Happy Birthday to Mom

Sisters

I've wanted to share this story with Heidi, because I thought it was sweet, although in the middle of all that's going on over there, you might want to put it away in a book and read it later. Here is this sweet story. Two little twin baby girls were born prematurely. One weighed 2 lbs 2oz, the other just barely 2 lbs. The doctor's decided to put them in seperate incubators so that if there was any infection, they wouldn't pass it to each other. The bigger sister was doing ok and growing a little, but the smaller sister was having a harder time. Not growing and getting weaker. It finally came to a crisis where the doctors couldn't do anymore medically. One doctor decided to try one last thing...he picked up the tiny sister out of her incubator and slipped her in with her big sister. The bigger baby immediately wrapped her arm around her sister. And the smaller baby snuggled up next to her big sister. Within hours she had stabalized. She started to gain weight and strength. The doctors felt that the love of the big sister strengthend the small baby so she could get well.. I know your babies didn't have these problems, but I am sure the bond is just as great..what a special blessing, because just think of how we feel about our sisters that are just regular sisters..Their loving arms are always there to help us through trials, sickness, joy, whatever..Your two little ones will have an even closer bond. Hope all is going well in the Ballou home..

Learning new things each day

As you can see I have changed the look of my blog..with Marty's help (who is master computer whiz and blogger) I have finally gotten to the point where you can see and leave your comments. I am now going to learn how to drag pictures from google to make my comments more fun to look at. I feel like a first grader, but it is always fun to learn something new. This week we had fun finding out about plurisy (I haven't checked to see how to spell it) I just know I have it. Another fun test! I think Heavenly Father wants me to be a Doctor. I am learning so much about the human body and mind. I just wanted to let all you more regular bloggers that I love to read them. They uplift me and I love seeing all the creative ways you describe your lives. What a blessing to be part of such a fun and creative group! I love you all.

My Flower Garden

I think I can do something other than plant flowers now. I have almost finished the last of the planting, adding a few new varieties to see how they will do. I lost some of my big vines that went over my arbor and I feel like I've lost one of my dear friends. Last year I experimented with Scarlett Bean that you grow from a seed. They grew really tall and had beautiful oranges flowers on them. So I have planted them everywhere this year. So if you come to visit you'll know my house cause it is the orange one. This is one of my favorite times of the year, to plant and then to watch things grow. To take care of them, to see which ones have troubles getting going...those you have to help a little more along til they burst into their full bloom. Some plants just take off and do fine without any encouragement except a little water. But they all need a little fertilizer now and then to keep them going. I have a vine that is crawling all over areas it shouldn't be climbing on. I am going to have to help that vine to grow over the fence instead of onto of the roses. Sometimes I go out into my upper garden and get hit in the face with climbing roses...they need to be cut back, just a little and then they will flourish. Maybe I like gardening so much, because I like to plant things, see them grow. Sometimes they surprise me by being a different color than I had expected, but that color is usually more beautiful than the one I picked out. Gardens are like raising children..you plant seeds, you care for them, you watch them grow, you help the ones that are having trouble, and take pleasure when that troubled flower gets going. The one difference with raising children and growing a garden is that next spring you get a new start and you can change the things you did wrong and start over again, hopefully a wiser, better gardner.

ONLY A MOTHER'S LOVE

I was asked to give a talk in church last fall on gratitude..I had the talk all written when I found a notebook that had been mom's. I had never looked at it, I opened it and started reading and got a wonderful surprise..It was a lot of her Relief Society lessons with thoughts and scriptural references. I read it all day and loved reading about her thoughts on testimony, love, kindness,unselfishness and so on. It was like being taught all over again by mom and realizing what a good example she was and still is to us all. I used quite a bit of her words in my talk and then thought a little more about how I have felt this year. This is a little of what I spoke about. "This has probably been one of the most awful years of my life..but I have to say that I have never been blessed as much as I have been this year..I have been keeping a journal of how I feel through this whole process. There have been many sacred experiences, and since you are all involved I want to share a few of these with you. We all have angels looking after us. They heal us, touch us, comfort us with invisible warm hands...I ask myself what will bring their help? And my answer is; asking and then giving thanks. In Hebrews, we read "be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unaware." There are so many people that have touched me during this last year it would take forever to name you all, but one experience I am taking from my journal, written just after a hospital stay last summer. Ever since my parents died, I've always wondered if I would get a feeling of their presence...I would look for it in the Temple and in reading their journals...but just never got the feeling that they were near. I found out differently. When I was in the hospital and feeling so sick, I was lucky, or was it God's design to assign me a nurse named Sarah? She was younger than me. She cared for me in such a sweet loving way for four of the longest days of my life. On about the third night I woke up and it hit me like a ton of bricks that my mom had been there all along...for years. I realized that Sarah's kindness and love was only the kind of love a mother could give. Totally selfless, calm, taking care of any needs and almost anticipating when I wouldn't feel good and take preventive measures. I told Sarah about finally feeling my mom's spirit though her, and then I realized that even though Sarah was a "stranger"...she was the one that brought that spirit with her. There is more to this story, but to keep it short, I will just say that she opened my eyes and I realized that mom's never leave their children, even when we are grown up. Mom had been there all along..and all of you were my angels, loving only as a mother would love her child. As I continued going over my journal I was reminded of all the many things you have done for me. One particular entry says: How many times have I knelt in a prayer of gratitude for friends and family that surround me? I believe that Heavenly Father works through us, we take care of each other. The love that ties us together is a rare thread...it doesn't break. All of you have given of yourselves over and over, just as all mothers do and certainly ours did. A quote in mom's notebook said "The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the roses." I wish I could send you all dozens of roses. We were blessed to have such a wonderful mom and I am glad that I have felt her presence through all of you sisters, daughters, neices, and friends. I wrote a poem for Mother's Day for our Ward a few years ago and I'll wrap this up with it.

