New Blog

So, I'm embarking on a new project. I decided I wanted to create a blog (kind of like this one) that had a focus on the gospel and testified of Christ. I am increasingly frustrated by the material that I find on the internet (like on facebook) and wanted to create my own place of hope and positivity. One thing I will do each week is a guest post for this blog. I'm thinking of calling it Monday Musings. I'm looking forward to having your participation and comments so you better come and visit me.

The address is: brightnessofhope.blogspot.com

9-11

I got to speak at church on 9-11. It was a humbling experience to research and go back through all of the stories, and to remember how I felt that day. One of the things that struck me the most was not the many stories of the firefighters and policeman. They are heros no doubt, but they were doing their jobs. They were trained to do what they did and they went in knowing full well the danger to their lives. What struck me the most was the stories of ordinary men and women who put their lives at risk to help others.

Todd Beamer is one of my personal heros. On flight 93 he knew that he was going to die. He knew that the hijackers had a plan that did not include him getting off of that plane alive. He made a concious decision to die in a way that would save other people. He and the other passengers on that flight decided that they would rush the cabin, and make sure that the plane didn't make it to it's intended target. They saved an unknown amount of lives that day.

Last night after talking about it all day, watching the tributes and seeing the videos of that day replayed, Katherine was very sad. She is old enough to realize that people aren't always good. There is evil out there and needless, terrible things happen. We had a good cry together and we were able to talk about why it's important that we remember. She just didn't understand why all of those people had to die for no reason. We talked about how bad things happen to good people and it's our responsibility as Americans to try to use those bad things to make positive changes in our own lives and to affect our small little corner of the world for good. My favorite quote from my talk was "Duty does not require perfection, but it does require dilligence." We have to be like Todd Beamer. Even if our lives are not in grave danger, we still have to make a concious choice to actively pursue things that will make a difference. We have to choose to turn the plane around sometimes and make something bad into something that is good.

I love you all- hope you had a sweet day of remembrance and forgiveness yesterday.

"Believe that you are enough, and the Savior will make up the difference."

Erin

Education Week

So fabulous to be in beautiful Utah, learning beautiful things and being with my beautiful kids!  Check out the first installment of posts beginning with the first class of the first day on the Tender Mercies page.  I hope to get better at posting and make them shorter and sweeter.
I also learned lots of great ways to stay better connected so be watching for implementation!  Technology is grand but takes this old bird some time to figure out.
I've enjoyed so much everyone's posts!  Keep them coming!
Remember, you are lovable and capable and valuable beyond measure.

Galland Update

We're back from FL and had an amazing trip doin a whole lot of NOTHING. It was great. BUT it's back to the grind for us. Cole started day care today and went to his teacher Ms. Anita just fine. He'll go 2 days a week while I work. I'm a little nervous about it, but know he will do fine. He is growing more every day. Love that little guy! Girls are doing great and excited about starting back to school.

School starts for kids in a week and I start the 29th. I want to ask all of you to pray for us as I am overwhelmed with our coming schedule. I have done it to myself I know, but am going to try to be superwoman even if it kills me. I am volunteer coordinator for the PTO, Activity Days leader, part time working and 9 hrs in school. Not to mention nursing mother to an infant and 2 busy girls. Please pray for me that this semester goes off without a hitch for all of us and that I impress us all with my mad skills.

I miss my siblings terribly and hope to not miss anymore skype dates. Especially ones that I set up! I love you all and hope things are perfect in your worlds!

no sibling rivalry here!

We spent a smiddgen of 4th of July with Todd and Kristi eating some hamburgers in true American fashion. I say smiddgen because I wish we would have had more time! I love that I get to live close to 2 of my siblings and their great spouses. Especially because one of them was my best friend at college =) I also failed to comment on the fact that I got some wonderful sister time with erin and mimi before we left for tonga. We left so soon I didn't get to say anything about it!

Since Erin came a day later, I had mimi all to myself and got to know a fascinating past about her and our family I somehow was kept in the dark about. How did I not know all that went on? I must have been wearing special childhood goggles and earmuffs to not notice anything but my own life. I love getting to know my adult siblings and seeing their side of the story of our family. My how it differs! I love each and every piece of this family.

Ancestors

So, I've kinda got the family history bug. Seven hours today to be exact. I am in love with searching for people on the internet. It makes everything so much easier and sometimes totally frustrating. What's so cool is that our ancestors are really interesting people. I learned today that Phillip Edward Ward was registered for the draft in WWII but he was too old to fight. I learned that Elizabeth Eberts came to America alone, before the rest of her family when she was a young adult. I also learned that Hocking County, Ohio was formed in 1818. That's important if you are searching for ancestors in Hocking County before that year but I'm not sure its useful to anyone else. These people were real and they lived in difficult periods of history. They also went without the light of the gospel. In Bavaria, Germany in the 1800's no one had even heard of Joseph Smith. Our ancestors never even had the opportunity to decide if the church was true or not. I think all the time that I am grateful that they went without that truth so that I could have the opportunity to go to the temple again and again and again. Perhaps, we made an agreement. Perhaps, Susan Ward or Catherine Ireland said to me, "I will go to a dark time so that you can be in the twenty-first century. But you make sure you find me. Don't let me be lost." Today I felt as though Susan Ward (or Warner is her maiden name) was urging me on that she wants to be found and for her family to have their ordinances done. Technology has been such a blessing to me as I have searched for and found names of those who would have the opportunity to progress.

