Grad Party

To celebrate Sean's graduation, we got together with four other young men that graduated this year. They were a great group of boys. I think they had a great time.

the hostess with the mostest. Okay I know my grammar is lacking there.

even more guests

More guests

Guests

yummy treats

Waiting around

Some of the achievements the boys have done.

He Did It

He's done it. He's finally done it. Sean's graduated from high school. Woo hoo!!!! It was touch and go there a few years ago, but the last two he's made a complete turn around.
I am so happy with the changes he's made. What's even better is that he can see his successes.

She ain't heavy.

Oops

Ta dah! I did it.

Bubba Sings Her Last

Bekah's decided to not be in choir next year so this is her last high school concert. Every year from the time Linda was in high school the SMSouth has done a revue that's just plain fun.
I love this because the kids aren't supposed to have cell phones at school. I guess it's okay when the teacher tells you to.

Mother's Day Tribute

We have a tradition in our family that started seven years ago when my mother-in-law passed away. Every Mother's day we go to the grave site and sprinkle rose petals around the head stone. Then we will share some of our favorite memories we have of her. This year Sean wrote a poem as a tribute to this wonderful mother. It's a great way for the younger kids who only knew her as an invalid to know her better.



Grandma’s Legacy
by Sean M. Fackrell

Let me tell you a story,
Of a woman kind and loving.
A woman of wisdom and beauty.
A woman who raised my father
And cared for all and every life.
This wonder woman, I regret to inform
Is no longer with us, in human form.
But not even death and decay
Could stop this woman from fighting dismay.
You see, she was sick for a while,
Diseased, curses of men and mortality,
Plagued every breath and blink she gave.
She fought her time,
not for her sake take in mind,
but for her family at her side.
Her love unable to suffer the pain
From the sight of their tears.
Her love so great, she fought death
Till she was alone, so her living love
Should not witness her final breath.
And with her pass came pain.
And I found myself fighting the tears
I desired to shed, for this woman
I never knew.
As time passed, the pain remained.
And the day of burial entered the frame.
But no dreary darkness threatened that day,
But a shining sun, and children’s laughing
Filled death’s yard.
Hypocritical and disgraceful some would say,
Disrespecting such a marvelous woman’s memry.
But t’was not mortals, such as I,
Who caused joy and celebration,
But this woman, adamant with fighting despair,
That even in death quelled our fears.
This woman, who loved so pure,
Who would rather die alone
Then have her children witness death,
Was with us that funereal day.
Refusing us the shedding of a single tear,
Making us smile not frown,
Laugh not grieve, reminding us
Her legacy, not filled with pain or tears,
But love never ending.
That is the memory of my grandmother.

It's Finally Happening

Today is an historic day in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After many, many years and many, many, many prayers we are getting a temple. Today was the groundbreaking ceremony. It was simply a marvelous experience. There were probably close to 2,000 people in attendance. The Mormon Chorale sang some beautiful hymns. Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Senior President of the Seventy, Elder William R. Walker, Executive Director of the Temple Department, and Elder Donald D. Deshler of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy were the General Authorities in attendance. The sun was shining brightly which was a good thing since the wind was blowing so cold. In about two years time, I hope to be back in that spot for the dedication of the temple. 11 Stakes, 8 from Missouri and 3 from Kansas will comprise the temple district.

Chess Anyone?

 

Sean is at it again with his wood working skills. This year he decided to make a chess set. He used maple and oak for the pieces and left them with their natural colors. Just a bit of varnish to protect them. He entered in the R&D Forum for the school district and received the outstanding achievement award in his category. That's better than 1st place by the way or so I was told. He didn't have the board done for the forum so used one we had at home. It will look much better on the board he makes. He's one talented young man.

Family Home Evening

This was probably the easiest of the activities.


Reverse cup stacking, alternating hands. Not as easy as it sounds.


The best part of the evening, treats.


