Polynesian Cultural Center

Exotic flowers everywhere

Remembering Them

Probably our most memorable experiences were seeing history come alive and reliving those days of the attack of Pearl Harbor then visiting the PunchBowl military cemetery where so many valiant men and women were buried who gave their lives. The Arizona Memorial is located over the remains of that battle ship and hundreds of men were entombed below us. It makes you appreciate our freedoms that we take for granted. The memorial visit was free and not that crowded, we went on a sunday morning in January and only had to wait less than an hour for the shuttle to take us out. It was well worth our time.We also took time to see the Air Museum as Allen's father had flown B-125s from the Aleutian islands in WW II.

Visiting Pearl Harbor

Young men just boys
enlisted or were drafted
to serve their country,
to help free the world
of tyrants and threats,
only to find themselves
dead or seriously injured
in a cowardly surprise
attack on Pearl Harbor
by the Japanese military

December 7, 1941
a day to remember
many lives were cut short
families ties broken
in a day of senseless
terror and destruction
that began our involvement
in World War II

First day of Hawaiian vacation

We are here in Hawaii
This happens only once
In a lifetime or never
For most people, a vacation
To an exotic faraway tropical
Paradise during the winter
At home snow falls and
Covers the landscape
Most here dress in bikinis,
Shorts and little less while
Basking in the winter sun
And relaxing, forgetting
Their responsibilities and
Everyday stresses

Skyscraper silhouettes
Set against the sunrise
Tropical winds blow
Warm inviting breezes
Sway the palm trees
This is Hawaii
The 50th US state
Land of the rainbow
As welcome rains
Fall admid sunshine
Diversity is everywhere
People of many ethnic origins
Come to visit paradise

We're back

Aloha! We've returned safely from a wonderful week in Hawaii on Oahu Island. Will have lots of photos to share and observations as I get rested up. It was so warm in the 70 and 80 degree range plus humidity meant using an air conditioner in our condo and rental car. Imagine that! Here's a photo of me on Waikiki Beach...more to come in later blogs.

Change of Pace

Time for vacationing in Hawaii...it will be a change of pace with no meals to prepare, no housework or computer or normal everyday activities like blogging. Time to get away with my hubby and enjoy our retirement life together in warm Hawaii... although the weather forecast calls for rain and more rain and 77 degrees. Hopefully I will come back with some great photos to share. Peace to all my blogging friends and family members-thanks for your input and thoughts. Each of you is unique and has an influence upon my life as we interact. May we continue sharing our observations of our own individual universes and be gentle with one another's viewpoints. Peace and love to all.

No Longer an Orphan…

After years of being unlinked
But spending my time sealing
My ancestors in a direct line
Back to my first parents
Adam and Eve (unknown to me
Except for biblical passages),
I find myself linked…sealed
To most of my great heritage
Through the work of others,
And as a result of my own efforts
In diligent genealogical research
And vicarious temple ceremonies
For my departed loved ones
For the past forty-seven years

How does it feel to be linked?
No longer the orphan child
Lost in eternity, I have claim
To distinct eternal blessings
Promised in the sacred temple
Of eternal parentage, with my own
Dear parents, Stanley and Evelyn
After so many years of waiting,
These blessings are now claimed
“As if I was born with them”

I felt my mom’s smiles as we
Journeyed through the temple
Yesterday, she was by my side
Thinking “Hmm…so this is what
It’s all about”, for many years
We talked of her temple work
But it didn’t happen until after
Her death a year ago to the day

She is now sealed to my father
Their marriage interrupted long ago
By his sudden unexpected death
In an airplane accident in 1945.
She missed him her entire life
And it created a silence between us
That I could not gulf as she hid
Her deep despair and grief from me

I saw her silent tears in the first years
Of her widowhood but they were later
Replaced by her not feeling or hidding
What she really felt, now we are
Freed by her death to create a more
Honest relationship, although limited
By her absence from my daily life,


I know she is there somewhere
Going forward with her progression
Unlimited by earthly separation
From the love of her life, they are
Together forever, an eternal family
One day I will join them, our posterity
Now linked as a giant family tree
With no orphans or forgotten ones
Roots and branches finally linked

Temples

I lived in Utah until I was 10 years old and probably passed by the Salt Lake temple many times. To me it was just another church building until I was able to go inside the Los Angeles temple before it was dedicated in 1955. I found out that a temple is much more. When I went to BYU for college in 1960, I learned more about the history and purposes of temples. They are sacred places of instruction on how to return to our Heavenly Father, and where families can be sealed together and couples married for time and all eternity. That became my goal in life to be part of an eternal family unit.

