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Show -N E W S- Spanish Fork Covering what matters most WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2008 • A3 Benjamin Day approaches Busy in May 'Round and About Benjamin Kathleen Olsen In last week's column, we told about the old Benjamin School that stood where the Benjamin Park is now. One thing about the school that was omitted was the old bell that hung in the steeple of the school, and its ring could be heard through most of Benjamin when it was rung in the mornings before school. When the school was torn down, the bell was salvaged and Trent Anderson, son of Wayne and Michelle Anderson, incorporated it into part of his Eagle Scout project. It hangs today in the southwest corner of the church grounds across the road from the park in a special display. The display also holds a bench from the old Benjamin Church that was replaced in 1969 and makes a lovely spot to contemplate some of the history of Benjamin. ••• Congratulations to Tonie Thorpe who received her Masters of Education degree at the spring commencement ceremonies of Southern Utah University in Cedar City. Tonie has pursued this degree while teaching full time and serving in her church plus being a wife, mother and grandmother. She teaches third grade at Foothills School and is the wife of Glen Thorpe. ••• Derrick Jackman, who just graduated from Spanish Fork High School with high honors, recently participated in the Utah Milt Media Arts Festival where he won first place for second year students in 3D Design. Derrick is the grandson of Lynn and Janet Hazel. Congratulations Derrick! ••• Diane and Brian Adams, of Snellville, Georgia, spent a few days visiting with Lynn and Janet Hazel Diane and Janet are sisters and both grew up in Benjamin. The Adamses completed an LDS mission in Salt Lake and, after returning to Georgia to be released, made the trip to Utah again to visit with family members. ••• A gathering of some former Benjamin School students took place at the Benjamin Park on Saturday, May 24, 2008. Four years* worth of students enjoyed (despite the cool in bringing this annual celebration together. June 12 marks the 122nd anniversary of the establishment of the first LDS ward in Benjamin. This event has been celebrated in honor of that occasion for many years, and all current and former friends and residents of the community are invited. Events will begin at 5 p.m. with a flag raising ceremony, followed by a children's parade around the path in the park, a potluck supper with hamburgers and hot dogs being furnished. Please bring a favorite dish to share. The program (with surprises) will follow including the announcement of the 2008 Citizen of the Year. The evening, will conclude with a ball game and other activities.' A bake/craft sale will be going on through the evening Plans are being finalized and residents are invited to for Benjamin Day which donate baked or craft items will be held on Thursday, to be sold. Please come June 12, 2008, at the Ben- renew old friendships and jamin Park. With Pat and make new ones. (It would Allan Swenson, activities be a. good idea to bring chairmen for Benjamin folding chairs if possible.) 2nd Ward, and the activiSpecial note: The deadties .committee assisted line for Citizen of the Year by the activities commit- nominations is June 4. Lettee of Benjamin 1st Ward, ters of nominations need plus ward auxiliary heads, to be Verla Richardson by many people are involved that date. and threatening weather) a potluck supper, reminiscing, visiting and picture taking. Those who "attended included Eldon and Sharon Huff Willes of Pleasant Grove, Lynn and Lorraine Wride of West Mountain, Doug and Gayle Lindstrom McArthur of Anaheim, California, Jerry and Pat Waldvogel of Centervilie, Paul and Jerry Ann Huff of West Valley, Dale Hone and his wife of Salina, Rae Anderson Shepherd of FairView, Wayne and Delora Blanchard of Springville, Boyd and Pat Hansen Richardson, Sherman and Bonnie Huff, Ted Hansen, Jim and Peggy Balzly Larsen, and Sherrill Stewart Watkins all of Spanish Fork, Mildred Balzly Hayward, Jim and Jacky Caras and Blair and Kathleen Olsen of Benjamin. ••• Keeping up the melody Life After Birth Janene Baadsgaard My daughter Ashley was asked to play a piano solo for the whole school in junior high. She worked hard and prepared well for her debut by memorizing a song that was both beautiful and entertaining. I was sitting in the audience that day when she walked up on stage and sat down on the bench ready to begin. Because I am her mother I noticed all the color drained from her face. She was scared but she took a deep breath and began. She played thefirstsection of the song remarkably well. I noticed that each time she would get to the beginning of the second part of the song, her mind would. go blank. Without batting an eye she simply started over. This happened three or four times. What Ashley didn't know was that she and I were the only ones in the whole auditorium that knew there was a second part of the song. Ashley finally finished and walked off stage. I met her in a corner of the school hallway. She was mortified, certain she had flubbed up big time in front of all her peers. - N E W S - Spanish Fork LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Serving you and your family with: INTEGRITY "Ashley, it sounded wonderful," I told her. She didn't believe me. She knew what the song was supposed to sound like and was certain she had failed in her performance. During the rest of the school day Ashley was surprised when many of her peers expressed sincere admiration for her solo. They told her the song was awesome and envied her talent. Ashley finally realized that by playing the melody three or four times it sounded like she had played a complete song. She was the only one who knew how much better she wanted to perform. Mothers are like that. We