FINALLY....I AM A GREAT GRANDMOTHER!!!

I have heard from other members in the family that our first great grandchild has arrived here on earth.  I am so excited that I want to yell from the rooftops and trust me I would if I could get up there.

Her name is CLAIRE BRELYN HIRZ .  I was told that pictures have been posted on the internet but I cannot find them.  I want to see those little pink chubby cheeks that I was told she had.  She is tiny...weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces.  

As soon as I get a picture I will post it, after all even great grandmothers get to brag.

Welcome little Claire. I love you.

SUNDAY STORY DAY

Once upon a time.................

Isn't that how one begins a "story"???

Our lives are stories.  Each day we write another story in our lives.  Today my story is on something that happened to me this week.

I have done genealogy for decades...since I was 19 years old.  It has been my main passion in life besides my family.  On one of the family names I thought I pretty well had it done.  Imagine my surprise when I was looking at the Missouri marriage records and found that my great grandfather had taken out a marriage license but the license was returned unused.

Then I thought...hmmm, if he was there in Missouri (from Illinois) could his elusive son have been there too.  His son was Cecil (my grandmother's brother).  Sure enough Cecil was there in the marriage records.  Got the name of his wife and then from there came an explosion of knowledge.  I found out that Cecil had a son from this marriage.  Who knew!!!!  The son was also named Cecil.  I "followed" him and found that he was a navy man during World War II, that he died in Colorado at old age.  I have yet to find his wife..if any. 

I could go on and on about the original Cecil (my grandmother's brother) ...like I found him a few years ago living in Seattle with a wife and two daughters and those daughters are still living.  I found one and called her in Houston Texas.  She told me about her father Cecil who left the family when the children when young.  He was an artist and also some not so nice things about him. While speaking with the daughter for just a very few minutes, she suddenly said, "oh someone is at the gate..I have to go."  I made arrangements to call her the next day...no answer.  No answer ever again.  She received my mailings and packets of pictures but never a response.  That was the end of having any contact with the first cousins of my mother. 

Not a good ending to a story....but a story that is opening up again with the finding of Cecil's son Cecil and now perhaps I will find living descendants of him.  The End?  No, the beginning!

SATURDAY SMILES

Oh my, it is almost midnight and it will be Sunday.  I have to hurry with my Saturday Smiles post.  I gave myself this challenge of trying to write something each day of this week.  I must succeed!!

Okay, if you are frowning...smile    If you are smiling....grin.  If you are grinning....laugh   If you are laughing.....hold on to your tummy.   If you are holding on to your tummy...wipe the tears from your face.   If you are wiping the tears from your face.....be thankful they are happy tears and SMILE again!!

You are loved!!!

FREEDOM TO........

Last night as I said my prayers it really hit me hard: "I have so much!!!"

I won't go into detail, but one thing that struck me is that I have the freedom to be me.  I don't have anyone saying: you need to get dressed and not be in your pajamas all day
                         you shouldn't eat soup for breakfast
                         you shouldn't stay up until 3:00 in the morning
                         you need to keep your eyebrows plucked...what will people think!

I could go on and on.  Isn't it wonderful that you can do as you please and make choices for yourself and enjoy them without fear that the police will arrest you or that people's tongues will wag?

I love being me.   I can open the bedroom window wide open when it is 10 degrees outside and I snuggle down in my cozy warm bed and smile.  Now that was a freedom I never used to have until almost two years ago (in June).  I left the bed my husband and I shared for 50 years.  The doctor said I was not getting my sleep and I had to sleep in another room.  Hubby has sleep apena and I always woke up easily when I sensed that he was not breathing.  Believe me it was hard to leave him...what if he should die without me there to shake him into breathing again?  The doctor said that I needed to think of me or it would be I that would die because of only getting 3-4 hours sleep.    The open window?  Well now I have the freedom to do that in my own bedroom.  The open window is something I was not allowed to do when I shared a bedroom with hubby...he did not like an open window. Now I can hear the rain, sense the snow, feel the  wind, hear the chimes, etc., my bedroom window is open and I LOVE IT! 

Silly me I know....but to me it is a freedom I never had before.

What freedoms do you cherish besides living in America, voting, traveling, etc.  Think of what YOU personally have as a "freedom" and share with me.  If you don't want to leave a comment, then email me at hisnhirz@scml.us

Have a super Friday and do something nice for YOURSELF today.

DO YOU HAVE A TREASURE IN YOUR LIFE?