For those who have been to civil marriage ceremonies, the words “till death do you part” seem very startling and sad. If you love someone enough to marry and live with them your whole life and have a family together, you can’t picture not being with that person in the next life. My father died when I was 5 years old and I certainly want to be with him and my mom in the next life but they weren’t married in a temple. When I found out that temple work could be done for my dad and he could be sealed to my mom so we could be a family forever, I was excited. The only problem was my mom didn’t believe in this doctrine. My mom died last year and it is now time to do her temple work, and she can accept or reject it.

Experiences of this past week have confirmed to me that my mom is now ready and willing to have her temple work done for her. So next Tues Jan 15th I will be making a trip to the Mt. Timpanogos temple with friends and family to become an eternal family, sixty-three years after my father’s death. I know my parents are together now and reunited in their love, only waiting for this temple ordinance so we can be an eternal family.

Obituary

DuWayne and Bonnie Williams Inseparable in Life and Undivided by Death

DuWayne ("Tony") Williams and his bride of 60 years, Bonnie Clair Vernon Williams, passed away this week. DuWayne (age 83) died Sun. morning in bed beside his wife who had slipped into a coma. Bonnie (age 78) passed away peacefully two days later in Lakeview Hospital with her family by her side.

DuWayne was born March 12, 1924 in Salt Lake City to Arthur and Mary Williams who later moved to Milford. DuWayne proudly served in the US Navy during World War II. He was among the first Americans to enter Nagasaki after the 2nd Atomic Bomb was dropped. DuWayne and his war experience later became the subject of an Academy Award winning documentary film produced by his son, Casey. After the war, DuWayne returned to Milford where he met and promptly fell in love with Bonnie Vernon, daughter of Harold and Mildred Vernon.

Bonnie was born in St. John, Utah on April 14, 1929 and later moved to Milford where her father worked as a section foreman for the Union Pacific Railroad Bonnie and DuWayne were wed on August 21, 1947 and were the parents of two children, daughter, Janna and son, Casey. Many from Milford will remember DuWayne as a sports enthusiast who refereed high school football, basketball and track in the 1950's and early 1960's.

DuWayne worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and Bonnie is best remembered as the Secretary of Milford High School. Both dearly loved the outdoors and the mountains surrounding their southern Utah home. DuWayne was an avid outdoorsman with an affinity for hunting and fishing; a passion he shared with his family right on down to his grandsons. During the summer months both DuWayne and Bonnie would entertain their grandsons with frequent camping trips and almost daily picnics and steak-frys in the local canyons. They were loving parents, devoted grandparents, and wonderful friends to all who surrounded them. DuWayne will long be remembered for the countless stories he would tell and retell and retell again.

Bonnie and DuWayne recently made their home in Bountiful where they could be close to their son and medical care. They were preceded in death by their daughter, Janna Woods, Rexburg, ID. They are survived by their son, Casey G. Williams and his wife, Ida (Bountiful); three grandsons and one great-grandchild (Ian and Alanna of Salt Lake City and their daughter, Cora Bonnie, Blake of Salt Lake City, Trevor and Shelley of Springville). Funeral services will be held 11 a.m., Tues. January 15, 2008 at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 North Main, Bountiful, where friends and family may call 9:30 - 10:30 prior to the services. Interment - Camp Williams Veterans Memorial Park.

