Family History

I was inspired by some of my children who are turning their blogs into books of memories. I have attempted to wirte my family History but this does sound like more fun and more work.

This is a picture of my great Aunt Kit. Then picture of my grandparents.

I was born in a coal mining, steel mill country. Steubenville,Jefferson,Ohio and this is where both of my parents were born and reared. My paternal grandmother was born here as well. My paternal grandfather came from Pittsburgh, Pa. My maternal grandmother was born in a small town beside here called Mingo Jct, Ohio. My paternal grandfather came from Wheeling, WVa. I do not know much about my paternal grandfather other than his name was Lawrence Aloysuis Welsh. I assume he was Roman Catholic since I don't expect grandmother to have married outside of her religion. My grandparents later divorced (which was against the Church and a sin). He died when my father was about 5 years of age. I believe his death was attributed to alcoholism. My grandmother comes from a large family. One sister, Helen died in infancy all the others lived long lives. There were eight children and of these only three married and two had children. My father was the oldest. He was the only child of Margaret and Lawrence Welsh. Grandmther gave birth to him when she was 41 years of age. Her sister, Mary, has two children. Gorman (Breeze) and Margaret Mary Nolan.
They were a close nit family. Aunt Kit (Catherine) told me once that when the church bells rang every day at noon the family would get down on their knees and pray. Even to the end of their lifes my grandmother lived with her sister Kit and her brother John. Kit died in 1974, grandmother in 1975 and John in 1979. They had lived in the same home until Aunt Kit died. My grandmother was suffering from dementia and was unable to care for herself and she and John were place in a nursing home in nearby Wintersville.

Thoughts

It has been a long while since I have posted here. I have thought many hours of what I want to say or what I want to leave my children. I will soon gain my 11th child. Though he along with four other I did not have the opportunity to rear as my own I gained them through marriage and I think of you as much my children as the ones that I have reared. Each of you (Shannon, Sean, Patrick, Laura, Kevin, Meghan, Brady, Jeremy, Kellee, Ali and Brian) have taught me things that I could never have learned on my own. My life has been greatly enriched having all of you in my family and I love each of you with all that I have to give.

I remember going into parenthood 33 years ago thinking that I was going to be the best parent possible and a better mom than I had. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY MOTHER but I wanted to be even better than she was. How niave' I was to think that I could improve on near perfection. I wonder if most people go into parenthood thinking the same thoughts? I dunno, but I do know that parenthood was the toughest expereince that I have ever encountered but the greatest blessings that I have ever received.

My thoughts often go back to the times when you were born and I held you in my arms for the first time and the feelings of abundent love and responsibility for each of you. I could look into your sweet faces for hours on end and never tire of this experience. Though I feel close to all of you there are a couple I wish I was closer to. I love being able to talk to each of you as adults and seeing how our relationship has changed..though always your mother now we can become friends and I just love this feeling.

When I watch you with your families I often look back to my times when you were young and as much as I miss those times I love these times of you adulthood and for some of you parenthood. I love to watch you with your spouses (and Brian) and see the love that exist between you and how this love has grown over the years you have been together.

Your children are only young for such a short time (though sometimes it may seem forever) you will spend more time with them as adults so build upon what you have now and work hard at making these relationships strong. Families really can be together forever and I can think of few things greater than that.

Know this that I LOVE each one of you dearly and am very well-pleased with each of you. You begun to do many great things in your lives and continue to be the best that you can be. Best sister, brother, wife, husband, mother, father, Priesthood holder, sisterhood. Love each other and those around you.

It is very important to me to make sure that you stay strong together with your first family as you extend this to your own families. Love each other. Love our Savior. Serve each other and serve HIM>

Love, Mom

Pain. Grief. Atonement

As Parents we hear that new little cry, we pick them up, cuddle them, feed them, change their diapers and they coo and smile and all is well.
As they get older they fall, scratch their knees, elbows, get sick. We mend their scrapes with band aids and kisses. We treat their fevers, feed their ailing bodies. They heal, smile and resume their play.
Then the teens set in and some of their pain comes from hurt feelings from friends, sometimes nasty gossip, a friend turns away from the gospel. Still they come to us and we nurture their hurt feelings..teach them how to handle nasty gossip, teach them to fast and pray for their friends. It takes a little longer, but they heal, smile, resume their play.
Then they are older and life seems good but then here is another bump, ditch or grand canyon that comes before them. A loved ones dies..our hopes and dreams and desires for our earthly life seem dead and gone. How do I move forward? Another tragedy comes our way and again where are our hopes and dreams? All they feel like doing is crying their loss or the loss of someone that they have loved. The loss doesn’t have to be in death…is could be any type of loss. A loss is a loss either way and you find your dreams shattered. You can’t see passed this hour, this day, this week…you can’t see next year. You live in the now and you cry.
Then you remember the visiting teaching or home teaching message that you just taught: This is the Visiting Teaching message I shared on Wednesday not knowing what deeper meaning it would hold for me exactly 24 hours later. "Burdens provide opportunities to practice virtues that contribute to eventual perfection. They invite is to yield 'to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and put off the natural man and become a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and become as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon us, even as a child doth submit to his father.' Thus burdens become blessings, though often such blessings are well disguised and may require time, effort, and faith to accept and understand."

