Shawn At One

Shawn wanted the candy and not the photo. I wanted him to wait for the candy until the photo was taken. We can all see how well that went over. I was afraid that the little outfit would be coated in candy dribbles. What I ended up with is a crying boy and a blurry photo.

Grandma Smith bought the outfit for Shawn. This was actually taken on the steps of the church (Provo Fifth LDS Ward). I was expecting Melanie.

BYU Blankets

Myrna wrote: We received a package today from Fanatics. Inside were two BYU fleece blankets. There is no gift card. The packing says that the blankets were billed to Myrna Trauntvein, 228 South 300 East, Nephi. . .

The order number is: 20901165 and the package #22807012.

However, when I went there, there was no way it would allow me to trace it.

Hmm. . .

Is one of you going to accept the honor?

Thank you. We don't dare use them until we know if there has been an error.

Todd wrote: That was our birthday gifts to you and dad. Our Christmas gift was a month of monitoring. Those blankets are really nice when you are sitting in your bedroom spying on your neighbors in their hot tub. Dark colors conceal you better. 

Myrna wrote: Rats! I think that we will have to find another use. We have no neighbors who leave their blinds up at night and we have not a single neighbor with a hot tub. Not a single one. Dad may use his for warming up after moving snow, voluntarily, for half the town. I am just always cold--summer, winter, spring and fall--so I will enjoy being warm. Thanks for the blankets. They are thick and warm and nice. 

Kirsten wrote: Where's the like button!  HAHAHAHA, Todd!

Myrna wrote:  Dad says he is already enjoying his blanket. I took a photo of him under his warm blanket lying on the sofa reading the funnies. There he is all toasty and warm on a cold winter day. I think I will go snuggle under mine. Thank you. 

Todd wrote:  Sweet.

Gift of Membership

Myrna wrote: Julie would also like an account with Costco. The thing is, she thinks that she can get a business membership and we could be added. I am not sure if the account we have will add another person(s) or not. I don't know if they have a business account at Costco (they do at Sams) and how that works. Also, what did AnnMarie decide and how did you gift her one? Is it just for one year and she renews? Perhaps I should just check (me) with Costco and find out what is available.

I will send a check to you for this past year. Please hold it until the first or it will bounce and bounce and bounce. . .

Kimberly wrote: I can check costco for business, but I do not know right off.  As for AnnMarie, I am don't know anything.  I did not gift her a membership.

Looking at the Costco site it looks like there is no savings, $55 for 1st two cards and $55 each thereafter.

Myrna wrote: Oh, sorry. When she comes to pick up the kids, I will ask who gifted her. Whoever had her last year, I guess. I do not even keep track of that anymore. Thanks for looking up the Costco ad. 

What is Boxing Day in England?

Brandon, I was only half right. (That means I was also half wrong.)


I looked it up on Google and found several references. 

The exact etymology of the term "boxing" is unclear. 

There are several competing theories, none of which are definitive. The European tradition, which has long included giving money and other gifts to those who were needy and in service positions, has been dated to the Middle Ages, but the exact origin is unknown. It may come from a custom in the late Roman/early Christian era, wherein metal boxes placed outside churches were used to collect special offerings tied to the Feast of Saint Stephen, which in the Western Church falls on the same day as Boxing Day.

In Britain, it was a custom for tradesmen to collect "Christmas boxes" of money or presents on the first weekday after Christmas as thanks for good service throughout the year. This is mentioned in Samuel Pepys' diary entry for 19 December 1663. 

This custom is linked to an older English tradition: Since they would have to wait on their masters on Christmas Day, the servants of the wealthy were allowed the next day to visit their families. The employers would give each servant a box to take home containing gifts and bonuses, and sometimes leftover food.

List for thank you notes.

Myrna wrote: Julie, is this right? For some reason, I didn't write it down this a.m.  I think Todd was talking about the photos that he sent. That was why he was wondering if they were duplicates because he couldn't remember which one of Michael we had received a copy of when Michael left and which we had not. The others were family photos for our frames.

Christmas/Birthday

Children, spouses and families--payments on the security system.

David, Arbree and family a stainless automatic lid kitchen trash container.

Todd, Amy and Family--family photo.

Shawn and Kim, a nut/spice/coffee grinder.

