Our Christmas in New Hampshire

As you can well imagine, this has been a memorable Christmas

for us, as senior missionaries serving in New Hampshire

Manchester, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day 

Saints. It will be different from any others that we have.

To begin with, we don't have a Christmas tree. But this picture

above is Vince's rather hilarious attempt at capturing

the Christmas spirit. Explanation: he discovered a caution

roadside triangle in the Vehicle Coordinator miscellany

in the office, brought it home, used a tray table as display space,

wrapped it in a random string of battery-powered lights,

then surrounded it with other colorful things on hand.

In the spirit of Charlie Brown, it's glow was rather comforting!

Here, above, we are standing near the apartment

clubhouse lobby artificial tree. It was probably the nearest

thing we had to having a tree of our own.

Apartment rental agreement rules forbid natural trees

for Christmas decorations, but I noticed the occasional

suspicious trail of evergreen needles and twigs in

various parking lot locations across the snow or

wet pavement, so someone is testing the rules.

* * * *

Christmas this year was missing the best parts of

why we remember, look back, anticipate and enjoy

the season. So here I pay tribute to those that I love

so deeply and am missing.

First, our youngest son Cory who is minding

our home for us in Lehi, along with . . . 

 . . . his snuggly friend Pogo the aging feline.

(I mailed a catnip rectangular pillow for his Christmas

gift, and Cory has been entertaining me with texted 

videos of the cat playing and hugging and kicking it!)

 Next I show daughter Kenzie and husband Mike

and their six children. Christmas is always more fun

with kids around.

 This wintry picture from a current trip to Arizona is
son Riley and wife Amy, who celebrate their first Christmas 
in a new 'old' home in Pleasant Grove, Utah. 

Hope it was memorable for them, too.

 When I saw this picture, below, posted on FB of the Barrow

family with newly-blended Eric Glissmeyer family

at their traditional Christmas Eve meal on Tues., my heart

really did start to shakily hum "I'll be home for Christmas . . .

if only in my dreams." Sister Elana and her family have welcomed 

the holiday proper at this kind of event for many years now.

It is not so long ago that we had other beloved guests

also there in attendance on the 'Eve gathering. 

I am missing Helen and Gus and Martha tonight, too.

 The rest of my extended family that I am missing

this Christmas season is represented here,

with the family of brother Jeff and wife Sherrie.

Our Christmas season's highlights have included the chance

for Vince to share during the Christmas Zone Conferences

(and therefore with the 145 or so young missionaries

with which we serve) his favorite Christmas experience from

his days as a young Missionary in California/Anaheim.

His family packages had missed him in the December

transfers change of address. He felt disappointment and

loneliness, but kept on working and serving. During

a companionship exchange, he accompanied Elder Kirby

to visit a Hispanic single mother with two young girls.

Though he couldn't understand what they were saying,

the two girls, though impoverished, enjoyed his company.

As the Elders departed, the girls unitedly offered to share with

Elder Warner some of the meager contents of their nylon

mesh stockings, provided by some charity organization.

Of course, he refused, but he was touched by their

generosity that Christmas in a way that has lasted

through the years.

An unanticipated highlight of our holiday celebration

was the invitation by the Alan and Kate Rose family

to travel to Franklin/Tilton to share their 'Eve dinner.

Kate prepared a multi-course meal that included

steak and shrimp. We met and visited with her

parents Bonnie and George and shared in

the reading of the Christmas passages, and also

the fun of the "first present" opening by the kids

of their Christmas pajamas.

We received many gifts and treats from fellow senior

missionaries, President and wife, and young missionaries, too.

 Still, the best part of Christmas is 'gifting' someone else,

so I include this reminder, below, of our apartment version 

of door ditching - without the doorbell.

This small token was given to across-the-hall neighbor

Grace, with whom we have developed a talking relationship

as we go from entrance door to car at the curb

where we often see and greet her as she steps out

onto her small balcony to indulge in something she

is not permitted to do inside the apartment.

Finally, as these usually non-descript days between

Christmas and New Year's Day holidays roll through,

I always have occasion to remember that this is

the anniversary of the passing of our beloved mother Helen.

She battled hard against ailments and aging in order

to be here and bless her children and grandchildren.

