Dear Family,
Feb. 28, 2013
A letter dated Feb. 13, 2013 from Thomas S. Monson sat on
our front porch probably for a day or two until Saturday February 16th. Federal Express delivered the mail by passing
the postal service who was on alert to intercept any peculiar correspondence
from - 47 south Temple, in Salt Lake City. (Thanks to Karol). We were spending the week with President
and Sister Bruce and Karla Cook in Carlsbad California learning the intricacies of missionary work from the
professionals. Incidentally they are
wonderfully skilled and have grown immensely.
Missionary work is amazing and vibrant.
It requires your all and more….life
goes forward one minute at a time. You can never plan what the next minute
might bring.
Interestingly enough we had been whale watching on the
preparation day, and we were able to see
a good sized whale swimming off the coast of Dana’s Point north of
Carlsbad. Dolphins were swimming in the
wake of the ship and it was fun to watch and take pictures. The whale that looked like it could swallow
a man,… upon a ship that probably would be vulnerable in a storm tossed sea
would be a reminder of a type and shadow of events that would evolve later in
the week.
Saturday still having not received a call, and being
telephoned by the Area Seventy and learning of others who had received their
call we began to become fidgety. I was
content to wait until we arrived home, but was sure the call had been
sent. Greg driving home from a play on
Saturday night decided to drive by the homestead and see if per chance there
was a letter in the mail box. To his
gleeful and impetuous nature, rightly
inherited from his mother, I’m not sure he didn’t ….right then and there open
the letter. But he called California
and in a frantic and rambling excitement told us to get on skype he was opening
the letter. ‘ Brady bunch fashion’
families were awoken and directed to there ‘ google-hang out stations’. Bryan coming out of a deep sleep, Clayton
with no sound and cue cards at appropriate moments, Kallee some where in
Kansas?, Beckah in the Dark in Missouri,
Kjersty and Chris in Provo and Rachelle and Cody
scrambling from an Aggie Victory piled into Gregs’ abode with everyone
stumbling around trying to get directions on the designated site .
The letter was opened and
what we all knew was a possibility, became possible. A Call to the Democratic Republic of the
Congo Kinshasa Mission. Everything from
cheers, to moans, sighs and groans, from all,… shoulder slumping relief for
knowing finally where we had been
called. From behind me I heard “I am so
sorry, and I will never complain about our mission home again”. From the screen, “we’re coming to see you!!!” “We’re going to
Africa!!” “Bring me back an
elephant!” “Holy Gorrilla, yah gonna
live in a tree house?” “Where is the
Congo?”
Karol at times makes fun of my imitating my mothers- parkinsonian, catatonic stare- glaring off
into the unkown. She seemed to be
doing, at the moment, her own transfixed imitation quite well. Later that night as we climbed into bed and
the lights were turned out, I tried to draw her out of her semi- conscious condition into a state of coherence but she
would have none of it. “Bryce, Don’t
speak to me….don’t touch me, don’t
preach to me, don’t look at me……
I need some time… to look at me!!!”
Well the next day the sun came up, and I must tell each of
my children, although this hasn’t been the case with our grandchildren, but in
our home…. Birth has not been the
most physically glamorous day of your lives.
Blame you mother and I, but, by and large, in our family... birth has been
ugly!!!
It didn’t take long, but we fell deeply in love with each of
you. Large noses, stubby noses, chunky
chubby cheeks, scarcely any hair, distorted faces strangely bizarre we as new
parents grew to admire and respect the differences. It wasn’t hours but minutes before we took pride in each birth, we cared
and nutured each new thing we learned about you. The days that followed gave recognition to
personality and given time for physical development…. each of you really became attractive, and not
only to just ourselves, encouraged by others we entered some into baby contests and took
continual pictures and fell in love with all,.. all that you are and would
become.
Who could ever imagine what beautiful examples of the noble
and elect would come from such a coarse and undercooked beginning. Now fully ‘pasteurized’,’ prepared’ “Cooked”, ….you are not only wonderful, but you have
added such beautiful ingredients to our family mixture. I love the lord and his patience for letting
us… “look at me”…. during times of birth
as well as rebirth.
Seeing pictures of Tytan with his arm around Brie, Caden asking me for a grandfathers
blessing prior to a spelling ‘B’ when his dad was out of town, Brandon writing
a talk for me to give to the people of Kinshasa when I arrive there…it’s on
“Forgiveness”…(two pages long), Cache
and Molly making pocket calls to me at work on the cell phone, Ashden and
Mayce promising me to take care of their
mom and the new baby (Blade or Dora?) Jared singing -popeye style- “let
your lower lights be burning…” ; and
was it Krystal or Kinlee that thought
Kinshasa to be somewhere between Lego Land and the Wild Kingdom. Kylie’s
hugs, JC and Bradys loves, Kates and Mckennas’ smiles. Each of these portentous births have blossomed into an ownership that could
never be separated from whom we are and what we are about. We love you and each of your spouses (and
spouses to be). Your children are our
children!!
We will love this new birth in our lives, it is a rebirth
and it will grow exponentially to proffer us with beautiful brothers and sisters, communities and
nations. Innumerable and sacred will be
the blessings that await to befall us as we cradle, nuture and sustain opportunities
that give us life!!
Remember the LORD loves you and so do we!! Your are all …so
beautiful…to me…can’t you see…
Father and Mother
