The Artists in My Family...

There is a long line of artists in my family.  From the musically inclined to those who dance to  visual arts...there are so many examples.  My grandparents on my father's side loved music.  My Grandfather played both the fiddle and the guitar; my Grandmother played the mandolin, harmonica and the guitar.  Together they entertained many family members as well as folks out for a good time at an open air dance event.

My mother didn't play a musical instrument, but she had an Angel's voice and loved to sing to us as we were rowing up and also in our Church's Choir.  My dad also had a wonderful voice, but he was too busy with earning a living that he didn't share it very often.  He was a wonderful dancr, however, and that is how he and mom met...at a dance.  They loved to go to the Aragon Ballroom on the Santa Monica Pier and dance to the live music of Lawrence Welk.

My brother and sisters and I inherited many of their talents.  Darell has a wonderful voice and has sung in many venues over the years; Chrisie also sings well and plays the guitar.  She entertained in numerous venues in St. George for a period of time.  Patricia had a beautiful voice, but didn't share it except with family members.  Me?  Music and dance were my fortes.  I have lovred to sing sincr I was a very young child.  I had lead parts in numerous church productions in my youth and early 20's.  I also loved to dance.  Ballet, Toe, Acrobatic and Tap dancing were my favorites.  I also loved ballroom dancing and participated in numerous church dance festivals in my youth.  I also loved the piano and had a feel for music.  Thirteen years of piano instruction gave me my love for the instrument; however, I have a hard time reading music quickly, because I learned to "play by ear" and in my youth memorized music in this fashion.

Each of my children have inherited their own gifts.  Kimberly is a most gifted Interior Designer, and she holds a Master's Degree in Interior Design,  Every hone she has lived in is a work of art!  Mark expresses his gift in his craft of Stair Building.  He has earned many "Golden Chisel" awards for his amazingly beautiful stairs.   In his youth, he picked up a guitar and taught himself to play by ear.  He was a mean rock star!  Later, Mark found he loved to draw.  He has a feel and gift for art., Debi is gifted in many areas.  She has taken up the art lately of playing the guitar and does a wonderful job.  She also has a wonderful voice.  Her main gift, however, is in the field of sports.  From baseball to volleyball to running to cycling to keeping her body trim and toned in the gym, she excels in everything she tries.  Photography is also a gift that she shares with her sister, Heather.  Heather  has many gifts.  When she was young, we put her in dance classes and she blossomed from there.  I loved to watch her dance on the stage and I miss that.  She also has a beautiful voice but only shares it at home.  She does beautiful work with a camera and has formed her own business.  From what I hear, her clients are well pleased with her wok.  Billy is my musician.  I'm sure he inherited this from both sides of the family tree.  When he was but a wee little boy, we introduced him to the violin, and then the piano.  When he was 15, he picked up the guitar and blew our minds when he just took off playing everything he heard.  It was amazing.  He formed several bands in his youth, and then he picked up a cello I bought for myself and taught himself to play that instrument.  The cello has become his instrument of choice and he has made a career out of his musical gifts...both playing and writing his own compositions and performing all across America and throughout Europe.

This brings me to JerriAnne.  When she was very young, she was concerned that she had no talents or gifts.  I told her to be patient, and "in the due time of the Lord they would be manifested unto her."  In high school, she discovered she was good at sports, particularly running.  She joined the cross country team and blossomed into a wonderful, graceful runner.  She had also played softball when she was much younger, but that was not her sport.  She was a runner!  In College, she began with a major in Architecture and found drawing was a gift that she had.  From there, she began to use that talent and draw many beautiful things.   Currently, she is working on her Master's Degree in Special Education, focusing on working with the blind.  She has a gift of working with special needs children and has worked in a Charter School assisting with their needs.

And so, this brings me to the purpose of writing this episode in my life.  A few years ago, while living in St. George, Utah and working as a flight nurse with a Life Flight Team, I had an experience that has stayed with me for a very long time.  On one flight to Salt Lake City, it was a particularly stormy day (and flying is NOT fun in those storms).  We landed in Salt Lake, transported our patient to LDS Hospital via Ambiance, and returned to our plane to board for the flight home.  As we were taking off, and had reached an elevation of maybe 1500 feet, I chanced to look back and I saw the most beautiful sight.  There behind us, encircled with clouds, stood the Salt Lake Temple.  There was a break in the clouds just above the Temple and the rays of the sun shown perfectly towards it, bathing it in light.  And to make the picture complete, there was a perfect rainbow in the sky behind the Temple.  Oh, how I wist I had brought a camera!  But I didn't, so I had to keep that memory emblazoned in my memory.

