My Remarks for the Utah Behavioral Health Commission

 Just for the record---feel free to skip if you aren't interested in public mental health policy: We had only 3 minutes to speak so I took a nine minute statement and cut it down to about 3 minutes and 20 seconds which was fine.  However, they had very few speakers so we wished that they would have allowed us to speak longer in more details about our experiences and wishes for the system.  It was good though because afterwards they came and spoke to us separately and asked us more questions about our thoughts and experiences.  That was the best part.  Here is my statement:

My name is Judy Hall and we live in Davis County. Our child was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was 18…and that was 18 years ago.

What is it like to have a beloved child with schizophrenia? It is like watching their whole personality disintegrate before your eyes and discovering that their minds are a “living hell”. It is watching your calm and sweet son yelling on the porch at 2 am to tell the neighbors to stop planning to hurt his family. It is watching him pacing and talking for hours and sometimes days at a time with little sleep. It is him calling the police at 4:00 am because he was afraid that he might hurt me. It is holding his hand when we walk outside because of his delusion of floating away. It means trying medications and then trying others to find one that gives him some relief and then watching him deal with debilitating side effects. It is the inability to offer relief or peace in the middle of all his suffering. We share, because there are many who are suffering. Speaking up and being louder is the best we as parents and as a part of the Utah Shattering Silence Coalition can do to help them.

What has gone right for us: Accessing care from Davis Behavioral Health and The Utah State Hospital. These organizations with all of the community mental health centers in the state need to be strengthened. They are the ones on the front lines of services and treatment for those with psychosis-related illnesses.

This is my shortened wish list—Each of these “wishes” has a story, but limited time won’t allow sharing those--

1.      1. We need to expand and support First Episode Treatment Centers throughout the state.

2.      2. ERs are often just terrible places for a person in psychosis and their families. Families need to feel safe about taking their family members to the ER during a crisis. A working partnership with the hospital systems in the state to provide appropriate ER rooms or even better –create partnerships with local community mental health centers to support Receiving Centers in every ER must be a priority.

3.      3. Supportive housing options need to be expanded. Those with psychosis, even on medication, often require support.  It does no good to stabilize them in a hospital setting and then discharge them to “no where.”

4.      4. And if the housing situation is “mom and dad’s basement,” please assure that parents or other family members had access to support, education, therapy and crisis management resources.

5.      5. Jails are not designed to care for the mental ill and we must stop using them for that purpose, even for one night.  Police officers should not be making decisions about taking someone to jail or to a Receiving Center without best practice training. Receiving Centers and additional longer stay beds need to continue to be expanded throughout the state to prevent jail time for those with psychosis-related disorders.

Our son struggles.  He continues to deal with delusions and voices plus the side effects of medications that he must take to cling to reality. We as parents of those with psychosis are a resource to our adult children. We need to be part of the team, we need to be heard on behalf of our children, and we need to be supported. Ask us, listen to us, help us help our children and all those with psychosis related illnesses---and when we get tired or frustrating or even angry with the system, don’t tell us “we need to find therapy to manage our grief ” Help us help you and make this world or at least this, our community, a kinder, more compassionate and understanding place for our family members with psychosis.  Thank you.

Friday the 13th

When we went to the eye doctor's on Friday, they said we were brave to come in on Friday, the 13th.  Just a few minutes before, someone had arrived thinking their appointment was at 11:00 but it had been at 10:30 so he had to reschedule and leave.  The tech said that is the type of stuff that happen on Friday the 13th. Luckily, we were at the right time for their appointments and things went fine for them.  Both of them needed new glasses which should be arriving in a couple of weeks.....

Meanwhile, I got a message from my brother who got the message from my niece, Lora---my brother Todd was in the hospital for a suspected stroke.  Actually he had been struggling off and on for a few months and made a couple of other trips to the ER.  He finally had a MRI last Wednesday and the results suggested he had had a stroke in the past few months and was at risk for another one, so they sent him to the hospital on Friday.  He ended up spending the night and having lots of other tests done.  They determined that he had two strokes sometime in the past few months in the lower back part of the brain near the brain stem.  He is now on blood thinners, will have some therapies, and was told to "play games with his family" to improve his memory functions.  One of Gibersons' favorite things to do is now a therapy! (I sent him a memory game to play with his grandchildren to make him laugh. It should arrive today.)

