Thought some of you might like to read this.
---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
My son had a class paper that he was supposed to collect data for and asked his family to answer this question. Here is my answer.
1. Describe a typical day. give LOTS of detail-- or you can just recall
everything that happened yesterday/today
Unfortunately, my days usually start before the “Light of Day” as they
often start in the “wee hours’ of 2:00 or 3:00 am and I am thankful if I
can get back to sleep again, even then, if I only sleep until 5:30---
which for me a “good nights sleep”. Part of this is because I have past my
60th birthday, and my bladder wants to be emptied several times a night-
but if it is only that that wakes me, then I can usually go back to sleep,
as long as my mind will not fill it self with concerns- and then keep
those rolling around, like things to remember to do, or things I am trying
to forget/forgive others for, things I hope will not happen, you know---
worries? Sometimes I can start just praying and talking to God about all
those things, and that only as I said, sometimes helps enough to let me
return to sleep, “perchance to dream”.
Other times though when I wake “before my time”, my body seems to wake me
as it has suddenly gotten so warm that I can’t stand all the covers on me
any more. I used to throw off the top comforter and hope that would allow
me to sleep- but after my dear husband began to worry that he was getting
hot flashes, we realized that symptom seemed to come for him only after I
had thrown my covers off of me but not consciously meaning to, onto HIM!
So I then tried to see if I could just stick one leg out- into the 65
degrees that we keep our rooms to at night- may bare leg sticking out
there into the dark with NO covers on it at all, not even a sheet, and IT
would begin to cool me down a little, but then the contrast of the cold
and the warm would seem to do battle- while the worries of the mind would
have flooded in to steal away my peaceful slumbers. Next, I would
sometimes try to just get in a better position- leg up, other arm down,
turn my head the other way on the pillow, or turn totally on my side, one
hand under my cheek, with the other arm draped over my body. Sounds nice
huh? Yet- change of position- once sounds nice, but when it could be
called my new aerobic horizontal dance to obtain sleep, it obviously is
counter productive, AND it keeps ones’ husband awake at night too.
So All the “usual things tried”, if none have worked- then I just try to
gently sneak out of bed, and close the door to our bedroom, so that any
noise I make or the light from out office, which is off our bedroom won’t
disturb him. Oh, I forgot- about some other things I have done to delay
the start of my day and I will just list these as they appeared in a
magazine (probably the Readers Digest?) they are; do not keep a clock in
the bedroom, do not allow any light in the bedroom, do not do any work
activates or leave work lying in the bedroom, turn off and even unplug
the internet receiver to lesson any wireless “activity” from interfering,
and increase my calcium intake.
So, now I am in my nightgown, and as I keep my bathrobe in the bathroom
so I don’t have to move around in the bedroom anymore that absolutely
necessary, (remember my hopefully still sleeping dear husband?), I can be
warm enough as I start my “day”. I still don’t want to make any noise- so
one choice is to write in my journal, which if it is heat that has awaken
me, I still put my bathrobe on, but I don’t turn up the furnace (we must
not add to the utility bills unnecessarily!). If it is worries of the
mind that prevented my return to sleep and it is winter- then I add socks
and a blanket, and still try not to turn up the furnace. Some times
though- it is just so cold that I turn it up anyway- well, if it isn’t
WAY, WAY early.
So, if it is journal writing, I sit in the brown velvet swivel rocker
recliner, that is in the middle of the house as possible (hoping for more
heat?) and turn on the light on the table next to it (though it is on the
wrong side, my right side, so a shadow falls on my page- I do NOT want to
sit in the other brown velvet rocker, because IT is under the window and
this house needs new windows- it is a drafty 105 year old red brick
Victorian- and the old lady is decidedly chilly. I guess that works to
mean both of us?
