January 31, 2025

Somehow January has flown by and the last two weeks have been full of activities. I will briefly go over what has transpired and then I want to fulfill a commitment I made to the Sister Missionaries in writing my testimony down. This is something I don’t think I have ever done before.

I was asked to speak at the YSA Branch on January 19 on the subject of Temple Preparation as we are starting a new group of students in the Temple Preparation course. Cindy came to support me which was very kind. 

Lahina Cy agreed to visit Emily Leavitt for a ministering visit with me. Lahina is very sweet and sincerely seemed to enjoy the opportunity to serve. She is anxious to do more. 

Jonny and Jennifer came out to spend Jeff’s birthday last weekend with him and all three of them came to stay with me. Jenn’s friend Kristin joined them in their activities and Jeff said it was the best birthday he has ever had. I am so glad. Jenn and Jonny left Sunday morning and Jeff came to church with us before Cindy drove him back to Wagner Hills. He is doing well.

Last week we had Hula practice Wednesday evening, dress rehearsal Friday evening for the Stake Variety Show and the actual performance Saturday evening. People seemed to enjoy seeing Sister Walker dance. I did it out of love for my dear friend Bela and I hope Tom was happy too. That may be my last dancing performance.

 I taught the first YSA Temple Preparation class last Sunday and had fourteen students attend. That is my largest class thus far. I love teaching, I love the young adults and I love the Temple.

I have been busy getting things done at home this week and had the Sister Missionaries for dinner last night. I had the Hardys the week before and bought them A+W when they came to take my outdoor Christmas lights down.

I was able to get Zachary’s money transferred to him successfully. These allocations of money to each of the grandchildren was something Tom wanted to do and we were able to do it for Justin, Max and Ross before Tom’s passing. This was my first attempt on my own. I also picked our safety deposit box items up from the bank they had sent them to and brought things to my local branch, which makes more sense. I am trying to handle finances and everything else Tom would have taken care of  or which we would have done together, wisely and well. Stretching on all levels has been the name of the game for me. 

As usual, it has been a busy couple of weeks and busy is actually good for me. I also try to phone or contact friends who are sick or struggling and I took Mary and Lincoln some dinner. I am trying to be of benefit to some, in some way. I pray, pray, pray  for my family and others too and sometimes that is all I can do.

Let me now share my testimony. I do not believe that I have ever written my testimony down and whether writing or speaking I feel my words are very inadequate on this topic.  I have had a testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ and the Gospel of Jesus Christ since I was a little girl. I seemed to have a believing heart. I knew that the baby featured in our cardboard Nativity set was in fact the Christ child and someone very special. I knew that Jesus in the Bible stories my mother read to us had lived and fulfilled an important role for all mankind. That love for and belief Him made me feel certain in the truthfulness of His Gospel. These experiences, coupled with the faithfulness of my mother, my grandparents and other family and friends, gave me an assurance that my feelings and beliefs were on solid ground. As I attended seminary, read my scriptures and learned from others in various settings, my understanding for the feelings I already had became more evident. There were definitely times when the spirit bore witness to me of the truthfulness of it all but mostly my feelings could be described as confidence and bedrock peace. With Tom’s passing I have felt the greatest grief my heart has ever experienced but I have also felt the most overwhelming constant peace that I have ever experienced. I believe the confidence and peace I have experienced at this time and throughout my life is a witness of the Holy Ghost. I believe that is my love language with the Lord. Through that personalized witness just for me, I can say that I know the Savior lives and loves me and that he atoned for me and all mankind. I know the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored in preparation for His return and the principles taught and the covenants and ordinances contained within it, come from the Savior and provide us a way to safely navigate this life and find our way back to Him and His Heavenly Home. I know that the Book of Mormon truly witnesses of the Savior and His gospel and it was given by Him, through the efforts of his faithful servants, to help us come unto Him. I know that Joseph Smith struggled to initiate the restoration and bring the Book of Mormon forth and that he was a prophet of God. I know that with the restoration we once more have prophets in the land and we have men and women giving their lives to bring forth the purposes of God. These are the things I know and I know them because the spirit has witnessed them to my heart and I have been blessed but confidence and great peace. These things I know.

January 17, 2025

 December and Christmas were busy times with Jennifer and Nora coming for the Taylor Swift concert, then Trevor’s visit before I left for Montana and my Bull family Christmas. I arrived home about an hour before the Burgess family arrived for New Years and Annika to visit Jack. I loved it all and being with all of them. The Burgess family left the day before Joanne, Jeff and the McCues arrived. Annika overlapped a day with them. Jenn and family stayed at her friends and Joanne and Jeff stayed here with me on the weekend. They busied themselves with some family activities while I did my Temple shift and such. I fed them soup on the day they arrived. We took Jeff back to Wagner Hills after church on Sunday and the McCues got Spenser off to school at UofVictoria and headed home. Joanne spent the next week with me.

