Mothers...

Last week I wrote all about family activities and included lots of pictures.  I mentioned Mother's Day, but I didn't mention my own mother.  Phil was a little more thoughtful than I was.  He quoted from my mother's personal history. Phil wrote:

 "Ila Nan Clyde was raised largely by her Aunt Jen, her mother’s sister who married Ila’s father a year or so after her own mother (Henrietta) died of breast cancer. My mom has no personal memory of her mother as she was only 18 months old when she died. My mom said there was always a portrait of her on display in the home (now in Bruce and Nan’s home), but she regrets that Henrietta did not leave any written record of her life so she could have known her. There’s a lesson. My mom’s life sketch is maybe 12 type-written pages, but is full of insights and hints into her life. Write at least something for your posterity!"

I had to smile at this because my wonderful mother was so disappointed that her own mother hadn't left her any writings or glimpses into her life.  She always encouraged us to write a journal, but in this instance she talked by words and not example--she wrote very little of her own life (other than this 12 page history).  She did share a lot of stories, however, and some of her children have written them down, so we probably have more information than we realize."

Phil continued:

"It was interesting to learn that elementary school ended after 4th grade, and high school started in the 7th grade. Grading was S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). It was easy to earn S’s, but it kept my mother from excelling. She lamented that.

She wrote,

“I graduated from Springville High in 1939. There were 98 in my graduation class and this year 1989 we will be celebrating our fiftieth class reunion. Many of my friends have passed away, many lost their lives in World War II.”

She listened to the radio all day on December 7, 1941. “My roommate… and I were listening to the radio getting ready for church when we heard the news. I had a difficult time believing news announcement [that Japan had attacked and destroyed the U.S. fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor].” We stayed glued to the radio with the other sorority sisters all day. Germany had already taken over Czechoslovakia, Austria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, and France. Our country would not have peace until we defeated Germany on May 7, 1945, and Japan in the following August. World War II had a big impact on my life and changed my history.”

Gene transferred from the guard to the United States Air Force (Army Air Corps). After receiving his pilot’s wings they married (May 7, 1941). He left almost immediately for Florida to continue his training. She stayed behind for graduation from the University of Utah. I believe she eventually joined him in Florida. He shipped off for India on November 7, 1943, and died November 29, 1943 in a crash landing on a flight he took as an observer without his own crew.

“His death was a complete shock. I had always believed he would return. My father and Aunt Jen were wonderful in helping me adjust to this tragedy. They encouraged me to return to my teaching immediately. I was advised to keep busy and occupied, not to question why this had to happen. It took me some time to accept his death. One night was especially hard and I prayed for guidance and inspiration. Gene came to me in a dream and told me everything was great for

him and I must adjust and go on with my life. I was hindering him from doing the things he needed to accomplish. I accepted his death after this personal revelation and began to make plans for my future.”

After teaching junior high and high school, apparently only for a few months, she decided to work for the war department. Then, with depressing war news continuing, she grew restless. She and her friend decided to take a vacation to New York. They loved New York and opted to stay. She got a job testing gunsights for the government, but it was boring, so she enrolled at NYU in a masters in retailing program.

It was while in New York that she met Vernon Cook, a navy man from Tremonton, Utah. His ship had docked there for repairs and he attended church meetings. At their first meeting, he was actually looking for her roommate, who had stayed home that night. Vernon decided to join Ila on the subway and bus rides home in order to see her roommate. By the time the hour-long commute ended, he had asked Ila out and their courtship began.

I see miracles in my mother’s life. Being raised by a loving woman who she regarded as her mother, receiving her personal revelation about Gene, meeting in New York and falling in love with a man from a small town in Utah, giving birth to seven children, the last three after significant health concerns indicated she shouldn’t have any more, and surviving certain children who made her life harder. She often had little help with the home obligations from Vernon who was working most of the time, but she persevered.

Bruce could have written my own personal lament when he wrote, “As I look back at my life and I think of my mother, I cringe internally. I do this because when I was a youth I did not reward my mother with the same qualities that she showed me. Unfortunately, I recall that I was often pretty self-centered, perhaps selfish, caring about my own feelings more than my mother’s. I wish I had been a better son in my growing up years. Hopefully, I was more discerning as an adult.”

I’m so grateful to have had such a mother as I had. And I’m grateful for the testimony she left her posterity.

