It May Be Spring

There are signs of green outside.  Rumor is that spring and summer here are lovely.  So far we are surrounded by brown.  But a bit of green is pocking out here and there.  The trees are budding out.  Being a California girl almost all of life, I can't help feeling a little excited by the dramatic changes that nature promises to be turning out all around me.  It's not the California way.

Layne and I have been super involved in stuff.  House stuff of course.  Audrey's kitties wander in and out of our space, begging for food and attention.  Life interrupts stuff, but I much prefer the life.

And speaking of that, son Gerald and his family arrived for a weekend visit.  They will soon be off to Utah, but will return to us later in April.  It is wonderful to have them here.  Daughter in law Frances is having all sorts of trouble sleeping and managing the stress in her life.  We are hoping that time in this quiet, peaceful place will calm her spirits and settle her a little.  Gerald is full of ideas and theories.  Sometimes he reminds me of me and my own personal collection of theories.  His conversation is rich in ideas.  I enjoy his tender heart and his desire for a balanced, productive life.

We had fun providing an Easter treasure hunt for our Chinese grandchildren.  They experience little of that in Taiwan, so it is especially fun to see them experience some of these American traditions that our kids have come to expect.  The treasure was a basket of candy of course.  Grandson Seth had no problem munching on the extreme sweets that most asians avoid.  Granddaughter Angelica had trouble coming up with the courage to try one of the chocolates.  She eventually did and liked it OK, in very small doses.  So that just goes to prove that not everyone flips for sugar.  I think she had more fun finding than eating.

One of my spiritual ponderings has been how to use the Atonement more effectively and frequently.  In preparing my new sunday school class for a discussion on this subject, I read a talk by Elder Bednar.  He mentioned that the Atonement is not just meant to make bad people good but is also meant to make good people better.  He said that it is designed to aid us, strengthen us, improve us and to help us to perform beyond our natural abilities as well.  Somehow I missed that before.  With this information I feel armed to use the Savior's gift to much better advantage in the future.  The Savior can lift burdens but, much more often, he strengthens us to make them lighter.  This is my "ah-ha" moment for the week.

Son Gerald with Seth, checking out one of his
treasure hunt clues.

Grandchildren Angelic and Seth inspecting their sweet
treasure.  Seth had no trouble munching it down; Angelica
is a bit more cautious about it.

Seth at work at his never-ending school work.  Taiwan schools
require long hours devoted to school studies.  Gerald thinks
it is a bit too much.  Frances thinks it is all perfectly normal.