June 2020 - 45 year Anniversary!

William, Beth, Nora & Brian

 We started the month of June with a visit from Brian, Beth and kids. It was so nice to have them and the new carpet had just been installed so the house was ready for visitors.  We had not been to the new Globe Life Park - home of the Texas Ranger Ball Team - so we went and spent a few hours walking around the whole complex.  The kids had a lot of fun in the water fountain area.
The old Ball Park is in the picture on the right and the new ball park is below - you take a look and see which one has more class.  OK, the new one has a retractable roof and air conditioning - we will see if it makes a difference for the fans and the team.  Just announced that the first game will be played on July 24.  It is a beautiful complex and will be a nice venue for Arlington.

Russ and Linda

When we finished walking around the whole park and all of the restaurants (they were not open yet) we had logged 3 1/2 miles of walking.  It was time to head downtown to Rita's for an Italian Ice to cool off.


Brian and Beth left on Monday morning and we kept the kids
so they could spend the week with us.

Josh and Nora

 It is always a fun time to walk down the street to the little goat farm.  We fed the goats and geese and the kids enjoyed it.  Fun times at Uncle Josh's house.  Nora could not wait to ride the little motor cycle.  The boys preferred to sit on the big cycle and play in their world of  adventure.  We have been helping Josh scrape his house getting it

ready to paint.  We worked while the kids played.  It is beginning to get hot and so we only can work in the morning hours.  It is a big project and we might have to wait until Fall to finish it.

The Fort Worth Zoo is open on a limited basis and Wednesday was still half price day.  Normally, you do not want to go on that day because it is so crowded.  With the new rules, only reservations are made and a limited number of people can go.  We decided to take the kids to the Zoo and it was a delightful day.

Flamingos

The flamingos were stunning.  We also got to see the females nesting on their eggs and some of the birds actually coming out of the shell and moving.  They build a large mound and then lay the egg and then sit on it.  

Nora with the String rays

 They loved being with the string rays and the sharks.

Great White Tiger

 Feeding them was not very easy and that was not the favorite thing for any of us!
It was fun for them to get right in the pen with the goats and not be separated by a fence.  The birds were beautiful and a favorite of mine was the Great White Tiger.

  We ended the day with  the giraffes and elephants.  We walked about 3 miles and it was time for lunch.  We ended up at Fuzzy's Tacos - a request of of kids - and it was perfect for take out and relaxing at home.

  On May 30th we also watched the launching of the space ship on TV.  It was another history in the making event and so glad it was a successful launch.  It brought back memories of the very first launch and also memories of man's first walk on the moon July 20, 1969.  Those were childhood events and it was fun to watch with our grandchildren an event that has not happened in many years.



The times are continuing to change and life is not what we are used to.   It is not just one thing like Covid-19 but there are many signs of the times.  I was studying the General Conference talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland and was touched by some things that he said.  We commemorated the 200th anniversary of the First Vision of Joseph Smith back in April and he was speaking about that time.  "Thus our look back at 200 years of God's goodness to the world.  But what of our look ahead?  ...we are waging an all hands on deck war with Covid-19, a solemn reminder that a virus 1,000 times smaller than a grain of sand can bring entire populations and global economies to their knees.  ...When we have conquered this - and we will- may we be equally committed to freeing the world from the virus of hunger, freeing neighborhoods and nations from the virus of poverty.  May we hope for schools where students are taught - not terrified they will be shot - and for the gift of personal dignity for every child of God, unmarred by any form of racial, ethnic or religious prejudice.  Undergirding all of this is our relentless hope for greater devotion to the two greatest of all commandments:  to love God by keeping His counsel and to love our neighbors by showing kindness and compassion, patience and forgiveness.  These two divine directives are still- and forever will be - the only real hope we have for giving our children a better world than the one they now know."

He went on to say, "we can hope, we should hope, even when facing the most insurmountable odds.  That is what the scripture meant when Abraham was able to hope against hope - that is, he was able to believe in spite of every reason not to believe.  '...Ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men . . .If ye shall, . . .saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. '  May we press forward with love in our hears, walking in the brightness of hope that lights the path of holy anticipation we have been on now for 200 years.  I testify that the future is going to be as miracle-filled and bountifully blessed as the past has been."


This talk was given in April and two months later, for those of us in the USA, we had another awakening to the fact that we do not regard each other as All Children of God. 

 I marched in my first ever march for justice called, Call of Conscience March.  It was organized by local churches in Arlington that gathered at a Baptist Church and then we marched 1.2 miles to City Hall united in prayer, song, scripture and love to deliver a proclamation to the Mayor and other leaders asking for equality and justice for all in maters with the law.  It was a peaceful march with people united in hope for a better tomorrow.  It was not about a specific group or organization other than people of faith united together.

