Three words highlight the year 2008: visits, education and health.
Visits: In January and February, I commuted to and from Long Beach, preparing Montair Manor for sale. In March, we went to Southern Utah with our friend Manor, who was traveling from China.
In April, we flew to China. While Janet visited with students and old friends, I went to Weifang to photograph the annual Kite Festival. It rained the three days of the Festival. In June, I flew to Texas, and drove back with Timmie and Laurie, after she closed up her San Angelo house in preparation for a move to Saudi Arabia. In September we drove through Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and The Badlands, while visiting former students from Xi'an, China. In November it was back to Texas, via Houston and San Antonio, where we had Thanksgiving with Wayne, Phal, Jeffrey,Michael And Catherine, plus four of our former students and teacher friends from China. Last week, it was a trip to California, where we stayed with Connie and visited our parents and Families, and on Friday, we're off to Mexico and Guatemala with Mark and Traci.
Education: Mom and I both took classes, mom's focused on religion and literature, mine on Photography, We enrolled in classes through BYU, Utah Valley University, and the Orem Senior Center.
Health: In February, my new doctor found my PSA levels to be dangerously elevated, which commenced a course of visits to specialists and resulted in two prostate procedures called "brachytherapy" with overnight stays in the hospital in July and August. We were very blessed that, except for a period of loss of energy, none of the other possible side effects have manifested themselves, and my PSA levels have become ridiculously low. We also found a Korean made massage table that has been a great help in reducing chronic back pain in both of us, and we became better friends with dentists than either of us would have desired.
In balance, it has been a great year. Our kids and grandkids are healthy and thriving, some of the consequences of the economic downturn notwithstanding. The elections, although not ending in the way I would have hoped, nevertheless will have a positive effect on the way the World looks at race in America, for which I am grateful.
We wonder what 2009 will bring, but we're optomistic.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Back in the whitewashed world of Orem
The past four days were spent in mostly sunny weather in Southern California.
While there we were treated to a performance of Annie, with two of our grandchildren, Ben and Suzie, in the cast. We were thrilled to see the quality of the performance of which they were a part, and most excited that our grandson Ben was able to ad-lib with humorous aplomb when two of the other actors missed their cues.
We also saw and enjoyed time with our respective families. The most memorable part of the days was the relaxed, unhurried atmosphere, attributable to what might be called small group gatherings. With the exception of the Annie episode, all of our other gatherings were limited to only a few people, with unhurried conversation and no time or activity constraints upon us. It made for a pleasant several days.
A remarkable coincidence occurred late last night. Our Saturday plans consisted of packing for the return to Utah, picking up Mark and Traci at Long Beach Airport, having breakfast at my sister Pam's home in Buena Park, then taking Mark and Traci for a brief visit with Connie and Darrell, before driving on to Moreno Valley, where they will spend Christmas with Traci's family; and finally a return to Connie and Darrell's to pick up our bags, return to the Long Beach Airport, turn in the rental car and fly back to Salt Lake, where we would catch an airport shuttle home to Orem. Phase two of the story is that Connie and Darrell left in their kid-packed van, sometime before noon, headed for 1 650 mile road trip to our home in Orem, where they will spend Christmas with us. So we flew, they drove. Almost precisely at Midnight, our Shuttle van pulled up in front of our home. As we stopped, we observed a set of headlights approaching from the opposite direction. Lo, behold, and coincidentally, the van contained none other than Connie, Darrell and the kids, arriving at precisely the same time from their road trip from California!.
Writing this is taking a few moments from preparation for the Priesthood Lesson I must teach today, the theme of which is "Unity." The lesson material is good and it will be easy to teach.
I intend to add only two or three short items to the material.
1) My friend and former Bishop, Gordon Mauss, once gave a lesson in which he reviewed an excerpt from lessons he had received as a young seminary student. It contained a quote by John Greenleaf Wiittier: "Thee lift me, I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together."
2) The infamous Rodney King, a victim of a police beating, but otherwise a person who lived a life constantly in turmoil, made famous the post Watt's riot phrase: " Can't we just get along?"
3) The Chinese have no single word for the English word "unity." Their nearest approximation is the combination "Tuan Jie" which essentially means "working together." We learned that one of the great distinctions between Asian and western thought is the importance of the group or "working unit." To the eastern mind, the group has precedence. It occurred to me that "unity" and "unit" are both derived from the root "uni." one.
Enough of that, The sun is shining beautifully on the snow, the grandkids have already dressed in their warmest clothes and cavorted in the powdery white, and the Christmas spirit is palbable.
I hope you are feeling it.
Enjoy!
While there we were treated to a performance of Annie, with two of our grandchildren, Ben and Suzie, in the cast. We were thrilled to see the quality of the performance of which they were a part, and most excited that our grandson Ben was able to ad-lib with humorous aplomb when two of the other actors missed their cues.