Where were we? Oh, yes, writing in my journal can take an hour, if I
haven’t done that “wee hours” activity for a while- but with cold fingers
(even if the rest of my body was so warm that it woke me- now is that
fair?) the poor hand writing that stumbles along out of the cold pen, in
this shadowy light, done with fingers that feel like they should be white
with frostbite, might cause one to wish for the Biblical Urim and
Thummim- that the Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith used to translate the Book
of Mormon, even for me the writer- yes, even helpful for me, on something
I just wrote a paragraph ago! I’m 60!
Now, I could, if I am feeling either cold enough in my hands to want to
warm them, or guilty enough for not doing it before I went to bed- go and
clean up the kitchen and wash the dishes. Then my dear husband will be
happier in the morning, as he likes to cook breakfast for us both in a
clean kitchen (his favorite, I am thankful to say in this our autumn
years is oatmeal- which he likes to add blueberries and nuts to- instead
of his OLD favorite- pancakes with butter and syrup, with hash brown
potatoes, and fried eggs or bacon! Yes, thankfully he is more health wise
these days!) Though if I am just too tired physically to stand on the
cold hard floor (I really must get myself some new comfortable slippers-
or at least look long enough in this three story, 20 room house to find
my old ones), oh, did I mention that there is not one bit of insulation
under the floor boards? So now you know! (Ok, I COULD buy one of those
cushiony rubber kitchen mats to stand on!)
Now, the journal is up to date- and with the Scriptures sitting right
next to me on the little table, I like to read for a half an hour a
day—and usually I can before the computer seems to call me from back in
our office. It seems to say, “Gramajane, come on over--- you might have
some interesting emails to read and answer- maybe even something
important to respond to—maybe someone wants to buy your home that has
been on the market for almost a year!!!” So- I find my self suddenly
MORE awake as I first make sure the volume on the lap top is turned all
the way off, as I don’t want that little “turn on jingle tones” to be
wake up music for my dear husband! It is too early! It can even sound
scary in the empty, early, cold, dark, drafty house!
I have Meridian Magazine for my home page, and in that way I can catch up
on the latest international news that might be expected to be interesting
to a Saint of these days. Not that I am bragging- but “Saint” is just
what the members of the original Christian Church in Bible times called
each other and themselves, and so as my church claims to be the
re-established original Christian Church, our official name is “The
Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints” (aka Mormons or LDS). Why
did it have to be re-established? Well we believe 1. Jesus organized a
church 2. Men changed it 3. It has been brought back --- as prophesied in
– “Revelation 14:6-7 6 ¶ And I saw another angel fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on
the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 7
Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour
of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and
the sea, and the fountains of waters.”.
So, now I am sitting at the computer, and I sometimes check my email
before I read the online M.M. magazine- where often things look SO
INTERESTING that I don’t even GET to read the magazine for hours. Are you
wondering what is so VERY interesting? Did you guess that I might be a
“cyber missionary”? I mean, I did already quote scripture, and give the
basic message of the gospel- right? Our prophets HAVE told us to all work
to be “member missionaries” and that has been a love of mine (to share
the gospel- NOT to debate scriptures!) since I was twelve years old.
This is funny- I just noticed that suddenly with thinking of the gospel,
I have jumped to all caps for emphasis. I will work to control myself.
Now- how do I know someone wants to discuss the gospel? I will often find
that I have 30 or more names of people in a list from Face Book, saying
they responded to a post of mine on the “All Christians on Face Book” and
within the thread “Ask A Mormon”. Isn’t it great that I can respond,
even though others still may be sleeping? So that is what I do. I have
been on this site for about a month- and thankfully it has less “TELL
mormons what they believe” (yes I purposely didn’t put a capital on the
proper name and nick name, Mormon- as I was representing how they rudely
do even that) even though it is less often on this Face Book site. Also,
invariably those type messages (TELL the mormons) always seem to
purposely distort what they SAY are LDS teachings too- though they
usually claim to be former LDS, and so should know better- but then I
think (from their posts) that they are bitter/sour grapes and on purpose
do that to try to discredit and destroy my faith. Isn’t that un Christ
like? I sure think so, and God will judge their hearts, and mine. I work
really hard to be as respectful as I can, and say things like “I
believe”, “I understand” instead of stating things as “facts”, as so many
of them do, even when they are distorting almost beyond identity!