Then Friday evening, I got a text from Tosha...Ava was at the hospital as well in the Children's Hospital in Tacoma.  She had had a seizure which she had never had before.  She had not eaten her lunch and complained a bit about her stomach hurting, but was still playing and acting fine.  Tosha headed off to set up for a wedding about 2 hours away, while Austen manned things at home. Ava took a nap and when she woke up Austen asked if she wanted pizza.  She said yes, so he walked the few steps to their kitchen bar and came back to find her in the middle of a seizure.  Fortunately, the boys were playing outside and Austen was able to get a neighbor to take them as the ambulance was on its way. Tosha had to make the drive down from the wedding location to the hospital which took over 2 hours--not fun.  They tested lots of things and decided that she had a virus which led to a febrile seizure (caused by a fever, not by a specific illness).  Thank heavens for Facetime so I could talk to both Tosha and Austen and see them and sweet Ava mostly she was sleeping.  She also came home on Saturday and is doing much better now.  They are going to follow up with some more tests including an EEG just to be sure things are okay.  Scary night to be a parent for sure.

No pictures of Todd during his hospital stay!!!!

And the Friday the 13th streak continues with Ezri at the ER at Primary's.  She has been complaining of headaches off and on for several months and she actually was seen by the neurologist a few weeks ago who ordered a MRI for her this coming Wednesday. She has struggled with headaches all weekend, but this morning she was just crying all the time and medications didn't seem to make a difference.  The on call nurse suggested they go to the ER at Primary's which is where they are at now.  So far their take is that the MRI on Wednesday will probably be the best source of information and that they need to just watch her and keep giving Motrin and Tylenol....still waiting for the doctor to get back with them. I was able to Facetime with Jessica and Erzi for a few minutes and she talked a bit but definitely not her usual smilling self.  It is looking like she may end up with a dx of Chiari like her sisters.  Stayed tuned.......

These physical bodies are fun until they aren't!!!! 

PS In my experience Friday the 13th are regular days--the "myth" just fit for the day we had last Friday. So don't worry, grrandkids, Grandma does not think Friday the 13th are bad luck.

A "Regular" Week

Having just finished up the first week of June, I decided that my title for the second week should be "A Regular Week", but then I reviewed my calendar and realized that it wasn't any more "regular" than the week before and probably the week before that.  Or maybe "regular" for us is being irregular and different every day and every week.  I don't know.  But this is our life, it is a summary of our choices, and we generally like it all.  We are blessed even in the hard things by tender mercies, simple joys, and beauty everywhere.

Highlights of the week:

Monday, we drove two separate cars to Salt Lake--I went early as part of the Utah Shattering Silence Coalition to present at the Utah Behavioral Health Commission regarding their proposed 5 year plan.  Gary and Jena drove down a bit later and we met at the Hale Theater to watch Finding Neverland.  I had never seen that before and actually loved it. 

I am still wearing my USSC shirt since the bathroom
had just long lines, I decided to not switch shirts
like I had planned.

Tuesday, Gary headed to the newly opened, FIRST DAY EVER Syracuse Temple to do initiatory, The set up is a bit different so he thought it would be helpful to watch it as a patron before Saturday.  And then on Wednesday, he headed over to do sealings for the same reason--to watch the process so he could support things on Saturday.  On Thursday, Jena and I joined him for an endowment session, so of course, we have pictures--

I thought I might see more people that I knew, but I didn't.  Gary said that he saw three people just on the way to the chapel before our session.  Mostly temple workers from Ogden that he knew.

Friday, Gary headed back to the temple to cover someone's shift and he was assigned to the baptistry where he knew three of the other workers--Amy and Steve Davis and Jen Christensen.  And then Gary served his shift on Saturday where he was the helper for a live endowment, part of his new assignment. So if you were keeping track, Gary spent every day in the temple this week that the temple was open (they are closed on Sundays and Mondays) and was able to be a part of each type of service there. It wasn't his goal starting off, but it was such a great way to welcome the temple to Syracuse.  I am sure it was very meaningful to his parents, long time ordinance workers in the Ogden Temple.

While Gary was doing those great things, I took care of a dentist appointment, a doctor's appointment with Ben, eye appointments for Gary and Jena, and attended an all-day CIT training in Salt Lake which is for law enforcement and mental health workers dealing with crisis intervention related to law enforcement.  It was excellent and certainly something we are promoting as best practice for all law enforcement agencies in the state. 

