I was thinking about people who made a difference in my life and these folks popped into my mind, and I thought to myself, "God bless so-and-so, because of [fill in the blank] that they did to impact my life." They are by no means the only people who have changed my life for the better.
Verdell McQueen, Melba Kelly, Mary Shelby--3 humble elderly ladies who lived in Meridian Idaho back in the 70s when it was still a country farm-town. They sought me out, helped me with my children, or in the case of Verdell, told me flat out how I should be raising my children. And Blanche Berg who did the same in Beaverton. Wish I had taken the time to know them better.
Tim Davies--He was in Newhall Ward when I joined the Church. I became involved in dance festival that year (1973), which was to be held in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. My folks were very unhappy that I was now a Mormon and there was plenty of tension about it at home. No way they were going to attend an activity put on by this crazy church I had joined. Tim was selling tickets to the event and unknown to me, went to my house that very day of the event and got my folks to buy tickets. They attended. And they loved it and were impressed by every aspect of it. And my life became better.
Janet Butterfield--Janet has heard me say this, and I'll say it again: Janet, you saved my life. Or at least my mental / emotional life. When I had 2 very small boys, the younger developmentally disabled, Janet suggested we trade children on a regular basis so we could each have a break. My DD son was not easy to take care of and though people were kind, no one else stepped forward to give me that kind of relief. When Janet's baby died I was able to give back a little.
Sherilyn Lemon--She was a whirl-wind of energy and accomplishment. She had to be, with 4 children under the age of 6. One Sunday she noticed I wasn't at church, and when she found out from Craig that I was home recovering from a miscarriage, she left the meeting and came to my house to see what she could do for me. Who does that? The next day Sherilyn was over vacuuming, doing laundry, helping w/ my little boy. And doing the housework in about a fourth the time it usually took me. I learned from her that my own time and energy were underused, and that acting immediately to assess a need--without second guessing ourselves--is the way to be.
Carolyn Cook--one of the people who I feel completely comfortable with. We have many common interests and each of us is willing to adjust our schedules to do something together, whether it's hiking or family history or travel. A few weeks we got this crazy idea to take advantage of a give-away of old folding tables where she attends church. We put 8 of them in my van and toodled around delivering some to other people to store in their garage. That way, when any of us have a gathering, we have access to 8 tables without having to squeeze all 8 into our garages. We do kooky things like this.
Eleanor Price--She was my Mom's best friend from her childhood. Eleanor was the "safest" adult in my childhood. No matter what dumb thing I did, Eleanor always had a smile and a kind word for me. Even her mellow voice was like a pleasant smile. I believe that just maybe maybe maybe, she was seeing the real me, with some actual potential, hidden behind my foolish, dorky exterior.
Margie Scorup--I attended BYU as a brand new Mormon, and it was culture shock, believe me. Margie taught me how to be a Mormon. Typical was one evening at a residence hall meeting when the group decided to sing I Am a Child of God. Not having had the benefit of Primary where I would have learned this song I never heard of, Margie sat next to me and whispered each phrase in my ear so that I could sing along. It's symbolic of all her "tutoring," as she walked with me a step at a time.
Verdell McQueen, Melba Kelly, Mary Shelby--3 humble elderly ladies who lived in Meridian Idaho back in the 70s when it was still a country farm-town. They sought me out, helped me with my children, or in the case of Verdell, told me flat out how I should be raising my children. And Blanche Berg who did the same in Beaverton. Wish I had taken the time to know them better.
Tim Davies--He was in Newhall Ward when I joined the Church. I became involved in dance festival that year (1973), which was to be held in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. My folks were very unhappy that I was now a Mormon and there was plenty of tension about it at home. No way they were going to attend an activity put on by this crazy church I had joined. Tim was selling tickets to the event and unknown to me, went to my house that very day of the event and got my folks to buy tickets. They attended. And they loved it and were impressed by every aspect of it. And my life became better.
Janet Butterfield--Janet has heard me say this, and I'll say it again: Janet, you saved my life. Or at least my mental / emotional life. When I had 2 very small boys, the younger developmentally disabled, Janet suggested we trade children on a regular basis so we could each have a break. My DD son was not easy to take care of and though people were kind, no one else stepped forward to give me that kind of relief. When Janet's baby died I was able to give back a little.
Sherilyn Lemon--She was a whirl-wind of energy and accomplishment. She had to be, with 4 children under the age of 6. One Sunday she noticed I wasn't at church, and when she found out from Craig that I was home recovering from a miscarriage, she left the meeting and came to my house to see what she could do for me. Who does that? The next day Sherilyn was over vacuuming, doing laundry, helping w/ my little boy. And doing the housework in about a fourth the time it usually took me. I learned from her that my own time and energy were underused, and that acting immediately to assess a need--without second guessing ourselves--is the way to be.
Carolyn Cook--one of the people who I feel completely comfortable with. We have many common interests and each of us is willing to adjust our schedules to do something together, whether it's hiking or family history or travel. A few weeks we got this crazy idea to take advantage of a give-away of old folding tables where she attends church. We put 8 of them in my van and toodled around delivering some to other people to store in their garage. That way, when any of us have a gathering, we have access to 8 tables without having to squeeze all 8 into our garages. We do kooky things like this.
Eleanor Price--She was my Mom's best friend from her childhood. Eleanor was the "safest" adult in my childhood. No matter what dumb thing I did, Eleanor always had a smile and a kind word for me. Even her mellow voice was like a pleasant smile. I believe that just maybe maybe maybe, she was seeing the real me, with some actual potential, hidden behind my foolish, dorky exterior.
Margie Scorup--I attended BYU as a brand new Mormon, and it was culture shock, believe me. Margie taught me how to be a Mormon. Typical was one evening at a residence hall meeting when the group decided to sing I Am a Child of God. Not having had the benefit of Primary where I would have learned this song I never heard of, Margie sat next to me and whispered each phrase in my ear so that I could sing along. It's symbolic of all her "tutoring," as she walked with me a step at a time.
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