When I thought of a word to go with the name of the week...Thursday...it came to me immediately.  I have so many treasures that what I am going to say today does not mean it is my most important treasure, but it meant something to me.  Notice I said "MEANT".

Our basement was a catch-all for all the things collected over the years.  One of my most choice possessions was a white Bible given to me when I was 8 years old...it was Christmas.  I loved how the words in the New Testament that were spoken by Christ were written in red.  I used to read that Bible again and again...always starting over in Genesis.  I never got through the Bible.  I would read when I was sick as I knew I would get well if I read my Bible.

I hung on to that precious Bible even after becoming LDS when I was 15.  I later obtained the full set of scriptures that had the footnotes, so my beautiful white Bible got retired so to speak. 

The basement needed organizing and so I found myself going through boxes of items and I made two huge boxes of  KEEP and another for donating to Goodwill.  I got the job done and later went to my mother's in Medford Oregon and spent 2 weeks with her.  When I arrived home I went downstairs and found BOTH boxes gone!!  I asked my husband and sons where my good box was that I wanted to keep.  Yep...you guessed it.  Someone did not listen to me as both had been taken to Goodwill. 

I cried like a baby.  Gone was my Bible, my scrapbook that I kept in high school that contained all my report cards from first grade to graduation; my acceptance letter to BYU in Provo; a love letter; all my corsages from the proms and the dance booklets and also many birthday cards from when I was a little girl to a high schooler. My oldest son had made an inlaid wood chess board...it too got to go to Goodwill.  I had so many "Treasures" in that huge box.  Looking back now I should have called Goodwill and they could put a trace on it to Spokane or wherever the local store at that time sent their donations.  But beings I was gone 2 weeks I thought it would do no good.

I still get a lump in my throat when I think about it...happened back in the 1980's...but I have replaced my thoughts with: I hope someone special got the Bible and it made them feel good as it did me and now it is their treasure.  I tried to think of the happiness that the box may have brought others.  I have learned that "they are just things" and those "things" I could not take with me when I leave this earth.  So it is important that I don't build up treasures and let my treasure be where my heart is: family, God, loving and reaching out to others.

Tell me about what you "treasure".

HAVE YOU HAD ANY "WONDERS" TODAY?

I am in awe of people, place, things and especially our Heavenly Father's little ones.  They touch my heart, make me smile and forget my worries.

Ever had a little one come up and wrap their arms around your neck and plant a big kiss on your cheek and then they lean back and look at you and they wear a smile from ear to ear.

They are a wonder!  They are wonderful! 

Have you noticed the unconditional love they have for you?

Have you noticed how they like to touch, feel and explore?    I shall never forget the time when we came home from church...this is when we had to go twice on Sundays.  Our youngest Scott was so excited as we drove up to our humble little cottage as all over the ground was snow!  This was the first time he had ever seen snow.  I gently let him out of the car and hung on to his little hand.  All of a sudden he let go of my hand and bent over and put both of his hands flat on top of the snow.  His reaction was an immediate cry of fear of the white fluffy snow.  I wiped his hands, soothed him and tried to explain how snow is cold but pretty.  He had experienced a new "wonder" in his life and the first time in touching it's beauty it was not a pleasant one. We did laugh at his reaction because we were expecting giggling not tears. 

I adore my grandchildren and all children.  I love their innocence, their trust, their believing ways.  Oh to be humble and pure as a little child.  They truly are a wonderful wonder!  I miss teaching in the Primary as I experienced seeing in action the "wonders" of little children.  They are enthusiastic about singing, about answering your questions, or making comments on what you are trying to teach or even more often than not they like to tell personal stories about their families!  Now that too is a wonder!!

Enjoy your Wednesday and may it be full of "wonders" of all kinds...albeit a child, a snowflake, a friend, a scripture, a song, a thought..........

NEW DAY...TUESDAY TRIUMPHS

I have to say that this new system is going to make me think-think-think!

But I love challenges especially ones that make me think..."okay, what have I done today so far?"

The day is only three hours old...that's right I am up at 3:15 in the morning!  Have a cold and cannot sleep. 

I am still waiting for the phone to ring one of these days soon and tell me that my first great grandchild has arrived on earth.  She was due on the 14th so she could come any time.  What a triumph that will be for Brent and Carolyn to bring one of Heavenly Father's beautiful daughters to our family.  I can hardly wait for Claire Brelyn Hirz.   Maybe she will come today!

My wonderful granddaughter Chayla is having her 21st birthday today.  Happy Birthday adorable and fun Chayla. May your day be filled with all your wishes coming true.  Wouldn't that be something if Claire came today on Chayla's birthday!!!!!

