Phoenixjourney's Blog

A Call From The Past

phoenixjourney — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:08:24 +0000

It had been a trying and challenging two weeks. David and I were on our way to a much needed
errand when his cell phone rang. I heard him answering some direct questions. I thought that I heard the caller say something about Farnot. I was really not any mood to have a conversation with anyone in which I had to put forth any effort. David turned to me and said that someone from my mission was asking about me (I could hear that the caller was a male). “Who is it”, I asked, I bit irritated. “Some guy” was the answer. “Well, Who”?
“I don’t know”, was his answer, and reached for the phone to tell the caller that he would take a message. I
grabbed the cell phone and said “hello?”

“Sister Farnot this is Rob Taylor”, said the voice on the other end. “Wow!” was my response! I had served a mission Fernando de la Mora (a
town outside of Asuncion) in Paraguay with Elder Taylor. I was Hermana Farnot then, an enthusiastic, energetic,believing, faithful, and full of vision and drive missionary. She was deterred by very little. She overcame a malignant ulcer and fallen arches. This
was a life time ago. What happened to that girl with such a willing and unstoppable spirit?

The mood changed and suddenly I was transported back 34 years. I had been someone that had worked hard, had
loved the people and was loved and respected in return. This 19 month mission had an impact on me and changed
my life.

Memories flooded my mind. My thoughts turned (as they had many times before) to the man that made it all possible. He was the man that paid for it. He wrote to me every single week that I was out there. He wrote meaningful and sometimes newsy letters. He told me about his war experience and thoughts that he did nto have a chance to share with others. I looked forward to his letters and his stories.

Somewhere along the way this man that I had loved and been so closed to, lost his way. After my
return, he stopped talking to me believing that I had somehow leaked some information about him that led to loosing his membership in the church. For the life of me I don’t know now any better now that I then what he was talking about. I wrote him and tried to explain that
I did not know what he was talking about and that I did not know what was going on or what his activities were. He chose not to believe me and he never spoke to me again. I realize now that he somehow needed someone to blame.

To this day I don’t know what really happened and it has been one of the great losses of my life. I grieved the loss of his friendship and our
relationship for years.

This man that I had loved had a very tragic end to his life. I will always be grateful for the offering he made in my life, for the letters that uplifted me while thousands of miles from home. I will always feel sadness when I think of him, and sometimes chuckle at as one of his corny jokes skates through my mind. I will always love and mourn Dan Burk.

The conversation ended and I said goodbye to Rob Taylor (who made sure to tell me that he was no longer thin and no longer blonde, he
was white now) agreeing to meet in the same church building that David and I attend.

It is a small world after all.

April !5, 20011

phoenixjourney — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:14:36 +0000

I have been reading different blogs from family and friends and have been reminded that I had this blog and that I once enjoyed it. I abondened it a while back for a myriad of reasons.
I just did not feel like sharing my thoughts and feeling with the world at large.
It seems that these days people are using this public forum to keep a journal of sorts and express themselves.
I have always been a philosophical type of person and always have a thought in my head. But, I have shied away from sharing all with the world. I have realized through the years that am more reserved in some areas than I had fancied my self. That even though I am a child of the 60′s, I am just not inclined to ” let it all hang out”. After all, do I want anyone to know my deepest feelings, thoughts activities? do I wan to have my life as an open book?
I know my daughter write and posts pictures of her wonderful little family and her precious children. I often think that it could be a hazard, with all the child molesters out there in the dark and dreary world. On the other hand what a wonderful thing to post and be able to share and to stay in contact through the miles and time limitations we have.
So ( as I ramble on)this post is mainly for me to vent and to get started once again with my blog.
I hope to share thoughts, ideas and experiences as a way of an out let, self expression and therapy. I hope that you, who ever you are, might come along, every once in a while and gain some entertaiment, inspiration by reading it or just get to me who I am a little better. The thoughts and ideas here are mine and I don’t assume or represent that they are politically or other wise correct, they are my thoughts and my ramblings.

Old Year, New Year, All Year

phoenixjourney — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 06:51:44 +0000

Today marks a New Year..and as usual I started not resolutions but New years goals-However, I always give my self New year’s Day off. You know I start “tomorrow”.

Keeping along the lines of starting tomorrow I went to the store to get all the goodies that we were going to eat for our “New Years” Feast. I scanned and browsed at magazines while David stood in line. Every single one of them had at least one article on weight loss, fitness and dieting!! This quickly reminded me of of my list (which I will later share with you) and its top item, fitness, dieting and health.

I suspect that most of you might have taken today off. So tomorrow we will deal with what is glaring in our lives. But, I bet that what ever else there is going on- We will be obsessing with the old scale.

In Keeping with this thought of goals, resolutions and especifically The DIET I give you the following Thought: People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. Author Unknown

On a more serious note here at the Empress’ Phoenix Journey : “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. Edith Lovejoy Pierce