December 29 and the year is drawing to a close. My mind is filled with so many thoughts. So much has happened in the 7 weeks since we have returned to America. We miss Australia and the wonderful people there but at the same time we are grateful to be where we can spend time with our family.
Since 5 of our 10 children live within an hour of each other it is a wonderful opportunity for us to see them more often. And at Christmas time there are always lots of activities. Since we arrived in Utah on November 28 it has been our privilege to attend a choir and dance concert for a granddaughter, a special birthday dinner for a granddaughter, a choir concert for a grandson, an orchestra concert for a granddaughter, a swim party for a granddaughter's birthday, a musical of She Loves Me for 2 of our grandsons, an amazing choir concert for another grandson, and a recital for 3 of our grandsons who played the cello, the drums and the guitar. Each time we packed our suitcases and went to stay overnight in the homes of those participating. Such fun!
Now we are mostly settled in the home of our son in Orem which is only minutes away from our house in Pleasant Grove so we can often check on the progress.
It had been possibly decades since we had seen the lights of Temple Square so it was a delight for me to take the train up there with our family and see that beauty once again. There were hundreds if not thousands of people there. I guess it is pretty popular event. On another time our family also brought us to see the amazing Tree of Life in Draper. Just lovely!
And what a delight to be with several in our family for a Christmas dinner. We have missed out on so much by living far away and look forward to many more get togethers and there will be another tomorrow.
It was nice to just spend Christmas Eve and most of the day with our son and his family and also one of our single grandsons who joined us.
Spending time with family is such blessing.
Of course we are also dealing with trying to get things established with our insurances, our medical situation and waiting for our house to be DONE!
Steve has an appointment with a neurologist on January 3. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of why he is struggling so much with walking.
We have learned that a monthly fee to a car wash will allow us to wash the car as often as we wish. That is very helpful with all of the road salt!
The weather is definitely colder than we have experienced for awhile and there has been some snow. And I know they need snow for the moisture but we are grateful it has not been too much because the better weather has allowed the work to go forward on our house. Sadly our first of of February closing date will not happen. I am afraid that other homes were moved forward in the queue ahead of our house while we were out of the country so it is taking longer. But the mudding and taping is almost done inside the house after which the shelves will be put in the closets and then the house can be painted and the cabinets installed. Outside they are putting up the black paper in preparation for the stucco to be applied.
Our children have all been lovely and generous in inviting us to stay with them while we are homeless. So it is not as if we have no where to go but it is hard to not be in our own space. I am sure there is something I need to learn while we are in this limbo but I will sure be glad to have my own house and to have our belongings out of storage and to feel like I can move forward.
Yet, I keep reminding myself that I need to 'savor the moment' as there are just a lot of sweet moments with our families.
We ordered new phones since our old ones were OLD and not keeping up with our needs. On Monday we should be able to pick them up. Thanks to our son-in-law things are shaping up rather nicely.
Our hearts have truly been filled with gratitude as we have enjoyed this time with so many of those we love. It has been nice to attend the temple. We are trying to get back into our weekly temple time. So far we have been to the Vancouver temple, the Jordan River temple and the Mt Timpanogas temple a couple of times.
But there has also been sadness in our lives as my aunt who was 91 years old passed unexpectedly on December 23. She was an amazing woman and a true matriarch for her family. Then the next day, December 24, my brother-in-law also passed unexpectedly at only 68 years of age. He was a good man and it was too soon to lose him. It is a hard time for the families and it also makes me realize that we all have an expiration date and that it is so important to live our lives the best we can.
I am grateful for the Plan of Salvation that provides a way for us to return to our Father in Heaven. How lost we would all be without that opportunity.
In just a couple of days our calendars will turn to 2019. New Years Day has always been one of my favorite days. I love that it gives me a clean blank sheet on which to live my life.
I wish you all a Happy New Year! May you work to make your dreams come true.
