I was looking at a link Bob sent me and he had a link to "Mom's Blog" which I hit. Lo and Behold!! It has been 8 months since I posted anything, and so very much has happened. I guess we have been so busy with life, that I have not taken the time to write about my life. Here is a quick synopsis of some of the high points.
First and foremost, we have two new members of the family. Troy Robert Kahaku Justus was born on 4 October 2009 a bit premature but healthy and strong. He is the adoptive (still in the process) son of Bob and Jen. What a cutie!! He is growing well and developing so many lovable traits. He has the ability to focus on things for a pretty good period of time, something I do not remember my children doing. He loves the stars that Bob put on the ceiling of his bedroom, and pretty soon he will probably find the planets that are appropriately placed around the "sun" (ceiling light). I have been spending most Friday nights with them to help care for Troy and to help Bob and Jen get at least one full night's sleep a week. I know it is not much, but I only have a limited amount of time.
Sophia Morgan Justus was born on 28 December 2009 in Fairbanks, Alaska. She is the daughter of Brad and Rebecca. I have seen pictures of her and I was able to watch her on Skype a week or so ago. She is so sweet to look at, and according to Brad she is a delight. She is bringing her parents to Denver in mid-February to meet all of the family. I can hardly wait.
My sister was here to help care for Mother when she had surgery in October. She stayed until just before Thanksgiving. Mother continues to recover and is still trying to regain her strength. We are grateful to her doctors, the surgeon, the oncologist, and Heavenly Father for the outcome of the surgery and pray that she will continue to regain more of her strength as time goes on. It would also be nice if she could regain a little of her hearing. I think we need to figure out how to get her a hearing aide.
I have continued working my mission but will be released soon. I am finding it is just too much to work full time, care for my mother, and be available to my family all the while trying to put 25 - 30 hours additional into the mission. I do not feel that I am supporting the mission as well as I should, and have opted to request a release at this time. I will try again when there is more time (when I retire in a few more months).
Bob and Larry have each lost about 90 lbs over the past 10 months, and I have decided that I need to follow their lead. So far I am down 11 pounds. I guess at 63 weight loss is a little more difficult that it was at 35 and I have almost as much to lose this time. I lost over 140 lbs then and kept it off well for quite some time. It is only the last 8 years or so that it has started coming back on and I know most of that has been because of Mother's exceptional cooking and my lack of willpower. She has promised to stop cooking those wonderful gourmet meals and I have promised to limit my portions. We have started the long slow slide.
I am still working hard on our Family History, and we are finally making headway on Daddy's line. That was a really hard one to get going after the initial 4th generation. I can feel the urgency of getting this work done, and I feel that I am receiving a lot of help from the other side of the veil. With all of the new tools, and so much being made available on the Internet, I am sure we will be able to continue to work our way back. Pray for our success. The kids and I are serious about getting this done.
Those are the highlights. I hope to take time now to add some detail and maybe some fun stories in the near future. In the meantime, please take care of yourself, enjoy your life (it is the only one you have), and remember us in your prayers.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, May 25, 2009
Where Did the Time Go?
It seems like just last year that I was buying tricycles, balls, and kites for my grandson. This last weekend I took my mother and we traveled to West Virginia to attend his graduation from high school. He is suddenly taller than all of us, his voice is much deeper, and he understands how to work with autistic children. I attended a cookout with friends and family and met many of his friends, many of whom have previously graduated or did this weekend. What a wonderful group of young people! They know how to have a good time and yet are able to converse with and enjoy young children, parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. We cheered for their touch football game in the back yard, and clapped for the younger children jumping on the trampoline. When it came time to put the tables, chairs, and other equipment away, they were right there to help.
It was exciting to hear about their plans, some to go on to college, some preparing for a mission, some planning on finding a job quickly. All have positive dreams for the future. It was gratifying to watch the positive interaction of the children with each other and with their parents. What a wonderful family they have crafted. I am so proud of my son and his sweet wife. They have worked hard to bring their family together, and they have done a great job.
I was also proud of the four other children I had with me. They travel well together, and are careful to respect everyones capabilities. It wasn't until we were boarding the plane that I suddently realized that there actually are a lot of limitations that we deal with on a daily basis, and that we rely on one another for so much. I love my family and I am so proud of each of my six children. I love all of my daughters-in-law, and look forward to the day when I will be able to love a son-in-law. I am greatful to a Heavenly Father who has blessed me with so much.
