Baby Sean
April 23, 2004
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Fun in Sunny California
This past week, April 12 through April 18 I spent in California.I flew down and back with my Nephew's son Michael and he visited with his dad while I spent the week with my long time friend Liz. Liz is a blast to be with and I almost cannot keep up with her. We started out spending all day at the Garment district in LA. It is a a version of Tijuana only much bigger area for the shops. There are blocks and blocks of purses, shoes, clothes, fabrics, etc. The following days were spent going to lunch, the beach twice (one was riding beach cruisers from Huntington Beach to Balboa beach and back again). We spent late nights talking, watching TV, talking,and computer blogs.
One thing I should mention that was a highlight for me was going to the Newport Temple. I had never been to a small temple. It is a very different process as you are not assigned lockers and you have to make an appointment in order to do a session. It was a neat experience and I am so glad we were able to go. Needless to say, there wasn't much time for just sitting around getting bored.
The weather was beautiful varying from 100 degrees in La the first day to the 70's in Orange County. The flowers and greenery were breathtaking and remind me how barren it still is in Utah. I am anxious for the season change here in Utah.
Flying home with Michael was a treat. I was up until 3:00 am California time the night before I left and actually thought I might get to sleep a little. No such luck as Michael kept me busy either talking, looking at Star Wars characters in his new book (we had to bookmark the best ones) or eating treats and peanuts. He ate 6 small bags of peanuts and 2 cups of sprite. When I asked the Steward for more Peanuts; this being the 3rd time, he came back to our seat with a big smile and covered Michael's tray with bags of peanuts. It was a fun return trip.
One thing I should mention that was a highlight for me was going to the Newport Temple. I had never been to a small temple. It is a very different process as you are not assigned lockers and you have to make an appointment in order to do a session. It was a neat experience and I am so glad we were able to go. Needless to say, there wasn't much time for just sitting around getting bored.
The weather was beautiful varying from 100 degrees in La the first day to the 70's in Orange County. The flowers and greenery were breathtaking and remind me how barren it still is in Utah. I am anxious for the season change here in Utah.
Flying home with Michael was a treat. I was up until 3:00 am California time the night before I left and actually thought I might get to sleep a little. No such luck as Michael kept me busy either talking, looking at Star Wars characters in his new book (we had to bookmark the best ones) or eating treats and peanuts. He ate 6 small bags of peanuts and 2 cups of sprite. When I asked the Steward for more Peanuts; this being the 3rd time, he came back to our seat with a big smile and covered Michael's tray with bags of peanuts. It was a fun return trip.
Teaching Special Needs Children
WHAT SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN HAVE TAUGHT ME
By Alicia Chilcote, March 5, 2008
I have learned many of life’s lessons from small children. I have been blessed to be able to work with special needs children for a period of ten years. These children were disabled in various way or moderately mentally delayed. I worked as a paraeducator along with occupational therapists, physical therapists and teachers to implement programs designed to help children adjust to or overcome their disabilities. These were children with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, autism, mall seizures, nerve damage and accidents. I worked on a variety of programs that were specialized for each child. Most of my time spent was 1 on 1 with them. Sometimes it was the only time an adult spent that much time and attention with them. These children have opened my eyes to a whole new world and taught me something I could have learned no other way than through serving and working with them. Many of my days ended leaving me mentally and physically exhausted.
I have learned to see through a child’s eyes – their hurts, their frustrations, and their struggles. Children can become discouraged, insecure and sad. They depend on adults to balance their world and keep them safe. There are many times when adults that are closest to them let them down.
I have learned there are only so many things I can do for a child. The child must do the work themselves and have a desire to succeed. They are motivated by their accomplishments. Miranda was a 7 year old girl who was born with Cerebral Palsy and when she was three she was twirling around and lost her balance falling into a campfire and burning her hands, arms and legs very badly. This accident caused Miranda to have skin grafts on several parts of her body. The grafts are like scar tissue and are very hard. Her hands needed to be massaged daily to help them be more useful. She had to exercise and work on balancing techniques daily. She had had several surgeries and there always seemed to be just one more. Miranda lived with her grandmother most of the time. Sometimes she lived with her mom and other times with her dad. She would often say to me, “I wish you were my mother, can I go home with you?” I felt heavy hearted as I had to tell her she could not go home with me. Her home life was lacking many of the healthy conditions that she deserved.
