"HOPE" the tenth word

Of the entire word list (on my canvas wallhanging), the word HOPE is written the smallest and appears the most obscure.  Can you even see it on the small picture in the right hand corner of my blog?  This is interesting to me, because as far as "meaning"
HOPE might be THE MOST powerful word on the list. 

Since I try not to come across too "heavy" in my posting, which I have to be conscience about because some of the words on this list can really get me going, or thinking, and I'm afraid I could get carried away.  I'll begin by giving a "shout out" to the small, but ever busy T-shirt business of mine. 

Over the years I have printed a gazillion shirts with art of many styles and designs.  I haven't really thought about it a whole lot until now, I guess T-shirts are printed and worn... to be trendy, to advertise, to make a statement, to unify or identify a group, there are many reasons people bring T-shirt orders to me.  I believe I can say, among all the shirts I have printed, there has only been ONE design with "one" word as the theme, even with a definition on the back....that word was "HOPE".  It was the vision of my dear friend Susan Duffin who was/is the camp director for the Hermosa Vista Stake girl's camp. Under Susan's leadership and inspiration over three hundred young women and leaders sported a t-shirt as they descended upon Camp LoMia 2011 stating "Hope Everlasting"!

(This is the back of the T-shirt)

 "Older" girls serving as young leaders, (FYI - they are beautiful INSIDE too)

Darling bright eyed young girls ready to take on camp! 

I'll get back to the spiritual "hope" that the T-shirts were representing later in the blog.  I like the definition on the shirt that includes the idea of "expectation of good". 
 I looked through the photos I have taken over the last few months wondering if any of them could illustrate "HOPE" (for me)? 
I came up with this one.........

Cannon's FIRST Birthday

And this one.......
A mother and grandmother finds HOPE in the faces of her family.

And this one....



Is it just me or can you associate HOPE with this photo?......(Emily rocks!)

 

                        HOPE - is in the eyes, hope is light.....

This next picture perhaps illustrates the opposite of hope......
        despair after the crucifixion of Jesus on Calvary.

But the tomb was EMPTY......and "HOPE" through Jesus Christ was extended to all mankind.

Til we meet again....Gary with Jacque Fryer, wife of cousin Larry Fryer

                     "Hope" is tangible to the believer......

Painting by Carl Bloch, Denmark 1873, I saw his art in a traveling exhibit at BYU - AMAZING!

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of HOPE, and a love of God and of all men."   (As taught in the Book of Mormon) 2 Nephi 31:20

"And what is it that ye shall have "HOPE" for?  Behold I say unto you that ye shall have HOPE through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." Moroni 7:41

                         Hope is.......Hope IN Jesus Christ.

WISH

WISH

 

This small word carries a powerful punch through a couple of fantastic times of the year....the "Christmas Season" and Birthdays!

"We WISH You a Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year" 

and 

Blow out your candles and make a Birthday WISH!

 

Come along with me on a little stroll down memory lane as I use pictures from Christmases and birthdays throughout the years to express my feelings of word #9 on my list.....

 

One of the Christmas family traditions passed from my parents to me is the sending of Christmas cards.  I love to send and receive these heartfelt greetings at Christmas time.  My style is to include a family picture.  I kinda go with the theory that "a picture is worth a thousand words".  The challenge then becomes to change things up a little....and show a bit of personality???

 

EXAMPLE:       

 

 

Here we are in 1997, the inside of the card read:
 During the rush of the season, let's all take time to laugh
 and enjoy life.
You're part of our happy memories 

 

I LOVE the years when there is a major event in the family
....like a wedding, 2007,

 

  1999.... was the year we traveled to Washington DC, New York and Pennsylvania

 as a family.  It was the "trip of a lifetime" so I chose a family photo taken in New York

 to be featured on our Christmas card.  We never imagined back then,

 what this picture would eventually mean to us.

Interestingly the inside of the card read: "May the timeless message of Christmas

 fill your heart with joy today and always"

At the time we had no idea that within a few short years the city skyline behind us,

 as well as our innocent sense of security and freedom would be changed forever.

We had a double whammy in the WISH
department being that Gary's
"Grandpa Kesterson's" birthday was ON
Christmas Day!!  Our Christmas Eve
celebration always included a birthday cake
with everyone singing Happy Birthday 
and Grandpa making a WISH!!

As for my own WISHES:

 

 

I WISH that everyone tried to be as
 humble and kind

as Raleigh Russell Kesterson. 

