The Grandparent Chronicles

  DOES MY VOTE MATTER? Franklin D. Roosevelt once said; “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.” As we approach another opportunity to vote, you might seriously wonder, does my vote really matter? Having lived 38 years in a state where my political views were mostly in the minority, I often asked myself that question; but then I remember an experience I had years ago when my vote really did make a difference! I was attending Weber State College and very involved in politics. I also belonged to a fraternity during those college years and through it, made a lot of friends and had a lot of fun. We were just about to elect a new student body president. I was leaning toward candidate “A”. He was popular among my fraternity brothers and many expressed their belief that I should vote for him. Finally, I was able to meet candidate “A”.  As I listened to his comm...

                                  REUNION        PREPARATION     When I was young, I loved our family reunions, I still do! The Wade family reunions in Bountiful, Arizona, Texas, and Duck Creek to name a few. Some of you remember the McAllister gatherings in Arizona and the Johnstun reunions at Como Springs (the purple and gold crepe paper we wrapped around car antennas as we drove up the canyon), the baseball games, genealogy meetings, the food and the fun. The Stone family reunions at Hyrum Park are always memorable! I didn’t appreciate all the planning and preparation that was involved until recently.   Annette and I decided to have a reunion/retreat with the senior missionary friends we made while on our mission in Ukraine. Here’s a partial list of what’s involved: finding and arranging for an adequate place to gather. Locating contact information on al...

  MARY HEATHMAN SMITH-A Monumental life! Annette’s great, great, great grandmother was born January 21,1818 in Winkleigh, Devon, England to Isaac Heathman and Elizabeth Parker, born 5 th in a family of 8 children. Mary studied medicine in England, working under the guidance of some of the most skillful doctors in England at the time and received certificates of graduation in obstetrics and surgery. She practiced medicine in England for many years before immigrating to the United States in 1862. She and husband John Smith had married on April 29,1840. They became converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1850 and in May of 1861, John left for the United States to prepare a way for Mary and their 9 children who would come in August of 1862. Settling in Huntsville, Utah, Mary was the only doctor in the valley and for 30 years, in storm or sunshine, during the bleakest of winter or the darkest of night, she attended to the people of Ogden Valley with a coura...

  A GOD OF 2 ND CHANCES & THE HONORARY CHAPLAIN TO QUEEN ELIZABETH !   He was a scruffy looking guy. My 1 st impression was that he was about to ask me for money, but no, maybe a religious zealot, he did have a large wooden cross around his neck. As our eyes made contact I was drawn to his beaming smile. I had a distinct impression that this was someone I was supposed to talk to, but I was tired, it had been a long drive and I felt justified in my feelings to avoid contact. We had just arrived at our destination in Banff, Canada in the crisp clean mountain air among the majestic Canadian Rockies for a week of exploring and relaxation; that would happen, but I sensed that there was also another purpose for my being here. As the evening progressed, I couldn’t get that man off my mind. I had experienced spiritual promptings in the past and knew that I would get no peace until I resolved to follow them. As I knelt in personal prayer that night I had a conversation with...

  FREEDOM ISN’T FREE On a recent return trip from California, we visited (with David and Carolyn Cox) a cemetery in Boulder City, Nevada, it was Memorial Day weekend and rows of American flags marked where thousands of patriotic Americans were laid to rest. Continuing our trip we stayed in Richfield, Utah. Driving through their peaceful cemetery we were touched by the beauty of flowers and flags reminding us of those who had gone before. As we get ready to celebrate America’s birthday and continue to honor those who have paid a huge price to protect the freedoms we enjoy, I thought it might be enlightening to realize the role some of our ancestors played in keeping our country free and pause to honor them. (Quoting from the autobiography of aunt Leotha) “Some of my ancestors fought in the revolutionary war to help bring this great nation into existence. My people also fought in the war of 1812; you will remember this is the war of “the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in...

  YOU’VE GOT FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES !   Country singer Garth Brooks sings a song (written by Dewayne Blackwell and Earl Bud Lee in 1989) that was an instant hit with a cleaver tune and lyrics, he sings, “I’ve got friends in low places- where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, and I’ll be okay.”   When I first heard that song I thought, wherever you happen to find yourself, it’s good to have friends, but wouldn’t it be better to have friends in high places? What kind of friends will you most likely find in low places? Hopefully, good ones, but most likely, not a friend with the capacity to pull you up or elevate you. In order to elevate you, wouldn’t they most likely have to be on higher ground? Friends can have a major impact on our lives- for good or bad. I’ve seen this in my own life, my children's and grandchildren’s lives as well as in the lives of countless others. I imagine that you’ve observed this impact friends can have in your own li...

                             Spiritual Cataracts    At a recent vision examination, I was told that I had cataracts and needed surgery.   I’ve had glasses since forever, so I knew that my vision was lacking. Some of you have experienced this procedure but for me, the thought of someone operating on my eye while I’m awake trying to hold my eye still and not blink, was freaking me out!   The plan was to operate on one eye at a time with three weeks between surgeries. The morning of surgery came. After signing my life away and waiving their liability (in case they put my eye out or something goes wrong), the ordeal began. Five different eye drops at three different times (yes-15 drops total!) Each eye drop has a different purpose- to clean, to dilate, to numb etc. Once on the table in the operating room they start an IV. The anesthesia is not enough to put you out, they need you awake to focu...