It was exciting to hear about their plans, some to go on to college, some preparing for a mission, some planning on finding a job quickly. All have positive dreams for the future. It was gratifying to watch the positive interaction of the children with each other and with their parents. What a wonderful family they have crafted. I am so proud of my son and his sweet wife. They have worked hard to bring their family together, and they have done a great job.
I was also proud of the four other children I had with me. They travel well together, and are careful to respect everyones capabilities. It wasn't until we were boarding the plane that I suddently realized that there actually are a lot of limitations that we deal with on a daily basis, and that we rely on one another for so much. I love my family and I am so proud of each of my six children. I love all of my daughters-in-law, and look forward to the day when I will be able to love a son-in-law. I am greatful to a Heavenly Father who has blessed me with so much.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
And we just take it for granted.....
It seems like forever since I added anything to this blog. It isn't because there is nothing to tell, or because I didn't think about it. It is just life. Things have been busy and I too easily find myself in the rut, taking for granted each day, each task, and all of the adjacent activities. Today it struck me that I have not been keeping track of those experiences that make me who I am. So, for the next couple of days I hope to rectify that situation.
Let's start with late January. There was a big Library Association meeting here in Denver. I had the opportunity to take part in that meeting by manning a booth in the Exposition Hall. The booth was set up by the church to encourage librarians all over the world to add the www.familysearch.org site to their desktop. Our job was to get their attention, tell them about the site, and give them a short tour. How does one do a short tour of the site? There is so much available there; databases, the catalog, the new record search, digital books, research strategy, PAF, and PAF companion to name a few. The first catch was that, even though I volunteered for Saturday, they needed me on Sunday; all day Sunday. It meant missing my meetings and taking the sacrament.
You can imagine my mood. It is 7:00 AM Sunday morning, cold and frosty and I am waiting for the train. First, I don't like cold. Living in Denver does not mean I like the cold. Second, I don't like early morning and especially not on a Sunday. I had to get up at 5:00 AM in order to shower, dress, and get to the train by 7:00; and third, I missed singing in choir practice, and sitting with my friends in my meetings. I was throwing my own private "pitty party", however, I went with a smile and determined to let everyone know what a value we had.
Early on there was a gentleman who was interested in what we had to offer. He is a high school librarian, and the school happens to be about 1/2 mile from where I live. He is required to provide a genealogy class once a year, and asked for help. I was delighted to tell him that I would love to help. With enough notice, I can arrange for the time off to help out. I thought, "This is why I am here today, to help the high school students gain an appreciation of family history and their place in their family." Maybe, but....
A couple of hours later a gentleman started walking toward me with a name tag that had a name exactly the same as my cousin's. We started talking and I soon realized that we needed to talk more. His last name is the same as my mother's maiden name, and it appears that his family came from England via Canada. They are the missing arm of the family I have been looking for since 1964. He told me that he would have his uncle, the family genealogist, contact me and we could share records and verify that my assumptions are good. I thought, "Now this is why I am here today, to find the third brother who came from England and trace his posterity." Maybe, but...
A couple of hours later a very tall, very nice man introduced himself to me, and I found out that he is heavily involved with the World Wide Support Mission for new.familysearch.org. He wanted to talk to me about my mission, what I liked about it, what I disliked about it, what improvements can I suggest, how is the software working, etc. We visited for about an hour and at the end of the visit I thought "Now I know why I am here. I love doing family history and now I have made three wonderful contacts that will enrich not only my life, but the life of every patron or family member I come in contact with." Needless to say, there were no more "pity parties" on the return trip. It had been a very gratifying day of serving. I love my mission and I calling in Family History.
Let's start with late January. There was a big Library Association meeting here in Denver. I had the opportunity to take part in that meeting by manning a booth in the Exposition Hall. The booth was set up by the church to encourage librarians all over the world to add the www.familysearch.org site to their desktop. Our job was to get their attention, tell them about the site, and give them a short tour. How does one do a short tour of the site? There is so much available there; databases, the catalog, the new record search, digital books, research strategy, PAF, and PAF companion to name a few. The first catch was that, even though I volunteered for Saturday, they needed me on Sunday; all day Sunday. It meant missing my meetings and taking the sacrament.
You can imagine my mood. It is 7:00 AM Sunday morning, cold and frosty and I am waiting for the train. First, I don't like cold. Living in Denver does not mean I like the cold. Second, I don't like early morning and especially not on a Sunday. I had to get up at 5:00 AM in order to shower, dress, and get to the train by 7:00; and third, I missed singing in choir practice, and sitting with my friends in my meetings. I was throwing my own private "pitty party", however, I went with a smile and determined to let everyone know what a value we had.
