Swimming Lessons Summer Fun

Beautiful basket of hot pink petunias, signs of summer activity.


Adam after his private swim lesson



This summer Grandma Mattie is taking care of Tracie's children, which entails taking them to swimming and enjoying the summer activities, and movies now and then. I am enjoying being there up close and personal. It makes me feel the blessing of being there for them and having a part in their lives to know me and love them all the more. It fills a spot in my heart that means a lot to me.

I remember my own grandmother and know the few times I had interaction with her when she visited as I was growing up was a great influence on me and my life.

I am (so) blessed to be Grandma to so many, thirty six, at the last count!

A Time and A Season Under the Heavens

David Anthony Rodriguez, born September 19, 1959, died June 26, 2009


David, first one on the left. July 1988, age 29 in this family photo

For everything there is a time and a season, A time to live, a time to die. Today I received the sad news that my youngestbrother passed away. He was only 49 years old. Too young. I last saw him about five years ago at my oldest brother's funeral gathering in California. He lived in Arizona himself so was not close in miles to the rest of us. His untimely death has me grieving the loss. I had felt this loss for many years since he was estrange from me. I don't know about anyone else in the family, but I felt the loss of his self-imposed alienation toward me.

I have had a few hours to process this shocking news. No words can express the hurt I feel which is more than the grief and mourning for a brother. I feel sadness for the pettiness that wedges relationships needlessly. Anyone who has lost a close relative or friend knows the deep grief one feels. Compound that with estrangement and it multiplies the agony.

My only solace is that David no longer has to endure the infirmities of the physical and can now move forward in the spirit realm. I pray that he will have the opportunity to understand more now without the physical body to cloud his mind. May he rest in peace as he reunites with our loved ones who have gone before.

Using Time Wisely To Teach Our Families

Moms these days are so busy being taxi drivers with all the busy-ness that kids find themselves involved in ongoing. There are games to be taken to, lessons to be driven too all by their mothers, mostly.

The time I had with my children with there paper routes was priceless. We had good bonding times and listened to good music at the same time in our home. I would record the Sounds of Sundays in those growing up years and played that kind of music while I prepared dinner. It really brought a peaceful spirit into our home.

Mother's role is to bring her children unto Christ with the help of fathers. Time well spent with them should center around doing just that. It is our work and glory to bring to pass the eternal lives and immortality of our children.

Now, today my daughters take their children to their meetings, sports activities, music lesson, dental and doctor appointments, the list goes on. But what a great time for one-on-one time to talk to each other and have a captive audience to teach them what you know and your own testimonies. I pray that each of you will find ways to strengthen your families every opportunity you get.

I know one of my children will read the scriptures to the children as they ride to Salt Lake or short trips to activities that involve all the family while the wife drives. They are doing two things at the same time, and get their daily scriptures in on the way. It just takes effort and commitment to bring that influence often into your teaching moments.

Messages in word, picture and deed

"The person who becometh as a child--as King Benjamin said, "submissive, meek, [and] humble" can hear and follow the still small voice by which our Father in Heaven guides his children who are receptive."

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:

Prayer changes our lives. . . through it we draw near to the Lord, and he reaches out his finger and touches us, so we never again are the same. Prayer is the great tower of strength, a pillar of unending righteousness, a might force tha moves mountains and saves souls"

Faith in Prayer like the Brother of Jared

"To A Child" by Ora Pate Stewart

Do you know who you are, little child of mine,

So precious and dear to me?

Do you know you’re a part of a great design

That is vast as eternity?

Can you think for a moment how much depends

On your holding the “Iron Rod”?

Your life is forever—worlds without end—

Do you know you’re a child of God?

Do you know where you’ve been, little child of mine?

It is hard to recall, I know;

Do you ever remember that Home Divine—

With the [Parents who loved] you so?

(“To a Child,” by Ora Pate Stewart, [Provo, UT: Fernwood, 1964])



Do we know who we are? I believe that at times we forget our divine heritage. I found the words to this poem, which was also a song. I don't know if there are more verses, but the music is available. Lori had this in her music files. It is worth reading and reviewing again.

Grandma Mattie@blogspot.com

I enjoy being a grandmother and have many opportunities to be in that role daily. It makes my day when my little ones come up to me and get so excited just to see me enter a room! Now there is no other joy that comes from the feeling of being valued and means so much with so little effort. It makes me feel all the more connected and the blessings of feeling our family being forever. What a joyous time and look forward to our annual reunions. And they are just that re-unions!