Melanie, Howard and family--Levis for Dad and cookbooks for Mom.

AnnMarie, Kirsten, Julie, Melanie (spouses and families)--grain mill.

Kirsten, Jared and family--jackets for Dad and Mom and a sweater for Mom.

AnnMarie, Brandon and family--two jackets for Mom.

Brigitta--a denim jacket for Grammy and binoculars for Gramps.

Benjamin--photos of mission.

Braden--photo

Aunties--candy; Don and Thelma--CD.

Pretty white sweater for Myrna from Amazon came from?

Please answer ASAP (including all of you)

Myrna wrote: We seem to have acquired a set of binoculars. There are several options: 1. one of you sent them to us for Christmas/birthday; 2. they belong to one of you and you left them here by accident; 3. they were included in a package intended for one of you and which you opened here but forgot to take with you.

We are confused. We went through the trash and looked at all the boxes and wrappings and we still have no clue. Please, please help us out. Thanks, Mom and Dad

Kimberly wrote: Those are for dad from Brigitta, I showed them to dad, but he was busy....they should say Sorrel River Ranch.


Myrna wrote: Bless you! Thanks for letting me know. I think we are getting old, Dad and I. He couldn't remember where he put the money that I gave him for Christmas this a.m. either. Hehehe. I found it. Whew. . .

That was so sweet of Brigitta. They are very nice and I will make certain to thank her. She is a sweetheart. She spent more on us that we gave to her.

Kimberly wrote: No, she got  deals.

Myrna wrote: At any rate, she was thoughtful and it is appreciated. Do you have to be up early in the a.m.? Oh, wait, we are up early in the a.m. Thanks for making it so I could sleep tonight without worrying. Kisses for that!

Kimberly: This cold is making me more crazy, no I can sleep in--when I get to sleep.

Myrna wrote: I don't remember being quite so ill with a cold. I really was sick. I am sorry that you picked it up. The snow will probably make it so that the germs die off for awhile. That cold, dry weather we were having added to the close contact with sick folks at pre-Christmas events was just a breeding ground. Use the airborne. It really helped me.

Kimberly wrote: Dane was my share-er, I am using airbourne and right now I am curled up in bed working.

Todd wrote: Mine are in my bedroom. Just used them last night to spy on the neighbors in their hot tub.

Melanie wrote: Not ours, but I have had my eyes on a pair. Love you. Mel

Oh Todd...points = +1.Melanie wrote: Not ours, but I have had my eyes on a pair. Love you, Mel


By the way...we loved the Aebelskivers that we had for our traditional Boxing Day breakfast. Thanks Mom and Dad...you have made many years of this tradition possible because of the gift of an Aebelskiver pan several years ago. It has been a gift that keeps giving. Yum! Mel and family


Myrna wrote: You are welcome, each and every one. Thanks for carrying on the great Danish tradition of Aebelskivers in your homes. Oh, the smell. Oh, the memories. YUM. Love you.

I have found a great carrot/pineapple cake that has only fruit juice for sweetening. Dad loves it, Jim loves it and Kyle pronounced it good. So I have one treat that I can make and we all can eat.

Thanks for the cookbooks. I am reading them like most people read novels--one bite at a time. Hehehe. I couldn't resist the pun. ;) (And yes, in real life I really do wink that often.)

Julie, David and others took some photos of the great gift openings. However, I am not sure, with my red nose, if we should share them. I don't want any of you thinking that I am Rudolf. (I just had slight cold sores thanks to how well I have learned to take care of me but a red nose from wiping.)

AnnMarie wrote:  Looks like they are from Brigitta.  But we forgot to look for Rachel's DS case.  It is pink and rectangle.  Matthew says it is likely in the basement.  He had it in his bag when they came last week.

Myrna wrote: It is here. We put it on the bookcase and, in all the excitement, forgot to give it to you. After you left, Mary noticed it and asked why we didn't give it back to Rachel.

AnnMarie wrote: Good.  We'll get it tomorrow.  I was sick last night so I am recovering now.  Something I ate. . . .

