Goldie Arrives Home!

What a week!

We'd had flight information for Goldie for well over a month. She was due back at about 1 p.m. last Wednesday. Only then storms rolled into her area, and her flight was changed to 7 p.m. And then that was cancelled, and, for a spell, we had no idea if she'd be getting in that day at all. Finally, we got an 11 p.m. arrival time. We live a fair distance from the airport now, so I thought perhaps that meant just Mike and I would go--after all, our plans for picking her up and going to lunch ... and then our plans for picking her up and going to a late dinner ... were all falling through. And it would be too late to stop and visit grandparents on our drive home anyway. Surely it wouldn't make sense to keep the kids all up that late. But Mike said we should just do it. So, we all loaded up at about 8:30. And Abe and Daisy headed out from Provo to meet up with us. And then we waited with a bunch of other families with missionaries on the same flight.

And finally after nearly 19 months (the way transfers worked, she spent several weeks beyond the usual 18 months on her mission) and 10 hours of delayed and cancelled flights, there she was!

There were hugs for everyone (no small thing when you have 11 family members waiting), and then an admiring of all her welcome home posters, and then we tried to make our way to baggage claim with all four of Goldie's littlest siblings literally clinging to her.

Abe had to get back to Provo, but Daisy had arranged things so she could come back that very night with us. Initially the three oldest girls were going to drive in Daisy's car together while the rest of us took the van, but there were so many tears from the younger ones (and not enough seats in Daisy's car for all of them) that we put Goldie in with us. 

Then we all drove home through a terrible storm in Sardine Canyon and arrived home at about 2 a.m. 

Most of us got to bed at 3--though Mike and I both had to be up around 6 the next morning and the younger kids by 8, but listening to Daisy, Goldie and Penny in the kitchen chatting and laughing together made me so happy!

Continued in the next post. ...

Allred Ties and "Coincidence"

"Are you an Allred? You look just like the rest of your family!"

"Are you Tony's sister? We went to school together!"

"Is Dr. Allred your brother? He's my kids' pediatrician!"

"Is Gordon Allred your dad? I took biographical writing from him!"

"Oh are you Sharon's daughter? She's the most wonderful woman."

"Wait? Amy is your sister? Oh my goodness! She was in my last ward!"

Those unexpected connections have been, truly, a near constant occurrence in my life. (A teacher having taught siblings before me ["When I teach the last Allred, I quit!" one high-school history teacher wrote in red pen on one of my more exceptional essays], someone having read one of my dad's books and then made the connection to me, a stake president who grew up roaming the fields around Polk's End [the name bestowed on my childhood home] with my brother Rob, a friend's missionary son who is taken to dinner in TX by a "Brother Allred" that turns out to be my literal brother Aaron.)

And now, despite having no "Allred" moniker to obviously connect her to this side of her family, my Goldie has been experiencing this very same phenomenon! In Arkansas of all places!

Not long ago a visiting general authority came to her mission. Three missionaries were chosen ("at random" Goldie claims) to have an interview with him, and within very little time at all, they discovered that this general authority had been a student body officer with her Uncle John (my brother) back in high school. He knew my family and began reminiscing happily away with Goldie about her amazing grandparents who had opened their home to so many.

Only a few weeks later, Goldie emailed this crazy little experience to me and my mom:

Hey Grandma and Mom!

I've already got a lot to say in my main email this week, but I wanted to tell you about a cool experience I had! 

We walked up the stairs of an apartment building to see a man sitting out on his chair. Before we could say much at all he asked "you from Ogden?" I was delighted to say yes! After talking for a minute we made the connection of Weber State University. I knew it was a long shot but I couldn't help but blurt out "did you know Gordon Allred??" And he did! In fact, he worked side by side with him as an English professor. Many times in the following conversation he brought up what an excellent person he was. Incredibly respected and well loved, his classes always brimming with students. There was a lot to say about this good man. 

