Mission Accomplished!

Well, the surgery is over, and the patient survived!

The mother survived, also, but just barely. Honestly, the older I get the less I like surgeries, hospitals, and the like. Even office procedures put me on edge, especially when they are happening to my children. Guess I've been burned a few too many times myself, because I never used to be bothered by such things at all...other than disliking the boredom of waiting rooms.

Speaking of the boredom of waiting rooms, by the way, that's one thing that has improved immeasurably over the years. Sitting in an ergonomic chair, Kindle in hand, cell phone at the ready, and laptop nestled at my feet constitutes a big step up from the old days...when I generally occupied an unyielding plastic seat, carried extra quarters for the pay phone, held a battered library book in both hands, and used my foot to jiggle the unrockable infant seat positioned on the floor beside me. (Those new, curved kind are so mom-friendly!)

Three of many harrowing experiences I recall involved handing my 8-month-old baby to an OR nurse for double inguinal hernia surgery, rushing my 2-year-old to the ER because he was unconscious and seizing for no apparent reason, and finding out that my toddler had Kawasaki syndrome, a condition which can lead to deadly aneurysms. Only slightly less traumatic were the many midnight visits for babies in respiratory failure (severe asthma runs deep in our family)––to say nothing of the requisite broken bones, stitches, and lumbar taps. Ah, sweet memories. No wonder I'm burned out on doctors, procedures, and the like! (Did I mention that the seizing toddler contracted typhoid while being treated at Children's Hospital in LA?) They sent him home with a week-long, 105-degree temperature, largely because my pediatrician felt I was a "good enough" nurse to care for him myself. (At this point, being "experienced" in the care of sick children felt like a mixed blessing!)

All the same, and the above-listed litany of medical emergencies notwithstanding, I have to count myself very lucky. Each of my children has become a healthy...even reasonably happy...adult, and it would be ungrateful to complain when they and I have been so richly blessed.

In fact, I probably ought to delete this entire post and start over, but I don't think I will. After all, weren't we just talking about smoothing like an ocean stone?

(I guess we can put me down as still workin' on that!)

=)

Smoothing Like an Ocean Stone (Chris O'Brien)

I've gotten quite a few private e-mail responses to yesterday's post on waves. (Apparently, I am not the only one who finds the ocean both healing and soothing.) Additionally, as a couple of readers mentioned, the ocean can also be smoothing.

Have you ever seen a piece of sea glass, with all the sharp edges worn off? That's what I'm aiming for, and Chris O'Brien says it best in the video posted below for your listening pleasure. Be sure to click off my playlist (in the red box on the right sidebar, near the bottom of this post) so you can hear the great lyrics. You're gonna like this guy.

What do you think? Are you a Chris O'Brien fan, too?

=)

"I'm breaking like the waves; you know, I'm dragging like the days, and I am smoothing like an ocean stone."

"My love speaks softly to me, when love is holding on to that little piece of truth."

"The music sets her soul to dance."

(Each of these last two lines is worthy of its own post.)

And I'll be writing them. Soon.

PS. My youngest son is having surgery at 2:00 PM today. Probably nothing dire, but I'd really appreciate the prayers of anyone and everyone so inclined.

Bundles and Bushels of Birthday Bliss to a Super, Sensational, Stellar Sis!

Guess whose birthday it is today?

It's my little sister, Jayne's. Looks pretty good, eh?

Too bad she doesn't have any of that old spark left. heehee

(More like a bonfire!)

Can you tell she's more fun than a barrel of these?

And more fierce than an army of these??

Because she has a black belt in karate,

and that's no joke!

(These are only a few of the remarkable things about my sister.)

Here are a few more, for good measure:

1. Gives the best massage this side of the Rockies. (And probably the other side, too!)

2. Is the sole female athlete in our entire family. (Don't be messin' with AJ, cuz she will take you down.)

3. Looked like an eskimo when she was born and still gets tanner than the rest of us combined. (She can do this without the aid of sunshine or tanning lotions, by the way.)

4. Has genuine, bona fide Japanese feet. (It's a gift...)

5. Is a loving mom to her daughter, Kirsten.

6. Is a crazy and fun-loving aunt to her nieces and nephews. (She's pretty much up for anything.)

7. Thinks she can beat up our little brother, Rich. (He begs to differ.)

8. Always tries to look on the bright side. (Even when there doesn't seem to be one.)

9. Served a mission in Austria and still retains much of her German. (Sang "I Am A Child of God" in that very language at her homecoming and had to stop mid-song because she was overcome by emotion...) (We won't say what kind of emotion.) (Okay...it was laughter...and she blames ME.)

