YeeHaw...

Every once in a blue moon, an opportunity comes to just get away from it all and escape to another "world!" Such was our opportunity this past weekend, when we did just that. The other "world" we escaped to was the 4th Annual Brownsville (Oregon) Music Festival. Brownsville is a little farming community south and east of Albany, Oregon, where once a year the whole world converges out in a big old field which has been turned into a country fair atmosphere.

The headliner we came to see was Alan Jackson, a long time favorite of mine whose hit country songs could just about circle the globe! I remember him most for the song he did right after 9/11, "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning..." on that September day? I remember it for two reasons. Number one, it spoke of a time in our history (the 10th anniversary we are about to observe) when all the world mourned the impossible happening on our soil. It was the day when four airliners were hijacked by suicidal terrorists and plowed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.

The second reason that song was so dear to my heart is becaus it was the song that my dying mother requested that I play over and over again for her when she was tucked into her bed and ready to sleep. She would say to me, "Put on that Alan Jackson song for me, would you?" And I would play it for her.

The Music Festival was a three day affair. We attended on Saturday, August 20th and the heat was intense. We are told that it was 92 degrees and the hottest day of the summer. The crowd was the biggest I have seen in ages. There must have been 50,000 people there, including men, women and children. Les Schwab (an Oregon tire king) had set up a tent and supplied water bottles and saltd pretzels for those who got too much sun. I was numbered among the many who suffered in the heat.

I thought I could "tough it out" and endure the heat, but soon realized that that was a crazy idea. I suffered from heat stroke twice, got out of the sun, drank about a gallon of water and ate probably a bag of pretzels. I covered my face and neck with ice and dumped water down my neck and back. Thank goodness for Les Schwab. (I also bought a cowboy hat to cover my head...I have to admit my husband was right...I needed a hat! Darn, it's hard to say I was wrong!)



The first "warm up" singer to entertain us was Sunny Sweeny. I can't say that I have ever heard of her, but I was impressed with the music she shared with us. She has an itty-bitty voice that just rings of country/western flavor. I really liked her.



The next act to take the stage was Steve Azar. I have heard his songs before, and though he wasn't as energetic as I remember him, he was entertaining. He plays a mean guitar.



Third up was one of my favorites, Phil Vassar. He had the most energetic program ever. He plays an amazing piano, while he sings upbeat country/western songs. I really loved his program. I will definitely be online when I get home to purchase his latest CD.

The festival planned its programming beautifully, giving about an hour between programs for folks to cool off, shop in the many vender booths set up around the venue, or find something really yummy to eat. We filled up on tri-tip sandwichs, corn on the cob, lemonade, ice cream and, of course, water!

Finally, at 9:30 P.M., the star we came to see, took the stage! There was a phenominal sunset, huge globe lights set up all around the grounds, and a stage complete with screens to view him "up close and personal."



We were not disappointed. There on stage, bigger than life, was one of my all-time favorites, Alan Jackson. (I must say, he's aged some over the years!) He didn't disappoint me, either. He sang nearly all of his #1 hits, plus many others that I am familiar with. But the highlight for me, was when he sang, "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?" Tears flowed, as I remembered the nighttime routine of playing that song for my Mom! Thank you, Alan, for singing that one just for me!



And so, ends the 4th Annual Brownsville Music Festival, sponsored by Bi-Mart (and others) and begins our long, slow journey back to Albany (20+ miles) to our motel. Needless-to-say, with 50,000 people trying to get out of a parking lot, funneling down into one lane to get out on the highway, it was a very, very slow process. It took us nearly one and one-half hours to get just out of the parking lot. We got to our motel at 1:30 A.M., two very tired old people!

I do have to say, though, that the whole day, in spite of heat stroke, drowning in water, sitting in hot sun, slowly creeping out of the parking lot (sometimes not even moving for 15-20 minutes at a time), and getting to bed after 2:00 A.M., it was all completely worth it and we will be back again next year!

Happy Birthday, Heather...

Tuesday, August 2, 2011 Happy Birthday, Heather...

Today is my baby girl's birthday! She's not 2 1/2 any more, nor is she 10, 20, or even 30. She's a big girl with babies of her own. But, in my heart and memory, she will always be my "baby girl!"

I want to tell you about the Story of The Grapes.

When Heather was just a baby, she found comfort in her thumb and her favorite blankie. Having a thumb-sucker was not a new experience for me. Her big sister, JerriAnne had found comfort in her thumb as well. We tried everything with JerriAnne, short of somehow hiding her thumb, and nothing worked. She even sucked off the tobasco sauce we put on her thumb and seemed to enjoy it.

Having had those experiences with JerriAnne, we decided not to go to such lengths with Heather. She would outgrow it.

