EASTER

I love Easter. And Springtime.

Usually about the middle of February when the snow starts to melt I start looking for the flowers to pop their leaves above the dirt and I continue to inspect the various trees and bushes for signs of their survival. When I notice the first signs I greet each plant with a tender touch and greeting, "You survived the winter" :o)
Yes I talk to my plants and let them know how beautiful they are. It encourages them!
Then I get tender feelings in my heart because of this renewal as I realize the reality of the Resurrection. This past week I thought of this event and some of the people I will be reunited with in that glorious day.
Here are a few.

My Mother and Father

Alan's Mother and Father

Grandma and Grandpa

My sister Jean and her husband Billy

My brother Roy and his wife Frances

Alan's brother Roy

Alan's sister Marjorie

My sister-in-law Maureen

Alan's cousin Margaret

My friend Doris

Our two precious angels Christopher and Ashleigh


How grateful I am for the Plan of Salvation, for my Saviour's sacrifice, and the promise that
"FAMILIES CAN BE TOGETHER FOREVER"

Citizens

March 11th 1970 we became citizens of The United States of America.
One of the best decisions of our lives. It was not an easy decision for me until I realized we were raising American kids three of whom were born in Northern Ireland and two not shown in the picture and one yet to be born.
America has been "good" to us but then we have been "good" to America.

We always vote and have encouraged our children to vote. We have taught them to be good citizens at the same time recognizing their British culture. We feel we have done a good job.

Alan came four months before me and I like to say I came with three children and two suitcases.

They all have good jobs and are teaching their families to be good citizens.

So here we are forty one years later, and what started with a family of five in 1962 has now grown to a family of fifty 0ne.

God Bless America.

And God Bless The Marsdens.



(Well this picture is 5 years old so not everyone is here but........)

On This Day in History.....

.....Saturday June 5th 1954
my brother Jack who was stationed at Burtonwood USAF base close to Liverpool England came to visit us in Belfast and brought his brother-in-law Alan Marsden to Ireland for his first time and the rest is history :o)


(This picture was taken June 54)

(This picture was taken before he came to Belfast. Look at those shoulders :o))

But the Child that is born on the Sabbath Day.....

.... is bonny and blythe and good and happy. Well, I can't use the other word!!!
It seems only a few short years ago that Archie asked me how I felt about my kids turning 30!!!!! now my Grandkids are turning 30 and Archie is the second of our kids to turn 50!!!!!
He was born at home, 36 Trassey Close Belfast, At 4:20am on a Sunday morning. While we waited for the midwife to come it was just Mom and Dad (Lesley was asleep in another room) waiting. All was quiet and dark and we were just waiting....... a very special spiritual moment. He was named Archie after his paternal Grandfather, and does a great job of honoring him. As a baby he "failed" to thrive and was in hospital for several weeks. A good friend Sammy Douglas, fasted for two days before going with Alan to administer to Archie and within two days Archie was home and hasn't looked back. He was always a quiet child not always talking but when he did he would use BIG words and speak clearly. We would look at each other in amazement. He was always quite patient BUT if you teased him enough he would let you know, as in one time when we were living at Uncle Roy's waiting to come to Salt Lake, Keith teased him enough that he formed a fist and said to Keith, "If you don't watch it I'll give you that" He wasn't yet three. He has always been very loving and compassionate. Once I was potty training one of the littler ones and Archie sat on the bathroom floor to keep the child company and said, "don't worry, your Archie is here". He was about six.

In later years he introduced his Dad and I to the National Park in Utah that is named after him !!!!! Well, it would have been if the namers knew him!!!!!
He is a hard worker and is/was welcomed with open arms when LDS hospital was changing it's computer system. He brings a feeling of competency with him. And always with a laugh and a smile.
He served a mission in Auckland, New Zealand. And later when the girls attended Catholic private school was involved in their various activities. The Priests enjoyed his humor.
He is very generous and kind. He is surrounded by women, he has a wife and three daughters, even the dog is a girl. I admire him.
He is very tender-hearted and has a philosophy that when JuLee is happy everyone is happy. Smart man.
He loves the Lord and his neighbor. He goes the extra mile.



Alyssa, Archie, JuLee, Ammanda, and Aubree.
You will have to imagine a lovely yellow lab "Biscuit" at their feet

I enjoy reading Archie's blog. I have learned a lot about him.

Happy Birthday son, and many more. We love you .

