One of the things I experienced....

I listened to "Wuthering Heights" this year. I had never read the book and had no idea what it was. I enjoyed it immensely! I have read or heard no more beautiful love story than this. And now some of my favorite quotes are from Emily Bronte's writings in this book. I believe these quotes describe the love we should hope to have with the one we wish to be with forever.

• "...he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire."
  - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Ch. 9



• "If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it."
  - Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights, Ch. 9



• "Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."

My wish for all of you is that this is the kind of love you will experience sometime in your lives.

Top Stories of 2009--January and February

Newspapers, magazines, internet sites and television stations all lisIn January I signed up for another session of t what they think are the most important events of the past year. I decided I wanted to take time to consider some of the most significant events of the past year as far as Edna Washburn is concerned.

In January I registered again for the next session of adult institute class at the Grantsville High School Seminary. The course was "Teachings of the Living Prophets." The first lesson of the year was based on Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's last conference address, given a short time before he passed away: "Come What May and Love It." I decided this should be my theme for the year.

Two days after this class I received a new church calling: Boy Scout Advancement Committee Chairman. It was a calling not new to me, and one I enjoyed immensely in the past. I was grateful for the opportunity to help the Boy Scouts in our ward to work toward their goal of Eagle Scout Rank. This calling meant I was to be released as Webelos Scout Leader in the Cub Scout Program. These two changes were significant to me for various reasons, and within a short time the Lord's direction in these callings became evident.

January twentieth Tom was laid off from his job with Kennecott Copper. He was devastated. Although it left things up in the air for me, the feelings that I had New Year's Eve that this was the year for big change for our family, and then the reminder of Elder Wirthlin's talk ("Comoe What May and Love It") kept me from any feelings of desperation. I was anxious to see what was to come next in my life. Tom's job loss was not only a loss to him, it was a loss to me. It meant a lot of changes, some good, some hard. And it affected our family, too. Our kids were great, though. A few days after the lay-off, our Utah kids put on a dinner for their dad to lift his spirits and let him know they were rooting for him. That meant a lot to both of us.

By the first week of February Tom was seriously considering taking a job with Tech-Flow, a company based in Layton, Utah. He would be selling pumps to the mines in Northeastern Nevada, and it would most likely require a move to Elko, Nevada. At first he considered giving the job a six-month try, wherein he would spend five days in Nevada and drive home to Grantsville on the weekends. But when he went with Greg for a couple of days to be introduced to the area and the kind of work he would be doing, I knew that I couldn't stay in Grantsville while he was working somewhere else. As much as I loved living there, and especially living close to Lisa and Brandon and their family, I knew my place was with my husband, giving him support and sharing his life with him. So when the decision was made to take the job, we immediately set things in motion for selling our home and buying another in Nevada.

Our home was sold in two days to our next-door neighbor, and we found a brand new home in Spring Creek, ten miles or so south of Elko. I knew without doubt this was a good thing for us, that we had the Lord's blessing to do it, but that didn't mean it was easy. I was not happy to leave my family behind. And I had to leave our cats, Calvin and Hobbes, behind, too. I did that because I love Brandon more than the cats.

One of the things that had a big impact on me this year was that I had a very bad fall, suffering extensive bruising on my left hip. This happened when I was looking at a home in Spring Creek. I still feel the effects of that fall from time-to-time.

Lisa announced in February that she was pregnant! I was very happy for her.

This is the end of the first installment of my Top Stories of 2009. Stay tuned for more tomorrow.

Merry Christmas from Virginia and Simple New Year!

It is six o'clock in the evening in Mechanicsville, Virginia. I am sitting here enjoying the glow of the lights of the Christmas tree and watching "Enchanted" with Cindy, Eric and Tom. Noah hasn't been interested in any of the movies we've watched today. He seems to be interested mainly in growing and all the things required to grow: eating, excreting, sleeping, stretching.

Yes, we spent Christmas in Virginia this year. Last year we spent the holiday in O'Fallon, Missouri, with Amy and her family. The day after Christmas we took Amy and her boys and went on a road trip to Louisiana so she could meet Cindy's husband, Eric. Amy hadn't been able to attend the wedding because she was expecting Benjamin within three weeks of the big event. Amy wrote about that trip in her blog, so you can look for it in her archives if you're interested.

I arrived Thursday night one week ago, and Friday morning we went shopping at Wal-Mart for some groceries. It was busier than I remember any Wal-Mart ever, even though it is hard to believe that a Wal-Mart is ever anything but crazy busy. Eric was told that the store was busy that morning because snow was in the forecast so people were stocking up, because people here don't drive in the snow. By suppertime that forecast appeared to be correct, and by the time we went to bed there were over six inches. Saturday saw more snow and when it was all over we had about a foot of the beautiful but treacherous white stuff! I took pictures of the neighbors' homes to show Noah what his first home was like. He'll have this to talk about some day. I heard that on the news they were calling this the storm of the century!

Monday we were able to see what the storm had done throughout the area. We decided to take a road trip this year, too, and this time we went to New York to see Alan, Jessica, and their family. I got to meet Jack and now I can say with a great deal of satisfaction that this year I have seen all of my fifteen grandchildren and all my spouses and their children. And all of them are wonderful, darling, terrific people.

