Little Miracles

The Galbraiths are not good picture takers. Past generations of them, that is. We have searched for good pictures of Layne's parents, grandparents and beyond, but, for the most part, they don't seem to exist. I tell you that as background for a little miracle that happened recently. Daughter Audrey and her family used one of Layne's folk's old chest of drawers for awhile. When they didn't need it any longer, she passed it on to a friend. Several weeks ago this friend sent Audrey a picture that she found under a drawer liner in that chest. What do you know, it is a picture of Layne's father, in the pink of his youth. There are so few pictures of him when he was young and in possession of a full head of blond hair. We think he is receiving a Junior Chamber of Commerce "Man of the Year" award. He's the man on the left. What do you think; does Layne look anything like him?

I am entering a period of time when I am feeling quite overwhelmed. Suddenly, or so it seems, I find myself buried in projects and assignments. There was a time, when I was younger, when such a feeling was common. But now that I'm an older woman, it is a bit more rare. So I am a little unaccustomed to having a new Sunday school class in addition to teaching a class on writing personal histories, helping with the upcoming youth pioneer trek, and taking charge of a group of girls for regular activity days. Oh yes, and working in the Temple each Wednesday. Then, of course, there is Mother. She takes lots of time, if I do my job correctly. She is my most important responsibility. So lately there seems to be little time for investing in my own projects. Of course most of these activities will end soon enough, but, for now, I am busier than I'd like to be. All of this activity reinforces my desire to be better organized. It is the challenge of a lifetime.

One of our foster daughters from Mongolia was here this past weekend, visiting with her family. She married an American cowboy. A smart American cowboy. They have two beautiful sons. It is such a joy to see how well matched and happy they are. I can't help feeling that their life together will bring blessings to more than themselves. Ryan and Bayaraa (Bayartsegtseg in Mongolian) Hopkins and their sons, Gordon and Nolan are a joy to me. I wish I could say that I knew what direction Bayaraa's life would take but I'm very good at being wrong about such things. We have three Mongolian daughters here in America. They are doing pretty much the opposite of what I thought they would be doing at this time in their lives. Hum. So much for inspiration or even intuition. I'm happy to say that my three girls seem to all be doing well.

Our local kids came on Sunday, to celebrate a couple of grandsons' birthdays (the birthday boys, Tim and Vincent are pictured below) and to have our monthly extended Family Home Evening. It was fun as we all get along well. There often are small problems to solve, which troubles my perfectionist mindset, but I remind myself that all of our children are good people trying to do good things. How can I wish for more? Yet, sometimes I long for perfect understanding and acceptance. It seems to be so easy to misunderstand or misinterpret another's intent. In fact, that seems to be the rule of the day. Communication is a delicate art.

Our days are busy. But better busy than bored!