Foam Creations!

So, Tarah is pretty creative, and brave. We went over to her house and the girls made foamy creations. It is shaving cream and glue; it is suppose to harder into a foamy portrait. It didn't get to the drying stage. The girls had too much fun spreading it all over their papers and the table....and everywhere else. They had a blast!

PB and J Day

Today Jena came to our house to play. I watch Jena on Thursdays for 6 hours while Lacey is at school and then Lacey watches Kaycee on Mondays and Wednesdays for 3 hours each so I can study and do homework. It has been so nice. I get so much studying done. I think it has been really good for Kaycee to get out and do something with someone else besides mom all of the time. I think she does better with sharing then when she is not in her own territory.

So, for lunch and activities we have themes. A few of my favorites have been when we made octopus pictures with their hands and ate octopus in seaweed (hotdogs and ramen noodles) and pizza day. I cut out shapes for toppings on the pizza and we made pizzas and ate mini pizzas. Well, today we had peanut butter and jelly cut into shapes. I haven't had PB and J's for ever. I think they are my new favorite food. We used cookie cutters and made butterflies, flowers, and bunnies. I had a ton of fun. I am pretty sure they enjoyed them too. They each ate several sandwhiches themselves.

Story Behind Hymn

A dear friend sent this to me in an email. He was close friends with Sister Blacker, and Janice’s parents Jack and Sue Kapp. It is the story behind the song that was sung at President Hinckley’s funeral. I just wanted to share this beautiful story with all of you. Along with the email was a copy of the music,

“What is This Thing That Men Call Death.”

What is this thing that men call death, this quiet passing in the night?
“Tis not the end but genesis of better worlds and greater light.

O God, touch Thou my aching heart and calm my troubled, haunting fears.
Let hope and faith, transcendent, pure, give strength and peace beyond my tears.

There is no death, but only change, with recompense for vic-t’ry won.
The gift of Him who loved all men, the Son of God, the Holy One.

by Gordon B. Hinckley and Janice Kapp Perry

Janice Kapp Perry Wrote:
During President Hinckley's funeral Tabernacle Choir will be singing a hymn text written by President Hinckley which I set to music in December. I would like to share the story of it with you:

“About two months before my niece Kathy Blacker died, on January 11, 2008, she found a three-verse poem by President Hinckley among her files. Although she was resigned to dying, she had some fears about the dying process and his words greatly comforted her—especially the second verse which described exactly what she was feeling. She wrote to Pres. Hinckley's office to ask permission to have the poem printed on her funeral program, and she received a very nice letter from his secretary Don H. Staheli saying that President Hinckley gave his permission for her to do so. The letter also conveyed some very comforting words from Pres. Hinckley which were helpful to helpful to Kathy in her final weeks, and he said he would remember Kathy in his prayers.

Then Kathy suggested that I write and ask permission to give the poem a hymn setting. I did so, and Brother Staheli conveyed President Hinckley's permission for me to write the hymn. After offering some heartfelt prayers that I might be able to write appropriate music for his profoundly beautiful and moving text, I wrote the hymn setting and sent a copy to President Hinckley's office for approval at the end of December. I received no immediate response.


Kathy passed away January 11 and after her funeral I sent a copy of her funeral program to President Hinckley's office so he could see how nicely his poem was displayed along side my brother Gary Kapp's painting of Christ. When I heard President Hinckley had passed away last Sunday night I was feeling a little sad to think I hadn't received a letter with his official approval. But the very next day after his passing, the hoped-for letter arrived with his approval, his permission for me to publish it in a future volume of my series Inspirational New Hymns for Choir and Home, and leaving it to my discretion as to whether to submit it to the Church Music Division. The timing was so unusual and I was extremely grateful to receive the letter as a tender mercy in my life.

Then on Monday afternoon Craig Jessop, Tabernacle Choir Director, heard about the hymn and had his office call me to obtain a copy of the hymn for consideration for President Hinckley's funeral. On Tuesday, while traveling in California, I learned that the hymn would be performed by The Tabernacle Choir at President Hinckley's funeral on Saturday.

Having seen the great comfort this hymn brought to my niece who died just two weeks before President Hinckley passed away, my great desire is for people throughout the world to have a free copy of these magnificent words of President Hinckley to comfort them in times of the loss of loved ones. This is just one more way his influence could be felt down through time.”

Taking Advantage of a Warm Day

New Presidency Named

XLII