APRON STRINGS

I remember once reading a newspaper article about my grandmother, Blanche Lewis.  She was asked about how she felt when her sons went away to war during World War II.  She said, "It pulls on a mother's apron strings."  At the time I wasn't really sure what she meant by that comment.  Now that I am away from all of my own children and am not always able to be with them when they go through trials and heartache, and illnesses I understand completely what she means.  

Last Sunday morning, my daughter, Emma Mae, called me just as we were getting ready to go to church and said that she was in a lot of pain and not feeling well.  I tried to give her encouragement and motherly advice to help her feel better, but it was all to no avail.  This mother's apron strings were being tugged!  When we returned home from church, I called her back only to find out she was in the emergency room because her pain had continued to amplify and she could not take it anymore.  Her wonderful cousin Jason and his wife Heather had responded to her SOS call and gone to her assistance. Jason gave her a ride to the emergency room and then Heather watched over her.  Apron strings pulled even harder now!

After giving her an IV to rehydrate her, taking blood and pictures they were able to find out that she was in the midst of a gallbladder attack.  They gave her some pain and anti nausea medication and sent her home with the recommendation that she have her gallbladder removed ASAP.  The attack continued for several days, and fortunately she was able to see a surgeon and schedule surgery for Thursday.  There is definitely tension on my apron strings.

Here I am on my mission in South Carolina and unable to rush to Emma's side and be with my daughter in her time of need. I just wanted to take her pain away and go through it all for her, but I couldn't even be there with her.  My heart was breaking and I wasn't sure what I was going to do. What to do? What to do?  Those apron strings are being strained again! 

Then I suddenly realized that I am lucky enough to have a great son, Tanner, who just might be available and willing to help her out.  I quickly sent him a text and asked him if he could and would go help his sister out.  Without any hesitation I received a message right back saying that he would go.  My heart felt instant comfort, because even though I couldn't be there it was nice to know someone in the family would be there with her.  I called Emma to let her know he was coming to be with her and I could hear and feel the relief in her voice.  That took a load off my mind as well as the apron strings.

Although I was relieved that Tanner was going to be there, it still did not take away all of my fear and the anxiety of having Emma go into surgery.  Every time I thought about her going into surgery those apron strings started jerking again.  I found I had to keep very busy so I wasn't thinking about it or the tears would start flowing.  I was able to talk to her just before she went into surgery and she was very cheerful and did not seem too worried.  Tanner was cheering her up and taking good care of her.  Just about the time she was supposed to have surgery I was blessed to be helping out in a soup kitchen in downtown Columbia.  The work there kept me busy and my mind did not have the chance to wander and wonder too much about what was going on.  This was a blessing in disguise for me.  As I literally tugged at my apron strings, took off my apron, and left the soup kitchen, Emma was out of surgery, and to my relief, everything went well. That strain on my apron strings had decreased a little now that she was out of surgery.  

By the time I arrived home, Tanner was sending videos of Emma trying to say Pinterest while she was still under the effects of the pain medicine and he was having a good laugh. While she was under the effects of the medicine she told Tanner that she was mad at me.  When Tanner asked her why she was mad at me, Emma responded that I had told her I found a brownie recipe that was better than the one she used.  Apparently she wasn't too happy about that! Tanner was able to bring her home that same day and Emma reports he is continuing to take great care of her. Those apron strings are pretty loose now.

Of course, I can not write this without acknowledging the hand of God as we went through this trial, heartache, and her illness.  As soon as I learned that Emma was sick I started fasting and praying for her.  Jason was able to give her a blessing that everything would be okay and with the prayers of her family and many friends she was blessed throughout this strain on the old apron strings.

Thank you Tanner, Jason, Heather, and everyone else that prayed for and helped Emma out in anyway!  Bless you for your love and service, and I pray that your apron strings will not be pulled anytime soon...

As soon as you are feeling better Emma, you should put on your apron and try out that new brownie recipe!

FATHERS

For my sons!

Since today is Father’s Day, I would like to tell you a little bit about some special fathers in my life.

