A Visit With Some Fine Ladies

When I need a bit of uplifting or feel a little tired, I sometimes feel the need to talk to my mother or one of my grandmothers.  

They were so comforting.  They also had a lot of wisdom.  

They lived through a lot, but somehow always managed to stay upbeat, kind, and loving. 

 What a great example the were to me. 

 Fortunately for me I have bits and pieces of them. 

 Not just my memories, but tangible things that remind me of them.  

Some of those things are fairly valuable, but the most priceless things are their handwriting.  

I feel their thoughts bring me closer to them than any "thing" they left behind. 

 Grandma Bagley's journal is full of inspiring stories of how she lived through the depression, the loss of her beloved oldest son, and then the war when she sent her two remaining sons.  

What strength she had.  Her testimony of the gospel is a constant in her life and something I will always respect and love her for, because of the way she lived her life. 

 Grandma Lundgren was just as strong and had such a cute sense of humor which is evident in her little notes stuck into books.  I love her remarks on life!!

 And of course there is my mom, who's love of her family, respect for her heritage and her testimony guided me gently throughout my life.  

I love to see her thoughts written down in her distinct handwriting.  

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me today!! 

Flag Day, Mom's Birthday and a Shout out to all the Fathers!!!

It's a beautiful June 14th.  Flag Day.. also my mother's birthday. 

Missing her and wishing her a Happy day. 

 I am so grateful for her loving ways.  She was thoughtful, unselfish and kind

Always putting others before herself.  What a great example for all of us.

She lived a full and happy life.

 I am so blessed to have her for my mom.

I am also blessed to have Jim as the father and grandfather to my children and grandkids. 

 I couldn't find anyone more dedicated or loving to his family. 

 He loves them and wants nothing more than to spend time with them. 

 He has and continues to work hard to serve us.  

He's also the most handsome grampa around!!!

I am amazed at the dads in our family.  

They are totally involved in the raising of their kids.  

are such great fathers.  So grateful for their commitment to their families. 

 They love them and are raising a bunch of great kids!

I was also blessed to have the world's best dad. 

He was so much fun. 

 He taught me so much about enjoying life, overcoming obstacles, and staying positive.

  I think of him everyday.  

Happy Father's Day to all these incredible men!!!

I Love being a Mom

I love being a Mom. 

 How could a mother be so blessed to be given the opportunity to have such great kids. 

 Having children can be a difficult, exhausting job, but it is also the most noble and grand adventure that a woman can ask for.

  I chose to have five children. 

 I have been blessed over and over again with the birth and life of each child.  

What I have done for them is nothing  compared to what they have given me.  

I always felt it was important to give my kids a feeling of security and warmth as they moved forward in their lives. 

 I had that growing up and I wanted them to have that same sort of childhood.  

My thoughts wander to summer time.  

(The best time to make memories)  

We spent many longs days at the racquet club.  Oh, those lazy fun days when we'd pack up a lunch and a few snacks and be gone for hours.  

Swimming, getting their little bodies warm by laying on the hot cement, that creamy frozen yogart. 

 Packing up to go home just in time for little league or a game of kick the can.  

I've never done anything that noteworthy, I've never been in the limelight.  

But I have rocked and sung to my children. 

 I have taken them swimming, played with them and watched them grow in to adulthood, 

cheered and encouraged them.

  I have loved them.  

I have been a mom. 

 I would rather sing and tell stories to my kids and grandkids than to any audience in the world. 

 When I feel my little grandson's arms wrap around my neck, 

when they cuddle in my lap and entertwine their little fingers in mine and say "hold me grama polly", I think my decision all those years ago.

 That of being a mother.

 It  may have been the hardest, most exhausting, most heartbreaking, ..most rewarding experience. 

 I chose wisely.

Lessons From My Mother

I've been thinking a lot about my mom this week. 

 I had a decision to make and really wanted to talk to her. 

 I would have loved to hear her voice telling me what she thought I should do. 

 As I thought about her I imagined what she would say to me.  

