The van had a little doohickey that needed adjusted.    The man called us and said we could either get a new part that would be around $200 plus installation or he could tighten the connectors on the doohickey and see if that would take care of it … since doing that had worked on several other vans just like ours. (Apparently this is a weakness of the 1995 GMC Safari.)   So, of course, we went with the tightening option and a few hours and $135.00 later we pick up our van and headed to Costco to pick up the two toilets, with a quick stop first at Walmart to pick up some yarn.  (One can never have too much yarn.)

The van sputtered a little on the way over but it wasn’t too serious … no stopping underneath the street lights or anything.   We figured that if our 16 year old van feels like skipping down the highway a little that’s its business … as long as it doesn’t turn itself off.    

The little sputtering turned into a couple of deep coughs as we were leaving Walmart and Honey and I looked at each other with brave eyes, trying not to let the other see the panic that was building as yesterday’s adventure flashed before us.    It really wasn’t quite as fun as I led you to believe.

  From Walmart to Costco is down hill, but unfortunately it is only downhill one way.    After purchasing the two new toilets … and of course, some nice, healthy fiber as well … we were on our way home.    Just as you pull out of the parking lot of Costco, there is a stop light before you turn on to the busier street that leads to the freeway.    And wouldn’t you know it, as the light turned green we began our left turn and the van gave a couple of very dramatic death scene jumps before all skipping, hopping, and sputtering came to a halt; a very quiet, eerie halt.    De Ja  Voooo with a Capital D.    We were once again sitting under a stop light with cars swerving past to avoid us.

There was one, big difference between today and yesterday, however.    “Today” had quietly turned into “tonight” and it was dark.    That made it really, really, really more uncool.  

Sorry, Mark, but I am going to make a long story shorter by skipping all the CSI:Ivins stuff and tell you all that we were able to coast backwards onto a safe place on the side of a busy road where we sat and tried to decide what to do.   A few false starts later we decided it was time for prayer … knowing that it would be next to impossible to talk our insurance company into paying for another tow truck for the same vehicle.   We asked that if it was possible, we would like to get our van to our house and then we would make sure it was fixed before we took it riding again.     Lynn turned the key and the sound of the engine purring was like music to our ears!    We made it the 15 miles home with only one minor scare, and the sputtering van is now resting in our driveway and Lynn and I just finished having two pieces of crustless, sugar-free, pumpkin pie a piece.     (What can I say … we were hungry!)

All is well … and we gave thanks.

We took the old brown van today because the purpose of this Costco adventure was to buy two new toilets …  shiny new, white, and HIGHER.    Our old toities had to have been made for small children’s bendable bodies instead of the unbendable bodies of senior citizens.   

It’s been a while since I’ve been out of the house, so we added another level to our excitement and decided we would really splurge today and eat out.   Mmmmm we love those Costo hot dogs.

Well, we made it over half way there before the van died.    We were sitting at a red light in the middle of fairly busy traffic when it turned itself off and refused any and all attempts Lynn made to start it back up.    Here we sit in a line up of traffic … one old, white haired man with artificial knees and one old, beautified woman on oxygen.     What do you do?

Apparently all you have to do is sit directly in front of a few green   lights until all of a sudden a tall dark stranger appears, like a genie coming up out of an old lamp.     Thank goodness he was a “take charge” kind of genie and before we knew it he’d flagged down some help and stopped traffic so they could push us around the corner and into a business parking lot.    It makes me feel warm and fuzzy just to think about it!     I almost fell in love with that tall dark stranger before “poof” he was gone.

The problem was somewhere in the fuel line and Lynn figured it would start back up after things cooled off (I presume he meant the car) and we could limp our way home with it by cooling in other parking lots along the way.   To myself I’m thinking “we’re in for a really lllloooonnnngggg day”, so I suggest we call a tow truck.    Honey’s not sure that we have that kind of insurance on the old van so we just sit and wait; thinking about those hotdogs at Costco while our stomachs grumble.  

About 45 minutes later it did start up and we made it about three minutes down the road before it happened again.     This time, however, we were out of the busy traffic and coasted off onto the dirt where there was nothing but us and the tumble weeds.    I suggested we call a tow truck.    Honey decided to call USAA instead to ask if we have that kind of coverage.   Not only are we covered … the wonderful lady who answered the phone zero’d in on our location, called the tow company herself, and sent them straight to us by using the GPS tracker in our Iphones!    Wallah!!! It was like “Your wish is my command”.   We had us a another genie!   I could almost picture her with her sparkly turban as she rolled her hand several times before her face and granted our wish.