So, some days (more than I like to count actually) most of my morning and
sometimes all day, I will spend “defining” our LDS official teachings and
beliefs accurately- that at least if there may be some of those who only
READ, and don’t write, to push the distortions on us, may see the truth!
The things I do on days that I don’t let my self get “caught up” in the
joy of sharing the gospel are the usual mundane things of house keeping.
You know, vacuum the carpet, dust, do the laundry, pay the bills, pick up
the clutter, change the bed sheets etc. Of course I have always chosen to
work on the principle of “selected neglect” as if something doesn’t NEED
to be cleaned, I don’t clean it. I mean, why wash windows more than once
a year that nobody looks out of? I do draw the line-- in that no one is
to write a DATE in the dust, as that could ruin my claim of it being
extra dusty in this tiny Idaho town that is surrounded with fields on one
side and desert on the other.
So, by now it may be almost lunch time (did I saw my sweet husband often
brings me bowl of oatmeal to the computer for me- so I can continue to
“save the doctrine from distortions”? He is a DEAR husband! ) but the
morning dishes (and possibly last nights too!) are waiting in the kitchen
sink, so now to be sweet to my sweetie, I rush in to make the kitchen
clean for lunch. We eat, and talk (he gets too jealous of my time if I
should stay o the computer when he is home for lunch!) and sometimes we
will work together on some home improvement, as he is out of work right
now, and will have spent most of the morning in pursuit of some- but he
is a DO IT guy and can’t stand that for long. It is a blessing to be
getting the things done that cry for it on this house! We must look at
the bright side right? I mean, he is a “workaholic” and would never find
time for the house (though he does like to do it) when he has another job
to be working on.
So, sometimes, after lunch, if I began my day in the wee hours, then I
try to take a nap on the couch. If my mind still will not slow down
enough- then I go back and do some more cyber missionary work. I love it!
It may be that I will get a phone call about 6 am- to go sub teach in one
of our district school. In the months of snow though, I have discovered
it is not safe to go out of our local town as the wind can create such
drifts that sometimes you can’t get home! Also, my present car is not
four wheel drive, though even those can’t get through sometimes as they
CLOSE the whole road! Did I mention- we are rather remote here? Yep, yep,
yep!
If I have taken a nap, then I am up by 3:00, and either do house work, or
maybe some sewing (I make costumes) or maybe I get woken from my nap by
one of my daughters calling for a chat. That is so nice! I get the mail,
sometimes go for a walk (less often than I should!) or prepare my
Primary class lesson for Sunday.
Then before you know it, it is time for my dear husband to come home from
work. If he is late (as he used to be when he had work to do in his
shop) I call him and remind him that his Father (who lives right next
door) will be hungry and we want to feed him healthy food, as if we don’t
it will effect us all if he eats before we have the healthy stuff! He is
93!)
When dinner is done, if I am beastly active (have had a nap) then I clean
the table before they leave the dining room, and begin the dishwasher as
we walk to the kitchen to check the news on TV. My dear husband likes to
watch TV to relax, and sometimes Great Grandpa will join us for awhile-
but it isn’t long till he walks back out to his cabin. Then my sweetheart
and I may channel surf, --- we like the Home Improvement channel, or he
likes Discovery or History Channels, or often BYU TV has something good
on too. If there is nothing on, we may go get one of our old videos and
watch a classic we haven’t seen for years, or if we have picked up
something “new” from the Deseret Industries Thrift Store, we will watch
that till I call a break at 8:00 for our nightly scriptures and prayers-
when we may continue to watch or I may head to bed—finally sleepy!