The first one is my father, Marvin Jesse Lewis.  He grew up in a small rural town in New Mexico with several brothers and sisters who all claimed that he teased them mercilessly growing up.  When he was a young man Pearl Harbor was bombed and he ended up being drafted into the Army.  After basic training he was sent over to England as an airplane mechanic.  While he was there he went to a dance one evening and a pretty young lady asked him to dance.  After they got out on the dance floor he decided he would tease her and told her it was against his religion to dance.  So she walked off the dance floor and left him standing there by himself, then she told all her friends to be sure not to dance with him because it was against his religion to dance.  Needless to say he didn’t get any dances that night.  The joke was on him this time.  However, this pretty young lady, who had turned his teasing around, intrigued him; and he set out to pursue her and eventually won her heart. 

Soon after they were married he was sent to Europe to fight.  From his experiences there he learned the importance of having the gospel in his life and even though it wasn’t always easy, it was always important to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to have faith and trust in Him and to be obedient to His commandants.

 

During World War II he learned the importance of being a kind and generous man.  His motto was “Be nice every chance you get” and we never left our home without hearing him share that with us.  Not only did he say it, but he lived it. He was greatly admired by others because he lived his life in this way and he had many, many friends who admired and respected him throughout his life. 

His favorite hymn was “Have I Done Any Good? Let me share the words with you because they go right along with his motto and help us to understand what it means to “Be nice every chance you get."

HAVE I DONE ANY GOOD?

Wil. L. Thompson 

Hymn #223 LDS Hymnal

Have I done any good in the world today?

Have I helped anyone in need?

Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad? 

If not, I have failed indeed. 

Has anyone’s burden been lighter today because I was willing to share?

Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?

When they needed my help was I there?

There are chances for work all around just now.

Opportunities right in our way.

Do not let them pass by,

“Saying sometime I’ll try.”

But go and do something today. 

Tis noble of man to work and to give.

Love’s labor has merit alone.

Only he who does something helps others to live.

To God each good work will be known.

Then wake up and do something more than dream of your mansion above

Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, a blessing of duty and love.

The other important father in my life is my husband, your dad, Rex William Morris.  One of the things that inspires me most about him is that he has a great love for everyone.  He accepts everyone for who they are. He has empathy for them and is genuinely concerned for their welfare and wants to listen to and learn from them.  He makes friends easily and they become friends for life.

He grew up in a small town in South Dakota and had never really heard of Mormons or of the LDS Church.  He joined the Navy right out of high school and was off to see the world.  After boot camp he was sent to Rota, Spain.  While there he became friends with some Mormons but really didn’t want anything to do with their church.  However, through a series of events he eventually became interested in and joined the church.  There they had a small group of LDS service men that would get together on Monday nights and have family home evenings together.  They called themselves The Ammonites.  You can read about the Ammonites in the Book of Mormon.

In Alma 27:27 we read:  “And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people of the church of God.  And they were also distinquished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ even unto the end.” And in verse 30 we read, “And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.”

Through the time they were able to spend together as young LDS men in the service and away from home, they were able to form a bond and strengthen and lift each other.  Through the experiences they had together they became close, lifelong, friends. Before they left Spain, Rex and a few others made plans to go on a mission when they got out of the Navy and then decided they would meet up at BYU after their missions. They followed through with their plans. One of them went on a mission to New Mexico and served in my home town and eventually introduced me to your dad, but that’s another story. 

I admire your dad because he does truly have a zeal towards God and men and is firm in his faith in Jesus Christ and is an example of his faith to others.  As you continue to know him you will come to find this out as well.  He joined the church over 40 years ago and to this day he is still friends with these young men in that Family Home Evening group that called themselves the Ammonites.  To this day they are still firm in their faith in Jesus Christ. In the past few months Rex has been in contact with most of them.   One of them was in the Mission Training Center with us in Provo, Utah, also going on a mission.  Three others are planning to serve missions soon or are getting ready to submit their papers for missions.  They continue to have that zeal towards God and men and are willing to serve unto the end.