We also saw and enjoyed time with our respective families. The most memorable part of the days was the relaxed, unhurried atmosphere, attributable to what might be called small group gatherings. With the exception of the Annie episode, all of our other gatherings were limited to only a few people, with unhurried conversation and no time or activity constraints upon us. It made for a pleasant several days.
A remarkable coincidence occurred late last night. Our Saturday plans consisted of packing for the return to Utah, picking up Mark and Traci at Long Beach Airport, having breakfast at my sister Pam's home in Buena Park, then taking Mark and Traci for a brief visit with Connie and Darrell, before driving on to Moreno Valley, where they will spend Christmas with Traci's family; and finally a return to Connie and Darrell's to pick up our bags, return to the Long Beach Airport, turn in the rental car and fly back to Salt Lake, where we would catch an airport shuttle home to Orem. Phase two of the story is that Connie and Darrell left in their kid-packed van, sometime before noon, headed for 1 650 mile road trip to our home in Orem, where they will spend Christmas with us. So we flew, they drove. Almost precisely at Midnight, our Shuttle van pulled up in front of our home. As we stopped, we observed a set of headlights approaching from the opposite direction. Lo, behold, and coincidentally, the van contained none other than Connie, Darrell and the kids, arriving at precisely the same time from their road trip from California!.
Writing this is taking a few moments from preparation for the Priesthood Lesson I must teach today, the theme of which is "Unity." The lesson material is good and it will be easy to teach.
I intend to add only two or three short items to the material.
1) My friend and former Bishop, Gordon Mauss, once gave a lesson in which he reviewed an excerpt from lessons he had received as a young seminary student. It contained a quote by John Greenleaf Wiittier: "Thee lift me, I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together."
2) The infamous Rodney King, a victim of a police beating, but otherwise a person who lived a life constantly in turmoil, made famous the post Watt's riot phrase: " Can't we just get along?"
3) The Chinese have no single word for the English word "unity." Their nearest approximation is the combination "Tuan Jie" which essentially means "working together." We learned that one of the great distinctions between Asian and western thought is the importance of the group or "working unit." To the eastern mind, the group has precedence. It occurred to me that "unity" and "unit" are both derived from the root "uni." one.
Enough of that, The sun is shining beautifully on the snow, the grandkids have already dressed in their warmest clothes and cavorted in the powdery white, and the Christmas spirit is palbable.
I hope you are feeling it.
Enjoy!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Jolly Old.....
We are "keeping Christmas" this year. Mom has endeared herself to the local merchants, hopefully to the satisfaction of our kith and kin. Decorations adorn our home, inside and out,
visits have been and continue to be made to family and friends, accompanied by wishes of Christmas Cheer.
So far, we have attended a Kiwanis Christmas Party, watched "Christmas Story", "Santa Clause 2" and "Miracle on 34th Street (The original version), Attended a Christmas Musical Celebration, seen a fine performance of "A Christmas Carol", and I have exuded jollity to the munchkins at our Church by donning Red and Beard, and accepting their holiday want list.
Yet to come are a trip next week to California to see family and friends, with a quick return to Utah for Christmas with the kids who are here.
One of our dear friends from years past, who has now moved on to the hereafter, used to regale us each year with a "Christmas Lettter," wherein she gave us an extended and detailed accounting of the year in the lives of each member of her large family. We enjoyed her effort on two levels: First, of course, we loved her family, and were interested in their life progress, but second, and of equal enjoyment, was the motivation it gave us for our annual "over the top" letter, usually reserved only for family. In our version we would take an instance from the pages of each of our six children, and...er....Magnify it to beyond the limits of credibility.
As an example of what you might expect, lets take the fact that our son Wayne has just received a Fullbright award to teach in Cambodia for six months. Now that is true. Our family letter would, however, read something like:
WAYNE TO REEDUCATE WAR-RAVAGED NATION
Dr. Wayne Earl Wright, BA, MA, PhD, Associate Professor of Bicultural Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has been called upon to take his vast foundation of educatioal skills into the third world for the next several months., in which time he dine on the traditional Cambodian delicacies Durian and Brahout, while using his advanced teaching techniques and put into place a complete educational program for the entire Kingdom of Cambodia. "I do not expect that the classrooms at the National University of Cambodia will be an impediment to my efforts," Said Wright. "The temperate climate of that nation will permit the students to enjoy an unimpaired view of the campus through the missing outer wall of the building., and palm fronds make excellent fans, eliminating the need for air conditioning. He will plan class times around the daily power outages that occasionally impair the use of audio visual materials.
Wayne's goal is to leave Cambodia in July 2009, having eliminated ignorance, poverty and public corruption in that nation. In his free time, he will travel to Thailand, where he will bring peaceful resolution to end the civil war now raging there.
You get the idea. We're really happy with our kids and the life they lead. We love to laugh, so maybe our little exercise in puffery is a gentle way to help us keep our heads on straight.
Well, a little straight, at least.
visits have been and continue to be made to family and friends, accompanied by wishes of Christmas Cheer.