know how much we want to demonstrate our love for our children but often fall short of our own unrealistic expectations. We feel inadequate when we lose our patience, forget to pick up a child after gymnastics, neglect to sign up as room mother or have say no when asked to baby sit a grandchild. What we don't realize is that if we keep the melody going, everything will work out. The melody is love. It doesn't matter if our homes look like a page right out of Better Homes and Gardens. It doesn't matter if we've put on a few extra pounds. It doesn't matter if we don't have our children involved up to their eyeballs in every extra curricular activity. It does matter if we take the time to truly enjoy and love our children and grandchildren in the moment - for the moment passes. I'm often asked to play the piano at church. Because I'm asked to play extemporaneously, I've had to develop a skill I refer to as sight-reader neglect. This means I choose which notes not to play with my. left hand so I can keep the melody going with my right hand. The congregation can't tell the difference. I have learned to accept the fact that I can't play every note in every chord every time. As mothers we also have to learn commitment neglect. We have to be able to say, "I choose not to wash the windows. I choose not to sign up my child for soccer." We can't do everything and keep everybody happy all the time. Over-committed and overscheduled mothers don't have enough time to take an unhurried stroll in the evenings. Once we understand that love is the melody, we can choose our activities and commitments more wisely. God is the only one in the audience who should really matter. When we truly love ourselves and our families, God will conduct our lives, lead us to inner harmony and compose a personal masterpiece with our souls. Janene Baadsgaard is the author of many humorous and heartwarming booksfor families including Families Who Laugh . . . Last, On the Roller Coaster Called. Motherhood,' Winter's Promise, Financial Freedom for LDS Families, The LDS Mother's Almanac and her most recent publication 15 Secrets to a Happy Home - available at local book stores or on-line at HYPERLINK "http:liwww. springcreekbooks.com " www.springcreekbooks. com. She can be reached at janenebaadsgaard@juno. com. LongrahJalions to April Contest Wiinner EXCELLENCE ASHTON ELLIS SPANISH FORK PAYSON 89 WEST 900 NORTH 1107 SOUTH HWY 198 798-8343 PASSION Your chuckle for the week: A young boy was caught cursing by his school teacher. "Jeffery," she said, "you shouldn't use that kind of language. Where did you hear it? "My daddy said it," he responded. "Well, you don't even know what it means." . "I do too! It means the car won't start." The last week in May was a busy one with Memorial Day and high school graduation. Many families were busy with a variety of activities. We went to the cemetery on Sunday afternoon and it looked so nice with all the brightly colored flowers. Some families are really creative about how they decorate and it's interesting to see the different ideas. We enjoyed decorating the graves of several family members and other relatives, and also visited other relatives and friends who were doing the same thing. Our family is fortunate to have several generations of grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents buried here in Spanish Fork. As we' walked around to several of them, I tried to explain who this or that one was and how we were related. After a while it gets pretty confusing so one of these days, I want to take my family there again and maybe with pictures and histories it will be clearer to them. I-iove the old pioneer headstones. The tall ones, the small ones, the ones made of sandstone where the writing is getting harder to read because of the erosion caused Here we are in another new month. We finally have some warmer weather and hopefully we'll soon be in the first crop of hay. I'm just glad we don't live in Tornado Alley, China, Myanmar or anywhere else. We are so blessed to live here! by "Big Al° and Tamzy"' Janene Baadsgaard ORTHODONTIST SERVICE There and Back Again Shirlene R, Ottesen Madison's Avenue CHRISTOPHER J. TRAPNELL, DDS., MS. QUALITY y-t;- v by the wind and theitafe'over the past 100 or so years. Some have poetry written an themf • some have other graphics such as clasped hands, hearts, flowers, etc. My thanks to those who take care of the cemetery and all the work they do. We were able to find Hy's flag in the sea of flags by the entrance. Also, the flag ' for his father and grandfather, thanks to the American Legion who put out this display every year'to remind us of these fallen heroes. I understand that there were over 500 students who graduated from Spanish Fork High School on Wednesday. That's quite a bit more than the 137 that was in my graduating class. These graduates face the same kind of future that we experienced almost 60 years ago. The Korean War was going on when we graduated in 1950 and now we're still at war. Things don't seem to change a whole lot, do they? When talking to a mother of several young children she said she is ready for a break. She's looking forward to having her children at home and a different schedule plus no more worrying about getting homework done. I attended a program for a young grandson who graduated from his pre-school. It was quite the program as these young students shared what they had learned with great enthusiasm. They were adomed in cap and gowns and presented with their own diploma. 465-2541 ...tt's the LAST day of SCHOOL! Dale BilL Nebo School District Dale Bills works at e Nebo School District ces as the Technial Services Supervisor, is originally from Sugar City, Idaho and now resides in Spanish Fork. Some of his hobies and interests are computers, family hisiv,-gardening and readHe and his wife have t children. SPONSORED BY. SECURITY HOME MORTGAGE 798-158! |