Can't get enough of Calvin!

Look at what I am missing in Kaysville, since I still live in Korea! One night this month, Aunty Em and Aunty Beck were given the supreme joy of tending Calvin while his parents went out to dine. What a sweet babysitting gig! He turned 6 months old this month, too. So, even if you readers have seen enough of him, I haven't, and it's my blog! Enjoy the evidence of a doting gramma!

A Senior's Prayer

Sometimes things happen that remind me of this prayer that was given to me by a very wise and lovely senior sister I knew over here in Seoul a few years ago. I decided that this needs to be put somewhere I can find it when I need to re-read it, and also to be shared with whomever wanders by on this blog some day.

A Senior’s Prayer

(Written by Aziza Sleightholm, coordinator for People Helping People in Surrey, BC)

Lord, you know me better than I know myself
That I am growing older
And that someday I will be old.
Keep me from getting talkative
And from the habit of thinking that
I must say something on every occasion.
Release me from the craving to straighten out everyone’s affairs.
Keep my mind free from the ritual of endless details.
And give me wings to get to the point.
I ask for grace enough to listen to the tales of others’ pains.
Help me endure them with patience.
Seal my lips on my own aches and pains – even though they are increasing
And my love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.
Teach me the glorious lesson that it is possible to be mistaken.
Keep me reasonably sweet.
I don’t want to be a saint – some of them are hard to live with.
But a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil.
Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not bossy.
But with my vast store of wisdom,
It seems a pity not to use it all.
But you know, Lord,
I want a few friends at the end.

Here are a few extra pictures from the last few months to show a little more of my family's life.

In October, we attended a "repeating of wedding vows" ceremony of our friend John and his sweet Korean bride Hannah...and this week, she joined the ESL class I teach at the Army Community Services.

Calvin gets lots of love and attention from all his aunties and uncles! Someday I will join them with some "grandsmother love!"

Rebecca made some great friends in Korea this fall, and will soon return for more adventures in Seoul.

Drei Koenig Tag

Today, January 6th, is Three Kings Day. In all my years of hearing and reading the Christmas Story, I have never given much thought or concern to the three kings, or wisemen, in the New Testament narrative. Until this year....That's when I happened to read a book I had purchased in the past, but never opened until now. It's called From the East by Jeffrey Holt. I don't want to give away the story, but if you are interested in this topic, and are open to a fascinating idea about the origin of these men from the East, just email me or post a reply here, and I will let you know more. Or even better: go track down the book somewhere, and read it for yourself!

Tangents and Circles

I'm no mathematician, but I remember learning in geometry class about a tangent. It's a line that touches on a circle in just one point. Usually people use that word to express the idea of "going off on a tangent," or, in other words, getting away from the subject at hand. In my case, I feel that my life is a tangent line, barely touching circles of people and experiences, but only in a distant, almost detached manner. It is bothering me a lot this season. As I look back on my past, and ponder the present,I see a pattern that repeats itself over and over again, no matter where, when, and who is part of the circle. I don't get to penetrate to the heart of the circle. I just get to come close, have a peek, meet a few people in the friendship circle, and then I realize I am not fully included in that circle. I have my moment of tangential relationships, and then it is over, before it really began. I need more diameter or radius experiences. I have just finished the Christmas season in Korea, away from my family, trying to feel a sense of the season, but definitely feeling like a tangent line. Next Christmas needs to be different, in the center of the family circle.

Recipe for Life

I love this type of reminder list. That's why I am sharing it with anyone who reads this blog. (It may appear lately that I have no original thoughts to share anymore! Not true--Just appreciating the many examples of wisdom I find all around me!)--sjp

Great Recipe
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,
'My purpose is to__________ today. I am thankful for______________.'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink herbal tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds and walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

Timely financial advice to us all...

...although it is good advice any time of the year, or of our lives. I seem to agree with this man 100%, so here I go again with a copy and paste on money management:
Four keys to financial successBy Elia Gourgouris
For Mormon Times
Tuesday, Dec. 02, 2008


One of the most important areas in life is that of financial security. We all strive for it with some basic knowledge of what works and what doesn't.

Great counsel is given every year from our spiritual leaders and other so called experts. Defining the "financial expectations" early on in a relationship is key to the overall success of that relationship! Clearly the financial principles that I'm about to share with you are applicable to all of us…married, single, divorced or widowed.

