Life, a Continuum

When you wake up on your birthday, do you feel a year older ... or just one day older?  The latter with me.  The days of our lives (not to recall the endless soap opera following “triumphs and tragedies” in Salem) are a continuum, as I see them.  In reality, life goes on as a continuous sequence ... forever.

Of course, “on the other side ...”, moving forward (naturally not backward), what we mortals call days ... must be different.  It will be exciting and enlightening to experience that part of the eternal continuum with our Kay when we get there.

sunset at Cannon Beach and travel companion
– photo by Kay Cannon, 2 August 2012

pondering life and death of those who served –
Sister Cannon in Michigan, 21 December 2017

anticipating Michigan spring, 20 January 2018

Tuesday with Kay's Cannon Beach

We've been there, done that, and loved every minute of it!  Each time we visited Cannon Beach, my sweetheart Kay and I anticipated a new experience; and we were never disappointed.

Enjoying the scenery along the way to the Oregon Coast was always part of the pleasure.  If you fly to Portland, you miss out.  While driving along the Columbia River Gorge, we always stopped at Multnomah Falls and took a short hike -- spectacular!

Arriving at the town of Cannon Beach, we looked for a place to stay, usually not having a reservation.  "Good fortune smiled" on us every time.  Then we visited our favorite focal point:
"Haystack Rock is one of Oregon's most recognizable landmarks, home to colorful tide pools and diverse bird life.  It rises 235 feet from the edge of the shoreline.  At low tide, you can walk right up to it and find colorful sea stars and other fascinating tidepool creatures in its intertidal area.  ... [and it's] a great bird watching location year-round."  -- 2014 Cannon Beach Magazine

It was especially a great getaway for our Kay, who needed to unwind from teaching high school.  A spiritual as well as physical renewal she so deserved. In my mind, with forever-sweet memories, it will always be Kay's Cannon Beach.

photo from 2014 Cannon Beach Magazine

Turkey en route to beach

Thanksgiving was different for Kay and me one year.  Denny's restaurant in Pendleton provided our turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day, en route to Cannon Beach, Oregon.  The year was ... (need to look that up).  I was excited to find out they were serving second helpings at no charge, so it was effectively all I could eat and more than she wanted.  We missed family and Kay's yam-apple casserole.

That restaurant was not a traditional setting for the holiday, but the anticipation of reaching our destination made up the difference.

view of Cannon Beach (farthest away) from Ecola Park, Oregon

Smart Gratitude Too

In a heavy old envelope I had labeled “SMART PHILOSOPHY” was his handwritten, monthly message for November 1988, teaching us and other friends to take the season seriously.  Filed with it was the two-page transcription of “Count Your Many Blessings One by One”.  Our pioneer neighbor, Rowland Smart, did not skimp on words like I usually do.  So I share excerpts to set the table for this Thanksgiving, leaving the rest to your imagination.
(Previously posted November 3, 2013.)

“Because it is November, we all think of Thanksgiving and look forward to that feast we hope to have …  We all feel gratitude to God for the bountiful year He has made possible for us, and give thanks for our health and for life in this beautiful world He created for us.”

“I can’t help thinking of a poor old raggedy man I once saw who lived up Price Canyon just out of Castle Gate [a mining ghost town in eastern Utah].  I was patrolling one of the Utah Power & Light high-voltage transmission lines.  This line went through a dense thicket of willow brush.  …  I heard a man talking.  I looked up and saw this old, sad, downtrodden man.  He was using an explosive powder box for a chair, and had made himself a crude table … between two cottonwood trees.  There he had some garbage he had gathered during the night at Helper, Utah.  He had it set on this table on an old tin plate with a sheet of newspaper for a table cloth.  …  He had a bushy grey beard hanging down nearly to the table.  Then I stopped as I realized he was praying and thanking his Father in Heaven for this food he was about to eat.  I waited till he had finished his prayer.  I went back up the trail, then started to whistle a tune as I came back around the path, so as not to startle him.  He had merry twinkling eyes that showed thankfulness and contentment.  …  He said, “I ain’t got much, Son, but you’re welcome to share it with me.”  I thanked him and sat chatting with him for quite a while. [Rowley was always good at that.]  I know he was well educated, for he used better English and better manners than most of us do.  He was just down on his luck, an old man with no one wanting him around.  …  I told him I must go, for I was to meet the man who would be waiting for me where the line crossed the road.  He put out his big hard-working hand of yester years to say goodbye.  …  in his struggle for one more day as a free man …  He smiled …”

