We no longer do that when we go to bed. We do try to go to bed at the same time. We take Melatonin and hope for falling asleep. We try to not talk but to just unwind and not get a 2nd wind.
We still talk though. If we don't go to bed at our bedtime then just like children we get wound up and that is when we start the yak-yak. Last night we were ready for bed by 10:30 p.m. and then the visiting started and suddenly it was 12:30 a.m.!
We started off talking about being children and how children need to be told cautions over and over and over. We talked about IF we were young parents we'd be much more patient and understand they honestly don't remember counsel to protect themselves...climbing and wading and exploring and playing with matches and watching for cars and sharing and kindness etc. etc.
We decided that we are like children even at this age and have to be reminded/told within our religion...pray...study...be nice...go to Church...be kind...read your scriptures...serve. etc. etc. Over and over we hear the same things...Sunday Sermons...Sunday lessons...Stake Conference...General Conference. Our mutual Father in Heaven is patient and understands that we, as His children, have difficulty remembering what we need to do for safety and growth. We are weekly counseled to "remember" and "obey". We even covenant to be good. To obey!
********************
Moroni 4:3 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and asanctify this bbread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in cremembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the dname of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his eSpirit to be with them. Amen.
Moroni 5:2 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this awine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in bremembrance of the cblood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his dSpirit to be with them. Amen.
***********************
In our reminiscing conversation last night, Terry told stories to me that I've heard before, about his fun as a young boy at Kodiak. He and his young friends played without restraint. No caution. No fear. No supervision.
He relived his Kodiak summers and the year of taking some sort of hulls and making an outrigger with a board and 4 boys "rowing" in the freezing water. Also the time a seal had died and was caught under the dock. He and a couple of his young friends, borrowed a rowboat, and went under the dock, with the plan in mind to pry the seal lose and let it float out as it was so smelly. They were going to save the day! Instead, the poking/prodding sticks caused the seal to explode and stink up everything including the "borrowed" rowboat and the boys.
We decided that parents cannot guard every action of children but children seem to have no fear and no idea of possible side effects that might harm them so they need protective parents. Were we super protective? We did try to guard them but the truth is we were out in a pioneer like arena and the woods and the creek and yes, even the dump, were explored. As adults, we found out our boys were in lots of mischief and we had no knowledge of it.
How about you?...did you pull shenanigans? fearless and invincible? Terry was like a Huckleberry Finn. I was a dreamer and enjoyed making up plays and playing dolls and playing by the railroad tracks...daring to put pennies on to see if the train really would crash...standing close to the tracks and seeing if the draft would blow us over. Laughing and waving to the friendly engineer as he tooted his whistle at us. Later realizing he was frantically waving at us to get back!!! get away!! You little fools! So I too was daringly foolish!
We talked about we have not led a boring life and that got us on the subject of the Bore Tide on Turnagain Arm in Anchorage.
Sometimes on Sundays my Dad would take us on a family drive. At certain times there would be a Bore Tide.
Here are some snippets I copied about the Bore Tide that I'm familiar with... as is Terry.
*******************************
CAUTION! Our bore tides are dangerous. Due to the quicksand-like mudflats that make up the beaches along Turnagain Arm, hikers may get stuck in the mud and drown or die from hypothermia. Always stay off the mud flats and observe the bore tide from a safe distance
The bore tide is a huge wave or series of waves that advance down Turnagain Arm in a wall of water up to 10-feet high. It’s a dramatic show of nature’s power that’s easy to see using our guidelines below.
What Are Bore Tides?
Bore tides can stretch half way across the Inlet
The bore tide is a rush of seawater that returns to a shallow and narrowing inlet from a broad bay. Bore tides come in after extreme minus low tides created by the full or new moon.Bore tides occur all over the world—there are around 60 of them—but only a few are large enough to make a name for themselves. One in China, for example, stretches almost 30 feet tall and travels more than 20 miles per hour. Alaska’s most famous bore tide occurs in Turnagain Arm, just outside Anchorage. It climbs up to 6 – 10 feet tall and can reach speeds of 10 to 15 miles per hour. It takes not just a low tide but also about a 27-foot tidal differential (between high and low tide) for a bore to form in Turnagain Arm.
************************
Dixie and I would pile in the backseat for that Sunday family outing and we'd head out to that super windy road and Daddy would stop the car and we'd get out and watch the Bore Tide come in. Then we'd drive further down the road and stop and get out again. This was repeated a few times. My Dad would say...Look at that would'cha? Great balls of sheet iron! It's comin'!
There was great danger on what appeared to be ground that went from the road across to the mountains. It was actually mud. A silt-like quicksand substance. Terry has two tales from a time he worked out there. One time he saved a man's life by telling him to stop thrashing about. Then Terry rolled out to him and went under his leg with his arm and released the man's boot. Terry had told him earlier to get rid of his hip boots as they would be dangerous but the guy wouldn't listen. When he was freed, he threw the boots away. Terry can't remember what he wore the rest of the shift! Barefoot?
The other story was on that same job (laying a gas line across Cook Inlet- from Potter to Nikiski) They were either helicoptered in/out or used a tank retriever. One day the tank retriever about sunk! He quit the job! We'd saved a lot of money so we decided to move to Idaho and see what it was like to live in the States. That move brought us to the Gospel!
Anyhow -there were, as always, those that just knew they could beat the Bore Tide odds and go hiking across Cook Inlet. Shocking to them when they became a statistic! An account of real dreadful deaths would surface in the paper. Rarely but enough to be alarming.
So....are you still with me on this tale of winding intrigue?? All of this CoupleChatter is a reminder to all of us to be patient and if you hear yourself saying to your children....how many times have I told you or when are you going to learn or why can't you remember? or I told you that would happen or See?! you should have listened or You should have minded me!....then stop such talk!! We are the same in regard to what Heavenly Father tells us and He is kind and good and patient.
Put this puzzling post together and figure out all it's about is ---just be nice/patient to/with your kiddos and the same to yourself.
*******************************
PS-Nowadays people surf or kayak on the Bore Tide! wonder how that works out???
No comments:
Post a Comment