Welcome Spring!

What a beautiful few days. 

Could it possibly be that spring is on its way? 

 The little boys and I are certainly grateful for a few days out in the sunshine. 

 While Jake is in school, Sam takes his bike out for a spin. 

 Safety first! 

 He always wears his helmet and rings his little bell as he cruises around the neighborhood.

When Jake got home we played some more. 

Swinging, climbing, jumping, sliding! 

What a great day..lots of smiles.

  After, a little down time with Ipads and pumpkin bread for a snack. 

What a lovely day!

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.

"Have I done any Good in the World today?

I found something out yesterday that was rather disappointing. 

 For years I thought I was my Aunt Ginny's favorite niece. 

 I thought I had a special bond with her that no one else had.

I went to her funeral yesterday and spent the day with many cousins and friends of my Aunt Ginny's, and I find out that they were also her favorite..

and that many had that special place in her heart. 

( Even though secretly I know that it was me that was her favorite, I will let the others go on believing that they were.) 

 

Aunt Ginny was special, because of the very thing I'm talking about. 

 She made everyone feel special. 

never seemed like she was in a hurry when she was talking to you

She was interested in what was going on in your life. 

It was because she truly loved those that she came in contact with and made the time to make them feel of her love. 

 Aunt Ginny taught me this valuable lesson. 

She always had time for me..as well as the many others demanding her attention. 

 

She taught me that people were more important than things and she constantly gave of herself.

 

 

She taught me that being cheerful and happy, regardless of our circumstances is a choice.

 

 

She taught me to remind myself to think of others, to go out each day and find some way to improve somebody else's life, rather than thinking about my own.

 

She really made me think. 

I want those I love to know that they are my favorites. 

 I want to make sure that I take the time to cherish family and friends. 

 

 

It's a good question. 

 

It's never too late to set goals, to improve to strive to be better.

I'm grateful for a wonderful family who are examples to me.

Each one helps me want to live a better 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

To my daughter, Abby

It's my daughter, Abby's birthday today. 

Can't believe this little girl has grown up so fast

Seems like yesterday that I was taking her to pre school, dance lessons, just watching her play. 

Now I watch her little ones.  

 She is an unbelieveable woman....

holding a full time job, while maintaining a quilting business during her off hours. 

 She takes care of everybody else. 

 She is always the first person to host get togethers for family and friends.
She's a wonderful friend, daughter, sister, wife and mother.

  She is always taking dinners to those in need.

Whipping up a quilt to comfort a loved one. 

Just a little example of her beautiful work...

(Grama Bagley would be so proud...and amazed!

The thing I admire most about Abby is,

 that as busy as she is..as much as she has going, 

she puts her family first. 

She knows what is important. 

She truly does have it all, but it is through hard work, lots of love and service to others. 

 Happy Birthday Abby. 

I love you. 

 mom

"Courage does not Always Roar

I love this quote. 
It reminds me of some very courageous people I know who are going through difficulties. Through it all they continue to get up each day, have a positive attitude and think of others.
 One of these people is my neighbor Danna. 
She has cancer. 
Throughout her chemo and radiation she has continued to teach her fifth grade students each day.  When I visit her and ask how she is, she immediately turns the conversation around and wants to know how I am.
 She continues to serve others while she has been sick. 
She rarely feels sorry for herself.
 She is one of my heroes.
 Another is a little boy named Tyler Hallsey.
 He is battling a tumor in his brain.
 He is the son of  Cricker Hallsey who used tend our kids and hang out with our boys, James and Tyler.  This whole family is facing this trial with optimism and a fighting spirit. 
You can follow Tyler's journey on his facebook page. www.facebook.com#!/whateverittakestylerhallsey.

 I am also amazed by my niece Sarah.  She is going through the heartbreaking issues of infertility.
 As the years have gone by and as her sisters and the other nieces have had their babies, Sarah is always the first to offer to help with showers.  She steps forward with lovely gifts..she always thinks of others..even though her heart is breaking. 
She continues to look forward to the future with optimism and hope. 

These people give me hope.  They are an example of perserverance.  They are the quiet ones who face each day with courage.
 They show me, through their example to "try again tomorrow" to overcome difficulties and be a better person.

Reflections on Age

In a little over six weeks I will be turning 60. 

 I've decided it's time to let go of a few things that I don't think are going to happen. 

 I don't think I will ever be one of those lovely tall(??) skinny elegant women who age gracefully with long, beautifully greying hair. 

 I don't think I'll ever get my shelves relined,

 I don't know that I'll ever sit leisurely by a pool reading papers...

and I don't think my kitchen will ever look like the picture above. 

