I really love ..........

. . . what christal wrote yesterday, and, when i'm done *garden reporting,* i want to add some of what she posted ......

i'm so excited .... kate and matt and the gang are coming this weekend to drop off caleb for a vacy with gramma

i know we will have sooo much fun .... fishing, bike riding, swimming, gardening, deciding to have ice cream for breakfast (LOL) -- ya'll know the rules: ice cream for breakfast at gramma's --

or any other little thing we like .....

our garden is so wonderful ... it brings me great peace and calm when i work in it ... it is truly a blessing ... sadly, though, i have over watered and some of the zucchinis are not happy:


when i posted this on gardenweb.com, the response was that the zucchinis could be over watered or the plants could be over producing, but b/c we have had good fruit previously, all should be ok ... so, i have not watered this week (it's killing me b/c it's hot and they look hot, too ... LOL) ... i am checking the plants daily for any *aberrations* ... this is what they look like now:


i'm really feeling much better after my *experience* on monday: i had the bx at 2, and, after being in a recovery room for a while, i was transferred to the *step-down* recovery unit ... i could order anything i wanted for david and my dinner, so we feasted courtesy of virginia mason hospital -- deluxe hamburger w/cheese and bacon; steak fries, salad w/ranch dressing; lemon meringue pie AND angle food cake with strawberries and topping .... WOW!!! ... then we left to drive home with a stop at derek's (david's son) home ... however, i was so sore i could not face the 2.5 hr drive home, so we stayed the night with derek and beth ... i have been sitting and *behaving* myself (hard to believe, i know) for the past couple of days and have recovered completely ...

now, on to some of the things christal posted -- this is what she says:

*I love profound things that jump out of a book and make me evaluate how I think and do things. I am so thankful for the ride of life, the ups, the downs; all of it shapes us into who we are.*

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"In our lives we hear a lot about the future and what we should do with it. Those that tell you the the future is up to you are dishonest. The future is not always up to you. But the cynics who would tell us that the future is not up to you are also lying.

What then is the truth?

The truth is that your heart will be broken. People you love will die. Dreams you have will not work out the way you intended. People are capable of cruelty that will wound you deeply. At the end of you life your body will be old and out of control. This is if you are lucky. There are those to whom this happens when they are young, which is one of the saddest things that can happen. You will be scared. In the world in which we live, people will murder and degrade and hurt other people in ways that are incomprehensible. You will wake up in the middle of the night and feel a weight on your chest and in your soul that you don't know if you can shake.

So what makes life worth living?

There is so much that makes life worth living. The gospel is true. Jesus Christ died for us and HE and our Father in Heaven love us more than we can imagine. You will hear babies laugh. You will love people, and they will love you. One night, you will wake up and hear the quiet and you will feel peace. People are capable of kindness and goodness and they will show it to you, and you will show it to them. You will learn things. Dreams that you have had will come true. Not all of them but some of them. You will have moments of joy at just being alive that will fill your soul. You will have to decide if these things outweigh the others. But you cannot be lazy. You cannot expect good to happen to you and think that you do not have to contribute.

Pres. Hinckley once quoted Jenkins Lloyd Jones saying:

' Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is most putts don't drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration. Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise......

'Life is like an old time rail journey -- delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.

'The trick is to THANK the Lord for letting you have the ride'

Pay attention to those around you. Do not take your association with others lightly without thinking about what effect you might cause. Don't let this cripple you, let it empower you and make you think. You can't do things only for other people, you also can't do things only for yourself. It will ruin you either way.

Your life is going to be wonderful if you embrace wonder, and
worthwhile if you embrace things that are of worth."

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christal, your blog is so awesome ... i learn so much from you .... thank you so much for who you are and what a wonderful influence you are on your family and all with whom you come in contact!

i am thankful for and love and appreciate my family: my husband, my daughters and son and their spouses, and my very darling, very precious, very cutie grandchildren .... i'm thankful for the trials in my life, for they have made me strong and more sure of who i am -- a daughter of god ... i'm thankful for being a member of the lord's church ... and, most important,

i'm thankful for my testimony and for how much i know heavenly father loves me.

CONGRATULATIONS
MOLLY AND MIKE AND TEVIA
i'm way too excited!