcanoes (I love the various exciting things found on the earth!)
Water (Oh, I love clean drinking water. I'm so grateful to live where we have easy access to it.)
Xylophone (a bit lame, but you think of something that starts with X! I am grateful for music, in its many forms.)
Yesterday (My yesterdays have shaped who I am. I treasure my memories.)
Zoos (I love animals. I love to see animals. But I don't like to touch animals. Therefore, I love zoos.)
Beth:
1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Family
4. Sky
5. God
6. Jesus
Nathan:
1. Mom
2. Dad
3. Me
4. T.V.
5. Beth
6. Sarah
7. Ammon
8. My home
Sarah:
Ammon
Beth
Christ
Dad
Eden
Family
God
Hopping
Ice Cream
Jam
Kelani
Love
Mom
Nathan
Orange
Phones
Quimbys (She's enjoying Beverly Cleary right now.)
Rain
Sarah
Time
Umbrellas
Vacations
Woods
X-rays
Yo-yos
Zoos
Ammon:
America
Beauty
Cats
Dad
Elisabeth
Forest
Good food
Health
Ice cream
Jell-o
Kit Kats
Love
Mom
Nathan
October
Priesthood
Quillows
Rocky Road
Sarah
Trees
Umbrellas
Vacations
Water
X-ray
Yummy food
Zoology
Me, Megan:
Ammon (who has a quiet desire to be the best he can possibly be.)
Bible (and other revealed scripture, a peaceful guide to living.)
Chris (I'm grateful for him more and more every day.)
Democracy (Even after a bitter and emotionally painful year when I became exhausted with the election cycle, I am deeply grateful for democracy.)
Elisabeth (who has a gentle nature.)
Family (both immediate and extended. I love every single one.)
God (Who is aware of me and loves me.)
Home (We were without a home for a while this year and the Lord blessed us with a home that is better than we could have imagined. I walk around in it filled with gratitude to be here.)
Illustrations (I love art in general, but I have a special love for children's picture books filled with beautiful illustrations.)
Jesus Christ (my Lord and Savior. I depend on His mercy daily.)
Knowledge (I'm very grateful for my own education and the process of educating my children.)
Love (I am in awe at the love we have been shown the last several months.)
Mountains (I love the beauty of the earth!)
Nathan (who makes me laugh and always looks out for others.)
Oceans (Again--I love the beauty of the earth!)
Parents (I have the very best ones. I'm also grateful for my in-laws.)
Quiet time (Awww . . . . )
Reading (a favorite past time both alone and with the children.)
Sarah (who is creative, giving, and always has a party up her sleeve.)
Trees (Our new home--New York--is breathtaking.)
United States (I believe in America. I believe in the goodness of America.)
Volcanoes (I love the various exciting things found on the earth!)
Water (Oh, I love clean drinking water. I'm so grateful to live where we have easy access to it.)
Xylophone (a bit lame, but you think of something that starts with X! I am grateful for music, in its many forms.)
Yesterday (My yesterdays have shaped who I am. I treasure my memories.)
Zoos (I love animals. I love to see animals. But I don't like to touch animals. Therefore, I love zoos.)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Familiarity...
New York is an interesting place. It's interesting because it's different than the west. I can travel to many cities in many states out west and find familiar restaurants and shops. When we first got here, everything was unfamiliar. Of course the east coast has different restaurants and grocery store chains. That's fine. We introduced ourselves to new places to buy food and carried on with life.
After a couple weeks, we were pretty homesick. Painfully homesick. One Monday night, I googled "Village Inn." I'm not a big fan of the restaurant, but I knew I had seen one somewhere. And it's familiar. I knew every one of the children could find something they like to eat there. Who doesn't like pancakes? Besides Chris, I mean. He's not a big fan. Unless the pancakes are laced with chocolate chips. We carefully followed our GPS to the Village Inn . . . and guess what?! It was part of a shopping center! There were other stores around! Familiar ones. Ones we have in the west.
Now in my heart of hearts, I always have thought I'm the sort of person who values small, local business above the big box store. In city planning (my major), we criticize the "Anytown, USA." That's a reference to a city that has nothing distinct or personalized about that city. Even small towns need a distinct identity. As an example, I refuse to shop at WalMart. Absolutely refuse. There. That's because I oppose the whole idea of all of this.
But then I saw a familiar spread of restaurants and stores and I felt myself relax. After we ate a (not-so-tasty) familiar dinner at Village Inn--or was it Denny's? I don't remember--we walked next door to Barnes and Noble. I love Barnes and Noble. Love it. Even though it's a national chain that is probably responsible for many Shops Around the Corner going out of business.
For reasons I have not yet explained in the blog, we did not have any books with us. All of our belongings were in storage. So, even though we were almost broke, I bought each of the children a new book. I don't really have the right words to explain how this changed our attitudes and emotions. Each of the children spent the next couple days reading. Even Nathan, who doesn't exactly enjoy reading, couldn't wait for me to sit with him and read. He had that book read before I knew what had happened.
Books. Even more so than having a familiar store to buy them in, having books to read is what started to make New York our home. We love books.
