THESE IS MY WORDS

I kind of miss our book club! (I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't done much reading since we stopped.) But what I miss most is the feeling of connection it gave me to the family. Hope you are all doing fine!

Yes, our book club is basically defunct, but if any of you would like to share your best reads with us.......we'd all appreciate it!

Grandma Mary, Aunt Peachy, and I have recently read/or reread "These Is My Words The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1991 Arizona Territories" by Nancy E. Turner.

The following is taken from the back cover:


"Sarah Prine, a woman of spirit and fire who forges a full and remarkable existence in a harsh, unfamiliar frontier. Scrupulously recording her steps down the path Providence has set her upon – from child to determined young adult to loving mother – she shares the turbulent events, both joyous and tragic that molded her, and recalls the enduring love with cavalry officer Captain jack Elliot that gave her strength and purpose.


"Rich in authentic everyday details and alive with truly unforgettable characters, These Is My Words brilliantly brings a vanished world to breathtaking life again."


Below are my favorite quotes from the book:

...I might like to have someone courting me. But it would have to be someone who is a square shooter and who has a train load of courage. And it would have to be someone who doesn’t have to talk down to folks to feel good, or to tell a person they are worthless if they just made a mistake. And he’d have to be not too thin.......I want a man who can hold me down in a wind. Maybe he’d have to be pretty stubborn. I don’t have any use for a man that isn’t stubborn. Likely a stubborn fellow will stay with you through thick and thin, and a spineless one will take off, or let his heart wander. 

Children are a burden to a mother, but not the way a heavy box is to a mule. Our children weigh hard on my heart, and thinking about them growing up honest and healthy, or just living to grow up at all, makes a load in my chest that is bigger than the safe at the bank, and more valuable to me than all the gold inside it.

Sometimes I feel like a tree on a hill, at the place where all the wind blows and the hail hits the hardest. All the people I love are down the side a ways, sheltered under a great rock, and I am out of the fold, standing alone in the sun and the snow. I feel like I am not part of the rest somehow, although they welcome me and are kind. I see my family as they sit together and it is like they have a certain way between them that is beyond me. I wonder if other folks ever feel included yet alone. 

Mama told me to make a special point to remember the best times of my life. There are so many hard things to live through, and latching on to the good things will give you strength to endure, she says. So I must remember this day. It is beautiful and this seems like the best time to live and the best place.

It seems there is always a road with bends and forks to choose and taking one path means you can never take another one. There’s no starting over nor undoing the steps I’ve taken.

I used to complain to myself that life was so boring, that there was too much laundry to do, too many noses to wipe. Now there are not enough noses to wipe.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading its two sequels.

Thanksgiving 2011

This is one of the pictures Barry took (with his new camera) of the entire group on Thanksgiving.

Nice job Barry, and thanks for sharing!

Dear Family,

After some consideration Grandma and I have decided our book club blog is not really fulfilling its intended purpose. In the beginning it was our hope to open up an ongoing dialogue with you, not just about the books but about our lives, and in so doing strengthen family ties. In reality, most of you keep in touch somewhat via facebook and don't really need the blog. And hopefully, you contact Grandma Mary regularly via phone or mail........as she will never adapt to the facebook/twitter/texting world that most of you live in. Sooooo, if you will do that, keep in touch with Grandma, then I have no qualms about "abandoning" our book club blog. You young mothers and fathers have so little time, and I myself don't have the time or energy to "fuss" with the blog if it isn't accomplishing what we had hoped. But I have thoroughly enjoyed the experiment! I love blogging, enjoy reading, and hope that in some way you have enjoyed participating in the book club blog.

PS If you actually read The Simeon Solution and haven't commented on it, please do. It was a great book to end on and Grandma Mary would love to hear what you thought of it.

THIS AFTERTHOUGHT WAS ADDED ON 12/10/11:

The thought came to me a few days ago that if you enjoyed The Simeon Solution, or even if you didn't, you WOULD enjoy another book by Poelman, Secret Santa.

This is not a book you would read to little ones......for obvious reasons, but it is one that I can guarantee will touch your heart.

It is loosely based on a true experience of her husband* as a young boy

and is one of my all-time favorite Christmas stories. Considering how much I love GOOD Christmas stories, that's saying something.

*It may interest you to know that Anne's husband, Ronald Poelman, an emeritus member of the Quorum of Seventy, passed away a few weeks ago.