I also got some pictures hung and with Gary's help also got our new photo shelves hung on the wall.

My cushion arrived and I got the main picture hung.
Still a bit more to add to this but I love it so much.

The Grandkids from oldest to youngest
Gary changed the cord because of this picture,
so I probably should take another picture, 
but here to real life, cords and all.

After having some family sibling pictures in our apartment
in Arkansas, I wanted to still display them so now they
are on the mantel on our new fireplace.

I used to have five white small shelves.
I love these and may still add one more 
for recent grandchildren photos.  I changed the order of
these family pictures so that the ones that include
the grandkids are on the bottom row.  They love seeing
themselves in photos.

And we can't leave out our parents who now
sit on the end table in our TV room.
On this Father's Day, we do count our
parents as blessings to us.

And there is our week....except for Friday the 13th---you have heard about that date, right???

Other Holy Sunday Moments

Last Sunday was an interesting day as I realized again that God has a plan for me and as long as I pay attention and make myself available, I will be able to do what He wants me to do (at least in some fashion)---

First, my Bishop approached me after Church to invite me to lead a 5th Sunday discussion on mental health for both the youth and the adults together.  We spent about 15 minutes talking about some of his concerns but not really giving me too much direction just encouraging me to be inspired.  Tricky stuff when I am planning a Sunday School lesson for this week as well.  As I accepted, I remembered my struggle to book tickets for a visit to Tosha's and Austen's later this month.  They needed a babysitter for a concert they were to attend with a group from base up in Seattle and asked if I wanted to come and spend a few days.  The timing worked great and I was thinking I would stay until Tosha's birthday on Monday, the 30th.  Thursday through Monday seemed perfect until I actually tried to book the flights.  There were flights available, but I felt troubled about the days. I finally stepped away from my computer and the flights for a few days and then tried again--and again I felt the same unsettled feeling--I needed to be in Utah on the 29th. Why?  I checked my calendar, checked with Gary, no reason seemed apparent. It would be fun to be there on Tosha's birthday. But finally, I adjusted to leaving on Wednesday and coming home Saturday night (arriving when Gary is at the temple--how is that good planning?) but it was a go and I booked the tickets and let Tosha know. At that moment, sitting in the Bishop's office, I realized that this wasn't just a good idea that the Bishop had, but it was something that God had in the plans even back in early May.  How is that possible?  I don't know, but I am humbled that God trusted me with this important assignment and I only hope that I figure out what and how to present so much information in a diverse group about a HUGE topic.  Wish me luck....

And later in the afternoon, while I worked on the blog, I got a message on Facebook from a former adoptive family couple.  They invited me to come and meet with them and their brother and sister in law to talk about options for their adult daughter who is homeless and expecting a baby next month--that evening. Again, that feeling of being available when needed was so strong as we met in their backyard in the beautiful evening while we discussed these serious topics.  I later followed up with an email of resources for them to use or not based on what their daughter is wanting and willing to use to help her.  

Last Sunday School class that Brandon led at the beginning of June, he talked about the verse in D & C 52:33. 

 Yea, verily I say, let all these take their journey unto one place, in their several courses, and one man shall not build upon another’s foundation, neither journey in another’s track.

He mentioned that we should consider that we too travel "several courses,".  Our lives are not the same as each others but we all are traveling to the same place--the Celestial Kingdom to be with God and the Savior. That phrase and discussion has stuck with me.  Gary is loving his service in the temple and I have wondered why I didn't pursue becoming an ordinance worker when he did back in November, knowing that there would be a need for our new temple.  He and I have talked about it and both felt good about him doing that and me not.  I knew I had some health things to take care of, which have only become a bit more bothersome in the past several months.  However, I still have worried that I haven't sought that desire to serve in the temple 'enough'.  Or in other words, what is "wrong" with me? But last Sunday as I reflected on that past week, the things which happened on this Sunday I am writing about, and as I have continued to reflect on my personal journey, I feel confident that the Lord and God have a plan for me and right now that is not including serving in the temple.  That could change in a moment, but for right now, I am to be available to serve and lift others around me in certain ways and that is what I will try to do. I am taking my "course" back to God. I hope you are, too.

