Divorce STINKS!

I got an email yesterday from an ex-daughter-in-law.

I have always loved her and been grateful she is the mother of our two granddaughters.

But, she wrote a sad letter about how she feels our son is cheating her financially.

I don't want to be involved in this.

I don't want to know this or hear about it.

I do, however, want him to be honorable and do the right thing.

Which he told me he is doing all that the law has required of him.

It's so sad.

What I wanted to say to her was this:

This would never have happened; you wouldn't even be in this situation if YOU hadn't walked out on him, and abandoned your two daughters when they were just little.  

It's true, you had second thoughts and came back to your daughters, but YOU have been the cause of this whole heartache.

And, I'm sorry that you are unhappy, but I'm on our son's side.  I think he is doing what is required of him, and I don't  want to be caught in the middle of this mess of your own making.

Ah, Life is hard.

And, divorce STINKS!

WOW! Another Year Whizzed By

This has been a good year.

I am loving our mission, our home, everything feels good right now.

Oh, sure, there are lots of problems; finances for some families, hard things for some, challenges for all.

But, it's good.

And, I love the Savior.

Death of a Roommate

She was talking on the phone to one of her five sons.

Suddenly, the line went dead.

He called a cousin in the same town, who broke into her house, and found her sitting where she had been talking on the phone.

A surprising death indeed, but such a peaceful, non-painful way to go.

Oh, she was a character, that Lauralee Catherine Lucille Bannatyne Stevenson...then she married twice so her name was Lauralee Catherine Lucille Bannatyne Stevenson Olson Elliot.

We had reconnected the last couple of years on Face Book, and she had had some health issues, but she was still happy, helping others, caring about others, just doing good.

I was stunned to open my FB page, and see her son posting of her death.

Life is so fragile, precious, and fleeting.

Rest in Peace, dear Lauralee!

But, most of all, thanks for the memories from 1963!

The Sunday Visits

Today I visited FIVE - yes, that's right...

FIVE families.

Short but sweet visits.

Oh, how I love the people in my neighborhood.

Here's how it played out.

Jerry & Linda Asay; they had just gotten home from church.  Linda looked great in her blue outfit.  Jerry looks weak, but he was in good spirits, which i was glad about.  They had just returned form Thanksgiving with their children in Tucson.

After dinner, I went  to see Edith, my visiting teaching person. She has zero interest in the church, but she's great.

Abby Forsyth, who just returned from her mission and gave her mission report.  What an obedient, wonderful young lady.

Steve & Rachael Beckstrom, to tell them how wonderful their young son is.  He is so prepared for baptism...it was astonishing to me how well prepared and knowledgable he is.

Baelie Beatty, only she wasn't home, so I visited briefly with Waunita.

I love, admire, and respect all these people.

When I got home, OUR home teacher was here.

And, I'm so very grateful for Ron Olson.

I have such good people in my life and I feel blessed.

LIFE IS HARD!

Once again,

I heard another truly heart-breaking story from a wonderful young mother in our ward.

her husband just walked out and left her!

This is her fourth marriage.

She married the man of her dreams and he died of a brain tumor when her youngest daughter was a few months old.

Since then, she has met and married three - good - men.

Only they weren't good.

They turned out be scumbags, losers, whiners, or whatever.

She is devastated.....of course....naturally.

Oh, LIFE.

And, on the other hand, some families just glide thru life.

OH, I'm praying for you, my dear KA.

DO NOT DISTURB!

Life is pretty calm and good right now.

I don't want that to change.

Life is such a flow of ups and downs.

I'm not very good at the downs.

So, I want everything to just stay the same as it is right now.

No changes....just same old, same old.

So, please do not disturb.

Baptismal Covenant

When we are baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,

we make a covenant to...

MOURN WITH THOSE THAT MOURN.

This is a very big challenge for me.

Because....

I only want good things and happy things for people....

Whether they are people that I know personally or whether they are people on the news people in far-flung countries.

It's just so hard for me to see or hear about the sufferings of others.

So, this week, when a wonderful missionary friend opened up to me about her financial horror stories with the IRS, I was stunned and depressed and overwhelmed with sorrow for her.  I cannot stop thinking about it.

I want so badly to help her, but how can I//

She has spent literally thousands and thousands of dollars to get out of this horrific situation, but it follows her everywhere; the fear, the harassment, the continual requests for more money to settle the account.

They have nothing left.  She confided in me that she is terrified the IRS will take her home when they make their final payment next month.  She feels she is bing stalked, watched, recorded.

She has hired good lawyers, and they have drained their entire savings, but still there is no resolution.

This scenario has broken my heart and has caused her husband, aged 80, to lose his health.

She is so stressed.

And, yet, she continues to serve faithfully at the Family Search Library.

How can our very own government do this to us?

Just heart-breaking.

So, I will pray.

Then, pray some more.