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With a feeling of humble gratitude, I acknowledge the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father, who has so quickly granted our family the intent of our recent fasting and prayers. Heidi's visa to enter Spain did come so that she has been able to travel to her mission field according to the original schedule. And Garrett seems to have hit it off with his new speech therapist and the work of helping him with his speech seems to be still progressing.
I also am grateful for the faith and prayers of members of our family. I hope that we can continue to unite both in giving thanks to our Father for his goodness to us, and in calling upon him for needed blessings. Perhaps he will be inclined to grant future petitions when we acknowledge and express gratitude for his hand in our lives and when he knows that we care about certain matters, following the lesson of the Savior’s parable of the importuning widow (Luke 18:1-8-- Painting: Parable of the Unjust Judge, by John Everett Malais (1863)).
I have been lying pretty low for the last 10 days. I started with a cold about Tuesday last week. I thought I was starting to get better on the weekend, but still didn’t feel very good. Sunday night I noticed some crackles in my breathing. On Monday, we got to Dr.Gale, who said I had pneumonia. He gave me an antibiotic and told me to take it easy and that I should be starting to feel better by toward the end of the week. I think I am a little better and most of the congestion is gone.
I have missed two Thursdays at the temple, Church meetings last Sunday, Round Table, and several family things. When I have felt up to it, I have been working away at fami
ly history.
I did have a nice family history moment this past weekend. I found a 1998 obituary in the Charleston WV Gazette, for Dr. Jack Geary Robertson, who was a Clendennin WV dentist, and a distant cousin (Earrie Robertson, Alvin Benton Robertson, George Washington Robertson, James Carson Robertson and his wife Mary Lewis, John Lewis, our ancestor). Something jumped out at me in the write-up. One of his sons, John Benton Robertson, was said to be living in Springville, UT. I was able to look up Jack Geary Robertson in New Family Search and found that his baptism and endowment were performed in the Provo Temple on 14 Oct 1999, EXACTLY one year to the day after he had died.
So, I naturally assumed that we had a distant cousin living among us who is a member of the Church. Using Public Directories and White Pages I found a Springville address and phone, and the first name of his wife, Aleen. The house was in the Springville Hobble Creek bottoms just east of SHS and not more than 6 or 7 blocks from where David and Rebecca lived. However, the phone had been disconnected, with no current Springville listing. On a hunch, from the White Pages which documented that they had lived in Provo, Orem, Springville, and Riverton, I grabbed a Salt Lake phone directory and found a number for John B and Aleen Robertson in Riverton. I called and got John and he turned out to be THE John Benton Robertson I was trying to connect to. He had an interesting history. He was a convert to the Church at age 21 while going to college at West Virginia University. A year later, he went on a mission to Chile. He eventually found Aleen at BYU. They have four children, and the oldest has just received a mission call. John is currently serving on the High Council in his stake. He has done quite lot of family history work on the Robertsons, including spending a lot of time with older members of his family taking notes. (These things he dutifuly recorded in the Notes section of his PAF record which he shared with me.)
I was excited to get answers to several questions I have had about the family and about the area of West Virginia in which they lived. I learned a few unsavory things about certain family members, that I had suspected but perhaps really didn't want to know. And, I can pronounce Kanawha (the county in which Charleston is located) like a native. They say “k’NAW”.This part of the family was really quite high achieving--lots of Doctors and lawyers, successful business-men, Ph.Ds, Baptist and Methodist ministers, etc.
Today is Jeron’s 16th birthday, and it marks a sort of a little milestone for me. In March 2005, I happened to identify a CD with some money in it and began to use it to give some money to each grandchild at their birthday time, for them to save for missions and/or college. There was just enough money in the CD so that I was able to give $500 to each child on their birthdays that year. Sometime during that year, I made the determination that I was going give a total of $1000 to each grandchild. After the year was over, we have continued to give $100 each birthday. On the birthday when one of the older grandkids reached age 18, we gave them the reminder of the $1000. We have given grandkids born after March 2005 $100 on each of their birthdays this far.