I have learned that some autistic children can be calmed when you apply pressure to their body in a quiet reassuring way. I learned to talk quietly and reassuringly to Joe when he was scared or upset. Joe was a kindergarten boy and if he was the least bit upset he would shake his hands wildly and yell. He responded well to a quiet area.
I have learned that children, especially disadvantaged children are freed from pride. They join in activities in the classroom and innocently look beyond their inadequacies. Dereka, a small framed girl in second grade, needed attention with her hygiene and we would work together combing and putting clips and bows in her thin blonde hair. When we completed styling her hair her countenance would change and she would hold her head high as if she were a proud poodle that had just been trimmed and bathed.
I have learned that children without arms can still enjoy life. They can be happy. They can enjoy friends, family and learning. Wyatt was a first grader and had no arms which made it difficult for him to write, type or go the bathroom without help. He had flippers where his arms would have been. There were three fingers on the right shoulder so he was able to improvise somewhat with writing and typing. One day I was pulling into the parking lot at the store and I saw Wyatt pushing his nose tightly against the window of his family van as he revealed a bright broad smile on his face. When he saw me looking at him he frantically waved his flipper like hands. It made me smile and I waved back with equal enthusiasm.
I have learned to be thankful for my own body and the perfect bodies of my children and grandchildren. I thank Heavenly Father frequently for perfectly formed children and grandchildren.
I have learned that life is not always fair. So many children have more than one challenge in their lives. These children have to struggle with disabilities and multiple other issues. I have learned to emphasize the abilities they do have and encourage them to be thankful for their strengths.
I have learned to love children for who they are and not who I want them to be. I have watched them struggle with simple tasks. I have watched them find joy in their simple accomplishments. I have learned that I can apply these same principles to myself.
I have learned to have patience while a child attempts a task that must be practiced over and over again before they succeed. It can be something as simple as practicing jumping a rope. It is a skill that is very difficult for most of these children. My patience grows thin at times and I have to remind myself how much effort these tasks take for “special needs children.” In many ways we each have “special needs.”
I have learned that change is very often slow and methodical. I have learned to appreciate the journey of seeing a child make small changes in their healing process. Heather has burns on her hands, arms and face which she endured as a 3 year old in a house fire. Working with her has taught me additional compassion for a child’s struggles. Heather cannot hold a pencil very well or type and her face is disfigured. In spite of her challenges she smiles and still tries to learn verbally to do her school work and learn the lessons that her school mates perform so easily.
I have learned that Heavenly Father gives a special blessing to the children who struggle with burns, crippled fingers, weak legs and other various injuries. They are blessed with a sweet innocent faith and a passion for life. They are blessed to enjoy the help of their school chums. They are excited to have teachers and friends who care about them. They are not afraid to make their needs known to others.
I have learned that working with children with special needs helps me recognize my own blessings. When I feel discouraged I think of how sweet and hopeful these children can be. They inspire me to do better.
In the scriptures we are encouraged over and over to “become as little children”. I am more convinced than ever that becoming childlike is a sure way to becoming a better adult. In Mosiah 3:19, we read… “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 him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”
I have learned that “Special Needs Children” fulfill that scripture. They are blessed by and loved by the Lord. They are His “Special Children.”
By Alicia Chilcote, March 5, 2008
I have learned many of life’s lessons from small children. I have been blessed to be able to work with special needs children for a period of ten years. These children were disabled in various way or moderately mentally delayed. I worked as a paraeducator along with occupational therapists, physical therapists and teachers to implement programs designed to help children adjust to or overcome their disabilities. These were children with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, autism, mall seizures, nerve damage and accidents. I worked on a variety of programs that were specialized for each child. Most of my time spent was 1 on 1 with them. Sometimes it was the only time an adult spent that much time and attention with them. These children have opened my eyes to a whole new world and taught me something I could have learned no other way than through serving and working with them. Many of my days ended leaving me mentally and physically exhausted.
I have learned to see through a child’s eyes – their hurts, their frustrations, and their struggles. Children can become discouraged, insecure and sad. They depend on adults to balance their world and keep them safe. There are many times when adults that are closest to them let them down.
