Nice and Worth The Read-Priceless

Recently, I overheard a mother and daughter in their last moments together at the airport as the daughter's departure had been announced. Standing near the security gate, they hugged and the mother said:

"I love you and I wish you enough."

The daughter replied, "Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom." They kissed and the daughter left.

The mother walked over to the window where I sat. Standing there, I could see she wanted and needed to cry.

I tried not to intrude on her privacy but she welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?" "Yes, I have," I replied. "Forgive me for asking but why is this a forever good-bye?"

"I am old and she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is the next trip back will be for my funeral," she said.

When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, "I wish you enough." May I ask what that means?"

She began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone." She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail and she smiled even more.

"When we said 'I wish you enough' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them". Then turning toward me, she shared the following, reciting it from memory,

"I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.

I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.

I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye."

She then began to cry and walked away.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person. An hour to appreciate them. A day to love them. And an entire life to forget them.

- Author Unknown

Grandpa Carlos

It isn't very often that I have dreams about my father, Carlos, aka Grandpa Carlos.
I was observing his work and the workmanship that he was doing teaching other people to know what he knew and his art. The interesting things is that I only saw the results of his work, and not really see him, but it was all about him and his work in a shop setting, the tools, machinery, and his inventions! His students spoke highly of him and praised him and knew he was my father.

It felt good and so real, it filled a need for me to feel his qualities and love for his work. I miss him and Mama. I know they are together busily helping and watching over us, their family; what a blessing.

Thanksgiving Past

The brothers were 8 an 6 in this photo in the front yard at my grandmother's neighbors house.

Charlie on that same Thanksgiving day in San Antonio in their homemade hot rod, with brother Bobby.

My mother, Elena, Charlie and Bobby Thanksgiving Day when I was four years old

This is me with my brother Bobby and cousin Bessie on the same day. It was our last Thanksgiving there before leaving San Antonio since we moved to Chicago that following spring. My brother was being silly and pretended to bite off the ends of the drumsticks to the turkey.

The following year found us homeless after a fire in our attic apartment. We lived with some other family until my parents bought a home in the suburbs. I remember we went to visit my Aunt Alice and her husband and son, and we ate baloney sandwiches for our Thanksgiving meal.

It occurred to me a short time ago that the reason we had sandwiches on Thanksgiving was because we didn't have a kitchen to prepared a turkey like in the years past. Aunt Alice lived in a rented room at that time, so that must have been why we had no big turkey feast that year. It didn't phase us, since the years after that were prosperous and we always had what we needed.

Thanksgiving 2012

We spent Thanksgiving at Shelly and Kevin's this year. Ronnie and Adrienne came down from Yakima along with Annie and Shannon's families for dinner. We baked a turkey and gravy and stuffing, The family filled in the rest. We had a feast. There was sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, carrots, mashed potatoes, fruit salad, home made rocky road fudge and plain fudge. banana cream pies, heavenly chocolate pie,and pumpkin pies and spiral cut ham, and turkey and yeast dinner rolls. We all ate more than we should have, and OD'd on L-tryptophan, with the turkey. Lol

Long days. . .

Long days bring that feeling of working hard even having meetings can make one get that "good tired feeling," as Tana calls it.

This morning I woke up around 5:30 and have a hard tine going back to sleep even for an hour. It catches up to me and I am nodding the rest of the day! I am ready to go to sleep at seven o'clock!

But, I hang in there and endure what we need to do. It is okay, I catch up on other days with a nap. Then when I wake up in the morning I have to stop and think what day it must be and hope for the best.

We had a great Zone conference today. Our first one in the mission. We sure enjoyed seeing all the missionaries in our region get together. There was a luncheon too and the food was great. Thanks to the Relief Society from our former Richland Stake. [I meant to mention before that our stake was divided and we are now the West Richland Stake since November 3.]It was especially uplifting to hear so many strong male voices sing, "Hark All Ye Nations" all at once. We could feel the Spirit so sweetly. It was heavenly. The missionaries just have that special glow!!!

