She learned a lot and has grown a lot and has now moved on to newer and greater horizons. The going was tough but she got going and made it through!! I was honored to witness the ceremony and to share in the joy of her accomplishments.
Cicilee is beginning a new chapter in her life now. She will be learning Russian in Monterrey, California. I am so excited for her to expand her world and to be able to help others and to defend our country. My father was in the Navy in WWII. I know that he is as proud of her as am I.
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| Christian, Judd, Asher, Rex, and Tracy waiting for the ceremony to begin |
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| Ceremonial review hall at Great Lakes Naval Station |
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| Sailors in the bleachers |
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| Color guard with a flag for each state |
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| The rear admiral and commander passing in front of Cicilee's division |
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| Cicilee's division passing in review |
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| Happy reunion with Mom |
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| Proud Dad |
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| Tears of joy and relief |
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| Proud Gramma |
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| Dress uniforms for Cicilee and Jake. |
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| Navel Station Great Lakes |
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| Navy ribbon made for each of us to wear honoring Cicilee and her division 115 |
After the graduation ceremony, we went into Chicago proper so that Cicilee could see the city (She had been confined to the base for 2 months.) and we could get her some REAL food. Two months of "gross chow" was behind her and she was ready for good food!
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| Lake Michigan |
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| City scapes |
Thursday was an interesting experience for me. My flight to Chicago for Cicilee's graduation was at 7:15 A.M. I arrived at LaGuardia at 5:45. At 7:00 it was announced that the flight was cancelled because the plane we were to have flown on had been hit by lightning. I stood in line for an hour to get on another flight. The agent was kind and found a seat for me on a 9:00 P.M. flight but he also put me on the standby list.
There is a flight from NYC to Chicago about every hour to hour and a half. I waited through three more flights but didn't make it aboard. Waiting for the 1:30 flight to board to see if I might make that flight, it was announced that it was cancelled as were all flights departing or arriving due to thunderstorms and lightning. I was beginning to be really worried that I might not make it to the graduation. I checked Amtrak and bus service and everything was sold out or the timing wouldn't work.
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| Airport dinner |
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| Planes sitting
on the runway in the rain waiting for clearance to take off. Some of
them were there for 2-3 hours. I'm glad I was not sitting on one of those! |
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| Many cancelled and delayed flights on the departure board |
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| Tired and disgruntled passengers and people standing in long lines for hours waiting to get rebooked |
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| Chicago O'hare Airport |
Long day/story abbreviated, the airport reopened about 6:00 P.M. for flights again. I did make it on the 9:00 flight which didn't depart until 10:30 P.M. It was the last flight of the day. Many prayers were offered in my behalf and I arrived in Chicago for the graduation. I will tell you that I now know the D concourse of Terminal C at LaGuardia Airport like it was my home and it was for 17 hours. Not complaining but just grateful for the opportunity to be with family.
As much as I enjoyed being with my family, I missed being away from the mission even though I was able to still help and do my work from Chicago.
Before I left, on Tuesday I went into Manhattan with a missionary and was then honored to share my apartment with a group of missionaries whose companions were on a temple trip and then dinner with all of them. What a great blessing it is to be with these wonderful young people. It keeps me on a spiritual high.
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| Synagogue in Manhattan |
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| Window above the door in the Synagogue |
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| Ornate carved stone columns |
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| Monopoly deal game. Sisters Krause, Persinger, Platt, Pew and Spencer |
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| Dinner. Sisters Steninger, Persinger, Pew, Platt, Spencer, Bush, Eckardt, Yu and Krause |
Wednesday I did laundry, packed and prepared my apartment for my return as Jake came back with me. His family and Katie will be arriving on Tuesday. I am so excited to spend a week with them.
We returned to NYC late Saturday night. We flew different airlines. Jakes plane was delayed so my friends, Elder and Sister Williams, picked me up and then I returned to the airport to pick up Jake.
LaGuardia is dangerously close to the French Workshop Artisan Bakery and they are open until midnight so we made a late night run past the bakery to pick up a duke. You have to have a duke when you come to NYC!! I think we might make it back there a few more times before Jake and family leave.
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| I can't remember what the dessert is called on the left. It was good but nothing beats the duke on the right |
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| Cross section of heavenly delights!! |
Today in Primary, we learned a new song, I Know that Jesus Lives. President Monson's talk in conference last week was a perfect lead-in to teaching the song. We discussed his talk and the importance of having a testimony. I read a few paragraphs:
"This morning I speak about the power of the Book of Mormon and the critical need we have as members of this Church to study, ponder, and apply its teachings in our lives. The importance of having a firm and sure testimony of the Book of Mormon cannot be overstated.
We live in a time of great trouble and wickedness. What will protect us from the sin and evil so prevalent in the world today? I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us through to safety. If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you. If it is true-and I solemnly testify that it is-then Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Because the Book of Mormon is true, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's Church on the earth, and the holy priesthood of God has been restored for the benefit and blessing of His children."
If you would like to review the talk, you may read it in its entirety here:
The words of the song I taught are simple yet powerful:
I know that Jesus lives and that he loves me.
I know a prophet leads our church and guides me.
I know the Book of Mormon is a witness of Jesus Christ.
I know the gospel's true. The gospel is true!
I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. It is a witness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. By reading the Book of Mormon we can learn everything we need to know in order to return to our Father in Heaven. By reading it daily, we can stay "in tune" with the Holy Ghost and be led and guided in all we do. As the words of the song say, I know that Jesus lives and loves me. I know that the gospel is true.
I love you my family and friends.
After Sacrament Meeting while I was in Primary, Jake went for a walk. As he passed a Catholic Church, people were coming out carrying palm fronds. A lady gave some to Jake and was touched that he would take them. He brought them to me; I took this picture and Googled Palm Sunday and the Catholic Church. I admire people who worship according to their faith.
Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week, and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.
Palm Sunday is known as such because the faithful will often receive palm fronds which they use to participate in the reenactment of Christ's arrival in Jerusalem. In the Gospels, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a young donkey, and to the lavish praise of the townspeople who threw clothes, or possibly palms or small branches, in front of him as a sign of homage. This was a customary practice for people of great respect.
Palm branches are widely recognized symbol of peace and victory, hence their preferred use on Palm Sunday.
The use of a donkey instead of a horse is highly symbolic, it represents the humble arrival of someone in peace, as opposed to arriving on a steed in war.
A week later, Christ would rise from the dead on the first Easter.
During Palm Sunday Mass, palms are distributed to parishioners who carry them in a ritual procession into church. The palms are blessed and many people will fashion them into small crosses or other items of personal devotion. These may be returned to the church, or kept for the year.
Because the palms are blessed, they may not be discarded as trash. Instead, they are appropriately gathered at the church and incinerated to create the ashes that will be used in the follow year's Ash Wednesday observance.
The colors of the Mass on Palm Sunday are red and white, symbolizing the redemption in blood that Christ paid for the world.
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