Letter from Pa and Ma

I thought I would try posting a letter instead of a picture this time. If you click on it to enlarge it, it becomes legible. This one is from Joseph Thomas Wilkinson to his son SRW Wilkinson, my grandfather dated August 13, 1909.

We have arrived

O.K. its official now. Gas is under $2.00 a gallon. Of course this is not a pay-at-the-pump store so you have to walk in to pay for your gas, but hopefully it is a harbinger of things to come. Suzanne snapped this one on her way out and about today. Looks like you can't actually see the sign without clicking on the picture to enlarge it.

Things I hope you will teach my grandchildren

Some people say they cannot believe in a God because if there was a God and he was good, he wouldn’t allow all the pain and suffering and hardships to happen to all of us. You have all seen the weights that joggers and walkers attach to their ankles and wrists to give them extra resistance. They are in good enough physical condition that they can’t get enough resistance in the time they have by walking or jogging without them to develop the desired strength and stamina. I think of handicaps and trials that we have in life in somewhat the same terms. The Lord knows our strengths and weaknesses and some of us are too far advanced to be able to develop sufficient spirituality, humility, or whatever other virtues we need without the extra resistance in this life.

The point is we have to have faith that God knows us and loves us enough that he will tailor our mortal experience to our needs so that we have the opportunity for the maximum possible development according to our progress thus far. It is this eternal perspective that the gospel provides that allows us to bear our trials and infirmities with patience and even, as some are able to do, with grace and cheerfulness. I always admire those who, like the sister in our ward who was paralyzed at a young age in an accident, can go through life with a cheerful, upbeat attitude in spite of handicaps and hardships. I wish I was more like that.

Great Grandparents

This is a wedding picture of my great grandparents (parents of SRW Wilkinson) Joseph Thomas Wilkinson and Jane Sarah Wells in 1881. She was his second wife. The first wife was Elizabeth Emily Wells, her half sister if I remember correctly, but may have been a cousin.

These are pictures of them in their later years.

Good news and bad

I was at the Wal-Mart on Military Dr. and I-410 yesterday and the gas price was $2.36 per gal. With the 3 cent discount that is $2.33 a gallon, almost reasonable again. I was going to get a picture but I didn't get a chance. Unfortunately the lines were so long waiting to get to the gas pumps that I decided it wasn't worth the wait. Maybe they will still be low on my way to work tomorrow at 7:00 AM and the lines will not be so long.

I know it's necessary but it is still annoying. They cut the access road down from 3 lanes to 1 lane for the construction where we get on I-410 at Bandera. There was such a long line we decided to take another route yesterday. Unfortunately, that is the way I drive to work every day. I can just imagine what it will be like after Thanksgiving when all the Christmas shoppers are trying to get to Ingram Mall.

SRW Wilkinson basketball team

This is the team my grandfather played on at the Branch Normal School in Cedar City. Harold Herbert Wilkinson #3, his brother who was 6 years older than him, was the coach. The guy in the center, J.W. Barton, was the faculty adviser.

Here is another picture of the team. Don't know which years these were.

Blessed Relief

O.K. so its not a very good photo but it is nice to see the prices coming down finally. This is the Wal Mart in our area where we generally shop. With the Wal Mart card the price is 3 cents less making it $2.78 a gallon. Just thought you might like to see one of the advantages of living in Texas.

There are disadvantages, of course, like the neighbors that come uninvited and eat up all your groceries. (If you click on the photo below to enlarge it, you can see them more clearly.) This is the parsley in our patio herb garden.