JOURNALS

“Get a notebook, my young folks, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies.” – Spencer W. Kimball 

I was very good at this for many years and have some great journals to show for it. Now, NOT so good! Very sporadic journal keeping so I often miss recording important occasions. Plans are to do better! This blog is my attempt to catch up on events I've missed putting down in black and white.

GENERAL CONFERENCE OCTOBER 6, 2012

SALT LAKE CITY — Thomas S. Monson opened the first session of this October's LDS General Conference with a historic and unprecedented announcment: Women may now serve LDS missions at 19 and men at age 18.  "I am not suggesting that all young men will — or should — serve at this earlier age," Monson said. It is now simply possible for young people who meet the strict requirements set out by the LDS church to leave at a younger age. 

"I am pleased to announce that effective immediately, all worthy and able young men who have graduated from high school or its equivalent, regardless of where they live, will have the option of being recommended for missionary service beginning at the age of 18, instead of age 19." –President Thomas S. Monson

THOUGHTS ON JAN-MARCH 2011

What a momentous year 2011 was! We started out the year with Francis having radiation therapy two two months, January to March, for cancer. We're grateful that the radiation treatments proved to be successful. Francis is recovering well and we have much to look forward to.

Millionaire Terminal, Provo, Utah

Cheree Elise Rogers Boyarsky. Getting ready to fly!

While Francis was receiving his radiation treatments, all the children rallied around. Phone calls, visits,  and lots of love. Chaunine and Jason, and Dave kept us supplied with welcome goodies during Francis's stay at the Orem Timpanogos Hospital. Cheree, Arnie and the kids flew in from California to spend a few days. There was time out for fun, as we celebrated Benjamin's 3rd birthday on March 2nd while they were here. Benjamin loved his pirate-themed birthday party at Pirate Island! It was hard to say goodbye and watch their plane disappear into the clouds.

PALM SUNDAY

My mother came from a devoutly religious background, and she instilled that tradition of devotion into her children. In my childhood the week leading up to Easter Sunday always became a time for quiet inner reflection as we pondered upon the the Savior's earthy ministry.

This weekend, in churches worldwide, faithful Christians will celebrate Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week. It marks the last week of Lent, and commemorates the final week of Jesus' earthly life. Falling the week prior to Easter, the faithful remember the Savior's triumphal entry into Jerusalem only days before his arrest and crucifixion — an event recorded in all four New Testament Gospels.

According to John 11, Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead in the small town of Bethany. Jesus and his disciples returned to Bethany and Bethphage, slightly east of the Mount of Olives. He sent two of them ahead to a nearby village with instructions to fetch a donkey's colt. The disciples did as the Master requested and returned with the young animal. After the disciples had placed some of their clothes upon its back, The Savior mounted the colt and rode into the city.

"All this was done," states Matthew (21:4-5), "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass." "And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way" (Matthew 21:8).

"And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest" (Luke 19:37-38). "Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest" (Mark 11:10).

NEW BABY

We have a new member of our family! An adorable Savannah kitten that belongs to our son, Chris. He is friendly, intelligent, lovable, playful, curious, and altogether delightful. What joy our pet bring to us!

Savannah cat is the name given to the offspring of a domestic cat and a serval—a medium-sized, large-eared wild African cat. The unusual cross became popular among breeders at the end of the 20th century, and in 2001 the International Cat Association accepted it as a new registered breed. Savannahs are much more social than typical domestic cats, and they are often compared to dogs in their loyalty. They can be trained to walk on a leash and even taught to play fetch.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Miss my Mom, especially at Christmas time! I remember our lovely Finnish Christmas foods and traditions and miss having her with us to celebrate. Was reading some of her letters and her memoirs. Here is what she wrote about her childhood Christmases in Finland.

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

When I was a little girl Father went in to the woods and cut down our Christmas tree. In later years we bought our tree from a tree salesman who brought them to sell at the outdoor market (Tori) in Helsinki. I was really good at decorating the tree and so it became my job to do so each Christmas. This started after I told Father that I was better at decorating the tree than he was! I had explained to him that the decorations needed to be placed on the tree “just like this and this.”