The best counsel I ever received took place while I was single and about to get married. Here I was in graduate school, deeply in debt because of school loans and about to start an eternal union. Luckily for me, my soon-to-be wife had graduated from college (BYU) and was working on the production side at a movie studio in Hollywood. She was extremely responsible fiscally, having been taught well by her parents.

Interestingly, the counsel that I received did not come from her by but from a good friend in the singles ward. He had been working in the financial sector and doing quite well, by the looks of things. One day we started to talk about life, and out of the blue, he stated that finances are easy. That's right, he said they were EASY! I replied, "That's easy for you to say, you have a good job and a nice car and a very nice condo. I live in an apartment, drive an OK car and I'm in debt because of grad school ... do you want to trade?"

He laughed and said, predictably "No, I don't think so!" He did, however, go on to say that if I did four things every month, finances would be easy for me, too. Well, given my circumstances and respect for him, I was intrigued, so I said, "Let's hear it."

He said the first thing you do every month is pay the Lord, meaning tithing, a generous fast offering and any other contribution that would have a meaningful impact in the lives of others. Honestly, I was not too surprised by his comment. Putting the Lord first made total sense to me.

The second principle was to pay myself! Now I was a little taken aback by the simplicity of his comment. He went on to say that paying yourself should always come after the Lord, because it implies that you matter. If in graduate school, it might mean $5 a month (at the time, the price of a movie ticket). In time that could be $50 or even $500 depending on your circumstances. Learn the importance of savings, right after tithing.

The third key to financial freedom and success was to pay your bills and pay them on time. He asked me an interesting question, "Do you know who owns most of the high-rise buildings in most major cities?" I thought for a minute and answered, "Banks and insurances?" He said "exactly," and did I know how they're able to afford to build them? The logical answer was of course that awful word we all dread: INTEREST. So it is, he continued, when we pay interest we're the "slaves." When we pay our bills, credit cards, etc. on time we're the "masters." "Which one do you want to be?" Well, at the time I definitely fell in the first category but eventually and with some discipline and help from my wife, it got considerably better.

The fourth principle was the one that took me the most by surprise. He said if you do the first three every month and there's some money left over, "Well, go out and spend it and have fun with your family!" I loved it!

I'm clearly not a financial expert, as a matter of fact, I really struggled at UCLA with the only economics class that I took (psychology was a lot easier). However, I can tell you that I have followed his wise counsel for almost two decades, and it has blessed my life and that of my family's. Pay the Lord, pay yourself, pay your bills on time (no interest) and then go out and enjoy! I've shared his counsel with many others over the years and although it seems simple, it actually works!


Sara's note: I, too, have put those principles into practice, and can tell anyone interested that it does indeed work. Some of you know well that we have had all kinds of financial difficulties and challenges over our 36 years of married life, but we never have starved, and we certainly have had our share of fun along the way, along with the good lessons in monetary self-discipline that all our family members have learned, whether we wanted to or not! "No experience is wasted!" Enjoy those experiences you have, no matter what they end up becoming!

Education Week pictures

Education Week 2008 at BYU

I liked the theme for BYU Education Week---something about being a life-long learner. That concept really speaks to me. When I realized I would be able to attend Education Week this past summer---for the first time in several years----I started getting very excited about it, and even recruited Ji Yeon, our Korean homestay guest, to come along. We both arranged to serve as volunteer hosts, which gave us free "tuition" for the whole week. We were assigned to the classroom where a woman named Marie Ricks was teaching a series of classes on organizing....everything! She has a website which I accessed, and signed up for her occasional emails. (I keep trying to get my life and environment ordered more perfectly. That is a work in progress....)

The best part of Education Week this year was where I spent my overnights and early mornings---being a grandma, rocking and cuddling Calvin. Michael and Eleanor hosted Ji Yeon [aka "Johnni'] and me, and we got to spend some time with visiting friends from Michael's high school years whom I consider almost like family.

It was a heavenly week for me. I came away with so many good ideas in different areas of life, from Square Foot Gardening, to financial planning, to Book of Mormon teachings, to Adam ondi Ahman and Zion in the last days, to preparing for a senior mission, etc etc. And, a bonus to the week was my reunion with old Germany-era friends, Kevin and Denise Miller, who taught some great classes on teaching adults, and interpersonal communication.