I can’t forget to mention another father, Our Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father and to know that we are his children.  I’m grateful that Heavenly Father’s plan included families and know that having a family with a loving father and mother is the best place to teach, learn and apply gospel principles.  I am grateful that he restored the gospel of Jesus Christ through Joseph Smith and has given us prophets to lead and guide us in this dispensation.  He has given us the Book of Mormon that teaches us the fullness of the Gospel.  Most of all, I am grateful that he gave us the plan of salvation which teaches us that Jesus Christ our Savior is willing to atone for my sins and your sins so that through faith, repentance, baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end, we can return and live with our Heavenly Father again.

My prayer is that through your struggles each day and throughout each week you will remember, in the words of my father, to "be nice every chance you get," and from the examples of your dad and the Ammonites that you will be distinquished for your zeal towards God and men, and that you will strive to be perfectly honest, upright and firm in your faith towards God even unto the end.

By the way Brenda, do you still have that picture?

Tell Brenda!

I woke myself up early this morning when I heard myself say "Tell Brenda!"  When I did this I noticed that Rex was awake and that his ears immediately perked up to hear what I was saying and if I was going to say anymore.  That made me laugh to myself.  Shortly thereafter, I fell back to sleep and here is my dream...

I was with one of my sisters, I'm not sure which one, and we were going to see Brenda at school to take her something she had forgotten.  When we arrived at the school we went to the classroom and were asking all the kids there, "Are you Brenda?"

"Are you Brenda?"

"Are you Brenda?"

Finally her teacher said, "She's over here."

So we went over to where she was sitting on the floor petting a dog and gave her whatever it was we brought her.  When she looked up at us I realized that this was the exact same scene as a picture we had at home in an album and thought, "I must be dreaming this."

Then I remembered that Rex was listening to see what I would say in my sleep and so I purposely said, "Tell Brenda!"  Which made me laugh.

As soon as I did this I was back in my dream and we were still talking to Brenda.  I realized I needed to get a picture of Brenda with the dog so I could prove that we were in the dream.  I also remember she had the very same unique 80's big hairdo that was in the picture that I was trying to recapture.  So we whipped out our camera and took a picture making sure to get the exact same angle as before. The picture came out of the camera as soon as we took it and to our astonishment, everything was exactly the same except that Brenda was not in the picture. We were very surprised and wondered how it was possible that she was not in the picture!

As we were looking at the picture and exclaiming over the fact that Brenda was not in it, but the dog and the classroom and everything else was the same, her teacher came over and wanted to see the picture we had just taken!  We realized that we could not show her the picture because she would see that Brenda was not there and think she was a witch or something and that would cause all kinds of trouble for Brenda and we did not want that to happen!

Just then I realized that I needed to continue to trick Rex, so I purposely said, "Tell Brenda!" again and laughed to myself as I did so!

Then I was back in my dream and Brenda's teacher was trying to get us to show her the picture and we were giving her all kinds of excuses while we were trying to make our exit out of the classroom as quickly as possible.

I heard myself say, "No!" and laughed because I could feel Rex's ears perking up again. So just for good measure I said, "Tell Brenda!"

I lay there thinking about my bizarre dream and trying to remember it  and keep it fresh in my mind so I could write it down. I have had weird dreams for several weeks now and seem to forget them shortly after I wake up, so I thought to myself, I am going to get up and write this one down because it made me laugh.

But, before I did I made sure to say, "Tell Brenda!" one more time, just for good measure.  Got up out of bed and straight to the computer to record my dream.  I am still laughing about it.  Can't wait to see if Rex asks me what I was dreaming about! LOL!