I have learned there are only so many things I can do for a child. The child must do the work themselves and have a desire to succeed. They are motivated by their accomplishments. Miranda was a 7 year old girl who was born with Cerebral Palsy and when she was three she was twirling around and lost her balance falling into a campfire and burning her hands, arms and legs very badly. This accident caused Miranda to have skin grafts on several parts of her body. The grafts are like scar tissue and are very hard. Her hands needed to be massaged daily to help them be more useful. She had to exercise and work on balancing techniques daily. She had had several surgeries and there always seemed to be just one more. Miranda lived with her grandmother most of the time. Sometimes she lived with her mom and other times with her dad. She would often say to me, “I wish you were my mother, can I go home with you?” I felt heavy hearted as I had to tell her she could not go home with me. Her home life was lacking many of the healthy conditions that she deserved.
I have learned that some autistic children can be calmed when you apply pressure to their body in a quiet reassuring way. I learned to talk quietly and reassuringly to Joe when he was scared or upset. Joe was a kindergarten boy and if he was the least bit upset he would shake his hands wildly and yell. He responded well to a quiet area.
I have learned that children, especially disadvantaged children are freed from pride. They join in activities in the classroom and innocently look beyond their inadequacies. Dereka, a small framed girl in second grade, needed attention with her hygiene and we would work together combing and putting clips and bows in her thin blonde hair. When we completed styling her hair her countenance would change and she would hold her head high as if she were a proud poodle that had just been trimmed and bathed.
I have learned that children without arms can still enjoy life. They can be happy. They can enjoy friends, family and learning. Wyatt was a first grader and had no arms which made it difficult for him to write, type or go the bathroom without help. He had flippers where his arms would have been. There were three fingers on the right shoulder so he was able to improvise somewhat with writing and typing. One day I was pulling into the parking lot at the store and I saw Wyatt pushing his nose tightly against the window of his family van as he revealed a bright broad smile on his face. When he saw me looking at him he frantically waved his flipper like hands. It made me smile and I waved back with equal enthusiasm.
I have learned to be thankful for my own body and the perfect bodies of my children and grandchildren. I thank Heavenly Father frequently for perfectly formed children and grandchildren.
I have learned that life is not always fair. So many children have more than one challenge in their lives. These children have to struggle with disabilities and multiple other issues. I have learned to emphasize the abilities they do have and encourage them to be thankful for their strengths.
I have learned to love children for who they are and not who I want them to be. I have watched them struggle with simple tasks. I have watched them find joy in their simple accomplishments. I have learned that I can apply these same principles to myself.
I have learned to have patience while a child attempts a task that must be practiced over and over again before they succeed. It can be something as simple as practicing jumping a rope. It is a skill that is very difficult for most of these children. My patience grows thin at times and I have to remind myself how much effort these tasks take for “special needs children.” In many ways we each have “special needs.”
I have learned that change is very often slow and methodical. I have learned to appreciate the journey of seeing a child make small changes in their healing process. Heather has burns on her hands, arms and face which she endured as a 3 year old in a house fire. Working with her has taught me additional compassion for a child’s struggles. Heather cannot hold a pencil very well or type and her face is disfigured. In spite of her challenges she smiles and still tries to learn verbally to do her school work and learn the lessons that her school mates perform so easily.
I have learned that Heavenly Father gives a special blessing to the children who struggle with burns, crippled fingers, weak legs and other various injuries. They are blessed with a sweet innocent faith and a passion for life. They are blessed to enjoy the help of their school chums. They are excited to have teachers and friends who care about them. They are not afraid to make their needs known to others.
I have learned that working with children with special needs helps me recognize my own blessings. When I feel discouraged I think of how sweet and hopeful these children can be. They inspire me to do better.
In the scriptures we are encouraged over and over to “become as little children”. I am more convinced than ever that becoming childlike is a sure way to becoming a better adult. In Mosiah 3:19, we read… “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 him, even as a child doth submit to his father.”
I have learned that “Special Needs Children” fulfill that scripture. They are blessed by and loved by the Lord. They are His “Special Children.”
Saturday, April 19, 2008
THE MAIN THING IS......
THE MAIN THING IS...
to keep the main thing...
THE MAIN THING...
We all have such busy lives today that it is challenging to honor this simple yet very valuable quotation. Everyday I find myself thinking through my to do list. And everyday, at some point, I realize the need to Reprioritize the list. Phone calls come in, one task or errand takes longer than planned.. Life Happens
But at the end of the day, what did I find to put in my Cedar Chest of Memories? Was I able to keep at least one Thing the Main Thing, or was the day too rushed for me to recognize even one treasure.