As the year approaches its end I am spending some time considering what this year has meant and I am gearing up to take on a new one. I am not afraid of change, but I must admit that I wouldn't mind if we have a year in which we can just deal with all the new things in our lives that came as a result of the 2009 changes. And they were BIG! Lost job, found job, sold home, bought home, good-bye Utah, hello Nevada, gave up thirty-plus piano students, took on thirty-plus piano students, began accompanying four choirs at the Spring Creek schools, went to New York for Emily's baptism, got three new grandsons, saw my dad's health on a downward spiral and then on a upward climb...there may be more but this is enough to mention now. I just want a simple year. But can it be simple with six three-year-old grandkids, not to mention the other nine of all ages from eight-and-a-half down to newborns?

I'm not complaining about the grandchildren. No, not at all, for they are what and who I live for every day. I love them with all my heart, and they are what keeps my heart beating. I think I am more alive now, as though they have injected a dose of life with each hug and "Grandma! You're here!"

Well, enough rambling. This may not be read by anyone but I will be able to add this to my journal. And maybe when all the pages are put together someone might be able to make sense of my life and learn of all the things that make me who I am.

p.s.

Oh, yes, and thanks to Amy for another lovely background for my blog! I'm glad she is my co-administrator! She always makes me look good, witty, smart, talented, etc.

The Tenth Day of Thanksgiving

I know this is overdue, but I finally have time to sit and complete my ten days of Thanksgiving. Yet I can't list only one of my blessings tonight, because there are still so many that must be named! In the interest of time, however, I will limit it to some very special people who have occupied space in my heart for a long time--or a short time, depending on how long they've been on the earth.

My children, namely Michael, Alan, Amy, Lisa, Katy, and Cindy are the most fabulous people on the face of the earth! How could I live without any one of them? Simply, I could not. They each play a vital role to my well-being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I would not be if they did not exist. And they have added to my joyful existence by adding to our family their remarkable spouses: Laura, Jessica, David, Brandon, Richard, and Eric. They each add dimension to my life that makes it all that more enjoyable to be alive. Some time I will try to explain how all my children and their husbands/wives have blessed my life.

Then there are those grandchildren: Emily, Corbin, Michael, Isabella, Morgan, Kalsin, Kodiak, Julia, Miralise, Eli, Anna, Benjamin, Jack, Logan, and Noah. Ahh, there's nothing like being a grandmother! A hug from any one of my special grandchildren and any fear or worry is forgotten. I live for the next time I will see these awesome reproductions of their parents.

My parents, my brothers and sisters and their spouses and children are all so terrific! I have been so fortunate to belong to such a loving and supportive family. I love the hugs I get from my nieces and nephews. I enjoy their emails and phone calls. They are all special to me.

Later I will do a blog on my friends. There are too many and so many stories to list any of them here right now. But I am so thankful for them!

Now on to perhaps the most important blessing in my life. I will preface this by saying that I think perhaps I have given the wrong impression to those who are close to me. Going by things I hear them say from time-to-time I think they believe that I have always been such a "good girl" all my life, that I haven't strayed or broken any rules and that I always expect everyone else to be the same. Oh, my heart aches just thinking about what I might have made my children think I expected of them and what they may think of how I see myself. And how do I make them understand what I am trying to say without confessing my weaknesses and past mistakes to them?

I give myself the same advice that I have given to others. When you have repented you don't need to tell others about the wrongs you have committed. You don't need to be saved by anyone else when Jesus Christ has already saved you. And He has saved me as I have had to draw upon the power of the Atonement again and again in my life. And I have learned! I try to obey the rules now because I know what it feels like to break them and to hurt other people in the process. I try hard to do what is right because I know the agony of the broken heart that comes from knowing I have disappointed my Father in Heaven and added to the pain that my Savior experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane. I study the scriptures and pay attention in meetings and read what I can to help me learn more about the God who loves me and has given me the very breath that keeps me alive minute by minute when there are times when I felt I would rather die than face the fact that I have fallen so short of the expectations placed upon me. I give service as faithfully and as diligently as I can and in as many ways as I can because service is part of the repentance process. I love more fully and deeply because I have felt His love; it has saved me over and over again.

What people see in me today is not a person who always does the right thing; they see a person who wants to be right in the sight of God, and I pray for strength every day to be able to do better. I have so many changes yet to make.

I am thankful for my Savior and for my God. I am thankful I can pray to Heavenly Father and feel His arms around mw when I need Him; I am thankful for what Jesus Christ did for me. I am thankful that change is part of the plan. This is all very personal for me but I feel it is time to make sure that my children know that I hope they will learn these same things, and if possible not in the same ways I did. I will try to remember that as they use their agency they will have experiences that will teach them and they don't need me to protect them from the pain of mistakes. I just want to be their mother/ grandmother in the best ways I know how to be and hope they will accept my offerings to them. I love them with all my heart. And if we all try we may look forward to an eternal association with each other. Without the hope of this why even try?

The Ninth Day of Thanksgiving

Tonight before we head out to the fifth-wheeler to get some shut-eye I just want to say that although I was happy to follow Tom to Nevada, I am grateful that we only live three hours away from family. When we arrived at Lisa's house in Grantsville and walked toward the door we were greeted with shouts of "Grandma, Grandpa!" and lots of hugs. It did my heart good. We had a wonderful afternoon and evening with the Nelsons and look forward to two more days of fun and making memories with the Nelsons, Rushes, Washburns, Oswalds, and Lemons. I really am grateful that Tom didn't get a job in Alaska or Australia!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Eighth Day of Thanksgiving

Now it's another day. Since I'm going to Utah in a few hours and will be playing with my grandchildren tonight, I'm going to do this blog post now.

And this time I'm thankful for another day! We never know if we'll be granted another one or not, and I'm thankful that I've been lucky enough to wake up about 19,950 times and see that Heavenly Father has given me yet another chance to get it right.