1 "We are in BIG trouble this time"

Adapted from a story my secretary at work shared with me

Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble, and their parents knew if any mischief occurred in town, the two boys were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a preacher in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually.

The mother sent the 8-year-old in the morning, with the older boy to see the preacher in the afternoon. The preacher, a huge man with a deep booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly, "Do you know where God is, son?"

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open. So the preacher repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God?!"

Again, the boy made no attempt to answer.  The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD?!"

The boy screamed, bolted from the room, ran directly home, and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time! God is missing, and they think we did it!"

2 Quote of the week

The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.

— Elder Dallin H. Oaks, "The Challenge to Become," Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32

3 This week in our family

Our family's calendar for the next fortnight

Wed, May 18: Jessica's birthday [Lyle]
Wed, May 18: McKay's birthday [Kay]
Thurs, May 19: Marcus Christian's birthday [Lyle]
Fri, May 20: Kaelyn Michelle's birthday [Kay]
Sat, May 21: Richard Ellis's birthday [Gene]
Sun, May 22: Kyle Foley's birthday [Gail]
Tues, May 24: Terry & Becky married 1974 [Lyle]

Wed, May 25: Melissa's [Kyle's wife] birthday [Kay]
Wed, May 25: Gene & Cheryl married 1966 [Gene]
Thurs, May 26: Caleb's birthday [Dean]
Thurs, May 26: Gabriel Price's birthday [Lyle]
Fri, May 27: Brandon's birthday [Kay]
Sat, May 28: Nicholas Riley's birthday [Lyle]
Mon, May 30: Memorial Day holiday
Wed, June 1: Next issue of newsletter

Please let us know if we are missing any birthdays or anniversaries

4 Bits and tidbits

Kay's family
The big news here is Kay's hip surgery last Thursday in Salt Lake City's St. Mark's Hospital. Claudia and I visited him both Friday and Saturday nights. It appears everything went as expected. He thought he'd be getting out of the hospital on Monday, but Wednesday morning Karen sent out the following e-mail:

"Kay completed his first full day in rehab yesterday. He is still in St Mark's Hospital, but they moved him over to Rehab just before dinner on Monday. He is working hard and learning how to do for himself. I really am not supposed to help him and I have been good. I think all of those years I worked in PT has made me realize how important it is for Kay to do this himself, even though I want to help make it easier.

"He is still on the 5th floor, but is now in the 5 South TCC (Transitional Care) Wing, room #11. Today he will tackle learning to navigate on crutches and doing stairs. Thank you so much for your calls, your prayers, your love and support. It has really helped. We are thinking that maybe by tomorrow or Friday he will be released. He has a doctor's appointment Monday and then we will head home to Hurricane."

Gene's family
Shellbi Jane Packwood is graduating from Kuna High School on Friday, May 27. The ceremony is being held at the Idaho Center at 4:00 p.m. Our congratulations to her.

5 Our family 50 years ago

Excerpts from the May 1961 diary of Dorothy Batt Cleverly (1915–1982). The full text of her diary can be found online at Dorothy's Idaho Diaries and is updated daily, exactly 50 years to the day after it was originally written. The family at the time lived on Montana Avenue in Nampa, Idaho.

Thurs, May 18.  Jackie & I went to Primary. They had a special Mothers day programe & lunch on. There were 40 of us.

Fri, May 19.  Kids went to Seminary (Gene & Ray). They started over a week ago. Income tax refund came so we went to bank & paid Dobbs $200. on repaire bill then we went over to Nyssa to see Gail. At 7: Jerry called & said Bill & Jean had come & gone to Boise & would be back so we hurried right home.

Sat, May 20.  Jerry worked for boss's wife until 6: doing yard. Ray went to practice piano tonite & ward teaching.

Sun, May 21.  Ray went to Priesthood. Ray came home & took little Kids to sunday school. We ate at 3: & all of us went out to Pinsters to Rays first Piano recital.

Mon, May 22.  I called Stockman 3 times & Ivard said he'd be right home, once I told him there was no one to milk, but he never did come. I was sure mad at Ivard.

Tues, May 23.  We were awake until 3: AM talking & me bawling, makeing up.

Wed, May 24.  Gene left for Nyssa at 4: A.M to work for Gail, he's sick. Jackie was sick.

Thurs, May 25.  Don't feel very good. Jackie - Dean & I went to church at 7:30 to Dales Cub Scout Pack meeting.

Fri, May 26.  Got cold tonite, had fire in fireplace. Last day of school, they all passed.

Sat, May 27.  Gene went to Nyssa to work for Summer for Carl Simpson. Kids had to wear coats out to play.

Sun, May 28.  Marv. & Lorraine came from Utah. Jerry & Ray were just leaving for Priesthood when Marv. called to see where we lived so Ivard went up & met him & brought them down, Loraine & I went to sunday school with little kids. Jackie had to give closeing prayer. After dinner Ivard & I, Dean, Dale & Jackie took them out to see our old place & the lake.

Mon, May 29.  Marv & Loraine left for Idaho Falls at 7:30 to go to Temple.

Tues, May 30.  No one had to work today & we all laid in bed late. It was cloudy most of day & cool. I fixed picnic lunech & we ate at 5:30. All of us but Jerry went to Kuna to play ball. Kids got beat by Marshing 1 point. Comeing home Ivard missed the first curve on a cork screw curve & went off road through big boulders & pile of lumber. blew out new tire & wrecked a rim, scared us to death.

Wed, May 31.  Ivard, Dean & Dale hoed garden.

6 What in the world

Osama Bin Laden
President Obama addressed the nation on Sunday night, May 8, to announce that U.S. special forces had found Osama Bin Laden and taken him out. An al Qaeda leader of terrorism directed against America, he was a mastermind behind the attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon nearly ten years ago. This coming September 11 will mark the tenth anniversary of those horrific events.

Flooding and other crazy stuff
All the snow and rain many parts of the country experienced this past winter is now beginning to translate into widespread flooding in many areas, especially up and down the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries. More than two million acres of farmland have flooded already, not to mention many homes flooded or wiped out, and the Mississippi River hasn't even crested yet.

Our daughter and her family in southern Illinois had to keep a sump pump going around the clock to keep ahead of basement flooding from all the rain they were getting.

And just weeks earlier some of the deadliest tornadoes in memory touched down across many states throughout the Southeast. Alabama was particularly hard hit. Our son-in-law, who just finished his coursework at pharmacy school in Atlanta, was among hundreds of Church members who traveled to Alabama to help in the massive clean-up effort. He got to wear one of the bright yellow Mormon Helping Hands t-shirts.

All this craziness probably dwarfs the flooding anticipated here in Utah when the record-breaking snows in our mountains actually starts melting and coming down. Unless, of course, you live where it actually floods.

And Texas is experiencing a major drought. It's either feast or famine.

7 A final word

We posted an entry above in "What in the world" about flooding and other crazy weather patterns currently or recently hitting parts of our country. A couple months ago it was a mega-earthquake and resultant tsunami in Japan. Earlier it was incredible winter storms hitting various parts of the country, including ice and snow in places that typically do not see ice and snow.

When I was a boy growing up in Nampa, I remember Mom saying, "Well, it is the last days," whenever an unusual natural disaster was reported anywhere in the world. It became almost comical she said it so often. But, it is the last days. Nature's upheavals are among the signs of the times.

Mom was right, after all.