Double Nine-Patch Block

Thursday in Young Women, the teachers asked the girls to write thank-you letters to family members to prepare for Thanksgiving. Here’s Heather’s letter to us (with spaces between the words and punctuation added, because she usually doesn’t bother with such things).

“Dear Dad and Mom,

Thank you for falling in love and home very happy. I just wanted to tell you Thanksgiving kind of brave all about it too much is that interesting or exhausting. I think you are smell good clean a little bit everywhere. Because nice or nervous, this is so happiness. I hope you have a nice Dad’s birthday.

Love, Heather”

I don’t always know what’s happening in Heather’s head, but here’s my take: she thinks our home is happy because we’re in love. She knows what we’re bringing to Thanksgiving dinner, and finds it interesting, exhausting or both. She knows Dad’s birthday falls on the holiday this year, and she’s glad we bathe.

Teal Crossroads

Happiness is a choice. You can’t control what life throws at you, but you can control how you react to it. I’m not talking about clinical depression. (Maybe I am. Seeking treatment’s a choice, right?) I’m talking about choosing to be happy or unhappy. If you really want to be miserable, it isn’t rocket science. First: practice your scowl. After all, if smiling makes you feel better, a frown will surely sink your spirits. When speaking to others, make sure you’re either gossiping or complaining. With a little effort you can learn to do both at the same time. Set aside some time every day – preferably at bedtime – to worry about the future. When speaking to yourself, remember to be relentlessly critical. Remind yourself you’ve always been stuck with the fuzzy end of the lollipop and that you’ll never amount to much. You’ll always be right, and you’ll likely be alone. Misery loves company, but company doesn’t love it back.

Board Games

Our family stays connected by things we enjoy together: music, food, movies and games. We used to play Risk and Monopoly, but quit when we realized they stop being fun long before someone wins. I play word games like Scrabble, Boggle and Perquackey with a handicap – if my score isn’t double yours, you’re the winner – because I’d rather play the game than win. If we’re hosting a party and want everyone to join in, we play Oodles. Even confirmed wall flowers can’t resist blurting out the answer. Heather can hold her own in Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, Uno and anything involving Disney trivia. We play several games with our own “house rules,” but the one rule that applies to every game is that the winner cleans up afterwards. Our current favorites are Quirkle, Logo, Finish Lines, Pirate Dice, Clue, Catch Phrase, Backgammon, Battleship, Yahtzee, Milles Bornes and Trivial Pursuit. Do you have a favorite game?

Blue Crossroads

Mark Twain said, “Write what you know,” meaning good writers draw from experience. I have no experience with West Africa, military deployment or Ebola. But I’ve read a good deal. Here’s what I believe I know: Ebola thrives in that particular area of the world because many of the people there have no access to clean running water, because their traditions put them in particular danger of contracting the virus, because only one in three adults there can read, and because even those who can distrust medical professionals. Ebola is most virulent after its victim has died. In West Africa family members wash and dress their dead. They touch or kiss their loved ones goodbye before burying them near their homes, where their spirits can protect them from evil. I don’t know what sending soldiers to West Africa can do to change any of that. If I’m confused and concerned about all this, how must the West Africans feel?

Celtic Knot, Restitched

I hate ripping out seams, especially seams I myself sewed and will have to sew all over again. Part of this is because I know the fabric will only take so much abuse before dissolving into the original threads it was woven from. Part is an aversion to wasted time, money and effort. Part of it is I have to admit, at least to myself, that a good deal of what went right the first time was probably sheer dumb luck. I know I can’t expect everything to fall into place a second time like it did the first. I was so proud of this block until I took a good look at it. I knew I was flying in the face of fate by choosing a striped fabric, and by cutting WITH the stripe instead of against it. I did it anyway, and got exactly what I deserved.

Scrappy Zigzag

“Knowledge of God’s plan for His children gives Latter-day Saints a unique perspective on marriage and family. We are correctly known as a family-centered church. Our theology begins with heavenly parents, and our highest aspiration is to attain the fullness of eternal exaltation. We know this is possible only in a family relationship. We know that the marriage of a man and a woman is necessary for the accomplishment of God’s plan. Only this marriage will provide the approved setting for mortal birth and to prepare family members for eternal life. We look on marriage and the bearing and nurturing of children as part of God’s plan and a sacred duty of those given the opportunity to do so. We believe that the ultimate treasures on earth and in heaven are our children and our posterity.” – Elder Dallin H. Oaks