It is so refreshing to see what all the missionaries do and the leadership qualities they learn no other way in such a condensed part of their young lives. Two years compared to their lifetimes is so short. But, they go out young men and come back as mature men! The sisters too are so poised and confident as their missions wind down.

The members love the missionaries and do anything and everything they can to accommodate us when we need it. The locals are so friendly and supportive wherever we go, whether it is to the store at Wal-Mart or Costco. People stop and ask us where we are from and Ron will talk to people around us to get to know them. A lot of Church members see us and know people we know from working at the Columbia River Temple.

We can feel the many prayers rendered in behalf of the missionaries. We thank you all for that too. Our former temple president, stopped to talk to us and shake our hands as we came into the temple. The workers are so cheerful when we see our friends we used to work with there on the Wednesday morning shift at the temple.

More notes and thoughts regarding the Zone Conference. We loved it, even if it is a little exhausting at times.

We are making tamales tomorrow for our visitors next week. Ron's brother, LeRoy, Val and Ben will be visiting from Oklahoma before Thanksgiving. We are excited to have them come, even if it is for one day and one night. They are spending the holiday with Val's family in Portland and will be driving over to see us since they are so close.

When Upon Life's Billows, Count Your Many Blessings

The only reason I will post this message is to give my posterity an insight of how it feels to have situations that I am not easily able to accept. Namely the results of the recent presidential election. To say that it was a disappointment for Mitt Romney to lose the bid for the presidency of the United States of America,is an understatement.

The State of Washington also passed two issues that have a total disagreement on social behavior. Gay marriage was legalized as well as the approval of the use of recreational marijuana to which we are diametrically opposed.

It feels like the world is going downhill at an escalated pace that one wonders what is to happen next? I described it last night before we went to sleep that "we will just have to lump it," which means accepting the majority, even though is was by less than one percentage, more like .5% that Mitt Romney lost the popular vote.

Life goes on, and I had a familiar thought and smile about how my mother used to think of the Governor of her state and say a swear word whenever his name came or was mentioned. I remember feeling that about one of our former governors too that it was difficult to think something good about him. However, one day I made up my mind to change my attitude and make my own life easier and find something good about the governor. I managed to do that and left those hard feelings behind me and got on with my life.

Now, I am not suggesting what anyone else needs to do to cope with the disappointment they may feel in regards to what just occurred yesterday. All I intend to do is to not think about it and move forward with my own thoughts and leave that kind of issue behind. Thinking of something good about the incumbent isn't how I will change my opinion in this case, but just to move on and stop worrying about something of which I have no control. Life is too short to sweat over it.

I am thankful to have the freedoms we still have and pray for our Church leaders who give us guidance and hope in Christ. Their message is worthy of our considerations.

Life goes on, regardless. Today is a new day, and I can make it what I choose to make it and leave it alone. . . and leave it at that.

1900 Census Sheds Some Light

Fidela Recio born in 1883, she was 17 in 1900. She died at age 90.





This evening I was researching my Family History and found an interesting entry that I had not heard of before as a profession listed next to three women in my Jose Maria Recio family group. All the men listed were listed as "farm laborer." The women were listed as doing "Mexican Drawn Work." The women were my great-grandfather, Feliciano's sisters, Basilia, Amada, and Fidela.

I read it but was not sure what it meant. I had never heard of it. So, I "googled" it. It is a decorative type of hand work. I found the explanation below.

The craft of drawn thread has been around a long time. It’s a kind of openwork on linen where you remove some of the threads from the base fabric then rearrange or decorate the remaining threads with stitchery. It’s used especially for doilies, table and dresser scarfs, place mats and anywhere a decorative cloth can be used.

These women are from the late 1880s and dressed of that era. They are holding frames from the Mexican Drawn Work.