THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE!!!!!!

After being "NUMBER LAST" on the list of flight attendants for the majority of flights I have worked over the past nearly 20 years, I have now moved to the number one spot on most of the flights in the past year.  And not moved slowly but surely.  My number has JUMPED in a giant leap!

Senior people in front of me are not retiring.  Naw!  They are still sticking around, for sure, while they can triple dip and still get their choices of where and when they want to work.

I think it is because United has been hiring so many new people in the last several months.  In fact, the other day I was number one in seniority again.  Our extra had been flying since last April, but the other two were in the same class which graduated just before Christmas.  They started flying January 1, 2020, and were notching only their THIRD trip on their flight attendant belt.

It gave me pause. Not only did I have NOTHING in common with these young women who are the ages of my older grand girls, but they have NO EXPERIENCE on the line.  If there were any kind of emergency or irregular operation, they would be looking to ME for direction.  Scary!  Help!  I'm certainly not there...yet.  I'm still looking at the more senior flight attendants for direction every time I fly.

On a flight last year sometime, as we met for our briefing with cockpit and crew, the captain asked us to go around the circle and tell what our seniority was.  Collectively, it was pretty high.  He said he could breathe a sigh of relief then, knowing that there were people who would be able to handle anything that came up.  Apparently his trip, previous to that one, was staffed by workers who had all been hired less than a year before--First Officer included.

Now I'm often experiencing the same unsure apprehension that captain was feeling.  And I have concluded...

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE! 

INSTRUCTION MANUALS...

Been thinking for a long time that there are detailed instruction manuals for everything EXCEPT some of the most important roles in our lives.

You already know there is no manual about how to get the maximum return on your efforts as a spouse.  Because it takes all kinds of people to make up this world, there is a wide divergence in the results of sincere  "couplehood".  That's a relationship that can still throw curve balls years after the "I do!"  So, it's pretty much understood that even though you are working at that perfect union, some days are going to be good.  And some days are going to be bad.  Heck!  It might be more than some days.  It might even be whole years that are in the "for worse" category.

But two that trump even a marriage relationship without instruction manuals, are the roles of in-law and grand parent.  And boy have I ever failed miserably in both those arenas.  I have read articles and  "self-help" books plus asked questions and done a LOT of observation in my own family and with the people I work regarding both of these kinds of relationships.  Hasn't made a bit of difference.  I am still making huge blunders and feel like I am relegated to the position of "other" grandmother, mother-in-law, whatever.

Now I knew going into that stage of my life that I was never going to be the kind of grandmother/mother-in-law my mother was for her grandchildren and sons-in-law.  No calming influence.  No pillow-y bosom.  No patience of Job.  No pleasant and tender remarks.  I am a career woman.  I am short and to the point.  I  see outstretched arms and sticky hands coming toward me, and my first impulse is to protect my uniform from possible messy situations.  I know I am about as lovable as a porcupine.

So, I can understand the "why" of being on the outer fringes.  Still.....I have high hopes that someday my peeps will look at me and find out I'm kinda okay after all.

One can always dream, can't they?

IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR !

Years ago on the last day of every year, I would open my journal and write this heading at the top of the page after the last entry for the year.  IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR.  Then I would list all the good things that had happened to me and to the family during the previous 12 months.

Then on the next page I would write IT WAS A VERY BAD YEAR and proceed to list a few of the mishaps that had occurred.  Nothing REALLY bad.  Ran out of gas on the way to signing the papers for the house.  Harold and Brice were jumping on the bunkbeds and they collapsed.  Brice's front tooth took a hit and the nerve died.    That kind of stuff.

The last time I made those entries was year-end 1987.  I was able to list all the positive negatives about Jeremy's death for the VERY GOOD part, but for the VERY BAD part I only listed two things:  Jeremy died and Cathy Callahan walked away from our friendship. 

 

Everything else paled in comparison.

But the other night I began thinking that this year was worthy of an "IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR" entry because the family had THREE milestone events.  (Forget the IT WAS A VERY BAD YEAR for 2019....the list is endless with United experiences for practically every single day.  No need to dredge all that up for a recall.)

So, here's what would be my journal entry on December 31, 2019--if I still kept a personal journal. 

1--Savannah Nichols married Jake Hatfield in the Payson Utah Temple in March.

2--Chardonnay Rozyc married Caleb Jones in Buena Vista, Colorado, in September.