GRANDMA MARY'S 88th & THANKSGIVING 2011

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with many of the Crosby family in attendance, not just to feast but to honor Grandma Mary on her 88th birthday. The food was great, the company remarkable, the program touching, and Grandma Mary continues to be a great inspiration to all of us! Wish every one of you could have been with us.

I've attached pictures of the event below, and Barry took a group picture that I will post as soon as he sends it to me.

In the mean time, we hope you have a Wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Love,

Aunt Louise

New Read: The Simeon Solution

For our next read, Grandma Mary has requested THE SIMEON SOLUTION by Anne Osborn Poelman. It has been on her favorites list since she first read it fifteen or more years ago. (It also happens to be one of my all time favorites!) It deals with religious principles but reads a lot like a novel, as it tells of Anne's spiritual journey. People of every faith have much to gain from reading it!

I found the following brief review on-line:

"Although Simeon is mentioned only briefly in the scriptures, he is a shining example of faith and patience. Promised through the Holy Ghost that he would not die before the long-awaited Messiah, Simeon apparently spent much of his life watching for fulfillment of that promise. Surely there must have been times of doubt, moments when it seemed foolish to cling to such a hope, but his faith was at last rewarded when he was shown the infant Jesus in the temple and recognized him as the Savior of the world.

"In The Simeon Solution, Anne Osborn Poelman describes how she, like Simeon, learned to trust in the Lord and have patient faith in the ultimate fulfillment of his promises. When she was a medical student at Stanford University she discovered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, finding in it the spiritual fullness for which she had been searching since childhood. She joined the Church and went on to become an internationally known expert in her medical specialty. At age thirty-eight she married Elder Ronald E. Poelman, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In this book she shares many personal experiences that have demonstrated the workings of the Simeon solution in her own life."

Because all of us from time to time experience doubts and concerns that seem to have no forthcoming answers, we have no other option than to trust in the Lord and His timetable for resolution. For this reason Grandma hopes each of you will read this book with "an open mind and heart".

Hope you are all doing well! Remember that everyone would love to hear bits of your news on the blog. It's a good way to keep in touch!

Love,

Aunt Louise

THE HELP Stephanie's Review

If you haven't already started reading The Help, Stephanie's review will provide the motivation. Thanks Steph!

"I read The Help in about 3 days. It is compulsively readable. I couldn't put it down. The characters in this book were taken from real life. This is Kathryn Stockett's first book. To me, it is clear that she really understands Southern life and has made great efforts to understand what life was like for black women who served white families. She writes about sad stories that leave a great glimmer of hope, and though she examines our differences and our mistakes, she highlights our humanity to wonderful effect. And while this is a serious book, it also has wonderfully lighthearted moments, humorous moments, and strikingly funny insights into women and their behavior. It's about people of different races and classes coming together in a spirit of unity and love. It's about how we help each other as human beings I loved this book and can't recommend it highly enough. I hope that you all enjoy it, too.

 – Love, Stephanie"

Please send in YOUR comments as soon as you've finished reading The Help.

Aunt Peachy & Uncle Roland Return

Well done!  After nearly two years of serving a mission in Macao, Peachy & Roland are home, and it's great to have them back! It's also been great to get reacquainted with Trevor & Jacque's, and Tori & Eric's families. Those kids are as sharp as their incredible parents!

I took a bunch of pictures both at the airport when our missionaries arrived last Saturday, and also Sunday when we had the gang over for dinner and to hear a very brief report from Elder & Sister "Chang" Chambers following our regular block of meetings. 

For some reason I can't make a slide show, so have fun scrolling!

WAITING

WAITING

LANDING

BLEARY EYED / BLURRY PIC

JUST PART OF THE "WELCOMING COMMITTEE"

PEACHY'S GRATITUDE BOW

SARAH, TREV, ROLAND

REPORTING TO THE FAMILY

ALLIE & ADAM

SARAH & RILEY

ERIC & TORI

JACQUE & TREV

AND MORE OF THE SAME

Cotillion

I have finally finished reading Cotillion, and thoroughly enjoyed it..............with a few exceptions. 

1. The first 50 pages or so I felt were somewhat tedious with so many characters being introduced who were sometimes referred to with first names and other times referred to with last names........it was confusing for me. And it felt like it took a long time for the plot to develop. 
2. After that my only complaint was the language.......and that’s my fault I guess for being illiterate when it comes to Victorian English.

So, in keeping with my tradition here are a few of the fun words I have added to my vocabulary, at least temporarily, through the reading of this book.

