Is it too late to talk about Mother's Day

So, around here, Mother's Day can be a little dangerous.  My emotions are running about as high as my expectations. My heart is full of gratitude for my mother and children, but there's the depressing realization that I have a long way to go in my motherhood skills and I've already got 7 kids out running wild and free in society.  One wonders, who would step into that? Well, the winners for bravest children are Daniel and Andrew. They rolled in for the weekend and made it great for me.

 For the record, if a child sends a heartfelt note, I'm more than pleased. If they really want to get on my good side, add food to the note, and if anyone insists on giving a gift, a pedicure is always perfect.  My husband gave me a pedicure and made rolls and dinner, Daniel made his fantastic Italian bread and brought grandchildren to play with, Rebecca made me a hundred cookies and Andrew cleaned the kitchen and sang me a song.

 I heard from all of my kids in one sweet way or another so I was happy and everyone was safe.

 It was a treat to have Daniel drive over. His wife, Erica, was visiting her graduating sister and family, so he packed, loaded, and drove his 2 little boys what was supposed to be close to 4 but seemed strangely closer to 3 hours from Savannah to Atlanta.

We played Perplexus, Epic Duels, Rat a Tat Cat, Stratego and Nerf . We ate watermelon, which Caleb claims we always have, ice cream, and regular food.

Grandpa: "Who wants ice cream?"

Speaking of polite, which we may not have been, Daniel and Erica's children are very polite. Makes a Grandma proud. Caleb made me this adorable Mother's Day card. xoxoxox

 For some reason, little 2 yr. old did not sleep very well. I heard him once and came down to find his Daddy rocking him in the rocking chair at 2:00 am. That was a very tender picture for me, seeing my child loving his child. The next day, Daniel didn't even seem grouchy. Seeing what a good Dad he has become is a wonderful gift.

However, the lack of sleep took it's toll on 2 yr. old. He had been very reasonable the day before, but was not tolerating us as well with inadequate rest. I hope he didn't mind that we kind of thought it was funny when he punished us for getting on his bad side. I think he felt better after eating a couple of  Mother's Day cookies.

I love my mother. I love being a mother, and I love being a grandmother.

Andrew, happy to be back to home-cooked meals.

Tender Mercies from Heaven

For the 3 seminary teachers from the Fayetteville area, Wednesday has been temple day.  Anyone else is invited to come, and we love it when they do.  Many weeks, though, it has been just us.  The temple is always great, but the hour drive into Atlanta and home is just as great.  The friends in the car are the best of friends. We may not have spoken much before, but that changes once we're temple bound.

Yesterday was the loveliest of temple days. We got on the topic of God's love for his children. I was the driver and had been feeling some stress over issues. (I usually have issues, that's how I roll.) As these sister/friends began sharing stories of sweet blessings in life, I felt peace enter my heart and anxiety replaced by gratitude and love. I want to remember these stories and share them with others who's hearts need a boost.

1. She had been traveling on Hwy 54 and was approaching a busy intersection. It was her habit to get into the middle lane to avoid the congestion of the right lane. She had the thought that she should stay in the right lane. This thought was accompanied by a calm feeling. So she waited patiently in the slow lane. In the next moment a car to the left slammed on his brakes only to collide into the back of the forward car. Then she heard bam, bam, as the subsequent cars each hit the car in front of them. She became aware of God's love for her and desire to help her avoid an accident that day.

2. She was looking forward to Facetime with her missionary son in Mexico. She only got to talk to him on Christmas and Mothers Day. She was in a restaurant using their Wifi. When she didn't hear from her son at the appointed time she began to panic and doubt her technology skills. She asked for help from behind the counter. After a few unsuccessful minutes she tried the patrons. "I'm trying to skype with my son in Mecico. Can you help me? A young man responded. Are you -----'s Mom? I'm his best friend. I'd love to help you. Contact was made. A precious conversation occurred, and some of God's children were at the exact right place at the exact right time.

