Rasmania 101: Preparing Grandma and Grandpa's home to sale

Mav and Max--the waters have receded and
things are moving towards normal.

We closely followed Hurricane Harvey, and were especially concerned because Elise was there experiencing it. Now we are following Hurricane Irma, which is hitting Florida with even greater strength than Harvey hit Texas. We are told in D&C 88: 90 And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds." I'm not sure what it all means, except that we have been told these are signs of the last days. It' may be tempting to worry (and we should be mindful of those who are suffering), but we also need to remember that the Lord is in charge. I love 2 Nephi 4,where Nephi is praising the Lord, and he says, "19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

I, too, know in whom I trust, and that helps me to look forward with faith. It is difficult to see these destructive hurricanes as blessings, but they truly can be if the people will turn to God in their afflictions. As Elise has told us, she has seen so much love and so many miracles as the people of Texas have come together to help each other.

Other than natural disasters (the hurricanes and the fires), there hasn't been much going on of note this week except that yesterday we went to Provo as a family to clean out Grandpa and Grandma's garage, storage room, and shed. Grandpa has finally realized it is too much for him to take care of his home and he has agreed to go to an assisted living facility. We will move grandma over to the new facility as well. She'll be happier with Verl nearby.

Nick and his family stopped to see grandma on his way to help at grandpa's:

It was an emotional day, especially for Nan. I think it was hard for her to go through all her parent's things. My grandchildren had a great time. The weather was perfect for them to stay outdoors, and they were entertained by their cousins and a few toy cars, plus some pastels and colored pencils. It was also fun for them to pick out a few of their grandparents things to take home with them. Adrienne didn't want her kids to take anything (she detests stuff and clutter), but she had to acquiesce.

Grandpa actually handled the day fairly well,
though he had a nervous stomach. I think he was
glad to have a lot of things taken care of for him.

who knew that pastels were such a dirty art medium

Finn and Greta

Below are a few more pictures from our work day Saturday

We ended our Sabbath watching the CES Fireside with President Bednar. He spoke about being a strong link in the chain of our ancestors and our posterity.