We are into August of this year, as unbelievable as it may seem. July seemed to skip right passed in a merry, mocking fashion. I can not let her leave without making comment. July is the month to remember. We need to remember those precious, brave souls who became our pioneer ancestors.
Today, I listened to some comments by college students. They were grateful to Heavenly Father for helping them through their trials. I sat listening with some compassion. I have been in their shoes. Now, however, I have lived a little longer. I wanted to remind them that what they are going through is minor (for most) compared to what is ahead for them. Definitely, their trials, for the most part, pale in comparison to those who came before us.
Those ancestral men, women, and children did what they did and went through what they did not for fame, not for glory, and not for wealth. They didn't know that they would someday be revered. I think they would have been immensely surprised and doubtful if someone would have told them..."someday the entire church, over 14 million people, will hold you in highest esteem, will honor your name and your life, will wish to emulate your courage and conviction." Theirs was not a desire for fame
There may have been a desire for glory in their hearts--but not the glory of the world. They were pushing forward--upward and onward--to reach their Father's glory. Each step, whether light or heavy, enjoyable or painful was for one purpose. They wanted to reach Zion. That is the only glory they sought.
Wealth would have been an insult to them. They could not be paid off to stop and end their goal. They sacrificed all they had in this world to make their journey. When they arrived, there were no motels with fresh, clean sheets and comfortable beds. There wasn't even an abundance of food that following winter. Clothing had to be made from wool that was sheared from the sheep, corded, spun, and finally weaved into cloth. After all that effort, then the material would be sown by hand into clothing. While most achieved a comfortable life for that period of time, none became wealthy because of their sacrifice for Zion.
How easy we have it! Today, I feel gratitude for the ease of my life. I am grateful to them for giving me such a gift! As a result, I definitely can not let July pass by without a "thank you." Thank you to Elizabeth and Hiram, Samuel and Mary Jane, Nielsand Laura, Anna and William. You are the pioneers who reached through time to me and our generation and touched us forever. Thank you!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Official Invite to a Reunion
I posted yesterday about the reunion of Samuel Lane Crook's descendents who have graciously invited his sibling's descendents. I got permission to post the flyer and I actually was able to post it on this blog! Miracles do continue! I hope that some of you who see this will be able to attend. "Cousins" need to know each other!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
An Invitation to a Reunion!
I am excited to see so many of Elizabeth's descendents visiting the blog. I am thrilled that some are even taking the time to leave messages. If anyone has details of the Crook's lives, pictures, anything that I could post on the blog, please feel free to send them to me and I will include them. That way, we may be able to share all that we have and make everyone's information better and correct.
Under "A Call to the Elizabeth Crook Panting Wilkes Cranney Posterity," Janet Crook has kindly invited anyone descendent from Elizabeth to come to a reunion of Samuel Lane Crook's descendents. In case you didn't read that section, she wrote the following:
We are having a reunion August 3, 2013 in Blackfoot Idaho for this whole group and would love to include any one from Elizabeth's line. My email is crookedfam@gmail.com. Thanks! Janet Crook
Under "A Call to the Elizabeth Crook Panting Wilkes Cranney Posterity," Janet Crook has kindly invited anyone descendent from Elizabeth to come to a reunion of Samuel Lane Crook's descendents. In case you didn't read that section, she wrote the following:
We are having a reunion August 3, 2013 in Blackfoot Idaho for this whole group and would love to include any one from Elizabeth's line. My email is crookedfam@gmail.com. Thanks! Janet Crook
Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend, but hopefully some more of Elizabeth's family will see this and possibly go meet their cousins! I would love a report when it is over.
Thank you, Janet!
Someday, it would be nice to have a reunion for all of Elizabeth's descendents. Wouldn't that be amazing! I think it would thrill Elizabeth to have her descendent start to know each other or at least recognize each other's names!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Miracles Continuing for Elizabeth Cranney's Descendent
It has been a long time since I have checked this blog. The Lord has seemed to require my efforts in other areas thus far this year. One of our daughters contracted meningitis at the end of December. We traveled to her home to help her husband with our five grandchildren. With intense prayers and much concern, we approached this time. We knew what meningitis could do. This daughter had had viral meningitis as a five year old. Many thoughts were running through our minds on that intense trip.
Though bacteria meningitis can be treated, it can also have terrible consequences. Unfortunately, she had thought she had the flu and didn't go in until she was delirious. They treated her for over a week, sent her home and it came back within 6 days. Searching for the reason, she finally had one doctor who listened to some of her symptoms. One was a continual drain from one side of her nose. The liquid was tested and found to be cerebral fluid, not sinus mucus. Further research discovered a small "crack," caused by a car accident 18 months earlier, to exist between her sinuses and her brain. When she got a sinus infection before Christmas, it traveled to her brain and caused the meningitis...and then caused it to return. The doctors had to go through her nose and repair the damage. It did not work. They decided that there was enough scar tissue at the base of her brain caused by the meningitis that the brain liquid was not draining properly and caused the repair to remain too moist to heal. As a result she had a drain installed. This means that a hole at the top side of her head was opened, a tube was run down the inside of her skin to behind her ear, down around her neck to the side of her chest down to her stomach. The drain has an adjustment plate on her head so that they can adjust the rate of drain. Too much drain and the brain shrinks. Too little drain and she has extreme headaches and brain damage. We were heartsick that she had to have this drain, but it was better than the alternative. Though I really wonder if she truly needed it as they had to adjust it down many times. Finally, after about 3 months, she was on her way to healing. It would take time, however, because she was on intense antibiotics during all this time. Her body needs to be cleansed and have time to heal. Her energy is slowly returning and she looks amazing! More importantly, she is normal.