Early on there was a gentleman who was interested in what we had to offer. He is a high school librarian, and the school happens to be about 1/2 mile from where I live. He is required to provide a genealogy class once a year, and asked for help. I was delighted to tell him that I would love to help. With enough notice, I can arrange for the time off to help out. I thought, "This is why I am here today, to help the high school students gain an appreciation of family history and their place in their family." Maybe, but....
A couple of hours later a gentleman started walking toward me with a name tag that had a name exactly the same as my cousin's. We started talking and I soon realized that we needed to talk more. His last name is the same as my mother's maiden name, and it appears that his family came from England via Canada. They are the missing arm of the family I have been looking for since 1964. He told me that he would have his uncle, the family genealogist, contact me and we could share records and verify that my assumptions are good. I thought, "Now this is why I am here today, to find the third brother who came from England and trace his posterity." Maybe, but...
A couple of hours later a very tall, very nice man introduced himself to me, and I found out that he is heavily involved with the World Wide Support Mission for new.familysearch.org. He wanted to talk to me about my mission, what I liked about it, what I disliked about it, what improvements can I suggest, how is the software working, etc. We visited for about an hour and at the end of the visit I thought "Now I know why I am here. I love doing family history and now I have made three wonderful contacts that will enrich not only my life, but the life of every patron or family member I come in contact with." Needless to say, there were no more "pity parties" on the return trip. It had been a very gratifying day of serving. I love my mission and I calling in Family History.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Formal Training is Complete...
Life as a Family History Support Missionary has started. However, I am finding that training will be ongoing for as long as I do this work. The work is moving so fast, changes are constant, and one needs to be open to change in order to function. Lately, I have been on the support line from 7 - 10 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I will be working on Saturdays shortly. What a wonderful opportunity. I have the privilege of talking to many people who are learning to use the new.FamilySearch.org software.
What is interesting is that I do the same type of work all day, every day, but I enjoy it so much more in the evening. I think it has something to do with passion and the reasons that we use the software. During the day I work with Pension Plan Administrators who are frustrated using new software to submit their companies retirement contributions. During the evening I work with individuals who are finding their ancestors and seeing to it that the ordinance work is done to seal their families together. There is a difference in the approach each is taking to the task and the tools to complete the task and the "long term" effect of the work.
The contribution will affect to some degree the quality of life during retirement (provided there is anything available when retirement comes). Given the market lately, that is very questionable, but I am optomistic enough that I am putting away funds with each paycheck. The contribution software is temporal and good for this mortal life. It is important, but it is not eternal.
The newFamilySearch software is a tool to help with Family History work. It helps us find, organize, and prepare to seal our ancestors into eternal families. The work is valid for eternity. It is not just for here and now. The people doing this work are serving their ancestors as well as their progenitors. Their reward is to know that they have done work for their ancestors that must be done on Earth but will be valid for eternity.
Did I tell you that I love doing this work? I really do. The people that I have had the opportunity to get to know, the trainers, training assistants, mentors, mission leaders, etc. have all been exceptionally wonderful. I pray that I will have the opportunity to continue doing this work for years to come.
What is interesting is that I do the same type of work all day, every day, but I enjoy it so much more in the evening. I think it has something to do with passion and the reasons that we use the software. During the day I work with Pension Plan Administrators who are frustrated using new software to submit their companies retirement contributions. During the evening I work with individuals who are finding their ancestors and seeing to it that the ordinance work is done to seal their families together. There is a difference in the approach each is taking to the task and the tools to complete the task and the "long term" effect of the work.
The contribution will affect to some degree the quality of life during retirement (provided there is anything available when retirement comes). Given the market lately, that is very questionable, but I am optomistic enough that I am putting away funds with each paycheck. The contribution software is temporal and good for this mortal life. It is important, but it is not eternal.
The newFamilySearch software is a tool to help with Family History work. It helps us find, organize, and prepare to seal our ancestors into eternal families. The work is valid for eternity. It is not just for here and now. The people doing this work are serving their ancestors as well as their progenitors. Their reward is to know that they have done work for their ancestors that must be done on Earth but will be valid for eternity.
Did I tell you that I love doing this work? I really do. The people that I have had the opportunity to get to know, the trainers, training assistants, mentors, mission leaders, etc. have all been exceptionally wonderful. I pray that I will have the opportunity to continue doing this work for years to come.
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