The milestone is that Jaron is the last of the 29 grandkids born before March 2005 who got the original $500 gift. So for these grandkids, we have finished the commitment we made. We will start to do something else for their birthdays.
Somehow this reminds me of the $25 US savings bond that my parents purchased in my name when I was a little boy. It was to help me with college expenses. Knowing that such a fund existed helped fix my mind on going to college. Late in the Spring of my first year at BYU, when I ran short of money, I wrote my mother asking that they cash in the bond and put the money in my checking account (the account was in the White Salmon bank). Somehow I discovered during the time I was home that summer that they hadn’t cashed in the bond at all. They thought that I might need the money more next year. I think that this repeated itself the next year also. That little savings bond was just like the widow’s meal oil that sustained Elijah and never was able to be used up. Most important, it symbolized to me my parents desires and commitment that I get an education and make something of myself.
Times and money amounts are different and the $25 was probably harder for my parents to come by that any money we have given to our grandkids for their birthdays. But the hope and the love is the same.
I recall my mother once saying, with an unusual sense of humor, that one of the blessings of her life was the ability to sit down beside a large pile of work and read a book. She read everything that came across her life–the Portland Oregonian, any Church book, scriptures, books on politics and American history. She had a special interest in and had read dozens of books on Washington (that is, the State) history. She was in some kind of women’s reading club, and she regularly ordered books by mail from a State library. She always had some kind of reading project that she was working on.
I observe that our family has several members who have inherited her reading gene.
I am grateful for gift of five books from family this past Christmas. I am trying valiantly to use these gifts fully and well.
I recently found this great statement by President Monson recognizing the essential importance of families:
“When we have sampled much and have wandered far and have seen how fleeting and sometimes superficial a lot of the world is, our gratitude grows for the privilege of being part of something we can count on–home and family and the loyalty of loved ones. We come to know what it means to be bound together by duty, by respect, by belonging. We learn that nothing can fully take the place of the blessed relationship of family life.” (TO THE RESCUE, p. 33)
(Isaiah 58:6-7)
Over the last few weeks, I discussed with family members an inspiring idea mentioned in my High Priests meeting a few weeks ago as we studied the subject of fasting. This is that each month prior to the regular Church Fast Sunday, we communicate by e-mail about matters that might be important subjects for our family to fast about. Then each family makes sure that they fast purposefully for these (and any other personal family items) by 1) dedicating their fast together in prayer at the start of the fasting period, 2) continuing to pray individually and in the family for these items over the course of the fast, and finally 3) praying for these items together just prior to breaking the fast.
We followed this process. I sent an initial e-mail out to our family on January 30th, a week before most of us have Fast Sunday, asking for subjects for a family fast. Then on Thursday Feb 3rd I sent a follow-up e-mail drawn from family responses:
“As I mentioned earlier, one thing that we are praying for, and will fast for, is help with Heidi's visa to enter Spain. Currently they are having trouble getting visas approved and missionaries are having to go stateside or to alternate missions for at least 1 month before a visa is approved. So, we are praying such that if it be the Lord's will, Heidi's visa will come soon so she can enter Spain as originally planned. Thanks, Quin”
“We thought it might be nice for people to remember Garrett. He is doing so much better with his speech, but maybe we could fast that he will be cooperative and work hard with the new therapist he will start with soon. This is a nice idea, Dad. Em”
I have checked back with most of the family, and everyone I talked to had good experiences with the fast. Some families said that this family process gave them incentive do things they had not done consistently, such as gather the family together on Saturday to dedicate their fasting. Some of the grandchildren did a better job of not eating during this period. Joshua went a full 24 hours for the first time (and did it voluntarily without prompting). He told his dad that he had learned that if you keep busy, you don’t notice that you are hungry.
For Wendy and me, it was a sweet and satisfying experience. At our age and conditions, it is easy to let fasting slip by. Wendy has this pre-diabetic condition where she gets shaky if she goes without food. I have been struggling with some stomach irritation. Also, we both have meds every morning that are supposed to be taken with food. But, inspired by the rest of you, we made fasting work this time, without any negative effects. We dedicated our fast Saturday evening and went a full 24 hours, and had a sweet prayer time at the end. It was inspiring to us to consider that in our homes, all across this country, prayers were being offered and faith exercised unitedly by members of our family, and especially by our grandchildren. It is hard to put in words the meaningfulness to us of this latter connection–that in Boston and Arkansas and South Weber and Utah County, our families and especially our grandchildren are uniting at the same time in the same prayer for particular needs of family members.