3. She had been struggling with some things that weighed heavy on her heart and needed assurance from God. She sought out a bench in a secluded place on her neighborhood walking trail. As she studied her scriptures and poured out her heart in prayer, a big fluffy dog, attached by a leash to a puzzled and embarrassed owner, came right up to her, looked at her and stayed. The owner tried to pull him back to the trail, but the dog wouldn't budge. The owner apologized for the doggy intrusion, she wasn't really a dog person but she reassured the owner that it was okay. The owner gave the dog freedom and the pooch jumped up on her and kissed her and loved her and then was done and went back to whatever dogs do with their owners on the walking trail. Tears came as she recognized this as a hug from heaven and a reminder that God loves her dearly.

4. She invited her seminary students to her home for some extra scripture memorization time. In preparation, she searched the house for all the Book of Mormons she could find. She found a few missionary copies and discovered that one of them contained a picture and testimony written by a man who had died of cancer several years prior. She had not known the man but did know his wife. The man had written of his love for God and family and the importance his family held for him and how much he loved them and how grateful he was that they would be together not only in this life but in the eternities to come. The thought occurred to her that this copy should be given to the wife the next day on Mother's Day. She wrapped it as a gift and presented it to her in church. It was received warmly, and the next day she received a phone call stating that surely this was a divinely designed Mother's Day gift from a loving husband and father who had gone before sending abiding love to gladden the hearts of a devoted wife and children who still loved and missed him.

Nice to meet you, Eli Jacob Stoker

If it looks like I'm blessed beyond measure it's because I am. In February I visited my Idaho grandbaby, and then last week I got to visit this little doll and his adorable brothers and sister. They live in Portland, OR. Oregon looks a lot like Georgia except instead of steaming, it's misting, and instead of thunderous downpour--drizzle. The main way of detecting that I was not flying into Atlanta was that Mount Hood was right outside my window. Awesome!!!

Upon arrival I was greeted with this warm welcome.

This baby is the sweetest guy, so calm and peaceful..

With four kids, 6 and under, this family is hoppin. In the morning we watched a tool show and a truck show, I'm seriously out of the kid show loop. I don't remember either of the names, but they weren't "Dora" or "Blue's Clues."

 We went to Win Co where we bought some healthy food and this, 

also a healthy food, just a little more delicious than anything in the world. We walked to the bus stop, rode bikes, and had so much fun. I played The Game of Life with the 6 year old and 4 year old. They taught me about choosing a good house, one that isn't cracked, and how great  it is to have babies. I was the banker. When I asked them if they wanted to purchase auto insurance they gave me a confused look. The 4 yr. old said, "We don't know what that is." Fair enough. We all ended up wealthy and retired in countryside acres, so a Life well played.

In the afternoon we dug in the flower bed and found the most enormous night crawler. This guy was so huge he looked like a snake. I tried to document him, but just know that in real life he is 10 times bigger than he appears in this picture.

When it was time to ride bikes, Mallory, my daughter-in-law, let me use hers. Up and down the street we rode, 3 children and Grandma. My spunky 2 yr. old grandson came up to me on his little push bike and with all the confidence in the world asked, "Race?" He almost won, but Grandma pulled ahead at the last minute.

Wednesday was music lesson day-- pre-school music group lessons where the children learn solfege, (that's do, re, mi, fa, sol...like on Sound of Music) chords, and other amazing things that I was thrilled about.

 We also visited the Portland rose garden where the buds are getting ready to bloom. I had to imagine the roses, but the rhododendrons were real and fabulous and oh so beautiful. The only disappointment was that a little bunny was scampering on our path but disappeared before 4 yr. old got to see him. "I never saw a bunny before," was the sad response. I tried to cheer him with the prospects of seeing another (they're everywhere, right?) but all we encountered were some boring squirrels. He seemed to rally when we went to the park which can be even better than a bunny

These are actually from the neighborhood, not the park.
I guess I was so focused on taking grandbaby
pics I forgot flower pics.

.

Thursday was rainy so we played inside. I wanted to play something super fun with 4yr. old and 2 yr. old. Of course I leveraged the game with picking up toys. (Once a mom...) I had the brilliant idea of having them jump from the exercise ball, over the back of the couch, onto the cushions.  I held the ball steady while 4 yr. old took a trusting leap over the back of the couch, bounced once and landed on the floor. You know those videos that go viral and then say, "Nailed it?" It was one of those moments, otherwise known as "Grandma fail." We changed our angle and added a few safety pillows and it did turn into a fun game, but ....oops.

