Dad ~ 3 November 2019

Dear Kids                                                              

Here’s Dad (grandpa) with another kids letter. My last letter to all our kids was over a year ago, on 20 May 2018. Mom does such a good job of writing letters, but she’s hampered with just one arm now, and it’s cumbersome to type much with one finger. 

Here’s a recap of the past week or so. 

27 October 2019 – Sunday, We went to our 11-1 church meetings, Primary Program, very good. We stayed for the special fast and prayer, for Joan Anderson, having lots more problems. Mom fielded a text, invite to dinner, Derek and Danielle. We headed out and drove to Lehi. We had a nice dinner, soup, and played games with the girls.

28 October 2019 – Monday, Alicia and kids arrived, and we all piled into her car and went to Red Robin for dinner. Back home, we played with the kids, basement, Shane’s room, hot wheels, Rella, interview. Mom and Alicia played some Rummikub.

29 October 2019 – Tuesday, We went out to dinner, meeting Chris and Kim at the Red Lobster. We had a nice visit. It was super cold for the commute.

30 October 2019 – Wednesday, it was another cold record: 10º. Chris came to work. He put things away, and set out more rocks, and mowed the lawn, which was full of leaves. He bagged up six bags of leaves to take back to his house, for his compost and his chickens.

31 October 2019 – Thursday – Halloween, We put two plates of candies on the front porch and ran errands, library, Smiths, and then went a movie, Peanut Butter Falcon, pretty good. Back home, all our candies were gone. There was a knock on the door about 9:30. We thought it was just more late trick or treaters, but it turns out it was Rick. We had forgotten he was planning on sleeping here after some dinner and meetings. We made room in the garage for his car. We visited. He told us that Jase has a pretty steady girlfriend now.....

1 November 2019 – Friday, we went to dinner, Alpine, Nelva and Arnold, very good. We had a good visit, and played some Rummikub.

2 November 2019 – Saturday, Carolyn Linthorst, next door, called about 9:30 in the evening, saying she could hear some water on in our yard north of our garage. I got out with my flashlight and sure enough the hose bib was leaking. It probably froze and it was just now thawing enough to leak. I turned off the sprinkler system. There was a leak there also. The place where I needed to find the turnoff valve was full of water, so it was hard to get the system turned off. I finally did, and then turned on the drain out by the Donaldson fence. Then I got down in our storage room, which had also flooded again. I did a major cleanup, two buckets full and lots of shelves full of water. Shouldn't have procrastinated shutting off the water before those cold nights.

3 November 2019 – Sunday – Fast Sunday, we went to our 11-1 church meetings, testimonies, very good. One testimony was from Dr. Shaun Mendenhall from our ward. He was doing a very difficult and extensive surgery on someone’s hand, 16 hours so far peering through the magnifying glass reattaching some fingers and was so worn out. He prayed for strength to continue as it was the most important stage. The patient, a young Chinese woman, and not a member of the church, told him later in the ICU , when she was in the depths of despair, that she had heard herself surrounded by people whispering encouraging words to her. She opened her eyes, but no one was there except the doctor. She closed her eyes and heard the voices again. He told her they were probably angels, and most likely her ancestors. 

Then the doctor’s son bore his testimony. He is just age 10, but bore a very strong impressive articulate testimony, about having a rough time lately with the deaths of a grandmother and then a grandfather, and how he went to his room to pray and read scriptures and was comforted. 

Then Julie and Steven Nelson, our EQ president and one of the Piano Guys, bore their testimonies. Steve told of his son, Maxwell, age 9 who had attended primary some weeks prior, and just got up out of the Primary room and walked home. His teacher followed him home and knocked on his door. He answered, dressed in his sweat shirt and shorts. She asked him, why he left, and didn’t he like Primary? He answered that he loved Primary, but that he had heard it all and knew it all. She said they missed him when he wasn't there. He said, okay he would come back then. But said he didn’t want to change his clothes.She said, we'll take you as you are. So he went back to Primary in his sweat shirt and shorts. 

Back home, I had a rest on the couch for a few minutes, and then we returned to the ward for our tithing settlement. Back home again, Mom and I fixed a nice steak dinner, with lots of veggies. 

Next week will be busy. Mom has a Dr. visit tomorrow, big cast off, another shorter cast on for 3 weeks, then he'll remove the pins It is 6 weeks this Tues. since she tripped and fell. Mom’s birthday is coming up Thurs. Shauna Smith is taking Mom and Carma Monson (birthday tomorow), out to lunch after their religion class Thurs.

Friday her ministering people, Kathy Player and Connie Stults are taking her to lunch.

We'll be going to Wendy's around the 13th - 18th to see her 3 girls in Mary Poppins. 

We love you all.

Love, Dad, Grandpa