One final note:  I got a text from a friend of mine on Monday who I didn't even know was connected in any way with the couple I had met with on Sunday.  She is a friend from the Down syndrome side of my life and she simply expressed her gratitude for the support I was to her friend and how perfect it had been for this friend.  I didn't answer because it was the weird place between confidentiality and boundaries.  I wondered how they had had enough of a conversation about it to figure out they both knew me now.  Small world! It was sweet to hear that it was helpful in this roundabout way.

Does your life work out in these weird and wonderful ways as well? 

And Sunday, June 8th, Finally Arrives!!!

Meet the 206 operating temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! It was dedicated on June 8 by President Russell M. Nelson.  How blessed we were to have him here with us in Syracuse on this holy occasion. Elder Quentin Cook and both of their wives were also there and all four of them spoke along with the temple president and his wife and a couple of others.

We met in our own chapel along with the other wards we share our building with.  It was packed.  This was the same for all of the units in the 16 stakes which will be served by this temple.  These buildings are considered an extension of the temple for the purpose of the dedication.  You had to have a temple recommend to enter or a ticket for those children between the ages of 8 and 11.

At one point, Elder Cook referred to Sheldon and Joan Child who were in the audience in the Celestial room for the dedication.  That made me cry.  They were the next door neighbors to Gary's parents for many years while they were raising their families.  They were actually present for our wedding as their son Jeff was preparing to serve a temple and they all came to share our sealing with us.  He later served as my brother Scott's mission president and wife in New York, before he was called as a general authority.  He was later the temple president of the Salt Lake Temple when Scott and Chantel got married and he was the sealer that performed their wedding.  So lots of family connections with the mention of their names and knowing that they loved this part of the world.  They now live in Idaho near one of their children as they are both struggling with getting older.  But I loved that they were there, representing the good people from Gary's parents generation who built their lives in this part of the the county. This temple is for them and the generations before them who made this a special part of Zion.

Hosanna and praise God--there is a temple dedicated now in our midst. May we never forget the great blessing it is for us.

Summary

And that sums up a week that I thought I didn't have many pictures or done much to write about.  Time does fly by, but it is filled with life, memories, books, and people---best of all are the people who share this life with me.  I have been so blessed.

Saturday: Can I Plant This Weed in My Yard?

On my morning walks at Jensen Pond, I have loved watching these plants grow and begin to blossom their dark purple flowers. I mean I know they are a weed and their leaves are----

Not your usual soft and green leaves of most flowers, but it is okay to be different, right?

They're lining the pathway along the Bluff Road. And nobody has to water them.  They make do with what rains and ground provides.  You have to appreciate that in the desert we live in......

and the flowers are just amazing to look at.  I am a fan of purple flowers which probably makes me drawn to them, but aren't they cool looking?

So, should I plant them in my yard?  You vote.

Later that day, Jena and I attended a baby show for Brinley Dickson Keliipuleole.  She is having a girl in July.

We left there and headed directly to a park in Morgan where Jena's Stake Relief Society was having a luncheon.  Jena hung out with them while I took a camp chair under a tree and read a book for the hour and half.  Perfect weather and a pretty view to have while reading a book---that is also good for my heart. :)

The mountains are still green from the winter snow and the spring rains.  They will be changing as the summer sun and heat arrives, but pretty right now.

pickleball courts even in Morgan county

Friday: Hearts Continued

Friday evening, our dear friends, Hal and Jolynn Beckstrand, came up for dinner (Cafe Zupas) and game playing. What a blessing their friendship has been to us over the years--since meeting them in Oquirrh Shadows (first home in West Jordan) back in 1981.  No photos, but just know--lots of laughing and talking (Gary and Hal were probably hoping for more game playing and less talking, but it worked.) These moments are also good for the heart!

They are both now retired and we hope to plan some fun trip to celebrate this new phase of life that we are in now.

Friday: Hearts

Friday morning started early as I had an appointment to have an echo done on my heart (as part of my cautious (his words, not mine) doctor who wanted to make sure that my heart and its arteries are functioning well since it appears the ones in my left leg are struggling some.  It looks like my heart looks good based on reading the report on the patient website, but we will meet on this following Wednesday for another ultrasound of my leg and review all of the test results so far. So, I got to see the physical working of my heart during the echo with a very informative tech sharing the different things we were seeing and measuring.  The heart is quite an amazing organ.