Her final active day those 9 years ago was spent 

making day-after-Christmas visits to neighbors 

who were her special friends,

checking in and bringing Christmas greetings.

I honor her for her selflessness and for the many years

she blessed our lives by making Christmas bright.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE!

Christmas Wishes & Christmas Gifts

Today our "Christmas Sunday" in the NHM Mission,

and specifically where we attend in the Canterbury Ward,

was a beautiful, heart-warming and celebratory occasion.

Let me introduce you to LaVerne Blomquist who serves

as the accomplished organist and pianist for this Ward.

She has graciously invited me to use my piano experience

to accompany special musical numbers (to give her a break).

As the Christmas season approached, LaVerne suggested

that we could work together on organ/piano duets to play

as prelude in December, and also a special version of

 Silent Night for the final hymn in the actual program.

 Above is the worn and tattered music book from which

she/we chose our prelude selections. My siblings will

understand how this immediately transported me to

my mother's music collection, particularly to beloved Christmas

books and sheet music, which we pulled out and rehearsed

and performed from over many years.

Below, the book is open to one selection that was particularly

fun for me. I have never played anything from Handel's Messiah.

So when "He Shall Feed His Flock" was on LaVerne's clipped-on list,

I was thrilled. What joy and what memories in creation to practice

and then to play it. (The congregation may not have heard

much, though, since they were busy greeting and chatting.

Perhaps this music pleasure was meant just for me!)

Mission wide - even worldwide - friends and all have

been invited to attend the Christmas service with 

a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ 

of Latter-Day Saints. (The photo below is one example

of the public way our missionaries are inviting neighbors to come.)

Helping to make that service "special" as advertised for Canterbury 

was pure pleasure, and I consider it a "Christmas gift" to me!. 

As a senior lady, I've been through scores

of Christmases. Now, the answer to the perennial question

"what Christmas means to me" is answered with

memories of playing and contributing sacred music in church.

As part of the program (and purely as a way to document

it here), I note that I also played for the Primary children's two songs,

a piano solo of The First Noel and a special organ/piano duet

of Silent Night, both of the latter by legendary LDS composer

Sally DeFord. I need to pen and post a HUGE tribute to her,

a woman of immense musical talent who offers her "wares"

to the musical community conveniently online and free of charge.

Below is a portrait of Sally DeFord from her website.

Her music was simple enough to prepare quickly, but beautiful

and heart-warming. Bravo, once again to Sally!!

Now I will recap what has been possibly the busiest week we have

worked since our arrival here. With the regular transfer and

reorganization of the missionary force in the NHM Mission plotted during

the first week in December, Christmas packages from
family and friends after that time would likely need to be

redirected, and the risk was that they would not reach missionaries

if sent directly to their apartment addresses. This is a fact we live with.

To work around this, and to try to prevent absence of packages

for devoted and diligent missionaries, the pattern in this mission

is to proactively invite parents to send packages to the mission office

by the first few days in December. 

Below is a shot of the office as the packages accumulated.

These are gathered as they flow in day by day,

logged and organized by the mission secretary, grouped by zones,

then loaded and hauled to one of two combined Zone Conferences

for controlled and orderly distribution to the missionaries.

Below is a shot of the classroom at the Yarmouth ZC

where they were alphabetized so that, as the young missionaries

stepped from the line up out in the hallway to the doorway,

their package(s) could be easily found, checked off, and given.

Zones were divided roughly into the east half of the mission

(Bangor, Augusta, Exeter) for a meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 17

in Yarmouth, ME (we usually meet in Farmingdale, ME), and

as west half (Montpelier, Concord, Nashua) for a meeting on

Thursday, Dec. 19 in Sharon, VT. Weather for both meetings

complicated things. We traveled into Maine the evening ahead

to help decorate the chapel and cultural hall.

In Sharon (at the JSM), the senior South Royalton sisters

had planned and prepared world-class desserts:

individual mini bundt style cakes with chocolate mousse

filling and chocolate sauce "shell". Remember that there were

100 people to serve. Absolutely delicious!

And practically too beautiful to eat (on the red plates).

Sister Speer also had created, with some help, the tree trunk

discs with hand-printing, tiny wooden turned peg figures,

fancy bows and LED electric candles. It was beautiful indeed!

