VACATION IS OVER...BACK TO SERVING

MONDAY, 16 March 2015

We flew home from Oklahoma today.  We had a great two weeks visiting our children and grandchildren.

Things to remember from these vacation days:

We saw Bruce Nickell in Rochester airport as we were preparing to leave for Oklahoma.  He was on his way to Roy, Utah for his fathers funeral.  We would have liked to have been two places at once.  We are keeping him and Brenda Sewell's family in our prayers.  My cousin Brenda passed away March 8, 2015 after a long struggle with cancer.  She was 51.
My sister, Linda, was taking a granddaughter to St. Louis to a doctor and side swiped a truck and destroyed her mini van.  She and the grandchildren were sent to a local hospital to be checked over.  Her daughter Tara was sent to St. Louis and spent the night in a hospital.  All were miraculously saved and had lots of soar muscles and bruises but no broken bones.
Brother Barnett's father was not so lucky.  Brother Barnett is in the Village Ward bishopric.  He had to fly to New Zealand where his parents were vacationing.  His parents as well as another couple, the Peterson's, all from Richfield Utah, were vacationing in New Zealand together.  The father side swiped a truck and Barnett's mother and both the Peterson's died in the accident.  Brother Barnett's father had to pay a fine but was released to escort his wife's body home.  I found it so touching that the Kiwi people in the Ward where this happened held a memorial service for these Saints.  Over 700 New Zealand Saints attended the memorial service to support Richard Barnett in his hour of need.  Our prayers are with this family.

We had a wonderful time celebrating our son Ryan's, our granddaughter Elizabeth, and our grandson Leif's birthdays.  

Leif was baptized March 14, 2013
Sarah played beautiful prelude music and hymns. Todd lead the singing and Elizabeth sang "I know that my Savior loves me" and they all did a most excellent job.   

It was great to visit with Leif's Hansen grandparents, Todd & his family and Eric and his children, Alona (a niece)and her family.  We spent a week staying with Heather and her family and a week with Ryan and his family.
Missing our son Troy, but blessed to visit with our four others:

We are so blessed.
Missing three other grandchildren..but blessed with 11 to visit:

 Mike kindly filled a cavity for me during this busy time.

We went to the Village Ward and OKC Third Ward Churches.  It was good to see Ward family members again.

We learned that Wendy's parents are serving a mission at the OKC Storehouse.  They started their mission in March 2014 and will finish in March 2016.

Wendy and Cecily are in India this week working with Orphaned Children.

I swam every morning at the YMCA!
I finished  reading The Order of the Sarah Prine Series
These is my Words
Sarah's Quilt
The Star Garden
These books were great.
“A vivid picture of one woman’s true grit on the frontier.” 
Dallas Morning News These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901
The Church announced the New Palmyra President and Matron

Rollo Edward Black, 75, Pittsford Ward, Palmyra New York Stake, called as president of the Palmyra New York Temple, succeeding President Thomas B. Brighton. President Black’s wife, Ann Gilbert Black, will serve as temple matron, succeeding Sister Linda E. Brighton. He serves as public affairs director for the Palmyra New York Area and as a sealer in the Palmyra New York Temple. He has served as a counselor in the Palmyra New York Temple presidency, stake president, bishop, mission president’s counselor and senior couple missionary. A retired future systems development director for the Eastman Kodak Company, he was born in Salt Lake City to Edward Ferris and Alice Rose Ames Black.

Sister Black serves as a ward Relief Society compassionate service coordinator and as a temple ordinance worker. She has served in a stake Relief Society presidency, ward Young Women presidency, ward Primary president, stake missionary and as a senior couple missionary. She was born in Bancroft, Idaho, to Jesse Layton and Virginia Flinders Gilbert.

And so here we are on TUESDAY, 17 March 2015

Happy St. Patricks Day

Happy 173rd Birthday to the Relief Society Organization

We are serving in the Palmyra Temple this morning.  There is still snow all over Palmyra, but the parking lots are clean and all the icicles have melted off the buildings.  There is a chill in the air, but we can see the bulbs are beginning to grow out of the ground in the temple gardens.  There are signs of Spring on this Day of Green!  I was asked to give the thought in Prayer meeting so I told of my experience at Leif's Baptism when Heavenly Father taught me the love Jesus had for His childhood cousin John the Baptist.  He went to John, in the wilderness, to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness,  to be blessed in the ordinance of baptism, by His cousin before He began His ministry.  Family's are forever and Heavenly Father acknowledged this baptism, "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased".  John was six months older than his cousin Jesus.  John baptized Jesus in the River Jordan.