The wrong way.

The right way

That night was Brandon's birthday celebration. We partied with balloons, signs, crowns, dragons, pizza and cheese cake. We topped it off with "The Hobbit 2" and went to bed early. And I slept. There's pretty much always someone awake at any given moment with these sweet children. Mallory works with the baby all night and then Brandon takes the early morning shift before work. Mom and Dad are working very hard to take good care of these lovelies.

                                                      

Friday was my last day. We played a little more "Jump over the couch," I learned how to play "Sleeping Queens" and got to take this great guy to work and see the Nike campus. It's a beautiful place, very swooshy.

Then my sweet sis, Megan, came and took me to the airport. A perfect ending to a wonderful week. Oxox.

Hymns/poem written by the Miller siblings that testify of Christ.

I was looking through my notebooks today and came across this family project. A few years ago, we were invited to write our testimony of Christ through a hymn or poem.  I had forgotten about it, but felt so blessed to have these people as family as I read their sweet words.

Laurie Janet Miller Stoker:

GRACE
I try to walk the righteous way yet weakness grasps my feeble run.
The goal is sure but still I ask, "Father, how can it be done?"
"Worlds without number have I made. The earth, the moon, the stars, the sun."
"You are my child," I feel him say. "Look to my beloved Son."

What about when I have stumbled? What about the time I turned?
When I feared instead of trusted, when my doubt hid what I've learned?
"Confess, Forsake, Obey, Believe, My arms are stretched out still."
"My Grace is sufficient for all men. Come unto me." I will.

"Love your fellow as a brother. Can he feel my love through you?
Tell my friends that I can heal them. Hope all things. Be chaste. Be true."
Christ suffered all that death is vanquished. Eden's light is now in view.
Our Father's presence, life eternal, loving family, world anew.


PRAISE
Praise be to Him and all he gives us,
Lord, our God, beloved Jesus
All thanks to Father's perfect plan.
He gave His son, to rescue man

His priesthood's back, His prophet leads,
His scriptures guide, the gospel feeds.
The temples teach and bless and seal
Israel covenants, new and real.

His chosen labor in the field
The time is short, truth will not yield.
All prophecies will come to pass
All tongues confess, "He's Christ" at last.
------------------------------------------

Amy Susan Miller Johnson:

PEACE
How I pray for daily strength to
Learn the lessons in all that I do
My Father in Heaven knows my heart
His love for me inspires me to do my part
The gifts and blessing that I treasure
Show boundless love beyond measure
A loving Father up in Heaven
Will welcome me back I know not when
I strive to live worthy of all that he offers
With faith and hope to look forward
To any future day far or near
When I'll be ready without fear.
--------------------------------------
Melinda Ann Miller Christensen:

LIFE"S WALK
Each day I take a daily walk,
The daily walk of life.
On this daily walk I take,
It's filled with toil and strife.

Onward I strive, each day anew,
Bright with the sun and sky.
Brighter yet still, in the earth's glorious light,
Is my Father's love from on high.

To keep the pathway straight to my God,
I must press forth with strength.
Praying and seeking for the light so divine,
That is in all truth at length.

So, as I go along each day,
praying with each step I take.
That the light of my Heavenly Father's will shine,
On me and the choices I make.
------------------------------------------------
Kristen Mary Miller Jones:

When I wake up every morning to do each daily task,
I feel the love of God that guides me when I ask.
I know that I can finish and win the race I run,
with a loving God who knows me and stays until I'm done.

The purpose that I realize will help me to succeed,
is found in Christ the Savior and faith in Him to lead.
Repentance through the atonement will make me clean and pure.
As I look to Him in all things, it will help me to endure.

In Humility my service can reach to all who seek.
Then the kingdom can be built by the lowly and meek.
Whatever life will each me through blessings or trials, I know.
Giving thanks in all my doings can only help me grow.