“I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that he lives and gave His life that we might have eternal life. As we strive each day to live the teachings of our Savior, we can and will inherit the Celestial Kingdom. As we grow, precept upon precept, keeping His commandments, striving always to improve our lives each day, we will be blessed.

“The Gospel is true. Joseph Smith was chosen to restore the Gospel in this, the last dispensation. He was and is a prophet and a great individual that earned his eternal reward. As I study and learn, my testimony strengthens and I have great joy, and a strong belief that it is true comes into my heart.

“My testimony did not come as a flash of light, but I had a desire to know of its truthfulness and attained such a testimony by study, prayer, and trying to live its principles. So over the years it has been stronger. Many of my prayers have been answered. My blessings have been – too numerous to count. The greatest blessings have been my marriage to Vernon and the family I was given the privilege to have as my stewardship."

“The Gospel has brought peace of mind, calm assurance that the Lord knows best what I need. We have trials, tribulations and the way may be hard, but with the Lord’s help, everything always works out for the best as long as we do our share by keeping His commandments.

“My greatest desire is to have my children and their families live the principles of the gospel so we will be together as a family in the eternities.

“In closing my history at this time, I would like to quote from Jacob 7:26, ‘…I have written to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time has passed away with us, and also our lives passed away lie as it were unto us a dream….’

“Looking back through the years, my life does seem like a dream.”

My mother left us her testimony, which is more important than anything else she could have written for us.

I also failed to mention how much I learn from my own daughters.  I love watching them as they raise their own families (and I learn from the two that don't have children yet, also).  I have said many times how grateful I am that my children want to have children.  This is a rare quality in the world these days.

We have had some interaction with family this week, and a few pictures shared:

Dojin and Doyeon on the swing

Todd is growing, but he still looks like a newborn--
that won't last very long.

Avie and Camden.  I was trying to get Avie to
sit for the picture and she wasn't interested until 
Camden got in on it.

Mav (in the middle) with a couple of friends at his
pre-school graduation program.  At least they didn't put
the caps and gowns on them, I think that's a little too much.

I spent a lot of time on this quilt this week.  I did the quilting
on my machine.  I'm not super happy with it because when lines cross as you sew, if your 
fabric isn't perfectly flat, you get some creases.  However, you can't
tell unless you look really closely.  Christine says that my cousin Carma's (Clyde Russell) philosophy is, "if you can't see it from a galloping horse it doesn't matter if it's not perfect."
I haven't put on the binding yet.

    

Nick's family gets the award for the most accident prone kids this week.  Avie face-planted on their family walk.  In the picture below it looks like she came out of it okay.  

They also had a miracle in Sara's family this week.  Her dad went to lunch with her brother and was fine, then when he went back to work he passed out.  Someone did CPR and with two shocks they were able to revive him--but Sara says all his ribs are broken. Mark has been near death quite often because of his Crohn's disease, but it's obviously not his time to go.

Roy went camping on Friday night with the young men, (only one  of his priests was able to make it).  The first picture is part of our new bishopric. The first man on the left is Norm Albiston.  He was our home teacher when we first moved in the ward.  (He actually dated Christy Cunningham a couple of times).  The next is a neighbor, Bro. Johnson, then our bishop and his counselor, Bro. Noice.  Roy asked Bro. Noice if his wife liked him with a beard.  He said, "She likes me with a beard, but not this beard!)  Roy likes me to keep track of some of the things he does since he doesn't have any time to sit and write a letter like this.  I'm happy to do it, even though I didn't participate in his camping trip.

Roy gave these two boys $5.00 to split if they would put his tent up
and take it down when they were done.  I guess that was enough
incentive.

Saturday Doyeon came wtih me to visit Jennie.  She did our hair.  Doyeon had hers cut on
Friday, but apparently had wanted color, too.  So Jennie worked on mine, then while my hair processed she worked on Doyeon's.  Using bright colors is a big thing right now.  The purple is pretty.

Babies sure grow up fast.  Harvey's already climbing the swingset
-and he barely learned to walk a month or so ago.

Saturday we took the boat out for about 90 minutes to make sure it works before we head down to Lake Powell.  It should be an interesting trip since the lake is lower than it's ever been.  At least it should be warm. Caitlyn and Dallin came with us to help dad witht he boat, and to try out their new wet suits (and my new wake board--they're trying to break it in for me).  Even with the wet suits I think the water was pretty shocking, though Cait was definitely more expressive about it than her hubby.