Congratulations go to Ryan who has just completed his Eagle board of review (Jan 29th), Justin who passed his First Class board of review (Jan 23rd) and Jonathan who has now become a scout.
I was amused at Jonathan when he was visiting here, holding the smaller boys spell-bound telling scout jokes.
We have had several nice family times in the last couple of weeks. We have tried to be available to give Emilie some extra support. Twice we took Garrett to his speech therapy play group in Salem. This is an hour in a program for under threeish children who need help with their speech. The staff were several very supportive ladies. They made us a part of the program as we helped Garrett make items to take home. Garrett was 
impressively cooperative and attentive with the whole program. A week ago, they were working on the sssssss sound and helping him to “hide his tongue” in order to say the sound. He was getting it quite a lot, b
ut had to be prompted sometimes.
We had Alison, Heidi, Jonathan, Aaron, and Christopher here for about 24 hours starting Friday afternoon. (Quin and Eric were at Klondike Derby.) The boys stayed with us and played while Alison and Heidi went shopping for missionary clothes and then to a dance concert at BYU. All of the Blakes also came for dinner and Ethan, Lindsay, and Adam stayed on overnight. Early in the morning Heidi went to a Provo temple session with one of her roommates who also has a mission call. It was fun to have these people here.
We s
pent Sunday with the Soderquists for Heidi’s talk in their sacrament meeting. We picked up Nathan on our way (Gloria was sick and stayed home). Heidi was wonderful and enthusiastic in here talk. Besides us, attending were Matthew and Kim and family, Scott and Emilie and family, Angela and Bruce and family including Staci who had come up from Provo, Andrew and Britain, Dorothy, Jeree, Kris and David, and Leroy and LePriel Soderquist with Aunt Greta, and also Quins sister ShariLynn and family, along with other friends of Heidi’s. Most all of this group also came over to the house after church.
I went to Dr. Carter, my cardiolgist, yesterday, and he discontinued my having to take Plavix. Hurray! I am relieved to not have the bleeding and bruising anymore that seemed to come with that medication. I am feeling better in other ways, too. My episode with heartburn, that was problematic during the holidays seems to be lessening, and I am learning how to control and prevent it better (don't eat so much, so fast; quit eating after dinner; avoid spicy foods). I have felt able to exercise on the treadmill several times in the last few days, walking for about 20 minutes and expect to gradually pick up the speed and length in the next weeks.
Pictures: Display that expresses our feelings, Wendy holding Brandon Lewis Blake age 26 days, Blake kids twice (notice how Justin can continue reading the paper with no interruption--how Lewis-like--he comes from a fine tradition), Heidi with new mission clothes, Quin and Alison with Heidi at the family gathering on Sunday
Home teacher
Two families. My companion is Alyssa's friend Michael.
Provo temple ordinance worker
Wendy and I serve on the first two shifts on Thursdays. For the first one, we need to be at the temple for the preparation meeting at 6:20 am. We get up about 5 am and try to be ready to leave our house by 5:40 am. Its about a 20 minute drive, so that gives us time to get dressed and be a minute early for the meeting. On the first shift lately, the leaders have been asking me to cover various “lines” where other workers are sick or missing. On a couple recent mornings I have had the assignment to work for awhile with a new trainee, which was enjoyable. In the afternoon I have a regular assignment to be the lunch back-up for the two endowment room coordinators, and after that officiate at the 1:40 endowment session. Wendy has also been assigned to that session, which makes it more fun. We sometimes serve at the witness couple for that session if there is no married couple who can do it.
