With All My Love

Dear Children,

Still struggling with computer issues, time issues, and focusing on writing without a missionary out.  Bear with me! I love you all so much, and love to tell you at least on a weekly basis.

Sawyer chose to go to homecoming festivities alone this year. He enjoyed the game Friday night with his buddies Nathan and Matt. Went to get pictures taken with them before the dance Saturday, and left early to eat after discarding the bowling option. He has a hard time being in the mix of high school activities as the difference between his lifestyle and theirs is blatantly obvious.

I spent Saturday morning watching Miller play baseball. This is our third season with the same coach, and he must finally be tired of us. He let Miller have it, as well as other members of the team, in an unprofessional and degrading manner. We won't be back. Sawyer and Dad, because it was our development's yearly garage sale, were visiting the sales for treasures. They scored a full size ping pong table with equipment for $20 and met a delightful couple in the process the next street over.

We all were home to watch conference Saturday, all three sessions. What a treat! I snuck in a few piano lessons here and there this weekend, and loved being home Sunday for conference. I had asked to take Saturday off so I could be home.

Last Sunday Breyer, Miller and Sawyer watched the broadcast with President Nelson introducing the new youth program that begins in January. Can I say Peter and his family had me in tears? My children made impressive goals, as directed, which were shared later that night in family council. Breyer and Sawyer both had cooking goals, of which Breyer began this week with the good old Betty Crocker version of Upside Down Pineapple Cake. We forgot to buy a can of sliced pineapple, so we cut off the bottom of our fresh pineapple in slices, used a star cutter to take out the core, which worked perfectly with her little jar of maraschino cherries. And the real kicker, besides fresh pineapple and cherries? I had a box of unopened cake flour. Wow. What a difference that makes. My trick has always been using a cast iron skillet to cook the cake in, but I'll add cake flour to my bag of tricks. Sawyer made a blueberry tart, not quite having enough blueberries to make a full pie, and it was as delicious as his lemon meringue pie.

The past two weeks at work have been consumed with the Amber Guyger jury selection, trial,and sentencing. It ended Tuesday and Wednesday evenings just as I got off work, with the guilty verdict of Murder and 10 years. Getting out of Dallas hasn't been easy with protestors, media and gawkers. So glad when it will be over. We're now on reactionary response, meaning all calls will be two man, and mandatory 5 eight hour shifts instead of 4 ten hour shifts so allow more manpower on during each shift. UFN Until further notice. That's patrol and traffic units, not me. Early Friday morning she was transported out of Dallas county by four armed vehicles, only to have a witness that etstified in her trial shot Saturday night.

I do not believe Guyger was guilty of murder. The district attorney that charged her with that crime isn't even in office now. She probably wasn't even guilty of manslaughter. More like Criminal Negligence. But I do believe moral turpitude is involved, as she had drinks after working 16 hours, and was sexting her married partner, all contributing factors to her getting off on the wrong floor of her apartment complex, and shooting the supposed intruder in her apartment. Remember that little decisions we make on a daily basis can culminate in a very wrong moment, as Guyger knows, and will spend the rest of her life remembering.

There was a beautiful quote at the victim's euology,  "To the defendant, he was just a silhouette in a room. To everyone else, he was the brightest light in the room." May we all be the brightest light in the room. May the gospel be visible through our countenances and our actions and our words. There were many quotes similar to this in general conference that I will love finding in the printed form.

Love,

Mom