By the time Heather was one year old, we noticed a phenomenon happening that I had not seen with JerriAnne. She lost interest in the contents of her bottle, but started sucking her thumb while rubbing the bottle's nipple between the fingers of her other hand and holding it close to her face. This had replaced her blankie. I figured this was a good time to get rid of her bottle, and I did. She didn't miss the bottle, but she missed the nipple.

By the time she was walking quite well, I found Heather standing in front of our coffee table, playing with the plastic grapes that I had in a bowl on the table. She had found a replacement for her bottle's nipple--a plastic grape! She would squeeze the little grapes and suck her thumb and stand there for a very long time.

After a while, I noticed that the grapes started to disappear off of the clusters and I would find loose grapes all over the house. Heather had discovered that they pulled off! Quite a resourceful little one, she was! Well, that went on for years. I had to keep buying new clusters of grapes every year to replace the now bare ones that Heather had stripped of their tempting fruit! Why, I even found a grape in the parking lot of the local supermarket, and I knew Heather had been there! It brought a smile to my lips.

She eventually grew out of both the grapes and her thumb and turned out to be one of my choicest daughters. What a treasure she is in my life and in the lives of her husband and her children. Now, every time I see a cluster of plastic grapes, I am reminded of a little girl standing next to the coffee table with her thumb in her mouth, squeezing her prize for the moment.

God has blessed me with wnderful memories and He blessed me with an awesome daughter on August 2, 1972. Happy Birthday, again, dear daughter. I love you!

A Mother's Heart...

Heart (n.): "...the hollow muscular organ...which circulates blood throughout the body..." This definition is according to the New Webster Dictionary. Science defines the heart as an organ composed of 4 chambers designed to move the body's life blood through circulation by way of its complex pumping action.
Heart (v.): Webster says the heart is "the seat" of our emotions, such as feelings of comapssion, affection, empathy and passions. That is opposed to our head, which is "the seat" of our intellect.

The heart is a very complex thing, and I have wrestled through my intellect with these definitions, trying to compose a picture of just what "A Mother's Heart" might look like.


Look with me, if you will "inside" a mother's heart.

I picture not four chambers, but multiple ones, each able to house the love of one child, grandchild, great-grandchild, etc. Each one of these children needs a place in a mother's heart, and God has designed it so perfectly that whenever a new child is born, a new chamber is created.

This amazing phenomenon used to amaze me when I was first filling up my heart. Each time a new baby came into my life, I would ask myself this question, "can there possibly be enough room to house any more love?"



Always, I have been surprised...no amazed...at how easy it was to make room for more love. Each new, magical chamber just swelled with all the love it could hold and became a part of the whole.






I have learned over the years that a mother's heart can carry many emotions...sometimes all at the same time! Her heart can sing with joy or it can cry a million tears whenever it is hurt. The heart can laugh and rejoice and swell with pride. It can also be broken when life sends its slings and arrows to wound it. I have also learned that a heart once broken, can mend--it just takes time.


I love my mother's heart and I love those who have come to live there!

Today, I hang up my cap...

Today, I begin a new journey. I don't know where the road ahead will carry me. I only know these are new emotions I am feeling as I look forward to new experiences. I also know I'm not going to spend the rest of my days lounging around the house in my pink bath robe, watching Soap Operas, or Oprah, or game shows, eating bon-bons and putting on 50 pounds.

I still have dreams.

Looking back, I cannot believe it has been 35 years since I first contemplated entering the field of nursing. THIRTY-FIVE YEARS! Half of my lifetime! I think I always knew I would be a nurse. Some seed was planted inside of me that was dormant for the first one-half of my life and only needed the slightest nudge from a dear friend to step onto the path that led me to where I am today.



I shall forever be grateful for Colleen Brown for giving me that nudge. I'm grateful, too for a good husband who supported my decision to go back to school and for the patience of my children who had to sacrifice so much. Without their support and encouragement through those tough school years, I don't think I could have ever done what I did at the age of 35.

I'm grateful for a mother who taught me how to listen to my "gut" and gave me intuitive knowledge about taking care of the sick and wounded. She should have been a nurse herself, because she was so good at taking care of us when we were growing up. Her mother was a midwife, as was her grandmother. She learned many valuable lessons from them.

Yes, today I hang up my cap and my stethascope and feel so many wonderful emotions connected to my career in Nursing. I have been up to my elbows in blood and other bodily fluids as an ER Nurse; I have been gratified to participate in many code situations in which life was returned; I have sat by the bedside of the dying and the recovering and held hands and listened to their stories and shouldered their fears; and I have flown the blue skies over Utah, transporting many patients who needed our services in order to survive one of life's onslaughts.

I pray that for whatever is left of my life that I will find joy in my unknown future. God bless all of those Angels of Mercy who remain in the practice of nursing. I pray their careers will give them as much fulfillment as mine has given me.

And Aubrey Was Her Name...

When did this beautiful baby become an amazingly beautiful woman? Aubrey Dawn Messick won my heart from day one and has been winning hearts ever since.