I mentioned this experience to JerriAnne on one of my visits to Provo and asked if she could draw me a picture based only on my narrative of the experience.  She told me she would  try.  And try she did!  I just received the finished product via UPS the other day and was delighted with the results.  It is that piece of artwork that I am sharing here today.

Everything Crooked...

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the old Nursery Rhyme "There Was A Crooked Man"...well, I'm not even pretending to be that "Crooked Man," but I thought this would be an ideal visualization of what my AMD has done to my vision.  Because it has progressed to the "wet stage," this  is how my world looks through my degenerating eyes.  My world is crooked.

When this first happened to me, I thought of Van Gogh, one of my favorite artistsm, with his somewhat distorted images in his art.  We all know from his history that he had problems with his ears and vertigo, but perhaps he also had problems with his vision.  Perhaps he also had AMD.  Just an observation, not based on any truth or historical documentation.

Perhaps one day, through the workings of miraculous modern medicine, they will develop a permanent cure for this disease; meanwhile, I shall continue with the monthly injections into the eye and hope and pray for good results.  Perhaps one day my world will not be distorted any more, but return to its normal, beautiful scenes and the beautiful people in each picture.

The Old Grandfather Clock..

They carried the old Grandfather Clock out the door today.  I watched it pass through the doorway until it disappeared and I felt an old familiar pulling at the heartstrings that I have felt many times before.  The old faithful Grandfather Clock that has stood against many walls in many homes through the years keeping time for us to be punctual for whatever meeting, appointment, bedtime or rising in the morning.  The only time it missed a beat was when it was taken apart and moved to its new home...or the time it needed repairs so it could once again march to the tick-tock of the beat of its heart.

It was a wedding present we gave to each other shortly after we were married in April of 1982.  Thirty-four years it has stood, keeping watch over our little family.  It was there to witness the move into the home we built on Taos Mesa;  it was there in the little Victorian house we bought in Raton and it witnessed a new life enter into our midst.  Little Billy was fascinated by the clock as it struck out its "bong-bong-bong" with every hour.  And he loved the little musical melody it played before each hour and also on the quarter hour.  As Billy grew older, he found it a nuisance when he was trying to record music, and so he would silence the old man.  It followed us to Oregon and into each of the eight homes we have lived in.  Finding just the right wall for it to rest against was sometimes a challenge; other times that perfect wall just presented itself, as if it was waiting for just such a grand old clock.

Thirty four years is a very long time to grow fond of the sound of our Grandfather Clock.  I shall miss it, just as I miss every child that has moved on with his or her life.  It is strangely quiet now, as I am writing this.  It is 7:00 PM and there should be that wonderful melody playing and then "bong-bong-bong-bong-bong-bong-bong!":  But it is gone.  Good-bye, old man...I shall miss you, even if no one else does.

Winter, 2016...

Winter came on with a vengeance to the Oregon Coast this year.  In the 10 years that we have lived on the coast, I have never seen so much rain!  There were so many reports of severe flooding up and down the coast and in the Valley, too, that I wondered if we might just be getting ready to slide right into that big blue ocean.   And, of course, with the flooding, there were folks who were dis-lodged from their homes...literally!  Poor souls!  Getting to them to offer help would require a row boat...one of those early conveniences we seem to have gotten rid of!

Nature is and always has been a marvel to me.  In my 76 years on this earth and living in the U. S. of A, I have seen snow that burred vehicles on the roads, ice so thick that you might just as well have gotten out of your car and put on ice skates to get to whatever destination you were heading to...or perhaps, this would be a good time to bring back the good old fashioned sleigh.  Makes a body wonder if perhaps modern contraptions weren't such a good idea at all.  Sometimes I think we would have been better off if we had just hung on to some of the good old modes of transportation for winters such as those I have seen in Oregon, Utah and New Mexico.

Needless to say, we didn't go anywhere for the entire month.  Dean was on Jury Duty, so that also put an end to any plans we might have wanted to make.  So, we just stayed home, sloshed back and forth to work, shopping and such and had a wonderfully warm fire in our "gas" furnace/fireplace.
I didn't take any pictures in January, because gloom and doom just don't make for exciting pictures and I wasn't brave enough to get out there during a particularly heavy storm and take photos of the waves crashing up against the cliffs and around the lighthouse.  I'm sure it was a sight to behold, burt I just didn't brave the weather.  Maybe some other time.

Another New Year...Can You Believe It?