MAMA HAD A DRESSER
FOR HER CHINA AND OLD LACE.
SHE STORED MEMORIES IN THOSE DRAWERS,
AND LOVE WAS IN THAT PLACE.

THE DISHES WITH PINK ROSES,
SPOKE OF SUNDAY AFTERNOONS...
I CAN SMELL HER HOMEMADE ROLLS,
AND HEAR THE CLINK OF SPOONS.

THE DINNERS THERE WERE MORE THAN MEALS,
THERE WERE STORIES OF THE PAST.
THE DISHES AND LACE WERE HER MAMA'S..
THEIR LEGACY WOULD LAST.

THAT OLD DRESSER WAS HANDED DOWN TO ME..
BUT THAT'S NOT ALL THE STORY TOLD.
IT'S THE STORED MEMORIES OF MY MOTHER,
FOREVER, IN MY HEART, I'LL HOLD.

Feeling Good!

This week has been one of the best weeks I've had in a long time.. I've felt so good that I've been working all through my house, so I haven't even turned on the computer. This morning I felt like I was missing my friends and family from my blogging world, so I thought I'd check in. No story to write now, unless you want to hear about my wash and my cupboards and my yard..I'll get back to blogging.. it's just that I hadn't cleaned anything in a long time and it actually felt good..Who would have thought that housework could be fun? (maybe I should change that to satisfying).

Holiday with Jim

Jim and I finally celebrated our birthdays in a new and wonderful way..on a vacation. The last couple of birthday's for Jim (on April 20th) have not been that much fun as he has spent them taking care of old sick wife..well for his birthday this year we packed my whole great big oxygen machine in the car and went all the way to St. George, Ut. It was quite an adventure to go past Provo and just keep on driving..we arrived there on Thursday and had about 2 hours in the sun (felt soooooo good), Then on Friday, Jim went and found some strangers to golf with, so he was happy, Saturday was sunny again and then we came home...sounds very tame and almost boring, but it was very nice to have a change of scene. I have to tell you all that I have found out that I am married to an almost, almost perfect person...(he does have 1 or 2 faults) but he has taken such good care of me these last few years (35 this Friday) he's had to work a little harder the last two..and has come through with flying colors...being patient and helpful and not complaining about having a sick wife. We kind of seemed old on this trip...because Jim really is loosing his hearing and my ears are just plugged from the tubes, so we had to talk really loud and keep repeating things to each other in the car..It seems comical if it wasn't so annoying that you actually do get some of these weird problems as you get older. I love reading all the blogs, because of the contrast, the different places everyone is in their lives...the just marrieds, the new moms, the little bit older moms and the gramas all living similar yet different experiences and we're all tied together and I love that we have the thread running in and around all of us.. It is like one of Abby's beautiful quilts that has many shapes and colors and yet when put together and quilted makes the most warm and wonderful place to wrap up in. I'm glad we have each other..

