Recap (Re•ca•pit•u•la•tion)

The end is near! – (end of our calendar year, I mean.)  So I thought a quick recap of 2013 would encourage a reader to do his/her own summary of major events; no need to be complete or chronological – this obviously is not.

Google defines Recap:

(noun) “a summary of what has been said; a recapitulation.”

(verb) “state again as a summary; recapitulate.”

I finally retired my dog-eared (“battered with use”) 1998 Merriam-Webster Dictionary in favor of Google (search: define ______); of course I will use the old book when the Internet is down – that’s a no-brainer.

RootsTech 2013, March 21-23 – third and largest; (I still haven’t studied all that I collected there, but I have registered for 2014, in Salt Lake City as always.)

A major FamilySearch milestone was reached April 19: one billion records indexed and arbitrated since the launch of FamilySearch indexing in September of 2006.  Kay and I helped.  “FamilySearch indexing is a volunteer transcription effort that makes valuable genealogical records freely searchable online.”  – familysearch.org/indexing/about

I transcribed my father's 1978-79 W. Africa Journal.  My parents’ ministry and writing were a work of love!  (A sample excerpt:)

“Jan 30, 1979 – Cape Coast [Ghana]  We went again to the university to stay in the cottage that had started already to look like home.  ...  Then went through the Elmina Castle fortress which was built in 1482 by the Portuguese and [was] later captured by the Dutch.  It was used as a slave-trading base.”

The great Nelson Mandela passed on: “Dec 5, 2013 - Nelson Mandela, the revered statesman who emerged from prison after 27 years to lead South Africa out of decades of apartheid, has died.”  – cnn.com

“Nelson Mandela, former South African president and anti-apartheid hero, died at home at the age of 95 ...”  – chicagotribune.com

12/20/1:53pm KSL NewsRadio text message I got: "Fed. judge rules Utah's Amendment 3 unconstitutional.  Amend. 3 ... bans gay marriage."  The ruling was a surprise to everyone, including ecstatic citizens in all 50 states.  So one appointed federal judge ruled (key word) the majority of Utahns wrongly defined marriage (between one woman & one man.) Consequently, hundreds of marriages were immediately performed before Christmas Eve, as folks dropped everything and rushed to get it done.

The stock market surprised many as well, but that’s a story by itself for another day; wow!  Check the 1-year charts and market cap. on a few, for example:

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)

Burger King Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: BKW)  [fast food]

Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE: XOM)

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA)  [a timely tip from my friend]

McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD)  [more fast food!]
SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE Arca: GLD)  [price of gold dropped most in 32 years!  Time to buy, as so many ads hype?? ("exaggerate benefits")]

Kay and I simplified our Christmas in major ways this year.

Our trip to Arizona around the first of July was totally awesome; (is that an outdated phrase, or what?)  Our family there had priority over the big Cannon Family annual reunion on the Fourth in Utah, which was reported as a huge success.  We were blessed with two new grandchildren, Eli and Weston, born in May and July; our beautiful daughters and their handsome babies are doing fine.  Our three sons are stalwarts, as are their sisters. 
(G defines stalwart: "loyal, reliable, and hardworking ... participant …") 
We are so grateful for the love and amazing accomplishments of our two sons-in-law, three daughters-in-law, and 21 grandchildren.  May God bless everyone in 2014.

I spent $1.00 total on valuable books downloaded to my old-model Kindle e-reader, topping the 2012 total of $.99 (my first costly purchase from Amazon.)  Related events: My friend, who moved from Provo to Las Vegas in 2013, jokingly called me a cheapskate (G defines as “a stingy person.”)

My apologies for not including the 8th, 40th, 65th and 80th birthdays, and other major events among us.  Have a Happy New Year!

Traditional Family

When Kay and I married 42 years ago, we embraced some Christmas traditions from our parents, and added some of our own unique traditions during the early period of raising five children.  We were both blessed with parents who valued family tradition, especially at Christmas time.  My parents started the Samichlaus tradition they brought from Switzerland.  At the annual December party, each child received a special sack of gifts from the older man in costume (my father.)

It has always been about family celebrating the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Reading lots of Christmas stories throughout December.

Baking and decorating grundles of cutout sugar cookies.

Nativity scenes, including the live one with costumed cousins in the hay barn at the ranch.

Christmas trees; (we remember the dead branch at the ranch, brought in and strung with lights after arriving late Christmas Eve and hiking through deep snow from the plowed street.)

Reading the Bible together the night before Christmas – Luke chapter 2, the birth of Jesus – the real reason for celebrating.
First thing on Christmas morning: a hearty breakfast including grapefruit.

Starting traditional music, typically an LP or cassette tape by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, just before lining up youngest first, to go and see what Santa brought.

Later, gratefully opening the wrapped gifts from each other.  (We avoided the mad dash and frenzy that was so common and maybe still is.)

Enjoying time together at home, rather than the children going off in different directions to friends’.
Eating healthy fast food (dark chocolate, etc.) the rest of the day, and lovin' it.

I would say we have always been a “traditional family” with traditional family values.

Wishing you a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

Keep It Simple, Santa

This is short because my wife and I are preparing for our family Christmas get-together here today in our little frontier home.  This year we are trying to KISS (Keep It Super Simple), but you may know how that goes when expecting a crowd of grandchildren and their parents.  We will enjoy food, games, storytelling, and videos (Luke II about our Savior’s birth, and Mr. Krueger’s Christmas are two favorites by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

As there are only so many* shopping days left till Christmas (*retailers tell you exactly, including Sundays, unfortunately), and some family members may be starting to shop already, here's my simple list for Santa, including a few copied from my LFF 11/12/2010 and 12/4/2010 posts:

1. Dark chocolate (my favorite fast food!)

2. Cheddar cheese sandwich crackers (Keebler, etc.) (lunch on the go)

3. Black socks

4. White pillow covers (not “covers for white pillows”)

5. Non-fiction paperback book (old or new -- surprise me!)

(Notice fast food is first and foremost.)

Lest we forget, I add five more that are really more important, seriously:

6. Love note (Christmas card)

7. Family photo

8. Video of children singing or playing music

9. Children's artwork (including that of our adult children)

10. A righteous life (which I already see, gratefully)

May you and yours enjoy loving memories of good times.  Give yourself a simple Christmas!

A Bit of Brevity

Sometimes appreciated, other times not satisfying – an incomplete sentence, for example.  Google defines brevity: “concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.”

The bastion of brevity on the Internet is Twitter; (Kay still asks, “What’s the point?” while I wonder why I’ve only tweeted once in my life.)  Maximum 140 characters for a tweet, including spaces; (in comparison, “a file name can have a maximum of 255 characters.”)  – wiki.answers.com.

The opposite defines lack of brevity: commentary by Sunday School students who dominate discussions every week, or a lengthy travelogue in another meeting that comes to mind.  Listening to voicemail, like writing blank checks, not knowing how big they will eventually be; (when will it end?!)

A brief visit by home teachers who brave the cold (not just weather) to lovingly share a short message and offer prayer; (let the Spirit be your guide – one widow I know usually needs an hour or two.)

Fast food at McDonald’s, where a five-minute wait is not tolerated; and this blog, which (by design) lacks the rich content of the satisfying, full-course meal provided by other sites.

Need I say more?