Tripping at the Same Time

Melanie wrote: In talking with Julie, to tell her of our change of plans for the Summer Vacation, she informed me that Dad, you and AnnMarie's family will be on our path around the same time. Funny how that worked out.

We are going to go to Missouri the second week of July, then to Nauvoo, then to Omaha (Winter's Quarters), where Howard and Siovhan will then leave us and the rest of us will drive to Utah for the rest of the summer. We were hoping to stay at your home the last week of July, through the third or fourth week of August. Braden might need to stay with you a little longer, depending on the housing situation at BYU.

I will talk with you soon!
Mel

Melanie to Myrna: I Thought You Would Like This Poem

"The Lanyard," by Billy Collins
 
The other day as I was ricocheting slowly
off the pale blue walls of this room,
bouncing from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.
 
No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one more suddenly into the past --
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.
 
I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.
 
She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sickroom,
lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,
set cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light
 
and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.
 
Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift--not the archaic truth
 
that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hands,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

From Myrna:
You were right! I did love it. I do so appreciate your thinking of me! I love you. M

Melanie said, "I thought you would like this poem."

"The Lanyard," by Billy Collins
 
The other day as I was ricocheting slowly
off the pale blue walls of this room,
bouncing from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.
 
No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one more suddenly into the past --
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.
 
I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.
 
She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sickroom,
lifted teaspoons of medicine to my lips,
set cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light
 
and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.
 
Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift--not the archaic truth
 
that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hands,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

A SPECIAL CONFERENCE WEEK-END FOR YOU‏

Helen wrote: Dearest Hon and Sister:

Just to wish you folks a very special Conference Week-end and to let you  know- had a very nice phone visit with Don this a.m he said Carolyn's father sojourned to the spirit world this Sunday past. He has been in a care center for serveral years with Parkinson's really severe. They attended his funeral yesterday.

Do know I love you all much and am so grateful for this week-end- Love this Spring Time in the Rockies. Right? Of course right.

Myrna, so grateful your back-hip etc is doing so much better. Love- Me

Are you okay?‏

Melanie wrote:

Mom,

Dad called yesterday to talk. He left a message. I tried calling you all afternoon and into the evening. I kept getting a busy signal. Were you without power?

I might try to call back this afternoon. Braden gets his braces off this morning, so I will be gone all morning. Remember how we used to go to Provo for our medical and orthodontist services? Well, we go to Mansfield, about the same commute as going to Provo.

Hopefully things are well with you.

Mel

Article About Michael

http://www.thisweeknews.com/live/content/johnstown/stories/2009/03/28/0329jieaglescout_ln.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=104

Eagle Scout project will benefit the area's hungry
Saturday,  March 28, 2009 6:54 PM
By KIM GAREE
ThisWeek Contributor
Some Johnstown residents will find a grocery sack on their front porch Thursday.
Placing canned goods or non-perishable items in the bag and leaving it on the doorstep will both help feed area residents and help Johnstown-Monroe High School sophomore Michael Trauntvein become an Eagle Scout.
Trauntvein will go back around the community on Saturday morning, April 4, to gather the bags. He won't be knocking on residents' doors.
He hopes to collect a thousand pounds of food in a three-pronged drive to help the Food Pantry Network (FPN) of Licking County and the Johnstown Northridge Food Pantry stock their shelves. Phase One is the door-to-door bag drop in Johnstown, predominantly in the areas of Leafy Dell, Kyber Run and Concord Crossing.
The second phase will happen at JMHS, where Trauntvein will place boxes in each classroom and encourage students to bring in canned food. He has worked with Principal Kim Jakeway to offer a pizza party incentive, as well, for the class that brings in the most food.
A third phase will happen at his family's church in Granville, which is donating $500 worth of strawberry jam for FPN.
"It turns out they get a lot of peanut butter, but not a lot of jam to go with it," Trauntvein explained. "There will be about 18 of us from church taking the jam over, and we'll stay and stock shelves, clean the pantry, whatever they need us to do and then take a tour."
FPN of Licking County is affiliated with the Croton Church of Christ, which serves the Johnstown area on their behalf. In 2007, FPN served 700,000 individual meals to those in need.
"We rely on initiatives like this by groups, organizations and businesses in our community 100 percent," said FPN director Charles Moore.
Half of the donations collected in Johnstown will go to the Johnstown Food Pantry, Trauntvein said, and half to FPN.
"I figured they'd need help because of our nation's economic situation and the high unemployment rate," said Trauntvein. He started planning his project in October. He estimates he will log 90 to 100 hours by the time his project is complete.
Becoming an Eagle Scout is a natural progression for Trauntvein, who says the lessons he has learned in scouting will help him the rest of his life.
"It teaches you so many things, from physical training to a love of the outdoors," he said. "Mostly, it teaches you to be self-sufficient and self-motivated."
Trauntvein, the son of Todd and Amy Trauntvein, started in Cub Scouts at age 8. His family moved to Johnstown four years ago from Utah. He has served as Patrol Leader of his troop, Boy Scout Troop 4051 in Granville, and been to camp four times. Over his years of scouting, Trauntvein has earned 22 merit badges and was named to the prestigious Order of the Arrow two years ago.
Becoming an Eagle Scout requires not just the meeting of various scouting criteria but also a large-scale project like the one Trauntvein is doing for the food pantries and the people of Licking County.
"It will be great when it's over to see how many shelves we've filled at the storehouse, to see how we've been able to help," Trauntvein said.
"Michael's project is great because it gets kids involved, too, and helps build characteristics in them that we want our young people to have," Moore said. "We appreciate that hungry people in Licking County will be fed because of his project."
His parents say Michael has gained a sense of leadership and self-sufficiency, not just from scouting but from the Eagle project specifically.
"I think that's the thing about the Eagle project," Todd Trauntvein said. "It asks you, 'Okay, you've done all this stuff É now what have you really learned?'"
Trauntvein, who is in the honors program at JMHS, has other interests that include band, track and playing the piano, as well as video games and church activities. He hopes to attend Brigham Young University in Utah after graduation and possibly pursue a career in writing.
Trauntvein said he is grateful to everyone in the community who has already offered assistance and especially to Giant Eagle of New Albany for providing the grocery bags.