• liefer: willingly
  
• reticule: small handbag with drawstring
  
• ton: the popular echelons of Britain’s elite society
  
• misogynistic: a hatred of women
  
• dessicated: dull or lifeless body 
  
• quizzing-glass: monocle
  
• interpolated: to insert or introduce between 
  
• sangfroid: composure or coolness under trying circumstances
  
• jointure: an arrangement by which a man sets aside property to be used for the support of his wife after his death
  
• phaeton: a sporty open carriage
  
• cits: citizens
  

And my 2 favorite quotes from Cotillion:

"She was a hard-featured woman, with a predatory mouth, a smile that never reached her eyes, and an air of consequence." (Description of Lady Dolphinton)

"I cannot think that she would take the terrible step of putting a period to her existence!" (Kitty about Olivia)

What I especially LOVED about Cotillion was the literal character development of Kitty and Freddy. And while the ending was no surprise to me, it was exactly what it should have been, and I found it to be very satisfying. I’m glad Grandma Mary suggested it and will definitely read other Georgette Hyer books in the future. 

LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR COMMENTS!

___________________________________________

Does anyone want to suggest our next read? If not I may suggest The Simeon Solution by Anne Osborn Poelman. She's an LDS author, a physician, and convert to the church; writes about dealing with the doctrinal questions we have no answers for. It almost reads like a novel and would possibly be interesting for people of other faiths.

___________________________________________

Just for fun I'm attaching an interesting fact about the month of July this year, and some pictures of Julie's family's recent visit to Grandma before their move to Japan.

VERY INTERESTING!

Julie and Adrienne with Grandma Mary

Julie's girls and 2nd cousin Ilah Wallace – Jennifer's youngest daughter

Also of interest, Aunt Peachy & Uncle Roland will be home from their mission the first week in August! So I'll post some pictures of that happy reunion then.

The Five Thousand Year Leap

Time to wrap it up!

The library wants me to bring The 5000 Year Leap back before I renew it for the 4th time.......and NO, I have not finished reading it YET.  But what I have read I’ve enjoyed and I’ve learned a lot too. 

FOR EXAMPLE: 

• I learned about natural law and the influence great philosophers like Cisero had on the founding founders. 
  
• I learned that before the Revolutionary War the American people feared that perhaps they didn’t have the moral capacity for self government. (In other words the willingness to sacrifice private interest for the good of community.)  
  
• I also learned that the FIRST president of the United States was John Hanson, who served under the Articles of Confederation. But George Washington was the first president under the US Constitution. 
  
• And while I have a rudimentary understanding of the 28 principles discussed in the book, I was not familiar at all with most of the quotes from our founding fathers, and they were truly enlightening! 
  

So I’ve decided to return the book as requested to the St. George City Library and buy a copy of my own for our family library.....it’s that good! (Just not as easy, or as fun, to read as a novel.)

I believe that what our founding fathers achieved was truly a miracle. Because of their faith, wisdom, dedication and divine inspiration, they created a government based on the law of nature, that allowed people to be free from tyranny. I’m so grateful for them, and to them, and vow to be more diligent in protecting and preserving their dream, and my heritage as a citizen.

Below are some of my favorite quotes or notes from the book.

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” - Benjamin Franklin

“I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations... This danger ought to be wisely guarded against .” - James Madison

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here.” - Patrick Henry

“The government is best which governs least”- Thomas Jefferson

"WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty GOD, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour” - George Washington

And from my notes early on.......could be direct quotes, but I don't know who said them.

The law of Nature, or Nature's God, is eternal in its basic goodness; it is universal in its application. It cannot be altered – repealed – abandoned by legislators or the people – even though they may pretend to do so.

Justice is impossible except under the principles of God's just law.

Looking forward to your comments! 

Grandma Mary is working on hers. I'll post them soon.

Our next read is Cotillion by Georgette Hyer.

This one should be a quick and easy read! 

Below is a picture taken Memorial Day Weekend at the St. George City Cemetery of Uncle Paul's son Stephen, and Uncle Dick. If you try just a little you will see in them their fathers......walking side by side, telling the stories of our pioneer heritage as they lovingly placed flowers on the graves of those who went before. Those who did their part to honor, protect, and preserve these precious freedoms we so easily take for granted.

Grandma Mary On Cotillion – Our Next Read

Cotillion is one of my favorite Georgette Heyer books. I've read a lot of hers and enjoy them. She tells about life as it was in Regency England–some behavior very degrading–but her heroines are moral, nice, and lovable. Cotillion is just to be enjoyed–so relax and enjoy it. It's easy to read. Then maybe next time we can read an entirely different sort of book.