As I journey into the New Year of 2016, I am reminded of the path that the Good Lord has placed me on.  I know where I have come from,,,and I have come far,.,..,but like the above image, I have no idea what lies ahead for me or for my family and friends.  Moving forward is always a leap of faith into the unknown,

I opened a new calendar this morning and found this quote: "May God in His wisdom and infinite love, look down on you always from Heaven above.  May He send you good fortune, contentment and peace, and may all your blessings forever increase.":  This is my wish for each and every one of us as we journey into another New Year, write on the blank pages of our history, and progress to our eternal goals.

HAPPY NEW YEAR  ~ 2016

It's Been a Very Long Year...

Oh my...where do I begin?  The year 2015 absolutely got away from me!.  I shall try to give a capsule view of the Mickelson happenings for the year, with the promise that I will do better next year.  (That is if my  eyesught permits!)
The month of February found us traveling to the Virgin Islands for a magnificent vacation for two weeks on two islands.  St. Thomas was a delight with friendly people, lots of sights to see, and beautiful views of the Carribean Sea everywhere we went.  St. Crtoix also captivated our appreciation for these two American Virgin Islands.  The lifestyle was far more laid back and we enjoyed leisurely strolls on beautiful beaches.  We had our little island mostly to ourselves!

Sailing from St. Thomas

On the beach in St. Croix

There were no scecial happenings in March, but I ran across this quote that proved to be profound as the year progressed.  "Faith is seeing light with your heart when all your eyes see is darkness.":

I have been working fort H & R Block for this tax season.  As of the 15th of April,, I am done!  Yay!  Now, I can plan my trip to Utah.  Dean and I made a nice journey for a few days to Discovery Bay on the Peninsula in Washington State.  We took his Dad with us and had a lovely time.

Here  is another quote I found: "There is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and thge sting of death is swallowed up in Christ."  Mosiah 16:8  This will comfort me in December.

May was an exciting month!  I got to spend nearly the whole month with my children in Utah and Nevada.  Yay!  I flew to Salt Lake City May 4th and was picked up by my daughter, Debi.  We had a grand time together during my visit .  While I was there, my Granddaughter, Jacki gave birth to a baby girl on May 20th.  They named her Jane Aubrey.  That is so cute!  I also got to go to a dance recital of Randi's (who is 7 months pregnant!) and she was so cute to watch.

I rented the cutest little Volkswagon But to drive to St. George and Vegas.  It was red!  And, it was a stick shift!!  I loved driving it.  I left for Southern Utah on the 17th and stayed 3 days at the World Mark.  I got to see a lot of Mark and the kids and, yes, even Terrie.    I was told that they had remarried...but didn't tell me about it.  It is good to keep the family together.

On Thursday, I drove to Las Vegas to spend a few days with Heather and the rest of the family.  We also had a wondrrful, though short visiy..  I lovedf going yo watch Hailey practice her Gymnastics and see Parker play the drums in his school band.  What a great, talented little family!

After staying with Heather for a week, I drove back to Provo, returned my car (sadly) and got a ride to the airport to say goodbye to Debi and JerriAnne, my sister, Chrisie, and Utah!  I flew home on June 1st.  It was a bittersweet trip home.  My heart will forever be in Utah.  I hate that my family is so spread out and that I am getting older.  This may have been my last solo trip to see my kids.

June was a very full month!  When I came home to Lincoln City from Utah, I found that Dean had moved nearly everything out of the house to our new address in Newport!  Wow!  He has been a very busy boy...along with Billy, who helped immensely.  So, my job was to finish packing up the house and arrange for a crew to do the cleaning...which I did, tiring myself horribly.  Moving is never an easy task and this one proved to be the hardest I have encountered in ages.

Once moved into our smaller space, we began to settle in.  It is going to take awhile before I really feel at home here.  The house in Lincoln City was a dream Castle, and I shall never see one like it ever again in my lifetime.  This new home is very old with a lot to be desired.  But, I shall do the very best I can to make it home.

June 14th is Billy's Birthday!  He is now 31 years old.  We called to wish him a Happy Birthday and received a surprise from him.  On this day, he proposed to Alicia Chatila, whom he met just last December 6th in Sisters.  They are planning a winter wedding to be on the anniversary date of their first meeting and in the very place where they met!  I was both thrilled and filled with some apprehensions at the same time.  Was this too soon?  Only time will tell.

Billy and Alicia, Dec. 2014

Also on June 14, we were in Washington for the USPGA OPEN Golf Tournament at Chamber's Bay!  What a thrill that day was!  We took dad and though we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, it was a trying time for him.  He is not as young as he used to be and tires out quickly.  He ended up taking the bus home while we were searching for him everywhere.  Cell phones were useless, because I was the only one who brought mine!   We eventually found him and scolded him for scaring us.