Her most important priority was her family.  I think my mom had a bit of an adventurous streak in her.  

She was the one who killed the spiders, caught the mice, birthed the puppies,

rode on the rides at lagoon and disneyland. 

As the picture above shows she got up on that camel. 

 I'm sure dad was watching, as he did as she took care of the spiders, mice and rode the rides. 

 But she chose to stay at home and take care of us. 

 She was the quiet one, standing back so dad could shine.  

Some people may call that old fashioned in this day and age. 

 I call it unselfish.  

She loved us so much. 

 She was graceful, kind and good. I have tried so hard to be like her and come up short, 

but using her as an example keeps me always striving to be better.  

Thank you mom for leaving little bits of yourself behind.  

Your handwritten letters, your kind acts, your traditions, your love of the gospel and your family.

  When I am troubled or trying to make hard decisions,

 all I have to do is think of you and your life and I usually get my answer.  

You've been gone for a long time..but because of the way you lived your life,

 you will always be with me.   

"A Bell is no Bell til you Ring it.."

 

 

I started decorating my house for Christmas this past weekend. 

 Boxes were brought up from the storage room.  Treasures were unpacked.

  Jim was given instructions and was so good to do his part. 

 He builds a wreath around the front door, puts the outdoor lights up and any heavy lifting needed. 

 

As I unpacked Christmas decorations and got to my collection of bells I found that they were badly tarnished. 

So I decided it would be a good idea to polish them up a bit. 

 As I rubbed the tarnish away, the dates engraved became clear. 

 

 My mom used to give us these beautiful silver bells for Christmas. 

 Each had our name and the date.  1977..1984..1986..and it goes on. 

I love those bells.  I love how they shine. 

 I love the memories they provide. 

 

Tonight I was reading, once again, my mom's lesson outlines from when she was a Relief Society Instructor. 

 I just happened upon the lesson that had a verse from a song from the

"Sound of Music."

It seemed fitting that I would find this particular lesson tonight.

"A bell is no bell til you ring it.

A song is no song til you sing it.

And love in your heart was not put there to stay,

Love isn't love til you give it away."

 

Thank you mom for the memories, the bells, and for always giving your love away.

Thanksgiving

From the time I was small, I always loved Thanksgiving.  We spent our holiday at my grandmother's or in our home, where the table was set with lovely china and the aroma of turkey came from the kitchen. 

I loved setting the table, I loved the gleam of the silverware. I loved being with the family, having everyone sit down together.  I loved that my grandmothers and my mother, strived to make things nice for their families.  I especially am grateful for the way these people lived their lives.  They were all hardworking, loving people.  They loved their families and they loved the gospel.  They set an example for those that would follow. 

When our kids were little, we split our time between Jim's family and mine.  Each was equally nice.  I learned from Maude how to make Yams (the right way).  We were all having kids at the same time, so where ever we went for Thanksgiving it was crazy, with lots of noise, but lots of fun as the cousins grew up together.  I am grateful for parents and in-laws who loved us so.  Nothing made them happier than gathering their families together, and as I get older I understand the joy they felt when they got to have everybody together. 

As our children got older, I have had Thanksgiving in our home, most of the time.  We've done different things a few years, yet I still enjoy making the meal, setting the table and gathering everyone together.   

 

We are grateful to be having Thanksgiving with Ty and Melanie this year.  Just have to show up with a few dishes and enjoy the day.  Loving the day as always, remembering those that are gone, and enjoying those who surround me.
Happy Thanksgiving..Where ever you may be.

A Sewing Project

My mother was a talented seamstress. 

 She sewed for herself and we three girls always had beautiful clothes created and sewed by our mother.

  She had a little sewing room right off our family room, so she could sit and sew,

 but still be a part of whatever was going on downstairs with the rest of us. 

I sewed a little bit when my kids where little,

 but haven't even had a sewing machine for years

Jim bought me a new sewing machine a few weeks ago,

so I thought it was time to start creating.

