Elder Patrick Kearon

Elder Kearon was in the area last week end for some training and he was wonderful enough to want to spend some hours today training our missionaries.  If any of you are not familiar with Elder Kearon, he gave a wonderful talk in the Priesthood Session of October conference.  If you have a minute, listen to it or read it.  You won't be disappointed! (It is at the bottom of this post.)  What an immense blessing for all of us here in the California Santa Rosa Mission.  When Jon told me earlier this week that Elder Kearon wanted to come over for some soup on Sunday, "to check on me", I thought to myself, when is this going to end?  I'm really sorry I had that thought!

I think having Elder Kearon over last night for a few hours is one of my favorite moments/experiences from my mission.  He really is such a warm, genuine, caring person.  From the moment he walked in the house, it was like we were long lost friends.  He was so thoughtful and concerned that we felt comfortable.  He was definitely here to uplift us.  I don't know how to adequately try to express what kind of person he is, except by a few examples of things he did and said in the couple of hours that we were together.

1- He was just so easy about everything.  What we were eating, where we were sitting...he just put us at ease immediately.  He requested some soup for dinner (I think he thought it would be the easiest thing for me to make) and I figured we also needed a little salad.  After the first bowls of soup were devoured, Jon really wanted seconds but would only eat some if Elder Kearon joined him.  So, he (Elder Kearon) jumped up and served them both another bowl of soup.  I'm pretty sure he would have done the dishes if I would have let him.  

2- His observations were genuine and heartfelt.  Hailey enjoyed the conversation so much at dinner, that she came into the family room for the remainder of our visiting.  He has two daughters younger than Hailey, so he was quite in tune with her.  He was in the middle of talking and he stopped to express to Hailey how remarkable he thought it was that she was there participating in the conversation, instead of retiring to her room.  And then he complimented her that she could participate in the conversation without being distracted by her phone (texting) or earphones or something.  He told her how mature she was, and what a remarkable young woman she was.  Then he said something like, "I won't say any more, but, it is really unusual how well you can take a compliment.  You just say thank you and smile.  It is so wonderful."  It just touched my heart that he was so in tune with her, and that he was able to build her up by giving her very specific compliments and that he could notice some really wonderful things about her.

3- As we were sitting down to eat, the phone started to ring.  I said, "Oh, it's my mother."  He said, "The Boss. You'd better get that!" When I returned, he asked if everything was alright.  I explained that we (actually my nephew Jared and his wife Melanie) had just had twin boys.  She was reporting that they were here, healthy and strong.  When it was time for him to leave, we had a family prayer together, which he offered.  It was like listening to an actual conversation.  No vain repetitions, just heart felt expressions of thanks and gratitude and asking for a few blessings.  Then to my complete surprise, he asked Heavenly Father to bless our twins, the ones that had just been born.  Honestly, I was so touched that he even still remembered that they had been born.  We had been talking for about 2 hours since he had heard the news of the babies, about things in the mission and what we were going to be doing in our meeting the next day.  He taught me a lot about being a good listener and how to make someone feel loved.  

I will probably never see him again in my lifetime, but my heart is so full of love and gratitude for the few hours we were able to spend together.  He is a brother in every sense of the word.  I would love to meet his wife and family.  It was such a sweet experience to hear how his call had come just months earlier, and what it had meant to his young family to leave their home in England, never to return.  He is certainly "valiant" in his service, because we were touched very deeply by his visit.

Our All-Mission Conference today was also unforgettable.  We left early this morning and picked up our new missionaries at the airport and then drove straight to our meeting with Elder Kearon and Elder Packer.  Being with all of our missionaries (altogether) all at once, is a very powerful experience.  When we first arrived in the mission field I didn't think it would ever happen.  It has to be a very unusual exception to have everyone drive such distances to be all together.  Now, it has happened three times since my cancer surgery in August.  Isn't it interesting how the Lord blesses us during our trials?  Thank you Elder Kearon for the impact you have had on our family and on our missionaries.  We will never forget you!

sweet sixteen!

Today Miss Hailey celebrated her 16th birthday!

I have had sssooooo much fun today with Hailey!  Turning 16 has made her very happy!  She had her very own father and mother chorus of happy birthday before she left the house, and time for a couple of pictures!

She stayed home from seminary (she never misses and is always on time! - seriously), which gave us a chance to have a couple of labs tests done that the doctor had requested last week.  Pretty good birthday morning huh?...giving a little blood and a little urine.  Next we went the the Omelet Express for breakfast.  Pretty tasty!  While we were eating, she got a text asking if she got it? (from Nate, her very best boy-friend)  She was like, "What is he talking about?"  After a little detective work, we figured out that he had left something for her at the front door.  We had to rush home to see what it was before she could go to school.

Nate dropped this off at 3:30 this morning!

He made these cupcakes himself!

And he is desperately trying to turn her into a BYU fan.