Why you Never Miss Church

In my neighborhood, we have had some really sad things happen..lots of young people get sick and we've had our share of youngish (50) is young people, die. Even though this is sad, it has also brought us together in such a way, that I feel that my neighbors are apart of my family..my family hears so much about them that they probably feel like that too.. To continue on with this story...about four years ago my friend Eileen's husband who was healthy and well and 60 just dropped dead one night...it was such a shock! Eileen of course was devestated and we all gathered around her to help her through this time. She has been fantastic...after the first year she really got going and has been a great example of getting up and going on with life. The next part of the story goes back to one of my first blogs..about a friend who brought me soup because I was sick..and remember, she had cancer, but was still out doing things for others. Her husband Terry, is a very funny guy, he adored his wife and when she died about a year and a half ago, we all thought Terry would just go down hill. (I personally think Claudia, his wife, made him sign in blood that he wouldn't become a hermit, that he would keep going to church, go to the temple and generally do things that he wouldn't do unless she was there.) He has pulled himself up beautifully...keeping his cute sense of humor, EVEN GOING TO WEDDING RECEPTIONS BY HIMSELF. Getting out...he kept on going...Until recently Jim was SS President and Terry was his assistant and the most important part of their job was racing from the library to see who could get to the bell first..Terry always won, because he practiced more. Anyway..I was told that in Priesthood last Sunday the men heard all this screaming and laughing and yelling coming from the Relief Society room...somebody said "well those women are having way more fun than we are"..at that point Terry snuck out to ring the bell for Sunday School and it was announced that Terry and Eileen were Engaged!!!!! Big Diamond and everything. They had been going out for several months and didn't tell anyone in case things didn't work out. Eileen said, that sometimes when Terry came to get her she ducked in the bottom of the car, so no one would see her. They wanted to keep it a secret, until they knew things would work out. They pulled a fast one on a neighborhood that prides itself on knowing things before they happen..we even know who's going to be the next Bishop before the Stake President does! The interesting thing about these two families is that they have all been friends for 30 years...their kids played together..the husbands were friends, Claudia and Eileen were friends...I learned that good things come after hard things happen and that YOU NEVER MISS CHURCH!

Jo's Birthday

I always loved April 10th...when I was little it was because it meant only 1 more week til my birthday..but as I have gotten older it is just because it is fun to celebrate the month of April and coming of spring with Jolyn. I've shared lots of things with Jo.. a bedroom, a double bed, a bathroom, a mom and dad, sisters and brother,gramas and grampas, aunts and uncles, a love of reading, fun memories growing up on Melodie Ann Way, friends..just lots of happy times. We have also shared each others kids and that has been especially wonderful, because she has taken such good care of mine. It is great to have a little sister who has now joined the "50" club. You are no longer the baby...you are a true real sister with all the rights and responsibilities of 50 year old people. I have no idea what those rights and responsibilities are, but we can make them up as we go. I hope you are having a wonderful, sunny, massaggy, laying around kind of day today over there in Hawaii..take care of yourself and have lots of fun..there will be all sorts of presents and treats waiting for you when you get home! So even more to look forward too! Thanks for sharing your life with me..you are the best and I love you..Happy Birthday to you...love, Polly

Sick Sick Sick!!!!Yuk Yuk Yuk!!!!

I have gotten behind in my blogging due to illness..what else? Last week it was tubes in my ears..I never got them as a child and have always felt so left out, so I decided to go for it. (Kind of like the older women that get braces) I felt this would help my ears look better and I would be able to hear well into my nineties, but I have been totally wronged...Nothing good happened to the looks of my ears and now I can't hear at all! I should have gone for a face lift or boob lift or something..I don't know why I chose ears!!! The next fun thing was the flu..when I get sick it doesn't just go away after 24 hours...so after a couple of days of throwing up all my medicine, off Jim and I went to our favorite holiday retreat...The emergency room!!! It was a beautiful Saturday morning...I remembered that just a year ago on Easter we were there with our friends at Alta View celebrating, so we just had to go again. Jim informed our doctor (Dr. Patrick Sweeney) we know them all by first name basis, that we had one hour, because he (Jim) wanted to go play golf. Patrick (Dr.Sweeney) was very obliging,every few minutes he'd check his clock to see how much time he had left. I got two of those bags of fluid, which in the past have taken a couple of hours, and yet somehow, magically they went through in about 15 minutes..throw in some anti nausea, morphine and we were one our way..Jim got 18 holes in and got to watch the last part of the masters Saturday...so I would say that if I have gotten anything down...it's the hospital thing...it doesn't hurt to write them nice letters...they actually know my name now, and because the disease is so rare, they are all very interested in the case.. so those are my tips on hospital visits...letters and rare diseases, knowing all the nurses and doctors names, stating your mission...(the fact that you only have one hour to get better and get out of there) and then smile and wave as you leave. The admitting lady is named Linda and you can only see her face through a hole, but Jim stuck his head in the hole to tell Linda See ya!!! She brings us the best cookies in the whole world!! Anyway...I hope I will have more time to blog you all and read up...there is one thing that might help us...not quite as amusing as my fun,and something that I would rather you all didn't repeat...that's why I am blogging it to the world...but Nick is having some problems and having to take a month off of work to get some medicine working...It is very hard to watch, and I would appreciate all of you wonderful sisters, neices, friends and loved ones to say a little prayer that we can figure this out and get him up and going like he wants to be. thanks, I love you all...