Last night my friend Marcie and her mom Kathy came over and helped me

cut out a dress and a skirt, using a dress I had and just measurements for the skirt. 

We started about 7:00 pm.  

 They left at about nine when the skirt was complete. 

 I stayed up til about eleven and finished the dress.

So this morning I have a new dress and the skirt goes to Abby. 

 I'm really excited to have completed this project so quickly.

  Nothing went wrong as I sewed these up. 

 I even put the sleeves in the dress with no problem! 

 Kathy showed me how to make the yoga band for the skirt.

  I really appreciate her help. 

Kathy is my age,

but it was a little bit like having my mom there helping me along my way. 

A Day with Dylan and Grama June

Yesterday, June 14th was Flag Day. 

 As I drove through the neighborhood with my grandson Dylan

he said..  "See all the Flags" 

Then he started singing "Happy Birthday to You."  I joined in. 

Then he said to me "clap for Dylan Grama."   which I did! 

I told him it was nice that he sang Happy Birthday, because it was his great grama's birthday. 

 So we sang again..this time we sang to Grama June. 

 When we got home, I held this dear little boy in my lap. 

 I told him how much Grama June would have loved him. 

 How she would have loved his beautiful brown eyes. 

 I told him how much she loved his daddy. 

Then he ran off  to hit the golf ball. 

 How she would have cherished this little boy as she would all the "darlings" that she sent down after she left us. 

Happy Birthday Mom.

  I miss you every day, but for some reason I missed you more yesterday. 

 Thank you for your unconditional love and for being such a great mom.
but mostly for being my friend.

Kerry's Baby Shower

Today we had a baby shower for my niece Kerry. 

What a beautiful day for a party! 

 It is always fun to get together with my sisters and their girls. 

Kerry, Austin and their baby boy were being honored.

  Can't believe the little girl that I used to take to kindergarten, read to and play with

is going to be a mother. 

As the family started to filter in I soon realized that there were probably more babies in attendance than adults. 

How much fun is it to see all these girls with their kids.

There were a few grown ups! 

What a great bunch!

I cleaned my house and they arrived with all the delicious food. 

 Whitney and Marta did a fabulous job with invites and clever theme ideas to make this day special for Kerry. 

Can't wait to see this new little addition to the clan!

Extraordinary Women

 I was reading in my book "Daughters in my Kingdom." 

The first paragraph in that book is the best as it talks about  examples of ordinary women who accomplish extraordinary things as they exercise their faith.  I have been blessed to be surrounded by such women. 

You don't hear about these women in magazines, newspapers, or movies.

  These are real women, who have amazing stories, who live life with courage and faith. 

 They overcome heartbreak and discouragement and come through stronger. 

They are beautiful because of the way they live and meet their challenges.

From Grama Bagley I may not have learned the art of quilting or stitching

 (that skipped generations to my daughters),

but I feel a kinship with her when I think about home, children and church.

Here is a quote from her journal,

 where she describes her feelings when she is about to lose her home.

 "I have become attached to this place. I love the flowers, trees, and shrubs we have struggled to raise from a veritable rock pile. As president of the mutual I have attended five sessions of the annual conference. I have mixed emotions. It was an inspiration to hear Elder Widtsoe say, 'I am as clay in the hands of a potter.' Now I know it is my duty to forget material things and respond to the call and do the will of my Father in Heaven.
It is my desire to do a small amount of good while I am young. If someone could say of me, 'she helped me over a rough spot or helped me catch the spirit of the gospel', I would feel my life had not been in vain. The loss of our home and my human weaknesses make me feel I should resign. Then I realize it is an opportunity and I would be cheating myself of growth in our church which means more than anything else."
Another entry in October of 1936 "
Many things and events have impressed me and helped my testimony to grow. Not long ago, our three sons all passed the sacrament together. It gave me a feeling I could not describe. I wish then that I could write a poem describing my inner most gratitude for 3 fine sons.
"Not long after this my grama and grampa lost their oldest son, Alan to a heart ailment, that he had struggled with for years. One night when Alan was very ill a young man in the ward, Lamont Gunderson,

 came over to give him a blessing.