10. Cares enough about her family (us included!) to take a week from her busy schedule every year and hang out at Newport Beach (and Huntington Beach, home of yet another sis).

11. Doesn't seem to have a shy bone in her body.

12. Can sell pretty much anything to pretty much anyone (and has!).

13. LOVES to play. Works hard, too. (But methinks playing is her favorite.)

14. Did I say she's a black belt in karate???! (How cool is that?)

15. Is kind and generous (with a pinch of feistiness added to the mix)...

16. And oh, so funny. (To say nothing of loving and lovable.)

17. Probably knows how to use nunchucks (and if not, could fake it well enough to make it).

18. Once talked her way into a job at Macy's as a buyer even though she had no retail experience or training.

19. Once took a little gift in a box to the neighbor child, before she was old enough to know better. (Not a Gift from the Sea...a gift from the...toilet.) (Sorry, Aikins family.) (Sorry, Mom.)

20. Ensures that anyone lucky enough to be in her company will never have a dull moment. (Not if she can help it anyway.) (And she can.)

Yep, that's my sis...Now you know why I love her! (We ALL do.) Which makes her universally loved. (An enviable state.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAYNE!!

We know you'll make it a good one.

=)

PS. Did I tell you she's a black belt?

PPS. And, yes, my sister can beat up your sister.

PPPS. But she doesn't, cuz that's not what zen-like karate people do.

PPPPS. Not in her dojo, anyway. ;)

Taking Charge and Turning Points

Isn't life an interesting thing? It comes in waves––or maybe I want to say in sets––of five, six, or even seven. (Most surfers will tell you seven is the magic number.) I'm no surfer, but like all of us, I am riding the crests and swells of life as best I can. Sometimes I catch the wave just right, and other times it catches me and drags me along the bottom for a bit. Occasionally I come up gasping for breath, with a nose (or lung) full of water, salt in my eyes, and scratchy sand in places I never imagined, but I always do come up. And the most important part of that equation (on land or sea) has always been trust: letting the waves of life or ocean take me, reminding myself that even when they beat me up more than I'd like; if I can just relax, keep the faith, and hang on to my patience; this turmoil, too, shall pass.

Today is one of those days for me. The most recent set of waves in my life hasn't looked all that treacherous, but the churning currents beneath the surface have been pretty rough (riptides, I guess), and I've been buffeted about and drug around a bit more than has felt comfortable. This morning, though, the tides have turned. All at once and with little warning my ocean is looking smooth as glass, and I can see the horizon clearly. Even the lighthouse shines more brightly in the distance, as I plant my feet on solid ground and know that a lull has come once again––a much-needed time to breathe deeply and slowly––a time to fill my lungs and renew my energy and resolve.

I love these peaceful lulls, but they couldn't exist without the large and small sets of waves that surround them, the make-or-breakers that swell and rise and crash and recede, again and again and again and again, rendering our senses alive and alert and ready to engage with something, Someone, greater than ourselves. (Lighthouses are always, for me, a reminder of Him.)

One thing is certain. No matter how frequently or infrequently the sets roll in, the moment I begin to think I see and understand the pattern, it will change. Perhaps this is at the very root of my reason for loving the ocean as I do, because it is in every way imaginable a metaphor for life, a soothing reminder that while I am not in charge, the timeless and inviolate rhythm is set in motion by the One who is, He who calms the sea and stills the tempest inside me.

Happy Monday!

Guess who's staying home from work today? You got it! The bishop. Yep, he's gonna kick it with his lovely wife and help her get ready for the big YA Family Home Evening BBQ at our place tonight. (A pretty blissful circumstance...as time with this dude is hard to come by these days.)

So the blog is short this morning, but the happy Monday wishes are looooooong. Have a good one!

=)

How Sweet It Is: On Strengths, Sparks, Sealings, and Stephanie

It would be futile to blog about anything but Stephanie Nielson today, because that's what's in my heart and on my mind. While I did mention her story a year ago (before it became a source of internet prayer and inspiration), I've avoided sharing my feelings about her again for fear of intruding on her privacy in some way. This morning I've decided to run that risk so I can say what's in my heart about her and the amazing experience she is living with such grace and courage.

I won't repeat the details, which are already known to most of you through the many beautiful expressions of love and faith on her blog (and cjane's). If you are unfamiliar with Stephanie's journey, her writings are sure to uplift and inspire you, both those from before and those created after the crash. In fact, she epitomizes in every way imaginable the quote from Washington Irving highlighted on her blog today: "There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity."

