Phoenix Pride 2016

Written by:  Jared Johnson

There is something special about being a straight, active Mormon participating in a Pride parade and giving out hugs at a Pride festival.  It is the best example I can think of about something that illustrates the concept of the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.  I don't like parades, festivals, crowds, difficult parking, arriving early only to have to wait, etc, etc, etc.  Basically, every element of what it takes to 'do' pride is something I usually try very hard to avoid.  What I know from doing it for the past 3 years is that the experience is wonderful and personally life changing.  I am so grateful that the Pride-going masses have allowed me to even be there.  For the most part, they are a very inclusive group and very willing to understand and forgive.  

                         

Sometimes being a Mormon at Pride can be uncomfortable.  Looking like a Mormon is easy - it is who I am and I am never embarrassed or ashamed of that fact.  Dressing the part is easy - I have spent many years wearing a white shirt and tie to both church and work.  I am much more comfortable (and myself) in a long sleeve shirt and slacks than I would ever be in shorts and sandals, for example.  What can be uncomfortable is when someone knows I am a Mormon and they are angry at the church so they are angry with me.  It can be hard to stand there and listen patiently while someone gets their feelings out.  Sometimes a hug feels like a very silly thing to be offering.  But I am not there to just give out hugs.  I am not there to show people what a Mormon looks like.  I am there to try in my own small way to build a bridge.  To let people know that they are loved and that no matter what they may think, there are members of the LDS church who love them and accept them exactly as they are.  I love it when I coax someone in to receiving a free hug and then they give me a look of pleasant amazement when I give them a sticker that informs them they were just hugged by a Mormon!  Sometimes they walk away with a smile, sometimes a wonderful conversation gets started.  It is in those moments that I feel like bridges are being built. 

This year a young lady wanted to buy us all a lemonade or something to "bless us".  She wanted to give something back to the people of the hugging booth.  I asked her why.  She told us that two years ago she came to a Pride festival after 'coming out' just a few weeks earlier.  She was scared, confused and ready to take her own life.  She came to the festival and to our booth where she received a hug.  A long, meaningful hug from a mother of a gay child.  A mother who held her and let her cry and let her know that she was loved for who she was.  Many more stories like that are out there as a result of this simple act of being at a hugging booth in the middle of a Pride festival.  It is worth all of the work and potential discomfort.  It is worth feeling like a fish out of water for a couple of days.  I don't really want to blend in - I don't think I could even if I tried.  I am so white, straight, old and Mormon that not wearing a tie or other church clothes makes no difference.  To my fellow active LDS church brothers and sisters I say step out of your comfort zone and join me in this outreach.  Not by changing who you are or how you dress, but by following the Savior's admonition to love one another.  To my beloved brothers and sisters in the LGBTQ / SSA community I say thank you for your love, acceptance and patience.  I love you and I am better for knowing some of you and learning your stories.

                   

Remembering Mom Johnson

One year ago Jared and I drove to Utah all night and surprised his mom with a visit.  That was one of the best decisions we ever made and it was the last time we saw her in mortal frame.

Margie was a spitfire of a person, what she lacked in size she made up for in personality and energy.  I learned many things from her in 25 years of being her daughter.  I like to think that I am a better mother in law because of the way she treated me.  There was absolutely no end to the amount of love she had to give.

One of the things she always said "Be grateful in ALL things."  Sometimes, I didn't like to hear that but, she of course was right on.

So mom, whatever fun and exciting project you have going on up there in heaven stop for just a minute and know I learned this valuable lesson in gratitude from you and I LOVE you for it.

Mom, know that we think about and fondly speak of you day by day.  You are an important part of what our family is and we are so thrilled that we get to be a part of your forever. Just last week I said something and all three kids at the table started laughing and Stephan said, "Well hello grandma Johnson, when did you get here!"

 I know you were there with me that terrifying night on the highway and that you were whispering for me to hold still, and I am grateful because just like you, I have lots of work still to do.

  

Summer Fun

Happy 4th of July!

