cc: file, Mom, Sara and Des, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Darrell and Nancy Krueger, Diane Cluff, Tony Hafen, Claude and Katherine Warner, Forest and Amy Warner, Ivan and Chell Warner, and Eric and Renee Miner
"What a week! It has been totally emotionally draining for both me and your Mom. I hope you kids at home will give Mom lots of hugs and those of you away will send her lots of e-mail and call her. She especially needs to hear what a wonderful person she is, because she is wonderful. Her new phone number at the apartment (while I am home, i.e. not in Austin at the Bureau of Economic Geology) is 281.646.0625. I recently listened to tape 36 in the Dramatized Church History series, which is about the trials of the near future, when the stock market busts, the government collapses, and good people from places like Texas and Ohio have no choice but to walk to the Rocky Mountains to find relief. Sometimes it seems like those physical trials would be easier than the emotional one we are facing in our family these days. The tape and what has changed in our lives over the last few months and years reminded me of a variety of the prophecies I have read about the trials of the last days, how the very elect will be deceived, and how everyone must stand in their own light. I hope I endure, and I pray for each of you.
Then I got home from a week in Utah and a week in Austin yesterday, and the Church News for the week ending March 8th was in the mail, with the front cover titled 'Handcart trek in Siberia.' It is a wonderful article about Paul's Mission, Mission President, and about a group of saint's in one of the three open cities in his mission who built a Handcart, took it through the city of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, and had a social event and hymns of faith in the sub-zero weather around a campfire. I will put the article in Paul's missionary folder so everyone can read it when they look over the various letters Paul has written home. The Handcart will go from this easternmost city in the Europe East Area, will travel by train to key cities in Russia and Ukraine, join a wagon train from Winter Quarters, Nebraska, and arrive in Salt Lake City on July 22 with written copies of testimonies, personal greetings to President Hinkley, and several dolls and Siberian bears. As I read about how cold their short parade was, and how they commemorated the 13 brave Mormons who froze to death 150 years ago, I thought about Paul, and I half-wished I could go back to simpler times.
I remember when we lived in Dallas and every summer to celebrate the 24th of July we would drive to Eblon Malouf's ranch south of Dallas, where Stan Taylor, Bishop Snyder, Karl Kuby, Jerry Tousa, and other stalwart's would have a Bowery built of branches, a store that sold rock candy, and a trail marked out with actors talking about key events as the pioneers made their way across the plains to Utah. I expect Roice and Ben might be able to remember some of those Pioneer Day celebrations. It was hot in the Dallas sun. It was a challenge with little kids and babies to make the 'boring' hike. It was dry and dusty, even though there was a small lake there. There were lots of chiggers and ants, although I think this was before fire ants. I seem to recall playing the part of William Clayton one time. Probably just my ego, since his journals were key to the History of the Church, he invented the odometer for that first wagon train, and he wrote the words to `Come, Come, Ye Saints.' I was thinking about him this morning early as I ironed my shirts for the week, and I wrote a fifth verse for anyone interested in a 1997 sesquicentennial addition:
Even though I don't get much feedback from you kids, there were three messages in response to last week's Thoughtlet on `Stories' which really buoyed me up. The first was from my Sister Sara, who is one of my biggest supporters (which is amazing considering how mean I was to her when we were kids), the second from Cousin Di in Los Angeles (who also passed on Debbie and Steve Wood's son Jeff has just received a mission call to Uruguay), and the third from Cousin-in-Law Katherine Warner in Bloomington, Utah (who closed with `... I enjoy reading your Thoughtlets and muse on them for a time so keep them coming.') Their comments give me hope that some day these musings will be meaningful to each of you. In the meantime, I realize what is important in your lives. Roice and Ben had Spring Break last week, and Melanie, Sara, and Rob have Spring Break this week. I hope each of you had or has fun, and was or will be a good example to those you are with. Rob just agreed to spend the week working with me at the Bureau in Austin. We will probably go out to dinner with Ben and Sarah Friday night (hopefully in LaGrange rather than Bryan), and then spend Friday night camping at my friend Anders Saustraup's annual Spring Festival in Round Top, Texas (Euphoria, Frisks and Jollifications, Learned Discourses, Wildflower Excursions, Music and Musicians, Empty Space, Profound Thinkers in Attendance, Inertia, Indolence, Campers Who Snore, Many Wise Women, Many Philosophers, Star Gazing, Fishing, etc.). Anyone who want's to join us just drop me a note and I will get you instructions as to where and when to meet. Otherwise, don't worry, and be happy."