Yes, I'm at work right now
Today was the funeral for Ezra Sherman. For the full story on Ezra go to www.ezrasherman.blogspot.com
It was one of the most uplifting funerals I've been to, and definitely the largest. In a nutshell, Ezra's family has been in our ward for years, and Joe has know his parents Ryan and Kandice since the University ward days, and Kandice and I worked in the RS presidency together. Ezra was suddenly diagnosed with leukemia on January 30th and had massive uncontrolled bleeding in his brain. He died less than a week later at the age of 10. It's hit everyone really hard, and it still seems unreal that we just went to his funeral.
The service was mostly songs, which was so appropriate for Ezra. He was a happy kid who always had a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye that meant he was thinking up some devious plan with his twin brother Milo. He loved music and singing and being onstage. He was also kind and helpful and had a strong testimony of the gospel.
There were probably 300 or so people there, including kids from his 5th grade class, from Guide Dogs for the Blind, from Broadway Bound, church, and family. At the beginning the music was very stoic, with an operatic version of How Great Thou Art, and Luka and her choir-mates singing a beautiful and mournful song in German. Then it got down to business with a bluegrass trio doing I'll Fly Away. There was a smattering of applause from the non-LDS people in the crowd, unaware of our stodgy traditions in the Mormon church. After that was a primary song from the cousins which was very sweet, then came the Beatles. I'll Follow the Sun and a sing-along version of Let it Be. The 5th grade music teacher was jamming on his acoustic guitar, leading the kids in rousing versions of Get Together and Put A Little Love In Your Heart (not the Beatles, but still a little more lively than most church songs).
I think it was the first time we had a guitar, a banjo, clapping, and audience sing-along to the Beatles in the chapel. And if President Olson has anything to do with it, it will be the last. When the music teacher started going nuts on his guitar I could see it written across the stake president's forehead: I've lost all control of this meeting and my chapel is being turned into a concert stage. Joe was thoroughly enjoying it all, especially that aspect of it. And really, everyone in the audience was enjoying it. It was appropriate and upbeat.
But still, that's the last kid funeral I want to go to. Ten years is too short of a life.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Origami mommy (or should that be mami?)
Crystelle was asking me how to make those little origami building blocks with which you can make a little box or spiky ball. Here are step by step instructions:
Tucking the pointy end of the 1st piece into the pocket of the 3rd piece will start making a cube
Notice the center point on the ball. There are five ridges encircling it. For a cube there are only three ridges going around the points. I can't remember how many building blocks it takes to start a ball and get the requisite 5 ridges, but just experiment. Every center point on the ball (where it's open slightly) should have 5 ridges around it.
This pattern is courtesy of Luka Sherman.
Thirsty Koala
Oh man, this is too much, I can't handle it. He's holding the little burned paw!
Here's the video. Thanks for the tip Jenny
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