Fortunately, she had a blessing when she was 5 and again at the beginning of this new ordeal. They promised her full recovery. We saw the hand of the Lord with her and us through those next 3 months....and it continues today. We are so grateful to have her with us still. We are so grateful that she can still think, talk, walk, see, hear.....any number of so many things that could have happened. The medical professionals at the hospital kept telling her how "lucky" she was. We know better. It had nothing to do with luck. We know how blessed she was!
How blessed we are! We could have lost this child twice, but for the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father, we are most grateful. Thank you, Father! We are also very thankful to the many people from so many places who prayed for her and for us. Thank you!
Jason and Larry administered the IVs at home. I think I did it once--medicine is not my area! I was doing well to take this picture. Luckily, we do have modern medicines and technology that made the miracle possible.
During the time that we were helping our daughter, my father, 99 1/2 years old, passed away. I knew how much he wanted to leave here and the handicaps that were keeping him from full life, so I thought that having him gone would be easy. Actually, having a parent around for so long really spoils a person. It makes it so much harder when they are gone. I miss my father greatly! I am happy for him, however. I could just imagine the great reunion he had. He had served so many, but especially my mother during her Alzeheimers years. Dad never held a worldly "important" position that made him a celebrity or famous person. Yet, I imagine that there are thousands of people who would consider my father someone of import.
He touched so many lives as a game warden, a scout master and leader and as a member of his church. Especially he touched the lives of his posterity, which numbers in the 100s. I have never taken the time to figure it all out, because it is growing so quickly that we can't keep up with the count any more. The chapel was filled when he passed away--that is something when one considers that all of his friends and most of his family had proceeded him. So with the loss, comes also the gratitude. Thank you, Dad, for such a great example.
Though bacteria meningitis can be treated, it can also have terrible consequences. Unfortunately, she had thought she had the flu and didn't go in until she was delirious. They treated her for over a week, sent her home and it came back within 6 days. Searching for the reason, she finally had one doctor who listened to some of her symptoms. One was a continual drain from one side of her nose. The liquid was tested and found to be cerebral fluid, not sinus mucus. Further research discovered a small "crack," caused by a car accident 18 months earlier, to exist between her sinuses and her brain. When she got a sinus infection before Christmas, it traveled to her brain and caused the meningitis...and then caused it to return. The doctors had to go through her nose and repair the damage. It did not work. They decided that there was enough scar tissue at the base of her brain caused by the meningitis that the brain liquid was not draining properly and caused the repair to remain too moist to heal. As a result she had a drain installed. This means that a hole at the top side of her head was opened, a tube was run down the inside of her skin to behind her ear, down around her neck to the side of her chest down to her stomach. The drain has an adjustment plate on her head so that they can adjust the rate of drain. Too much drain and the brain shrinks. Too little drain and she has extreme headaches and brain damage. We were heartsick that she had to have this drain, but it was better than the alternative. Though I really wonder if she truly needed it as they had to adjust it down many times. Finally, after about 3 months, she was on her way to healing. It would take time, however, because she was on intense antibiotics during all this time. Her body needs to be cleansed and have time to heal. Her energy is slowly returning and she looks amazing! More importantly, she is normal.
Fortunately, she had a blessing when she was 5 and again at the beginning of this new ordeal. They promised her full recovery. We saw the hand of the Lord with her and us through those next 3 months....and it continues today. We are so grateful to have her with us still. We are so grateful that she can still think, talk, walk, see, hear.....any number of so many things that could have happened. The medical professionals at the hospital kept telling her how "lucky" she was. We know better. It had nothing to do with luck. We know how blessed she was!
How blessed we are! We could have lost this child twice, but for the tender mercies of our Heavenly Father, we are most grateful. Thank you, Father! We are also very thankful to the many people from so many places who prayed for her and for us. Thank you!
Jason and Larry administered the IVs at home. I think I did it once--medicine is not my area! I was doing well to take this picture. Luckily, we do have modern medicines and technology that made the miracle possible.
During the time that we were helping our daughter, my father, 99 1/2 years old, passed away. I knew how much he wanted to leave here and the handicaps that were keeping him from full life, so I thought that having him gone would be easy. Actually, having a parent around for so long really spoils a person. It makes it so much harder when they are gone. I miss my father greatly! I am happy for him, however. I could just imagine the great reunion he had. He had served so many, but especially my mother during her Alzeheimers years. Dad never held a worldly "important" position that made him a celebrity or famous person. Yet, I imagine that there are thousands of people who would consider my father someone of import.
He touched so many lives as a game warden, a scout master and leader and as a member of his church. Especially he touched the lives of his posterity, which numbers in the 100s. I have never taken the time to figure it all out, because it is growing so quickly that we can't keep up with the count any more. The chapel was filled when he passed away--that is something when one considers that all of his friends and most of his family had proceeded him. So with the loss, comes also the gratitude. Thank you, Dad, for such a great example.
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