If I live my life completely with trust in the God above.
I can feel the joy and peace that will be fulfilled in His  love.
To live with Him in heaven and have my family too,
Is the greatest joy imagined, and I will work to do.
--------------------------------------------------------

Heidi Jo Miller Perry

MY SONG (2 Nephi 22:2)

My life was a tune searching for words to make the song a whole
My melody drifted without direction
Emptiness filled my soul
My heart yearned to soar and my voice ached to sing
Yet the verse was not there
I then bowed my head, I was silent and meek
As I listened for the music in the air
I heard,

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid:
for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song" my song.

Now these words burn inside, strength fills my soul
For I can clearly see
With this harmony my song pours forth with love
And the Spirit comforts me
I sing my song each day that I live for it calms all my fears
I can draw from its strength, I can draw from its love
And I know that the Lord is near
I sing...

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid;
For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song: my song

He lives to love me
I love to live like him
He watches over me
I watch and wait for him
He gently calls my name
In praise I do the same
With His help I can sing...

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.
For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song"
He is my song, my song.

Carrie Lynn Miller Stephani

CHRIST IS MY REDEEMER

Christ is my redeemer, my Lord and my deliverer
He wants me to be like him, t love and serve his children
He sent me to be tested, to learn and be perfected
He paid the great price for me, that I may become worthy

I'm grateful that he sent me, to a loving, righteous family
A kind, stalwart helpmeet, lifts me and supports me
The spirits that I steward, bring joy and push me forward
I gain faith and charity, by learning family unity

Joseph Smith is a prophet, whose faith restored the fullness
His days were spent in service, his life stands as his witness
A marvelous work and wonder, will fill the earth like thunder
Christ is my redeemer, The Lord and The Deliverer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Megan Vanilla Angela Miller Liston

ANGELS
Some see angels in visions
Shining ever so bright
Feeling their wonderful presence
And surrounded with marvelous light.
We see the Angel Moroni
Atop the temple so high,
We know of the angels with Jesus
Bringing the children close by.
The thought of these brings me strength
And much peace to my heart.
But the angels I often see in my life
Cannot be told apart
Their feet touch the ground,
Their apparel's the same
They look like you and me.
Yet their purpose is to make life sweet for others
With humility.
One held me close through a trying time
Another lent a listening ear
One gave me a piece of her heart
Another wiped away a tear
Most of these angels don't stand out in a crowd
Just someone you'd see any day
But deep in my heart
I know that I'm loved
For God has sent an angel my way.
----------------------------------------------------------
Charles Brigham Miller

(These words follow the hymn, "High on the Mountain Top.")

Verse 1:
Within that book I find
An answer to my care
I cannot quite describe
How glorious and fair
Upon Cumorah's hill
Joseph found the plates
and established a church
Of Christ in latter days.

Verse 2:
There are many on this earth
Who still need to learn
 of Jesus Christ's birth
And feel their bosom burn
But now we have a book
That testifies of Christ
And teaches us how
To obtain eternal life.

Verse 3:
This book is free for all
To read and understand
It tells us to walk tall
For we are part of a plan
This plan is for us all
But many need to find
The Book of Mormon
And its truth divine.
----------------------------------------------------
TESTIMONIES:

Samuel Andrew Miller

I am so thankful for my life and strengths. I am thankful for the lives of other important church figures. I am thankful for the scriptures, the word of God. I am thankful for my family and the support they give me. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Wayne Miller

The spirit has witnessed to me that Joseph Smith Jr. told the truth regarding his account of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I, Robert Wayne Miller, bear my testimony, based on that personal revelation, THAT IT IS TRUE. This includes the translation of the Book of Mormon, restoration of the pristhood, Elijah's mission and temple work and and the church being lead today by Jesus Christ through a living prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Janet Miner Miller

I, Janet (Miner) Miller, do have a testimony that God lives and loves us. He has always been so nice to me.
Jesus Christ, my elder brother, atoned for our sins. That is a gift I have used in my life.
It is easier for me to understand the closeness of myself to my Savior because I have an earthly older brother that I am close to and love. Alan has always watched over me and understood me.
My Savior is my greatest example of unselfishness. He has shown me what to do for the "least of these". Go out of your comfort zone to befriend someone that may need to feel cared about. He treats people with gentleness and humility. I love him. I have a testimony that with the help of our Heavenly Father we can love everyone in our ward. It takes time talking to God in many prayers and sometimes talking to a certain person, if Heavenly Father wants us to.
I kind of feel that we, as a family, chose each other, before we came to earth, to be together forever. I also testify of the 3rd member of the God head. When I asked Heavenly Father if I should marry Rob Miller, the Holy Ghost did a powerful job of bringing me a YES from Heavenly Father.
I also received a strong witness in the temple, when I was taking out my endowment with Rob, that I was in the exact place I should be.
I have a testimony that Joseph Smith was truly a prophet, that he prayed about which church to joyin. Heavenly Father and Jesus came to him to have him bet the instrument to bring the true church back on the earth.
Gordon B. Hinckley is not only a latter-day-prophet, he's also adorable.
I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Las Vegas meets Atlanta

