Life in a Northern Town: FAMILY LETTER 05.24.15

Dear Loved Ones,

Happy Birthday to Aunt Elena and Happy Baptism Day to Cousin Jared! What a special day for their family!

We wish we could have joined Grandpa and Grandma Melin in New Jersey this weekend for the celebration.

We’ve had another week full of regular family stuff. One exception was I got to have an echocardiogram on Monday. It was really cool to see my heart. It’s healthy, with no holes, murmurs, or blockages. So far I’ve had my brain, carotids, aorta, inferior vena cava, and iliac veins checked and everything is clear. I guess I should back up and tell you that after meeting with the neurologist on the 6^th they suspect my February “episode” was a TIA and they just wanted to be sure there are no blood clots wandering around my body. We will get this all settled down, perhaps take a daily aspirin, and get approved to start exercising again and get off all the weight I have gained. I am sure 90% of my problems will at least be alleviated with that plan!

So after the medical adventures Monday we went to James’ baseball game for FHE with Grandpa and Grandma Melin and FROZE to death…it was so cold! James did great and had fun. Tuesday was a crazy busy day. It was Niles’ 4^th birthday AND James’ last field trip. I volunteered to chaperone because I haven’t done anything with him all year. So Grandma came over at 7:30 and watched Ammon for us. We had birthday breakfast and rushed off to school. James and I and his classmates worked most of the day at Rocky Creek Farm, planting trees, strawberries, pumpkins, sunflowers, picking up prunings, and feeding baby goats. On the way home we stopped to visit grizzly bears. I was exhausted! I caught a quick nap, then made Niles’ dinner and cupcakes. We ate then went bowling because Niles has been begging to go there. We got home and ate cupcakes and opened gifts. One gift was a pirate costume, which Niles insisted on sleeping in. He also got a Pete The Cat book collection, so we got to read stories and snuggle our cute little pirate to sleep on his birthday-night.

Wednesday I caught up on laundry and rested—working on the farm really did me in! Rich got to nap with me on his lunch, which is always kinda fun. That night we had our church activities and I stayed home with the little boys and went to bed early. Thursday Niles had a follow up x-ray for his fractured arm. It isn’t healed all the way, but enough so he can have his sling off. That night James had another game. It was raining hard when we got there, but the rain let up and a rainbow came out during the game. Uncle Mike got to join us, so that was fun. He came home and joined us for homemade biscuits and chicken noodle soup and the kids showed him the silly Goat Simulator game they bought last week. It was a lot of fun.

Friday we had a sunny morning so I cleaned up outside and inside and cleaned the car while it was sunny. By naptime it was overcast and it rained all evening. We had homemade pizza and movies —The Avengers and Paddington. Saturday was another rainy day, so we did chores in the morning and made some soup and bread and invited the Jones family over to watch Paddington with us in the afternoon. It was a nice “staycation” day. That night Heidi went over to a friends’ house, the boys watched Jurassic Park, and Addie and I watched “Three Coins in a Fountain” on PBS. We also played with our new app, Dubsmash, making silly videos. Addie and Heidi really crack me up sometimes!

Church was nice today, it was high council Sunday and we learned a lot about our new high councilor. He gave a good, heartfelt talk about opening our mouths and hastening the work. Niles gave the prayer in Primary, and Heidi gave a nice talk about how the 4^th article of faith is our path home to Heavenly Father. We had naps and grilled brats for dinner, even though it is cold and rainy. Now the kids want to join Uncle Mike at the ranch and make s’mores, so I think that’ where we are headed.

We hope your coming week is good and that you feel our love and have all the guidance and blessing you need. We got some nice letters from Aunt Jill and had a long talk with Uncle Matty last week and our thoughts and prayers are especially with them this week. On Wednesday Uncle Matt Post AND Kara Layton (Ryan’s wife) both turn 34 (I think)—so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to them!! We love you.

Love, Rich and Jamie and Family

PS: Just thought we’d share some of our favorite gospel quotes this Sabbath day…these are so encouraging!

“Brothers and sisters, I testify that no one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. I testify that He loves each of us—insecurities, anxieties, self-image, and all. He doesn’t measure our talents or our looks; He doesn’t measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other. I know that if we will be faithful, there is a perfectly tailored robe of righteousness ready and waiting for everyone, ‘robes … made … white in the blood of the Lamb.’ May we encourage each other in our effort to win that prize is my earnest prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”

-Jeffrey R. Holland, The Other Prodigal, Ensign May 2002.

“Who is righteous? Anyone who is repenting. No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting he is a righteous man. There is hope for him. And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man. The difference is which way you are facing. The man on the top of the stairs facing down if much worse off than the man on the bottom step who is facing up. The direction we are facing, that is repentance; and that is what determines whether we are good or bad.”

-Hugh Nibley, Approaching Zion, pg. 301-302

“I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.”

-Jeffrey R. Holland, Laborers in the Vineyard, Ensign, May 2012