Each of us reaches a point in life where we decide what is really important and live from our highest values. Pushing through a day does not allow us to notice gems and treasures in the present moment. When all is said and done, we will remember the moments of love and kindness and all else will fall away.
As you go through your day, taking care of life, keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing. You'll discover the gems in daily life that will bring you more joy, peace of mind, and greater value for your accomplishments. At the close of each day, take a breath, close your eyes, and mentally add those treasured moments that warmed your heart to your Cedar Chest of Memories.
Girlfriend Wisdom
to keep the main thing...
THE MAIN THING...
We all have such busy lives today that it is challenging to honor this simple yet very valuable quotation. Everyday I find myself thinking through my to do list. And everyday, at some point, I realize the need to Reprioritize the list. Phone calls come in, one task or errand takes longer than planned.. Life Happens
But at the end of the day, what did I find to put in my Cedar Chest of Memories? Was I able to keep at least one Thing the Main Thing, or was the day too rushed for me to recognize even one treasure.
Each of us reaches a point in life where we decide what is really important and live from our highest values. Pushing through a day does not allow us to notice gems and treasures in the present moment. When all is said and done, we will remember the moments of love and kindness and all else will fall away.
As you go through your day, taking care of life, keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing. You'll discover the gems in daily life that will bring you more joy, peace of mind, and greater value for your accomplishments. At the close of each day, take a breath, close your eyes, and mentally add those treasured moments that warmed your heart to your Cedar Chest of Memories.
Girlfriend Wisdom
Story about Sean and Justin
A Story from my Writing Class about Justin, Sean, and Jason written from a child's point of view.
I Saw the Bottom of a Greasy Car
by Alicia
“Hey, Jason, come and watch Sean while he washes his new car.” I like to share everything with my brother, Jason. We play together all the time. He is my best friend. I like to watch Sean wash his car in the driveway. He just got his car so he can drive. Sometimes Sean takes me for a ride around the block so I can ride in his car. I sit on his lap in the driveway and turn the steering wheel too. I pretend that I know how to drive. Someday I am going to drive a car just like Sean’s. It will be a long time because I don’t even go to school until next year. Sean says his black and white car is a Firebird. Sometimes I think it looks like a marshmallow that is burned on the top. I think Sean really likes his car. He washes it almost every day. Then he gets some really soft towels and wipes his car until it is dry and shinny. I help him wash and dry his car sometimes. It is too hot today. I just want to get my swimming suit on and run in the sprinklers.
“Sean, can I get my swimming suit on?” He says yes. “Can I get a big towel too?” Sean says yes again. I really like to have Sean tend me. He lets me do anything I want and we have fun just being together. It is really fun having a big brother. People tell me that I look like my brother Sean. We both have very dark brown hair. My mom told me she can’t tell which one of us is in our baby pictures sometimes. I am glad that I look like Sean. Jason is younger than me and has blonde curly hair. My dad says he has hair like his grandma Chilcote.
I am going to go in the house and put my favorite swimming suit on. It is blue and has lots of green fish that looks like they are swimming around on it. I have 3 suits but this is the one I like most of all. I have a big soft swimming towel too. I take it with me when I go boating and swimming at our neighbor’s pool. Jason is coming in the house to get his suit on too. He likes to do everything that I do. I like him to play in the water with me.
Sean, “turn on the sprinklers so we can run in the water?” Sean turned on all the sprinklers. The water looks like sparklers on the fourth of July. I love running in the sprinklers. Sometimes Jason and I will sit on the sprinklers and then when we stand up the water goes high up to the sky and then back down again. I can put my foot on the sprinkler too and it will stop coming out of the holes in sprinkler. I think I will go run on the little hill in the corner of my yard.
Jason is tired of running in the sprinklers so he is going to go ride his bike. I am still going to play on the grassy hill. I like to roll around and around and let the water wash me. I like to lie on the grass and just let the water spray me. Gosh I am getting cold now. The sun is hot but my suit is wet and the cold water is making me shiver. Jason has a helmet he found in the garage and is trying to get it hooked under his chin. I watch him and wonder if I want to ride my bike but then I remember that I am too cold. I am going to lay down on my towel and get warm. Brrr, I am really cold now.