He told them later that he was about to bless Alan that he would get better, but felt inspired to end with a plea for the Lord to take Alan, that his suffering would be brief.

Alan passed away very quietly that night while being held in his dad's arms.

 He was 18 years old.

 A year later grama wrote:

"Here it is a year since Alan left us. It is as fresh in my mind as if it were yesterday. Oh the heartache. Only a mother who has had a similar experience can know the feeling. The tears flow as freely because of the wound which is as deep as the day he left. It is not in my power to describe my emotions to lose one so fond of life. He brought so much joy into our home. Now it is like trying to go full speed on three wheels or some such impossible thing."

 

Grama had other problems to deal with in her life. 

 But she rose to the occasion.  She handled them with grace. 

 Always being there for her family.  Family was the most important thing to her.  She was a simple woman.  She learned early to serve others. 

 She was an ordinary woman who was extraordinary.

 

Another extraordinary woman is my sister, Jolyn.

 

She's the youngest in our family.  She became a widow at the age of forty one. 

She has four children. 

 At this young age she realized she had to reinvent herself. 

She has been an example of strength and generosity to the members of our family. 

Giving back to the Hospital that tried so hard to save her husband's life. 

 Always smiling.. I'm sure she get's down, but seldom does she show it to anyone. 

 As her children have grown and left home, she's had to start over again. 

She's stays busy by serving in the church,
 loving and playing with grandchildren and exploring the world. 

She is the most adventurous woman I know. 

Travelling the world..nothing slows her down. 

 She is a woman of a different time,
but much like our grandmother she rises to the occasion,
 through service, through her faith,
 she is extraordinary. 

 

As I write this post I can think of countless others and will probably post about them in weeks to come.
 These women keep me going.
They go about their lives without much fanfare.
 They just go out there and get things done,
 because they love their families..because they love the Lord, because they have faith,
 because they are righteous.

 

"In any and every age of the world when God has called or commanded man or a people to perform a certain work, they through determination and perserverance, and faith in him, have been enabled to accomplish it."

 

~Wilford Woodruff

Enjoy the Marvelous Journey-a lesson from my mom

These last few days, I've found myself feeling a little down

Life goes along and I feel extremely blessed, yet things do pile up. 

 I can usually deal, but I've got lots to do and then my back flares up and puts me down.

 (literally)

 So irritating..so as I was wallowing I just happened to open a book of my mom's. 

 It was her outline for Relief Society lessons. 

 I just happened to open it to a lesson written just for me

(was this by chance..or is mom watching over me?) 

 

Anyway, as I read through the lesson I could hear my mother as if she was talking to me.

The lesson was titled

 "Making Effective Use of Present Circumstances." 

Basically the lesson teaches us (me) to be happy in the present,

 to not look for something to happen down the road. 

 Mom tells how wise Merlin gave King Arthur good advice when the King was feeling low. 

"The best thing for being sad, said Merlin, is to learn something. 

That is the only thing that never fails." 

 

So I need to stop and ask myself,

 "what am I suppose to learn in my present circumstance?" 

 How can I improve myself and my life right now? 

 

She told of a young girl who was having trouble living in a far away land being newly married. 

 The young girl wanted to give up and come home. 

Her mother wrote her a short message -

"Two men look out from prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw the stars."

The girl realized from this brief message that she needed to change the way she was looking at things and she would be happy.

 

She includes these quotes.  "Oliver Wendell Holmes said:  Many people die with their music still in them.  Why is this so?  Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live.  Before they know it, time runs out.  Tagor expressed a similar thought in these words: I have spent my days stringing and unstringing my instrument, while the song I came to sing remains unsung."

 

President Kimball, "My plea therefore is this: Let us get our instruments tightly strung and our melodies sweetly sung.  Let us not die with our music still in us.  Let us rather use this precious mortal probation to move confidently and gloriously upward toward the eternal life."