Well, actually it is the kids who live in Las Vegas meeting some places around Atlanta, but no matter. These beauties, who we hadn't seen since their wedding in December, had a break in school and we got them.  Yay for us. We started by making a list of all the things we wanted to do so we didn't waste any time. Then we did 'em. Well not all of them, but we felt good about our week.

We knew we wanted to go to the GA Aquarium.  I was trying to guess which would be the least field-trip infiltrated day. Wednesdays are typically slow, but then the weather turned dangerous on Tuesday. I wondered if that would clear out a typically busy place, but when I thought about the phone call I would make to my daughter-in-law's mother, "Hi. Umm, I just drove your only daughter into a tornado. Sorry," I consulted the weather channel. I saw that the storm had actually done its worst and was heading out of our area. Things were looking good. I was sensitive to the fact that my guests had been travelling all the day prior, but then I got a phone call, "Mom. I missed the bus." This was the first time this year for Gabe. It must have been a sign. I was planning on keeping him home on Aquarium day anyway, and no point in checking him in tardy just to keep him home another day. I woke my newlywed guests and told them the good news. "Today's the day."

Rebecca is conscientious and finds pleasure in being diligent in school, but a sad look was slipping onto her face as we told our aquarium tales. Not that her day at the WHS wasn't glorious, but she didn't hesitate when I offered her the same hooky offer I had given Gabe. Wednesday, Gabe went to school and Rebecca, Aaron, Clarissa and I went on a historical and very educational tour through Senoia.

You've heard of Senoia, right? No? Well let me inform you. It's a little tiny town in Coweta county where no one goes except people filming "Walking Dead," "Drop Dead Diva," "Steel Magnolias," "Sweet Home Alabama," etc. Oh, and Zac Brown has a delicious little restaurant that features live entertainment in the evenings and sometimes it's him. Of course we went into the "Walking Dead" store. The only problem is that none of us actually watch the show. I asked a gentleman about filming sites. He got excited and told us, "This was the place that blah blah, blah blahed, and blah blah was over there and look around the corner down the railroad tracks and that's Woodberry. I asked when they were going to start filming this season. He gave me a concerned look and said, "Well, Woodberry is no more." At that point we confessed our inexperience. We were just trying to get details to share with our friends that actually watch the show. Clearly we were zombie losers.

We shopped at and actually purchased from a cute little second hand store, had lunch at' Zac Brown's Southern Ground" where Aaron and Clarissa ate their first fried green tomatoes, and drove around a bit looking at Historical homes and by historical I mostly mean famous like from a movie.

The next activities were home activities but no less exciting. Clarissa, Aaron and I worked on Family Tree and got her family hooked up to Aaron's family. The joy of watching those little branches electronically grow before your eyes is a special treat. We looked at baby pictures, too bad the home videos are being processed right now. Next time. We went to Rebecca's strings ensemble mini concert and puzzled and played Tenzy and yeah.

Friday was another joyful day. Clarissa, Aaron and I went north to the Atlanta temple. It was a beautiful time with these 2 wonderful children.

The weekend got super fun when Paul, Gabe and Rebecca were home to play with us. We played some serious, well not that serious, games of 4 square, a lot of knock-out, and more Tenzy.  Gabe showed Aaron the forest ropes and Aaron showed Gabe some slack-line ropes. We watched the amazing "Amazing Spider Man" and celebrated Tres de Mayo at Los Mariachis.

Gabe's legs are barely visible halfway up the tree.

Epic Duels on "May the 4th."

Best. Week. Ever.