“It was then as I walked along that lonely trail that I felt gratitude for what an easy life God had made possible for me to have.  I thought as I walked along this stony rough mountain path that life is like a trail.  Some places along this trail are smooth; others are rough and steep, and hard to climb.  …  I guess it is God’s way to test us.  He loves us all and we are His children, and I know He expects us to be good to one another …”

“Remember this Thanksgiving how blessed and lucky you are; and when you pray to God over the feast you’re going to eat, pause for a moment and think of the people in the world …”

Kay's photo of dear friends at community program

in historic Kaysville Tabernacle, 26 November 2016

Time for Thanksgiving

One week from today we celebrate Thanksgiving with a family gathering, prayer, song, and ... oh, yes ... good cooking!  It's a holiday commercially recognized only with promotion of food, but spiritually honored with deep gratitude for blessings from God.

Looking back at past gatherings, I wish more pictures were immediately available to share.  Maybe some members will find theirs during the next seven days and enjoy reminiscing.  Family history!

May God bless us, dear friends and family, with a deepened sense of gratitude during the coming special days.

preview of Cannon Family Thanksgiving

gathering and feast next week

with a favorite: Kay's yam-apple casserole
(Notice in corner, she's watching over family.)

Kay's Thanksgiving decoration, 24 Nov 2011

on our historic dining table in Layton, Utah

our frontier neighbor's squash (a gift)

with twin amazement, 13 November 2011

Change and Constancy

While feeling at a loss for words, I still have some thoughts to share.

Since spring of 2017, my sweetheart Kay and I have experienced a lot of change.  During the last few months, I have thought of the familiar phrase/title, "constancy amid change".  (As a better mix of words than my title, it yields good results on the Internet; and it really should be a serious search.)

These are a few of my favorite truths that provide the constancy I cherish:

We are all spirit children of a loving Heavenly Father, who knows us and cares for us.  He provided the great plan of happiness and a Savior for us all.
"As the Only Begotten Son of God in the flesh, Jesus Christ was able to perform the Atoning sacrifice, which required Him to endure more than a mortal person could, and thereby fulfill His role in the Father’s plan. In addition, because Jesus had power over death, He had the capacity to rise from the dead."  – lds.org/manual/...

I also know this to be true, and it helps me through times of change:

"Faith is a foundation building block of creation. I am confident that the Savior Jesus Christ uses faith in His capacity to act under the direction of Father in Heaven.  ...  Faith in the future is demonstrated by a couple sealed in the temple. They understand that by obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the plan of happiness of our Father in Heaven, they can have a joyous life together. They recognize that when the challenges intended to be growth opportunities come, they will find ways, as prompted by the Holy Ghost, to overcome them in ways that are productive and character building."

– lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/...

The Transforming Power of Faith and Character

Richard G. Scott

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

With eternal love for Kay, our family, and friends, I share these few thoughts for all who may read.

There truly is constancy amid change.

sunrise over the Wasatch Range, Layton Utah

seen from the Great Salt Lake Shorelands Preserve

visiting the GSLSP with a view of Antelope Island

near our frontier home, 18 October 2015

Smart Veteran Too

With gratitude for those who have served in our military and for others called to serve at home to support war efforts, I recall my writing on Veterans Day 2016.  The post honors our veterans and brings back memories of a patriotic neighbor who gave Kay and me advice for raising our five children:

My “Smart Philosophy Too” post on 24 September 2014, added more about a colorful character in our young family's life: Rowland Smart, our East Mill Creek pioneer “blogger.”  Veterans Day brings back fond memories of "Rowley" and other super heroes, both living and dead.  A short lunch break will do here.