The first and hopefully not the last OP1 Ward Family Home Evening was a blast. The event was started as all good FHE do with a lesson. Chad and Monet Deshler presented a wonderful lesson on Having Christ as our Example and explained what FHE is. The Primary Children sang beautifully one of their songs they've been learning for the program in the fall. Then came the fun and games. I really like the idea of having FHE as a ward family.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

The cake looks to good to eat, but we didn't let that stop us.


Gardner Clan


Stake RS Presidency with Michelle Sinsel as secretary.
Heidi Weed, Ruth Gardner, Cheryle Mire, and Michelle Sinsel

Stake RS Presidency Jan 2010-March 2010

Easter 2010

I just love this picture.

The Backyard

My mother is an avid gardener. When my parents lived here in Kansas, we always had a vegetable garden. Now that they live in a more northern climate she has turned her skills to more floral than veggie.
This is the view out the window of the room I stayed.


Not only does she have a green thumb, but she also has some mean sewing skills. Of course I learned the art as well, but I am nowhere in her league. This is just one of her current projects.


Some of the fun designs, the machine can do.



The beast. Is it too early to put dibs on this?

We're cooking now.

One of my favorite childhood memories is of my dad making pancakes for Saturday morning breakfast. He would make them in some kind of shape, not just the usual round discs. My favorite shape was an elephant. So for a walk down memory lane I asked my dad to make me an elephant pancake for breakfast. Eating an elephant for breakfast is like eating a chocolate bunny at Easter. The bunny's ears are saved for last, just like the elephant's trunk.

This just needs one more thing before it's ready.


How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.


You have to save the trunk for last.


Now that was yummy!

Making Memories

For the last few weeks I've had the opportunity to visit my parents in Federal Way, WA. While there, my mom and I worked on a project together. With the help of my mom's favorite toy, we made a baby quilt for my newest grandchild to be. I did the embroidery and piecing and my mom did the quilting. It took almost the entire time I was there to get the quilt top done, but it was fun.


One of the blocks.


Making progress.






The almost finished project

A Mother's Love

Every year in the Shawnee Mission school district there is this contest. It's called Reflections It's an opportunity for students to submit creative work in 3 different categories; literature,photography, and art. The entries are judged and then the winner goes on to the district competition. This year Sean decided to enter in the literature category and he won that division for the school. This is what he wrote


A Mother's Love

Sharp thundering booms filled the night sky with flashes of light and short glimpses of black clouds. Lightning shot cloud to cloud scoring the god's ocean with pixies only to live and breathe and grow in a second’s glance. Wind sails flew through the skies, writing and breathing through to the torrents of cloud. The winds played as they snaked through the vapor ocean, chasing each other in circles, ignorant of the terror, excitement, and destruction their playfulness caused. Children huddled with mothers in their underground caverns, filled with the loud banging of fire breathing monster, spawn of Hell's furnace; giant creeping crawling bugs made of shadow, threatening to devour them whole, and their heroic mothers vanquishing the foul beasts with soft caring words or warm, embracing hugs, or exciting stories of mythical lands, brave conquerors, and fantastic battles. The stories filled the darkness, dressing the child with his most potential weapon: imagination.

Ah, but alas, the stories could not last, for the biggest and most terrible monster came to pass. Its roar was louder and far more frightening than one hundred fiery demons, and its shadow large enough to swallow armies of shrouded night crawlers. The beast fell upon the mother and child's hideaway, tearing apart their home. The child terrified in fright reached for his mother's protecting hand, the hand that gave him strength and courage, but it wasn't there. When the monster tore away the home it smiled a wicked smile. Swirling and twirling it spied the mother and child, and greedily it reached with its monstrous hand and snatched away the child's mother and hungrily ate her up. But hungry it still was and reached for the child, and brave the child tried to be, brave the way his mother told him to be. But the monster was bigger and scarier than anything he had ever seen and fear filled his heart, making him cower into the deepest darkest corner, trying to run away from the terrible beast, but it found him. The child was too scared to look, the world felt so cold, so lost was he without his mother and her protective arms, her wonderful stories that made him so brave. What was he to do?

