The Blender of Life

Marc and Jarem on the Dragon Rollercoaster at Lagoon.

I read a poem that a young man put on his blog. It was about life, but he used a blender to describe it. It was very well done and you may read it on his blog, which is:

yellowlives.blogspot.com

The following was something I wrote in response to his blog. I actually went to sleep thinking about it and woke early with these thoughts. I didn't realize how long it was or that it could offend. What can I say...I got carried away. I did, however, feel that I said some good things and so I'm putting it on my blog. Those who read my blog hopefully knows me and understands what I was trying to say. So here goes:

Sometimes when we put too much in the blender, it won’t mix things up properly. Or maybe, you forget to put the lid on (like I did last night) and have your delicious flavors fly away never to be consumed. You may laugh, when the people standing too close watching, run off in various directions. You may be mad because you have a big mess to clean up and sadness…when you realize that you can save some of it, but other parts (that you worked so hard to cut) are lost.

Then another thought came to my mind…what are the most important ingredients you want to keep in your blender? What if one was a spice and she went to an ingredient party and found out that another spice seemed to be the preferred one? Perhaps they had not been “friends” as long as she had to the blender, but got to know each other through some common interests (such as blogging and chatting}, the blender found her to be the flavor of the week, and so he made efforts to use her in the concoctions he made. He even traveled to take her places and when she went to his important event, he took her to taste a delicious ice flavoring that he may add. This hurt the spice that had been his friend for many years. This spice, sat stunned and very sorrowful as a new realization came to her during the comments (made by the new flavor). This caused her much pain and she felt weak and not desirable. The blender was over full, so he wouldn’t notice if she wasn’t in it. She understood that the blender (in her mind was the best ever) wanted many choices and liked watching the colors and flavors mix, but he was too busy and the other ingredients seemed more important to experiment with. So…this spice realized that she was not a priority and went to the back of the spices to over come her sorrowful feelings. Maybe some day, he would miss her and would make an effort to find her. Maybe not...that would be the blenders choice. The ups and down of the Blending life can be like a roller coaster ride at Lagoon (see picture of Marc and Jarem above). Sometimes it can make you feel so good and other times it makes you feel sick. Maybe the blender likes the other ingredients more and then the spice won’t be missed, but allowed to heal and to find a blender who will appreciate her flavor.

In Salsa, tomatoes and onions are great, but cilantro and limejuice add the spice. Last night, ours was missing something, so we added more limejuice and cilantro, but it still didn't have the right taste until we added Salt (Thanks, Yuni). That was the missing ingredient that made it delicious. How many times do we forget the important spice because we are too busy, over-whelmed, or just not thinking?

This could be considered "food for thought" or maybe we should "spice" up our life. (Okay...those were lame) :D

Jarem's Family Birthday Party

Happy Birthday, Jarem! Yesterday the family celebrated Jarem's 4th birthday. It was really fun. Alisha made his Mickey Mouse Cake which tasted really good. Andrea, Ryan, Yuni, Marc, and I went together to buy him Transformers (a big one and 4 small ones). We think he really liked his gifts. It was a great evening and even the pouring rain didn't stop us from having a good time. Thanks Jarem, for being such a special part of our family.

Life

One of the hardest things to do as a parent is to comfort a child that hurts.... especially an adult child. We, Marc and I, are suppose to protect and provide. The older our children get...the more I realize that they have to experience life...the good times as well as the hard ones.

This past month we have witness a child having health problems, another that's discouraged and over-worked, and yet another that feels like she has given up hope on a guy friend that she really likes. Their problems are ones that we (as parents) can't fix. I have agonized and wondered what I could do. Each time, I feel that all I can do is give comfort, many hugs, tell them I love them, and pray.

Pres. Hinckley once said, “Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.” How is that possible when problems seem to be so burdensome? Andrea and a roommate of hers decided to take a class on studying the scriptures. She mentioned how much peace this has given to her. It didn’t take away her disappointment and anger, but it has started the healing process.

The Bishop recently told me about a talk that was given at BYU Education Week (2oo1-2002) by Elder David A. Bednar. It’s entitled “In the Strength of the Lord,” and talks about the Atonement. It also talks about prayer and how we should ask to give us the strength to endure the trials and adversity. It has brought much peace into my life as well as Marc’s. I recommend it to anyone who may be struggling.

I hope that my children will always know that we Love and care about them. I hope our Testimonies will be strengthened during our time of need and that we can focus more on Christ. I hope this Blog doesn’t sound too down. It is just my feelings and well…as it has been said many times (at least from my parents)…sometimes life is hard, but worth it in the end.

Exciting!

When ever I get a phone call from my ward, I always get a sick feeling inside me. A week ago the telephone rang and I saw the "dreaded" number. At first I didn't want to answer it, but I did (hoping it was for Marc). I was dead wrong! It was for me. The call was asking if I would meet with the Bishop after church. Oh great!

Church was so long (not really, but felt like it) and after 10 years of serving in the music, the Bishop decided to extend a teaching calling (in the Primary). I was very surprised. Part of me wondered why I had been so worried. I appreciate this opportunity to be able to teach again. I always dread change, but this is good and something I really needed.

Swimming Lessons

Baby Contest

Beckond

This is Ryan's Band called Beckond. They work really hard together to do original songs. I'm excited and hope they can earn enough money to make a CD soon. These pictures and video were taken at So. Ogden Days. The video just gives you idea of their sound. I need to have Ryan help put on one of his that has the whole song. Stay tuned. :D