Then later that morning, I had an "opportunity" to experience the other aspect of our hearts--the center of warmth, connection, caring, and to grieve with another.  I had lunch down in Draper with Laura.

The back story:  I know several Lauras, so let me tell you about this one. She is also a mother of someone with schizophrenia.  Her son was 10 years older than Ben.  The week before, I had been exchanging texts with the women I spoke about in the past post as they shared how meaningful it has been to connect with each other.  This conversation reminded me of a time many years ago that I met with Laura and a few other moms who also had sons with psychotic illnesses.  I no longer could remember the names of the others and couldn't find Laura in my phone contacts, but did find her in my email, so I sent her an email to see if it was still valid and to also see if she wanted to meet for lunch.  I told her about this new group and wondered if she wanted to also connect with them.

She immediately wrote back thank me for reaching out and also shared that her son had passed away 9 years ago.  This began a series of emails back and forth with each other and finally a decision to meet for lunch was set for Friday, June 6.

It started a bit crazy as it happened that the restaurant we chose to meet at was closed because of a city water issue in that part of town, our next option was closed for remodeling, so we ended up further south in Draper at Kneaders.

When we first sat down, she told me that since her son's death, mental health issues and advocacy have been too difficult for them.  She said after I had reached out, she didn't sleep for 2 nights because so many memories came flooding back--good and hard regarding her son and their lives together. Not at all what I meant to accomplish by reach out!  However, she assured me that it was a good thing and that she was glad that I had reached out and that we had a chance to meet together.

Her son was 39 when he passed away.  He had been living in a group home setting in West Valley.  Things had been going fairly well for him and it was a good living situation for him. He had been up and involved during the day, but then missed dinner at center.  Residents had small kitchens of their own, so they weren't too concerned about that.  However, when he missed his evening meds appointment, they went to the room and found him deceased on the floor.  An autopsy was preformed as is common in "un-attended deaths."  They were told that his inner body looked like someone in his 80s and that literally that aging had caused his death--a result of both the illness and the medications he had taken over the years. So sad for everyone.

Neither Laura or I can remember how we connected with each other or when we connected.  I know it was back around 2010 or so, long before we had interactions with the state hospital as she shared about their experiences there.  There was five of us who got together once a month down in Sandy, either at the library in a conference room or at Laura's real estate office. I would guess that we met about 8-10 times until life and the chaos of dealing with our loved ones caused us to stop meeting.  Because Laura's son was older than Ben, many times things she shared were helpful to me and even though I lost contact things she had shared helped me in my own journey over the years. So even though the details are lost to history (since I didn't keep a journal), the impact has remained with me and I knew that we were not alone in this battle.

So, we remembered her son and their many layers of involvement with mental health issues in our state.  Her husband was the president of the Board of Directors of NAMI for three years.  They taught Family to Family classes and they were involved in advocacy.  We shared tears and connections.  And as we near the end of our visit, Laura talked about how healing and perfect it had been for us to be together at this point in time--near her son's birthday--and to remember him.

Intertwining hearts---how blessed we are to be together with others in the good and the bad. 

How is your heart doing today?  The physical AND the caring one....

Thursday--Con't: BBQ at Paula's

Thursday evening (we are still on the first week of June, so June 5), I headed down to Paula's house for the gathering of these women/fellow moms of loved ones with schizophrenia or other psychosis-related illnesses. (The ones who have formed Utah Shattering Silence Coalition.) We had finally met each other in person at the NAMI Walk in May and again on Monday at the Medicaid hearing we testified at, but this was the first time we sat down together in a social setting together.  We are all very different from each other--different faiths, different careers, different families, but we share one HUGE life experience of parenting an adult child or working with a spouse in psychosis.  It is a safe place to be with each other and we love it and each other in powerful ways.  It reminds me why these connections are so important and makes me excited for the in-person parent group that we are going to start with Davis Behavioral Health.  We need each other and we must lean in to render help and aid to others.

But for this night, we laughed and got to know each other in a more casual way.  I know that these women were brought into my life for a reason.  Obviously, we hope to make a difference in our state through advocacy, but I think there are greater reasons as well.  Each of these women are powerful in their own ways and we can surely help each other personally, too.

So, thank you to Paula, Sherri, Angela, and Debra...and to Sheree who was there in spirit (she lives in New York.)!