The world of girl...

Ryan and I went to get the ultrasound today! The ultrasound tech told us she was "95% sure its a girl." The baby was laying on its back so gravity couldn't pull down any parts that would make it more obvious...

We are so excited! It'll be a nice change for Ryan's family to get a baby girl. They are full of boyhood.

The closer we get to having little baby, the more I think about what amazing parents and all around people my siblings and parents are. We were so blessed to have loving, righteous parents who taught us good things. You all have wonderful characters. We have creativity, ability (Mimi's awesome marathon run), joy, laughter, and so much else in just us the siblings!

This blog is pretty cool. I'm excited that we can all keep up on stuff together.

Love you all!

Just Gotta Say

This weekend in Provo with Mom and Dad, Mimi and 'the kids' was truely awesome. I was overwhelmed with the sheer awesomeness of our family. I enjoyed getting to be with TOdd and Rachel. One of my goals is to reconnect with my siblings. Particularly the ones that I don't get to see all the time. Getting to be with them gave me such an appreication for the people that they've become. I enjoyed every single second of it.

The real "goodness" of our family is like a yummy cookie. One that if you skip an ingredient will come out all wrong. Mom and Dad are the flour and egg. The foundation that holds us together. Rachel is baking soda- an essential ingredient that works behind the scenes to support, without it the cookies are flat and yuck. Chris is butter- he's just SMOOTH . Jessi is sugar, sweet and substantial. Juli is the chocolate chips- funny and full of taste. Mimi is the icing, she's sure of her place on the cookie and yet can stand alone too. And Todd- well he's just nuts :) and if we didn't have nuts the cookie wouldn't have any crunch to it at all.

This is not to replace the Pooh analogy :) Just to add to it. I also want to point out that I LOVE the people we have all chosen to marry. Each one of our spouses is special and unique and just FITS into our family just right. I loved getting to see David take care of Rachel and Kristi keep Todd in line. I am so grateful for all of you and what you offer of yourselves to me and my family.

Enjoy a piece of cookie today!
Erin

Yay!

I am so excited that mom has got this going. I love what is here so far. Right now David's brother and cousin are visiting us. Yesterday we took them to Salt Lake and temple square. Derrick commented on how "pristine" and perfectly kept the grounds were, even though it was raining. He's been to many places and noticed that even places he'd been to in Europe weren't this beautiful. It was a really great experience with them in the visitor's center. They were curious to see the inside of the temple and what goes on there. It's great to have family here. Especially for them to be on our turf now =) Much love.

2ft Prosthetics - El Salvador July 2010

Home Sweetest Home

Here are some recent pictures of  the house.  Can't wait to have everyone here together!  You're all invited for Christmas!

Welcome to my World!

As I sit on my back porch listening to the wind in the trees, I wait for my traveling man to come home from the airport.  After flying 24 hours from Singapore, he will bring with him strong, comforting arms and life again content and whole.  Being apart is good in some ways as we appreciate each other so much more.  It's also a time to connect with what kind of person we are on our own.  Having only yourself for company can be boring or interesting -- I've met both people. I hope the interesting one can stick around for awhile.
The house and yard have changed some since Jeff left.  I've been busy outside potting and planting and sprucing.  Spring is glorious and I am anxious it will be gone too soon and I need to be out in it every minute.  I love our new house and neighborhood.  Living in the shadow of the temple seems to cast a glow of good all around us. In the house, we have a new rug in the entry hall, a beautiful bluebonnet picture hung over the living room sofa, new bird pillow for our bed, Easter decor, an orchid, new console table behind the chair in the family room with family pics.
Our friends the Putnam's will be staying with us tonight!  I hope they find their way.  We have invited everyone we can think of to come and share our home with us.  Rick and Barbara and the kids are running a marathon in Brenham in the morning.  Hopefully, as out of town friends come to the temple, they,too, will call for a room at Hotel Kirk.  We miss all our friends so much!
Erin and Michael produced an outstanding son on the 24th of March.  Cole Michael is a gorgeous, sweet, mellow baby.  His sisters are in love with him and are good helpers.  Michael has helped me around the house some while Jeff has been gone.  He's so good to do whatever he can.  My heart rejoices in their good hearts.  Erin is a strong, kind and loving mom and wife.  I feel the spirit in their home and she is the touchstone.
Life is lovely -- full of all that's best and good.  The gospel, the earth, family and good health. I hope this blog will become a place to share goodness, learn and embrace principles that will spread waves of good across our circles of influence.  It will do us all 'a world of good.'