Released...

Steve was released on Sunday. His memory issues were causing too much difficulty in conducting and serving in the YSA ward. We were each asked to spend a few minutes bearing our testimony. Here's mine:

From the time I was a little girl, I held missionaries in awe. After we got married and moved to the mission field, we had a steady stream of missionaries in our home. Steve was a Seventy then. I remember thinking, "I am so excited to me a missionary someday." Because of Steve's medical condition, it is painfully obvious that we will never be able to serve a mission. This calling has been such a blessing in my life. It has been the mission I planned on.

When our daughter Kimberly graduated from college, she was in need of a new experience. She had been living at home. Her older sister was leaving to take a job. Her friends were all married. She was between boyfriends. She needed a change. She decided to move out. She picked an apartment without knowing her roommates. I remember praying that her roommates would be amazing. I wanted them to be religious, goal-oriented, out-going, social, fun-loving, supportive. When I met the roommates, I was underwhelmed. My own daughter possessed MUCH more of all those positive attributes than did her roommates. I remember thinking, "What's with that? That is not what I prayed for." The spirit whispered to me, "No, but this is her chance to be an answer to somebody else's prayers." And she was.

I know that many of you don't feel like your prayers are answered in the ways you desire. I have found with prayers that sometimes the answer is "yes". Sometimes it is "no". And sometimes it is, "This is your chance to the be answer to someone else's prayers." May you continue to be the answer to someone else's prayers as you have been to mine.

Food for thought.

For someone, like myself, who has toast and a glass of milk every single morning, I stand in awe at European breakfasts. The hotel put on quite the spread.

There was sausage, hot dogs, and spicy hot dogs. Bacon and salami. Melon, water melon, grapes, and kiwi. Dried fruits such as apricot, plums, and mango. Grilled vegetables. Scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, and Spanish omelet (served cold). Sliced bread, rolls, pastries, muffins. All types of cheeses. Tomatoes. Fresh sliced vegetables, including greens. Yogurt. Cereals. Tomato juice, apple juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, milk.

The food looked and tasted incredible.

After our fifth breakfast, Steve said, "Breakfasts are getting boring. They are always the same."

Since his typical breakfast also consist of milk and toast, I was totally dumbfounded. At the hotel, he had more choices for breakfast than are served in my house in a lifetime. Then, I got to thinking - with all those choices, he had really eaten the same thing every morning - bacon, sausage, eggs, bread, and yogurt.

His boredom with breakfast was of his own making.

How many times do we miss out on what this life has to offer by failing to take advantage of our choices?

It's food for thought.

Things I never knew

This photo of City History Museum (Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat) is courtesy of TripAdvisor
This photo of City History Museum (Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat) is courtesy of TripAdvisor
This photo of City History Museum (Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat) is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of City History Museum (Museu d'Historia de la Ciutat) is courtesy of TripAdvisor

We went to the Museu d Historia de la Ciutat (history of the city). So interesting! There were artifacts from the first to fifth century BC. They showed toothpicks and makeup containers!

They had uncovered part of the city from the first to sixth century AD. Recycling was popular even then. The walls to the city had recycled cornices and parts of statues utilized. They unearthed a laundry as part of the city. They would encourage passers by to urinate in containers outside the laundry, as urine is used for sterilization and to set dye. There was evidence of ash and lye, both used for cleaning.

The city had pools for bathing - warm, cold, and hot. They directed hot air underneath the pools to warm them. The pools were available to all, regardless of status. I'm thinking clean bodies is a benefit to all.

They showed a fish factory. The heads, bones, and intestines were saved to make a delicacy, garum. The fish bodies were salted in big vats for three weeks, with a heavy top layer of salt to keep out the insects.

The top part of the museum was dedicated to newer developments. They had "funeral portraits" which were small busts of the deceased. I think when I die, my family should create a funeral portrait for my headstone, to make up for all the paintings no one ever did of me (See Picasso really could paint). Of course, maybe the grandkids could do a Picasso style picture of me.

We also learned about calico (printed cotton). Who knew it would become such a fashion statement.