Stakehouse scheduler
Our Bishop Voorhees is the agent bishop this year and asked me to be the building (stakehouse) scheduler for 2011. It has taken some thought to be able to find an effective way to record and organize this work. I am doing it manually and think I am starting to be on top of the schedule. And it is sort of fun to talk to the prople who call, and try to be helpful for their needs. Our stake leaders have made it clear that “calendaring isn’t scheduling,” so that when wards or organizations build a calendar they should not assume that they have rooms in the stake building until they have “scheduled” the locations they need with me. The Church, on lds.org, is in the process of rolling out a new calendaring/scheduling system, but it seems to me that the current release does not support the scheduling aspect in a very helpful way yet. IF ANYONE IN THE FAMILY KNOWS HOW TO MAKE SCHEDULING WORK ON THE ON-LINE CALENDARING SYSTEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
Unit Commissioner to the 12trh ward/member of Stake Aaronic Priesthood Committee
Ward Scouting Committee Advancement Chair
Right now I am working on a project to reestablish a significant group of ward merit badge counselors. This includes a need for some recruitment and training (orientation and youth protection) to be done in our ward, with the cooperation and approval of the district training staff.
I keep plodding along on Lewis family history. I am still working on the descendants of Mary Adline “Polly” Lewis, who married James C. Robertson. Most of this family is still in West Virginia, where Mary and James moved in the 1840s.
I seem to be working in the opposite direction from most people (and quite a few people ARE working on their family history.) I am coming forward from early ancestors–almost everyone else is starting with themselves and trying to work back. Sometimes we meet in the middle. I have a pretty good handle on the families of James and Mary, their children and grandchildren. Now I am taking each grandchild with their spouse and trying to bring the information forward as close as I can get to the present. James and Mary had 7 children and at least 59 grandchildren. These grandchildren were born between 1866 and about 1900. Between Ancestry.com and West Virginia vital records, the information is quite good. Ancestry is very good on census, military, and Social Security death records, plus submitted family trees give lots of clues about marriages and family composition. Sometimes I find a recent obituary. West Virginia vital records include births, marriages, and death certificates. I am guessing that I am about half-way through detailing the descendants of the grandchildren. Just last evening I finished working on the family of Nancy Jane Robertson Canterbury who was the second oldest child (of 9) of George Washington Robertson, the 3rd child (of 7) of James and Mary.
I work in three steps. First, I copy everything I find about the family (direct descendants, spouses, and spouses’ parents) into a WordPerfect document. This is the actual content of a record in addition to the source. The document file for the family of Nancy Jane has 64 pages. Second, I create PAF records for all of these people, including their pedigree/family group information, but also adding actual source content as Notes. When it is needed, I also write explanations for my conclusions or summarize my findings about a person as a part of the Notes for that individual. In my recent research, I was able to add 74 names to our PAF record for persons from Nancy Jane’s family. The third step is to enter the information about these persons in this family who meet the criteria for temple work into New Family Search. (I usually don’t submit names of persons who were born after the year 1900.) Often the entry work takes the form of adding to information already present, making corrections, or combining duplicate records. I reserve all temple work that is yet needed for these persons and get the cards printed. In the case of Mary Jane’s family, I found temple work that needed to be performed for 6 men, 12 women, and 9 couples. It took me about three weeks to do this for Nancy Jane’s family.
Some of the personal information contained in these records is interesting, uplifting, depressing, etc. Two infants died of malnutrition and two husbands of descendants shot themselves (one was ruled an accident). Then there was a couple who had split up, who each reported to the census taker that they were widowed. However, death records show that they both were still living. On the happier side, there was a loving obituary write-up for a women with several children and 17 grandchildren where it was said that she made everyone feel special, but the truth was that “it was she that was special.”
I am still hoping by summer to have my Lewis research to the point of being able to publish a book along the order of the Agee book. (Picture: headstone in the Bob Canterbury Cemetery, Roane Co., WV, for a grandson, Bobby Ransan Canterbury)
With a feeling of humble gratitude, I acknowledge the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father, who has so quickly granted our family the intent of our recent fasting and prayers. Heidi's visa to enter Spain did come so that she has been able to travel to her mission field according to the original schedule. And Garrett seems to have hit it off with his new speech therapist and the work of helping him with his speech seems to be still progressing.