Wax candles were hung from the tree branches and they were then lit. The tinsel star was at the top of the tree, and cotton was placed on the branches for snow. Apples and candies were hung from the branches, and decorations made of silver paper were hung on every branch, and the tree was draped with festive ribbon as well. Because the trees were fresh, being recently cut from the forest, they filled the rooms of the house with a wonderful scent which added to the festive feeling. I recall that each day I was allowed to take one apple and a candy confection that hung from the branches and eat them, and it was a grand occasion for me.

The whole house had of course been cleaned for Christmas. The coffee pots had been polished because they were copper and tarnished quickly. Mother had made “lutefish” a long time beforehand by soaking white fish in a vat of lye and ashes so that the fish would bleach and be suitable for eating. For me it isn’t Christmas without “lutefish,” ham and prune-soup pudding. And then of course there were the Christmas “pulla” and gingerbread cookies. A delicious rutabaga casserole was also part of the traditional Christmas fare in my home. The ham was usually so big that it lasted us until January 6 when Christmas traditionally comes to an end in Finland.

Christmas Eve was the most important time for us children because that is when the presents were given out to everyone, an occasion we had looked forward to all year. Father Christmas handed out the presents. He always knocked on the door first and asked, “Are there good children in this house?” And very timidly we would call out that there were. I remember being a bit surprised that Father would always be absent right at the very moment that Father Christmas would come into the house. Mother would explain that Father had gone to check if Father Christmas was in the neighborhood, and to see whether he had time to come to our house since he had so many places to visit. Well, eventually this little mystery was explained.

On New Year’s Eve we always poured molten tin into a bucket of cold water [an old Finnish fortune-telling custom]. It was exciting to see if the tin formed into the shape of a “ship to America,” and almost without exception that was what the lump of tin seemed to resemble. At Christmas we usually went to church to hear the Christmas sermon and Christmas concert. It as a highlight and a special event during our year!
-- Aune Irene Makinen-Tolvanen

Easter Traditions

In this increasingly post-doctrinal age built on "do-it-yourself" spirituality, it's interesting to reflect on the Easters of my childhood. I remember Easter being filled with both fear and delight. Images of fluffy yellow chicks, mixed in with Christ on the cross, and scary witches and trolls, clearly come to mind.

Lutherans in my childhood days celebrated the Easter season much like the Catholics, but with far less ceremony and pageantry. Easter is really an entire season of the Christian church year, and not just a one day holiday. Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter Sunday, is a time of reflection and penance and represents the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the wilderness before starting his ministry.

The day before Lent, known as Fat Tuesday, is a last hurrah of food and fun before the fasting begins. The week preceding Easter is called Holy Week. The days leading up to Easter in my childhood were marked by the reverent remembrance of Christ on Maundy Thursday, which commemorates Jesus' last supper with his disciples. Good Friday, which honors the day of his crucifixion, was observed as a solemn, and sacred day. Holy Saturday focused on the transition between the crucifixion and resurrection. Businesses and schools were closed on Good Friday and for the whole weekend.



The only Easter celebration I can recall from my childhood was in Rovaniemi when I was nine years old. We attended Easter mass at the beautiful Lutheran chapel there. Vivid memories linger of the altar piece with Christ surrounded by a golden halo and at his feet the resurrection is taking place, with the dead rising from their graves. The mural filled me with awe and fear.



But Easter is also a delightful time for the children and their families. For lunch/dinner on Holy Saturday, families traditionally feast on a smörgåsbord of herring, salmon, potatoes, eggs and other kinds of food. In Finland, the Lutheran majority enjoys mämmi as another traditional Easter treat. This rye-concoction, covered with sugar and cream, was not a great favorite of mine even when it had been made by my Karelian grandmother who was an outstanding cook.

In Finland, Sweden and Denmark, traditions also include egg painting and (much in the tradition of our American Halloween) small children dressed as witches collect candy door-to-door. However, in place of trick-or-treat, the children exchange decorated pussy willows for candy. This is a result of the mixing of an old Orthodox tradition (blessing houses with willow branches) and the Scandinavian Easter witch tradition. Brightly colored feathers and little decorations are also attached to birch branches in a vase.

In our modern day and age, we are much more casual about our Easter observance. Most of these solemn Easter traditions seem as antiquated as the Model-T Ford and the typewriter. Last weekend's General Conference allowed us time to reflect on the real meaning of Easter ... the life and sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ.