MaeLyn's Musings

One of the scariest texts I ever got was while I was out shopping with Steven a few days ago. I had promised Steven a new suit for Christmas and we were at Men's Wearhouse picking one out. We were in the process of paying for our purchase when I received the following text from Hannah: "Peter hit a tree sledding and i think hes really hurt." I'm sure you can imagine the thoughts rushing through my head. How bad is "really hurt"? Broken bones? Concussion? Do I need to call an ambulance? Then again, she was texting, not calling... Surely she would call if she thought he was dying? I quickly sent a text back: "Paying now. Is he bleeding?" Can you give me more information about how bad it is? Please? Response: "No. but hes crying and moaning and he says his back hurts, like the center of his spine" Okay. He's not bleeding. He's conscious. But he's moaning? Is his back broken? Is my active boy going to be paralyzed for t...

It's the day after Christmas and our heroes are relaxing This holiday season has seemed very taxing. The last couple days though, have been very fun As we've spent time together now the work was all done. On Christmas Eve day, we did a good deed helping the Salvation Army feed people in need. For a few hours we stood in our places Handing out gifts, putting smiles on faces. That night we all went to the Panda Express to eat our dinner without making a mess. We came home to read from the New Testament About wise men who sought for a babe who was sent The kids opened gifts that contained nice, warm jammies Then went off to bed just like in other families. Steven began making orange rolls for breakfast While I put out gifts as a good parent must. Christmas morning came early and passed in a flurry of wrappings and presents, we weren't in a hurry. The rest of the day was spent playing a game, And exploring new toys too numerous to name. For dinner we at...

About a month ago, our hero received a phone call from a sister in the ward to ask if she would be willing to perform for an adult Christmas dinner program that she was putting together. Her first suggestion was that our hero sing a solo. Over the next second before she replied, the following thoughts passed through our hero's head: I enjoy singing. I sing at home by myself all the time. I've never actually sung a solo in public that I can remember other than in Primary when I was chorister, and that was just to show the kids how they were supposed to sing so it doesn't really count. I used to sing duets with my sister all the time when we were young. I sang a duet with my mom at my missionary farewell. I sing with the ward choir, and I sang with a small group a few months ago. I don't sing enough to have the kind of range that I used to have. I seem to have a perpetual cold that makes it hard to sing the way I wish I could. I auditioned for chamber choir w...

A few days ago, our hero was on a quest to find a Christmas songbook. She was bored of the scanty holiday sheet music she had available at home and was hoping to find something like the Readers' Digest Merry Christmas Songbook that she had seen at her parents' home and other places. She was searching at her local library. This library is called the College Hill Library because it is connected to the Front Range Community College. The public library is on the bottom floor, and the college can be reached by various staircases that climb to the second floor, which is the main level for the college. Our hero first bravely approached the computerized catalog, typing in the search box the words, "Christmas Songbook". Only one result came up: The Time-Life Christmas Songbook . That might work , our hero thought to herself. She checked the availability information. It was checked in. The location? Second Floor main stacks. ( Dun dun dun ) Our hero had been to the se...

Crazy , crazy , crazy .  Too much to do, not enough time .  Make a list , check it off , run to the store , search online .  Make it, buy it, wrap it , hide it!  Slow down , slow down ,  remember the reason!  Christ is the gift That's important this season . Practice , prepare, rehearsals and stress !  Strive to always do your best . Sing it , perform it , lead it , teach it . Are you feeling the Spirit yet? Sniffle, cough, headache - really? Bedtimes too late ,  mornings too early. Concerts and scouts , class celebrations , Homework and laundry and dishes and cleaning! Turn on some carols ,  Read the sweet story . Take a deep breath Remember God's glory. Oops,  I forgot!  It's  not as nice  as I'd  hoped. Hope  it gets there  in time ! Let it go.   Let it go. A week from today , in a flurry of paper the gifts will at last be ...

When I was in elementary school, there was a boy in my class whose name was Kahinde. I remember him because I loved his name: it was different, but I liked the way that it rolled off my tongue. Other people called him "K.K." but I usually called him Kahinde because I liked the name. Kahinde also fascinated me because he had a spot of hair on the crown of his head that was a lighter color than the rest of his dark, crinkly hair. I wondered for a long time how the spot grew so perfectly round, and what made his hair do that until one day when I learned that it was dyed to help people distinguish between him and his identical twin brother, whose name I think was Tyler. Tyler's name was normal, and he didn't have a spot on his head, so I don't remember him as well. When I was a child, I remember watching the "Cosby Show". It was a cool show about family life. There was a mom and dad and kids, and they had problems, but they loved each other and they pulled...

A flash of black fur As I'm spreading the top sheet- Now what is this lump?

On Monday, I was pondering the lesson I would share for Family Home Evening. I wanted to come up with something that would help Christmas be more meaningful for me and my family, something that would encourage us all to think about others, to serve more, to really get into the Christmas spirit and remember the true meaning of Christmas. I started with a countdown chain with a scripture to read each day. I wrote each scripture on a strip of paper, then made the slips into a chain, and each day of December (from now until Christmas, anyway) we would tear off the end link, read the scripture, and maybe talk a bit about what it means. Here is my list of scriptures: 2 Nephi 25:26 2 Nephi 11:4-7 Isaiah 9:6 1 Nephi 10:4-6 Jeremiah 33:14-16 Alma 7:9-12 Mosiah 15:1-4 1 Nephi 10:9-10 Helaman 8:22-23 Alma 39:17-19 Helaman 14:2-8 Isaiah 7:14 1 Nephi 11:14-23 Luke 1:26-33 Luke 1:34-38 Matthew 1:18-25 3 Nephi 1:9-14 Luke 2:1-7 Luke 2:8-14 Luke 2:15-20 3 Nephi 1:15-21 Matth...

Since our hero, Super Steven 's birthday a week and a half ago,  pointing has never been so easy!   With his new super gadget, pointing out belly buttons , noses and cats is a breeze !  At Family Home Evenings , there is no question who he is pointing to for an assignment any more because his handy dandy pointing stick shows the way!  Finally , as he nears the end of his fourth decade, Super Steven can point to people and things without having to extend a finger.   (of his own, that is.) His pointing stick does it for him.  Hooray for the pointing stick !