Picasso really could paint

I learned that Picasso really can paint! We tend to think of him as being so odd. And indeed his later paintings were so strange. Even with the name, it was hard to tell what they were. Below is "girl in the mirror"! It actually does look like a girl in the mirror.

Some of his others are totally unrecognizable. However, I really liked his early work - before he got so creative.

When he wanted to change colors, he would "clean his brush" on the canvas, leaving the paint in an obvious spot.

He painted his sister, Lola, many times. I'm feeling bad that none of my siblings chose to paint me!

During his "blue" period, everything had a blue cast. Sometimes the colors didn't even stay in the lines.

The museum showed various versions of the picture, as he painted over sections.

Lots of his paintings had windows - to show transition.

I thought this "still life" was interesting. He made lots of them as they were easy to sell. (No clue why??) They made a big deal of this early still life, saying he had copied from various other painters. The black outline from one painter. The flatness of the flowers from Matisse. The flowers on the left, his own trademark. Who knew? It looks liked a boring still life to me, but now I see more (I think).

For a time, he was interested in the socially marginalized. I like the "Madman" below. His enlarged feet and raggedly clothes were symptomatic of mental disorder and poverty. His hands pointing oddly to his head connoted unrest.

He was also interested in other forms of illness.

It was a very interesting experience!

Parc Guell

Such a delightful place. Commissioned by a friend, Gaudi is at his best with this park. It was originally a private residence, but they must have gotten tired of the hike to get there. Now it is just a city park. So much fun!

So not an artist

We visited the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art today. I don't know how many times I heard, "Why is this art? I'm so not an artist? I don't like contemporary art. Couldn't kindergarteners have done the same thing?"

I actually kind of enjoyed it. There were exhibitions on women's rights, oppression, loss due to war, Palestian issues. I found myself doing a lot of introspection.

I could have so used a tour - but one in English didn't start until much later.

One of the interesting things was a display of three bottles of coke. One empty, one half full, one full. At first, you thought there was something about the bottle being half-full (and that view of optimism). What they were really showing you is that people took the bottles and inscribed a message on them ("Yankees go home", for example) and then returned the bottle to the manufacturer. You couldn't see the message until it was filled again.

Another interesting exhibit was a film of a fellow who had been commissioned to draw a mural - and THEN paint over it. It was to demonstrate revisionism. Weird.

Another weird thing was a room where you had to take off your shoes. Inside was a floor of sand (covered with plastic), balls on the floor, and images being displayed on the wall. It connoted drug use. The kids who were at the museum loved kicking the balls around. At that exhibit, we met a couple from New Jersey who were as disgusted with the whole museum as Steve was. The fellow had such an accent, I couldn't tell it was English for a while. So funny!

Life's Work

We visited the Sagrada Familia today - the life's work of Antoni Gaudi. The Basilica was started in 1882. Gaudi got involved the next year. He devoted his life to creating this "bible in stone". He died in 1926, yet the work on the Basilica continues. They think it will be done in 2026 (100 years after his death).

How impressive! It would be exciting if all of our life's work could be displayed in such a visual form.

He patterned his creations after what is found in nature. It is interesting how much geometric exists in nature.

Even inspiration sometimes needs help...

For years now, I've been trying out for nursery.

When I was in the primary presidency, we would have so much trouble getting people to accept the nursery calling. I would often visit the nursery so they could see how great I would be there.

When I knew I was going to be released from YW in the near future, I spent every Sunday School time in the nursery so they could see my talents. It didn't work.

When I was in the home ward RS presidency (but attending Steve's YSA ward), I would leave his three hour block but be too lazy to sit through another Sunday School lesson. I looked for a place to hang out. I tried going to singing time, but after a few weeks the primary president finally asked me if she was being released and I was her replacement. I decided nursery was a safer place. I hung out in the nursery for the hour before RS for a year. I thought it was great fun.

For the past six months, I've been teaching CTR-4, and have loved it. My partner was released today (to become a compassionate service leader). We got a new Primary presidency as well, displacing teachers and nursery workers. They said they were moving people around and wondered how I would like scouts or Valiant-9. I told them I would do anything they wanted. I paused, "I could even do nursery."