FAMILY

What is a family? A God given gift
To help us bring offspring to earth
Then to love, nurture and teach them

Families differ, the ideal of father and mother
Is not always met, as death, disease and divorce
Devastate the secure relationships that could be

Single parents can and do raise children alone
Adoptive parents love and care for other’s babies
Some even remain single and childless in this life

But through it all, we each have an inner need
For the warm security that a family provides
They are constant, dependable, always there for us

Friends come and go, but families are forever
A mother or father’s love never ends
Grandparents are unconditional supporters


We all start out as small babes then can
Become parents and finally grandparents
It’s a cycle of learning and constant service

Older family members do leave us
As death decimates our ranks but
They are waiting ahead to embrace us

Just as our Heavenly Father and Mother
Who bless us with love and protection as we travel
The path that is set for our lives

Farewell to Beloved Family Members

This past week I had two family members die suddenly and unexpectedly. My uncle DuWayne and aunt Bonnie. They had been married for over 60 years and were experiencing some difficult medical problems, so death was a sweet release for them but we will miss them. DuWayne died in the night last Sunday from a heart attack and Bonnie was found in a diabetic coma the next morning by his side by family members. She never regained consciousness and died Tuesday. Their funeral will be held next week on Jan 15th which is the day my mom died last year. So you can imagine the family reunions that are going on beyond the veil.

This photo is of my grandpa, my aunt Bonnie as a teenager and myself at age 3 somewhere in the Beaver mountains enjoying a family picnic. Bonnie was my dad’s only sister and like a second mother to me. She helped me get started in doing genealogy back in 1960 and has been there throughout my life to encourage and love me. During her lifetime, she was a wife and mother of two children, then took care of her aged mother-my grandmother until she had to be put in a nursing home. During the last few years, Bonnie cared for her ailing husband DuWayne who called her his “angel wife.” I’m sure it was a blessing for him to have her company as death came and they were able to meet their daughter Janna who died unexpectedly several years ago leaving them grieving for her loss. Now they are all together again…never to be separated again

Death pays a visit

Usually an unexpected visitor
Death comes to all eventually
Whether unexpected or dreaded
Or a welcome relief from suffering
It has a finality to it that is scary

Loved ones are no longer available
For daily interchanges, our occasional
Chit chat is over, once and for all
Silence is the norm unless they are able
To visit us and make contact once more

What the rules are for their contacting us
Once more, I do not know but I know
It is possible as many have seen, felt
And heard their departed loved ones
Return to give reassurance and console

What advice can they give to us:
“That all is well, love continues and
Relationships are eternal, God is there
And in control of life and death,”
We know that, only forgetting at times

Another Birthday Boy

Happy Birthday, dear DANIEL
My second son, born in Wisconsin
On a cold snowy night amid flurries
What a blessing another little boy
To join his big brother FRANKIE

Daniel was named after a dancer
Friend of ours Daniel Nagrin,
Our Daniel would grow up to be
A very creative, artistic young man
Who loved to draw pictures
And became a graphic artist,




A wonderful husband, and father
Of four precious adopted children
He enjoys every moment of his life
Always reaching out in friendship
And love to help others in need
A delight he is, my son Daniel

Rock Art Class

We signed up for a fascinating community education class that started last evening taught by Boma and Kat Johnson. See their website for more information (rock art from that website). We’re going to join their Archeology Club and go on some field trips to see the rock art in this area. I first got interested in rock art when we moved to Roosevelt Utah in 1994 as there is a 9 Mile Canyon near there that is full of rock art. My part time job at USU was as community education coordinator so I was able to go and see my first rock art on a field trip and found it fascinating.

Later we visited rock art near Vernal, then made a trip to Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde in New Mexico. There is rock art all over the Southwest and it has been fun to notice it in different areas where we have lived including Moab and at the Parowan Gap near Cedar City. What were the ancient Indians trying to communicate has always been the question in my mind and hopefully this class will help me to find answers. It has to do with their beliefs and myths.

Tagged

I got tagged by Dawn http://dawnmercedes.blogspot.com/and since I only know 7 people who do blogs, some of them might get tagged twice.

The rules of the game:
• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, as we all want to know them. (LOL!)
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

WEIRD FACTS ABOUT ME
1. I am left handed but golf, swing a bat, knit and iron right handed
2. Majored in engineering in Jr. College, but graduated in Dance from BYU
3. Met my husband at a singles dance and he can’t dance
4. Always wanted to have 5 daughters, ended up with 4 sons that I love lots and wouldn't trade in.
5. Would love to be a social worker and teach personal growth seminars
6. Never wanted to teach elementary school but retired from teaching 1st grade and being an elementary school librarian
7. Born in Caliente, Nevada but have never lived there, my dad worked on the railroad near there but 20 miles out of town


YOU'RE IT!
1. Dawn again http://dawnmercedes.blogspot.com/
2. Her mom Susi Q http://gremhogs.blogspot.com/
3. Her sister Jocelyn http://jocelynandsteve.bravejournal.com/
4. My friend Caryn http://www.unclepetie.blogspot.com/
5. Her daughter Chandi http://chandeee.blogspot.com/
6. My son Daniel http://web.mac.com/danjahson/Hatchweb/HatchBlog/HatchBlog.htm
7. My friend LaRae http://www.itsallrelatives.us/MyBlog/

This is a lot of work so early in the morning but fun!!

