May 19, 2020

The weeks are all similar but different. We are walking everyday, doing our house and yard work and going for groceries once a week. This week we went shopping for plants and removed all the tulips out of the beds and planted the new annual plants. We have a few more that we need to buy and we need a tree to replace one we took out of our backyard. We never anticipated being home and doing our yard work this spring and summer but here we are. Lincoln Harvey had been commissioned to do our yard as we didn’t want the Northcotts to be worried about doing it. We felt our home was enough for them to deal with during our mission.  I put my first coat of paint on the primed furniture and finished reading the second volume of “Saints”. We try to meet with our families on Sunday via FaceTime and give them a short message from us. We stay in touch with them regularly too.

Temples are beginning to reopen for “live sealings” of previously endowed couples. It is a start but it will be still a long way to go before they can be fully running, we are pretty certain, as the virus is still raising its ugly head. They are also talking about starting church meetings for smaller groups and using “social distancing” and other precautions. We have enjoyed our private sacrament meetings in our home and meeting with our children and in someways hate to see it come to an end. The church is remarkable in that we were easily able to step into at home meetings as we had been prepared for such a time in advance and also had priesthood holders in many homes to provide the administration of the sacrament. We know, however, that many people are alone and will welcome being in a group again.

Ross arrived home from his mission in Winnipeg on Friday and we had a “welcome home” drive by parade of family and friends. I think he was surprised and appreciated the love and support offered him. He was able to surprise Sarah, his girlfriend, in the evening as she had not been told exactly when he would be arriving home. He will have to regroup and decide what he is going to do now. We love him and appreciate his desire to serve and giving his all under difficult circumstances. We are proud of him.

Cindy had me make orange rolls for a special soufflé breakfast for Ross’ return so I made a double batch so we could have some too. I decided to make a small soufflé for us and it was like having Christmas breakfast in May. I have never made such a small soufflé before as it is usually made to feed a crowd. We missed the crowd but enjoyed the breakfast.

Well, my clothes hang in the closet, my shoes sit on the shelf and we realize that life can be very simple and still be just fine. All we feel we need, it seems, is not as necessary as we thought. The atmosphere is cleaner, oceans are  cleaner, families are spending more time together and children and parents are becoming more creative in their play, their schooling and their entertainment.  I hope we are learning the lessons this experience is meant to teach us and more importantly that we remember them when things are able to go back to normal.

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