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Fun, Firsts, and Fun Firsts

1/31/2016

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It’s been a week of fun and firsts and some fun firsts.

FUN (and funny):

Lance and I saw LEO, an altered- gravity production at WSU. Incredibly ingenious.
On a quiz in 8th grade science I asked the students to identify the basic building block of matter. Angel’s answer was mud. [In case you are wondering, the correct answer was “atom”.]
At 7:30 a.m. (outside temperature 22 degrees F), Miles said to me, “Do you want to go outside and play basketball with me?” Do I WANT to? NO!!!! I told him to rephrase the question. “Will you go outside and play basketball with me?” he asked. Yes. (Brrrrrrr!)

FIRSTS:

A cute guy asked Grace for her phone number, which was a first for her. A girl who said to Grace “You are cute” also asked for her phone number, another first for her.
Grace is babysitting a mini-Australian Shepard (Shiloh) for 2-3 months @ $100/month. She loves Shiloh. We tolerate Shiloh. Zorro hates Shiloh.
In October, just before the first killing frost, I brought my potted geraniums inside and put them in the office window. For the first time, I have flowers in the winter.

FUN FIRSTS:

During the Utah Theater Association conference Tanah auditioned for several acting scholarship. She got a call back from fine arts school in New York City inviting her to audition again Saturday at the Capitol Theater in Salt Lake City, which she did. According to her, her performance was not stellar but the opportunity was. The change to audition for a fine arts school—WOW! The girl auditioning behind her told her that she’d been in 12 plays at Capitol Theater. Wow again. At audition’s end the school’s representative spend over 10 minutes tutoring and encouraging her. It was Tanah’s first call-back audition but it certainly won’t be her last.
Grace placed in the Top 5 this week in both the FFA Regional Creed Speaking Contest and the Herriman Debate Tournament, Legislative competition.
On January 27th, 713 people visited my blog, a record high. Last week (Sunday to Saturday) 2787 people saw the blog, also a record. THANK YOU for dropping in!

May February’s first week be fun for you!

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The saga continues….

About two days after the removal of her wrist cast, Sara’s right thumb refused to extend.   It was not painful and it was not tender and it was not stiff but it also was not obedient; it simply would not lift.    No right handed hitch hiking for her!

It turns out that a bone spur, a result of the fractured wrist, gradually sawed the thumb extensor tendon in half.   No tendon, no lift.   On Wednesday, in an outpatient surgical procedure, Dr. Okawa (a delightful lady, by the way!) took a snippet of tendon from her right forefinger and transplanted it into her right thumb.    In a couple months her thumb should be as good as new.

“I love that hospital,” Sara told me.    The nurses were wonderful and Dr. Okawa competent and kind and the facility fabulous but what, specifically, made the hospital great in her eyes?

“They gave me this cup,” she said sincerely. A hospital cup. Straw and lid included.   Cool! The cup iced the cake, so to speak.

Thumbs up to the cup, thumbs up to the hospital and thumbs up to Sara for smiling through it all!

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A Tale of Two Trees

1/17/2016

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There once was a kind craftsman who created works of art from scraps of lumber.   One December he made multiple Christmas trees and presented several to his daughter.

“No, Dad,” protested his beautiful child.   “We don’t need them.”

“Take them,” he insisted, “and give them away.”

And so she did.

This beautiful daughter, whose name was Amy, and her generous husband Ken left two of the trees on the back porch of a family by the name of Hislop.    Taped to the trees (duct tape works miracles at all times and in all seasons!) was a sign that said, “Keep one!   And make someone’s day. Give the other away.”

The mother of this blessed family was simultaneously gratified and perplexed by the gift.   She loved the trees but was unsure to whom the second one should be given.    She secretly considered keeping it—the pair looked so lovely together—but decided that was not a viable option.     If she did keep the second tree she would never be able to display the two trees together because the generous givers of the gift would know right away how selfish she really was….    So she had to “make someone’s day” and give the second one away. But to whom?

For a week many names passed through her mind but none stuck.    Eventually she recognized that Patti’s name was the only one to frequently reappear in the mental parade and realized that Patti was to be the recipient.

Sadly the realization of the identity of the recipient did not immediately equate to the actualization of the task.   The Hislop mother, called Teresa by many, had tried unsuccessfully to make contact with Patti for several weeks and, certain that the Christmas season was busy for Patti, was uncertain about being able to find her at home.   The uncertainty of finding her at home added to Teresa’s uncertainty about being able to find her home (getting lost in multi-unit complexes is one of the Hislop mother’s talents) equated to the tree sitting on the Hislop back porch for another week.