Oliver Travis Messex came into the world on June 6th, making Heather a first time Grandma.  For a girl who did not want to be a Grandma, I must say, she took to it like a baby duck to water!  He is an adorable little boy, like his daddy, my Grandson, Brendan.

On June 29th, we traveled to Eagle Crest near Redmond, to spend some time with Billy, Alicia and the girls.  We had a lovely respite and completed the journeyings for the month of June.

Other than the celebration of Independence Day on the Harbor (which was beautiful, for sure!) July didn't give us many exciting experiences.  Well, yes, there was one more GG-baby born on July 20th.  Randi gave birth to a beautiful little girl, Lilly Dawn Thompson in Provo, Utah.  Wow!  Three GG-babies born in this year.  What treasures they are.  Grandma Debi and Grandpa Brian went to Africa the end of the month for an 8 day Safari...their second.  Experiences they shall never forget.

August, September and October found us visiting multiple Doctors for various reasons...primarily for skin cancer and a few cardiac issues for Dean.  Birthdays and Anniversaries were celebrated and we all took on another new year's addition to our lives.  Ah, never a dull moment!

November found us preparing for a Thanksgiving trip to Colorado Springs to spend the Holiday with Eliot and putting the final touches on wedding preparations which are sneaking up on us much too quickly.  I finished the girl's dresses and must say they turned out quite pretty.   Thanksgiving with Eliot and Tamiya was wonderful but cold.  The highlight was going into Denver to see "The Lion Kin" --the Broadway production!  It was so amazing.  Loved every minute of it.  We had a different Thanksgiving with Tamiya's mom and Grandmother (who is Chinese).  She is 94 years old and such a delight!  It was truly a thankful Thanksgiving meal in spite of the cold and snow.

While we were in Colorado Springs, there was a shooting at a nearby Mall/Planned Parenthood Facility that had the city reeling.  It is spooky to be so close to where there is danger!  But, we were all protected and safe and yet another thing to be thankful for.

When we flew home, I got really ill.  I couldn't hold anything down for a week and I feared I would be a wreck for Billy's wedding on December 6th.  But, faith and prayers pulled me through and I was just fine by the time we had to travel to Sisters to participate in this wonderful event,  Family members gathered at a lovely vacation rental in Sisters.  Dad and David came from Washington, Debi flew in from Salt Lake City, and Eliot flew in from Denver.... All safe and sound.  It was a lovely reunion of sorts and we enjoyed the festive lighting of the town and good food.

On Sunday morning we all gathered at The Belfry, where the wedding was to be held and began the long, hard work of decorating.  Alicia had everything planned in advance and had her own team of experts to help.  Debi and I just lent our helping hands wherever they could be most helpful.  The hall took on an amazing transformation for a wedding "in the pines!"

As the hour of 4:00 pm approached, there was a feeling of excitement in the air.  Me?  I was the nervous mother of the groom and could not believe I was about to hand my baby boy off to another woman!  Interesting feeling at my age.

At last the hour arrived and here they came...all smiles and exquisitely dressed to become Mr. and Mrs. William J. Mickelson!  Billy wearing his grandfather "D's" suit and Alicia wearing her very first wedding dress.  Oh my, how my eyes teared up with the sight of them.

In a blink, it was over...all of the vows and promises , the ring, the "Ues, I do's" and ttwo hearts joined as one on a perfect day.  Here, you have them...Mr. and Mrs.!

Now, on to Christmas.  We had a lovely 4 days with family here in Newport for the Christmas Holiday.  Dad, Dave, Miriam and Zach came from Washington; Billy, Alicia and Rania and Maya came from Redmond; and Dean and I hosted the festivities.  It was a memorable Christmas Celebration, complete with honoring the birth of our Savior through worship, music and family all together in one place.

Just before Christmas, I experienced something I never dreamed I would have to face...the loss of my sweet little Patricia...my baby sister.  She passed comfortably in her home on December 21st from complications of Depression/Dementia/and Alzheimer's.  She was only 58 years young.  Such a terrible loss to our family.  I shall miss her terribly.  Hence, the scripture I posted earlier from Mosiah just grabbed my heart.

I am also experiencing a sudden loss of my vision due to Macular Degeneration and it has me reeling for answers.  Even writing this post is excruciatingly difficult, but with the aid of magnifying glasses, I manage to get the job done.  The quote I posted at the beginning of this piece has great meaning to me now because my eyes are beginning to see nothing but darkness.  This writing brings me to the close of another year and I am wondering what the new one will have in store for me.  So many blessings, so many new experiences, some joy, some sorrow and all frosted with the promise of a new life for my baby boy.

