Thanksgiving Day in Seattle this year filled by heart with gratitude when I saw pictures of 85 family members who had put forth great effort to be together. They traveled hours and hours and thousands of miles...mostly to see Grandma Bird and this just fills my heart with Thankfulness!!! I love the technology that makes it possible to receive short videos from family members, those snapshots that prove that the child is taller than the father, and the pictures of all those in attendance. They were just beautiful and I want all to know, "I am so glad Mom married my Dad". Knowing I wouldn't be there, my children sent me this tree of grattitude with each of their "thankfuls" on the leaves of the tree so that I wouldn't miss Thanksgiving with them.
I want to share my Thanksgiving Day of 2013 in Seattle, WA. Sue, Sister Carter and I made up a 'team' to provide an authentic Thanksgiving Dinner for Fokes, our Burmese friends. Well, due to some language barriers and mixed up schedules, Fokes had also told another family they would eat with them. So, as the 'minutemen' we are are known to be we cooked ALL the food and made 30 plates of delicious Thanksgiving Dinners. Our first plan was to take two meals to Dick and Annabelle because they were going to be alone and they also needed someone to visit with them. As we had been preparing the food, we called Irene, whose husband had been an Officer in Tukwila before he passed away, and since she still knows many policemen she called them and ask for some 'instant plans' as to where we should go. Then we loaded the CRV with 28 plates of hot food, drove to Pike's Market on 1st Ave along Elliots Bay and found a park just north of it. We saw two officers meandering along the road so wisdom told us to check with them and receive permission to feed the homeless, making them aware that these 3 'little ole ladies' were in the park so they would 'watch our backs'....as if The Lord was not already doing it!
This was one of the most marvelous experiences I have had. One lady was in the park alone; yes, wanting food and she was also watching for others that needed it and then would report to us. All others were men...no children...and by 4:15 it is getting rather cold and by 4:45 it is dark.
A nicely dressed couple, maybe Italians, stopped us as we went into the park wanting to know what we were doing. We told them two of us were Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and we also had a friend. But they wanted to know "why we wanted to feed these homeless people". We shared our feelings of the gratitude we felt for all we have and that we wanted to give to those who have not. "Where is your church...can we pay you or give some money to your church?" was what he said. He told us he was from Bothell, north of the city and I told him there were missionaries in that city. He seemed eager to know more and told me he would go to his internet and find the church. What a sweet experience! Did we plant seeds by our actions? I certainly hope so.
After leaving the park we fed a man living under an overpass and with his toothless smile and very kind words of "God Bless You" my heart was touch with tenderness and being reminded that God loves all his children and wants happiness for all. We fed a single man sitting against a cold building and it was much colder now. He told us he was an 'undercover' officer but would still love the food! Was he? I think he was but then how do I know and does it really matter? He was alone on the street and cold.
Yes, there are some things wrong in our world but there are many things that are right! I hope that what we did on Thanksgiving Day were 'small and simple' deeds that helped make a few more people's hearts happy and 'right'.
I need to say I am "Thankful for kind people". This week as we have personally invited over 123 people, not counting doors not answered, to our Christmas "The Angels Sing". I say again how wonderful it is to have the privilege to invite so many people to celebrate Jesus Christ's birth and to hear their kind words of gratitude for the information and to also feel their loving hearts.
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| Beautiful Red Berries |
Sat. we went to Smiths. Sister Carter cut and styled Sister Smith's hair. Sister Smith is 93 and has an extremely large 'Dowager's Hump" on her back and she also has an incredibly beautiful smile on her face. She stood 5'8" as she raised her children and now her eyes are level with her doorknobs. Brother Smith is
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| Even closer and brighter! |
almost blind so I wrote on the computer
his "Message of Testimony" which he places in many Books of Mormon and continues to share and give them away at 91 years old. I love these people and I am so Thankful for their commitment to God and to life and for their love for each other! I want you all to know how much I love this work. Yes, it is work but "I can do hard things!" I love My Savior and I am extremely Thankful for the Atonement and the blessings received from following and living the teachings of Jesus Christ.
I love my Mom for her strength and stamina and that at almost 93 she continues to "Sister Teach," attend the temple, and usually she walks around her block.
I love my family...yes, Jer's kids!! Some of them have so many of the characteristics and actions of their father...and I love it!! I love this country of America and the blessings that are ours as we live here!! Thanks for your continued love and support. May God be with you and bless each of you in all you do and please don't to forget to look for and recognize the Miracles that are yours each day and don't forget to record them. I am totally amazed that there are so many simple miracles daily.
Love to you all,
Sister Frame
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