Sean’s car is making a loud motor noise. He has stopped to help Jason buckle the strap under his chin. Jason tried for a long time to make the hooks work but finally gave up. I bet I could have buckled it.
The cement is hot under my feet. I am going to lay my big blue towel on the cement. It feels warm. It feels really good. I am glad I didn’t stay in the water because the sun feels so good. This is perfect, it feels so good. I am not shivering anymore. I am going to close my eyes and stay here until my suit gets dry. Ouch, what is squeezing my stomach? What is scratching my arm? I can’t talk or see anything but black. I can hear a noise that goes klunk and then another klunk. I can’t move. I feel really really hot. My body hurts. I am rolling over and over and over and all I can see is black. The black is slimy and feels wet. It pushes against my body. Now I am rolling over and over again. I don’t know what is happening to me. It is dark and I am scared. There was a noise but now it has stopped and I can see the sun again. I can see my arms and legs and my stomach. They are black and greasy.
I can see Sean running towards me. His face is red and he looks really scared. I think he is crying. He is picking me up and I can feel him shaking and saying, “Justin, Justin, are you okay.” I can’t talk. I don’t know why but I just can’t talk. Sean is wrapping me in my towel and laying me carefully in the back seat of his car. He is saying something about going to the hospital. He is asking me again if I am okay. I finally hear myself saying, “It sure was greasy under there”.
I guess we aren’t going to the hospital because Sean is carrying me upstairs to the bathroom where he is sitting me on the floor. He is running the bathtub water now. I don’t think he likes the grease from his car all over me. I am wondering if my Mom will be mad at him for getting me so dirty. He is pulling my swimming suit off and putting me in the tub. “Wow, Sean, look at all of the black water.” Some of the grease and dirt is coming off in the bathtub. Mom won’t like us getting the tub this black and dirty. Maybe she is going to be mad.
I hear Mom coming up the stairs. She is standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She looks scared too. She is asking Sean why I am so black and dirty. Sean is still crying when he tells her that I put my towel in front of his car and laid down. He didn’t know that I was in front of his car when he drove his car over the top of me. He says that he heard the klunk so he backed up to see what the noise was and that was when he saw me.
All the grease finally came off and now I have my pajamas on. My back still hurts and it is red and sore. I get to eat my dinner in my mom and dad’s water bed while Sean and I watch cartoons. I am pretty happy to get all that black grease off.
When I turn sixteen I am not going to run over my brother.
Written by Alicia Chilcote
March 18, 2008
This story is about Justin, Sean and Jason. It was written for a writing class that I had been taking and was my last assignment. The assignment given was “writing a story from a child’s point of view. “ I have attempted to do this. Writing this story gave me reason to look back in time and see what I remembered about that frightful summer day. I have talked with both Sean and Justin and some of their memories are somewhat different than the account given here. However, it is the way I remember it being told and retold.
Justin is 11 ½ years younger than Sean. I believe that he was almost 5 when this near tragedy happened. Sean frequently tended Justin and Jason and enjoyed playing with them as well as spending time with them. The three of them were very close. On this particular day I was in the neighborhood taking a hand quilting class. It was just a few doors away and I came home soon after the incident happened. Sean reminded me that he saw Justin lying on the cement looking pretty well covered with grease and crying. Sean and Justin were very frightened. Sean jumped out of his car and ran to Justin and wrapped him in his towel and ran into the house carrying him. His car was still running and was not in gear nor did it have the brake on. The car rolled backwards across the street in our circle in Westshire and stopped when it hit the curb.
Justin says he remembers being scared, dirty, greasy and sore. What he remembers is vague to him as he was pretty young. He has been told the story so many times that now he is not sure what he remembers and what he has been told. He does remember that he was given a great amount of attention afterwards and felt like somewhat of a celebrity after the incident.
I think we have to admit that we are very lucky to have Justin with us today. If he had put his towel down a few inches to the west he might not have survived this frightening accident.
I Saw the Bottom of a Greasy Car
by Alicia
“Hey, Jason, come and watch Sean while he washes his new car.” I like to share everything with my brother, Jason. We play together all the time. He is my best friend. I like to watch Sean wash his car in the driveway. He just got his car so he can drive. Sometimes Sean takes me for a ride around the block so I can ride in his car. I sit on his lap in the driveway and turn the steering wheel too. I pretend that I know how to drive. Someday I am going to drive a car just like Sean’s. It will be a long time because I don’t even go to school until next year. Sean says his black and white car is a Firebird. Sometimes I think it looks like a marshmallow that is burned on the top. I think Sean really likes his car. He washes it almost every day. Then he gets some really soft towels and wipes his car until it is dry and shinny. I help him wash and dry his car sometimes. It is too hot today. I just want to get my swimming suit on and run in the sprinklers.