A half an hour later our little, very old, brown van was being loaded onto the back of a gigantic red, white, and blue … humongous truck from Freedom Towing.    Cameron, the driver of the tow truck, (otherwise known as the third genie) was friendly, helpful, and efficient … exactly what you would hope for at the end of a long afternoon.    The final lucky straw, was that he lives just three or four blocks down the road from us in Ivins, so after dropping our van off at the repair shop in St. George, we ended this long, adventurous afternoon by being deposited right at our front door.   How great is that?   The only thing we really missed was the hot dogs.

We didn’t make it to Costco, but thank you Heavenly Father for helping us to meet up with so many kind, helpful people today.   It was quite an adventure!   

My blessings have been on my mind so much today I had to share my feelings through two of my favorite things.      

                      Lord Forgive Me When I Whine
Today, upon a bus, I saw a lovely girl with golden hair,
I envied her…She seemed so gay….and wished I were as fair.
When suddenly she rose to leave, I saw her hobble down the aisle;
She had one leg and wore a crutch;
But as she passed….a smile!
Oh, GOD forgive me when I whine, I have two legs.
The world is mine!
I stopped to buy some candy. The lad who sold it had such charm.
I talked with him. He seemed so glad. If I were late ‘twould do no harm.
And as I left he said to me, "Thank you. You have been so kind.
It’s nice to talk with folks like you. You see," he said, "I’m blind".
Oh, GOD forgive me when I whine, I have two eyes.
The world is mine.
Later, while walking down the street, I saw a child with eyes so blue.
He stood and watched the others play. He did not know what to do.
I stopped a moment, then I said, "Why don’t you join the others, dear"?
He looked ahead without a word, and then I knew he could not hear.
Oh, GOD forgive me when I whine. I have two ears.
The world is mine.
With feet to take me where I’d go, With eyes to see the sunset’s glow,
With ears to hear what I would know…Oh, GOD forgive me when I whine.
I’m blessed indeed. The world is mine.
Author Unknown

I wish I would take my own advice more often.   I know a lot of stuff.  I seem to know a plethora of stuff because of all the reading and living I do.    Oh yes, I have plenty of “know how”.   What I seem to not have enough of is “follow through” or I would be thin, healthy, wealthy, organized, and living in a home with a yard from Better Homes and Gardens.    So … here’s the free, simple advice.   

Although it’s good (important even) to study and  learn all you can, it is what you do with what you know that makes the difference.

Goodbye 2010.    When all is said and done, it was another beautiful year for our family.    News stations globally recount their best ten stories of the year and so shall I; although I can’t put them in order of importance.      So … in random order (drum roll please) Grandma Henke’s “Top Ten from Two Thousand Ten”!

1.     Our oldest grandchild, Aubree, graduated from high school and she now is continuing her education at  Western Washington University.    She is a beautiful young lady with a love and enthusiasm for life and is skilled in home made lasagna and fudge!   I started a tradition of giving each grandchild a crocheted afghan to celebrate this achievement in their lives.

 

2.    We discovered another favorite   “Home away from Home” to park our motor home and spend the hot part of another summer in the cool mist of the ocean breeze.    My brother, Bill, and his wife were able to come and visit us there and we loved being able to show them around and share our love coastal living.    The time went by too quickly!       It was fun to have Kimberly’s family come and  spend days with us as well; particularly since there was a huge field and playground right near where we were parked and the children could play and run to their heart’s content.     The sunsets, of course, are always the perfect cap to any day.    

3.      The days of buckets catching the rain as it pours through the light fixture in the family room are over and our home sports a new red roof, made of steel.   No more leaks!!! No more mildew!!!   No more worrying anxiously about collapse!

4.        There are 29 healthy and, happy Lynn W. Henke’s in our family and we were able to spend wonderful days with them throughout the year.     Our quiver is full, as are our hearts.     We are so grateful for family and the love that passes freely from each member to the others.   Grateful that even the littlest cousins are aware of this great blessing of family.   It was fun when Brett and Kim’s family traveled to Washington and we celebrated the 4th of July with a fire fireworks extravaganza by Warren, Brett, and Brandon Allsop. 

