Friends, Family, Food and Fall Fun!

 First snowfall of the season, on Edgewood looking towards my house

   BYU is almost down the street and gives me easy access to many   wonderful concerts.

The Baroque Ensemble They played a Bach and a Telemann horn piece" at the Art Museum entitled Bach and Bloch (the artist who painted his 1883 "Christ Healing the Sick at Bethesda.") The Gospel of John tells of a man afflicted with a malady for 38 years. Lying in wait by the pool in Jerusalem, he longed to benefit from its legendary healing powers. Christ in his compassion and through our faith can heal us of many things. 

Most of the de Schweinitz family on a Sunday afternoon at my house

  Julie, Fernanda, Marc and Peter ; Simon, Kelly, Ryan, Emily& Peter

It was such fun to visit Andres, Kelly Chinchilla Suarez, and new baby Andrew in their apartment in Lindon. Andres was serving a mission in Guayaquil and Kelly and family were recent refugees in Ecuador from Venezuela

   It's been so cold that Mount Timpanogos and most of the             mountains are still cloaked in snow.  North on University Avenue.

             Still some fall colors at the Provo Temple and at BYU

Timpview High School put on an absolutely amazing performance of Les Miserables. So much talent!

Cordelia with her dad Peter and Grammy after ward Primary program

Emily's Taylor in-laws included me in an early Thanksgiving dinner. 

Once a month some of the ladies of our ward enjoy a brunch ("cocoa chat"). I love all these new friends! Many are from California/Oregon 

Cordelia's Wasatch school musical performance, with songs from Moana, Coco, Peanuts, Zootopia, Polar Express, Monsters, Inc.

    Cordelia (in Mandarin Immersion)with mom Rebecca de Schweinitz

Fabulous BYU performance of Bizet's Carmen Suite, Rachmaninoff's Vocalise, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, and Hofhein's Rejoice. Sara Gilman from Provo/Palo Alto came with me.

I wish you each a wonderful Thanksgiving! Despite the tragedies and uncertainties of our world, I believe that God looks upon us each with love and compassion, and all that is wrong today will be healed. Somehow He knows you and me by name and loves us each unconditionally. I have just finished reading The Mayflower: The Families, the Voyage, and the Founding of America by Rebecca Fraser.

What a struggle about brave people who loved God, but who also made mistakes, sometimes very serious ones, but who sought peace and independence in their very difficult new lives. I hope we can continue to follow our convictions as they did, work together, and feel gratitude for this land of plenty. Despite our human trials most of us are indeed blessed. Germany does not have an official Thanksgiving, but I was impressed with the spirit of gratitude presented in churches.