Kathy, please help

Myrna wrote: Kathy, do you have a current address for Francis Cunningham? She is a relative of my husband's (Leonard or Tim Trauntvein who grew up in Kenilworth) but the card I have sent her for Christmas has come back. It is the same one I used when their daughter died so I don't know what the problem is. Thanks, Myrna Trauntvein Kathy wrote: Hi Myrna, As far as I know Francis is still at her home in Spring Glen but I haven’t heard from her or seen her for a long time. I’m guessing maybe you have the wrong zip code. There was talk about changing the mail service to Price instead of Helper but I can’t remember if that ever happened. If they did change it to Price then you would have to use the 84501 zip code instead of the 84526 zip code. If all else fails you could just call her up? I hope all is well with you and your family. Thanks for writing. Kathy Hamaker Myrna wrote: You are right, I could just call her up. Thanks for responding. I continue to appreciate the hard work you do on preserving the history of our home area. Thanks for that. My family is all well and is growing. We now have 33 grandchildren and are expecting one more in May. I also hope all is well with you and yours. Happy New Year!

From the Eric Trauntvein Family

From Eric Trauntvein Family to the Shawn Trauntvein Family.
Kimberly wrote: Thank you so much!

A Few of the Birthday Greetings That I Wanted to Save

There were many birthday greetings sent via email and Facebook. This is just a sample. My family all sent cards and friends posted on Facebook. I was surprised to hear from the following. David Childs also sent a card. 

This birthday was not an easy one because I reached the age of 72. Grandma Smith died at 72. Aunt Renee and Mom Edna also died in their early 70s. I found myself tearful and grateful to be alive but wondering what lies in store. 

David Childs: "Happy Birthday, Myrna! Hope that you are surrounded by love and family today and tomorrow and the rest of the holiday season! I love you!"


Russ Farrer: "Happy Birthday, Myrna"


Brigitta Trauntvein: "Hope everyone is safe and warm! Love you too!"


Beth Jensen Durfey: "Happy Birthday Myrna my dear friend!! I do hope you have a wonderful day today. You were born on one of my dear Aunts birthdays, My mom had 10 sisters. The one born on the 24th of Dec. was just older than she was. So I do hope your birthday is a very very Happy one. Love you my friend."

Kathi Tanner: "Have a really wonderful and Happy Birthday! And a great Christmas! We're having a warm Christmas on our mission to Sydney, Australia. Enjoy!"


David wrote: "Hi Myrna, been thinking about you as well. Thanks to your Christmas card and facebook, I do know that you seem to be doing well with your life and taking care of the diabetes! Good work! We're doing well, getting older and keeping happy (not necessarily in that order :) ) I love you too - Take care!"

Sandy Hook and Grief

Myrna wrote: I do appreciate this article sent by friends. I have grandchildren who live in Ohio, in Colorado, in Texas and all around in Utah and I have wondered, as I heard the news of the deaths of the innocents, how it could be possible that their sweet lives could be ended so cruelly. Nevertheless, I know that the babies will be raised by their parents during the Mellinium and will have all the chances to grow physically that we all have. Now they are spiritual grown-ups again and are about our Father's and our Savior's work on the other side. It is human to mourn, however, and I do. I mourn because Satan has sway with so many and, even though he will not win and will be cast out, he is delighting in causing a great deal of misery.

Thanks for sharing. Keep up the good work.

Merry Christmas. This was a tragedy that is hard to understand. I don't think we ever will in this life. This is an interesting story of the Stake President of the little Mormon girl who was killed. Read on, as it also talks about Abraham Lincoln and then the bombing of Japan.
We love you all.
Robert and Cindy

Grief
Dave Checketts is not a professionally trained clergyman.  The former chairman of Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks is currently CEO of Legends Hospitality, the concessions and merchandise company he jointly owns with the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys.  But he’s also a lay minister for the Mormon Church with oversight of ten Mormon congregations in Fairfield County Connecticut, including the one in Newtown.  

On Friday morning Checketts had left his New Canaan Connecticut home and headed to his Park Avenue office to prepare for a weekend business trip to Dallas for Sunday's Cowboys-Steelers game.  He and Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones planned to host a group of new investors. But late morning he got an email about a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.  From his laptop he accessed the church records for Mormon families in Newtown.  Five of them had children that attended the school.  

A series of phone calls confirmed that all of those children were accounted for except one – six-year-old Emily Parker, a first grader.  Suddenly, it wasn't possible to focus on business.  Checketts cleared his calender for the afternoon. 