We left him a copy of the Book of Mormon, which he seemed very interested in studying. He said we could come back to talk about what he's learned. And he left us with a message to "tell the Allreds that Dr. Young wishes them well" I'm so grateful for Grandpa's ongoing example and the connections I've made because of this faith filled Allred family. And while nothing big came out of this meeting, I can't help but think that Grandpa Gordy sent me there.

Sure love you both and this family!!

Sister Harris

(Oh come on! Of course my dad lead Goldie there! What on earth are the chances that in some apartment building in Centerton, AR one of his old colleagues was living? One who had previously lived in Ogden without already having been a member of our church? And one that Goldie would "chance" upon in a city of 21,000?) 

These little unexpected ties and connections. 

These unlikely coincidences. 

I don't know. 

I think they are more than that. 

I don't know what exactly. If someone wanted some logical, well-expressed answer as to what I meant by "more", I would just sound bumbling.

But these things make me think of Elder Maxwell saying that what we call "coincidence" is actually "divine design" and President Monson saying "One day, when we look back at the seeming coincidences of our lives, we will realize that perhaps they weren't so coincidental after all".

There's something in these moments that makes me feel I'm catching tiny glimpses or flashes--lacking enough context to fully inform me about all that is going on--of God at work: weaving lives together, showing us that there is more significance in our connections than we could possibly guess, extending the influence of our sacrifices and imperfect offerings (like my parents' raising of so many children) much farther than they should possibly be able to extend. 

I don't know what any of it means! ... Only that ... it means something.

Elder Bednar once said that these tiny moments of surprise in timing and connection "do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence". He says, in fact, that it is the Lord's purposeful timing of these small mercies that is what makes it easier for us to "discern and acknowledge them". 

I just love the thought that, rather than feel we must dismiss coincidence, we can actually think that God made use of that tool for the express purpose of helping us notice His hand!

And speaking of those tiny types of coincidences, Goldie just got called to a new area of her mission--Salem, MO. 

She was a little nervous as she would be heading there with a brand-new missionary (rather than first adjusting to the area with a seasoned missionary who already knew the roads and people and various situations there). She'd heard mostly negative things about this place, but when she got there, she just felt so happy. Just immediately. It made me laugh when she first messaged me about it. "It's just the greatest place ever!!! ... Mostly trailer parks and very small run-down homes. And just the greatest people!!" And later, in her letter for the week, she said, "Salem is my happy place. If I think about it too long I start to tear up. ..."

Outwardly there appeared to be nothing to love at all about that tiny town. 

But she loves it. 

When she expressed all of this, it reminded me of this scripture from D&C 111 that I sent her:

And the place where it is my will that you should tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you.

When her p-day came, and she could reply to me, she told me that she loved that verse I sent her so much and that she went to read the entire section after I sent it. She then said, "[D]id you see where it was given?? It's the coolest thing!!"

I didn't know. But I went and looked. 

It was given in another Salem!

To Goldie it felt such a confirmation that the Lord was telling her that her Salem was just where he wanted and had placed her right now. 

In other coincidental or non-coincidental news, before Goldie left on her mission, one of the things I felt to pray was that she would be a comforting and soothing presence to her companions. That she would say and do things that would help them not feel homesick. That by just being around her they would struggle less and be enabled to share their own gifts better. 

This may not be related, but I think it is interesting that nearly all of Goldie's companions have been brand new missionaries. She had one companion train her at the start, and one other who had been out awhile in another area she went to, but other than those two, every companion has been completely new to the mission!

And that's all for tonight!

Goodbyes and Goodbyes

So many goodbyes these past few weeks! 

Goodbye to friends, goodbye to schools, and teachers, goodbye to our ward, to our youth leaders, our neighborhood, and our familiar roads. Goodbye to my running routes, our favorite trails and parks, and goodbye to our home of fourteen and a half years! 

AND, in the midst of all of this goodbying, our Goldie managed to slip, rather quietly, off on her mission! (I wonder, will we ever have a child leave on a mission during a time of stillness in our lives? Abe left just as we were adjusting to a tenth baby in our home. And Goldie chose this wild time to make her departure.)