P.S. Take another look at Lesley's family friday on Archie and everyone's comments.

1962 part 2

47 years ago today we arrived in Salt Lake City. We were so excited to be together again as a family. We vowed we would never be apart again. It was Fall, the colours everywhere were beautiful. The weather was warm and the sun was shining!!!! and there were sunflowers blooming all over the place. I was AMAZED at the mountains. I knew Utah was in the mountains, but we had also heard about the pioneers crossing the plains. Talk about a "reality check"
Alan rented an apartment for us in West Bountiful. (The owners had planted a tree in the front yard that wasn't very big, but it cast enough shade for Lesley to sit under with her doll and play.) Alan had a job, various friends had contributed to furnishing the apartment. Our landlady bought us a beautiful set of dishes, and loaned a "Jenny Lind" bed. Some friends moved into a new home and gave us their old fridge. Grandma filled the fridge and cupboards with groceries including a "half gallon of icecream" something that was unheard of for us. I discovered that milk was sold in GALLON bottles. That's a LOT of milk in one place.
I also learned about "dryers" I could take soaking wet clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer and they dried in 30 minutes. Isn't America wonderful.
Time proved that leaving my family was easy as compared to what I now faced. I was a mile from the grocery store. So? I was used to going to the shops everyday! and we couldn't drive. I would put the children in a stroller and walk. Or, I had a neighbour who was very patient and drove me often. Lettuce was iceberg when I was used to leaf, and BREAD!!!! it took a LONG time for me to adjust. I had a phone but no one to call. No TV but a radio and no idea who was funny. etc.etc. And NO FIREPLACE , where do you sit if you don't have a fire to sit by? Oh, the house was warm, but I missed a fire. And because of Alan's job he went to the Trade Tech in SL twice a week and we had MICE. HORRORS.
The Ward members were wonderful. They welcomed us with open arms. They held a "shower" for me and everyone was so kind. The first week here someone took me to the Elementary school to see the "Halloween Parade". Imagine my amazement when the Principal ran out dressed as Dracula. THAT WAS NOT how Headmasters (Principals) behave in Belfast. :o)
I thought I had challenges, including language. I used words that meant one thing to me and something entirely different to my new friends, they were much more polite than I was in a couple of situations. They had "no clue" what I was saying because of my brogue, and all these years later I still have people laugh.
This is a miscellany of incidents that actually took place over a few months. I had a LOT of learning moments, but I think the biggest was realizing that everyone was trying hard to make me feel welcome and now it was up to me.
I think I could sum it up by saying it was "the best of times it was the worst of times."
Now all these years later (although it hasn't taken all these years for me to recognise it)we can truly say this had been a land choice above all others for us.
I enjoy living in Zion. This Is the Place.

I remember I came to Utah with 3 children and 2 suitcases now look at us!!!!

16th October 1962

I left Belfast with three bairns and two suitcases to emigrate to Utah and join our husband/Daddy there. It was a very emotional time saying goodbye to my Sister-in-law and two nephews and one niece. (I had said my goodbyes to my sister and her family the night before.) My brother accompanied us to Glengall Street where we were to catch the bus for the airport at Nutt's Corner. Unfortunately the airport was fogged in and no flights were leaving so we returned to my brother's home (where we had been living all summer) to try again tomorrow.(Wednesday) Next day my brother and his friend John hired a car and drove us to Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland to get a KLM flight to New York.(I saw more of Ireland the day I left than I had in all my life.) We caught the flight at 2am Thursday morning. So, here I am boarding an airplane at 2am with three toddlers and a cabin of sleeping passengers. After take-off the flight attendant arranged to move us to the front of the cabin, where she fixed a bed on the floor for one child, a bed on the seat on the opposite side of the aisle for another and one laying on the seat next to me. Thus we spent the night, the children slept all the way through. Next morning I was met in N.Y. by my oldest brother John. He and his wife had met the plane the day before when we did not arrive. She had to go home to take care of their boys and John stayed till we arrived. We set out for their home in Alexandria, VA. by car, but had car problems and had to continue by train. Somewhere along the way we got drinks and Archie approached me and said,(in his best Belfast brogue)"Mammy, I don't like this drink with stones in it" (ice). And thus our adventure began.
On the Saturday evening as I tended my brother's boys, we watched "The River of No Return" I decided to call Alan who it turned out was also tending and watching the same movie (tender moment).
We stayed with my brother and his family until Sunday when we left Washington DC by train for Chicago where we boarded the California Zephyr. As we approached Chicago on Monday morning I was chagrined to note it wasn't much different from Belfast. We spent the day in the Mother's lounge (my Stepmother had arranged for Travellers' Aid to meet me and make sure we were ok) until our train left at 3pm.
In the morning we stopped in Denver and the train was washed to prepare for the trip through the Rocky Mountains. As we left Denver and climbed into the mountains I saw the America I was anticipating. The mountains were ablaze with Fall colours and it was beautiful. The children behaved magnificently. The USA was in the middle of the Cuban crisis, so I didn't know if we would soon be a nation at war. We had a programme of the itinerary and about 4pm in the afternoon we crossed over from Colorado into Utah and I cried, I was in Utah. We arrived in Salt Lake about 10pm and there we reunited with our Daddy/husband. What an emotional time that was. Lesley's first remark to her Daddy, "Do you want to keep me?" DID HE WHAT!!!!!


