Remembering Elder Perry
As I study
Elder L. Tom Perry's obituary on the church's website I am struck by several ways in which I am or can be like him and his family.
Elder L. Tom Perry was a builder all his life.
Sometimes that meant building a chapel out of
the rubble, and other times it meant building up a
soul or a nation in need of his boundless optimism, enthusiasm, and spiritual power.
Wherever he went, Elder Perry left things stronger
than they were before he came.
I want to be more of an optimist. I'll start by cultivating hope and Christ and refer to problems only as opportunities, just as he did. I want it to be said of me that I make friends wherever I go! I want to be like his mother, to be known for teaching. I also want it to be obvious to those around me that family is of utmost importance to me.
While I've never considered myself very patriotic, I love that L. Tom Perry's sacrifices to God were motivated by the same values that motivate me. While our country may drift away from these values to the point of dishonoring the sacrifices of its veterans, I still feel his testimony resonate within me:
I will teach my firm conviction that the foundation of any righteous government is the law
that has been received from the Lord to guide and direct man’s efforts. Righteous
government receives direction from the Lord.
I also appreciate Elder Quentin L. Cook's summary:
Through his background as a Marine he was very patriotic. and he saw faith, hope, and
family as a heritage of his generation of some of the things they were fighting for, some of
the things they were trying to protect. That those were some of the basic values that were
really most important.
Elder Perry said, “There is a real satisfaction that comes from finishing a task, especially when it is the best work we know how to do.” (See L. Tom Perry, “The Joy of Honest Labor,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 62, 64.)
Elder Perry never did anything less. He built, he taught, he served, he testified—all to the best of his ability. He was a true builder of the kingdom. Heaven has gained a great man.
Educational Endeavors
This summer we're doing week long unit studies to introduce Victoria to geography. This week we'll discuss key topics each day so that when we start studying countries she'll understand when we study using newer vocabulary. The library had some wonderfully helpful books to get us started. For example, Greg is in charge of showing her a globe (just bought one of the cheap inflatable ones via Amazon prime tonight!) and other types of maps and their uses. He'll also discuss longitude and latitude to give her practice with numbers and a reference point for the different hemispheres. That's all in a day's lesson.
Next week we'll studying the USA and spend one day on each state in which we have a stronghold of family, starting with IL. The rest of the countries will get one day for general facts and world context, one day on environments (notable climate characteristics and terrain) as well as places to see. Culture will be in over the course of several days: one day on clothes and music, one day on church history, one day on food, and one day on traditions holiday and otherwise. I'm sure many of you have valuable experiences to lend to this endeavor so don't be shy. I am thinking that we'll do this weekly schedule:
- Algeria (because we babysit for an Algerian family),
- France (Victoria and Greg are studying French and Aunt Lisa nannied there),
- Brazil (because we'll go visit our cousin Ben for the 4th of July and hear all about his mission),
- Puerto Rico (Victoria's best friend is 1/4 Puerto Rican & her mom can help teach us)
- Germany (for Opa)
- the Philippines (because we already love adobo and for Uncle Spencer)
- FAMILY REUNION in Utah (maybe I learn a little tennis from Sam and Jonathan?)
- Italy (Toria loves their gymnasts and we've got RM aunties to interview)
Victoria will end up with a nice book this summer. I'm
sharing what I've created here for others who may find it helpful. All are welcome to view it and share it. Just don't try to sell it or say you made it, okay?
Delightful Daydreams
Our garden is doing well and the maintenance man in charge of landscaping told me about some lovely purple irises that will grow well in my muddy flower bed out back. One of the best parts is that they're free! Cynthia's idea of a seasonal flower garden sounds particularly admirable. Greg surprised me with fresh flowers and a romantic Italian lunch from scratch this afternoon we included herbs we don't normally buy but happen to be growing: sigh of contentment. (See old but relevant photo below.) That man is golden! Back to the garden harvest...We inherited a plot with asparagus and are still sharing a double plot this year with our dear friends, the Savages.
So far we've enjoyed asparagus, some sort of lemony lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, and soon green beans carrots, strawberries, raspberries, and garlic. Tomatoes and three kinds of squash will come a bit later in the season.
In addition to dreaming about the various stages of our garden and small yard, Greg and I have been talking more and more about the possibility of an overseas post doc in about 3 years. We still like the idea of going close to my mom's brother in NC to see how southern living treats us. Only time will tell where we'll end up.
Productive Projects
Victoria and I are going to begin a quilt for her soon inspired by Rapunzel and her golden sun. Yellow is one of Victoria's favorite colors. It is fun to have her help with every part of the sewing process. She was so ecstatic to learn how to chain crochet with her own little fingers during stake conference. She was reverent after bedtime for nearly an hour as a result! Sadly, she also enjoys unraveling her work.
Speaking of work, Greg is back in the swing of working for two two separate professors on separate projects with similar methodologies. I myself have been enjoying my scaled back work hours. Babysitting will pick up with the start of summer term and I'm already planning where to tuck the money into our budget.