Looking back on summer and fall 2008

So now I have all my photos downloaded, and I want to share some of them with my blog viewers. To get started, I'm returning in my memories to show some Seattle scenes with Daniel and Jenn, Norm and myself. Norm went to attend a Gottman Institute class, and we went along for some fun. It was a great chance to get better acquainted with our new daughter in law, and we hit the weather perfectly, with clear and clean skies and warm temps the whole time we were there.

My sentiments exactly! (My Thanksgiving Message)

This is precisely what I have been feeling lately, so I will allow this fine brother to speak for me here. --sjp
As we approach the week of Thanksgiving, it is essential that we take stock of those things we are thankful for.

Gratitude and thankfulness might have come relatively easily in years past. I've often proclaimed, tongue-in-cheek, that I am THE most grateful person in the world -- when things are going well! (I can also add that I'm the most faithful person when everything's working out well). My heart is full of thankfulness, when everything works according to my plan!

During the past year however, things have not gone as well. The world around us is in turmoil. Our country is in the middle of the most unsettling financial crisis since the Great Depression. World news on a daily basis goes from bad to worse. Just when we think we've hit rock bottom, more distressing news from the media seem to inundate us. Most of us have never lived through such stressful global times.

The "years of plenty" lasted a long time, and we in our wealthy country seem to have forgotten what others have known -- that good times eventually come to an end.

Several years ago, I remember listening to a church leader sharing with us that "the seven fat years" was coming to an end. At that time it seemed like a peculiar statement, given how well everything was going.

Now I see the wisdom of this prophetic statement. I wonder now, why I didn't take it more seriously? Perhaps claiming to be an eternal optimist has something to do with it. I don't know if we're in store for "the seven lean years," but I know there are more hard times ahead.

How then do we feel and express gratitude for our lives? I have a friend who buried his father yesterday. This comes on the heels of burying his two best friends and partners two years ago who died in an airplane crash. I wonder what he's thankful for? During the same week, his wife buried one of her younger brothers.

Why do these things happen? For the second time in two years they have had a double funeral. These are some of the best people I've ever met. Their home is always open to anyone needing a place to stay -- sometimes for months at a time! They serve and give continuously, but life gives them back all these heartaches.

There are so many who have lost their jobs, and for some this has meant also their homes. So many others who were on the verge of retirement after working hard all their lives now find themselves looking for continued employment. Everything they've ever worked for is now gone.

One of my wife's good friends passed away this week after a long and painful battle with cancer. She leaves behind a loving and devoted husband who stood by her side until her last breath. What will his Thanksgiving be like? What about their beautiful children? What will they be feeling during this time of thankfulness?

In spite of all these examples I know that the human spirit is eternal and resilient. We mourn our losses, we comfort our loved ones, we offer a hand to those in need. It is in these moments that the greatness of the human spirit emerges. I am grateful for the lessons, experiences and adversities in our lives. They bring us closer to Him ... He loves us, heals us and comforts us!

Being grateful for all that we're blessed with is expected. Being grateful in spite of all our burdens is in fact the remedy for our burdens!

I hope and pray that your season of Thanksgiving is filled with love. The love of family gathered around the table, holding hands and offering prayers of gratitude. The renewal of friendships breaking bread together in the spirit of thankfulness!

For all those who are struggling with losses of every kind, let's hope that the memories of loved ones will never fade and the phrase "this too shall pass" will bring hope for a brighter future. May the Lord bless us all with his peace, love and faith in the coming year.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dr. Elia Gourgouris is a nationally known speaker, relationship expert and author of "The Multi-Platinum Marriage: Going form Surviving to Thriving." He is a UCLA graduate and holds a Ph.D. in psychology. He's also president of LDS Coaching. He was born in Athens, Greece, and now resides in Boulder, Colo., with his wife and children. He can be contacted through his Web sites, www.LDSCoaching.com or www.AskDrElia.com, or at 303-523-6396.