3--Caleb Jones was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Orion George in December.

Three great entries that make 2019 a very special year.  Life is good!  

IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR !

Savannah and Jake Hatfield

Married March 9, 2019  

Payson Utah Temple

Happy Nichols Family

Celebrating Savannah's wedding

in front of the Payson Temple

L-R  Momma G, Papa Lou, Uncle Harold, Uncle Brice, Aunt Burgandy, 

Aunt Brittany, cousin Pippa, and cousin Cheyenne in the background

Bride and Groom--

Caleb and Chardonnay with Caleb's siblings

Wedding guests belonging to the Bride's extended family

Buena Vista, Colorado  

September 19, 2019

Orion and Caleb after the baptism  December 28, 2019

Westminster Colorado Stake Center

Happy Family posing with Caleb

L-R Orion and Briggs George

Chardonnay and Caleb Jones

Momma G and Papa Lou

Jason (Daddy Too) and Lynette George

LIGHT THE WORLD!

Today is Christmas Day!

In all the years I have worked for United Airlines, I have only had just a couple of Christmas Days that I was at home.  The rest of the time I was flying by myself, or Louis was able to come with me.  We've had some good times doing that.  But when I have been by myself, it hardly seems like Christmas Day at all.

When I got my schedule for December this year and saw that I had BOTH Christmas Eve day and Christmas Day off, I decided I would keep what I had been assigned, even though it meant no holiday pay.  I really looked forward to having a "normal" Christmas.  The only trouble is....I don't know what a normal Christmas is anymore with no kids at home to plan for and prepare with all the fun--and sometimes stressful--activities we used to have while they were growing up.  And, I didn't put up my Nativity collection this year and invite friends and neighbors to an open house to share in that very special feeling of Christ's birth.  So, there wasn't that to keep me grounded.

Add to that a whole different set of Christmas "rules" in Louis' family than I had in mine.  There was bound to be some clashes over how we opened presents, planned the day, what we had to eat, etc.

It so happened on this Christmas Day Burgandy and her two teenaged boys were with us.  Most of the presents under the tree were for their own Christmas with a couple of presents for me and Louis from my kids, our Ministering brother and his wife, and a friend at my work.

Then we had a "different" dinner.   That wasn't like Christmas either.

But...we had a great activity to fill the afternoon which really made up for a day that seemed just a little bit off-kilter to begin with.  We drove to Writer's Square in downtown Denver to "buy" some charity at the LIGHT THE WORLD Giving Machines that are in Denver this year.  Denver is just one of 10 locations around the world that have these vending machines, and we wanted to take advantage of that unusual opportunity.  Especially to give Orion and Briggs an opportunity to help disadvantaged people.

The full-time missionaries--without name tags--take three-hour turns from their regular assignments assisting visitors and answering any questions they have.  I asked how the machines were doing with the goal which had been set at $500,000.00.  It has been met and exceeded!  Plus, there is still one more week that the Giving Machines will be here.

What a lot of great good is being generated!  I believe people WANT to do something for those less fortunate here and in other countries but might not be sure how to do it, particularly if they don't have a lot of money to give.  The "gifts" started at $3.00 and ranged all the way into the hundreds of dollars.  It's the widow's mite all over again.  One small amount added to others' small amounts turn into something great.

On this special Christmas Day, we were able to LIGHT THE WORLD with bus passes, chickens, and school supplies.  They sound like great presents to me!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO SOME SPECIAL SOMEONES!

Here we are at Writer's Square ready to buy some charity...Burgandy and Briggs are getting ready       to push the choice button.  (I look mad, but I wasn't.  Inside I was happy!)

HELLO....I LOVE YOU!

I've been following the LIGHT THE WORLD prompts every day to do my share in serving others in a unique way this Christmas season , much as Jesus Christ did as he went about doing good during His ministry on earth.  Don't know if what I have done has touched anyone else's life, but I feel better about reaching out to others in small, simple ways that even I can handle.

Today the prompt was to call your parents and tell them you love them.  No can do!

My mother and father died within three months of each other in 1984 when I was in my 39th year. They've been gone nearly half of my life.  There are still many days, however, that something will happen and I think, "I need to tell Momma that." Or "I can't wait to tell the folks!"  And more  now that so many years have passed, "I wish I could talk to my mother.  She would understand and give me insight."  Or just have her put me on her lap and rock me (even as a big girl)  because I know that would comfort me more than anything.