“Mommy!” he cried, tears fell from his face. Where was Mommy? The monster reached for the child; the world felt colder than ever, colder than winter's day where he and his mother would play in the snow for hours.

“Mommy!” But it was vain to try; nothing could be heard over this monster's roar, and his mother was to far away to hear him. He was so scared.

“Mommy!” he whispered in such a soft voice, like a butterfly's wing flapping in the breeze. Suddenly the world was warm and bright, the fear left, and the monster's roar was silence. He could hear birds singing and felt the sun warm his back— it felt like a hug from his mother.

“Jasper,” came a voice. The child knew that voice, a voice he loved so much. He looked up and saw his mother standing there with a warm smile where there once was a grinning monster.
He cried out happily, “Mommy!” and ran to her and hugged her legs.

“My little hero,” she said so lovingly. Her voice rang like a choir of angels and was more beautiful than a thousand harps. She put her arms around him. But this moment, too, could not last. Gently she pushed her son away and knelt down to both knees, as she looked into his eyes, his beautiful eyes she loved so much.

Jasper gasped, “Mommy, you're so pretty!” She seemed to sparkle and glow, perfectly flawless, like an angel. She smiled at his words, so innocent and honest.

“Jasper, my love, please listen” Her voice was so unfamiliar, but he knew it was his mother's voice, so he quietly stood there and looked back into her eyes and listened. “The monster is not gone yet, and you must defeat it on your own.” Her voice was filled with sadness hidden behind a mask of strength.

“Mommy, no.”

“Listen, Jasper.” She said sharply and softly. Jasper listened sadly. “I cannot be there, but I will be with you. I will always be with you.”

She gave him one last hug, and when she let go he was wearing a breast plate that felt like his mother's hug and made him feel brave and strong. “This will protect your heart and body from any monster or beast that may wish you harm.”

Upon his head she placed her last kiss, and from it grew a helm pointed and proud. “This will protect your mind from fearful and doubting thoughts.”

She held his tiny hands a final time and pulled away, leaving a majestic sword and a powerful shield with a butterfly painted along its broad bough. “Trust these to protect you and you will conquer the most frightening of monsters.”

And she said six words that were the last words she would ever tell her son in this life. These words filled him with understanding and wisdom, and the knowledge that he was never alone.

And when his mother left, and he returned to face his foe, the monster that so greedily stole his mother from him. He was a boy no longer, but a man, a man wise, strong, and brave, the fear in his eyes replaced by steel. And in one swift, powerful stroke he felled his enemy. And never again would he be frightened of any beast, for his armor, sword, and shield made from a mother's love never left him.

But the most powerful of the few precious things his mother left him were the six last words she told him with a smile impossible to forget. They stayed with him, giving him a reason to keep on fighting all the monsters, demons, and beasts that haunted the world that frightened child, teen, and adult alike. He fought bearing his armor and sword and the six words until his final breath, and when he died he saw his reason for fighting the terrors of the world. They embraced each other warmly, and the hero of the world told his mother:

“I love you mom.” And while still in the embrace she replied with the six words she said to him before she left the Earth, the words that fueled his drive to defeat the creatures of darkness, the words that defined his existence.

“I love you, my little hero.”
by Sean Fackrell 2010

Feeding the Masses

Earlier this month I had the wonderful opportunity to help with feeding missionaries at a special zone conference. Elder David A. Bednar came to our stake conference and during part of the weekend had a zone conference for the missionaries. It wasn't just the missionaries within my stake, but the all the missionaries in the entire Missouri, Independence Mission. That's a lot of missionaries. We made 300 sack lunches for all those hungry Elders, Sisters, and Senior couples. The Stake Relief Society spent the entire morning at Ruth Gardner's home assembling the meal. It was so much fun. After making the sandwiches and filling the sacks, we took them to the Stake Center and served. One of the perks was to listen to the tail end of Elder Bednar's remarks to the missionaries. I so enjoy being able to serve in my calling. The best part of it all though was getting to have a picture taken with my missionary. He has less than a month to serve so this was probably the last chance to get a picture of him on his mission.