Posting sans pix

Sometimes it's good to just "free write" like the school children do in language arts class. I am writing this on my lunch hour at Seoul Foreign School today, and so there will be no photo to illustrate. What am I doing here? I feel blessed to have this chance to be a long term substitute teacher in the elementary school's ESL department. I have only 12 students in 3rd through 5th grade to work with, starting last Monday (November 17), and ending in late January or early February 2009, whenever the regular teacher is ready to resume her position. She had to return to her native land (England) for some medical reasons, and I was selected to fill in during her extended absence. What a delightful place to spend my time, with some wonderful little people, bright eyed, exuberant, ready to learn so much and share their smiles so readily. Love it!

I have thanked the Lord numerous times in the past few years that I had the inspiration and foresight to get "cross-trained" in teaching ESL, while I was working as a special ed teacher in Utah. My work life has evolved from SPED to ESL in the past 2 or 3 years in Korea. I don't know what the future holds for me, but I do know I am enjoying my current work, and that is a grand feeling! Many employees can barely tolerate their jobs, yet cannot risk a resignation at such a shaky time in the world's economic troubles. But Norm and I both enjoy the work that we have here, and actually look forward to going to the workplace every day. Imagine that!

Thanksgiving is coming this week. We have already celebrated with gatherings at our home, lots of social contact, good traditional food etc. What's missing, of course, is our extended family! We are thankful for our #1 daughter, Rebecca, who is living with us for another 10 days before returning to Utah for the holiday season there. We have had a really lovely autumn season with her here. She has enjoyed her time here too, so it looks very likely that she will come back again sometime in early 2009. Korea sort of grows on people. It's funny. I have heard from so many people after they leave here and move on to their next location. Inevitably, they always say how much they miss Korea! I keep that in mind before I complain too loudly about anything here. I really am thankful for our comfortable situation, living here now for nearly 5 years.

But, about those family members.....They are all staying quite busy, and constructively occupied. Yet, something keeps reminding me that time is passing, and I continue to miss out on the day-by-day little things, especially in the miracle of growth and learning that is happening within Calvin Craig. If I think about it too long (especially as the winter holidays are approaching) I will get downcast and lonely, so it's better to just revel in the photos, video, and webcamming we can do. We have our appointment set with Michael and Eleanor for Thanksgiving afternoon, to get our "family fix" for the week.

M and E sold a family car for us this past week. That's a sign of the times, when we are finally able to downscale, from 5 cars in the family to 4! What's interesting is the income a used car produces these days. They say that so many cars are being sold by people, that a used car with a number of little or big problems won't sell very readily. So we jumped at the chance to unload one of ours that is not worth fixing, most likely. A buyer appeared, unsolicited, and we made a big profit of $350 on it! Whoopee!

Speaking of transportation, ours in Seoul is so convenient. The traffic here is absurd, and if it wasn't for the subway system, we would be trapped in the city congestion virtually round the clock. But, we live right at a subway exit, in a very central part of the subway system, so we can easily get to virtually anywhere we want to go, by walking about 100 meters to the turnstile, from our apartment building's elevator. And, as we learned during our visit to Tokyo this past spring, our top-quality subway system costs only about half as much as the Japanese equivalent, and Seoul is much less complicated to navigate, too!

I am in charge of a big international Christmas party next month! It was my idea to begin with, (the theme) and I am gathering lots of support and positive input, so it's exhilarating, and will certainly help me enjoy the Christmas season more (at least until it's over on December 20th!)
I will just have to blog a special posting to "show and tell" all about it.

It looks like we will be hanging around Korea during the Christmas break, too. We had dreams of a tour with the "Royal Asian Society" to North Vietnam and Angkor Wat (Cambodia) at the end of December, but I learned today that the tour has been cancelled because of too few participants. So, it's clear that folks are holding onto their money more these days! That's OK...We will just do some local exploring around Korea on day trips, and be happy. Maybe a little blogging will get done, too!

OK, OK,--the long-procrastinated update!

It's time to finally try a posting. I'm sitting up late tonight at the computer, and have just spent a pleasant hour catching up on several OTHER friends' blogs all around the planet...and wondering why I keep putting off my own updates...so now is the time...while nothing else is pressing on my schedule, for once.
Life this fall, upon my return to Korea after the summer in the States, became more hectic than ever. I expected it to be that way, but I feel like I'm trying to keep up with a cart rolling downhill, out of my control. The problem is, I don't want to give up any of the action. It's all too fun.