All of that is not possible at this time, but I can still give a shout out in tribute to my parents and the blessings they were in my life--though I was often too stupid to see some of the positives at the time stuff happened.

I find myself quoting my dad's advice to me from my choice of shoes to the gentle reminder that my college roommates and friends might NOT believe the same as I did even though they were members of the same Church.  My mother's examples of homemaking and organ playing are just two of the myriad ways she influenced me, most of the time without saying anything directly but by my just observing and watching what she did.

I don't know if this blog qualifies as social media, but I am using it today to say, lovingly and sincerely...

Hello, Mom and Dad!  I love you!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

Christmas is coming!  


And with it once again the joyous excitement surrounding Christ’s birth which was heralded by singing angels, marked by a star that led the way, and was manifested by shepherds who made this glorious news known to all around them.  Sharing the good news of the Savior is a big theme of the Nativity story.
  

In a world that is becoming more and more secular, we can still declare the same glad tidings about Jesus Christ.  This month as we focus even more on the Savior, think of a special memory or a Christmas tradition that reminds you of Christ.  Then share it with your family, your neighbors when you “visit over the fence”, your co-workers, or on your Facebook blog.  Or in all these ways!


Here is my special memory that grew into a Christmas tradition:

Over 45 years ago I had an opportunity to teach a lesson at Church about the birth of the Savior.  I was just a young mother with two toddler boys, but I was transformed with what I studied from the New Testament—along with the music, art, and literature—about this one, wonderful night that changed the world.  My whole outlook about Christmas took a major shift toward the real meaning of the holiday.  


One consequence of that was my quest for the “perfect” Nativity set.  One that was far beyond our means at that time just wasn’t going to materialize.  So, we made our own little scene with the resources at hand—twigs from the tree in the back yard, little figures with painted bead heads which we dressed in scraps from my sewing basket, and animals from the kids’ farm set.


Thus began my long history of collecting Nativity sets.  Happily, I have found the “perfect” one many times over in a variety of different depictions, all of which I enjoy displaying and sharing (now every other year) in an open house for my neighbors and friends.  


What a wonderful spirit of love and true Christmas cheer permeates my home during this time.  I really enjoy placing each individual figure into its particular scene.  Through all my decorating and repurposing those Nativity figures, I never fail to marvel at the countless ways artists and craftsmen have borne testimony of Christ through their work.  Best of all, this happy endeavor strengthens my own testimony of Jesus Christ.

A wonderful addition to our Christmas celebration this year is a brand new video about the birth of Christ.


The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produced a new Christmas video which debuted on November 24^th.  Titled “The Christ Child”, it is about 18 minutes long with a cast of real people depicting the details about Christ’s birth both in the scriptures and with several added cultural and historical details.  It is amazing!  You can stream it or download it at LightTheWorld.org.  Invite someone to watch it with you in your home.  It will be a memorable time for everyone present.


Denver is also one of ten cities throughout the world which has been chosen as a location for a Light the World Giving Machine, also sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It is a vending machine with a Christmas twist which—instead of candy bars or soft drinks—contains a variety of charitable contributions from which to choose.  What a great way to serve others and fun for kids to select which charity they want to donate to.  

These items and services at the Denver Giving Machine are unique to the Denver area, determined and requested by local and global charity partners.  Using the machine is easy, and 100 percent of donations will be used to purchase the items donors select.  It will be open daily November 26-January 1, from 9:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m., at Writer Square (1512 Larimer Street #300).  Plan a fun trip to downtown Denver and “buy” some charity!  If you are reading this blog. and you are not in Denver, go to LightThe World.org to find out how you can also contribute to this Christmas initiative.


Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, 

“Christmas is a time when [we all] strive to emulate the love of Christ and show compassion for others…Light the World [gives] opportunities to bring up your faith with people in natural and normal ways, both in person and online.”





AND LASTLY....


One of the best Christmas experiences every year for me happens in sacrament meeting just before Christmas.  We sing praises to the Savior, partake of the sacrament to remember Him, and hear the beautiful messages of His gospel. This year it is on Sunday, December 22^nd.  I invite you to come and see what the Church is all about that day.  Also at LightThe World.org you can find how to locate a chapel near you with times of service so you can attend a Christmas celebration.


