From Amber Waves to Pearl in White

Let's begin Chinese style.   In Baton Rouge cinder block student housing 1990, a two year old paged through  scrapbooks dotted with pampas grass--the only snatches of beauty available, captured in an earlier trip to New Orleans.  As daughter and mother voiced the refrain "O Beautiful for Spacious Skies, for amber waves of grain... " the word "Amber" seemed to carry special appeal. 
"That's a pretty name for a girl," echoed through the mind of the young mother.  "I think so, too," reverberated a small voice in what seemed like an afterthought.  Strange, indeed.  But before long, the young mother and daughter learned that their family would be growing. Maternal grandmother consigned blue as the color for a baby quilt, "I really don't believe the color should be blue," said the mother.

As night drew into morning, stirring colors of yellow and orange from the dark, a rich and beautiful description of dawn and other loveliness prevailed in the name "Amber" .  Little "big sister" practiced again and again, but upon meeting her eight pound sibling, the words that found their way under the flannel swaddle were "Hi, Amber-ger!"

                                  

Puzzling to determine which ancestor might match Amber, I was drawn to remember another beloved daughter.  Her mother, named Mary Ann, herded cows at the south end of Bear Lake.  Mary Ann had a son and two other daughters before welcoming a third daughter into the family.  Pearl was a prize bundled in with her string of siblings (Pearl is far right, top, next to father, Joseph Smith Stucki). 

[Her autobiography has been taped, transcribed, and is published on a website authored by Uncle Martell.]

1928 High School graduation

Similarities, I noticed:  Both, as young women, had a fierce loyalty and devotion to their father.  

 

                               

Both enjoyed learning and reading.  Grandma Gee taught school for 23+ years and Primary for 30+.  

 Amber has loved reading, and currently reviews books for adolescents.

 Both increased and are increasing "from grace to grace" with years and hours of "doing."

                                         
[Sometime, in Grandma's later years, she stood on her cedar chest to fix her curtain and fell.  During her recovery, Amber visited, at maybe age three, and wanted to help reteach Great Grandma how to walk!]

Just like our Amber ever enjoyed "going to Grandma's,"

  

I loved being under the wing of this special grandma.  Grandma did all kinds of things to help us to know and love our cousins.

From serving long, long tables filled with sumptuous foods (garnished with  jokes and our giggles),

she crafted and created recipes from decade to decade, gathering tastes from the east end of our continent to the west

[In 20 May 1977, Ivin and Pearl were set apart in Salt Lake as temple workers by O. Leslie Stone (and Grandpa, as a sealer by President Spencer W. Kimball) after which they traveled to Washington D. C. to a two and 1/2 year old "new" temple, where they served from 1977-1979.]

[a few years later, they served from 1984-1986 with Ivin's three brothers in Hawaii, with Ivin and Pearl stationed in the Polynesian Cultural Center, acting the part of the first Caucasian missionary couple that brought Christianity to the Islanders.]

[Between times, they came home to restore Pearl's Paris, Idaho childhood home, where they served as guides to the tabernacle, loved grandchildren and gardened raspberries.]

from Apple Chambray to glazed orange rolls to caramel pecan "turtles."  

Some of us are praying she will forgive finger scratchings of  the chocolate in the closet.  Grandma Pearl taught us to know the true use for an old toothbrush (yes, in the bathroom, and near the plumbing, but for cleaning other things than teeth!)

She taught that a needle is generally threaded with only one end knotted--"rarely, rarely double that thread!" which facilitates easier picking out, and she taught the joys of darning socks. 

[As long as I knew her, Grandma was busy learning or doing something with her hands, from growing orchids to dressing dolls, to quilting baby blankets, even when her eyes stopped working and she had to feel the stitches.]

Grandma Gee could make the tart of chokecherries swim with sweet in syrup to top whole wheat pancakes. Grandma Pearl learned to manage money and home and enjoyed welcoming others into her own, smaller or "added upon," bit by bit.. 

Pearl had an interesting adventure in finding the man of her dreams.
                          

               

She encouraged and helped as her husband graduated and adjusted as career plans changed.  (Grandpa graduated in Physics and began teaching, but took a civil service test and spent the remainder of his life as a meteorology.) We tuned rapt to the radio announcer as we came over the river and through Wyoming sagebrush, to hear a deep bass resound:  "It's a BEautiful day in Fremont County!"

Similar to Amber's, Pearl's sweetheart  was known to look above the clouds. 

           

                    
As they grew out of a collection of people, to create a life and little kingdom of their own
                                               

Pearl's love was to teach and to give.  Her aspirations were not aimed to reach the "honors of men," but her she did not hesitate to let her light shine.

Happy Birthday...to a blossoming young woman with unmeasured potential.  May you feel as treasured on the string of your Amber gold chain as did our Grandmother, a Pearl of great price.  

   

Blessings to a great granddaughter who is learning to take callings with the youth in stride. 

So here is Amber (in turn) growing "from grace to grace."

Amber also loves sisters (and dolls) but never did get distracted watching the cows. Amber never had to homestead, but she has camped without tent poles.  And even though she also has a good number, every one of Amber's siblings lived through childhood and adolescence.

Amber also had a special baptism day, like Pearl, who remembers over 70 years later,  "After I was confirmed I sat on the front bench and I remember how I swung my legs back and forth and was so thrilled to know that I was baptized and confirmed. Such a sweet peaceful feeling that I had [tearfully] and I was so glad to be baptized."

                                               

 And both resonated to the word "cousins!"

Amber also has enjoyed doing things with her hands.  

She enjoys activities honoring pioneers and loves beauty

in green or brown, yellow or pink.

She appreciates a good recipe,

is good at finding joy...

alone or in a group

She grasps goodness and reaches out to lift new generations.

She's got a good thing going, and knows who she is.

who loves her

what she has ahead of her and who is behind her.

 Blessings to an amazing young woman as she reaches within to find strength in scaling personal mountains and encouraging others in grappling to succeed with the goodness within.  

Happy Birthday, little girl.  We love you!