Robbie and Alyssa Parker had just moved to Connecticut from Ogden, Utah.  Along with Emily, they have daughters ages 2 and 4.  Robbie, a health care professional, worked at Danbury Hospital.  When Checketts reached him there, the facility was on lockdown due to the school shooting.  Robbie was on his way to meet his wife at the fire station in Newtown.   She was there with other parents awaiting word on the children. 

Checketts emailed leaders of Mormon congregations throughout western Connecticut: “Pray for Emily Parker.”  

He also organized a prayer service for that night.  Then he headed back to Connecticut.  He was almost to the Parker’s home when he got word that Emily was among the 20 children who had died.  “I didn’t know what to say,” Checketts said.  “I go back and forth between tears and anger.  It is just hard to comprehend.”

The business trip to Dallas got canceled.  In an email, Checketts notified Jones and the investors. One by one, they expressed condolences and promised prayers. 

When Checketts reached the Parker home, Robbie asked him to lead his family in prayer.  While praying, Checketts felt impressed to say that Robbie would deal with his grief by speaking publicly about the tragedy, and that he would emerge as a powerful voice for compassion and peace.

After the prayer, the family's needs were discussed.  Chief among them was finding a mortician.  But funeral homes in the area were overwhelmed.  Checketts promised to take care of everything, including all burial and funeral expenses.  

He called a funeral home in a nearby town.  Six years earlier Checketts had attended a service there for a young Mormon missionary who was killed by a drunk driver in Argentina.

“I had to go tell that boy’s parents that he wasn’t coming home alive,” Checketts said.  It was the hardest thing he’d ever done as an ecclesiastical leader.  However, that experience had introduced Checketts to an unusually empathetic funeral director. 

Suddenly facing an even harder situation, Checketts reached out to him and asked if he would prepare Emily’s body for burial.  The church, Checketts explained, would cover all the expenses.

“There will be no expenses,” the funeral director said.  

The following day, after authorities released the names of the victims, Parker was the first parent  to speak to the national media.  Without notes or a spokesman, Robbie choked back tears and expressed sympathy for the family of the man who killed 26 people and himself.  "I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for you," he said.

Checketts was moved to tears.“What happened in Newtown is unthinkable,” Checketts said.  “But little children are alive in Christ.  Though the nature of the crime is the essence of evil, our faith tells us that these children burst into the presence of God and are safe in his arms.”  

Grief, while heartbreaking, can also give rise to powerful acts of compassion.  By the time Abraham Lincoln gave his second inaugural address on March 4, 1865, the American Civil War had claimed roughly 750,000 lives, resulting in 37,000 widows and 90,000 orphans.  

Why did God allow such devastation?  It was a question Lincoln had pondered.  Plus, there were many in Washington that wanted to punish the Confederates for all the carnage. Against that backdrop, Lincoln said: 

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations."

One month later Lincoln was assassinated.  But those words – with malice toward none – live on.  It reminds me of the story of Kenneth Brown, a U.S. Marine serving in Japan after the atomic bomb.  It was just before Christmas when Brown encountered a Japanese professor of music who introduced himself as a Christian.   He said he had a small children’s choir and asked if they could perform a concert for the American soldiers. 

Brown belonged to a unit of hardened fighters that had spent four years away from home, battling the Japanese from Saipan to Iwo Jima.  The concert took place on Christmas Eve in a bombed out theater.  The closing number was a solo from ‘The Messiah’ by a girl who sung with the conviction of one who knew that Jesus was indeed the Savior of mankind.  The soldiers cried.

Afterward, Brown asked the Japanese music professor: “How did your group manage to survive the bomb?”

“This is only half my group,” he said softly.  

“And what of the families of these?”

“They nearly all lost one or more members.  Some are orphans.”

“What about the soloist?  She must have the soul of an angel the way she sang.”

“Her mother, two of her brothers were taken.  Yes, she did sing well.  I am so proud of her.  She is my daughter.”  

Brown was moved to tears.  “We had caused them the greatest grief,” Brown later wrote.   “Yet we were their Christian brothers and as such they were willing to forget their grief and unite with us in singing ‘Peace on earth, goodwill to all men.’  That day I knew there was a greater power on earth than the atomic bomb.”