Thursday: Trip to the Deseret Peak Temple in Tooele, UT

This picture was taken from our car while
we were approaching the temple.
I love how it turned out and if I was a painter,
this is the angle I would paint.

The GPS actually headed us up a road still under construction, so we had to make a U-turn and come from the south of the temple rather than the east.  So, be prepared if you make a trip there in the next few months.

I love the look of the doomed steeples--this one painted a gold or copper color.

The temple is beautiful and features blues, greens, and purples in ways that are so striking and pretty.  Reminds me a bit of the Taylorsville Temple.

And we are getting better on positioning Jena on a stair for our selfie photos.

I am sure I have mentioned it before, although these temples--wherever they are found throughout the world are beautiful and stunning, that is not what draws us to them again and again.  It is the spirit of the Lord that we feel there, it is the services that we perform for our fellow brothers and sisters, and it is the recommitment to Christ each and every time we are present there and reminded of what He has done for us!  That is why we go!  Peace, joy, the great blessings of the spirit---our testimonies of Christ renewed.  It is the best, whether here in Tooele Utah, in Bentonville AR, or Hong Kong....and very soon in Syracuse, Utah!
 

Wednesday: Happy Birthday, Liam!

Jena started the day with her first job site experience with her trainer from CHOICES job skills training at the DI.  She saw some people that she had worked with years ago as a young missionary which was fun for her.  Gary picked her up as I had a meeting with Brandon Hatch, the CEO of DBH as we prepared for an upcoming public hearing on some Mental Health stuff in our state.  Brandon lives in our ward and is actually the other Gospel Doctrine teacher with me and was our former Bishop so we have many ties with each other. I will be taking the lead on some activities for parents of adult children with mental health issues. It is because of our friendship and connections that I think Brandon is willing to take a big step into the unknown to make a difference for families of those with psychosis related illnesses.  I am sure there will be more about that later.  However, we had a great meeting talking about priorities in our state and he gave some good guidance on things to highlight during my public statement.

As we tried to find the best time to have cake and ice cream with Liam, we settled on Wednesday afternoon at our house.  That way, Gary could slip away as he needed to attend his last training for the Syracuse Temple which is going to be dedicated in just a few hours (we are so excited.)

Anyway, back to the cake--Liam is a big minecraft fan so that was the theme of his cake.

So cute and yummy, too.

Jena made a poster for Liam's birthday and using her phone drew him a Batman symbol

This coffee table has been around since 1989--from Hong Kong. It is getting worn on the top, but still solid and the perfect size for playing games with grandkids...or opening presents as in this case. It was fun to share our new space with them.

We also had Minecraft paper plates, but no pictures.  He told me he had a great birthday turning 10!

Wednesday was a good and productive day! On to Thursday.....

Tuesday Travels

We headed up to Ogden to pick up Liam for a pre-birthday breakfast lunch.  He loves IHOP so we headed to one near his home.  It is actually is the same place Jena and I took Jessica for lunch a couple of weeks ago.  Like Mother, Like Son--in this case.  He knew immediately one thing he wanted Cinnamon "somethings."  They had had them over a year ago when they went to IHOP in California during their vacation.  I looked through the menu and we found them Cinnamon Dippers. He was so excited.

Doing the puzzles on the children's menu

Our selfie--which I love

It's your birthday lunch with Grandma.
You can choose whatever side you want.
French fries and pancakes...

Liam's Breakfast lunch with his dippers as well

When Jena and I picked up Liam, Alex was telling me where she and Carter wanted to go for their lunch in September and Zander was giving his input for his December birthday.  It made me happy that they want to spend time with us.  We won't do this every year, but I thought this first year back, I wanted to do the lunch thing.  Our out of state grandchildren will get visits with us this year and maybe we can work in a lunch as well.  Last time we visited Scarlett and family, she was the one who informed us that the girls all had to do lunch together.  We will keep that tradition going in some form or another as well.

We made it back home from lunch for me to start cooking sloppy joes for Jena's Cast party that night and then for me to attend my weekly Zoom meeting with the Utah Shattering Silence Coalition as we prepare for upcoming hearings and a symposium in September.