How true this is, and how often I have seen it expressed in the lives of women around me. I have even felt it in my own life at times when my personal worthiness has been sufficient to kindle it. Today I am particularly aware of how critical our awareness of this "spark of heavenly fire" is to our emotional and spiritual survival (and that of our families). The times in which we live require more than ever before an understanding of this power we possess, so that we can call upon it to bless ourselves, our families, and others.

Having said that, I was reminded in gospel doctrine today that there is even more to Stephanie Nielson's ability to heal and overcome adversity than her own considerable gifts as a daughter of God, for Stephanie is part of a team. As women with a divine spark, we are only half of the partnership provided by the Lord to create and bless eternal families. A really great woman in my ward, one who has raised many children and is no stranger to adversity, spoke up today in our Sunday School lesson on the subject of being sealed for time and all eternity. She witnessed that it is the covenants she and her husband made at the time of their own sealing that have brought them through the ups and downs inherent in nearly fifty years of marriage to the point where they are today. Though I agreed entirely with her statement, I would have done nothing more than nod in affirmation had it not been for her added testimony, an observation that struck me with considerable force. My friend said something to the effect that it was those very same covenants that brought the pioneers across the plains and gave them strength to endure the overwhelming loss and hardship that were frequently theirs. I had never drawn that parallel for myself, and it resonated with me as Truth. What a powerful and driving force for good these sacred covenants are and have been! They give us a foundation that cannot fail, for they provide the bedrock of the gospel of Jesus Christ under our feet and point our way home.

A glimpse of this foundation of bedrock, based upon covenant, is what Stephanie and Christian Nielson have so generously shared with us in the past year. Their journey through a literal trial by fire continues to change the lives of everyone around them, members of the Church and non-members alike, and the indescribable beauty of their eternal union is captured for all to see in the photo posted on her blog today. The combined light of womanhood and priesthood shines visibly from their countenances, eclipsing earthly imperfections and promising that every one of us can be healed similarly...and eternally. What's more, the power of temple covenants, made in the presence of God and available to all of His children, will continue to carry them (and others who make and honor such covenants) safely through whatever life has to offer.

How sweet it is!

NO (self-imposed) LIMITS

I HATE limitations, both acknowledging that they exist and bowing to them. Of course, some limitations are real and must be respected. I can't spend time in the sun, for instance, because it gives me an auto-immune reaction. I can't eat whatever I want and expect my blood sugar to remain within normal limits because I have diabetes. (I can't eat a fraction of what I want and expect to remain thin because I am over 50 and have the metabolism of a dead slug!)

Be that as it may, there are many limitations that are NOT based in reality, limitations we place upon ourselves or allow others to place upon us. These can and need to be challenged if we are to reach our true potential and make the most of our humanity. Whether we or others fashion the boxes we too often live in, the result is the same: relative inertia. Being or feeling stuck is no fun, but happily, there is an antidote...one we already carry with us. It doesn't have to be ordered, mixed or measured...ingested, digested or safety-tested. It's part of our intrinsic make-up. In other words, it comes with that amazingly versatile package we call "self," and most of us are already aware of its existence. Regrettably, we are usually limited (there's that word again!) in its use.

What are we talking about? Free will. Pure and simple. We've all got it, but from the day we are born we and others begin placing constraints upon it. Of course, many of these restraints are good and necessary. But more than a few of them never were or are not now necessary. And it's up to us to figure out the difference. (Prayer helps in this process, for no one is more aware of our limitless potential than the Lord. And no one is more interested in our fulfillment of that potential.)

Here's some food for thought:

Why are adult elephants successfully tied with only a lightweight chain, one they could easily break? The answer is simple, but has profound implications. As babies, they are restrained by a very heavy chain on one foot, from which they cannot break loose. As they grew older, they do not forget this "lesson." Eventually, the chain of their (faulty) perception of not being able to break free is enough to hold them.

In one experiment, a barracuda was separated from minnows in a water tank by clear plastic. Initially, the barracuda (in search of a good meal) kept crashing into the clear plastic. The researchers learned, however, that after repeated failures to penetrate this invisible wall, the barracuda kept swimming in its own area indefinitely, even after the clear plastic was removed.

What false limitations are implanted in our psyches by ourselves or others? What imaginary bounds do we experience as impenetrable walls or unbreakable chains? Perhaps it would be a good idea to reassess, even challenge our own premises once in a while, especially those that govern the limitations we impose upon ourselves. I'm in that process right now, and it feels pretty good.

Kinda like spring cleaning in the summer.