 

I adore Jonathan's expression as he watches his Great-Grandpa -   1984  (cousin Holly too) 

 

 I WISH that everyone put their God and their FAMILY first 

like Gary Lee Rogers. 



1997 celebrating Gary's 40th birthday at the cabin!!

 

I discovered something as I looked through a few photo albums to choose Birthday candle blowing out pictures to use in this post, and it was noticing the faces of those who were watching or looking on!  To me, these are tender expressions of love among the family, sharing the moment!!

 



I WISH that everyone would take the time to REALLY get to

know others and appreciate them and value them 

like Jonathan Lee Rogers.

 

Jonathan and my Mom would always share a birthday cake as their birthdays were 3 days apart.
Here they are on Halloween night (Mom's birthday) 1993

 

I WISH everyone was as good natured and shared their happy heart

as Megan Ann Rogers Webster.

 

1997 - of course we were squeezing in birthday cake after dance class!

 I WISH everyone had the passion for life and was as loyal to those they love like Emily Joy Rogers.

 

1994 - this is how I decorated birthday cakes....simply frost it and then stick some kind of do-dadl on top along with the candles.......I know - lame! 

I WISH everyone loved in the unconditional way my Mom did

Doris Mae Weaver Schlessman

and

 How I WISH she could have lived to meet her Great-Grandkids!

 

2000 - Halloween Birthday girl - LOVED birthdays!

 

I'll include this final picture as my very favorite Christmas Card. 

Why is it my favorite?

Because it is "our" family together...I love EVERY SINGLE person in this photo dearly, I more than WISH them to

know this....

 

Christmas 2011 - Cannon's FIRST CHRISTMAS

 One more thing.... I really, really, WISH I had backed up my computer.  Especially when I had those distinct strong feelings that I needed to back up all my photos.  My computer crashed several months ago, well, it didn't just crash, it died, and it appears that I lost the past four years of my digital photography.  This really makes me sad, and explains why there has been a huge delay in my blog posting.  This is a lesson learned in a very hard way. 

 

I do NOT WISH that misfortune on anyone.

 

IMAGINE

Imagine:  a "White Christmas" in Mesa, Arizona!

Imagine being married to a man who would borrow a dump truck from one of his buddies, drive north on December 24th and bring back a load of snow! 

Imagine that when the extended family gathered for the annual Christmas Eve Party (which you only get to host every four years)

they were greeted with a yard full of snow!

I thought this would be a great story to use for the word IMAGINE....

"Imagine: no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man"

As a little girl in the 60's how can I possibly think of the word "IMAGINE" and not mention
 John Lennon and the BEATLES??? 

My siblings and I would lip-synch along to BEATLES records before "lip-synching" was even invented?  We were playing....or I guess the four of us just IMGINED we were 

John, Paul, George and Ringo!!

Siblings celebrating LOVE - BEATLES style in Vegas

I am actually considering using this idea for one of the other words on my list.... beware, this 

FAB-FOUR may appear again in a future post.

After serious consideration: this post on the word IMAGINE

is dedicated to a very special person in my life.

TYLER LEE

Tyler, is our first born Grandchild.  He is also the first grandchild in his Mom's family....and both of his parents are the "firsts" in their families.  Therefore, and rightfully so, Tyler shows all the signs of a "type A - firstborn" child.  Here's an example...imagine "reading" the dictionary at age three!!! This is actually an alphabet book, (it reads like a dictionary). 

Tyler has ALWAYS loved books

This next photo is an example of his budding ENGINEERING skills and kind of captures this intense moment of concentration and balancing! (What this photo doesn't show is the room full of adults watching his every move and cheering on this great feat!) You can only "imagine" - right?

just TRY and duplicate this tower

IMAGINE how determined this "three year old" is to catch a fish in the stream with his very own fishing pole....and imagine how badly we all wanted him to catch one!

FATHER and SON  Fishing for Trout in the White Mountains of Arizona

IMAGINE how discouraged he felt when he didn't get so much as a nibble.

I shared the above examples to establish the "type A" - serious disciplined qualities of a firstborn child.....what I want to share, now, is the side of Tyler that amazes me, entertains me, and reminds me to celebrate childhood:
I'm referring to his fantastic
IMAGINATION

When the fish don't bite....what little boy wants to stand still and wait...when this pole can also serve as a wonderful sword for a "fighting ninja"??

Tyler has entertained us with his IMAGINATION ever since he could talk and play.  Barely two years old and he was the coolest "Buzz" ever!