My family means so much to me, as you all know. You are all so dear to my heart. I treasure each and every one of you and embrace the love I have of the Savior and the Gospel in my life. I feel the arms of his love embrace me and my spirit especially when I bear my testimony and when the veil is so thin for me. It is the Holy Ghost bearing witness to me that I am okay and right with Father in heaven and my Savior.

"Where love is, God is also, and where I want to be. . . "

I have been thinking of a way to focus on some ideas to share with my children and grandchildren. The generational patterns we have influence upon each of us and we don't even realize it. I started a second blog that I am currently putting together.

The name of the new blog is "Grandma Mattie." It is an open blog and anyone can access it easily. It isn't finished as far as the design and layout go, but I will figure out how to make it a little more appealing to the eye. I already have a long list of things to talk about. So it looks like I have my work cut out for me.

I know it will someday be a source of strength and humor along the way. Let me know what you like and any suggestions or contributions would be most welcomed.

Love, Mom aka Grandma Mattie

Purposeful Living

We are a composite of our life experiences. Each day that we live we are effected by the people we interact with on an ongoing basis, i.e. family, friends, colleagues, co-workers.

Unkind words repeated over time can leave emotional scars. There is a difference between positive and negative words spoken and what a profound effect providing they have upon us for good if constructive. It can have on the other hand a destructive effect if negative words are used over and over through time. Let me illustrate briefly.

The other day I took three of my grandchildren for a walk to the park, with two children in tow going with the two year old inside the stroller and the other on roller blades next to me. The older one, Adam was on his bicycle.

We arrived at the park and I strolled off to the walking path with the baby. Madie was on her roller blades t trying to steady herself. She suddenly called to me, "Grandma, Adam says I suck." I knew she meant he was saying something mean to her and she did not like it so came to me to tattle on him.

I quickly corrected him saying "ADAM! You stop that and never tell her such a thing again or it would ruin the rest of her life!" The words just came out of my mouth without even thinking! I know where they came from though. They came from my inner child of the past.



Adam, eight years old had made a remark that six year old Madie took offense, and rightfully so. She came to report to me and tattled at the same time. This exchange all of a sudden was as if in that moment I knew how it would scar her for life--if I didn't say something. I saw myself, not her. It was as if she were me whining to my mother about the latest insult or injury from my older brother.

The thought that flashed into my mind was. . . for Adam to not ever talk like he was putting his sister down and make her feel badly. I momentarily relived the constant insults and abuse by this brother. It was not a good feeling nor one I wanted to remember.

Now, as in the present though my granddaughter had a big brother that tormented her just like mine did to me. I quickly commanded him (as if I was going make him ) to stop. This generational pattern and competitive exercise in futility must stop once and for all. Today.

Statements of the past and present:

"Mommy, "Mommy, he is looking at me." says me.

"Grandma,"Adam says I suck!" says Madie.

Tara says, "Mom, Hank is teasing me again. Tell him to stop."

"Anna Marie, you are so ugly." "Put your head down while I take you to school. "
He didn't want his friends see him drive his sister to school. It wasn't cool...

These are some of the phrases you may have all heard FROM three generations to me, my daughter, and now granddaughter.

Question: Where does this all end up and where do we go from her to STOP It?

If I could I would do all I could to undo all the damage to prevent and spare one even ONE person from living or thinking they are worthless; then there is hope in the world for it to heal.

The thought came to mind to write about this scenario that was for me momentarily relived. It took me back mentally years to when I looked in the mirror as a teen I saw an ugly face, with sadness in my eyes full of insecurity with a sense of worthlessness. This feeling of lack remained until I was twenty-four years old. Gratefully I had a spiritual awakening that empowered me to believe I had worth beyond imagination.

I would become a new person from the inside out. I was not perfect mind you; nevertheless I had an individual worth that felt so good and I knew God valued me and who I was and was his child. It miraculously healed all those years of hurt, sadness and depression inflictedupon me by my older brother, Robert.

Words can be daggers, destructive and so unnecessary. Later years told the sibling rivalry was about his jealousy and his own insecurity. The words had a long lasting effect on me. It stifled my self-image.

I will continue this on the next entry about the ways I want my posterity to benefit from what I went through as a young girl. It made up my mind as a young mother to be positive and build my children up to believe in themselves. I feel I have succeeded and continue with my grandchildren.