5.      I loved spending our 44th year  together with the man of my dreams.   

6.      The world is at my fingertips with just the click of a key, and with another miraculous touch of a keypad I am connected in real time visually and audibly with people I love.    I love all of the gadgets my sweetie gets for me.

7.      I found the most wonderful online support group for my PAH and I think in the process I found some new BFF’s (Best Friends Forever). 

8.       Lynn had both of his knees replaced with brand new, titanium ones and he is mobile once more!   We’re so grateful he went through it so successfully; grateful for the doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and other hospital personnel who took such good care of him.

9.      Ryan and Yeimy returned home safely from all of their  travel adventures, the latest being a Hawaii and Costa Rica.   Warren and Mikayla also had a safe and fabulous time going to Greece. That trip completed Warren’s promise to his children to take each one of them anywhere in the world on the dream trip of their choosing.

10.    Each of our children’s families had their worries and challenges in 2010, but each were blessed with the health, strength and wisdom to make it through successfully!     We have confidence that in this new year they will do it again.      Our grandchildren remain at the top of the Leader Board of all grandchildren.    (At least they are the top of our Leader Board.)   They bring us so much joy we can’t put it into adequate words.   They show capabilities and talents that amaze us and we love to watch their progress in school, listen to their stories and music, and cheer them on in their challenges.     We can’t imagine a better station in life than being Grandpa and Grandma Henke.

I’ll tell you what is the best medicine … grandchildren!     This is our “off” year  for Thanksgiving with most of our kids …  I mean, they DO have other sides of their families, after all.    Lynn and I considered having a fake Thanksgiving dinner out our house the Saturday or Sunday before Thanksgiving but we are in the middle of some remodeling.   That, and the not feeling up to par factor, prompted Lynn and I to have our alternative (better word than fake since we are, indeed, all sincerely grateful) Thanksgiving Dinner at the Pizza Factory.      Tonight was the night, and it was oh so fun!   Soooooo fun!    It definitely deserves five stars!  

At the beginning of our meal it was agreed upon by everyone that if this was to be a true substitute Thanksgiving dinner we needed to be stuffed when we were done!    Three Family sized pizza’s, 12 salads, 12 bread sticks later, and 17 drinks later … we were stuffed and we filled 3 boxes with pizza and bread sticks to take home.  

The grandkids and I started swapping fun cousin stories and before long we were really wishing the families who live in Washington were there with us.   So, the kids and I decided it’s time to start a cousin’s newsletter.   We appointed a reporter from each family who will send information to me and I will compile it and see that it gets distributed to everyone.   (Mikayla, do you accept your assignment?)   We want to do a calendar of events even though we are widespread and can’t possibly attend everyone’s recitals and school programs because it will still be fun to know what is happening in each other’s lives on any given day.     I’m so grateful the cousins feel so close to each other in spite of the miles of separation.

We all know that laughter is the best medicine … and I have to reinforce that by saying how good I felt when we got home tonight.    There is scientific proof that laughing reduces pain, ups our tolerance levels, reduces blood sugar levels, and helps your blood vessels carry needed oxygen throughout your body!   (Sign me up for some Tim Conway/Don Knotts movies).    I don’t need scientific proof.    I’ve known that for as long as I have known anything … because of how it worked in our home as I was growing up.     Oh the blessings of coming from a long line of laughers!

One poor little grandson was sick tonight.     He tried to tough it out because he wanted to be there so much, but it was obvious that he was not doing so well.     Grandpa and I owe him a new dinner (since he eventually lost tonight’s dinner in an untimely manner outside of the restaurant, triggering on onset of  gags  and moans from his “gagger” relatives.    This seems to be a weakness from the Matheson (my mother’s maiden name) line because I don’t recall my dad had the problem … nor does Lynn.    Gagging can’t be avoided if you have the gene.   We can gag at the drop of a hat, the sound of a retch, the whiff of you know what (don’t want to really say the word since just reading it could be a trigger).    We can gag at the thought of someone else gagging but if you have enough time passes we can laugh about it.      Some of our funniest family stories are about gagging if you can stand to listen to them.      (Repeating those funny stories has to come from the Henke side of the family.)  

The most thankful aspect of our alternative Thanksgiving meal was when we all stood up, put our napkins down, and left 17 people’s worth of dirty dishes on the table to be cleaned up by someone else!  