She ends the lesson saying,

 "Our challenge then is to see life as a whole, to discover the wonders of the present and to enjoy the marvelous journey."

She certainly enjoyed every minute of her journey!

I'm grateful to my angel mother who is still teaching me how to live. 

She continues to watch over me, she continues to be an example to me..what a blessing she continues to be in my life.

Ginny Bierman-courage, joy and service

My grandmother and grandfather on my mom's side were Swedish.  They seemed like very simple people and they were, but to me they had fascinating stories.  They had seven children, only one of them was a boy.  So they had a houseful of beautful girls.  These girls grew to be beautiful women.  They all had many accomplishments, each unique, yet what a tight knit group they were. 

 In conversation with them as they grew older, they remembered how much they loved and supported one another.  How they shared clothes (and boyfriends.) 

How they grew up during the depression and lived through a world war. 

 

In the middle of all these women there was my Aunt Ginny. 

One of the most loving women I've ever known. 

 Service was her name. 

She past away this past week after a long and eventful life.

 She was kind, loving, thoughtful. 

She was a friend to me, especially after my mom died. 

 Always calling and checking up on me and my children. 

That was just her nature..making sure we were ok, because her little sister, Junie was not around to do the checking. 

 

I will miss her..I will miss her sweet face..her voice at the other end of the phone,

 her laugh, her thoughfulness. 

 She will always be an example to me when I get down,

for she lived a life of courage. 

She lived through sad times and kept going..

She smiled and chose to have joy in her life..

she chose to serve others instead of think of herself.

She was truly a virtuous woman.
 

(photo by a Bierman family member)

For Aunt Ginny
who truly lived these words
 

How can one measure friendship- The firm, warm clasp of a hand,

The comfort found in the welcome sound of the words, "I understand"?

 

How can one measure courage- The strength we find to fight,

To suffer life's anxieties, To stand up for the right?

 

How can one measure beauty, hope, Or happiness, or love?

What man-made measure can encompass faith in God above?

 

So much of life- the best of life- the things we truly treasure,

Are these, the gifts of boundless depth- beyond all earthly measure.

 

~Helen Lowrie Marshall

Christmas Memories

After this last week, I've been remembering Christmas's past.  About the second week of December my mother started decking the halls of our home.  Everything was beautiful, warm and welcoming.  My dad's day off was Thursday, and usually on the second Thursday of December I came down with some illness or another, knowing he would be home and usually spend part of the day shopping for my mother.   If I suddenly felt well enough he would take me with him.  I loved going shopping with him for mom. 

 He spoiled her so.

Classy outfits and coats were always on his list.  He loved to see her in red or orange.  I loved a particular store where there were models who were the size of the person being bought for.  They came out wearing this outfit or that, until the perfect one was decided upon.

Many years there was lovely jewelry or a luggage set. 

And always Estee Lauder. 

 Makeup and Fragrance gift baskets were also under the tree. 

When we girls were older we usually got a perfume or something special picked out especially for us by dad. 

With all these seemingly material gifts given, the thing I remember most is the love felt in our home.  My Mom and Dad loved each other and showed us, their children. They cared for us, loved us, made us feel secure and happy.  I am so blessed to have grown up in these circumstances and only hope to pass that great love on to my children and grandchildren.

Cousins Carnival

 

Last night was our first ever

Cousins Carnival!!

 

 

Hosted by my most talented, creative, hard working daughter, Abby - who would rather stay behind the scenes .  She's a full time mom and has a full time job, plus quilts for people on the side.  Then decides to throw a Carnival for her kids and their cousins!  She decorated her yard with lights, prizes and games for all the kids. 

 

 

The helpers  Marta and Whitney (and their helpers)
Together, these three girls could be event planners.

 

 

Can't have a carnival without the kids!  They came and had tons of fun.  Love getting this group and their moms together. 

 

 

Marty told the story of  "The Old Woman who Swallowed a Fly"  The kids loved it. 

 

They even had the Fly and the horse and the cow to feed to the old woman!