To be continued......

WAR!!!!!!!

70 Years ago today,(it was a Sunday) Britain declared War on Germany. On September 1st Germany invaded Poland and because Britain had a pact with Poland to defend/aid in the event of Germany's attack Britain issued an ultimatum, that if Germany did not withdraw then Britain would go to war. On Sunday September 3rd at 11:00am the time specified, the Prime Minister announced that they had no response from Germany and so a state of war now existed between the two countries. But to this 2 year old politics didn't matter. I didn't know much about the War at that point, but I learned and my life was affected and reality hit many times in the ensuing 6 years. I could write a lot about my childhood and war but......
I am not sure of the exact dates probably 1940, but my brother and I attended a nursery school in Belfast that was evacuated to Donaghmore in County Tyrone,this involved Joe and I being separated from our parents. We were housed in Augharainey House.

This picture was taken in 1983, and shows my sister Jean and my Aunt Margaret outside Augharainey House.

This picture shows Joe and I at play in January 1941. The date on the picture was written by my Mother.







Again the date, March 1941 was written by my Mother.







I think this was the same picnic in March 1941. Us children used to love "dressing up" in Mother's fox fur cape.







My two oldest brothers were evacuated to Ballymoney in County Antrim. My sister stayed in Belfast and worked, as did my Daddy. In 1942 my Mother did rent a house in Dungannon and we were reunited as a family. In December 1941,(two days before Pearl Harbor) my brother Bryan was born there. Belfast was bombed in April and May of 1941.


My Aunt's home in Ballyclare Street did receive a "direct hit" and they were homeless. We didn't stay long in Dungannon as I have memories of being in Belfast when the air-raid sirens went and us leaving the house in the middle of the night to go to the air-raid shelter. My Sister eventually went to work and live in London (scary). There were no further raids on Belfast after 1941.
My Daddy was the Branch President in Belfast and had the branch records, and the branch piano in our home. One night as he was home alone the sirens went and he heard the bombers and went to the back door and saw the bombs falling and called on the Lord for protection. It may have been another night when he got home from work and was laying on the couch when the bombs started falling, he got up headed to the cupboard(closet)under the stairs when a bomb dropped across the street. Our window blew all over the couch where he had been laying, shrapnel came through the front door and through the stairs where he was headed but he was caught between the two. The piano bore shrapnel scars for as long as I remember and the hole in the stairs was there when we moved. He told me many years later as an old man here in Utah about that night and his ensuing flight from danger, it was a funny story (aren't they all when danger is over).
Perhaps it was 1944 my Mother was washing my hair one night as the radio was giving out the latest news and talking about the casualties and I remember saying to my Mother,"that isn't our soldiers?" but she informed me it was and I cried.
I remember VE Night in May 1945. I was not 8 until the August and Joe would be 10 in the coming Sept. but we went into Belfast to celebrate with the thousands of others. We probably went with my sister but got separated in the crowd and we walked home at 2am. Just the two of us.
Belfast had several severe blitzs and although the war was over and the rubble was cleared it was years before the bombed areas were completely rebuilt. Even when we left Belfast in 1962 there were still vacant lots where buildings had been bombed.

P.S. I have a booklet called "Bombs on Belfast" which is a pictorial record of the Blitz.
I also have a BBC video called, "Finest Hour the Battle of Britain" which is a dramatic account of WW11.
If you would like to borrow these let me know.