And now … pardon my gush as I share some of the things I am so thankful for on this alternate Thanksgiving Day: Jesus Christ and his restored gospel, an A+++ husband and our eternal love, five children and their families who are the light and love of my life),  parents who raised me in a home filled with love, laughter, and safety and who taught me to love by their good example, siblings who have always loved and supported me unconditionally, nieces and nephews and their families, wonderful fun grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, faithful friends throughout my entire life,  good ward families over the years, dedicated teachers, sturdy homes over the years, child friendly neighborhoods where I could raise my children, educational opportunities, a vehicle we can count on, the opportunity to travel the last two summers and visit our families who live in Washington, health that is good enough to allow me to do those things I love most, computers, Internet (and the new friendships I’ve made there), talents, living in a country I love.   This list is just a start; I have been very blessed.

                                       The Wolves Inside You
An elder Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life.

He said to them, "A fight is going on inside me.. it is a terrible fight and it is
between two wolves.

One wolf represents fear, anger, …envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false
pride, superiority, and ego.
The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth,
compassion, and faith."
"This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other
person, too", he added.
The Grandchildren thought about it for a minute and then one child
asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old Cherokee simply replied… "The one you feed."

What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?

It probably doesn’t qualify as a “simple” activity but I absolutely love it when we are off somewhere in the motor home.   Food is simple, dress is casual, attention is more reciprocal, and bed time is earlier. 

Simpler than that would be a dark chocolate truffle from Amber Lyn Chocolates.    I keep them on hand and hidden away for emergencies.

What’s something you know now about happiness that you didn’t know when you were 18 years old?

People my age are happier and more satisfied with their age than I thought they were.    Each age and era of your life has its own unique challenges and thrills.    Learning from the challenges adds to a happiness bank you can withdraw from in the future.

Is there anything you find yourself doing repeatedly that gets in the way of your happiness?

Probably my biggest frustration since retirement is that I procrastinate more.  It is too easy to put things off now that my motivation factor has changed.    It’s not so bad day by day but at the end of the week when there is no progress on the “to do” projects I get grumpy. 

Is there a happiness mantra or motto that you’ve found very helpful? (e.g., I remind myself to “Be Gretchen.”)

For years, since my children were very young, I have stuck with “Don’t sweat the small stuff, and most of it is small stuff.”    This came about when I realized that if I worried my children about every little thing (hairstyles is one of those little things) they would already be tired of hearing me harp when something more important came up.   I used this as a motto for the twenty years I served as the Executive Director for The Arc of Washington County.     I still try to use it now when I don’t get to have things the way I want them.    

If you’re feeling blue, how do you give yourself a happiness boost? Or, like a “comfort food,” do you have a comfort activity? (mine is reading children’s books).

Little things boost my happiness quickly: a visit with one of my children, a conversation with a 2 year old, being around grandchildren, loves from my sweet little Bichon Frisce, watching a movie with my honey while snuggled in bed, listening to a grandchild play the piano, a phone call from a sibling.

Is there anything that you see people around you doing or saying that adds a lot to their happiness, or detracts a lot from their happiness?  

Service rendered in love, with no expectation of something in return, reaps a big reward of happiness all around.   It can be to the community, a family, or an individual … even to an animal.   

Sometimes people form habits in friendships that can turn out to be a very negative factor in their relationships: complaining and gossiping are easy habits to fall into.      In an even bigger perspective of this we have radio and television talk hosts who consistently come across as angry  and combative.   Their purpose is to create an atmosphere of distrust and indignation for their listeners.   It spreads across the airwaves like an infectious cloud and how can it help but detract from happiness?   

Have you ever been surprised that something you expected would make you very happy, didn’t – or vice versa?

When I spend money impulsively on something I don’t really need (or maybe don’t even want) it brings me down.    I love a surprise bargain when it is something I would normally buy, but a bargain isn’t always a bargain.

*    I like quitting caffeine so much I go back on it just so I can go off again.

*    Don’t play Facebook during 24.

*    Judge not.   (Oh, someone else already said that.)

*    Time flies whether you have fun or not.  So enjoy it.

*    Jesus didn’t say tolerate your neighbors.

*    Getting old is cracked up like you didn’t used to be.

*    Live long enough to reap the rewards; grandchildren.

I was going to write ten but wisdom is knowing when to stop.