 

Thank you Abby for giving your home, your time, and most of all your love to our family.

...And she can drive a boat with her eyes closed!!!

It's my daughter in law, Becky's birthday.  What an amazing woman!  She runs faster than the wind! She's a baseball mom to four amazing boys, and her husband, she's the best camp cook...and she can also drive a boat with her eyes closed!!!  She balances work, church, kids, husband, house with a smile.  Always ready for anything. 

 

Plus...

She's beautiful. 

 Sure glad grama and grampa stopped by Cowboy Grub after golf all those years ago.

(with James)

 Love you Becky. 

A little bit of wisdom from June

Every once in awhile, I need a little visit with my mom.  I am fortunate enough to have an outline of lessons from when she was a teacher in Relief Society.  I love to read through it, see her handwriting and her thoughts on how she would present her lesson.  There are many quotes from different people scattered through this notebook.  But her thoughts and feelings are everywhere.  Of any of her possessions I have, her thoughts in her handwriting are my most valued.

 

 

 

Wren's Big Day

Little Wrenny Lou is getting ready for her big day.  She will be blessed tonight.  Her dress was given to her mother by Wren's great grandmother, June.  We've been waiting for someone to wear it.  But since it was Whitney who wore it last, it is only fitting that her daughter be the first to wear it again. 

"The wonder of a miracle from which this love began, there is so much in the touch of holding a granddaughter's hand."


Another day to be grateful for my many blessings.

To Mothers and Great Women through our history

I am still on a historical high from our trip.  As I go through my pictures I am reminded of the great women who have had an impact on my life and also on the history of this great nation. Way back in the beginning there were women of great courage.  Women who underwent great hardship and heartache, yet accomplished extraordinary things.  We know the ones in the history books.  Yet there were countless others who helped make this nation the great country it is today. 

I grew up on stories of World War II and am always amazed at the women of that time period.  They must have had incredible strength to have gone through the great depression only to send their husbands, sweethearts and sons off to war. 

War is awful for any soldier, yet those women who care for their men often go unoticed and unmentioned.  How heroic to watch, to care for, to love and sometimes fight as well.

I was particularly struck by this monument, having visited it last with my father.  There was a group of World War II vets there.  I visited with the lovely woman in the picture.  She was gracious, kind, and grateful that I would thank her for her service during that particular war.  What a sacrifice, and what a brave woman to go off to war when she was young.    

How grateful to have been taught by my mother and grandmothers to love and appreciate this great country.  I love them, the heritage they brought with them when they came to this country.  I love their values, their strength, their courage.  I am blessed to have been taught by valient and great women.  To these and many others I wish a Happy Mothers Day.

Women from the Book of Mormon

A number of years ago, these talented ladies wrote and performed a program about the women from the Book of Mormon.  They wrote the lyrics, music, came up with costumes and sets within approximately a two month period of time.  They truly felt as though they were inspired.  They performed this program all over Utah, at women's conference, in the Washington DC area and for the General authorities wives.  After about five years they stopped performing themselves and made the script available for wards and stakes so they could put the program on for their own areas.  It has now been performed all over the world.

For our ward Relief Society birthday party (and since we have an in) we got them to perform again.  My friend Pat, who is in the group, was in charge of the production.  With the help of the original cast, she added members of our own ward, making it a larger ensemble.  Our ladies were fabulous!  Our homemaking committee did a great job with scenery, giving us all a book of mormon feel.

These women (in the book of mormon) were made to feel real, having the same heartbreak, worries, and humor that we have today as we worry about our children in the number "What's a mother to do?"  or asking as the three nephies wives did, "they should have asked us first!" 
I am always amazed, yet shouldn't be surprised that small ward productions everywhere put on such first rate shows such as these. 

The ladies in our ward loved the show.  We had about ninety people there!  Refreshments were sweet breads, cheeses, olives and grapes, in keeping with the times, served in baskets.  What a lovely night we were given and a tribute to women whether living now or then.