Dinah,
Just
thinking about my memories my first memories of you and thought that I would
share them with you for your birthday!
My
very first memories are hearing about you from Jeremy when you were both in
high school. I knew that you were
one of his friends and so I knew that you must be really cool! I specifically remembered him telling
me that you sang really well. Of
course, I was very impressed with the Prom photo (as was Mom! J ) and with you when I got to meet you.
I remember that I
was shocked when I learned that you and Jeremy were dating at BYU. I mostly was happy to see my brother
after his mission, and got scared that I was losing him to marriage. I had dreams of hanging out with him
once I got to BYU. Luckily for me,
the cheesy cliché phrase about not losing a brother but gaining a sister was
true!
I have always loved
you and had the greatest respect for you.
Remember how I began working at Zuka Juice the month before I moved to
Provo and started my freshman year at BYU? You were so thoughtful to let me stay with you.
I remember the night
that I was staying with you and you got engaged. I felt TERRIBLE that I was imposing on you on such a
night!!! I was very embarrassed about that, but you still made me feel
comfortable. I still remember
watching you cry with joy as you wrote in your journal. Your happiness made me grateful that
you loved my brother so much. I
knew that you adored him and that you would take care of him. I was so excited for both of you! I loved hearing your advice about
falling in love being natural, like breathing. You were quoted in our apartment for years and we all hoped
that we would get the same happiness that you had.
I think that the
night you got engaged was the same night that we got incredibly punchy talking
about Cousin Jed choking on turkey immediately after the prayer at
Thanksgiving…that is one of my favorite things about you: I love getting punchy
with you!!!
After you got
engaged, Jeremy went to South America and we both lost him again. I was so touched that you stopped by on
my birthday with the little Winnie the Pooh mug with treats. I was amazed that you would come by
when Jeremy was gone and you didn’t even have to! It didn’t even matter if he had asked you to stop by. I was just touched that you would make
the effort in the middle of a busy college girl’s schedule to stop by the freshman
dorms for a future sister-in-law’s 19th birthday!
Jeremy finally got
home and you had a beautiful wedding.
You were the perfect bride!
I remember your tiny first apartment and being impressed that you were
both so frugal and okay with living in such a tiny little place. I loved your little apartment on Oak
Lane (? one of the tree streets) with quails and little neighbor ladies that
dyed their hair blue. I remember
when you invited the family over for family home evening and your Mandarin
Delight treats. You were such a
good little hostess and had such a cute home.
You
both invited me over a couple of times for treats a couple of times. It felt amazing to leave my high-energy
apartment to get out once in a while!
I loved my girls and the crazy fun life that we had, but it could be
tiring and full of heartbreak and stress… Breaks were very appreciated. Remember how Jeremy forced me to drive
home with stick shift one night and I had no idea what I was doing?!! Good times!
I think that it was
the Christmas break of 2002 when you introduced me to Pride and Prejudice and Jeremy quarantined the basement. I got so worked up in some of those
movies! That was my hardest year
of college and some of my least favorite memories ever happened right before
and after that break. I remember
how much I hated to leave and go back.
I even parked at the temple and cried for a bit before going to the
apartment. When I got back, things
got even worse…So many times I thought back on the fun times that we had and
wished that I could be playing with you again!!! You were one of my sweet memories in an ugly time.
Going back to an
earlier time, your example during Joseph’s birth has been a landmark in my
life. You and Jeremy taught me so
much during those few months. When I heard that you were praying that he could
make it full term, I was amazed at your selflessness. So many women would not want to go through the discomforts
of pregnancy if they knew that it would not yield a healthy baby in the end,
not to mention the increasing attachment that pregnancy brings and the greater
heartache that you would feel after losing him full term.
