A Springtime Visit to Utah

 

Someone was feeling lonely; someone else was feeling overwhelmed. We decided to spend our "temple break" seeing if we could do anything to ameliorate that, so we flew off to Utah! It was a beautiful, laid-back vacation, basically spent keeping Dad company while he watched tv and napped. But there was a fair amount of conversation thrown in as well.

We accompanied Dad to his meals; each one - at least for him - ends with ice cream! And we took him to church as well. Last year that was just a trip down the elevator; this year we had to cross the parking lot and enter the adjacent building before going down the elevator. The local ward assigned a couple to be in charge of church meetings for the assisted living center. The residents gather in a common room with the Tabernacle Choir providing prelude music on the tv. They start with an opening hymn and opening prayer, then move into the sacrament. That's followed by a couple of talks by members of the home ward, then someone presents a short lesson and they end with a closing prayer. You can feel the Spirit and sense of fellowship and it was a great experience for us.

We happened to be in town for a couple of "firsts" for a couple of our grandchildren also, and it was nice to be able to participate in those events. Wilbur started ballet a couple of months ago, and his first performance was as a firefly in a production of "Midsummer Night's Dream." That consisted of about 3 minutes of running and twirling across the stage, but it was fun to watch. Theo's class did the same thing the next night (and I'm assuming the 5-year-olds performed on the third night).

Adeline had her first harp recital and did a marvelous job; Clara and Elizabeth also participated. We love seeing everyone striving to magnify their talents!

This time around we stayed with Julie and she graciously hosted a family dinner so we could spend more time with our own kids and also catch up with hers. Janelle premiered her senior capstone project - a short video about a pirate - and that was fun to watch. We love our family and are grateful for the time we can spend with them, however and whenever that happens.