 It's time to accept myself as I am today. 

This young girl is gone. 

 Gone is the tiny figure, the smooth skin, the energy that a younger woman has.  

 

 Although this may seem somewhat depressing and a bit sad, it truly isn't. 

 For as I've aged I've been learning lessons. 

 I've been taught by the those I am closest to.

My friendships are more precious because we've known one another for so long and been through so much together. 

 Each relationship I have deepens as the years go by. 

 As I make mistakes I gain wisdom and hopefully strive to become a better person. 

 I feel that I am a much more compassionate person than that young girl was..she hadn't really been tested yet. 

 

 Growing older isn't so bad if you think about what has been gained (and if you don't look at old pictures). 

 Growing older is about  acceptance.  There's always room for improvement. life certainly isn't over yet..but it's good to learn to be happy with the way things are.. being content, appreciating the wisdom gained and all the lessons learned.  Enjoying simple things..taking time to be grateful for all the blessings I have been given.  Enjoying my beautiful grandchildren.  Having perspective.  Knowing what is important. 

"Seek not outside yourself, heaven is within."

 

~Mary Lou Cook

Recap-Philly Vacation

A little run down on our visit to the kids back east.  We saw lots of sports.  Got there at just the right time to see the end of their basketball and soccer season. 

Got to be there for Hogan's 12th birthday! He got a phone, which he was thrilled about.  Parents calling to see if it works.  He's learning all the rules of being a responsible phone owner.

Watching the kids study.  Seeing Becky bake (gained another five pounds!)  Just hanging out.  The best part of being there with the gang.

 

Did manage to get away one day to visit the Reading Terminal Market in downtown Philly.  Loved wandering around.  Seeing all the fresh flowers, fresh baked good, fruit and veggies and the desserts!!

Best philly cheese steaks ever!

 

 

Oh and we got to drive all over Pennsylvania's winding roads with Taylor as he learns to drive.  Wouldn't want to be in his shoes.  No drivers training.  Just read the manual, then get in the car with both parents telling you what to do.  And the roads back there are crazy!  He'll be an amazing driver!

Plus, isn't he the best looking 16 year old you've ever seen?

 

It was a great eleven days. 

What a wonderful world

This past week has been amazing.  We have had so much fun being with the gang back here in PA.  They are such good kids.  Busy with all the activities that boys are involved with.  Basketball, soccer, getting ready for baseball.. school, church.  They have good friends.  It is nice to sit back and watch their comings and goings, to be apart of it all for a few short days.  

This past weekend has been really special.  As I sat in James and Becky's ward Relief Society and enjoyed the lesson given (i don't get to relief society often as i spend my time with the sunbeams back home) I was so touched.  The subject was "See Others as They May Become."  This beautifully given lesson taught how we should see past issues people might have and see their potential set the stage for events that would happen later in the evening.  

After church we went to a party for James' boss.  It was his birthday.  There were tons of people there, none that I knew, but I was immediately impressed by their friendliness, their close family ties and how quickly they made us feel apart of the group.  Immediately upon arrival we were met and greeted by our host and hostess and every other family member and made to feel so welcome.  I found myself sitting by our host's mother in law and an aunt.  These women were so kind and gracious.  The aunt and I talked almost the whole time we were at the party and I was amazed by how much we had in common.  We came from different backgrounds, religions, geographical locations, yet in just a short time a bond was created and I felt a true love for this woman.   

I have also been following the facebook page "Whatever it Takes"  telling the story of our friend Chricker Hallsey's son, Tyer who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor.  The courage that they have as they face this trial is amazing.  Watching the support of wonderful friends, family and total strangers is uplifting and makes we want to be a better person.  

So I have been uplifted these past few day.
 I am grateful we were able to be here.
Grateful for the experiences we have had while we were here,
 grateful for a renewed sense of goodness in the world.
 Grateful for friends who see my potential,
and in spite of myself... love me anyway.
 Because of their love,  because of the goodness of others,
I want to be better.
It truly is a wonderful world.

Hogan's Birthday and The Reading Terminal Market

We've had a fun day!  It's not very often we get to spend a birthday with one of these guys. 

 Hogan turns twelve today and it was fun to be here with him to celebrate.  

We've been able to watch him play basketball and soccer this last week, along with the others. 

 Hogan is thrilled as he got a phone for his birthday! 

Happy Birthday Hogan.

Jim and I went with Becky to the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.  

What a fun place with tons of fresh food everywhere. 

 Some of the best philly cheese steaks we've had.  

We are having a great time!