Miss Tippy Toes

Lesley was born on July 10th 1958 at the Royal Maternity Hospital, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After much desire and heartbreak. I thought I would NEVER have a baby and look at us now. :o)
She started walking on the day after Mother's Day in 1959 and always walked on her tip toes, hence the name. People would say,"she is walking on her tip toes!" "She walks on her tip toes she is going to be a ballerina!" She was always a good baby and slept through the night from she was 2 months old. She went with us to the London Temple dedication and was sealed to us there in September 1958.
We were learning a new hymn in Sunday school #44 but we put our own words to it.
Beautiful Lesley built above
Beautiful Lesley that we love.
Beautiful teeth so pearly white
Beautiful eyes so big and bright
She who was born on the 10th of July
She is the apple of our eye.
Lesley, Lesley, Beautiful Lesley
Lovely Lesley, Lesley Marsden that we love.

Grandma Ditty, to the day she died (1981) always called her Lesley Ann.

When she was 3 1/2 years old and we still lived in Belfast, she took off one day with her doll pram and crossed a local field to visit my friend. There were always a LOT of seagulls in that field and they must have flown near her and I credit this situation to her dislike of birds to this day. She used to do shopping for me in Belfast. About a block from our home was a "strip mall". I would write a note with money and put it in one hand and tell her which shop to go to, and in the other hand was another note and money for another shop and she would come home with the "messages".(Our terminology in Belfast for errands)I am amazed that we allowed her to do that but that was what children did.
She missed her Daddy when he came to Salt Lake in 1962 and the first words she said to him when they met 4 months later was, "Do you want to keep me?"
She was thrilled after three brothers to get a baby sister. When her Daddy went to her third grade class to tell her, the class applauded. She was in Mrs Baty's class at West Bountiful.
She was really pleased when her niece Alyssa was born on her (Lesley's) 32nd birthday.
She has a beautiful singing voice that she has shared for years. And continues to seek opportunities to develop that talent.
She has always been an obedient and loving person. A faithful wife, a devoted Mother, a loving daughter, a caring sister, a friendly aunt, and an attentive friend. She works hard and is devoted to serving the Lord. She has not missed an opportunity to serve in the temple at least once a month for the past 12 years. She is determined to serve where and when called and to help build the kingdom. She has had much adversity in her life but comes through with her beautiful smile intact. She is a builder. A builder in our family, reference her blog and her "Family Fridays"

She is what her Dad and I call AN ELECT LADY.



Happy Birthday Sweetheart, and many more.
(she won't see this blog till later today, she's at Girl's Camp)

Timothy....on this date in history....1961

.... was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland at 9:45pm on a Saturday night.
He was born at home. No panic, that is what we planned. The midwife visited me at home throughout my pregnancy and the doctor came to the house when he was called but Timothy arrived before he did. That was the British National Health system. (Lady Diana Spencer was born the same day)He was always a pleasant baby except for the evening he cried and cried in his crib, when his Dad went to check on him he found him hanging by his neck because the cord in his pj's had caught on the rail. Before his 1st birthday the decision was made to emigrate to Utah. Alan came first and as we waited to come I would not encourage Timothy to walk because I wanted his Daddy to be there. He was just 15 months old when we left Belfast and arrived in Utah.


He was the first of our children to graduate from University and he later passed his CPA exam and does his siblings taxes for them, also ours.
He served his mission in Brazil so is the only one of our children to speak a foreign language. While he was on his mission he taught the Brazilian children/people to do "Pay the Rent" which was something he learned at home but the Portuguese makes it a lot more fun. Plus he embellishes it SOOOOO much. Also, a very important part of family birthday celebrations is to have Tim sing the birthday song in Portuguese. He keeps up his language skills by reading the Book of Mormon and praying in Portuguese.
He is a very smart man, he lives just 5 minutes from his workplace so doesn't have to commute !!!!!!!
When he was in Primary he sang with a Primary choir in the Tabernacle, and quite a few years later gave a prayer at a priesthood meeting in the Tabernacle.
He is a righteous man, loves the Lord and serves diligently in all of his callings.
He is a good Dad and is looking forward to his first grandchild, a girl, coming in August. He loves his wife and takes care of her. He is a good brother and friend and has always been a hard conscientious worker, even as a boy when doing his chores.
It is wonderful to focus on a particular child. So many things and experiences come to mind. And we are grateful for this child, young man, man, son.
We love you son,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MANY MORE.