 Leif had ten of his cousins with him at his baptism.  He was baptized in the Edmond, OK Ward building where his own mother was baptized.

WEDNESDAY, 18 March 2015
I spoke too soon yesterday.  The signs of Spring are gone today.  We awoke to snow everywhere.  It is 9 AM as I write this and the lake effect snow is still falling.  It is beautiful.  We are wondering if we will see Spring weather before we depart next month.  Today that does not seem likely.  The FM Truck was just pulling into the temple parking lot to plow it out as I drove by on my way back from swimming this morning.
"I'm dreaming of a White Easter"

THURSDAY, 19 March 2015

We served in the temple the AM & PM shifts.  I volunteered in the office in the PM.  The three main computers crashed and we rebooted and could not get them working again.  I was serving with Sister Stockman.  We called Salt Lake and they walked us through things...nothing, so President Cahoon said he would call in the computer expert on Friday morning.  We had everything recorded and cleaned up.  We just hope they have the computers going again on Friday evening.  Also we saw that the stamp still had 2014 on it...ug!  Never ending!

FRIDAY, 20 March 2015

The pool is now open on Friday mornings, Hurrah!  I swam for an hour.  It was awesome.  It is now 10:45 AM and I just finished laundry and some indexing & we prepared our Sunday School lesson. "How can I recognize the difference between truth and error"?  Art has gone to gas and wash the car.  I just looked out the window and it is snowing (truth)....again...oh and today is the first day of Spring (error?), Ha!  I guess I will wrap up in a blanket and try and read "Prayers for Sale", but know I will take a little nap.

Vernal Equinox
“From the end spring new beginnings.” --Pliny the Elder

Elder Arthur Vern Bushman
He is my Sunshine on a Cloudy Day!
SATURDAY, 21 March 2015
We serve the AM and Mid Day shifts.  Baptistry and laundry is our lot this day.  Bring it on.  Well, my age is showing, after shutting down the office, in the temple serving with Sister Clark, we came back to the Inn.  I ate some leftovers and sat down to read  around 5 PM and woke up at 8:30 PM.  Elder Bushman is watching the basketball tournaments and sad that BYU lost the first game and didn't move on.  I caught a cold in OK and have had a cough every since.  Since I was feeling lousy we had prayer and I went back to sleep.  I missed attending a visit at the Monyahan's where Sister Neeley was giving her presentation of Emma again.  I felt badly that I couldn't stay awake, but have reached my limit today. 
Sister Nita Stormann, the Relief Society President, in Cortland Ward, gave me a gift at the temple yesterday.  I was so touched.  She made these gloves and scarf for me.  Thank you, so much, Nita.  I am so blessed to know you and the Sisters in Cortland.  Thank you for your kindness and example.

 SUNDAY, 22 March 2015
We awoke to snow this morning...it is snowing in Springtime in Palmyra...
I had a great rest last evening.  I still have a tickle in my throat and a cough, but feel good.  We are off to Cortland Ward in a frill of snowflakes.  Perhaps we will return in rain or sunshine...we will see.  I wore my scarf today as we drove to Cortland in another snowstorm!  We returned in sunshine and a flurry of blue sky and clouds.  Life is good, the meetings were good.  

 We met Elder and Sister Batty when we returned to the Inn.  They are from Utah and are here for a year.  They are residing in our old room, 232, in the Inn.
MONDAY, 23 March 2015
Lake effect snow flurries as I drove to the swimming pool today.  It was 17 degrees.  On the way back to the Inn there was this huge orange ball in the blue sky.  Oh...the Sun is Shinning! I swam for an hour, now I need a nap!
We are having home evening at the Brighton's this evening.  Pictures later.
Have a good week everyone and remember to hug your children and tell them you love them!
Grandma Gene & Grandpa Arthur
Elder & Sister Bushman