Then Jena and I were off again to travel to Centerville for her cast party. It was a beautiful night for a picnic. It was so great to talk to parents--old friends who we have loved and connected with over the years, not just in Friend to Friend, but Special Olympics, school, and Utah Down Syndrome Foundation.  We didn't know when Jena entered our family, just how much our lives were going to expand outwards.  Just a blessing....

And If you think watching them perform on stage is amazing, you should see them line up and sing along with songs of their choices.  With an outstanding DJ and music system, we enjoyed about 2 hours of singing, dancing, and singing along.  We gave the park joggers and other visitors a very unique but amazing show, I am sure.  Makes me excited as we are intending to start again our yearly Early New Years Eve Family Party in December.  I intended to get on that DJ's schedule in the next couple of weeks.

Jena watching the show for a bit

and then she started dancing and singing as well.

Jena got the mic for the ending song from their show Deny Gravity...Here she is saying the opening words by Witch Glenna with a bit of coaching....and then they all sang and danced their hearts out.  Oh, how we love them all!

One of the moms reminded me that I was the first person she talked to who had a child with Down Syndrome.  She had gotten a prenatal diagnosis and had reached out to our phone number which I happened to answer.  We talked for an hour or more.  She said that she hadn't even ever known or even really seen a person with Down syndrome.  Later meeting Jena was so helpful to her as she and her husband processed their surprise and their grief as they waited for their sweet son to arrive. Finn is a ball of joy and they are so grateful for him and the life they have built around him. I had forgotten that she was one of the moms I had talked to in that situation over 11 years ago, but it is good to know that in a small tiny way, it mattered to them. We matter to each other!! Never forget that.

Monday Moments

Monday morning, Jena and I surprised each other by both wearing our Arkansas Eclipse shirts, so of course, we had to take a picture. 

photo credit to Gary

Monday morning, I got to watch the five little kids of one of the sisters I minister to--They range in age from 2 to 10.  I grabbed three books from our newly organized library wall to read to them along with a couple of other activities and we had a great time.  They loved the books which were new to them, but ones that my kids or grandkids have enjoyed.  I love little kids.

Then Monday evening, Gary and I headed to Centerpointe Theatre to watch Jena perform in her second show with her Friend to Friend cast.  Fun music and made me want to actually see Wicked which I haven't wanted to because I was never a Wizard of Oz fan (I think I was at one point as a child, but then when you watched it once a year when it came on network TV with your whole family because you have 7 younger siblings so there was always someone who wanted to see it, it got a bit old. Ironic to think about now with VHS, DVDs and now streaming, my children probably have watched certain shows many more times than the 12 or so Wizard of Ozs we watched together as a family in the 60s and 70s.. Times change.

Jena in "Popular"

The boys did a fun number called "Dancing Through Life"
It was so fun.

Again, so grateful for this program and the leadership and coaches which make it work.  Jena has already reminded us that it starts back the Friday after Labor Day.

Time Is Flying By So Fast

Why is that?  While we were serving our missions, many times time was fast, but there were days and weeks which past slowly.  Now it seems like time just whizzes on.

When I sat down to download my pictures, my first thought was these are from a week ago, I must not have erased them from my phone.  Nope--these are things which all happened in the past 7 days--Unbelievable!

I assume this is a function of getting older, but maybe it is just my own experience.  Let me know when you get older, if the same thing happens to you!  I can still remember watching the clock in my 6th grade classroom and it feeling like "forever" for the minutes to tick to the end of the class day OR waiting for Christmas or a vacation seemed to be so hard. Not any longer......

"Defy Gravity"-- Jena's Friend to Friend Production

This year, they divided the older classes into two different casts.  The program has just grown so much that there isn't enough room for everyone to be on stage together. Jena is in Cast B and they performed yesterday morning and then they will do it one more time tomorrow night.

Jessica and Elessia and their kids came yesterday morning.  It was fun to share it with them.

The "Sign"

The stage--set up for the CenterPoint's production of
Tuck Everlasting

Jena's audience

Liam and Zander

Ezri and I

Elessia and Carter

Jessica and Alex

Opening numbers

"Popular"

The closing numbers where I could only see
the top of Jena's hat on the other side of the stage

Shelley Davies--the force and brainpower behind this program

Jena's FAN club.

We are so blessed by the people--coaches, etc,--who make this program work and all of these actors and actresses who light up the stage with their joy to perform.  May we and you find your place to "perform" with joy using your skills and talents!