Sunday, June 11, 2017

Started the morning early as we were at the Anderson Chapel at For Jackson by 8:00 this morning. I met several soldiers from Utah.  They were all members.  I asked them how their week was and they said that being able to come to church was the best part of their week.  They love being there and being able to spend time with people that are of the same faith as they are.  It is wonderful to know that wherever we go and no matter our trials we all have the gospel family to turn to for comfort, love and healing.  Two nonmember sisters came to Relief Society.  One of them just finished up her junior year of high school a few weeks ago and has been at Fort Jackson for three weeks.  They said they were exploring different churches while they are here.  They said they had a good experience here.  As they were walking out one of them was limping pretty badly.  She said she had a lot of blisters on her feet from the training.  I felt so bad for her, but was very proud of her as well as she did not complain at all and walked tall and proud,  The sister I sat next to in church kept falling asleep.  She apologized to me afterward and felt bad for missing some of the talks, but she was so tired.  They work the recruits so hard throughout the week.  They have long hard days and short nights.  So many of them are very tired when they come in to church.  That makes it more impressive to me that they take the time to come.  We had one baptism today, a young recruit that has been coming to church for several weeks and learning about the gospel with his battle buddy.  They baptize new members in a protable font that they set up each Sunday at the Anderson Chapel.  At the end of the two hour meeting we had to say goodbye to the recruits and they are off to another week of hard training.

From there we went to the Columbia Ward for church.  We get there a little late as we wait for the last soldiers to leave the Anderson Chapel before we head here.  We were able to hear part of one talk and the last talk was given by a young sister missionary who will be leaving shortly.  She has only been a member of the church for 3 years.  It is incredible though to feel of her spirit and listen to her speak and teach the gospel.  There are so many wonderful young missionaries out there and it is amazing to witness them teach the gospel to the recruits that come and investigate the church and others.  We have been spiritually fed and uplifted throughout the day.

Saturday we meet with the young missionaries that teach at Fort Jackson on Sundays to talk about who they have been teaching and what needs to be done to help them learn the gospel and be ready for baptism.  Then we practiced teaching the plan of salvation to each other so that we can be prepared for today.  That is always an uplifting and spiritual experience for me.

That evening we were invited to the Relief Society Presidents house for a dinner.  She prepared Mexican food which made us feel right at home.  We had enchiladas, tacos, beans, rice, chips and salsa.  For dessert she made flan, coconut cream pie, and lemon cheesecake.  I don't know how we are going to lose weight around here.  Afterward the missionaries showed a video on Christ from the children's videos and then asked us all to share in one word what Christ means to us.  It was very powerful to listen to everyone's response as we went around the room.  There were probably about 15 of us there.  They then asked us to tell Heavenly Father in our prayers what Heavenly Father means to us.

So grateful for this opportunity to be here and to be serving on a mission.  I can't believe how much I have learned in the month I have been on my mission.  This has been a blessed opportunity and my testimony and understanding of the gospel grows in leaps and bounds daily.  I am humble by all I have been able to witness as the gospel of Jesus Christ spreads throughout the world.

As they say here in South Carolina, have a blessed day!  Love you all.

Well, here is my second post from Columbia, SC.  Seems like we have been very busy over the past few weeks.  On May 31st we attended our first Family Day Celebration at Fort Jackson.  We began the day early.  Arrived at Fort Jackson at 8:00 a.m. where we waited for the ceremony to begin.
Each ceremony begins with a prayer and then the national anthem.  Following that there is a brief introduction and speech by the company commander, after which the smoke starts.  Smoke bombs are thrown onto the field and the soldiers appear through the smoke.  It is fun to see all the families that are there get so excited to see their soldiers.  You can hear them shouting out their soldier's same or point him/her out and shout, There his is!  It is wonderful to hear and see the excitement in the voices of the families.  The soldiers are then allowed to go with their families for the rest of the day.  They are not allowed off base however.

In the afternoon, we have a meet and greet informal get together at the chapel where we have church. We were able to meet with the families of two of the LDS service men that graduated this week. It was nice to be able to visit with and get to know them.  They were so happy to be able to spend some time with their soldier and see that he had been attending church while he was at basic training.  Both of them seemed to be strong members of the church.  We visit with them for an hour or so and provide some refreshments for them.

The next day, June 1st, was graduation for the soldiers.  Again our day starts out early as we are at the Hilton Field at 8:00.  Here we enjoy listening to the Army Band entertain us while everyone arrives and gets ready for the ceremony.  They are very good and very entertaining.  Again we start with a prayer, national anthem, and speeches.  They then have a ceremony where the soldiers who are not citizens of the United States sworn in to become citizens.  There were 30 soldiers this first week. After that they recognize the outstanding soldiers in different areas and then the soldier march by the stadium in their dress uniforms.  They look very sharp!  From there they are able to leave with their families for the day.  Some go with their families to their next training station and some stay and ride the bus if their families are not there or cannot take them..

