A MESSAGE FOR NOAH

A few of you know that I went to the Rosary last night for Faith Provencio and I went to the funeral mass and graveside service this morning.

When I got up this morning to take Evan to his fund raiser at the school I decided to write a story for Noah Provencio that began formulating last night when I went to bed:

A Message for Noah

In Loving Memory of

Faith Christian Provencio

January 22, 2009

January 23, 2009

There once was a brother Noah and his sister Faith who lived in Heaven a long time ago. They lived there with their family waiting for the day when they could be born and live on earth with their mom and dad.

One day Noah and Faith were playing in the Celestial Gardens. This was their favorite place to be. The roses reminded them of their mother who was already on earth.

Faith looked up at her brother and asked, "Who do you think will be born first?"

Noah thought for a while and then said: "I will be born first."

"Why?" Faith asked.

"Well, I am your brother. I should be born first so that I can be your "big brother." Faith smiled "What would you do as my big brother?"

"I would love you and watch over you. I would hold you when you were sad or lonely. And I would do all the things big brothers should do."

"Okay," Faith began "If you get to be born first, I get to return to Heaven first so that I can prepare a Hero's Homecoming. Because you would be a Hero if you do all these things."

Noah and Faith sat side by side in the garden holding hands for a long while. They just sat there and smiled. For they loved each other very much.

One day the great bells rung through Heaven announcing the marriage of two people. Faith and Noah ran to the Great Hall to find out who was getting married. When they got there the Great Hall was already full of others who were waiting to go to earth. Everyone was excited to hear who was getting married.

When the Angel Gabriel walked out onto the grand balcony the whole hall became so quiet you could hear the ping of a pin drop. When Gabriel made the announcement, Faith and Noah could hardly believe their ears. Their mom and dad had found each other and were getting married. They reached for each other and hugged each other so tight they could hardly breathe.

As Noah held his sister he said, "You know what this means don't you? Our family on earth has just begun."

"Does this mean you'll be leaving soon?" Faith asked with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, but you will come soon after. We won't be parted for long." Noah squeezed Faith tight and said, "I love you and I will watch over you."

Faith and Noah continued to live in Heaven while waiting to be born. They visited the Celestial Gardens often. They talked and they played. Mostly they just sat quietly, side by side holding hands - smiling.

One day while they were in the Celestial Gardens the Great Hall Matron came. "Noah, it is time to go to earth. Will you please follow me?" Noah stood up and looked down at Faith, "Don't worry, we won't be parted for long."

Faith reached up for his hand, "I know, but I'll still miss you. And for a short time I will be able to watch over you."

'I love you, Faith." And then Noah turned to follow the Matron.

Faith could hear the tinkling of the Angel Chimes announcing the birth of a new baby. In her heart she knew it was Noah and she smiled.

In a day or two the Matron returned to the garden to find Faith, "Faith, dear. Our Father wants to speak with you. Will you follow me?"

Faith stood up and followed the Matron. She was excited to go see her Father and was hoping that this meant she could see her big brother soon.

Faith followed the Matron through the arches of the Great Hall and then stood before Father who sat peacefully on the seat of his throne.

"I have a special assignment for you on earth. It won't take long and when it is complete I will send for you to work on another assignment here."

Faith looked up at Father a little puzzled and with a slight frown she asked, "Will I get to see my big brother?"

"Oh, yes my dear child," Father reassured.

Faith smiled back wating for instruction.

"Faith, you will be born into your family on earth and your assignment is to bring that love you feel so deeply for Noah to your parents. Your birth and life with them will be a blessing of faith and trust. When you have completed this task, return and report."

Faith accepted the assignment, "When do I go to earth?"

Father replied, "The Angel Chimes will ring for you tomorrow."

As Faith turned to walk away Father said, "Faith, I love you and I will watch over you." And then he smiled.

The next day the Angel Chimes did ring and Faith was born into a family with goodly parents. She was so happy to be with her mom and dad. Her mom and dad were very happy too.

When dad brought her big brother to the hospital to see her, Faith opened her eyes really big and smiled up at Noah.

"You are pretty," Noah said. "I am your big brother and I love you very much." Faith smiled and reached out for his hand.

"I will protect you and be a good big brother. I promise."

Noah's mom and dad smiled down at their two precious babies. There was a lot of love that day.

The journey to bring Faith into the world was a long one. Mom and dad longed for her birth and when she came their hearts were full.