=)

Anatomy of a Bedside Table

My friend (Fiauna) came up with a fun little game on her blog yesterday, one that I thoroughly enjoyed. As a direct result, I will now duplicate her creative notion (flagrantly, but with the greatest respect and no small amount of deference) by showing you the exciting items presently inhabiting the bedside tables of my husband and myself. I begin with HIS:

Here lies... the usual clock radio; 1 bottle of water atop a coaster inscribed, "Grow old with me; the best is yet to be" (as engraved by the hubby on my wedding band nearly 37 years ago); The Miracle of Forgiveness and Gospel Principles, "go-to" manuals for any YA ward bishop (note the remote on top, indicating which was used most recently!); phone (d'ya think I want it on MY side of the bed?!); treasure box with seldom-used journal and lovely, accompanying pen inside; and standard-issue tissue box. (Standard-issue tissue. I like that!)

And now for my OWN treasures: Seek and ye shall find nary one book! (I only read sitting up, in my favorite chair.) However, you will find some lemon verbena foot lotion; a tray which is supposed to be for my glasses but ends up holding 1/4 of a blood pressure tablet, just in case; a self-styled, velvet pen holder; a small but sufficiently noisy traveling alarm clock; a unique little box holding 3 pewter hearts, a silver necklace, and whatever forgotten earring may have poked me in the night and needed a quick home; four yummy, clove-scented candles (I'm a sucker for cloves); a plaque my sister gave me that says, "Little by little time goes by, short if you sing, long if you cry. Note by note, life's music plays on, songs ever changing but never gone"; (observe the semi-colon placement, heehee...of course, a comma would have been placed inside the quotes)...and a pen and notepad for nocturnal inspiration. Oh yes, and my own standard-issue tissues, cleverly disguised in a rather feminine-looking treasure chest.

Thanks, Fiauna! I think you may have invented a new meme. Anyone else care to give it a go on their blog?

=)

Commas, Periods, and Quotation Marks

I've noticed lately that electing to follow the "American" rules for commas, periods, and quotation marks often places me in the minority. Frequently, when I punctuate my writing utilizing American rather than British rules, people who wish to use the work will correct what is perceived by them as an error. It's true that the British rules are more intuitive and logical, but then so are the British, right? (Well...more logical, anyway.) Be that as it may, the American standard is strictly followed by editors of all literary work in the US, though not always followed in technological work. For what it's worth, here is the American rule of thumb (per wiseGEEK.com, Sue's favorite online repository of facts––endorsed by Encyclopedia Britannica, Yahoo, and moi. heehee):

"When using quotation marks, people are faced with several choices as to how to place punctuation like commas and periods. If you’re writing with British standards, commas, periods, question marks and others fall naturally. Some are included within the quotation marks, if it makes sense, and others are outside of it. The standard rule in American punctuation is that periods go inside quotation marks, as do most commas, even if the punctuation is not part of the quote.

"American English is known for its exceptions to rules, and there is one type of incidence where it would not be the case that periods go inside quotation marks. If you place quotation marks around a letter or number, usually the period or comma falls outside the quotes. Consider the following example:

I got three “Bs” and an “A”.

"This is the only incidence that ignores the fact that most periods go inside quotation marks. The letter in quotes stands alone.

"In most other incidences, though, you’ll find periods go inside quotation marks, and so do commas. Even if you’re quoting a couple of words from a text, commas (without being part of the text) are included in the quotes:

The poet refers to the graveyard as “dismal,” “heartbreaking,” “sleeping,” and “fat.”

"Note the commas, though they probably are not part of the original quote. In British English, these would fall outside the quotes.

"While you can stand by the rule that most periods go inside quotation marks, and most commas will also do so if you're writing in American English, there are different rules for other types of punctuation." (Question marks and semi-colons, for example, go outside the quotes unless they are part of the quoted material itself.)

CLEAR AS MUD, EH? But who ever said proper punctuation was easy? (Yeah, that's what I thought!)

Anyway, for reasons I can't even begin to explain or justify, I just wanted to put this out there. Admit it, you're fascinated. heehee

The Power of Three

The Power of Three

©2003 Susan Noyes Anderson, His Children, Vantage-Point Press

there’s wisdom here

the power of three

the power of surf

and sand and sea

the power to kneel

upon the ground

the power to build

on something sound

the power to feel

that nothing ends

the power of three

the power of friends

the power of surf

and sand and sea

there’s wisdom here

the power of three

This poem was initially written for His Children, my book with photographer Anita Schiller, but these wonderful photos of my grandchildren brought it to my mind immediately. Sometimes they are friends and sometimes they are foes, but the strong ties that clearly bind them are powerful and unchanging.

These three are a team, and it cheers my heart to see the visual proof...recorded, as usual, by their mother. Thanks, Heather!