Saturday night we were at the Mesa Arts Center in downtown where we attended the closing performance of Actor's Youth Theater's production of Les Miserables School Edition.  Mollie had the experience of her young life spending her summer with this amazing dedicated group of people learning and growing.

Brandon (Javert), Nicholas, Mollie, Brett (Marius), and Dale (Gavroche)

Mollie, Hannah (Mme Thenardier)

These kids were all really and truly amazing.  What an experience to have been a part of this show at such a young age.

We are so PROUD of you Mollie!

The show finished just in time for the downtown Mesa 2nd annual 4th of July celebration fireworks show.  The fireworks were launched right off of the Theater and parking structure where we were so we (the entire theater full) of people were able to walk out and stand right under them for the show.  I don't know if our camera phone photos will be able to give any perspective to how close we were to these fireworks.  Let me just say WOW!!  The mortar casings were landing all around us and on us, it was amazing. 

Tonight we will get together with all of our kids and go out to the desert (if I get my way) to launch our own fireworks.  Jared and the boys did the launching in our backyard on New Year's and I was a downer because no matter how much fun we were having I was frightened about doing it in the neighborhood.  I am most excited to enjoy the sparklers with Isaac.  Sparklers have always been my favorite.

Jared's Birthday

For his birthday I took him away.

Away from the pressures of everyday life.

We didn't go very far

or do anything spectacular.

Mostly we hung out in pjs,

ate snacks, watched tennis,

and drank Perrier water {lemon and lime flavored}.

I love you Jared

I am so very blessed to have had 24 birthdays

of yours to celebrate with you.

Here's to an eternity of birthdays!

Like a baby

Some thoughts...

anyone who knows me at all

knows that pretty much my favorite

person is Isaac.

Little people are just special and when you happen

to be the grandparent well 

that is where it's at.

So, the other day when he was over and took a late afternoon

swim with Aunt Mollie he came in shivering, 

teeth chattering, and wanting to be wrapped up in a blanket.

I had him all wrapped up and we were sitting together

cuddling {my favorite},

when he says "hold me like a baby."

Well how sweet is that, 

for as long as I can remember he has said,

"don't hold me like a baby."

I guess that is the secret,

get him shivering cold and then...

he will let me hold him

~like a baby~

Late afternoon swim

Mollie took Isaac for a refreshing cool down in our small pool this evening and I got some super cute photos.  I really like when nothing needs to be done and we can do just what we want to do.  That is the life for me.

Spring picnic fun.

This is Happiness.

The great out doors here in April

and

BLUE cotton candy.  {made by Aunt Tricia}

We miss you like crazy xoxo.

Christmas Day in Pictures

I am in LOVE with the Retro Camera App.

I didn't have to do anything to these pictures and here they are just as fun as can be, like I took them 40 years ago.

Merry Christmas late.

I sure hope yours was as wonderful and full of LOVE 

as ours was.

We are truly blessed.

A Small Sunday Visitor

Tonight our favorite grandson came over in his precious winter pj's for a sweet visit.

We finished clearing off the DVR of children's Christmas shows.  I think it is a very good thing that Johny has a bed big enough for two!

Happy Sunday.

Welcome to the first Full WEEK of 2011.

I can't wait..

teenagers go back to school tomorrow, YA HOO!

Going Home With Honor

Jared and his Five older Brothers as they lay their Father's mortal body to rest.  August 2010

I have so many things to say.

Only one seems important at this time.

I love you Dad Johnson,

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father let me be your daughter 

for almost 24 years of my mortal life.

That is over half of the time I have been alive.

I know that I will always be your Daughter.

This is a very tender thing for me.

Have fun there in Heaven.

I am soooo glad you finally got what you asked for

To Go Home.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Wimmer

Duane serving in the Army 1963-1964, stationed in Germany.

For my children, for my sweet niece, and anyone who reads this after you,

It is his birthday this week and I wanted to remember him here and record a few of my memories of him for myself and for you. Eleven years ago grandpa Wimmer returned home to that God who gave him life.  Eleven years is over half of your lives as his grandchildren.

Your grandpa, my dad, had the most charming smile.  I remember that more than anything else about him.  He could make me feel special with just a smile.

My daddy and me picking mom's beautiful flowers.  1967

Grandpa Wimmer was a very hard worker.  He left for work early before 7am.  We lived so close to where he worked at Arizona Public Service that he could leave close to when he had to be there and was home around 3:30 in the afternoon every day.  So, as kids we would get up when we heard him, wait for him to open the bathroom door for us and watch him shave every day.  (At least that is how it seemed.)

Dad shaves while Tricia and Kim watch.

After his job at APS grandpa would come home and begin a full days worth of chores at home.  There were pigs and cows to feed and when I was really young there was still the Wimmer Hatchery to help my Grandma and Grandpa with.  That means a whole lot of chickens.  Grandpa had gardens as far as the eye can see for a small child.  He and grandma worked very hard in those gardens and we had delicious food from them.  Grandpa had an alfalfa field which he harvested hay to feed our cows from.  There was also an apple orchard with what seemed like endless tasty red apples.  I think there was even a pear tree or two.

Grandpa and Uncle Darren on the tractor.

I remember that my dad could fix or make anything.  He was always repairing and building.  I remember that he took classes to improve his fixing skills, now remember that I was a little girl in the 70's, these classes meant circuits, technology, sodering  guns, and all manner of cool things to watch him do.


Your grandpa loved to go camping.  We had a Ford truck with a camper on it from the time they brought Aunt Tricia home from the valley.  I remember my parents went to Mesa to get me a sister and they also brought home a new truck with a camper on it.  He loved to cook camp food and enjoyed being outdoors very much.  He went to the Fathers and Sons outings with you boys when you were very little.

I know that it has been difficult for my children to understand why we weren't close to him for most of their growing up.  I know that it has been difficult for the the cousins to understand why everything had to be the way it was, and why we couldn't all be close.  I am not good at pretending or acting so our family did not participate in most of the extended family functions after Mollie was born. 

I want you all to know that I know this the way I know the Sun will rise and the Savior will come again,
 Things work out, They ALWAYS work out.
Someday you will understand.
Someday the Savior of us all will touch the 
Broken Places
in us all.
He is the great repairer of the
Breach.
His love is infinite and we are all 
Children of a Heavenly Father 
who Loves us and wants nothing more than for our family to be eternal.


Happy Birthday Dad.

Isaac and the Couch

This week when Isaac was over for the day there was energy pulsing in the hot AZ air.

I was working on a project and Isaac was playing sweetly somewhere near.  Has it really been that long since I had a three year old "sweetly playing near"? 

I Found THIS...

 Yep, you would be right that is my leather couch and it has silver sharpie all over it, at least on that one cushion and arm.
I didn't scream, yell, or anything like it.  I remembered to breath, I remembered that I have never taught him that we don't draw on the couch.   We wiped it clean together, (as clean as you can get silver sharpie off a leather couch).  Did you know Goof-Off can get sharpie out of leather?  (mostly).  

Yes, we had a big long talk about how we don't ever color on the couch and we never ever use sharpies without permission.

Our Fourth of July

On Saturday we went downtown to Main Street for our festivities.

We played games, enjoyed each other, ate treats, and of course

watched fireworks!

Here are Isaac and Naomi. They are pretty much the only ones who have the patience for all of my picture taking. I commit to ignoring more Mom picture taking protests!

I commit to taking more shots without intruding, so that I can get some pictures without purposely goofy looks.

I commit to ignoring all the testosterone loaded protests,

I could just kick myself 16 times for not taking several of these.

Blurry is not good.

Old cars are the bomb!

Isaac and Christian don't mind posing for me.

My soldiers, (Naomi took this picture.)

Bonus shot:

I

I really liked this rental power sign. These generators were everywhere.

Yeah for MESA!

That was a Party.

♥