These marvelous art pieces by Caitlin Connolly make me think, and I wonder what she was thinking when she drew them. I like the lines, colors, and subject matter.

Open Hands Receiving

She Wore It On Her Sleeve

Leaning On a Mother

Her Arms Grew Tired as She Held the World in Its Place

A Busy Mind

Letting Go of Some Sorrows

Lifting Up a Woman

Leaning Against Something Unknown

I will share a few pictures taken in Calgary and Banff. You will see a picture of my siblings and I on the north crest of Calgary not far from my old grandparents home.  The new owners of their home were so gracious in allowing us to look around.The home and yard look lovely and completely different from how they looked thirty years ago, as is to be expected.  The memories of our time spent visiting grandparents over the years is precious.

Majestic Canadian Rockies and gorgeous flowers greeted us at Banff. Matthew grew up with a beloved St. Bernard dog, so I think his favorite thing about Banff was running into this dog.

 

Cardston, Alberta, Canada--a place where many ancestors lived.  We visited the cemetery and put flowers on the grave of our grandparents, great grandparents, great-great grandparents, and one great-great-great grandpa. 

The highlight of the trip was what transpired on July 26 inside the Cardston temple. The ten of us performed sealings on the wedding anniversary of our parents, who were married in the Cardston Temple on July 26, 1950. Our grandparents were also married in this temple. What a happy day!

 

My dear father-in-law passed away at the age of 95.  Here is a picture of J. Richard Clarke Barbara Clarke with our son Logan from 2015. 

I am eternally blessed to be a part of the Clarke family.  Dad Clarke welcomed me into the family with open arms and always cheered me on and supported me.  He thought more of me than I do of myself, and he had confidence in my abilities. He always looked happy to see me and would ask about my life and our family.

He was a man of integrity and high values who made intentional choices as to the direction of his life. He introduced me to the word "probity," which means having strong moral principles, honesty, decency. He has inspired me to aim high and live life with a purpose.

Dad Clarke was (is) the spiritual rock of our extended family. He was a strong witness of the Savior and the restored church, and he delighted in discussing the gospel. We had many family study groups which I enjoyed and learned from.

I will miss him! I am happy that he was released and can now move on. Though his body failed him, he remained cheerful and submissive to the very end. What a legacy of faithfulness, hard work, and love he leaves!

A friend gave me this book and I really enjoyed it.  Linda Eyre provides dozens of ideas for involved grandmothering, including: planning family reunions, helping at the time of new births, talking with teenagers, participating in service projects, and so on.  Some ideas were very applicable and appealing to me. Here is a sampling of her wisdom regarding being a grandparent:

The legacy that we leave to our grandchildren probably won’t end with a monument built of brick or stone or even a bronze plaque dedicated in our honor.  What we leave will be invisible.  It will be a monument of love and understanding and integrity and courage inside their minds and hearts that will stand forever (pg. 2).

As grandmothers, we share the weight and sorrow of worries which are now often beyond our control (pg. 144).

Even though the responsibility to raise these cherubs is no longer mine, I can make a meaningful difference in their lives (pg. 281).

Ponder what you want your grandchildren to remember about you.  Will they think you were gracious or grumpy? Fun-loving or fastidious? Cheerleader or chider? What are the times that they will remember with you? What have you taught them they will cherish? (pg. 282) 

 

She also had some great thoughts on anxiety:

Create a worry period.  If you’re worried about something, set a time limit to worry.  Set an alarm on your phone or a timer on your stove, and when it rings, distract yourself with another thought and go on with your day (pg. 155).

Accept uncertainty. Remind yourself that you have no control over an uncertain situation (pg. 155).

Ask yourself if the problem is solvable.  If it is, come up with a doable plan to work it out.  If not, dismiss it (pg. 155).