We Made It

Kirsten wrote: We got in around midnight, including a milk stop (so we could have breakfast this morning).

Loved seeing both of you, missed staying the night with you, though!

love,
kirsten

Myrna wrote: Judging from the storm we have been having today, it is a good thing you left when you did. The wind has been blowing and it has been snowing. I feel like there should be some poetic addition to that last sentence. I am glad you all got home safe and sound. I also enjoyed seeing all of you. The best laid plans of mice and men. . .



Love, M

Profs can put names to computer faces‏

Myrna wrote: Guess what I read? I thought this was really interesting. I am only sending the first couple of paragraphs but you can check the rest of the article out if you like.

Yale Daily News
Published: Friday, March 30, 2001
Profs can put names to computer faces
By Anahad O'Connor
YDN Staff Reporter

The next time you fall asleep or make a comment in a big lecture course, be warned: You may not be just another face in the crowd to your professor.

Starting next semester, Yale professors will be able to access identification photographs of students enrolled in their courses. The student identification photos used in online and print facebooks will be made  available to Yale faculty in the fall of 2001 in customized databases available only to professors.


Siovhan wrote: BYU professors already get photo directories they can access at any time. It made falling asleep in class a dangerous game.

Siovhan


Ann  Olsen wrote: Amazing!  So interesting to read about!

    Ann

To Raymond and Karen Smith

Myrna wrote:

I received a note and an obituary from Gordon concerning the death of your beautiful and young daughter, Melissa. I wanted to offer the sympathy of Leonard and I. We will keep you and your family in our prayers.

I noted in the obituary that she still had a very young son. As grandparents ourselves, I know that you have a concern for your grandson. I am certain that he will need your love and support for many years to come. I am also certain that you will be guided in your decision-making.

What great people you are. I am so thankful that you provided such a good home for Melissa and were such loving parents to her. I am ever thankful for my grandmother who did the same for me.

May our Father in Heaven's blessings be with you.

Love, Myrna and Leonard

Gordon, this is what I sent. Did you send flowers?‏


Gordon wrote: We didn't send flowers, but we went to the funeral.

I'm sure they appreciated your email.  That was very nice.

Thank You,

Gordon and Roberta

Helen--Hi, again!

Helen wrote:

Sorry to send you to responses to your e-mail- I sent the first one and it didn't send, according to the screen, so rewrote. When I sent the 2nd one and it was into the sent page the first one was also there. Oh Well, repetition brings conviction. Right??? of course right from Fiddler on the Roof. Love Helen

Myrna wrote:

At least we know you care! I have this happen to me quite frequently so i know just what you mean. Love, M