My Daddy

As I have contemplated writing about my father today he has been brought into sharp focus. He was a wonderful man. This picture shows him as I remember him when I was a child. He took me to the pictures (movies) to see "Snow White". He also took me to see the 3D movie "House of Wax" a scary movie that I still remember. :o) He and my Mother used to take us for long walks. I remember asking him where we were going? he said "Home". I was upset because we had just started out. But he explained that we were "going home" it would be several hours before we got there but we were "going home" that was ok with me. :o)
As a teenager after my Mother passed away he encouraged me to learn to cook. He bought me a box of chocolates when I went on a trip to Yorkshire to visit Alan. We were friends. He taught me how to pray. He taught me to talk to "the Father" as one man talks to another. When we would go out together to the pictures, to shop or to church I always took his arm. He was a gentleman. He would give his seat on the bus to any lady and "doff" his hat. He wore a cap to work (as in the picture) but always a hat going to Church or for dress.
He loved the Lord and had a strong fervent and enduring testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He honored his priesthood and was always on the Lord's errand.
This picture was taken the day I married Alan. Alan was in the army so I stayed at home with daddy and Brian, while Alan served in Egypt. Joe was on his mission. A few months later I moved to Colchester in England to be with Alan and Daddy visited us there and took us to see, "Gunfight at O.K. Corral".
He was an avid genealogist and sat in many cold Parish Churches looking in the records. He married Norah Moss and eventually moved to Utah.


This last picture was taken about two years before he died. He loved his family. He grew up in Belfast as an "only, lonely child" Actually he had two brothers and two sisters, but one brother and both sisters died in childhood. His older brother Robert was 12 years older than him and apparently wasn't around much. Daddy was born on the 4th July 1902 (he always said America was celebrating HIS birthday.)And was named after the Prophet Joseph. :o) He turned 12 on Saturday July 4th 1914 and started work in the mill on Monday the 6th. He started out sweeping floors and as he swept he sang. The noise of the machines was tremendous so he sang all the louder. The foreman was not impressed, he scolded him for singing, he thought he was hurt from the machines.
He loved and honored his Mother and took care of her all of her life.
He loved his family. A few days before he passed away, I think he knew what was about to unfold, he called upon the Lord "to bless my family for I love them". And he did, and he does. We sometimes refer to him as "wee Joe" and I always imagine him and my Mother watching my family as we love and live together.
I love my Daddy. He taught me so much. I hope I do a good job of honoring his name.

Food for Thought

My Mother was born on August 10 1904. I think today I am going to write about her and her hospitality. She always put her best foot forward in welcoming people into our home. I remember as a child in wartime Britain the G.I.s who attended Church on Sunday were always sent home with various families and we always had two or three or four come home with us. We were on rations so there was not a lot to go around but whatever we had was shared and these young men were welcomed. I remember my Uncle Harry, her brother, who lived in Essex coming home to Belfast for his holidays and bringing Auntie May, June, Billy and Barbara. My Mother would rearrange all the sleeping arrangements to accommodate them. BUT!!!! the best part was she always made a FRY. Which included bacon, eggs, soda bread and potato bread. Uncle Harry was the returning native son and soda and tady was unheard of in England. We did not have this everyday so it was a treat for us also. Today we call it an Ulster Fry.
This is an Ulster Fry. Similar to what I make except I have not added mushrooms but will take requests. This is such a traditional meal, people outside Ulster do not know what it is. I learned to bake apple pie when I was about 12, and in the Fall we would always go Blackberrying and Mom would make jelly. Another celebration she prepared was the wedding reception of my brother Roy. She sat about 40 people down to a fancy meal in our living room which was NOT big. It was wall to wall tables and chairs. My children probably have stories to tell of my efforts at hosting people in our home, and the ensuing turmoil but hopefully they do have happy memories of the people we entertained. I learned it from my Mother. This being an Olympic year I am reminded that my Mother was a knitter. The Olympics were held in London in 1948 and she knit a sweater for my brother Roy that had the Olympic rings as a pattern. She also knit a sweater for my brother Joe, he visited an aunt who noticed a loose thread and pulled on it to break it off, instead a large piece of the sweater came unravelled. Needless to say my Mother was "upset". My Mother died in March 1953 before reaching her 49th birthday. I think of her often.