God bless us all as we travel through our various journeys through this life of wonder.  See you all on the flip side!

JANUARY...

   

"Those who have felt the touch of the Master's hand somehow cannot explain the change which       comes into their lives.  There is a desire to live better, to serve faithfully, to walk humbly, and to be more like the Savior.  Having reached their spiritual eyesight and glimpsed the promises of eternity, they echo the words of the blind man to whom Jesus restored sight: 'One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see' (John 9:25)."          ...Thomas S. Monson,

It was during the month of January this year that I was contemplating this very subject.  More times than I can relate here, I have re-lived those awful days when my eyesight was nearly extinguished.  I remember the anguish as though it were yesterday, and yet in the process of preparing for the worst, I realized that in so many ways we are all blind to some aspect of our journey...and then we have an experience that allows us to see more clearly.

How blessed we are that through adversity, we can examine our lives and come out on the other end better because of the experience.  "Adversity is not a detour...it is a part of the path."  (Richard Paul Evans)

Looking back at the month of January, I found myself immersed in the world of Taxes again!  I don't know whether it is my age or my (once again) failing eyesight, but this time around I found the requirements more difficult than ever before.  Or could it be because the burdens placed upon the Taxpayers this year seem to have multiplied on our shoulders, as well...like never before.  At any rate, I attended class after class after class, took many tests, did a boatload of case studies, and still feel like I have only dipped into the first drops of the bucket!  Perhaps this will be my last year to be a Tax Preparer.  We shall see.

At Church, I have immersed myself into music and our little Choir.  When I say "little," I mean little!  There are some Sundays when only 1 or 2 members show up to practice.  And then when we have a number prepared for Sacrament Meeting, those who have not been attending show up to sing...ill prepared and surprised that they don't know the number.  And still I plug along.  I find myself thinking back at the choirs I have participated in throughout my life, and I don't ever remember such sparse numbers.  And then I ask myself, "Is it me they don't like?"  I know there are people out there who sing, but they just don't want to put forth the extra effort.  We shall just have to keep praying for them.

Our Ward lost a very young member just a couple of weeks ago.  He was only in his 50's...just about the same age as my baby sister.  He suffered for a very long time as the result of severe obesity, which exacerbated his Diabetes and his respiratory problems.  Ultimately, his heart gave out.  He was a "gentle giant" and will be missed.  He was an entertainer, a magician, and loved to be the clown for children.  One of our Ward members, lovingly posted these remarks when he learned of his passing.  "...I...think he passed as any magician would like...in the blink of an eye--Abracadabra!  (Poof---he's gone)!"

On Friday night, January 30th, Dean and I had the remarkable privilege to attend (we managed to get the last two tickets...and had to sit miles apart!) one of the two concerts Willie Nelson gave in our fair little town.  At 82, he is still amazing to me!  I have loved his music for decades and this marks the third time we have seen him in concert.  He never changes his style.  He can "pluck" out a demanding jazz beat on his guitar and also give a soulful rendition of the blues.  The timber of his voice is the same recognizable Willie that we have come to love, still hitting those low notes with ease.  Gotta love that he is still around to entertain us.

I have saved this last bit for last, because it has been an interesting roller-coaster ride for Dean and I as Billy had (first of all) announced he was seeing a new "friend," and then he drove 2 1/2 hours to have breakfast with us last Sunday with her in tow, to announce that they are "boyfriend and girlfriend."  I am thrilled that he has recovered from his broken heart only a few short months ago, but just pray that this relationship isn't moving too fast for him.

This weekend (January 31st), Billy brought his girlfriend AND her parents AND her two beautiful daughters to Lincoln City to meet us.  Oh, dear...could this be getting serious?  We had a delightful visit with all of them.  They are a lovely family...not of our faith...not even close...but, as a wise ex-Bishop counseled me recently, get to know her as a person, and if she turns out to be the one he chooses, then "let him go!"  I have chewed on those words, "let him go," for quite some time and said many prayers, and I am comforted that he is right.  A parent's job is to teach their children correct principles...and in the end they will govern themselves.  All I desire for Billy is that he finds lasting happiness...and if she is "the one" then my job is finished and his begins.  I love you Billy.  And I am learning to love you Alisha!

So, whether it is the very real possibility of losing your eyesight, stress at your job, anxiety over your Choir, the loss of a very young friend, having to sit on opposite ends of a Concert from your husband, or wondering if your son is moving too fast in a new relationship...these are the experiences that build us and prepare us for the final tests in this life.  These are the experiences that produce "diamonds!"  God is good...His Gospel is true...and I am truly a blessed Daughter of a loving Heavenly Father.