The next day Faith went home to Father.

"Father, I have come to report that I have completed my task," Faith said with a smile on her face.

"That is good," Father said. "I have one more thing to ask of you. Send a message to your brother, Noah. Tell him you love him and that you will watch over him and that you won't be parted for long."

Faith did as she was asked.

The years passed for Noah and he grew into a man. He had a family with many children who grew and had children of their own. The love he felt from his sister his whole life was shared with those he met.

When Noah was wise with age and his hair completely white he heard the sweet chimes calling him home.

Faith stood at the gate and took his hand and they walked to their favorite part of the Celestial Gardens and then sat side by side, holding hands and smiled for a long time. But only for a moment as far as eternity is concerned.

The end.

I have asked and Dara has graceously agreed to illistrate this story for the Provencios.

BLESSINGS

Victor and I have really close friends who live two streets over from us. You will recognize Theodore from our Wedding. He was one of the groom's men and was paired up with Emily. Rene and Theodore married Christmas Day about three years ago. This is their son Noah. In this picture Rene is about 35 weeks.You are probably asking yourself: "Why are you telling us about your friends?" Well, I will tell you:

Theodore shared with us that they named their baby Faith long before she was born because she represented their Faith in God. Earlier in the pregnancy their baby had been diagnosed with full trisomy 13; a condition that cuases severe birth defects. Doctors informed them that this condition "is not compatible with life." The ultrasounds revealed a perfect looking baby. Yet she had been diagnosed with a heart defect caused by the T-13, hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Here is a link to a video of trisomy babies that are now with Heavenly Father. A great video showing they are truly a gift from God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QJF0Cs4f9s

The Provencios asked for our thoughts and prayers. All they wanted was to go full term and be healthy enough to go home. If even for a short while.

Theodore sent us e-mails keeping us up to date.

Faith Christian Provencio was born January 22nd at 11:37 p.m.

Theodore sent us this e-mail the next day:

"We had allot of family there along with photographer Amy Fink and Fr. Daniel O'Sullivan. Right after Father O'Sullivan baptized her. At first about 5 minutes she did not respond to stimulation to breath and her heart rate was dropping. As soon as the Fr. started the sacrament of baptism Faiths heart rate rose and she started to breath, it was nothing less than a miracle. Most trisomy 13 babies don't survive birth. It was great to have Faith finally with us. Though Faith did have problems that developed later, she would have episodes where she could not breath and turn blue. We would stimulate her give her oxygen and she would start to breath again. This was being caused by her heart condition. She had her last episode about 7 pm this one she did not recover from she passed away peacefully being held by Mom & Dad at 7:26 pm Friday January 23rd 2009 a short 19 hours 49 minutes after her birth."

I am truly grateful for the blessings of having healthy children. I am especially grateful for the powerful example of our friends and their deep faith and trust in Heavenly Father. I realized that we sometimes forget what a blessing our families are and that they are a gift from Heavenly Father. Sometimes we are given years with our children; spouses; and parents. Sometimes it's just for hours or minutes.

I hope we will all take some time to show how much we love our children; spouses and parents. It is not much to give a hug; say I love you; smile or just sit quietly on the couch listening to music or reading a book out loud.

Have fun loving each other this week!

FORTY TIPS TO A BETTER LIFE

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day - preferably in the morning and feel your feelings.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning, complete the following statement, "My purpose is to _________ today."
5. Live with the 3 E's - Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did last year.
7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
8. Dream more while you are awake.
9. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
10. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds and walnuts.
11. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
12. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new positive energy into your life.
13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip or issues of the past, negative thought, or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
14. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like Algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
15. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
16. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.
17. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
18. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
19. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
20. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
21. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
22. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. REMEMBER GOD heals everything.
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. You job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
32. The best is yet to come.
33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
34. Do the right thing!
35. Call your family often.
36. Each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _____________.
37. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
38. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass! You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
39. Send this to everyone you care about. I just did.

And, here are a couple of bonuses:

• The only reason to be alive is to enjoy it.
• Happiness is a journey, not a destination!
• "If you need help, ask God. If you don't, thank God!"

Have a wonderful week!

CREATIVE DINNERS

This week I decided that my family needed to eat dinner at the dining room table. The man of the house has a bad habit of taking his food to the living room and turning the television on. So, I decided that I needed to be really creative about the meal preparation so that the family has to sit at the table.