Although
Joseph was gone by the time I arrived at the hospital, the Spirit was SO
thick. I remember whispering and
almost still feeling irreverent for breaking any silence. When I arrived, you had already been
through so many terribly hard things:
you had been through labor, and I believe that you even had hives all
over your body. Even more painful,
you had had your first and last earthly meeting with your sweet baby boy in
such a short period of time.
Everything must have been so quick. Everything must have been so physically, emotionally, and
even spiritually draining for you.
One
of the most poignant images of my life was seeing you in that hospital room:
you looked exhausted and in pain, but you had the sweetest, most serene look on
your face that I can imagine. I
have realized since that moment, that what I saw in you was the true beauty of
womanhood. You were so full of
love, selflessness, submissiveness to your Heavenly Father, and so full of
faith and hope that you looked perfectly at peace. I knew that you would have your Joseph again—there was no
question that he was yours forever. You and Jeremy taught me a lot about going
through trials—not tragedies—and doing it together as a husband and wife. Temple covenants, births in the
covenant, the Resurrection, the Atonement, our Savior, the Second Coming,
angels, true faith, and pure love took on all kinds of real meaning in our own
family.
On a lighter note,
you have always been so hospitable!
I still think back to your tiny apartment in Boston and the thought of
us all staying on your little living room floor! You are such a great sport!
You
entertained so well in Boston and in Baltimore! I really just meant to hang out with you all and visit you
when I came. I didn’t want to put
you out, but you insisted on showing me the town, and I loved it! All the sights in D.C., Mt. Vernon,
Arlington, Gettysburg, Antietam, Harper’s Ferry, Gun Powder Falls, Ft. McHenry,
Indian food in Baltimore, and everything else in between kept you busy and out
of routine while I visited! It always seemed like you had a baby to nurse while
I was visiting, too, and that made me feel even worse! I think of standing on the lawn of the
White House eating Trader Joe honey whole-wheat pretzels when you mentioned
that you were hungry again. If you
remember, Jeremy’s response was, “Well, you are lactating!” What a Jeremy thing
to say! I have loved those
pretzels and the Sesame cashews since!
Visits to your house
are always perfect! These visits
undoubtedly mean delicious gourmet meals and treats that I always want the
recipes for. We love to see how
you are raising your little family, and it gives us great ideas to follow and
hope for the future years with more kids!
I also love your beautiful, fresh, simple decorating! I love your way of
doing pretty much everything! You
have great taste!
You
have made our stay in Minneapolis so much easier! It has been so great to have you close enough to see
monthly. I especially appreciated
your visiting me on my birthday last year. I admit that I was not excited about turning thirty and
spending the day away from family and friends. I usually LOVE my birthday, but I knew that on such a “big”
birthday, it would be different without family, students, other teachers, and
friends to celebrate it with me. I was not looking forward to it very
much. However, it ended up being
such a great day with your visit, Ward’s plans, and all the sweetness from
Utah. Thanks for making a potentially
lonely time of transition a great day for me!
We
have loved our two Thanksgivings with your cute family and friends. We love the General Conference
sleepovers, the Orchard visits, Quarry Hill hikes, help with Mayo Clinic
visits, bicycle expeditions, and every other visit that we’ve been able to have
with you. Thank you again for
taking such good care of us!
I
know that some of this letter has been cheesy, but I have left the potentially
cheesy parts because they are the closest way that I know how to say how I feel
about you. I hope that you really
know how sincere my love and appreciation is for you as a sister and a
friend. I am not always great at
keeping in touch when I am far away from people, but I think about you and miss
you when we are away. I have
wished that we were closer so many times before. These almost two years have been such a blessing for
me. I already hate the thought of
being far away from you again. L It
is hard for me to think about it, so I don’t yet. I just hope that we have a couple of more visits before I
move. Maybe another bike ride this
spring?
Happy Birthday, dear sister! We all love you and appreciate you in
this family! Thanks again for all
that you do and for all that you are!
I don’t think that I will ever stop learning from you!
Love,
Heidi,
Ward, and Abigail
January
15, 2012
