Everybody Loves and Needs a Grandma

I promised in my last blog to write about my most amazing seminary class with some good stories.  However, I'm going to insert another subject here because it kind of relates to that class and how they were involved.

Meet Kitty and Chloe.  They were residents at an assisted care facility in Thousand Oaks.  Our children never had a regular grandma because both my mother and Jim's mother passed away before any of them were born.  Some of the older ones remember Grandma Knapp, my maternal grandmother. She became my surrogate mother and a special grandmother to my children.  But she lived in Utah and we lived in California.  I really wanted them to have a closer relationship with older people.  So one day I went to that care center which they called a convalarium, and asked if there was any residents there that didn't have many visitors.  They directed me to Kitty's room, and I could see why.  She was fun and outgoing and would make a perfect grandma to our children. As I talked to her a while, telling her about my motive for being there - to adopt a grandma for my children.  And in the process, maybe we could help someone who might be lonely and would be willing to adopt a family.

Kitty confided in me that she did have a family who visited her regularly, and wondered why the personnel at the convalarium kept sending her more visitors when there were so many others who would love visitors.  She told us about an older woman in her seventies that never had a visitor.  She had a son whom she lived with in a trailer for a while.  Then one day he drugged her and just dropped her off on the doorstep to that facility.  He didn't bring any of her belongings ... not even her dentures, so she had no teeth to eat with.  I decided to go talk to her.  She was so excited to have a visitor and began talking non-stop.  Her name was Chloe and she was originally from Mona, Utah.   My ears perked up when I heard that because I was raised in Utah, and I knew where Mona was.  And maybe, just maybe she might be a member of the church.  When I brought up that possibility she grinned from ear to ear and began repeating the Articles of Faith.  She told me she was the black sheep of the family and had left home as a teenager and never went back.  She had lived a pretty rough life and felt that there wasn't any future for her ... just loneliness in that convalarium.  We had found our grandmother!

I brought the children to meet Chloe (and Kitty) the next Sunday and every Sunday after.  Although they were a little uncomfortable at first going to a place where there were some mentally ill patients who would be just babbling and sometimes yelling.  Others were just walking around and around the halls in wheelchairs or pushing walkers.  It was a little scary at first for them but soon they would say Hi to everyone they passed other way to Chloe's room.  She loved their visits.  We found out that she loved "bermuda's" (burritos) so we would bring her one when we came.  We would also bring her soft chocolate candy that she could eat.  We found out after a few visits that she had never been out of that facility since her son dropped her off, and he had never come to see her or to call.  We asked if we could take her out for rides or to a restaurant.  They said we could.  They also told us that she had some money that they were holding for her.  Although most of her Social Security money was taken to pay for her room, it was required that they some spending money had to be given to the patient.
Chloe knew nothing about that so she had accumulated a good amount of money.  She was so delighted.  And all the kids loved to go visit every week.  In fact, if for some reason we had to miss a Sunday the kids ... especially the younger ones, really complained. There was a wonderful relationship developing.

A few things we did with or for Chloe: took her shopping for some new clothes, took her to lunch (she alway insisted on paying because "now I have money of my own"), arranged for much needed
cataract surgery (it was paid for by medicare but nobody had taken care of it), took her to our home for special holidays and celebrations, took flowers to brighten up her room and just loved her. There were a few other things that involved my special seminary class.  My next post will continue, as I promised, to explain all the "specialty' of that seminary class which involved Chloe.

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One of the Most Challenging and Rewarding Four Years

Just before high school began in the fall of 1974, (Jeanie was a senior and Debbie a junior) I was called to be an early morning seminary teacher. I had always thought that teachers had to be gospel scholars, members of the CES (Church Educational System) or have some kind of teaching credential. I didn't even come close to any of those descriptions.  My first thought was: "They have to be desperate for teachers this year!"  But since I had never turned down a calling up to now, I reluctantly said yes.  I knew this was going to be extremely difficult since I still had five children at home, and now I would have to get up even earlier very early every single week day.  I felt that 6:00 a.m. was early.  But now I figured that now I would have to be up by ATough4:30 a.m., AND I would have to find time every day to study ... quiet and dedicated study.  Where would that time come from?  It couldn't be late at night when everybody was asleep because I had to get up so early.  It couldn't be during "nap time" because all the children were too old for naps.  The only time I would have was when the children were in school.  Lea, (our youngest) was now in first grade, and I was used to having that time for home duties and "running around" when I needed to.

One of the things that gave me some incentive to give this a try was that Jim and Rochelle would be starting high school and seminary in just another year, and since I would be teaching freshmen, I hoped I would able would to teaching two of my own children.  I would have to do good job for their sakes.  If I could at least make it through these next two years I would be happy.  That two years turned into four and it was one of my favorite assignments ever!  That is when I really learned the Gospel.  During those four years, I taught Book of Mormon,  Old Testament, New Testament, and Church History.  Included in the curriculum was teaching filing systems and beginning a personal file, scripture memorization and competitions, devotional thoughts presented by the students every morning, and teaching leadership skills.  It was quite a challenge having to prepare a lesson every single day while taking care of all the other things required in the curriculum AND a family.

That first year was a time of learning and organizing for me.  I was glad to teach freshmen because I could set the rules and do things my way and my students would believe that this was the "seminary way" in all the classes.  I had observed that by the time students and been in the seminary program for four years with four different instructors, they were not too inclined to be excited and attentive learners.  The first year went ok, but the second year students were a true "dream" class.  Most of the students were eager and excited to be there.  I had some who were extremely intelligent (my son was one of them) and wanted and needed to be challenged.  That was exciting for me, but required more work on my part.  In my next blog I will talk more about this class and what they accomplished.

I'm afraid this blog is a little boring because there are no fun stories to tell here.  The next one will include some stories and experiences with this class.  So stay tuned!