Creative in all that he does....take swimming for example....he doesn't just jump....he blasts off like a ROCKET!  And why not?  Because ever since I can remember he shows great interest in ANYTHING that moves, flies, has a motor, an engine....or can TAKE OFF with great speed!!

A MAN AFTER GRANDPA'S HEART

IF THERE ARE BUTTONS OR GADGETS HE'LL FIND THEM

HE DOESN'T MISS A THING

What feeds this IMAGINATION?  I guess its everything he experiences, reads, hears, sees....basically the world around him. 

HIS EYES SAY IT ALL!

Now for examples: this playground (above) became a "ship" he was searching for "pirates".  This all had something to do with the little girl, wearing a pink tutu, chasing him around and yelling "ARGUE" (really wish I would have taken a picture of her).

While at our house....he is not "jumping on the tramp"  rather he is on the "ship" which is protecting him from the ferocious, vicious animals.....(the dogs) 

He doesn't JUMP, he blasts off like a ROCKET

With Macee

and Max

(The above pictures are included to show there actually was a time when Tyler "liked" the dogs)

Back to the topic of Tyler and examples of his IMAGINATION....  the photo below features a household item that may look like a regular ole shower squeegee..... but, Oh -NO...this is the "Squeegee Plane"  On many occasions Tyler would run into our house, run past a closet full of toys, (including toy airplanes) and run to the shower to get the "Squeegee Plane".  Then he would run through the house, holding this "plane" high in the air making sound effects like a flying jet.  I kinda feel bad that I never got a picture of him....can you picture it? Use your imagination.

BEST TOY EVER

Besides the tramp....our bathtub becomes a favorite "ship" to hide in, or use as his central base to fight the "bad guys".  IMAGINE "Grandma" crouching in this tub along with him helping to defend the fort?  Recently we were "hiding out" in our sauna/shower and I said something about "looking out for the Decepticons", all proud of myself because I knew who the bad guys are.  He looked at me with the most serious look and said "No Grandma, we are hiding from the ANCIENT SECRET BAD GUYS!!  (sheezzz - I never quite get it right)

Tyler's imagination has taken him through a TRANSFORMERS stage where EVERYTHING he talked about, played and (wanted) to view for entertainment was something related to Transformers.  He was either Bumblebee (see photo) or THE Optimus Prime. How I wish I could post a recording of him talking like Optimus...he's good!!


Tyler will "transform" right before your eyes....on the family room floor, holding stainless steel pots and pan lids or ladles or large wooden spoons or anything that he sees fit to evolve from some kind of vehicle to a powerful robot.  His motions along with original sound effects are epic!  

CHRISTMAS 2011

WARNING....do you have ANY IDEA how difficult these toys can be to TRANSFORM ?

Take note that the new TOY is still in the BOX....the toy of the day is an old golf club that he found lying around.  

His creativity doesn't end with squeegees or kitchen gadgets.  One day Emily called and told me she had just been talking to Tyler on the phone, evidently he told her he was busy playing with his 

"FUSION CANNON GUN"

I decided to do some research, his Mom told me that depending on the day, this 

"weapon of choice" may be called a

spinning gun, laser gun or protecting shield. 

it is NOT EASY to get a photo of him "in action" he's in a "don't take my picture phase"
photo courtesy of Kristin - THANKS

Here is a story to illustrate that every product of his imagination is not about weapons or battles or super powers.  One day Tyler and I were sitting together and out of the blue he said to me: "Grandma, is that when you were a PRINCESS??"

I thought.... what?  And looking around I realized he was looking at this bridal picture of Megan!

I LOVE his IMAGINATION!

A new phase has entered Tyler's world.  Transformers are fading out a little and he is currently becoming enthralled with SUPER HEROES!!

He loves them all, he knows them all, (their skills and powers) and on any given day will pretend to be any one of them.  From looking at the photos below (compliments of Jonathan) can you guess what SUPER HERO he emerged from his bedroom this particular morning as??

Use your IMAGINATION!

"HAWKEYE" of COURSE!!

I'll wrap this up by saying how richly my life is blessed by having Tyler as my Grandson.  He brings me great happiness!  His IMAGINATION is extremely creative and a source of joy for all those that know him.  He is one fantastic kid.... I'll close with this picture of him running along side of his Dad while Jonathan was finishing a half marathon.  I need to state here, that, Tyler wasn't just running, he was running like "Dash".  And in my eyes, these two guys are simply INCREDIBLE  and I'm NOT just imagining that!