Thursday, June 20, 2013

Remembering Grandma

My dad's mother passed away when I was not yet twelve. As the years have gone by since her death, I always wish that I could've known her while I was an adult. At eleven, I was barely learning who I was as a person, so I only knew my grandma from a little kid's point of view.

My dad mentioned a few years ago that he'd recorded some cassette tapes of my grandma. I didn't think much about it at first, but the thought came to me that I should get a hold of those tapes and listen to them. Better yet, what if I wrote down everything she said so I'd be able to read it later? I didn't follow that prompting right away. Life got busy. I had two children and not a whole lot of spare time for such a big project.

I started poking around on Amazon to see if it would be possible to change these tapes into a better format, like MP3, so I could transfer them to CD's. I was astounded to see that I could buy a device to do that for only $20! Needless to say, I bought it right then. It took longer than normal for it to come in the mail, and I thought the anticipation would kill me. When it came, I got to work right away.

A few months later (I can't remember when I started on this project), I'm finally done! I have great treasures to share with my family: 70 typed pages, 10 CD's, and a much greater appreciation for my family history and for those who can actually type fast. (I averaged only 30 accurate words a minute. Not so good!)

Grandma Phenix is, in the words of Anne Shirley, my kindred spirit. Listening to her long-forgotten voice made me feel like she isn't so far away. I'd forgotten about her Southern accent and her great love for me. She always spoke more highly of me than I deserve, but isn't that what grandmas are for?

I hope I always have a good record of my life for my descendants. I'm pretty excited about the next project to come: transferring my family's old 8mm tapes into DVD's. I know I'm going to get a good laugh watching myself as a child (especially my own children's ages.) That project will probably have to wait until we move, but we'll see.

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Lightening the Load

Yesterday I was feeling pretty wiped out, mostly mentally, but physically as well. It's been a crazy summer so far. Although James isn't working as a teacher, he is doing concrete and has been promised 30-40 hours a week. So far, so good. During our remaining time (afternoons and weekends), we are shopping yard sales religiously, preparing for a move, and going through the process of buying the house to move in to. I also have a few projects I'm working on: extra posts on this blog, transcribing tapes of my grandma that my parents sent to me (as well as learning to use Audacity, a sound-editing program), and getting a whole wardrobe for a baby girl.

The list is daunting. James got home yesterday around 3 and suggested that I go to the temple, so I did. It was exactly what I needed, like a breath of fresh air to my spirit. I thought I'd have the impression to calm down, stop doing so many projects, and just do my shopping like anyone else. It's not what came to mind, though. Everything I'm working on is really important and does need to happen. The timetable I've set for myself might be crazy, but that's okay. Things won't calm down in July because we will be in a new house and will need to get acclimated, not to mention start taking care of a yard. When fall comes, I will be getting close to the end of my pregnancy and be a lot more tired. There also won't be any yard sales by September, so the time is now for me to work hard! Not to worry anyone, I am a little tired at the end of the day, but I really don't need naps and I've been sleeping much better despite the newborn next door. (One more reason I'm glad to move into a house!)

I thought of the story in the Book of Mormon. Either the people of Alma or Limhi, I can't remember, were in bondage. Rather than lighten their loads, the Lord strengthened their backs so they could bear the heavy burdens. My back is literally stronger and hasn't hurt as much as before, even from sleeping on a really old mattress. I've had the energy to do everything I need to do and more, and I've not had insomnia (knock on wood) for a couple of weeks now. I'm counting my blessings. For right now, it's going to be full speed ahead. I'm going to be plenty tired, but I'm excited to know that what I'm doing is important, and the fruits of these projects will bless many people. As for the details, that will all come later when it's all done. It will get done because I have help.