Reminded of her negligence every time she exited the back door, Teresa finally decided to take the tree to Patti’s work, a place she was confident she could find and a place where she was confident she could find Patti.

SIDE NOTE:   She was confident she could find Patti’s place of work because Patti worked at the hospital that was Teresa’s second home in December.

Carrying the tree, Teresa walked confidently into Patti’s place of work.   She did not see her there and so asked, confidence unshaken, “Where is Patti?”     “She’s not here” was the reply. NOOOOO!!!!

“Is she okay?” Teresa asked.    “NO” was, again, the reply.   “She is home with kidney stones,” Teresa was told.

Taking the tree, Teresa departed.     That evening, tree in hand, Teresa went to Patti’s place, certain that this time she would find her.   And she did.   Find her.    Alone.    Sitting in the dark.   Having not eaten anything all day.   And in tremendous pain.   Did I mention alone?    All alone.

But not unknown.      God knew.       Months earlier He inspired a kind craftsman to create a Christmas tree to give to his beautiful daughter to leave on the back porch of a clueless friend to take, eventually, to Patti at the time when she needed, not the tree itself, but the attention and love of the friend who brought it, a friend who would have never known she needed attention and love had she not had the tree to deliver.

God knows Patti. And He knows me.   And He knows you.    And He loves us all.

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I Am Good! So Are You!!

1/10/2016

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Last week I had another article published in the Standard Examiner (local newspaper).

_http://www.standard.net/Faith/2016/01/02/Good-versus-good-enough.html

This week I received three emails regarding my article. I will post one of the emails as well as my response to it. Feel free to share your feelings about the article, the response and/or my response to the response.

Thanks!
Teresa

Letters to the Editor
Ogden Standard-Examiner
P. O. Box 12790
Ogden, Utah 84412 – 2790
4 January 2016

            I agree with Faith columnist Teresa Hislop (2 January) that ‘Am I good enough?’ is a flawed question, but for the opposite reason. God is love (1 John 4.8 – 10), and his mercy is not dependent on any merit he perceives in us. While we were still his enemies, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5.6 – 10). The way Hislop uses biblical references to argue for humanity’s inherent goodness is misleading.
            Scripture regards human beings as fallen creatures, members of a race created good (Genesis 1) but since gone bad (Genesis 3). ‘I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me’ says Psalm 51.5, and according to Ephesians 2.3 we are ‘by nature children of wrath’. Jesus insists that ‘no one is good but God alone’ (Luke 18.19), and he evidently takes human wickedness for granted in Matthew 7.11 (‘If you then, who are evil, …’). G. K. Chesterton calls original sin ‘the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved’, and reading the daily newspaper – or simply examining our own hearts honestly – is enough to confirm that.
            Each person is created ‘in the image of God’ (Genesis 1.26 – 27), but not all are ‘children of God’ (see, e.g., John 1.12 – 13, 8.41 – 47) as Hislop claims. Quoting Romans 8.16, she fails to clarify that Paul is writing not to everyone, but specifically to the Christians in Rome, and that they are God’s children not by nature but by adoption (ui9oqesi/a in verses 8.15 and 8.23; likewise in Galatians 4.5 and Ephesians 1.5).
            If human beings really were ‘basically, fundamentally, intrinsically good’, as Hislop contends, the Incarnation would have been unnecessary, and Christ’s atoning death would have been both pointless and barbaric. The Christmas angel tells Joseph, ‘You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’ (Matthew 1.21), not ‘he will boost their flagging self-esteem’.
            The Christian doctrine of total depravity does not mean that we are as evil as we possibly could be. By God’s grace, there may be enough good in us to recognize that we are bad.

Sincerely,
John Doe (name changed because I did not ask him if I could post his letter on my blog.)

Dear John Doe,

Let me begin by thanking you for responding to my “Am I good enough?” column.   Your thoughtful response evoked thoughts of my own, a process that has been enlightening and clarifying for me.

As I mentioned earlier I believe that we are looking at the issues from different sides of the same coin. I also believe that our commonalities are more abundant than our differences.

You correctly surmised that I am LDS.     We accept and embrace the scriptures that you quoted and have many additional scriptures that support the truth that fallen man is evil and wicked.

“…if you should serve him [God] with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.” (Mosiah 2:21)
“..can ye say ought of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth” (Mosiah 2:25)
“For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been since the fall of Adam and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and putting off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” (Mosiah 3:19)
“For they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea even that old serpent with did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish” (Mosiah 16:3)
“…we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually” (Ether 3:2)

We agree that man is fallen and that fallen man is a wicked and evil creature, rebellious by nature. This is the dark side of the figurative coin to which I refer.

We also agree that it is only in and through Jesus Christ that man is redeemed. The Bible clearly states this, as demonstrated by the scriptures you referenced. So does the Book of Mormon. The scripture in Mosiah 3 (quoted above) identifies Christ as the only way to put off the natural man. There is a passage in Mosiah 16 is even more specific.

“Thus all mankind were lost; and behold they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state…… remember that only in and through Christ can ye be saved…..redemption cometh through Christ the Lord.” (vs 4,13,15)

That Christ is our Redeemer and that only through Him can we overcome the natural man, be rid of our carnal natures, and be reborn is certainly the light (Could I safely write “Light”?) side of that same figurative coin.

Additionally we agree that man was “created good” (quoting your letter, Genesis 1).

In summary, the points upon which we agree are that man was created good, that mankind is fallen, and that only in and through Jesus Christ can fallen man be saved.   As I see it, the perceived discrepancy comes how we view the figurative coin.

I disagree with your statement that “If human beings are really ‘basically, fundamentally, intrinsically good’, the Incarnation would have been unnecessary, and Christ’s atoning death would have been both pointless and barbaric.”

I contend that it is because human beings are basically, fundamentally, intrinsically good that Christ was willing to suffer and die for us. “His precious blood he freely spilt, His life he freely gave.” (“How Great the Wisdom and the Love”; hymn) Why?   Why would Christ, perfect and innocent in every conceivable way, suffer and bleed and die in such an ignominious manner?

I believe He did so because the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10). In my view it would be “pointless and barbaric” if He died for something worthless.    While it is true that fallen man is wicked, carnal, sensual and devilish, it is also true that mankind, as originally created, is basically, fundamentally, and intrinsically good.    I believe that Christ died for us because He values us; He recognizes our worth, He loves us, and He wants us to return to Him. His sacrifice verifies, rather than contests, our fundamental goodness.

I share the hope with you that, “by God’s grace, there may be enough [may I add “residual”?] good in us recognizes that we are bad [I would substitute “fallen”..]” .   I am confident that you share with me the hope that such recognition compels us to seek Christ that we may be redeemed.

Sincerely,
Teresa Hislop

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NO JOKE!!! (...but funny....)

1/3/2016

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RIDDLE:   What is funny but is not a joke?

ANSWER: There are probably a zillion (I’ve told you a million times not to exaggerate) answers to this riddle but the one that I am looking for (bad teaching practice, I know, to require students to read my mind….) is this:

Two more children in the hospital this week.

NO JOKE!!!

Tuesday evening Sara descended the stairs, heading towards the basement and focusing intently on the three small, dessert-laden plates she was carrying.   At the same time Tanah rounded the corner and, in a rush to get to the kitchen, began ascended the same stairs. The two met violently on the second to bottom step.    Three desert-laden plates crashed to the floor and Tanah’s forehead smashed into Sara’s nose.     One of the plates was shattered beyond recognition and Sara’s nose was recognizably crooked.

A nosebleed, several phone calls, and a frozen bag of peas later we were on our way to the emergency room where, thankfully, x-rays revealed that the crookedness was a dent rather than a break.

Sara’s nose did not break and neither did Miles’ appendix…..

Wednesday night when Miles complained of stomach pain I half suspected it was because he wanted to watch a show instead of going to Young Men’s.    When his moaning awakened me at 4:00 Thursday morning I began to believe him.   Rolling over, even breathing, hurt him.   The pain was intense and localized in his lower right abdomen and I immediately suspected appendicitis.   The doctor suspected the same thing and ordered an ultra sound.   The ultra sound was inconclusive but the CT scan showed an inflamed appendix.   “Out!” order the M.D.

Miles was really NOT happy about spending New Year’s Eve in the hospital…..until he saw the T.V. and Play Station in his room.   He managed to watch the entire first football game of the NCAA semi-final play-offs and was out of surgery in time to watch the second half of the second game.     He saw the New Year in watching football, seeing movies, and using the Play Station.   When I went to sleep at 11:00 p.m. “Harry Potter—Chamber of Secrets” was on the screen and when I awoke at 4:00 a.m. he was playing virtual hockey.     If it weren’t for the fact that he sucked on ice chips instead of munching on potato chips and that he had a pain in the side rather than being a pain in the side (Just kidding Miles!), it would have been the perfect way to see in the New Year.

As for me, it was another night in the hospital in what seems to be becoming a habit.   Thanks to a daughter, a bonus daughter, a dear friend (hospitalized for a ruptured appendix), and a sweet son, there were only two days between December 15 and January 1 that I was not in the hospital.

No joke!! But funny……..!!!!

Love,
Teresa