"Further, bearing up under our own burdens can help us develop a reservoir of empathy for the problems others face." I now have "developed a reservoir of empathy" for others who have been in or will be in my situation.
You cry some more because you want and need to understand but it doesn’t come. As a parent we cannot mend this hurt, we cannot kiss the scraps and scratches, tend the fever and make things better. Now our roles have changed. Now we really learn to listen. And listen some more. Cry with them, cry for them. Pray, fast, hope.
And then you receive this text from someone you have loved all your life and they say: I’m suffering because I care to much and along with my own pain I feel like I’m suffering for my friends pain.
Then I think of D & C 122. My most favorite of all scriptures. Christ is reminding Joseph Smith of all the he is suffering while in Liberty Jail. And then Christ says: The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than He?
Then I am reminded of the suffering that Christ did for all of us in the garden of Gethsemene. He took upon himself all of our sins, suffered for them. He alone knows how to help those we love who are hurting. He knows their pain. He loved us all so much that He suffered so much so that we would have a chance to live with him some day.
The pain we feel today is no measure for the joy we will feel in the eternities. He knows that we will suffer today but he alone can ease the suffering. He alone can make us stronger and more prepared to live with Him again We must learn to turn our hearts to him.

Normally

Normally I like to post blogs with pics of my children and grandchildren. Today is different and it may be this way in times to come. Even though they are the light of my life and one of my many reasons to keep going and learning to become a better person I find a need to share my thoughts with those who wish her read. Those especially my posterity once I am no longer here, I want them to know me from the inside out. Most people do not really know me.

From my earliest memory I have always had a belief in God and a love for my Savior. I really don't ever remember not believing. Even after my father and brothers died that belief system never waivered. Partly because it never waivered for my mother.

I remember shortly after dad and Sean died I rec'd my first "holy communion". I always loved learning about Christ, but I could never learn enough. I wanted to know more and really know Him on a personal basis. I just didn't know how to at the time. I learned to pray, but not the way Christ wants us to pray that came on my own many years later. As a teenager I would find myself often talking to God while driving. This is when i really began my personal relationship with Him. I beleive that this is really when I began searching for truth. I needed to know and I wanted to know the truth. When I was 21 I was introduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This is when truth began to be revealed to me through the gift of the Holy Ghost and continues to be revealed often especially when I am in greatest need and desire. I know He is there and is my personl Savior and I know He loves me and i am thankful for this knowledge.

July 4, 2009

Well July 4th started here on the 3rd when Meghan, and Patrick's family went to 7 Peaks.(water park). I love going with the grandkids and hanging with the little ones while moms and dads take the bigger ones on the slides.

The next day I went to the ballons for the first time at 6am. I was sweet to watch the balloons blow up and then be taken up. They had some races which was interesting and fun.

Later the evening we headed to our usual place at the Provo Temple for fun, games and fireworks. Also to celebrate Meghan's 22nd birthday. It is difficult to believe that my "baby" is a senior in college. They grow so quickly.

Well enjoy the slide show of our fun on the 4th.

Parker's day

On Friday i had planned to take Parker up to Discovery Gateway. A cute children's museum. At the last minute Q ended up staying the night Thursday so he came along also. He is so good with the little ones. Thursday night he taught Parker how to pee standing up. After that they both went together.
We headed up to Salt Lake City and spent about 2 hours at the museum and then walked around the gateway center. As you can see they had some fun in the water. Headed to lunch then went over to Temple Square. It has been a long time since I had been there and there hasn't been snow on the ground. It just so happened that Friday was also a beautiful day, unlike most of the other days of June thus far. Next day not so nice. We walked around the beautiful flowers, enjoyed the tabernacle and chaple. They enjoyed the family of quail that we found. Loved the reflecting pool and the videos at the visitors center. It was a really nice day and had lots of fun with these two grandsons. I miss you already, Parker. Love Grami.