All of us have been focusing on Christ’s attributes all year through our study of the New Testament:   how He exercised faith, was always firm and steadfast, overcame fear, was a source of light for us to follow….   Now you can follow the Savior’s example and reach out in love and charity.   Let this Christmas season make a difference in someone’s life who is not expecting it. I promise, your own Christmas will be a hundred-fold better!

Merry Christmas! 

FORGIVENESS....AN IMPORTANT REPEAT!

In all the times I have studied the New Testament either as a seminary student and as a student in a New Testament class at BYU, plus the years I studied and taught seminary and the Gospel Doctrine class in Sunday School, I didn’t really recall the contents of the book of Philemon at all.  But in our Come Follow Me study this last week, it was one of Paul’s epistles that was on the docket to get a greater understanding. 

It’s the shortest of Paul’s letters, just one page, and it sounds more like a personal letter to Philemon as Paul encourages him to forgive his servant Onesimus who ran away but ultimately was converted to the Church.  

As I was studying this little epistle, I thought a lot about forgiveness—seeking forgiveness and forgiving others who have injured us.  There are some powerful messages in these few verses in the Pauline epistles.

Then I thought about a book I read recently which one of my flying partners recommended.  It was a really good book.  The kind we used to read in Book Club that had some meat in the story and some great writing to make it unforgettable.  (THOSE have been far and few between since the B.R.O.A.D.S. disbanded when Janean moved to Utah and the rest of us scattered here and there after hanging on for a couple of years following Rosalie’s departure.)  


M. L. Stedman wrote “The Light Between Oceans” as a debut novel set in her native Western Australia.  Briefly, it is about Tom a World War I soldier who survived the horrible trenches in Western Europe.  He enjoys being alone as the lighthouse keeper on a small island at the tip of the continent.  Then on one trip back to the mainland, he meets Isabel and eventually brings her back to the island as his wife.  Life is solitary and hard.  Soon after she has suffered her third miscarriage, a small boat washes up on the shore with a baby who is alive and a man who is dead.  Isabel talks her husband into letting them keep the baby, though he is very opposed to it because the baby obviously belongs to someone else.  The rest of the book is about the consequences of that choice.  


Eventually this couple finds out who the baby belongs to and the circumstances of its being out on the ocean in a boat with her dead father.  In flashbacks the reader learns that the father was an Austrian whose own father took the family to Australia when his financial condition was reduced to nothing because of his gambling addiction.  The father commits suicide leaving Frans (now Frank) the sole provider.  He does very well for himself as a baker, but the townspeople don’t see any difference from him as an Austrian as from a German.  He speaks German.  To these people he is the embodiment of everything evil about the Great War.  He is shunned.  He is treated very poorly.  He is ridiculed and taunted.  But he has chosen to rise above it and treat others better than he has been treated—always a smile and a good word even with their meanness directed to him.  That is what attracted his wife to him.  His wife, who is the baby’s mother.


One particularly bad day Hannah, the wife and mother of the man and baby in the boat, 

"recalled a conversation with her husband Frank.  “But how?  How can you just get over these things, darling? She had asked him.  “You’ve had so much strife but you’re always happy.  How do you do it?’

    “I choose to,” he said.  “I can leave myself to rot in the past, spend my time hating people for what happened, like my father did, or I can forgive and forget.”

     “But it’s not that easy.”

   He smiled that Frank smile.  “Oh, but my treasure, it is so much less exhausting.  You only have to forgive once.  To resent, you have to do it all day, every day.  You have to keep remembering all the bad things.”  He laughed, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow.  “I would have to make a list, a very, very long list and make sure I hated the people on it the right amount.  That I did a very proper job of hating, too:  very Teutonic!  No”—his voice became sober—“we always have a choice.  All of us.”  


Forgiveness is such an important part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The world is permeated with wisdom and stories (both classical and homely) which catalog its importance, not only to the one wronged, but for the one who is doing the “wronging”.  


Bottom line...we all need forgiveness.  Daily.  And we all need to be reminded that we need it.  Either through our study of the scriptures, or through the thoughtful creation of a talented writer.  There is no end of worthy examples for us to follow, beginning with Jesus Christ.


To err is human; to forgive, divine. 
 Alexander Pope

NOTE:  There is also a movie of the same name which came out in 2016, I think.  It follows the story pretty closely, so I thought it was also worthwhile.  Actually, I saw the movie first--and then could hardly wait for Amazon Prime to deliver the book two days later.  I was not disappointed.