After graduation we went to the security building to see what we needed to do to be able to get President Turner, the mission president on the base for church on Sunday.  We also visited a museum that had relics from the 911 attack.  We talked to a lady there about the possibility of doing some service at one of the museums.

On June 2nd we went to a training with the other missionaries that work at Fort Jackson on Sundays.

On June 3rd we had more training with the other missionary couple and sent some letters to the soldiers and their parents.

On June 4th we sent letters to the branch presidents letting them know information about the soldiers that had graduated this week.  We send these letters so their new branch president can contact them and keep them active wherever they are.  We know where they are going based on the area they are being sent to for additional training.  It is nice to have the continuity.

These activities keep us pretty busy.  We don't have any contact with the new recruits except for two hours on Sunday so we do all we can to make them feel welcome and let them know we are thinking about and praying for them.  A lot of them bring their battle buddies and we are able to introduce them to the gospel as well.

Better go, we have another training this morning and need to pick up the sister missionaries and take them with us to the training.

Hope all is well with everyone!

Well, here I am serving a Military Relations Mission with my wonderful husband Elder Morris.  We have been assigned to serve in the South Carolina Columbia Mission at Fort Jackson.  We are truly blessed to have this opportunity.  We arrived here late Wednesday, May 24, 2017.  Since our arrival we have been setting up our apartment and getting to know the people and the area.

Today we attended church at the Fort Jackson Branch.  It was inspiring to see all the young men and women there at the chapel while they are attending basic training.  We meet for 2 hours; 45 minutes for Sacrament Meeting and 45 minutes for lessons.  The troops are divided into different groups and lessons are provided by the missionaries or by the soldiers themselves.  We are blessed and humbled to be able to serve with these young recruits each week.  We even had a baptism this morning.  The branch has a portable baptismal font.  We have a lot to learn about our responsibilities with these recruits and our branch.

Tomorrow is Memorial Day and we have been invited to dinner at Tim and Karen Risher's home. Elder Morris met him when he was stationed in Spain during the 70's.  Elder Morris joined the church there.  They are in our stake here in Columbia.

Tuesday afternoon we meet with our mission president, President Turner and his wife in the mission home.  We look forward to meeting them and receiving some guidance and direction from them regarding our responsibilities here in Columbia.  We have met many wonderful people here already and look forward to meeting many more in the next 22 months.  It is hard to believe we have been on our mission for almost a month now.

We enjoyed our stay in the MTC and learned how to use Preach My Gospel to share the Gospel.
The young ladies that taught us there were great.  We met nine other couples that were serving Military Relations Missions and trained there with us.  It was a blessing to be at the MTC; the Spirit of the Lord is so strong and fills your heart and soul as you study and prepare to go out into the mission field.

We left for South Carolina on Friday, May 19th.  We got as far as Evanston, Wyoming, and could go no further as the interstate was closed due to a late winter storm.  We were able to get through the next day and headed on to Winter Quarters and Hawn's Mill.  From there we were off to Nauvoo.  We were able to stay there for two nights.  We stayed with Elder and Sister McLeod, a couple that we have known for a very long time.  We were also able to see them in the MTC for a few days.  Elder Morris knew Elder McLeod in Spain as well.  We were blessed with the opportunity to go through the Nauvoo temple early the next morning and then received some personal tours of some of the buildings there from Elder McLeod.  The next morning we were off again headed for South Carolina. We spent the next night, our 36th wedding anniversary, in Metropolis, Illinois, where we were able to see a 15 foot bronze statue of  America's superhero, Superman.  WOW!, were we ever impressed! Then off again the next morning to our final destination Columbia, South Carolina!

It is 12:43 a.m. now!  My body has yet to adjust to the time change.  Since I couldn't sleep here I am... I think it is time to be off to bed.  Hopefully the sandman will sprinkle some of his magical sand onto my eyes while I sleep and bring me good dreams.  Good night y'all!