It was not an environment that I am used to and I did not know most of the people, but it helped me to see what can happen when we unite as neighbors and following the council of God to recognize each other as His Children, each with divine worth.
We go to other countries and marvel at the cultures of the people.  We have many of those cultures here and can learn from all of these people if we allow ourselves to.  I am grateful for my friends and associations with people from all over the world.  I hope I can continue to make a difference one by one.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION!

 Finally on June 6, 2020 Arlington High School was able to hold their High School graduation at Cowboy Stadium where social distancing could be done.  It was a terrific venue and a very nice graduation.  It was touching to me to have the Senior Class President stand and conduct the graduation and share his positive experience as a Black young man at Arlington High and thanking his peers for who they are.  He gave a message of hope for a bright future.  The Superintendent of Schools spoke, he is of Hispanic origin and then the Principal who is Indian and then the Salutatorian

and Valedictorian each spoke, both from the Middle East.  One of the girls told her story of her parents coming from Jerusalem to give her and her sister a better education and the sacrifices they made for that to happen.   She said all she ever did was study and had very few friends, but thanked her 2.5 friends for always being there for her.  It was a very diverse group of people  We truly live in a melting pot of cultures. 

 The pictures show how we were distanced in seating and the need for masks.  Just a little part for the history books to be remembered.

We are so proud of Shannon and Kelly for completing their Senior years. We had a wonderful day with them with family and great food.  It is a day they will remember.
Shannon is now driving with his learners permit and will be a great help in the coming months.  

 It was a fun and busy week with Will and Nora visiting and then the graduation and party.  We enjoyed the time with family.  We then got ready to hit the road for a trip to Minnesota to see Jaime and her family.  We left on Tuesday morning and drove to Wichita to drop of Will and Nora and a great meal and good nights rest.  We then drove the 10 hour drive to Minnesota on Wednesday.

 We LOVE Minnesota - Beautiful weather and great hospitality.  It was a week of just hanging out and enjoying the beauty of the neighborhood.  Jaime and Andy were able to buy there home while we were away.  They rented it for several years and then were able to purchase it.  They have been working really hard to make some improvements in the landscaping.  They built a wonderful garden that was a real treat.  I have never seen home grown lettuce and kale look to good and fresh salads every night.  I helped to keep the weeds down and enjoyed literally watching it grow in the week we were there.  It is so worth it to grow a garden when it actually

 grows!  It was Jaime's birthday while we were there and they are grill champs.  We had delicious ribs and pulled pork that they smoked on their grill.  We added beans, and potato salad and it was a feast.  Birthday Cake followed and it was a great family gathering. 

 We enjoyed daily walks around the neighborhood lake.  One morning we came upon a deer on the trail.  I was able to snap a quick picture before it jumped back into the brush.  We really enjoy the neighborhood she lives in and the beautiful walks.
We also had to share a little Austrian culture and made a dinner of Schnitzel and apple strudel.  We are getting pretty good at it.  Just can't eat it very often, but worth it when we do!

We returned from our trip with another stop in at Brian's in Wichita.  It is so nice to have 3 of our kids straight up Highway 35 from Texas to Minnesota.  We returned just in time to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary and Father's Day.
A Blast from the Past:

Engagement Photo

Wedding

We have been going through old photos and getting them organized.  It has been fun and was fun to remember 45 years ago when this adventure began.
It is interesting how our hair defines us.  That seems to be the thing that has changed the most - and the bell bottoms - they would make two pairs of pants today.  We carried around a lot of extra fabric!

Russ got Emily involved and she over- nighted these beautiful flowers.  He knows I love tulips - even if they were not in season.  We kept with the times and ordered pizza and a movie and enjoyed another night at home.

I hope I am learning during this time what I need to in preparation for the future.  We have enjoyed staying in touch with several of the missionaries we served with and hearing of their progress and how the missionary work continues.  Our Mission President Brown and Sis. Brown will complete their 3 year mission on Tuesday. We are so grateful to have served with them.  We learned so much about Christlike service from them.  We will always be a part of their Alpine Mission Family.

As I was doing scripture study this morning I read the following passage that really touched my heart:
"O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!  Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.  But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." Alma 29:1-3
One of my greatest wishes is for us to know and believe and love everyone as a Child of God.  I hope we can accept each other for who we are with our individual identities.  I made a covenant with my Heavenly Father when I was baptized at age 8 to be willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light; and be willing to mourn with those that mourn; and comfort those that stand in need of comfort and to stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places.  I have lived my life to that end and continue to serve to that end.  I hope and pray we will all seek from the one we know truth, even Jesus Christ in the coming days.  I know as we follow Him, the road may be bumpy and detours along the way, but the final destination will be joyous and eternal. 

Stay healthy and happy.  Hoping for new adventures in July - and looking for the day when we can gather and be with friends. 

Much Love,
The Grimmett's