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Show -N E W S- Spanish Fork Covering what matters most WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2008 • A3 Make everyday worth something that moment on I decided I had no more time to waste Life After Birth hoping for an easier tomorJanene Baadsgaard row. I was going to make every day, the best day of " One day my mother-in- my life. I think my mother-in-law law turned to me and said, "I was trying to tell me that as used to think my life would get so much easier after I we age we have more and 'got my children raised. It more people to worry about 'idoesn't. It just gets worrier because we have more and '.and worrier until you die." more people we know and - -. At the time I thought she love. We start out being Iwas throwing a wet towel concerned about a small '.over all my dreams for an nuclear family group and .'easier tomorrow. Like her, friends. Soon we grow up and that group expands to t I was living white knuckled ..hoping my life would get include our spouse and chil., easier some day. From my dren. Soon those children perspective, her life seemed grow up and our worries .a lot easier than mine. Her include their spouses and comment got me thinking children. Then the grand,'- maybe life's challenges children grow up and our ,'don't go away; they just heart grows to include their . change to new ones. From spouses and children. Even though we can*t stop being concerned about all the people we love, we can learn the important difference between everything we're concerned about and what we can actually do something about. Then we do what we can and leave the rest in God's hands. Understanding that God alone is in control of the universe is the greatest stress reliever in the world. When we develop an attitude of gratitude for everything life throws at us, things have a way of working out. On the day my motherin-law left this life she was dying in one room of the Pay son hospital while her great grand daughter was being born in another. While I watched my sister-in-law dashing betweenfloorstry- are rejoicing and welcom- leases us from the quicking to say goodbye to her ing an old family member sand of self pity and opens our hearts to the personal mother for the last time and back home again. Perhaps if we had a growth we experience from hello to her grandchild for the first time I didn't know broader perspective, all our good days and bad days. if I should be happy or sad. hellos and good-byes, our Then every.day can be the Then I wondered if birth struggles and challenges best day of our life. Janene Baadsgaard is and death are not so differ- would be seen as gifts to help us grow in knowledge, the author of many books ent. Our perspective makes wisdom, patience and com- for families including 15 us sad or happy. If we're in passion. It is our perception Secrets to a Happy Home, heaven when someone we that causes us worry or re- Families Who Laugh . . . Last, On the Roller Coaster love is born, we feel sad be- joicing. cause we're going to miss The truth is - there is Called Motherhood, Winthem and we wonder what's no easy time of life. In es- ters Promise, Financial in store for them. The sence, each day is a series Freedom for LDS Famipeople on earth are rejoic- of problems to solve, over- lies and The LDS Mother s ing and welcoming a new come or endure. The secret Almanac - available at lofamily member. If we're of a fulfilling life journey cal book stores or on-line on earth when someone we lies in our ability to be at wwwspringcreekbooks. love dies, we feel sad be- grateful for everything even com. Read her columns at cause we're going to miss when we're knee deep in www.janenebaadsgaard. blogspot.com. She can be them and we don't know challenges. for sure what's in store for Making the personal reached at janenebaadsthem. The people in heaven decision to be grateful re- gaard@q.com. Breaking out the halloween decorations thanked the host, "I feel a lot better now, but I know Dad's going to be real upset." "Don't be silly!" said Shirlene R. Oltesen the neighbor "By the way, Your chuckle for the where is he?" "Under the . -week: "A farm boy ac- wagon," replied Willis. Another holiday is fast cidentally overturned his approaching. Signs of Hal..wagon load of wheat on the loween are everywhere road. The farmer that lived now. Some people really .nearby came to investigate. go all out to decorate their ;"Hey, Willis," he called out, homes and yards. The stores ."forget your troubles for a have all kinds of costumes iwhile and come and have on display and some people dinner with us. Then I'll have plans for parties and help you overturn the wag- other fun activities. When, on" "That's very nice of ever I think of fun on Halyou," Willis answered, "but loween I always remember I don't think dad would like the party that the Brockme to." * Aw, come on, son'" bank School had when our the farmer insisted. "Well, children were attending OK" the boy finally agreed, school there. Back then the "but Dad won't like it." Af- school was only about half ter a hearty dinner, Willis the size it is now. Because There and Back Again