I say she left "rather quietly" because she really did just do all of her shopping and readying on her own. All of the fussing and prepping that feels a part of readying a missionary ... appeared to just happen by magic. Every now and then, amidst packing our house, I'd anxiously recall that I had a missionary about to leave and frantically question, "Wait? Don't we need to get you ...?" or, "What about making sure you ...?" But no. She'd already taken care of it. Who knows when or how. She's an independent little soul who seems to function quite well without too much of our interference. In fact, when we went to her setting apart, our stake president was telling us how, when he called her in for her interview, rather than feeling impressed to give her lots of counsel, he just felt, "Just get out of her way and let her do My work". I've occasionally kicked against that with our Goldie. (As her mother certainly I should be running some of the show, I've felt.) But she seems to prefer we stand aside while she just goes "about [her] Father's business".

And she's off on his business now. (For her mission letters, click here.)

Here we are on her farewell Sunday. We'd already moved up to Logan the weekend before but still had her farewell and a small gathering back in Pleasant View (despite our mostly empty house not being ideal for hosting). This was the last time all of us were at that house together, and we marked it with a few quick pictures on the front porch:

And here she is with a few friends who came to hear her speak in church and afterwards, with her grandparents, at her setting apart.

After she was set apart we brought her up to Logan for a week and a half of home MTC. I'd been a little worried over how that would work in this tiny rental, but she determined to set up her little card table and kitchen-table chair in the well house out back, and it worked perfectly. She'd just come back inside between classes and be with us and then go back out where our noise couldn't bother when classes or companion study began again. 

Here are a few pictures taken during that week of her here with us:

An evening over at the farm. (Goldie was not interested in being in any photos that evening, but she was in fact with us! :))

There have been so many frogs this year! I wish we could hear them chirping year round! I love their sound even more than the sound of crickets. (Sorry dear crickets! I do love your sound!)

Can you believe I'll be able to take pictures with the farm as a backdrop for the rest of my life???

Aunt Sarah brought over crafts one day. I have been thinking about my father-in-law's three sisters and wondering how it is that all of them had/have it in their very souls to be just ceaselessly thoughtful and loving. Leisa was just the same. And already Carol has brought us down goodies from Preston (where she lives) and called me to let me know I can call on her for anything. And it is seeming an unfair wonder to have not only gotten to be neighbors with Leisa, but now with Sarah too! I feel like I need to make it a study to become what is just wholly natural to them.

Not a great shot, but, while Goldie was here for home MTC, she and I ran together every other morning (which we haven't done together since she was nine and wanted to run a 5K with me). I really loved that. Below we caught a distant photo of one of the two camels that live nearby. 

We went to Willow Park one day. (Officially they are now called Zootah.) It's a pretty place, but I think they really could up their animal game a smidgen. Even just ... one small bear? What do you say, Zootah?

Somehow, in a conversation with Aunt Sarah, it came up that I still had several enormous tubs of honey from our bee days, but that I never broke into them because it was too daunting. Sarah insisted on taking them, heating up the hardened honey (by putting the tubs in the back of her car in the sun! clever girl), and putting all of the honey in jars! Can you imagine just insisting on doing that for someone? And even making them feel like it's the thing you would most love to spend your time doing? Here Goldie, Pen and Jesse are with some of our jars of honey.

Penny left a number of cute treats and notes around for Goldie before Goldie's departure.

And then ... it was time to drop her off in Provo for the rest of her training before she flies to AR. Mike and the older kids were all down in Pleasant View (as you recall, Mike is staying down there fixing the house to sell after work most days, and Abe and Dais are still working before heading back to BYU). So here the eight Logan kids are on the porch of our little rental as we left:

Stopping at Al and Gayle's for Mike and Alma to give her a blessing:

And a tiny few from the MTC. She didn't appear to have even the slightest hint of hesitation as she walked off towards those MTC doors. And if my arms felt some hesitation in letting her go, well, I don't think my spirit did. I'm sure it was a hard goodbye when we left one another at varying points to come to this earth, and it will be a hard goodbye when death comes, but this goodbye? Well. It's a small one. And we can make it knowing with confidence that none of our goodbyes will ever ever be permanent.