Memorial Markers

As we begin the final week of May, and pause in the middle of a “long weekend” (the misnomer shouldn’t bother me), we remember the tradition of decorating graves to honor those who have passed on.  In the spirit of Memorial Day, I list some language commonly used.  With love for family and friends who are actually more alive than we who are living.

ancestor

progenitor

veteran who sacrificed for freedom

loving memories

memorial

cemetery marker (sometimes misspelled "cemetary")

headstone

tombstone

granite monument

bronze marker or plaque

inscription

epitaph inscribed, etched, engraved

billiongraves.com

findagrave.com

familysearch.org and Family Tree

urn

mausoleum

the Resurrection

Discovering Grandfather

As I made a “quick” delivery of three-ring binders yesterday, Uncle Lynn told more stories about Grandfather Russell, most of which I had never heard before.  "He was a genius."  I don’t recall ever hearing that about my maternal grandfather, but having learned recently of more of his amazing accomplishments and world travels, I was not surprised.

Dr. Lynn, my childhood dentist, has his antique dental chair in the family room, where their great grandchildren can sit and imagine what a visit to the dentist was like in the olden days.  He showed me two scientific books written by Grandfather Russell in 1928 and 1931, about speech pathology and language.  Those and many other items make Lynn and Melva’s humble old home a veritable museum, having priceless sentimental value.  They both have sharp memory for family history, but Lynn is more vocal in sharing stories about his father-in-law (first-wife Carol’s father.)  I include this because I think the storytellers are just as fascinating and beloved as my ancestor.

When I was very young, Grandfather Russell gave me a dictating machine that cuts green vinyl records.  His plan was to facilitate long-distance conversation with his oldest grandson, sort of like e-mail does today; US mail was a lot slower, of course.  In my youth I did not fully appreciate it, as I was enthralled by model trains, black-and-white TV, hut construction and horseback riding.   I still have the machine with records inside it, but the key was lost many years ago.  My goal is to unlock it and digitize the recordings for personal and family history.

Following Uncle Lynn’s lead, Google searched “journal of speech pathology and g. oscar russell”, and found “about 123,000 results (0.51 seconds)”.  I read several articles written by him and about him, and learned more about Dr. Russell's life.  For me, this gets more interesting and loving by the minute!

What might you be surprised to learn about your ancestors?  Whom can you interview to hear more about them?  I do believe that families are forever, and through families God works miracles in our life.

Mother's Heavenly Music

Somehow she must have known what it would do to me.  Was it a vision or glimpse into the future?  Mother's intuition to inspire a young son?  Sharing a “Like” with the next generation?  I believe all of the above came into play.

This is not a passing thought on Mother's Day, but a frequent warm feeling of gratitude when I hear great classical music. 

For this and all that my talented mother gave me, I am eternally thankful.  With love.

Summer To-do List

Gearing up for intense summer yardwork, I get ahead of the power curve by making a muscular list.  You should've seen the list I got for spring!  (My wife Kay loves to use 'em.)  June is just around the corner – aaagh!!  Neighbors are already in high gear.

(Some items on this list are out of order … out of control, actually.)

Eat two breakfasts plus three meals per day while reading; visit with Kay.

Drink gallons of water and lemonade.

Mow.

Water.

"Weed & feed" (Kay's favorite app.) – memorize instructions.

Poison worst surviving weeds one at a time – not the gardens.

Spread fertilizer without weed killer, in a poncho during light rainfall.

Inspect lawns for weeds; compare with neighbors' perfect, green lawns.

Dig and pull weeds; (I learned that includes grass where you don’t want it.)

Bike one-half mile or more (in cool fitness center) ($5 DI exercycle) after siesta.

Plan summer retreat from yardwork, hoping automatic sprinklers work and lawns survive weeds and scorching sun.

(See Genesis 3:17-19; thorns afflict our home – thistles invade the ranch.)

Remember: An ounce of ... no, make it a hundred pounds of prevention is worth 1,600 pounds of cure (if I converted correctly for this, not troy for gold and silver, which I may need a lot of.)

And that is only the beginning; (personal prayer, scripture reading, meetings, weeding for widows & ward garden, and various service projects are all on my muscular-Christian list – seriously.)

I could go on and on, but the yards are begging for attention now till the day I'm free from it all.