So far, we have attended a Kiwanis Christmas Party, watched "Christmas Story", "Santa Clause 2" and "Miracle on 34th Street (The original version), Attended a Christmas Musical Celebration, seen a fine performance of "A Christmas Carol", and I have exuded jollity to the munchkins at our Church by donning Red and Beard, and accepting their holiday want list.
Yet to come are a trip next week to California to see family and friends, with a quick return to Utah for Christmas with the kids who are here.
One of our dear friends from years past, who has now moved on to the hereafter, used to regale us each year with a "Christmas Lettter," wherein she gave us an extended and detailed accounting of the year in the lives of each member of her large family. We enjoyed her effort on two levels: First, of course, we loved her family, and were interested in their life progress, but second, and of equal enjoyment, was the motivation it gave us for our annual "over the top" letter, usually reserved only for family. In our version we would take an instance from the pages of each of our six children, and...er....Magnify it to beyond the limits of credibility.
As an example of what you might expect, lets take the fact that our son Wayne has just received a Fullbright award to teach in Cambodia for six months. Now that is true. Our family letter would, however, read something like:
WAYNE TO REEDUCATE WAR-RAVAGED NATION
Dr. Wayne Earl Wright, BA, MA, PhD, Associate Professor of Bicultural Education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, has been called upon to take his vast foundation of educatioal skills into the third world for the next several months., in which time he dine on the traditional Cambodian delicacies Durian and Brahout, while using his advanced teaching techniques and put into place a complete educational program for the entire Kingdom of Cambodia. "I do not expect that the classrooms at the National University of Cambodia will be an impediment to my efforts," Said Wright. "The temperate climate of that nation will permit the students to enjoy an unimpaired view of the campus through the missing outer wall of the building., and palm fronds make excellent fans, eliminating the need for air conditioning. He will plan class times around the daily power outages that occasionally impair the use of audio visual materials.
Wayne's goal is to leave Cambodia in July 2009, having eliminated ignorance, poverty and public corruption in that nation. In his free time, he will travel to Thailand, where he will bring peaceful resolution to end the civil war now raging there.
You get the idea. We're really happy with our kids and the life they lead. We love to laugh, so maybe our little exercise in puffery is a gentle way to help us keep our heads on straight.
Well, a little straight, at least.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Educating Ren Tong
Yesterday, we received exciting and intimidating news. We were asked to teach at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing for the spring semester. We are told it is a small institution, with a student population of 1,500 in training for diplomatic service.
This is exciting because we have both felt we would be returning to teach in China, and Beijing is an incredible city. We have traveled there two or three times, but only scratched the surface of all there is to do and see. There are almost 400 expatriate members of our Church in Beijing, so our faith issues will be well-met.
The intimidating part comes from the nature of the assignment. The Foreign Affairs University is where all Chinese Diplomats receive their training. The former president of the school is now Vice Premiere of China. The Premiere was the featured speaker at last year's graduation exercises.
I recently read a work of fiction featuring an American professor who was scheduled to deliver a series of lectures at Oxford University in Great Britain. He worried that he would be looked down upon as not having the polish and pomp of a proper Oxfordian, and was concerned that he would "fall on his face." After a couple of lectures had been given, he relaxed, having found that the students and faculty at Oxford had the same issues and same foibles as students and teachers everywhere. I am taking some comfort in the thought that we will find a similar experience. Even acknowledging that the students may be a cut above the average college student, they still have a lot of room to be human, and, hey, they are being trained to be diplomatic, aren't they?
20 years ago, we participated in a Sister City Friendship program between Long Beach California and Qingdao, China. We had the privilege of meeting quite a few members of China's diplomatic corps. They were memorable for their charm and grace.
We leave for China toward the end of February. Maybe I'll even learn some manners!
Enjoy!
This is exciting because we have both felt we would be returning to teach in China, and Beijing is an incredible city. We have traveled there two or three times, but only scratched the surface of all there is to do and see. There are almost 400 expatriate members of our Church in Beijing, so our faith issues will be well-met.
The intimidating part comes from the nature of the assignment. The Foreign Affairs University is where all Chinese Diplomats receive their training. The former president of the school is now Vice Premiere of China. The Premiere was the featured speaker at last year's graduation exercises.
I recently read a work of fiction featuring an American professor who was scheduled to deliver a series of lectures at Oxford University in Great Britain. He worried that he would be looked down upon as not having the polish and pomp of a proper Oxfordian, and was concerned that he would "fall on his face." After a couple of lectures had been given, he relaxed, having found that the students and faculty at Oxford had the same issues and same foibles as students and teachers everywhere. I am taking some comfort in the thought that we will find a similar experience. Even acknowledging that the students may be a cut above the average college student, they still have a lot of room to be human, and, hey, they are being trained to be diplomatic, aren't they?
20 years ago, we participated in a Sister City Friendship program between Long Beach California and Qingdao, China. We had the privilege of meeting quite a few members of China's diplomatic corps. They were memorable for their charm and grace.
We leave for China toward the end of February. Maybe I'll even learn some manners!
Enjoy!
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