Forgive and Forget It

Good advice in the newspaper today
Something everyone needs in their daily lives
The ability to turn the other cheek
And not let someone’s rudeness or misbehavior
Sink so deep into our souls, that it becomes a cancer
That destroys all the good thoughts and love
We could develop for the offender

“Easier said than done” is the truth
We somehow remember better the criticisms
Than the compliments that come our way
Maybe because they prove the negative
Self doubts that fill our complex universe
“See I knew that would happen, I don’t deserve
Better”, but that’s not really true

We all need to develop the ability to forgive
To let go of negative feelings or reactions
As we interact daily with our loved ones
And casual acquaintances. No one goes
Around saying “I’ll see if I can wreck their day”
Our expectations and negative self concepts
Lead us to interpret situations in ways that
Destroy internal peace and feelings of love

Let's try that again...

Green Christmases...I was going to rewrite Irving Berlin's song "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" after singing it at a ward party in balmy St. George Utah. But when I looked up the lyrics to his song this is what I found to my amazement. (Photo is my front door at Christmastime. I'm very happy with green Christmases having grown up and lived in Southern California much of my life.)


"The sun is shining, the grass is green,
The orange and palm trees sway.
I've never seen such a day,
But it's December the 24th
And I'm longing to be up north.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
Just like the ones I used to know,
Where the treetops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
With every Christmas card I write,
May your days be merry and bright,
And may all your Christmases be white."

Green Christmases?

Caucuses or Cactuses

Crowds of enthused voters
Rallying for their man or woman
Are joining together in Iowa
Of all places, to predict how we
In the rest of this nation
Will vote in the primaries

What a strange spectacle this is
As the different contestants
Try to outsmart, outcriticize
Each other, pointing out the other’s
Faults, voting record and experience
All in the name of democracy
And free speech in America

Reminds me of a bunch of jack rabbits
Scurrying through a desert of cactuses
Avoiding the truth as they would needles
That could pierce them and draw blood
Thus giving us a moment of real drama
In this unbelievable partisan performance

Discouraged?

Courage, without fear, bravery against odds
Discouraged, afraid, giving up without a battle
Encouraged, full of spirit, ready to go

What marks your progress with your goals
For a New Year of personal improvement
Easiest to give up, harder to stay the course?

Life is reflected in its smallest increments
In our daily efforts to overcome our apathy
And take control of our individual destiny

“Never, never, never give up” said Churchill
Against all odds, they fought on to victory
Can we demand any less of ourselves?

Examining self talk

How come we aren’t our own best cheerleader
Why don’t the chants we hear inside say
“You can do it, just try a little harder”
Instead of “Dummy, you can’t do that,
Don’t even try, you’ll just fail again.”

Maybe it comes down to taking control
Of that inner voice and disciplining it
To reflect what we really want in our life
Encouragement, acceptance and support

We wouldn’t treat our best friends
Like we treat ourselves, doesn’t the
Golden rule say…”do onto others as you would
Do onto yourself”?

Party Fun

Meet my two newest friends: L-R Linda and Leslie, they are also my visiting teachers and neighbors and a lot of fun. They are helping set the table for our many snacks-ham, shrimp, chips, dips, veggies, cake etc followed by games.






Meet the spouses of my two newest friends L-R me, Linda and Mike, Leslie and Alan. Lots of familiar names there...another couple Bill and Emma joined us laterfor a fun evening of eating, talking and playing games. A great evening and fun start to a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

New Beginnings

And so we begin the New Year
Precariously balanced on the taut line
Of our many resolutions and goals
Like a high wire artist ready to perform
But afraid of falling while

The critic within whispers
“You can’t do it”, but we persist
Holding tightly to the balancing rod
And begin the journey to improvement

There will be times we must stop
To regain our balance and courage
Then remember the goal and continue
We can do I if we really want to