Macy and Cash, this one's for you

December 21, 2014
 
     Macy and Cash, Happy Birthday to you! Macy, you are thirteen today. Your parents' first adventure with a teen-ager in their house. I always tell you this.....I will tell you again.....do they know how lucky they are to have you?  I was there when you were born. I knew you were such a gift to your mother who a few years years before had given a beautiful daughter to another family who could not do that for themselves. I drove away from that hospital after seeing your birth and sobbed in gratitude.  The Lord always makes things right when we try to do things right like your mom did. Your mom met your dad and because of that wonderful union, here you are! You were our most precious blessing to help heal us all. Our best Christmas gift that year.
     We went to another beautiful Christmas program at the Independence Visitors Center on Friday night. A group of bell ringers. And boy, could they ring those bells! All music reminds me of you because you love it so much. You could sing the whole song that Ariel sang on Little Mermaid almost before you could speak in whole sentences. After the program, I asked the sister missionaries that were around to please let me take their picture for my granddaughters. One is from Mexico, one from Virginia. One came here from Washington while others came by way of Utah. I always look at these young sisters in this mission, and there are a lot of them because of the two visitors centers close by, and wonder which one of my granddaughters may serve a mission someday. These sisters are all so happy and willing to do what is asked of them. One of them has curls like you do. She says she never liked it while she was growing up. Now that she is serving here on a mission, it is extra curly with the humidity. For us Arizona people, that is wet air. All the time. Winter and summer. It is something to see, Macy....Anyway, she has decided she loves her curls now. I have told her about you and your beautiful curls. You are so lucky! I can picture any of my beautiful granddaughters serving a mission.  Can you picture that? Our Kortney, McKenzie, Mattie (your joined-at the hip cousin), Brookie, Chloe, Livi, Sailor, Ellie, Mikael, or Avy. Maybe one of them will decide to serve.
     Cash, you are nine tomorrow. I cannot believe your mom and dad have been married long enough to have a son that old! I was there when you were born also. Where did that shock of red hair come from? You are so unique! The one and only Seaman grandchild with red hair! I credit your birth for your mom's desire to have the gospel back in her life. And your dad wanting to do the same thing. He is such a good man.  They took you to the temple to be sealed when you were a baby. A great day! Do you see the picture of your papa and Elder Dyer below. I met that young elder the first week we were here. When he walked up to me, I immediately teared up. I loved him from that minute and told him why. He can play the piano. He is a district leader. He is knowledgeable in the gospel. He is bright. He reminds me of you. I always tell him about you. Everytime I see him, I see you in another nine years or so serving the Lord. Just like all your other Seaman boy cousins....Ethan, Kyson, Noah, Ezra, Teag, Zane, Max, Jett, and Elijah. So, Happy Birhtday to our two Arizona Christmas babies. What a great time of year to be born. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Love you all,

Sister Seaman

Keeping a clean house...

     We left yesterday about 9:30am and got home at 4:30pm.  We drove 30 miles to pick up an Elder and his companion, who had driven 50 miles from their assigned area, and then we all  drove another 25 miles to an apartment where the Elder used to live. He and his old companion had lived in the apartment until his companion got sent home and he had to leave the apartment to live with another companionship.  He left the place in a terrible mess three weeks ago.  Food rotting in the table dishes unwashed, floors need attention, bathroom hadn't been cleaned in at least the time any Elders had been living there. Bad news. The landlady had called me and wondered what happened to the Elders because she hadn't seen them in about month. She had opened the door to the apartment and got mad and called me. She said it was not like our Elders to do such things, they had always been so nice to her.  So much for setting the example.  She was worried about cockroaches and other things.  I said I would take care of it.
  
  I cleaned the kitchen and dining area.  Sister Seaman wouldn't even come in while I was doing that.  She finally came in and helped with the vacuuming.  The Elders had disappeared up stairs.  They were going throught the missionary materials they had found upstairs.  I was getting insulted.  President Vest, the Mission President, had sent me to take the Elder to clean the apartment. Not me.  Not Sister Seaman.  I finally told the Elder to clean the bathroom.  He was insulted. I waited.  It took him a long time just to clean the tub.
    
     When we let them off at their car in Odessa, MO., I had my speech already.  I think it fell on deaf ears.  It then dawned on me who I was dealing with.  An 18 year-old missionary who apparently had not been taught to clean up after himself.  I am now on a mission to educate young missionaries and their mothers about the vitures of keeping it clean.  And so my girls, I have 21 potential missionaries in this family and they ought to know how to keep it clean. You can not expect to feel inspired when you live like a pig.  You will smell, look and sound like a pig to a person investigating our religion. 

     Now that that is off my mind, Sister Seaman and I were the Christmas program today in our assigned ward.  Remember, the one with all the Samoans.  There were no choirs of heavenly hosts, no special program, just a special (beautiful) piano solo and us.  We didn't realize we were really all there was until we saw the program.  It turned out alright.  The Counselor conducting the meeting said something in broken English and tears, about Sister Seaman speeking with fire.  They are so kind to us.  They treat us with very real respect.  I don't really know why.  We certainly don't deserve it, but they are very loving and good people.  Especially the Bishop. I cry listening to him give the announcements.  You have to see it to believe it.

Anyway, keep it clean and and have a very Merry Christmas.  We miss you all so much, especially this Christmas week.  We love you.

Elder Seaman

VC Sister Missionaries

Red-headed Elder Dryer

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