Each night I have used my every day china to set the table. The table has been covered with a really nice linen tableclothe.

As part of the meal I have prepared individual fruit bowls and placed them in the center of the dinner plates. Each setting also had a small green salad or vegetable plate that was eaten before the main meal.

The main meal has consisted of a meat; a steamed vegetable; a starch; and a bread.

The beverage has been a sugar free or lite fruit juice with ice and some diet squirt.

There has been some grumbling and finicky tastes - I warned the family that I would stop cooking if they didn't show more appreciation.

Week one down -

LAUNDRY BLUES

Well, my washing machine had taken a dump several months ago (about the same time I was having issues with the freezer). I have been taking truck loads of laundry to the coin laundry every week and have been hating it... :(

Yesterday, Victor had decided that he should take care of the problem since I have been losing time by doing laundry outside the house.

After contemplating where we should purchase a new washing machine and then driving to a couple of places we ended up buying our new washing machine from Lowes.

We went in determined to buy just a basic washing machine. Victor had is eye on a Roper with a plastic tub (I was not happy with that decision). I gave him a funny look and he said "WHAT?!?" I told him that I didn't want a Roper and I didn't want a washing machine with a platic tub.

We were looking at the Maytags and Whirlpool washing machines (they are the same company by the way). Our last washing machine was a Maytag; a Model T. When the repair man came he told us it would cost $600 for all the parts and labor. I had found out that the Model T happened to be a flop and that there is currently a consumer law suit against Maytag...

I wasn't so sure that I wanted to buy another Maytag... While we were debating over which machine to buy Victor notice a nice model made by BOSCHE. I had noticed it too, but I didn't dare ask Victor if I could have it. All the machines we had been looking at were in the $400 range. The BOSCHE was nearly $700.

The Lowe's employee working in the appliance department perked up and told us all the wonderful things about the BOSCHE washing machine... long story short: We purchased the BOSCHE and it was discounted by 10% and we were given a $50 gift card. Due to the long wait (45 minutes) to get the machine brought up to the front we walked off with another 10% discount on any next purchase... :)

I have now been able to wash clothes and towels and I didn't even have to leave the house! Yeah!!!!!!!!!!

GREAT WEEKEND!!!!!!!

Well, my weekend started off last Thursday evening. As many of you know, I love candles and I have candle holders and sconces all over my home. So I had a Partylite party at my home for my birthday. I had several friends and family over and we had a great time.

I slept in Friday morning (I had the day off) and then ran some errands to get the house ready for the Card family. When Dara and Jeremy showed up I was still cleaning the girls room (the guest suite) and Dara ended up helping me finish the room. For dinner we had Boston Market and then we went to see "When the Earth Stood Still".

Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market and purchased some produce for our dinner. Victor made Chile Verde and I made Salsa and Guacamole. We ate most of the day.

Sunday we went to church and then hung out the rest of the day and watched a few movies.

Monday we went to Disneyland with the Cards. Eva and Joshua were a lot of fun to be with and I think they had a great time too.

Today is Wednesday and Victor and I have been married 12 years as of Sunday and I am now 41 years old. Great weekend!!!!!

I hope we all have a great year! Love, Rebecca

PIGS PIGS PIGS AND MORE PIGS

Victor convinced me to travel to Bakersfield with him on Saturday to pick up another pig. The trip early in the morning was very nice just the two of us. We talked about lots of things and had a really good time.

We saw four rainbows - end to end. It was beautiful. I had only seen partial rainbows - you know the kind that start in the middle of a cloud and touch down to the ground on one side? Well all four rainbows were complete arches that met the ground on both sides. One arched over both sides of the freeway with both ends planted into the green hillsides.

We arrived at the pig farm around 9:30 in the morning. It had rained and everything was muddy. YUCK!!!!!!! It smelled bad too. I don't think I have ever seen such a dirty smelly farm. It was actually really sad for some of the animals and the conditions they were in. I tried not to be bothered by it too much.

Victor purchased a much larger pig than the one we had at home and then he purchased a little piglet for me. I felt so sorry for the baby that I had to take it home. When I found her in one of the pens she was completely covered with mud, food/slop and poo. It was disgusting. She is the runt of the litter. The rest of the litter is about 3 times her size.

Her name is Charlotte. She is about the size of a cat. She already eats swine food (I add milk to soften it for her). She spends time with the family because she is too small for the pig pen. She sleeps in the dog kennel on the back patio and stays there when we are at work and school. She loves the kids and follows them every where.

Charlotte has a little cold because of the horrible conditions at the pig farm. We asked around to find out how to keep her healthy. She has already had one warm bath and Victor keeps are toasty warm when they both fall asleep on the couch for their afternoon naps. Victor administers baby tylenol drops to help her with her cold. Her favorite flavor is grape. The whole thing is really funny.

Just so that you don't think I have gone totally yaumpy, Charlotte will be fattened and taken to the fair in the fall. She will probably be auctioned off as a Market Pig. She is beautiful and her shape is perfect. She is totally white. She will be about 250 to 300 lbs by August. To compete at the fair she also has to be cane and harness trained. She will be put on her first harness in about a week or two. We have tried the cane and she acts just like a child - stubborn. We will get their soon though. She is food motivated (like all pigs) and I am pretty sure we will get her trained before too long.

GONZALES FAMILY UPDATE

Well, the Gonzales Family has started the New Year off with a BANG!

New Year's Eve we were busy getting things ready for our little New Year's Day Dinner Gathering. Sandy and I went to the Vallarta Supermarket to do some shopping with the gift card that Lucy gave me. (I spent less than $50 out of the $100 on the card).

When we got back to the house we made Pork Tamales.

We stayed up watching Eagle Eye until midnight (paused the movie) jumped around like crazy people in the front yard and honked the car horns!!!!!! We finished the movie and went to bed around 1:30 a.m.

New Year's Day was spent preparing the rest of the food and cleaning. As the day progressed, there were more and more people invited to spend the evening with us. We had Bishop Lovestedt and his family; Manuel Lara (Stake YM Presidency) and his family; Wayne Hotchkiss (Elder's Quorum President) and his wife Karen; and Sandy and her family. Andy Nakai made a cameo appearance and apparently fell asleep in his car and left at the crack of dawn this morning.

Victor was traveling to El Monte this morning when his work truck blew a tire and he slammed into the center divider; totalling his work truck. As usual Victor left the scene nearly unscathed. He was thrown around in the cab of the truck because he didn't have his seatbelt on - but he claims that he had an iron grip on the steering wheel. Victor is still the 1st conselor in the YM Presidency. He continues to add various animals to the "gonzales farm" We have two new Road Island Red Hen and two new roasting hens (still babies). He will be traveling to Bakersfield tomorrow morning to pick up another pig. Victor had his second set of blood panels done and he has lowered his triglicerides from 4500+ to 451. Major improvement.

I have been called as the Activities Day Leader and the Primary Pianist. I am really excited about both. The previous leader has not done anything to help the girls earn their Faith in God and the Primary President told me Tuesday that I will have to start from scratch. This is going to be fun. I had oral surgery on Tuesday before Christmas and have just finished taking my antibiotics and the last of my vicodine. My face was so swollen on Wednesday I was releave that I had decided to take that day off. Today is the first day that my face looked normal. Monday I go back to the OB/GYN for my follow-up visit and will probably have another procedure to confirm that the abnormal cells have not returned.

Devlyn has moved back with her husband, Drew, and living at his parent's house.

Elliott is currently unemployed and going to school full-time. I think I am going to try to talk to him about going on a mission. I feel that he is more receptive than he was a year ago.

Vincent is huge and is attending another High School during his Senior Year and will be graduating this summer. He is still trying to decide exactly what he wants to be when he grows up.

Alex spends almost every weekend with us and loves it when we go to Barnes and Noble on Friday nights.

Evan is trying to be the tallest in the family. He is almost as tall as me. He is definitely taller than Alex. Evan is working on his science fair project with Aislyn.

Aislyn is taller than Alex too. She will be participating in the Activity Days and will be turning 12 this year; going into YW's. Aislyn also had oral surgery the Tuesday before Christmas. She had two molars removed. Her recovering was smooth. She needs to return for consultation with the orthodontist about moving teeth into place. Normally they would shift the teeth forward and move the wisdom teeth to fill in the space. Aislyn does not have any wisdom teeth on the bottom. So, the options could be to put spacers in while her teeth are still forming and putting braces in to keep the other teeth from moving out of place. This could prove to be very interesting...

Allisa is stretching out again. I don't think she will be as tall as Aislyn but she will be tall. She is doing well in school and her teacher thinks she is the best. He says that she is always cheerful and helpful. Allisa will probably be seeing an orthodontist in the next year or so.