“Sean, can I get my swimming suit on?” He says yes. “Can I get a big towel too?” Sean says yes again. I really like to have Sean tend me. He lets me do anything I want and we have fun just being together. It is really fun having a big brother. People tell me that I look like my brother Sean. We both have very dark brown hair. My mom told me she can’t tell which one of us is in our baby pictures sometimes. I am glad that I look like Sean. Jason is younger than me and has blonde curly hair. My dad says he has hair like his grandma Chilcote.
I am going to go in the house and put my favorite swimming suit on. It is blue and has lots of green fish that looks like they are swimming around on it. I have 3 suits but this is the one I like most of all. I have a big soft swimming towel too. I take it with me when I go boating and swimming at our neighbor’s pool. Jason is coming in the house to get his suit on too. He likes to do everything that I do. I like him to play in the water with me.
Sean, “turn on the sprinklers so we can run in the water?” Sean turned on all the sprinklers. The water looks like sparklers on the fourth of July. I love running in the sprinklers. Sometimes Jason and I will sit on the sprinklers and then when we stand up the water goes high up to the sky and then back down again. I can put my foot on the sprinkler too and it will stop coming out of the holes in sprinkler. I think I will go run on the little hill in the corner of my yard.
Jason is tired of running in the sprinklers so he is going to go ride his bike. I am still going to play on the grassy hill. I like to roll around and around and let the water wash me. I like to lie on the grass and just let the water spray me. Gosh I am getting cold now. The sun is hot but my suit is wet and the cold water is making me shiver. Jason has a helmet he found in the garage and is trying to get it hooked under his chin. I watch him and wonder if I want to ride my bike but then I remember that I am too cold. I am going to lay down on my towel and get warm. Brrr, I am really cold now.
Sean’s car is making a loud motor noise. He has stopped to help Jason buckle the strap under his chin. Jason tried for a long time to make the hooks work but finally gave up. I bet I could have buckled it.
The cement is hot under my feet. I am going to lay my big blue towel on the cement. It feels warm. It feels really good. I am glad I didn’t stay in the water because the sun feels so good. This is perfect, it feels so good. I am not shivering anymore. I am going to close my eyes and stay here until my suit gets dry. Ouch, what is squeezing my stomach? What is scratching my arm? I can’t talk or see anything but black. I can hear a noise that goes klunk and then another klunk. I can’t move. I feel really really hot. My body hurts. I am rolling over and over and over and all I can see is black. The black is slimy and feels wet. It pushes against my body. Now I am rolling over and over again. I don’t know what is happening to me. It is dark and I am scared. There was a noise but now it has stopped and I can see the sun again. I can see my arms and legs and my stomach. They are black and greasy.
I can see Sean running towards me. His face is red and he looks really scared. I think he is crying. He is picking me up and I can feel him shaking and saying, “Justin, Justin, are you okay.” I can’t talk. I don’t know why but I just can’t talk. Sean is wrapping me in my towel and laying me carefully in the back seat of his car. He is saying something about going to the hospital. He is asking me again if I am okay. I finally hear myself saying, “It sure was greasy under there”.
I guess we aren’t going to the hospital because Sean is carrying me upstairs to the bathroom where he is sitting me on the floor. He is running the bathtub water now. I don’t think he likes the grease from his car all over me. I am wondering if my Mom will be mad at him for getting me so dirty. He is pulling my swimming suit off and putting me in the tub. “Wow, Sean, look at all of the black water.” Some of the grease and dirt is coming off in the bathtub. Mom won’t like us getting the tub this black and dirty. Maybe she is going to be mad.
I hear Mom coming up the stairs. She is standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She looks scared too. She is asking Sean why I am so black and dirty. Sean is still crying when he tells her that I put my towel in front of his car and laid down. He didn’t know that I was in front of his car when he drove his car over the top of me. He says that he heard the klunk so he backed up to see what the noise was and that was when he saw me.