“Sunrise, sunset” – may the days of yardwork “swiftly flow”, and may the “seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers “, not weeds!
(Quotes from “Fiddler on the Roof” Cast Lyrics)

“What It Is, Is This”

What my passing thought is, is this: what bothers me is when I hear conversation like "what it is is this", I understand there’s a probable purpose in setting the stage so slow listeners can get the brain in gear, but it still makes me question the value of some introductory phrases.  When it comes right down to it, "alls you have to do is ...".  
Why not just get to the point, out of the gate to communicate?  (What I’m thinking of is a horse race.  I mean … think horse racing.)  
Economy of words.  What I’m driving at is … enough of my bad examples.  What I really think is that it’s okay (oops) – I listen patiently.

Law & Light, Look, Live Life

My memory fades, especially short-term.  However, with memory aids I am able to remember a lot.  (It also helps to put things like car keys and a worn wallet in the perfect place every night.)

For example, a scripture I read a couple weeks ago has become dear to my heart, especially on Easter last Sunday.  As I was reading the verse, an alliterative memory aid instantly came to mind (words with the same initial sound – in this case, the same letter): law & light, look, live life.  I had a feeling I should easily memorize the two short sentences – something I hadn’t done for many months.  It also helped to visualize the entire simple scripture.  The reference is easy for me to recall: an odd number (three) of odd numbers: 3, 15, 9.

On my profile list of favorite books is found the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  In this chapter near the end of the book, we read about our Savior, Jesus Christ, visiting and teaching the inhabitants of ancient America following His resurrection.  (Third Nephi 15:9)

"Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, 
and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life."

I was pleased to find purpose provided in "The Power of Scripture", a 10/2011 General Conference address by Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: 
"Great power can come from memorizing scriptures. To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship. It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change."

How to Lighten My Load

Writing this on Saturday, spring-cleaning time, I need a manual and YouTube videos on how to get rid of stuff.  I try Google and get this message: "Unable to connect to the Internet."

So what now?  To the basement where stuff is, to check the modem connection.  When I go there, I take action and find something easy to toss.  (No, not my beloved slide rules – a set of full-size and mini, which I haven't used since college, when the first handheld electronic calculator came out @$400.  And my longboard stays, of course.)

How can I part with my LPs (music on vinyl) and my …

What would I do without my vise (heavy metal with movable jaws for my future shop) and my …

Why give up sturdy material (e.g., PVC pipe for Kay’s historic kids' “fish pond”) to a landfill, when I’m sure it will be useful someday?

And other language common to OCH (obsessive-compulsive hoarding).

Then there’s the fine furniture we’re storing.  Our daughter, a non-hoarder and expert at advertising on ksl.com, offered to help me photograph, post, and price to sell at a small fraction of what we paid in 1981 … wish more people appreciated its true beauty and value.  I prefer donating to a worthy thrift like Deseret Industries, avoiding phone calls and dealings with strange buyers.

Fortunately we recycle paper on a daily basis, constantly filling a box and dumping at the public library bin to “save the earth”; (maybe I will contribute the whole Earth Day file folder after celebrating on the 22^nd.)  However, the Bryce Canyon National Park calendars are keepers, gifts from our dear older friend who served there as a park ranger decades ago; the breathtaking views of a favorite destination can be enjoyed by our great grandchildren as well … when the Internet is down.  Right.

Thank goodness for my tiny flash drives I will keep forever – my guilt-free digital hoard of photos and files I take with me in case the house burns down;  no one will ever notice … easy for our children to discard after I die or go to a rest home.

Resetting the modem, I grab some 2010 phone books for recycling, and still can’t get on the web; reminds me of hearing Lois Lowry (age 77, award-winning author of The Giver and 39 other books) describe a dystopian society that had lost all of its technology – a nightmarish tale!  This is a work in progress for next week.

Now on Monday morning (memo: watch for my cassette-tape backup copy of favorite songs by The Mamas And The Papas) my Internet is working.  I learned yesterday that a 17-year-old ran his pickup truck into the main cable Saturday morning, knocking thousands off Xfinity Internet/ TV/phone – stopped our world for hours!  Having archived the original doc and lightened its load by a few personal paragraphs, I think this writing is ready, and I am about to lighten my load.