After a couple weeks, we were pretty homesick. Painfully homesick. One Monday night, I googled "Village Inn." I'm not a big fan of the restaurant, but I knew I had seen one somewhere. And it's familiar. I knew every one of the children could find something they like to eat there. Who doesn't like pancakes? Besides Chris, I mean. He's not a big fan. Unless the pancakes are laced with chocolate chips. We carefully followed our GPS to the Village Inn . . . and guess what?! It was part of a shopping center! There were other stores around! Familiar ones. Ones we have in the west.
Now in my heart of hearts, I always have thought I'm the sort of person who values small, local business above the big box store. In city planning (my major), we criticize the "Anytown, USA." That's a reference to a city that has nothing distinct or personalized about that city. Even small towns need a distinct identity. As an example, I refuse to shop at WalMart. Absolutely refuse. There. That's because I oppose the whole idea of all of this.
But then I saw a familiar spread of restaurants and stores and I felt myself relax. After we ate a (not-so-tasty) familiar dinner at Village Inn--or was it Denny's? I don't remember--we walked next door to Barnes and Noble. I love Barnes and Noble. Love it. Even though it's a national chain that is probably responsible for many Shops Around the Corner going out of business.
For reasons I have not yet explained in the blog, we did not have any books with us. All of our belongings were in storage. So, even though we were almost broke, I bought each of the children a new book. I don't really have the right words to explain how this changed our attitudes and emotions. Each of the children spent the next couple days reading. Even Nathan, who doesn't exactly enjoy reading, couldn't wait for me to sit with him and read. He had that book read before I knew what had happened.
Books. Even more so than having a familiar store to buy them in, having books to read is what started to make New York our home. We love books.
Monday, November 12, 2012
A Firm Foundation
Welcome back to blogging, me.
A few months ago, we moved across the country. We got here, to New York, without a place to live. The home we expected to rent fell through as we drove across the country. Well, the home didn't fall anywhere. It was the rental agreement that didn't work out. We started our New York life in a hotel. That first Sunday, we attended church at the Yonkers branch where we expected that we'd be attending permanently. It was with a heavy heart I sat in church that day. It was painful to leave my home, my sisters, my nieces and nephews, my parents, and my brother. We felt like we had established roots as a family--and especially with our extended family--in Utah. We enjoyed our life there and weren't looking for a significant change. I did my best to make the journey across the country a fun vacation for our family, but the vacation was over. We had no home. And we were alone.
The Yonkers branch meets in a chapel that is in the industrial section of town. It doesn't have a separate church building; there are many businesses sharing the space. In the corner of this fairly unattractive parking lot, there is a sign that says "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Visitors Welcome." There aren't many members of the church that attend that little branch. That's okay.
I sat there with my family in unfamiliar, yet completely familiar, circumstances. Church is the same everywhere. We sang hymns, heard speakers, partook of the sacrament, and prayed together. One of the hymns we sang was "How Firm a Foundation" by Robert Keen. These are some of the lyrics:
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior,
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
A few months ago, we moved across the country. We got here, to New York, without a place to live. The home we expected to rent fell through as we drove across the country. Well, the home didn't fall anywhere. It was the rental agreement that didn't work out. We started our New York life in a hotel. That first Sunday, we attended church at the Yonkers branch where we expected that we'd be attending permanently. It was with a heavy heart I sat in church that day. It was painful to leave my home, my sisters, my nieces and nephews, my parents, and my brother. We felt like we had established roots as a family--and especially with our extended family--in Utah. We enjoyed our life there and weren't looking for a significant change. I did my best to make the journey across the country a fun vacation for our family, but the vacation was over. We had no home. And we were alone.
The Yonkers branch meets in a chapel that is in the industrial section of town. It doesn't have a separate church building; there are many businesses sharing the space. In the corner of this fairly unattractive parking lot, there is a sign that says "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Visitors Welcome." There aren't many members of the church that attend that little branch. That's okay.
I sat there with my family in unfamiliar, yet completely familiar, circumstances. Church is the same everywhere. We sang hymns, heard speakers, partook of the sacrament, and prayed together. One of the hymns we sang was "How Firm a Foundation" by Robert Keen. These are some of the lyrics:
How firm a foundation, ye Saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word!
What more can he say than to you he hath said,
Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior,
Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
In ev’ry condition—in sickness, in health,
In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—
As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.
In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,
At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—
As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,
As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.
Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, upheld by my righteous,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
I was especially struck by the 2nd verse. "In ev'ry condition...in poverty's vale..at home or abroad...so thy succor shall be." These words so perfectly described us. We were in poverty's vale and also abroad--so far from home. And then came the promise: "Fear not, I am with thee...For I am thy God and will still give thee aid." There is so much power in these words.
I sat there during the hymn thinking about my month. I had been to church in Sacramento, California; West Jordan, Utah; Ames, Iowa; and now in Yonkers, New York--all within a few short weeks. In every place, I had found a home, a familiar place to be, in my church. This is part of what is meant by a firm foundation. The church and the church organization provide a foundation for us no matter where we are in the world. This little experience strengthened my faith in the Savior and His Church.
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