May I leave you a thought to guide you through the day: To triumph is to TRY (tri) with lots of UMPH (hard work, commitment, etc.) put into it. 

May your Tuesday be a perfect one with good thoughts, and good deeds.

GREAT IDEAS COME FROM GREAT PEOPLE

I am one that enjoys posting a blog. Just wish I had a camera so I could do pictures EVERY time I post. This blog is therapeutic to me...it is like a journal of my thoughts and feelings.

Just one problem...I don't "do" my blog often. I decided to make a change and at the same time a challenge. I took this idea from a blogger friend of mine by the name of Jane Payne...don't you just love her name!! This woman is an exceptional woman. Am I jealous of her talents, her remarkable ways? NO! I have total admiration for her and anyone like her.

In honor of her ideas...I am stealing one. You will notice to the right of my post message is a list of the days of the week. Jane has a similar list...Monday through Sunday...we are only different in our descriptive words to go with each day. I love reading her blog and I look forward to what she has to say...it can be anything!! But trust me...it is a joy to read her blog whether it is about making bread with young women of our church or going to her sons military graduations or seeing pictures of her garden and all she reaps from that. I have learned much from her and today I am starting to use her idea of the blogging to the days of the week.

My first is today...Monday and I call it Monday Musings. I will put down some of my thoughts, meditations, feelings, etc.

I love life and have always loved Mondays. When I was growing up there was always a routine for Mondays. Do you remember the old-fashioned dish towels with the hand embroidery on them? One towel had a woman doing her wash. That was Mondays. On Tuesdays you ironed those "washings".

I reflect on the security I felt, the happiness of being a kid and all I had to worry about was sleeping, eating and playing.

Today certainly encompasses much more than that, but I still love to sleep, eat and play. I love getting back into the routine of Mondays...the washing, the folding of clothes, seeing the school buses buzz by, all nature coming alive with the sun up and the birds singing.

Ah, life is good. Mondays make me smile.

Thank you friend Jane your example of what a good blog is. Go read Jane's blog...The Neighbor's Blog.   She has some great ideas and I am sure she will inspire you too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Certainly not an original saying to my precious family and friends, but I sincerely do wish all of you a fantastic 2012!!!

I have goals in mind and even started one of those about 3-4 days ago...just wanted to prove I could do it I suppose.

The Young Women organization in our church...for 12 to 18 years of age...have an activity in January called "New Beginnings". Isn't that what we all have in mind...a new beginning...a new start.

Sometimes I wish it would come easier than what it is, but then there would be no growth, no feeling of accomplishment along with the words I DID IT !!
I have a myriad of "things" I need to improve on which is overwhelming. I am slowly learning that it is a journey of one bite at a time or one step at a time and yes it is a concept that makes it slow, but also makes it steady. I have always tried to teach my loved ones that you are SUCCESSFUL anytime you TRY. It is in the NOT trying that you may stumble, fail, etc.

So put a smile on your face and give those ambitions and desires of your heart a TRY. Attitude adjustment is always needed as your journey along, but you can do it...just like the little engine said "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can". And later it is "I know I can" and "I knew I could".

So here is to you and I...a journey of self-improvement in baby steps, but slow and steady.

End of pep talk!! Now it is your turn to give me some ideas of how you achieve your goals, your new beginnings. I would love to hear from you.

We, as a family, have new things coming our way and that makes me most excited: first great grandchild coming in just a few days from grandson Brent and his precious wife Carolyn (Jackson); three granddaughters graduating from high school (Nikki, Maren and Makenna) and Maren is also graduating from BBCC; a wedding on July 4th of my daughter-in-law Kelly's son Casey...he is a Marine and is in Afghanistan now; in the Fall several of my granddaughters: Cherise, Chayla, Nikki, Maren and Makenna are leaving for various colleges to expand their education opportunities;Heather, Amber and Ashley will stay at the colleges they are now as I believe all are Juniors at this time. I am sure there are other "surprises" tucked in here and there as my life is lived in 2012.

I am concentrating this year on food storage!! I will be passing along my good buys to the "girls" of the family so we can all be doing as our prophets have urged us to do. If any of you are into food storage, please share with me.

So a busy year is ahead and that is good. It would be much more busier on my part if I had the physical health to do it, but I also need to take care of the spiritual side of my life and become a better person; the emotional side of my life and reach out daily to others...shouldn't we all be instruments for God no matter our limits?

I love you. I appreciate you. I admire you and all that you are. You give me joy, love, caring, kindness, example, and hope.

Have a great year.