Here are a few photos to show what we have been doing lately. Of course, some of my more recent shots are still on the camera, yet to be downloaded, so we'll go back a few months on this posting, and bring it up to fall/winter next time around...Enjoy!

These photos speak for themselves, but for you that don't know all my family, the pix are:

*Jenn and our son Daniel right after exiting the Salt Lake Temple on their wedding day, Sep 13, 2008--a glorious event!

*The Big-Eyed Baby Boy, our precious grandson Calvin Craig Potter, about 3 months old

*The Happy Michael and Eleanor Potter Family on Calvin's blessing day (Aug 31st in Grandparent Rossells' home in La Verne, California)

*Getting Calvin and his Great-grandad acquainted that same week in Granada Hills, CA (my childhood home)

*The uniting of two happy families at the "Blue and Brown Bash" for Daniel and Jenn Sep 13 in Sandy, Utah

More to come...Now I'm in the mood!
Blessings to all of us....sjp

Way behind!

Blogging is just one more place to get behind, I guess. Sorta depressing. I see my kids and others update their blogs so regularly, and effortlessly, and I am envious. I suppose this makes me feel the very real generation gap. So, I will try again to get with it. Life is rolling on at a pretty rapid pace for me these days, so I will only bite off little chunks, and try to be satisfied with my meager cyber-offerings.

First step is to get all the photos downloaded, and then try to prioritize the most important subjects for posting. But right now I have to sign off and get my unpacked stuff back in drawers and shelves. We had to give up some of our furniture yesterday, when the government furniture office decided to collect it from us. Civilians here in Korea are only allowed 90 days loaner furniture, but we had a special exemption, as long as the boss was still there. But, alas, he is gone, and his replacement is a stickler. So, we found some 2nd hand items to add to our apartment, and all is well...except I feel like I have just moved again...!

Calvin Craig Potter's Debut

Just hours after my last blog posting, our first grandchild appeared on earth. It was an awe-inspiring moment to hold him for the first time last Monday evening. On the way down to the hospital I read aloud to Norm from a little gift book called "Welcome to the New Baby." It brought tears to our eyes to remember the feelings we experienced over 34 years ago when it was our turn...and it's just as thrilling to watch our son Michael and his sweet wife Eleanor enjoying the same magical moments together. There truly is nothing like it this side of heaven, which so many of you know so well. Enough verbage...Enjoy the photos. Enjoy life. Share the love.

Joys of July

Here I am in mid July in Kaysville, Utah....What a grand place to spend the summer! So much has happened since my last blogging session, and I feel so behind in posting it all that I may never catch up totally. But I can give it a try. I have about two more months of blissful break from working routine before I need to fly back to Korea, and I have a long mental list of things to do for fun and fulfillment.

Most of all, I am in the same place with most of my family! Norm is here with me for another couple weeks, too, and then he has to return to Seoul for more work. But...we will see our son Daniel married to a delightful young lady named Jenn Rose, in the Salt Lake Temple in September, and will become grandparents this month, so there are great things going on this summer. Life is good. The sky is blue and clear. We saw fireworks and heard beautiful music again tonight at WSU. We spent a relaxing week in the farmlands and woods of Virginia, and celebrated July 4th there with our friends, and a long lost cousin Bill.

We had some happy and quiet days in Granada Hills with Dad. In May we met up with all our children for a fabulous trip to Japan, even though Eleanor was 7 months pregnant and Emily was on crutches from an injury. Most of our children came to Korea and stayed with us for a few days in May after the Japan excursion.

Norm was honorably released from the branch presidency service at church in Seoul after over 4 years of volunteer work as a leader. He deserves a break, and he is getting it! I have pictures to share, but no energy to post them tonight, so we have to be patient for those...next time around. Good night....

My Birthday

I guess...since I have lived here for almost 4 years and know more people now....that this is one of the best places to have a birthday! Koreans with whom I work honored me everywhere I went that day, and some secret sister (American, I think) decorated my apartment door with fun stuff, then snuck away before I even knew she had come. I tried for a couple weeks to solve the mystery, but no luck. Vicki Southerland took me out to lunch that day, and my visiting teachers had hosted me for a birthday lunch the week before. I got flowers and food and cards, and other gifts, and boy, do I feel special! Here are a few of the birthday photos: