Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year... Memories and Present History Report.

First, I want to Thank anyone who has dropped by to read my posts. It does make it feel like it was worth taking the time to research and to share my findings as well as my stories.

I am not a Christmas card person; I have never been one to send them. I have cousins, my aunts, my in-laws, and my mom who were great at sending cards. They would always include a little of their family history as a letter tucked inside or feelings of love written on their card. Those I kept and put in their history. This will be my Christmas letter (inspired by Carol over at Reflections from the Fence to do so).

Christmas has become a bit sad for me as the older generation has passed. No one to share their memories. My sweetheart went home the morning before Christmas Eve. It does make for bittersweet memories. My heart goes out to those experiencing the feeling of mixed feelings of gratitude for those they have lost and sadness of not having them with them.

A bit of my history with Christmas Cards, it was my mom’s thing. Even in the world of her dementia, she found joy in Christmas. Her eyes would light up as the carolers would sing the Christmas songs. It was a ritual that I would bring a box of cards so she could still sign her name and a small thought, sometimes just “I love you”. She really remembered who she was sending it to. I loved that moment of respite from her usual feelings of anger. 

Mary Langley 2017

Now, for a bit of my year… My family of 6 children and 31 grandchildren (before my brother-in-law says 31! I will insert, I have gotten to know my daughter’s two stepchildren and love them too) keep my busy. Aine went to Rome with her husband in March to see the new Church of Jesus Christ’s Rome Temple. I watched her 6 children still at home. I should say 5, the older two work. The youngest is a nonverbal autistic. I was apprehensive at first because of the miles apart and only seeing him maybe once a year the relationship would be considered thin at best. I didn’t have to worry, the older boys assisted in watching him and sometimes interpreting for him. The best part was going to his therapy sessions and learning what they have been doing for him. He has a device that he can choose feelings or words to communicate. He was just starting, but now he is getting better at using it to express himself. That is exciting. They are getting along fine. I was glad to have been able to spend some fun time with Savannah. In August she left on her mission to Denver and is loving it.

#LighttheWorld #givingmachine

Just before I was to come back home, Emily developed problems with her 7^th pregnancy and ended up being life flighted to Salt Lake City for emergency care. Her sweet husband and 6 children were all sick, recovering from the flu. I was glad I had extended my stay with Aine, and that her husband could delay my flight back for a month. The trip down to stay with Emily was not uneventful. My daughter’s windshield wiper went flying off when she turned it on for the snow, to protect the windshield we had to scavenger in the car to find something to go over the loose metal end. We found a stray sock one of the boys had left in the car to fasten over it. We had to travel a good distance to get to a town to get a new wiper blade. My daughter Christina flew up to assist with the sick children and spend time with Emily when she got home. Emily scared us all. All turned out well, I came back home when she was strong enough and she had a cute baby boy about a month later. Scary spring. Tory got glasses AND braces... big deal for her. 

Christina has kept my year hoping. She has the 4 younger children at home and the 4 older ones are making it on their own. Amadeus will leave this coming January for Rexburg, Idaho to go to BYU Idaho. Willie started school this year, and Jamie has started therapy to help with his emotions and coping. I am not expressing that well and it is a story for her to tell. I will say the trip the three of us took up to see the new baby and go by and see my granddaughter leaving on a mission was the hardest I have ever taken. Lexi was baptized. It was a mixed emotion event, excitement that she was being baptized. Sadness because her Grandfather Whitworth just passed away. The funeral was before the baptism.

Edward is doing well. His oldest daughter left in September to go on her mission to Cebu. Marian took her on a trip to New York just after she graduated for her graduation present. My cousin has fallen in love with his son and told him, they would steal him in a minute. I am glad my children have my family to love on them too. The girls are busy performing, playing instruments, and sports.

Cebu, Philippines 

Sarah has had a rough year, that looks like it started off slow and is finishing great. During her husband’s lay off they tried doing Uber Eats. It was not what they had been led to believe it would be. He now has a nice job that enables them to be home much more. Her oldest boy is now 14. He and the baby who is 3 are fast buddies. 

Sean is with a new company and is enjoying working as a foreman on new plumbing construction in Austin, Texas. Downtown Austin is not a favorite of most people to work in and not for him either. He does love the work especially when they do work in historical buildings. He has even worked in the capitol fixing stuff. This fall I went up and he treated me to a delicious dinner at a restaurant that had outside tables with heaters. Fun.

I am president of the Montgomery County Genealogical Society in Montgomery County, Texas for another year. It has been challenging because of finding a place to meet that was consistent. We have, with the help of a stalwart member, fixed up the office that is ours to accommodate holding our meetings there so it will stay the same place. I have been working on a project in my FamilySearch mission to document preserving stuff. It was supposed to be my mom’s and aunt’s family stuff I was given, however, it turned out I was entrusted with a stranger’s stuff to preserve that her family did not want. I had to digitize and categorize pictures, papers and charts. (okay, I just about cried when I found the big box of pictures, especially that she took to time to identify and keep them in family categories. I am in awe of her professional work. Just so sad it was in a trunk in a garage that no one knew of.) I am writing about it and adding what I can to FamilySearch and uploading pictures. I will entrust it to the Society I am president of when I get finished.

With that, I will say Merry Christmas and wishing great blessing for all,

FranE

Blog Caroling... A Favorite Time of year.

Every year footnoteMaven hosts a fun event called Blog Caroling, a favorite activity for me. If you want to join, then head on over to this blog post at fM's. 
There are many Christmas carols and hymns that touch my heart, but sometimes you just need to stop and have some fun. When the Hero and I would talk about Christmas plays and our children were in the Church party Manger scenes, he would always break out in song about "The Angel in the Christmas Play". This Christmas song was written in 1949 by Spike Lee.  The Hero would have been about 3 when it first came out. 
Wonder if our children remember the song... Good question.

[One year my daughter's church ward had a funny nativity scene at their church party.  I was almost falling off my seat laughing at the antics of the shepherds and angels. Somethings never change. ] 
This is a link to the song done by Karen Carpenter on YouTube. 
Have a wonderful Merry Christmas my friends.

Blog Caroling with Footnote Maven

I am joining in with Footnote Maven's Blog Caroling meme. Click on the blog name to join. This is my fourth year of joining the fun.  I love Christmas Carols and have actually learned some as I have researched those I like.






This year I am choosing to do a new modern classic carol.  "Mary Did You Know?" lyrics and music written by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene.
I looked for the background of why he wrote the carol, and found a snipit on Wikipedia.... 'In 1984, Lowry wrote the lyrics to the song "Mary, Did You Know?", when asked to write a script for a church Christmas play. Lowry wrote a series of questions that he would like to ask Mary, the mother of Jesus. These questions were used in between the scenes of the play. Over the next decade, Lowry tried to find the music that would complete the song. Twelve years after writing the lyrics, musician and songwriter Buddy Greene wrote the music to the song. The Christmas play script then became the song.' no author given. 

There are many different presentations of this carol, but the sentiment, and words stay the same.  You can feel the dept and love in the words. It fills my heart with joy.  

Blog Caroling -- "While Shepherd Watch Their Flocks"

This year I am learning.  I have picked a hymn to share in a version I had not heard before.  I just learned my Gildon family came from the Yorkshire area of England.  In my search for a hymn about the Shepherds, I remembered a hymn often sung at our LDS ward meetings at Christmas time, and discovered it has a 300 year history of being sung in Yorkshire... 'While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks'.  The words are attributed to words attributed to Irish hymnist, lyricist and England's Poet Laureate, Nahum Tate (1652-1715). The Music is an Yorkshire carol (ca. 1800).

It has been set to numerous other tunes, but I have chose the YouTube English version from Yorkshire.
"While Shepherds Watched - The Yorkshire Version by Stamford Bridge Singers"
They make it an exciting time. The Wikipedia has more information if you would like to read.

This is a meme that Footnote Maven does every year.  She has been a wonderful example of hope, and joy in the midst of her own challenges this year. I can't say enough to praise for her magazine, "Shaded of the Departed" and her personal outlook on life. Thanks Footnote Maven for being the kind of person you are.
If you want to participate hurry on over to her blog for the instructions. http://www.footnotemaven.com/2013/12/fms-tradition-of-blog-caroling.html

Wishing You a Blessed Christmas

About this time of year in the past, the Hero and I would be doing last minute shopping.  There wasn't a lot of money and so we would take the time to stop by the card aisle and choose a card we thought was just what we wanted to say to the other... We would then offer it to the other to read, then put back.  Then sentiments were held in our hearts.  I think of that as I walk down the aisles at the stores during holidays.
Christmas is not what you spend, rather what memories you make.
The late hours of sewing, assembling a toy, sitting and hold a little one and singing carols.  Hugs.
Making the most of each moment is so very important for a life time of memories.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas from the Hero and me.