The meal in Yarmouth was provided exclusively by

the local unit there - a committee of mostly women

who call us in early October to make sure we still "want"

them to do this at Christmas time.

Below, the kitchen helpers in Sharon make an appearance

good naturedly to be sung to by the missionaries following

our abundant and delicious spiral ham and potatoes lunch.

(Sister Olado, Elder Sypher, Sister Kill)

There were many people who filled my lamp during

these events. I begin that list here, with recent member

Homer and his son Julian. They helped me personally

to peel the 14 pounds of granny smith apples so that

I could saute the slices with cinnamon as a sweet way 

to embellish that delicious ham entree. 

Also on hand as helper was Adam Porter, whose

wonderful conversion story has impressed and blessed

the mission as he presented in the recently-passed months.

Adam was an example that day to me, as he quietly

reached out to those helping, and to us, mentoring

and inviting and ministering and valuing those over whom

he had some leader stewardship. Adam is also remarkable

because he owns rabbits, and always keeps our edible

scraps - such as apple peelings and extra lettuce - from

going into the dumpster!

These Christmas "party" Zone Conferences were something

Elder and Sister Warner have been looking forward to

and planning for since late September. An idea was floated

which we commandeered - to prepare custom-designed jewelry

for each missionary: tie bars for the elders;

necklace medallions with chain for the sisters.

I worked to design these, partnering with a producer out of

Davis County in Utah. When the project lost traction,

Elder Warner stepped in and offered to sponsor the gifts.

We waited for them to arrive from production in China,

received the distressing and somewhat funny news that

'Manchester' had been misspelled on the tie bar, requested

special expedited attention to get them here on time.

Meanwhile, I designed and prepared the packaging so that 

we could distribute them, one by one, 

to the Elders and Sisters.

It was pure pleasure to hand them individually to

these young people we serve and whom we love.

Here, at lunchtime at the Yarmouth ZC, Elder Sanchez

models his tie bar, and even allowed me . . .

 . . . to snatch a closeup so we could report it on this blog.

Finally, I include a picture of these wonderful young sisters

who now are "our missionaries" in the Canterbury Ward,

Sister Linford (a greenie) and her trainer Sister Parry.

They will help me begin my list of those who have filled

my Christmas lamp with oil this week.

Sister Parry, who has sign language skills, took initiative

to learn signing for the verses that the ward choir

sang of With Wondering Awe as a way of blessing

the life of our fellow member Judy Johonette-Young.

We were blessed by the Elders and Sisters who

so warmly reacted to our mission jewelry gifts.

My load was lifted by those volunteering and so ably

putting on the Christmas party lunches in Yarmouth

and in South Royalton.

My spirits soared as I played wonderful Christmas music

with my new musical friend LaVerne.

My heart was touched when my friend Andrea texted me to say

she loves seeing me, and that "you make the world a brighter

place", and that she loves us.

My heart was warmed as Elder Warner shared a mission

Christmas experience at both Zone Conference

meetings (more about that next week).

And even, unexpectedly, by a young girl in a white dress

with red embroidery who was the first thing I saw as I opened

the front chapel hallway door to make my way to the piano stand

to play. She looked like an angel, something out of a favorite

vintage Christmas storybook (Twinkle, the Busiest Angel, above)

from my childhood. I told her how beautiful she looked.

She spontaneously embraced me - a Christmas angel hug!

May your Christmas lamps be full and overflowing!

Merry Christmas!

Woodstock Wassail Weekend

Consider this installment my "picture postcard"

sent home to loved-ones (and to myself once 

this senior mission experience comes to an end).

This week's story is a total indulgence - but it has been

my birthday week, so once a year I feel "entitled".

When we first traveled to Vermont years ago, I fell in love

with the picturesque town of Woodstock. My dream of

spending a night near the town began then, and once we knew

our assignment would anchor us within 1.5 hours, I began

fantasizing about "waking up in Woodstock" on my birthday.

Then I discovered that their annual holiday festival for 2019

was slated for the weekend after my birthday. I booked a hotel - 

but decided on a a stay in Quechee (say kwee-chee), 7 miles away,

partly because of the red barn on the Quechee Inn's property.

The image below serves as record of my hand-made

Christmas cards sent home this year, evidence of

my growing "collection" of red barns.