It was an especially good morning.  I was hoping she would also have a good rest of the day at school.  When I picked her up after chorus practice her arms were full of all kinds of birthday offerings and her face was one huge smile!  She said, "The whole chorus just sang Happy Birthday to me.  It sounded beautiful!"  We then went for a little practice driving and came home for present opening and dinner before play practice.  These are the rest of the photos.  (I finally put my new lens on my camera from Christmas.  I think I am really going to like it, what do you think?)

making a wish...hmmm, i wonder if it had anything to do with a first kiss?

she blew them all out...hmmm, i wonder if her wish will come true?

Here is a little update on Hailey...

Birthday dinner request:
grilled chicken
steamed cauliflower and broccoli
pasta and Recipe #99 sauce
yellow cake and rainbow chip frosting

She recently auditioned for her school play.  She was asked to join the cast because she could tap dance, and her teacher from last year was doing the choreography.  Then she decided she wanted to be a part of the chorus and have a little bigger part, so she went to singing auditions and she is all in.  She practices the songs with the chorus during her lunch break and right after school.  Then she goes to the gym for some exercise, runs home for some dinner, and heads back to the school for dance practice at night and on Saturdays.  The play will be the first week of March.  In the meantime, she will begin swimming with the swim team on February 7th.  Her life will be very tricky for about a month, but if anyone can do it Hailey can!  She is loving the play!

She is taking her driving test the first week of February in Las Vegas.  She is feeling a lot of pressure, but she is a very good driver, she should pass no problem!  I am excited for her, but I am a little sad for me.  I will miss watching her whip her clothes off as she changes in the car on the way to the gym.  I will miss her singing to the songs on the radio.  I will miss her telling me about her day as we drive from here to there.  I will miss spending that time with my little girl.  We will have to set aside time on her calendar for mother/daughter dates, so I can see her and talk to her and laugh with her and play with her.  I sort of feel sorry for her, because, since she is my last...she can't get rid of me very easily!

We love you Hailey!  Hope you had a Happy Birthday!!!

celebration!

bodega bay 1/16/11

mental health:

today i am celebrating because i feel like writing on my blog again!  i don't know if i had the new year blues, or a post-christmas breakdown, or if cancer treatments just got the best of my inner will to thrive and survive, but for some reason i have not been myself!  i am so happy that that darkness is gone.  i looked at my iphone weather app today and all i saw were beautiful yellow suns!  i must say, hailey and i are absolutely loving this gorgeous weather...jon is too (though he does love the rain).  last winter, this weather was non-existent!  i am counting my blessings (#1).

cancer update:

monday (martin luther king day) was my last radiation treatment and my first day of tamoxifen.  radiation was harder on me than i expected it would be.  i felt a lot of joint and bone pain and i lost a lot of my natural physical strength.  i was just expecting a sunburn and maybe a need for a nap or two.  i was a little over confident i guess.  i am just thankful that i will feel like my old self again, one day soon.  i am grateful that the poisoning and the burning of my body tissue has ended (though i am grateful it was available to kill the cancer cells).  i can see a light at the end of the tunnel. (#2)  i have not been looking forward to taking tamoxifen because i have been nervous about the side effects.  as i sat waiting for my shot of radiation one morning, i got to visit with another one of the patients that was also waiting for her shot (half dressed :-)).  she changed my dread of tamoxifen to relief and gratitude (#3) as we talked.  i know it is a miracle to have this drug, for someone like me, with the kind of cancer i had.  tamoxifen is able to protect me (almost always) and save me from the return of the dreaded "c" word! besides, having to take a pill everyday has helped me be better at taking a vitamin and calcium and i am getting a few more glasses of water in. :) i must say, monday was a very happy day, for everyone in my family.  i heard from every single child (loved it), and i got the biggest and best hug from hailey as i walked in after my last appointment.  we are all happy to say the least!

cancer hair:

it is growing back. it has gone from feeling like whiskers on my head to being very soft, but it is going to take forever for it to be long enough to look cute with gel in it.  oh well, i am hopeful, since it is returning. i am down to three eyelashes on my left eye.  it is bizarre (especially since everyone in my family has grown long, beautiful eyelashes).  i still try to put some mascara on and then i smile.  life is good:).

a birthday visitor for hailey:

megan wattles came for a surprise visit for hailey's upcoming sixteenth birthday.  yes, i did say sixteen!  so for our celebration, hailey, megan and i went to the city for a little shopping and sight seeing.  the fog was very thick at the bridge so our photos are a little different than usual.  but these girls are beautiful, so they make any picture look great!

megan and hailey

these two have fun together!

of course, a trip to the city must include a little lost time for susan.  and lost time means stressed time.  megan and hailey may have feared for their lives (or the lives of others) a couple of times.  (what are bikers doing riding through a tunnel anyway?  i mean, there is no room).  i am sorry people!  that is how i roll.

since hailey is turning sixteen she is very excited to get her drivers license soon.  she needs more hours of practice time.  she drove us to the bridge...then i took over (and got us lost)...and then she drove me home from the bridge.  in the dark.  in the fog.  i think that was the longest drive of my life.  she did great.  i was a nervous wreck.  i got home, took some drugs and told jon he needed to take over on the driving hours.  my nervous system isn't up to it right now. :)

i have rambled on long enough.  sorry.  it just sort of feels good.  have a happy day!