The fourth time is the charm! They took me up on it. Sitting on the floor, eating teddy grahams, playing with kids. It doesn't get any better than that!

There's no place like home

Grandma Allan has been fighting any attempts to move her into a safer and more convenient location. With the incredible storms we have been having and her loss of mobility, getting out of her home is tough!

On Thursdays, Grandma has a regular hair appointment. I can almost never take her. This semester is an absolute nightmare. I have meetings virtually every Thursday. Kathy has been spending a lot of time in Boise, as Lauren has had some health issues. Steve has stopped driving. Knowing last week's hair appointment posed a problem, Kathy and I suggested that home health care wash her hair on Wednesday and her cleaning gal put a few curls in it with the curling iron. Evidently, that was unacceptable as Grandma asked her visiting teachers to take her to her hair appointment.

This week we had the added issue of a dentist appointment.

A great granddaughter, Taylor, and her boyfriend were to be chauffeurs. Taylor doesn't have a car. She and her boyfriend took the bus to Grandmas, getting there an hour early (as with buses, you don't have much choice). They took her to her dentist appointment (driving Grandma's car) and waited for her to be done. Then, they drove her home. After that, they had to take the bus back to their apartment.

I said to Grandma, "WOW. That took hours. You should pay them." Her response was, "Oh, they weren't doing anything." I was in shock. She wants to remain in her home so desperately that she won't allow herself to see all the effort that it takes to keep her there. Someone comes by every morning to bring in her newspaper (as it is too dangerous for her to go out to get it). Someone shovels her walks multiple times a week. Someone comes everyday to help her get dressed. Someone brings in meals virtually every day. Home health care comes five days a week. A cleaning gal comes each week. She gets multiple calls a day.

I think we may have reached a turning point this week, however. She fell again on Friday. With two artificial knees, if she falls, she must have help to get up. She was sick with gastrointestinal issues, requiring multiple cleanups of the carpeting. Luckily, Bob and Kathy were available and willing (as much as anyone is willing for such cleanup) to come to her aid. There reaches a point where an almost 96 year old woman just needs full time access to care. Too bad we don't have any magic slippers to return to a happier time.

An ounce of prevention is.... evidently impossible

We fly through JFK this week on our way to Barcelona (for a conference). Looking at the chaos in NYC after a foot of snow, I decided it seems crazy to deliberately fly into such a mess.

According to USA today: Delta was among the airlines to relax its rules, saying travelers scheduled to fly to nearly two dozen cities from Maine to Pennsylvania would be permitted to make a one-time change to their travel schedules without the standard fee.

More than 6,600 flights have been canceled since Thursday in the United States, with most of those coming at airports affected by the storm.

So, I decided to take Delta up on their offer.

After spending a half hour on their phone system (which always stated the response was invalid and to try again), I learned that they could indeed route me through Paris on the departing trip (which is the exact route my return trip takes). HOWEVER, they would charge me $750. I said, "I thought it was free?" They said, "Well, the flight to JFK hasn't been canceled yet. But even if I waive that fee, I still have to charge you $500 for a difference in fare. You got a good rate when you scheduled two months ago." I said, "But I'm going to the same place via a standard route."

Unbelievable. They'll charge me $750 to reroute me to avoid a storm, but if they choose to cancel my flight (forcing rerouting), do they ever pay me $750 for MY inconvenience? ARGGGG!

Larger than Life

There has been a great deal of stress trying to get of grandma's needs taken care of. Today she had a dentist appointment. Since Steve is no longer driving and Kathy had to work, her chauffeur options are pretty limited. I told her I could take her if she could move it to my lunch hour, but I had other obligations the rest of the day. I've got so much to do, that I'm barely staying afloat putting in twelve hour days.

Anyway, Norm arranged for his grand daughter, Taylor, to drive her. Alda was less than thrilled. She said to me, "I'd rather have you do it, because you are larger."

If that isn't motivation to get on that treadmill, I don't know what is. So funny!