I watched her grow from that beautiful baby to a precocious child. I watched her grow through the gangly teen years and on into womanhood. I followed her journey through college and her mission to Saskatchewan, Canada. And I watched her blossom just as the beautiful flower arrangements she is so gifted in creating.



I followed her "Mormon Bachelorette" journey with interest and amazement as she found her "forever" soul-mate as that story unfolded.





At long last, the culmination of all of this growing and blossoming and taking the risks on her journey has been wrapped in one glorious package called "the bride!" There are no words left in me to adequately describe my feelings as I watched once again with awe my little Aubrey kneel at the alter of marriage on March 19, 2011 and accept so willingly the new member of our family, Matthew Laidlaw, as her "forever" husband. The tears that welled in my eyes and spilled over to run down my face were tears of joy.





The day was one out of Cinderella's own story. Aubrey found her Prince Charming. They were sealed in the beautiful Temple in Los Angeles, where her mother and father were sealed; and both grand-parents were also sealed there. And though this is news to Aubrey, even her great-grand-parents were sealed there.

They hosted the wedding reception of the century at the Messick home in Laguna Niguel and when all of the festivities were done, Prince Charming rode off with his bride, Princess Aubrey not on a great white steed, but on his big, loud Harley through a sea of sparklers into the night. It was amazing!



Aside from all of the festivities and the joy for the happy couple, I think the most touching part of the evening was to watch our "little" Aubrey dance with her daddy to the tune of "And Aubrey Was Her Name" and to see the tears streaming down Kenny's face. Priceless! That is one vision I will keep with me for a very long time!



God bless the happy couple! I love you Aubrey!

Consider the brick...

My great-great-grandfather, Thomas Davenport, was a potter. He was sent by Brigham Young to Parowan, Utah to not only help settle the area, but to find a high quality of clay for his pottery to supply the needs of the Saints in a growing community.


















My husband, Gerry Henderson, was a Geologist. He also worked with clay. He found high quality clay that could withstand extreme heat to form long-lasting bricks for Interpace Brick Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. He found the clay, mined it and eventually, made bricks that would be used to build our first home in Salt Lake City. This home would keep his growing family safe.



Our Savior, the creator of this world created the clay that can be heated and formed into pottery and bricks. The finished product may go through many, many failures before the right combination of elements would produce a brick or pot strong enough to be useful. He also formed man and said he would be tested and sometimes the heat of those tests would be very, very hot; and sometimes he would crumble and fall apart until the right combination of experiences would produce a stronger man! In the process, our testimonies would grow and we would grow stronger.

Now, consider the brick.

In the hands of some it can be a building block, something that is of great use. On the other hand, in the hands of another it can be a weapon of destruction, thrown at will in order to injure.

I would like to consider a metaphore that I call "The Parable Of The Brick." I would propose that we liken the brick to the gifts we received from our Heavenly Father as part of our earthly inheritance. What will we do with our gifts? Will we bury them in a useless heap? Will we sling them at our enemies (and sometimes our friends)? Or will we use them for their God-given purpose--to build?


And what shall we build? Will we use them to build our homes to shelter our children? Or will we use them to build walls either to keep our families safe or to shut others out?


Or will we use these bricks (gifts) to build bridges to cross over rivers of doubt and misunderstandings. Or build bridges to span gulfs of harsh judgements in order to embrace those we love the most in our lives?


What will you build with your bricks? Walls? Or Bridges? The choice is yours.

Welcome 2011...

A New Year...365 days of 24 hours each...to plan, live life fully, and face together whatever lies in the wings.

I have looked over the past year's activities and have come to the realization that life is full of gifts. Each new day is a gift. The sunshine, the rain, the wind, and the snow are all gifts. Flowers in spring, warm days in summer, the colors of fall and the bleakness of winter are gifts.

My friends are amazing gifts sent to bless my life. To borrow words from a well known poem, some come into my life and stay the whole life through, others only touch my life for a moment, but all are gifts and help shape my life. My amazing family is a super-sized gift that I shall treasure long past this life and into the eternities. Our lives have intertwined in such intricate and meaningful ways, that one day does not go by that I am blessed by them.

When I recount the recent celebration in December of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, I realize He is the greatest gift of all. For by Him and through Him and because of Him, all of these other gifts are made possible. I shall forever be thankful for His gift of eternal life given to me at such a great cost to Himself.

I go forward in this New Year, a year older (yes) and a little slower than I used to be, but each and every day brings to me a new discovery about my life, about the path I have chosen, about my friends, about my family, and about my Savior. And, in spite of a troubled world, stumbling in the mire of unbelief, I can smile and say, "This is going to be an amazing year!"

I have set goals to read more Scripture, work at treating this gift of my body a little better, and search out my ancestors lives more. So much of their work has already been done, but I have a yearning to find out WHO THEY REALLY WERE!

God bless everyone throughout this upcoming New Year of 2011.