Happy Pioneer Day!

Dear Friends,

It's been quite a toasty week here at Birdsong Cottage! Keeping the garden alive has been our priority, and after that, keeping cool inside! Our chickens have been "enjoying" daily dunks in their personal pool, to help keep them from overheating. Now they're the cleanest birds around! :)

July 24th marks the day that the Mormon pioneers reached the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Both Mr. Graham and I have ancestors who crossed the plains in wagons or hand carts, so we like to spend some time honoring those who came before, and teach our children their stories so they know from whence they came.

Our church had a Pioneer Day Breakfast at a beautiful park near our home yesterday, and we had fun performing "Grandma's Feather Bed" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" for everyone.

But after we sang, we had even more fun exploring the creek that flows through the park!

 

  

(Some of us enjoyed the playground, too!)

 

 

There was a huge old oak tree guarding the entrance to the park, that was big enough for our whole family to go around (which we did).

~We nicknamed it "Tremendous"

 We'll leave you with the words of our favorite pioneer hymn, "Come, Come, Ye Saints," which gives us comfort and peace as well traverse our own trail of dreams.

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Come, come, ye saints, no toil nor labor fear;
But with joy, wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
’Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this, and joy your hearts will swell
All is well! All is well!

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
’Tis not so, all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward,
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take;
Our God will never us forsake,
And soon we’ll have this tale to tell,
All is well! All is well!

We’ll find the place which God for us prepared,
Far away in the west,
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;
There the saints will be blessed.
We’ll make the air with music ring,
Shout praises to our God and King;
Above the rest these words we’ll tell,
All is well! All is well!

And should we die before our journey’s through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again
To see the saints their rest obtain,
O how we’ll make this chorus swell,
All is well! All is well!

Love,

Marqueta

Lessons From the Thrift Store

 

Dear Friends,

Thank you for coming by Birdsong Cottage for another visit~ Let me get you a cup of tea! :)

(First we'll have to clear the dress-and-quilt-in-progress off of the couch, though!)

We are busily preparing for Valentine's. We have invited the Grandparents Graham over for a romantic in-house restaurant experience (the girls do this for us every year), so we've been decorating with hearts and flowers, and making up menus and place cards!

There will even be live entertainment!

While treasure-hunting at the thrift store today, I couldn't help but notice how most folks were walking around with a scowl on their face, just out of habit. Suddenly, I heard two ladies coming up behind me, happily conversing about this and that. I turned around to let them pass, and noticed that one of them was missing a leg, and had to support herself with crutches. Immediately the little poem "I had the blues because I had no shoes, Until on the street I met a man with no feet" came to mind.

How many times do we focus on the little "grumbles" of life, while walking around on two perfectly good legs! And how about those eyes that we can see with, and the ears to hear the song of the birds!

Another lady approached the two happy ladies, and told them that her mother had just had a leg amputated. She said that her mother was in a wheelchair and didn't think that she could be mobile again. The ladies informed her that there wasn't anything the one could do that the other couldn't, even with her crutches. They both attested that life can be wonderful, even with such a great handicap.

My heart burned within me, as I pondered on the lesson that they had taught me that day.

May this little story bless your lives today, as well.

Love,

Marqueta