Stan Watts came from Richmond and tuned the piano last week. The top and bottom octaves were enough out of tune that it hurt my ears. So now that is taken care of. He did say the piano might need to be regulated ($200.00!), but I don't see how I can fit that into my budget at the present time.
I submitted my final on Saturday just before 1 p.m. This was my hardest report....only 20 seconds long and probably worth 4 points. Each blank is a 1/2 point:
CHEST X-RAY
CLINICAL HISTORY: A wheeze.
[Lateral] films of the chest demonstrate the lungs are clear of active infiltrates. Heart, [mediastinum] and [___] [contrasts] appear normal.
IMPRESSION: No evidence of active disease.
On MY copy, I highlight the problem places so that when I print out....I can go right to the place I need to work on. Oy Vey.
So if I have [___] without words it is 1/2 point, if I guess and it's wrong it's a 1/2 point. If I guess and it's correct there are no points taken off.
Results should be back by February 10.
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I spoke in Sacrament Meeting. My time was 5 minutes. However, when I looked at the clock I had no idea of when I began and I just kept going. Randy said I spoke for about 12 minutes. I felt badly when I realized I took so much time. So Sacrament Meeting ran over 10 minutes. My assignment was to share an experience in the Temple.
I told about preparing family history and having the youth do Baptisms as a ward. When I went to the Temple there were 9 cards that were left over. I talked about how no one gets through life unscathed. Bad things happen to people, no one is exempt. I remembered the bad things that happened to me, and told about the police coming to our home right after Christmas and taking myself, my younger brother and baby sister all to the Larkin Orphanage. My mother gave up her rights to us. My brother and sister were both adopted right away. I went into foster care. It has taken a lot of years to find out anything about my parents and I am inclined now to show compassion for all they went through. But that day at the Temple? I held my mother's card in my hands and did not want any part of her. I was so bitter! Randy counseled me that it wasn't my right to judge. Eventually I prayed about it and said, "Heavenly Father, I want to do the right thing. If I do it...can you make it so it doesn't hurt so bad?" Needless to say I had an experience that changed my life and taught me that we can't see as far as we think and we have no cause to judge. I wrote this poem about my mother:
Carol, who was in reality—Joan
raised in strict religious Mennonite doctrine
Threatened by God’s vengeance
but never knew Him personally
Her sins were legendary
her rendezvous numerous
Each succeeded by drinking binges
as if to expiate the shame
No one really knew if she had remorse
we were all so busy cataloging her faults
At her funeral—disgruntled family members
still in agony from her many betrayals
Puzzled over unanswered whys
expressed bitterness and hopes of her imminent roasting
It took forty years of grieving
Forgiveness seemed impossible
Relinquishing the guilt, the rage, the loss
Unchained myself—became lighter than air
I let go
Gave her freedom to change
She knew
9/2/08
DB
In spite of my lengthy epistle - the talk went well. Randy was sitting in the back, encouraging every word. He is such a dear.
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We haven't heard anything from Julie for about 2 weeks. No letters, texts, phone calls. We worry about her, but think she has to find her own road. I have hope for her.
Family History Class begins next week! Whoo-hoo.
I was able to Skype the grandkids on Sunday. I read "The Z Was Zapped" by Chris Van Allsburg. It is a crazy book - each page is a letter in the alphabet and then when you turn the page there is a sentence about that letter. It only took until D before the twins caught on. Example: The A was in an Avalanche. The B was badly bitten. The C was cut to ribbons. It was fun to hear them anticipate what would come next. They are so smart. Then we read "Two Bad Ants." Who knew that an ant had such an adventurous life? Greediness and leaving their home for a kitchen and the sugar bowl ended up not being the best life possible. They were glad to join their own family again. Kellye says they will come up in March! YAY.
Choir went well at Shari Gunther's house. Her piano is tuned (also YAY) and while we practiced I could see the Brigham City Temple through the window. It was magnificent, gleaming white, a symbol of sacrifice and protection casting it's influence clear out to Perry. How blessed we are!
Yesterday I began indexing for the church. I am working on registers from Lancashire England the 1871 census. It is so interesting! I will probably get back into arbitration, but haven't done this for several years, so I went back to basics first. The 1940 census will become available soon and I signed up to help input that data. It will be nice for genealogists to have access to this information. I am looking forward to it for my own research.
Adventure is out there!
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