In with the old and in with the new!

I was once given the advice to 'continue learning new skills.' After some time of cleaning house, cooking, raising children, working outside the home, doing church service, etc. etc. I forgot what skills I enjoyed and what skills I wanted to learn. Now that I no longer feel as if I am living life in the fast lane I decided to pick up an old skill I use to love and to teach myself a new skill I wanted to learn. I remember one summer, in particular, when I was in my youth and I devoured books from the library. I use to love to read. Thus I decided to revive that past hobby. I did have to laugh though... as I went to the library I checked out two books. Thinking I could get through both of them in the two weeks I was allotted. Well....two weeks later I was only 1/2 through the book , "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. So I returned them both, re-checked out "The Good Earth" and took only one home to finish! I just finished it today and yes I did like it and enjoy it. I forgot what it was like to read and become so involved in the story you could see the sights, hear the sounds, and even smell the odors! It is a fabulous story. On one printout it states: " This Pulitzer Prize winner follows Wang Lung's family from their early struggles to live off the land to their final disintegration as they move to the city." I found that an interesting comment and one I would not agree with. I would say: "This Pulitzer Prize winner follows Wang Lung's family from their early struggles to live off the land to their final disintegration as they accumulate wealth." Wang Lung constantly seeks peace, but that is one thing his wealth can not buy. A great literary guide that shows the destructive forces of pride and wealth. Next on my list to read....The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. And, as for the new skill I decided to learn....counted cross stitch! Perhaps, I should have chosen this skill in my youth when my eyesight was better!!! I am determined to finish it no matter how long it takes, but perhaps I should have begun with a smaller project!

A Day filled with Love, Laughter, Tears, and Inspiration

I need to remember and do my photos opposite of how they are downloaded as it puts last to first! So I will begin with the last photo. Josie Greathouse Fox...her final resting place. She had 100 floral arrangements. Obviously, not all of them are in the photo. I loved the hat at the foot of the grave side. It had daisies on it. So fitting. She was loved by many and was an inspiration to many.

The flags lined up at the Delta Cemetery.
They were also lined up running east
and west. A beautiful sight.

This was the flag that was flown
at ground zero. It was impressive
to say the least.

I got up this morning and put our flag out in honor of Josie.

When we returned to school last Tuesday it was,unfortunately to be greeted with the sad news of Josies death. She had been shot early that morning. She has come to the school in the past and my memory of her was that she was always smiling. Always happy and seemed to love life and love what she was doing. A delightful lady to be around. Very well loved in the community and very inspiring to the troubled youth of Delta. Today they said her service contained laughter and tears. I loved what her mother had to say in the Tribune so I am attaching it.

"But for a time, Greathouse recalled, her second-oldest child "spent some time learning the other side." She skipped class at Delta High School. She experimented with marijuana and methamphetamine. And her choices had consequences: She became pregnant with her first child as a teenager. It was Josie's dedication to her son, Spencer, that helped her turn her life around. About 12 years ago she took a welding job in Salt Lake City, balancing work with raising her children, including her daughter, Hunter, who was born five years after Spencer. But her heart remained in law enforcement, her mother said, and she returned to the Delta area to join the Millard County Sheriff's Office, going through Peace Officer Standards and Training in early 2005.
"She got all of that out of her system all by herself," Greathouse said. "When she made her mind up to do something, she got it done. It's one of the things I was proudest of her for."
It also made her a great police officer. So many people have told me Josie helped their kids get out of the drug scene and overcome depression," Greathouse said. Roberto Miramontes Roman was just the kind of person that Josie was likely to help. She never got the chance. She also had many friends in the Latino community and would be "heartbroken" at some of the comments Greathouse has heard in her community since the shooting.
What wonderful comments by a mother grieving the loss of her daughter. I am assuming you all know how she died, but perhaps I should not assume that. She had pulled over Roberto Roman for a drug bust. He shot and killed her. One hour before he had sold drugs to her brother. So many victims in this senseless crime.

Peace

A beautiful Delta sunset. It just speaks peace, does it not? It seems to say "Be Still and Know that I am." Love it and the inspiration it brings!