of the smaller student body they could accommodate a wide variety of activities-. Of course, there was always the costume parade when the children went into all the classrooms to show off their costumes and it still amazes me of the creativity of some of the mothers (or parents). They also had a fortune teller that was dressed kinda creepy, but she told good fortunes! There were different stations where the kids could play games and they would get a small prize. In one of the classrooms they showed Halloween cartoons, but one of the most popular events was the cake walk. That was always held on the stage. Numbers were taped to the floor in a large circle. Music was played as the participants walked around and if you were standing on the lucky number when the music stopped, you won a cake, usually a very small cake. The cakes were decorated and donated by parents. If I remember correctly, we could also buy suppep at the school that evening. It was sloppy joes, chips and a drink or something similar. Or, it could have been doughnuts and cider. I really don't like Halloween, but I think it should be fun and not scary and gory. I don't enjoy seeing a lot of blood and headless people. I have never enjoyed being scared and I don't think little kids do either. But there are lots of people who do the "haunted house" thing every year and the scarier the better. I remember having a Halloween party at our home for our children. Everyone came dressed as a hobo and we did the usual games plus we made a tittle spook alley in our garage. We borrowed a wooden coffin from one of the mortuaries and we had our son, Paul lay in it. We had the garage dimly lit and so when the attendees passed by the coffin he had a good time raising up and scaring them. While we were eating soup out of tin cans, I had arranged for a neighbor to suddenly appear dressed like a witch. She opened the door and came bursting into the room, screaming and running around which caught everyone off guard. I hadn't even told my girls what I was doing and so they were just as surprised as everyone else. When the commotion had calmed down, she told a scary story and when she was finished, she left in a flurry just like she had come. So I guess we will endure another Halloweea with all of it's good and some of the bad. I really like the idea of the "Trunk or Treat" activities at the church. The kids have a great time and so do the people who give out their treats. So happy Halloween to everyone! Madison's Avenue Letter to the Editor at tL Zbodoz*. Offia*... ns. i L: 2ooe> Setting things straight Regarding your article Sept. 24, 2008 "SF denies ALA zone change," there are inaccuracies that we would like to set straight. As with any public school, city permits are not required. Spanish Fork City was consulted and notified. ALA was in compliance with all applicable laws at the time. Since that time some of the laws have changed requiring a zone change for future expansion. ALA's zone • • change was approved by these false accusations at and parents. We are fulthe planning commission that time. ly accredited with the and ALA was told that a Charter schools are highest score possible. zone change was contin- public schools and are We have created a safe, gent on completing the required to meet all of beautiful, and wholeimprovements on Delthe same requirements as some learning environMonte Road. We never any public school. A re- ment. Yes, we may have expected, and were never cent Salt Lake City Asso- a strictly enforced dress notified, that we were on ciated Press Article dated code and discipline polthe agenda for the city Oct. 7, 2008, "Charter icy, but by doing so we council meeting because Schools Out Perform feel that this builds charthe improvements had Traditional Schools" ver- acter in our students, benot been completed as ifies the success of char- cause we are building the of yet. Given we were ter schools. leaders of tomorrow. not in attendance at the We at ALA are comJennifer Fulton city council meeting, mitted to excellence in American Leadership we were unable to rebut education to our students Academy by "Big Al" and "Famzy" *• a \t SO,...WHATDOYou SEE IN MY EAR ? * e200fl Madlngo L.L.C., Allan Olsen and Darren Fames 'Hmmmmmmm.... FUR!" A T T 0 R NE 798-8201-743 N. Main, Spanish Fork HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING • Service • Furnace Replacements • A/C Add Ons • Green Sticker • Financing OAC Starting Oct. 8th, Brad would like to welcome Jody Crandell, a new barber from Spanish Fork. Walk-ins are welcome. Brad's Barber Shop 59 N. Main Street, Spanish Fork • 798-2629 bryant Hosting & Cooling Systems The Spanish Fork News ROCKS WHATEVER IT TAKES 798-1700 A growing n j ieople -with, social securty payments as tfielr]g|»sourc®Pjjame.otterL there are family memberVthat would lite to rieipjoutHlt any monies they give can end up disqualifying thefamily member from social "*"" ' ,assistanG£ because of the the bare-minimum $2,000 rule, implicated further when many of these social security are handicapped in some way and are therefore in special ;ome extra help. 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