All the grease finally came off and now I have my pajamas on. My back still hurts and it is red and sore. I get to eat my dinner in my mom and dad’s water bed while Sean and I watch cartoons. I am pretty happy to get all that black grease off.
When I turn sixteen I am not going to run over my brother.
Written by Alicia Chilcote
March 18, 2008
This story is about Justin, Sean and Jason. It was written for a writing class that I had been taking and was my last assignment. The assignment given was “writing a story from a child’s point of view. “ I have attempted to do this. Writing this story gave me reason to look back in time and see what I remembered about that frightful summer day. I have talked with both Sean and Justin and some of their memories are somewhat different than the account given here. However, it is the way I remember it being told and retold.
Justin is 11 ½ years younger than Sean. I believe that he was almost 5 when this near tragedy happened. Sean frequently tended Justin and Jason and enjoyed playing with them as well as spending time with them. The three of them were very close. On this particular day I was in the neighborhood taking a hand quilting class. It was just a few doors away and I came home soon after the incident happened. Sean reminded me that he saw Justin lying on the cement looking pretty well covered with grease and crying. Sean and Justin were very frightened. Sean jumped out of his car and ran to Justin and wrapped him in his towel and ran into the house carrying him. His car was still running and was not in gear nor did it have the brake on. The car rolled backwards across the street in our circle in Westshire and stopped when it hit the curb.
Justin says he remembers being scared, dirty, greasy and sore. What he remembers is vague to him as he was pretty young. He has been told the story so many times that now he is not sure what he remembers and what he has been told. He does remember that he was given a great amount of attention afterwards and felt like somewhat of a celebrity after the incident.
I think we have to admit that we are very lucky to have Justin with us today. If he had put his towel down a few inches to the west he might not have survived this frightening accident.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Cards Cards Cards
Card Making Groupee
It was 15 years ago that Garn was made Bishop in the Granger 18th Ward and life was quite lonely in the evenings. At that time several friends were interested in card making, stamping and just getting together to create just about anything. I approached a few of the friends in the neighborhood that had some of the same interests as I did and a small group of us decided that getting together on a monthly basis at my house would be a good idea. We ended up laughing, visiting and doing a limited amount of card making. We enjoyed each others company and have made many long term friendships. The card group has evolved into a group of nine good friends one of which includes my fun friend and daughter Cheryl. We now get together faithfully each month and are taught some very unique techniques. These techniques are manifest in various kinds of creative boxes, books, and cans and yes we still do some cards at our get togethers. Our good friend Trudy scours all the craft stores in Utah and often Colorado to find just the right project. She comes up with some amazing ideas that we all love. We exchange cards each month. That makes nine cards a month without making any extras so multiply that by 10 in one year. If you do the math it is almost staggering. Most of us are proud to admit that we are likely to own over 300 cards collected from our skilled sister cardmakers. If you have not received one it is because we tend to hoard each and every one of them and rarely pass them on. They have every kind of embellishment, flower, special paper or anything that might look enticing. Each embellishment is carefully added to the card using every imaginable tool you can buy. If you are really lucky or nice to me I might part with one of my cards but don't count on it!
It was 15 years ago that Garn was made Bishop in the Granger 18th Ward and life was quite lonely in the evenings. At that time several friends were interested in card making, stamping and just getting together to create just about anything. I approached a few of the friends in the neighborhood that had some of the same interests as I did and a small group of us decided that getting together on a monthly basis at my house would be a good idea. We ended up laughing, visiting and doing a limited amount of card making. We enjoyed each others company and have made many long term friendships. The card group has evolved into a group of nine good friends one of which includes my fun friend and daughter Cheryl. We now get together faithfully each month and are taught some very unique techniques. These techniques are manifest in various kinds of creative boxes, books, and cans and yes we still do some cards at our get togethers. Our good friend Trudy scours all the craft stores in Utah and often Colorado to find just the right project. She comes up with some amazing ideas that we all love. We exchange cards each month. That makes nine cards a month without making any extras so multiply that by 10 in one year. If you do the math it is almost staggering. Most of us are proud to admit that we are likely to own over 300 cards collected from our skilled sister cardmakers. If you have not received one it is because we tend to hoard each and every one of them and rarely pass them on. They have every kind of embellishment, flower, special paper or anything that might look enticing. Each embellishment is carefully added to the card using every imaginable tool you can buy. If you are really lucky or nice to me I might part with one of my cards but don't count on it!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
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