“Rowley was nearly 90 years old, a WWII (Europe) and Korean War veteran, good Christian ... frequently shared his sage advice ... [and] personal experiences – true (we believed) stories from his amazing life.  I still have them in Grandfather’s file cabinet (my OCH)” – built strong like a tank.

Now in 2016, again I found in that WWII-standard cabinet the interesting message Rowley wrote and shared with neighbors on 29 October 1991, from which I posted excerpts 28 May 2012, titled: 
"Camp Davis North Carolina"

“During the fall and winter of 1943-44 when I was assigned in the 247^th Radar and Searchlight Battalion, our outfit was Camp Davis North Carolina.  This camp was an anti-aircraft training center for training officers for the U.S. Army.  It was known then as Officers Candidate School.  That is why they called these officers O.C.S.  They were nicknamed “90-Day Wonders” because the training was for 90 days and if they passed the training, they became 2nd Lieutenant.  I can say one thing: it was real tough and hard doing 90 days of training, both mentally and physically.  They really earned their gold bars as 2nd Lueys, I used to say to myself.  …  I was the communications Sargent [sergeant] in our outfit.  I saw to it that they never made any mistakes that were assigned to Comm. Officers.  …  When we left Camp Davis, we went to Camp Stewart Georgia, and then to Camp Gordon for advanced infantry training, and from there to Germany to combat as foot soldiers.  That was the end of my anti-aircraft life and training.  …”

I thank Rowland Smart and all veterans for their remarkable, courageous service to our country.  May God bless them and the United States of America!
For freedom!

a year ago with Sister Cannon at Meadow Brook
Michigan, 10 November 2017

military memorial at Antelope Island State Park

near our former frontier home in Utah

Poem: Yellow

Yellow,

like a butterfly,

flitting through my memory,

lighting here and there:

"It's the happy color!"

Mother often said,

And it was...

chubby taxi cabs,

butter melting on pancakes,

Big Rock Candy Mountain's

Lemonade Springs,

bumblebees in the backyard,

fall leaves clinging to snow-covered branches,

... [to be continued] …

yummy, yellow pound cake,

and yellow roses – the symbol of

great miracles

wrought by love.

Yellow – Yes, Mother,

It's the happy color!

Like a butterfly

fluttering up

into a sky of

azure blue.

                                              – Kay Cannon

framed for Kay by a loving teacher friend

Prime Pictures

Not much to say today without getting too personal.  Plenty of pics to share.

It truly is a wonderful life; thank God, and cherish
your life!

We love you!!

Sweetheart Kay, loving the water at sundown

San Juan Islands, 5 April 2010
trip to Vancouver temple open house

sisters returning to British Columbia
(former Alaskan-Canadian Mission)

recalling high school daze in Vancouver
– Kay with Louise, 7 April 2010

revisiting historic mission home, Vancouver BC

joyful Kay at 2010 open house
Vancouver British Columbia Temple
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Tuesday with Kay on My Mind

A sweet moment in time, that Saturday morning, is family history to treasure with loving care.

Did I think this night, a month later, would be like any other, sleeping naturally till sunrise?  It’s rare for this old man, but I woke up in time to remember our Kay ...  
(So many loved ones have remembered since our return to Utah; as a family, we thank you!)

My phone Notes safekeep a journal of sweet and difficult moments in time.  Not tedious with Kay on my mind.  After one month in our “dream cottage”, Saturday about 2am, I noted with care: “slower, easier breathing.”  To be at peace, finally, must be a blessing.  At 2:22, “one last breath … Gratefully, she is released from suffering, and is now in her Heavenly Father’s care. I asked Katie, our oldest daughter kneeling on the bed …” (already in the attitude of prayer).  “She was led by the Spirit, and we were comforted – a time of indescribable love we will always cherish as a family. Our five children … shed tears of sadness and joy.”

