We Love You, Angela

I'll go stream of thought style for this one . . . I remember loving Angela's sweet, angelic (how appropriate!) singing voice from the very beginning - the quality has always reminded me of a flute, and I loved it when she sang around the house . . . Angela picking me up from piano lessons at Sister Seamons' house in Jerome and driving in a crazy serpentine pattern to make me laugh (I loved it when she did that) . . . from my perspective, it has always seemed like Angela was ready at any moment to have a party, and she would be well prepared with plenty of junk to party with . . . after high school she went to Provo and we all got showered with BYU gear - it was beautiful :) . . . more than once I sneaked into Angela's room (which was always so neat, it was rather shocking compared with other rooms in the house) and stole some of the candy she often kept on hand - sorry about that, Angela - I think she knew it was me, but I don't remember her ever yelling at me about it . . . I remember thinking that she was just gorgeous, particularly for her engagement and wedding photos - what a knock out! . . . also have vivid memories of her in her prom dress that mom made - pretty sure that style of dress was prominent in my drawings for a long time after that . . .

The older I get the more amazing I think Angela is. I'm pretty sure I know no other adult that is less likely to hold a grudge than her. It's just not how she's programmed! She seems to have an infinite well of forgiveness in her heart, and I just love that about her. She takes people as they are, and never seems to expect anything different. It ended up not being in the Lord's plan for me to serve a mission, but I planned on it from the age of twelve, being highly influenced by the choices of my older siblings, including Angela. I was just so proud of her. Even though I didn't end up serving a full-time mission, I know that even just planning and preparing for it was a blessing in my life. I love Angela so much. What a fantastic older sister she is. She's fully supportive and completely non-judgmental - you can't have a better cheerleader than that! When she showed up at the marathon around mile twenty-four last year - well, it was just perfect timing. I needed that boost right then; she gave me the motivation to actually finish the rest of the race at a run. I don't think I'd have managed it without that. She's just amazing, and I am continually awed by her strength and her tremendous faith. The perfect phrase to describe her is "steadfast and immovable."

Memories of Angela

Angela was always Momma's girl, with her little brown curls and big blue eyes.  When she was young and got tired, she would just lay her head on the couch seat with her legs still on the floor.  She followed Raymond all around.  She was pretty tender.  When she got on another little boy's tricycle in the quad housing at BYU where we lived, he was going to push her off, but Raymond came to the rescue.  Told the little boy, she wasn't going to hurt it and she would get off.  She did.  She loved to swing.  Of course, she loved to run and fall on the swing to swing herself and then the famous miss when she went too far and went right over onto her face.
I noticed a little determined attitude in her around 5th grade and I knew if I taught her well in the gospel plan of happiness, she would never leave the path.  It has been a great blessing for me to see her solidly on the Lord's side, keeping her covenants and cherishing her own children. 
As a child, it was brought to my attention, that she needed order.  Her room, including her drawers, closet, bed, etc. were always just so. 
She was compassionate and that made her a great coach for the special Olympics in Jerome.  And she was very strong, so she could push wheel chairs.
I remember when she had out-of-school learning at a daycare.  She came home declaring, "They don't need a school, they need a mom."  She really hurt for those children.
It was also hard for her to watch the elderly at the hospital care facility.  "I'll never put you in one of those places."  Angela wasn't much for words, but her heart was simple and full.  ...of such is the kingdom of heaven .

From Julie

Note from Rachael: Julie emailed this directly to me, which totally works. To email directly to the blog, you really do just exactly the same as for an email. Just email your post to rareeallred1.robinsonshavingfun@blogger.com. And having just had a baby at the end of March, I'd say Julie had a very valid excuse for not getting this to me until now, don'tcha think? :)

Please forgive my silence on this in April; it's been a busy month here.  And thanks for the reminder, Andrew.  I didn't want to miss my chance to share some things about some of my favorite people....

My first memory of April was when Ray and I were dating.  The details are a little sketchy, but I think he brought April, Rachael, and Sarah with him on a Sunday and we all went to church together with my family (?).  The thing I remember is that they were every bit as pretty as Ray had described them, plus soft and kind and witty.  My mom used them as a confirming witness that this match was meant to be--I can still remember the intensity of her expression when telling me what nice girls she thought they were.  Surely a family with girls of this caliber must be worth marrying into, maybe some of their greatness would one day be manifest in Raymond! :)  April has been a loyal sister/friend from the start... Living next door to her and Mike was a true tender mercy of the Lord.  She has taken care of me from day one and there are too many kind deeds to list, but a sampling could include helping me pull off Susan's green egg and ham birthday party, babysitting while Ray and I went on dates (now she knows what a gift that was!), driving me to the hospital when I was in labor and couldn't reach Raymond, a four-tiered, four-colored sherbet birthday cake, enlightening conversations, a sympathetic hug as I bemoan my lack of homemaking/mothering skill, Princess Academy cross-stitching instruction... Like I said, too many to list.  But I will love her forever!  And will aspire to be more like her in service, learning, boldness, loyalty, and care.

My first memory of Amy is seeing her perform with incredible expressivity and depth.  I then got to have her in my technique class and daily witness her connectivity, artistry, openness, and core strength.  Of course, to know her is to fall in love with her.  But my greatest memory of that class was watching her and Nathan glide across the floor side by side doing Graham triplets--their synergy was astonishing!  They were just meant to dance through life together!  Their courtship and wedding was a delightful ride for everyone in the family.  And now what a gift to see how Amy uses her artistry in creating her home and family.  With her talents, she could have excelled in whatever arena she chose--art, dance, fashion, calligraphy, history, comedy, music, design, photography, teaching, social work--but she is deeply devoted to the Lord and has consecrated her talents to blessing the lives of her husband and children.  She creates magic for them daily.  And that magic extends to all of us.  She is full of love and understanding--never failing in expressions of love and testimony that touch and sustain me.  She is truly a kindred spirit.

And Rachael, your prompt for May is great, but with Angela's birthday this week, I must instead include some thoughts of her.... My first memories of Angela come from the summer we both fell in love and got married, even within days of each other!  It was so fun to share that special summer with her, even dressing together in our wedding dresses for our joint open houses in Jerome and Boise.  Angela is a special person, pure of heart, without guile.  She has always loved and accepted me as a sister, and I have never felt a hint of judgement or ill will.  She seems incapable of it.  She loves as the Savior loves, and I feel rather in awe of her.

April, Amy, and Angela have each deeply blessed my life through their sisterhood and friendship.  Rachael, thanks for the chance to reflect on them and their gifts to me.
--Julie