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.

The Golden Link Between The Generations

Family photo taken at Anita Recio's funeral in 1988 with Tio Chano aka Feliciano Recio, Jr., her only brother. Carlos & Elena with David, Linda, Martha, Anna Maria, Robert, and Charlie. Westminster, CA cemetery.

This day, October 30, 2012, eight years ago marks the anniversary of my link to my parents. This is a photo of my Dad, aka Grandpa Carlos and his siblings and his mother, Maria. This photo was taken in the mid-1980s. I know I am (figuratively) the Golden Link between my family and that of my ancestors.

Thoughts from Parley P Pratt

This very profound thought surface last week when we were training at the MTC. It was very enlightening and wanted to share it here.

"An intelligent being, in the image of God, possesses every organ, attribute, sense, sympathy, affection, of will, wisdom, love, power and gift which is possesses of God Himself.

"But these are possessed by man, in his rudimental state in a subordinate sense of the word. Or in other words, these attributes are in embryo, and are to be gradually developed. They resemble a bud, a germ, which gradually develops into bloom, and then by progress, produces the mature fruit after its own kind.
The gift of the Holy Spirit adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.

"In the presence of such persons one feels to enjoy the light of their countenances, as the genial rays of a sunbeam. The very atmosphere diffuses a thrill, a warm glow of pure gladness and sympathy, to the heart and nerves of others who have kindred feelings, or sympathy of spirit. No matter if the parties are strangers, entirely unknown to each other in person or character; no matter if they have never spoken to each other, each will be apt to remark in his own mind, and perhaps explain when referring to the interview, “O what an atmosphere encircles that stranger! How my heart thrilled with pure and holy feelings in his presence! What confidence and sympathy he inspired! His countenance and spirit gave me more assurance than a thousand written recommendations or introductory letters."

"Such is the gift of the Holy Spirit, and such are the operations when received through the lawful channel, the divine, eternal Priesthood."

Parley P. Pratt, Key to Theology p. 101-103
Elder Pratt was an intellectual person but had a real depth in his observations of the Gospel. His style reminded me of Neal A Maxwell's writings.

Our First Day

Here we are so excited to get to our assignment at the MTC. We were housed on the MTC campus in an apartment on the main floor. Whahoo! No stairs to climb. We were so impressed with how we were encouraged and felt so welcomed. The feeling there was amazing. We loved it, the food was wonderful and lots of varieties and choices. We ate well, and never went hungry between meals.

We greeted a couple of Elders that Ron knew in Mexico. We took a snap shot and sent it to their parents. They loved that.

We were assigned our teachers and district. See the photo.

We were taught so much and had the opportunity to teach each other and gain the experience we would be having in the field.

Our focus was on "Preach My Gospel." It is so testimony strengthening to be assisting in bringing others to Jesus Christ. This is the greatest feeling to be a part of this work. "We Like it, We live it, We LOVE it."

Our official name tags.