Alone in our room, but not so, I was blessed with “two hours” of comfort by the Spirit and love I felt for Kay, my eternal companion. Naturally, tears flowed.  The world seemed motionless, as if in honor of that sacred time.  Grateful for the love of our Savior Jesus Christ, I knew our marriage was on a firm foundation ... forever.

A tender mercy – it seemed fitting in a way – to have those silent, dark hours before the dawning of a new day.  The contrast, in order, is symbolic.

"I feel my Savior's love. In all the world around me. His Spirit warms my soul."  – lds.org/...childrens-songbook...

Our family loves that favorite song Kay taught in Primary.
Dearest Children, she is near you!

Again, and forever, with love

in Grandma's hands – twin love
with another favorite song – for fun

Journal Excerpt Too

Monday, 6 August 2018, Sister Cannon wrote in her weekly calendar journal (in small spaces for brief notes):
"... doing laundry & dishes, mind racing with all we need to do & all we'll probably never get to do. I have frank talk with Ned – don't want long drawn-out treatments – I cry a little – blessed to see all children marry & see all Grandchildren. (Adeline sang ‘I Am a Child of God’ perfectly on phone last night! ...)"

Tuesday, 7 August, she wrote after being "emotionally exhausted" the night before:
"Talked to ... [three 8-year-old grandchildren] & Angie & Katie – got details of baptisms!  ... [Attending in Arizona last Saturday: five little non-member friends she had invited!] Ned & I doing our best to keep subject on them."

(Wednesday through Friday — another story!)

Saturday evening, 11 August, we finished packing up and cleaning our condominium.  Now homeless, we left Roseville for Utah.  On the road, though stressed-out and exhausted, Sister Cannon started feeling better.

Sunday, 12 August, she noted: "Slept in; went to Church at 1pm, Holt Ward in Holt MI – met Knightons – stayed for sacrament & 2 talks on gratitude & faith.  Back to journey."
[The end of her writing in the 2018 calendar book.]

I think Kay just prompted me to recall tonight's time change I had forgotten, and she now sees clearly – how we gain an hour when falling back.
Our Kay has not forgotten us.
Forever missionaries, we are ... with love.

looking back, 2pm Monday at Anchor Bay MI,

her water pic on our 47th anniversary

Sister Cannon's pic, loving the Roseville elders
– faithful servants of the Lord

her quick pic at the ward mission leader's,
thinking the elders like cake when meeting

Idioms / Expressions

The next time you misunderstand a phrase someone uses, it might be an idiom.  In Michigan, I would ask directions (uncommon for a male) and sometimes point in the direction of the destination to summarize with the phrase, "as the crow flies".  This helped build the map in my mind to avoid blind dependence on GPS, especially on the freeways of Detroit.  But the crow phrase was unfamiliar to Sister Cannon, so she doubted anyone else would understand this old man.  (For her, I had to say, "as the helicopter flies" to be clear.  We just laughed.)  Back in my day (before young Kay's day), most people understood how a crow flies, thus the phrase ... "an idiom for the most direct path between two points."  – Wikipedia
Whether I continue using the crow ... is still "up in the air" (another common idiom).

Have you ever "killed two birds with one stone?"  Kay and I did once when the kids couldn't sleep at night, and we wanted to watch an old classic movie.  Having them watch with us ... put them to sleep.  "Piece of cake!"

"Expressions are used to convey a message the way the speaker wants it to be understood. [Idioms cannot be defined literally.] An expression is easier to understand when compared to an idiom that you're not familiar with."
– differencebetween.net

So, cautions the expert, make sure your words are properly understood.  "If not, then it might cause confusion ..."  Seriously!

going with the flow at 80 mph,

recalling direction of destination

familiar freeway landmark on the map in my mind

Georgia girl visiting Grandma in Michigan
– birthday time like "heaven on earth"

meanwhile, "back at the ranch",
grandsons in the far West showing
the opposite of "... crow flies"

The Savior Jesus Christ shows the way
to our desired destination – home
to live with Heavenly Father.