Christmas cards were especially fun and important

this year, when we will NOT see in person so many of

family and friends.

Following are a few shots I took of the Inn

and premises before dark. Our room is on the very far left,

second floor, where the lamp can be seen aglow.

Cheery yellow painted walls, creamy white trim,

black/white toile bedspreads, blonde wide plank

floor boards greeted us. (Drat - I failed to take a pic.)

 How fun it was to be here during the Christmas season.

Their entrance door was festive . . . 

 . . . the interior was seasonally decorated and inviting

(including a common room with two gas fires,

decorated Christmas tree, card-playing table,

comfortable guest lounge seating and more) . . .

. . . and once night fell (at 4:20 pm) there was a misty

glow that might have popped right out of

a Hallmark Christmas movie.

 Here, below, is a professional photographer's winter spread

just so you can get the feel of the property, taken

from the "farm field" angle far from where we could get to.

Our weather was very rainy and warm enough that

the rain melted all the previously-fallen snow.

Now I'm going to get a little air-headed, and mention

again the Hallmark Christmas movie angle.

I admit that I do enjoy the romance that those lend

to my holidays, though for the years since we've had

cable TV so I could indulge my whim I have mostly listened

to the diagolue while my eyes and hands worked. So it is

NOT surprising that a couple of weeks ago I noticed

the very brief allusion to our get-away town in 

"My Christmas Love". As the main character, a female

children's book writer, and her illustrator/friend arrive at

the small Vermont town where her family home is,

a former-boyfriend-now-cop pulls them over. The town

sign flashes on the screen, and . . .

. . . we have a three-frame shot of his police car

with its official town designation. I had never noticed it

before now. THIS is the town we have visited so often,

and where the Inn at Marshland Farm is located.

Magical in my fantasy-prone mind.

Down the road from Quechee is Woodstock.

Wonderful Vince catered to my wish to see it

at night at Christmas, and drove the rainy, dark roads

to get me there -- way after all the shops were closed.

The next morning, we made the trip a second time,

found a very accommodating traffic cop who helped

us park miraculously close to the parade route for

the hyped Wassail Weekend town parade, right next

to the road that goes across this "middle" covered bridge.

So picturesque!

 The parade route was touted to "be best viewed

from the village green" which is shown in this 

too-early morning photo, below, where the townspeople

and visitors had not yet gathered. Later, booths selling

hot dogs, chili, hot cider and more would be busy.

 By the time we returned from our town shopping

and lunch at a cafe, this is the view that we had

directly across from our car, with the historic

county courthouse so beautifully in view.

And finally, at 2 p.m. the parade began,

coordinated by the High Horses Therapeutic

Riding Program. The local high school band

marched first - someone a long time ago figured

that out, to have the marchers go ahead

of the horses. Below was the last parade entry,

at the end of the rather-short 20 minute parade.

 Colorful wagons, festive characters and more

made it lots of fun for its short duration.

You can see how the locals catch the spirit fully!

There were many activities listed on the official flyer,

including many that are often part of the Hallmark movie

kind of script: community tree lighting and luminaries

on the green; reading of holiday classics at the library,

evening concerts of Christmas music.

One event that we did attend was the Holiday Fair

at the Masonic Lodge. We met and talked with some

interesting and friendly vendors selling their locally

created wares. The chocolates and jams got consumed,

but here are the mittens I purchased for a song!

That vendor was knitting as she manned

the booth. I always am pleased to see traditional crafts.

And finally, a photo from my birthday celebration on

the previous Monday, my actual birthday.

While planning a birthday dinner out, we decided

to invite the local Sisters (Bedford) to eat

with us. Sister Hepworth and Sister Semadeni

helped us decide on Olive Garden as the venue.

They were delightful, and made my day wonderful.

So here is the list - besides the Bedford Sisters -

of those who have filled my lamp this birthday week:

Vince for his willingness to sponsor the trip to Woodstock

(though he didn't get out of the backed-in car 

to watch the parade); the Quechee server and inn keeper

for making our stay memorable; the knitter who needled

my wonderful finger-less gloves; the traffic cop lady who

took pity on that Subaru with the Utah license plates

and showed us a perfect place to park; 

and previously, to Sister Langley, a local former senior

missionary who taught us how to say Quechee correctly.

It has been a very exceptional December 9th week!