I wasn’t sure what Joanne’s plans were when she came but it was nice t have her here for the week. She was having a little break from her caregiver responsibilities with Dave and had wanted to see Jeff. I think she feels good after having seen Wagner Hills and Jeff himself. I think he is doing well and we all really like Wagner Hills and feel it is a good place for him to be. Joanne helped me get my Christmas decorations down and put them away, including carrying the Christmas tree to the garage, intact to store it there. I am sure we looked like an old lady gong show. We went to the Temple and she took me out for lunch afterward. She came with Kona and I on our long walks each day and we went to Fort Langley where I had a meeting concerning the cemetery with some township personal and Mike from the church next door regarding improving the border landscaping between our properties. Virginia came to the meeting too. Joanne and I went shopping in Fort Langley afterwards and she took me for High Tea at the Little White House. We each bought a skirt there. I cleaned my house and had to go for a Hula practice while she was here. I drove her to the Abbotsford airport on Friday and Brooke picked her up in Calgary. It was a nice week. I think she enjoyed it.

We had our Ministering Sisters’ Conference on Sunday afternoon. I had organized a program and made the assignments and the presidency carried the plans out. I had been considering my talk “Anchored to The Rock” for weeks but only sat down to put it together after Joanne left. The rest spoke on being tethered to each other. The event was entitled “Anchored to The Rock and Tethered to Each Other”. I think it went well. I have been working this week to prepare a talk to give at the YSA Branch on Sunday. It is entitled “Preparing for Entering the Temple”. We will be starting Temple Prep classes at the YSA on January 26.

There are so many concerns my friends and others are having. Mary Harvey had surgery last week with cancerous lymph nodes being removed. I took them some soup on Wednesday. Wendy McKinley is in hospital with RSV and renal failure after her cruise to the Panama. Two young women in our ward and Brookswood have breast cancer. Amanda Desjardins has fluid build up in her brain and Ron Burnham passed away today. Our children and grandchildren have their struggles with anxiety and depression. My prayer lists are long.

We are practicing for our Hula dance to be performed at the Stake talent show on January 25.  Only for Bela would I do this.

My house is back together and cleaned after Christmas and all my company. Jenn and Nora will return next week for Jeff’s birthday. Life goes on with all its busyness, joys, trials and sorrows. All part of the plan.

January 3, 2025

 Christmas and New Years have come and gone with lots of family, activities, meals and a trip to and from White Fish Montana with Kona as my sidekick.

I was grateful for Trevor’s visit before Christmas making it possible for me to spend time with all my children during this holiday season. 

Brendon started getting ill around the 18th of December with colitis like symptoms. He went to the doctor and did end up in hospital emergency one night with some testing done and further testing scheduled. They gave him medication to reduce inflammation of the bowels. He managed to finish work before the holidays began but then spent the time coping and finally by New Years feeling somewhat better. He discovered that his Aunt Cathy has dealt with the disease for years. It does run in families.

I had been prepping for days in advance getting my clothes, baking done here and house in order before  I left on my trip to White Fish. Cindy drove Kona and I out to the airport on Monday, December 23. Things were quiet that evening at the airport and all went well. When we got to Seattle we had to rush to change terminals and I was exhausted by the time we got to the gate for Kalispell. We sat on the plane a long time before leaving and that made us late arriving, around midnight. Rissa was there to pick me up and I was glad to see her. I had cleaned much of my house that day and the trip and airport run and kicked in, so bed was welcome. I felt much better the next day and made orange rolls while they delivered gifts. We went up the mountain that evening to see Santa and his entourage ski down with torches and then Santa gave the children gifts in the lodge. We celebrated Christmas the next day with gifts and Christmas breakfast and then up the mountain for lunch and a lovely gathering and Christmas meal at Chris and Courtney’s in the evening. I had a nice visit with Nora, Courtney’s Nana and met Chris’s parents Pat and Libby. They had other families there as well. Chris and Courtney live in a large log cabin home. Through the week we shopped in downtown Whitefish and Columbia Falls. We went out to eat a couple more times, watched Christmas movies and worked  on a very difficult puzzle. I am sure Tom was having a good laugh. We went to church on Sunday and the  next day I cleaned up the guest house  and packed up. Kona enjoyed cousin Otis and the Bull family and generally did very well. Rissa got us back out to the airport and we had a good trip home but with another delay in Seattle and late arrival. Cindy and Paul were there ready to get us home. 

Jack’s girlfriend Annika Orr had dropped her things off earlier at my place and just as she and Jack arrived, the Burgess family walked in surprising me. I was so excited to see them. I was not sure if Brendon would be well enough to make the trip and it was a treat to have them arrive unexpectedly. Breya and Keaton helped me get groceries the next day and helped me cook for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. We all came together for New Year’s treats and games and got to bed late - at least for me. The kids went for a hike on New Year’s Day and Brendon for a swim and then everyone came over for New Year’s Day dinner, more games and a movie. Tired. I think everyone is tired. Little Aksel has not gotten over his cold the whole time he has been here. 

Max, Jacqui and Aksel left for Australia the evening of the second and the Burgess family left for home earlier that day and arrived safely with Brendon driving. Joanne is arriving later today to visit Jeff and he may be staying here too. The Hardy family went to the Temple today to do baptisms and Jack and Annika leave for Lethbridge tomorrow. Revolving door here at the moment but I have been getting beds changed and bathrooms cleaned and will make dinner for Joanne and not sure who else, this evening.

Above all the movement from place to place and numerous activities, there stands the Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ. I love Him, I appreciate Him and I aspire to be like Him. I have missed Tom all along the way but do feel him near.❤️❤️