My Christmas Letter 2014

My Christmas Letter

Christmas Day, 2014

Dear Family & Beloved Friends,

This month flew by as it usually does. I was not able to purchase as many store bought gifts as I would have liked. I settled on some customized family photo cards for only a few of my nearest family members (nearest should not be interpreted to mean dearest because you are all dear to me). But here am I, still wanting to give more.

I have been thinking about the gift of life everlasting and the opportunity for eternal increase that the Lord Jesus Christ gave me. This is the greatest gift of all. I think the greatest gift I can give all of you is my personal witness that Jesus is real, that He is the Messiah foretold of in the Old Testament, and the Savior rejected of men in the New Testament, and that He is the same God who appeared to the Nephites in the Americas shortly after He departed Jerusalem following His resurrection as recorded in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

It is personal and very difficult for me to explain how I know this is true. It is a knowledge that blossomed over time through simple and consistent applications of the gospel in my life; even trial and error, repeated repentance, and never giving up. There have been a few awakening experiences that solidified my simple faith, most of which happened during my 12 years as a single mother, and some that occurred when I was a child after a traumatic boating accident that I was in. After all I've endured through, after the many prayers answered that helped me to endure, after the many priesthood blessings I received strength from, and after finally making it to the Lord’s temple to be sealed forever to a righteous man who I couldn’t love more, now I can’t deny what I know. It’s more than a feeling or belief.

I look back on the many trials and struggles throughout my life. I see how the Lord Jesus enabled me and cleansed me every time I've needed it. He continues to enable me daily and cleanse me weekly as I continue to renew my baptismal covenants by partaking of the sacrament every Sunday.  I know that any level of success or happiness in my life is owed to the Lord for keeping His promises.  My beautiful and righteous daughter is a blessing of the Lord. My loving husband and our eternal marriage is a blessing of the Lord. It took me a while to get some things right, but when I finally did the Lord immediately blessed me and the blessings grew, compounded, multiplied, and they keep multiplying even amid sorrow and struggle.

It can feel very difficult to keep the Lord’s commandments, to live the way He lived, and to follow His modern day prophet’s counsel. This world is harsh. People are harsh often times too. The Lord is never harsh. He always loves us. I think sometimes we perceive the Lord as being harsh, but if we dig deep we learn that we are the ones being harsh on ourselves. If we humble ourselves then we will see how the Lord loves us. He knows our names. He wants the very best for us. He’s given every one of us His most perfect life as a gift that keeps on giving, so shouldn’t we give Him ours in return?

I want to devote my life to the Lord. I try to. I haven’t always been very good at being my best self. I think I've always tried to quickly repent when I find myself on the wrong path.  I hope to continue to quickly repent when I make a wrong choice—and let’s face it—I will. Hopefully I won’t make as ginormous of mistakes as I made when I was really young. I think I learned my lesson a while ago: “Keep the commandments. In this there is safety. In this there is peace.” (LDS Hymns, 303, Text and Music: Barbara A. McConchie b. 1940).

For Christmas I want to give Jesus Christ the gift of my obedience. And to all of you I want to give my testimony that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the light.  I also want to add my witness that the Book of Mormon is truly another testament of Jesus Christ. I've read it countless times, and I promise that if you read it you will also come to know the Lord in the most awesome way. I know that Joseph Smith was literally a prophet of God. I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ’s church restored to the earth. I know that after the hundreds of years of apostasy and the loss of the priesthood resulting from the deaths of the Apostles of Christ during the meridian of time that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ later appeared to Joseph Smith one Spring day in 1820. Those same apostles of old eventually returned to confer upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdry the Lord Jesus Christ’s true priesthood, and by so doing brought the power of God that had been taken away back to the earth again. 

That priesthood power has healed me and strengthened me more times than I can count. I have experienced my own personal miracles because of it. I know it’s real power. I KNOW it’s real. If my life was threatened I still could not deny that I know Jesus is the Christ and that His church, my church, is true. I would rather die than deny it.

I know the Lord will hold me accountable for these words. They are mine. He knows what I know. He’ll judge me based on what I know. I'm glad He will. Jesus is the righteous judge. He is my King. He is my Savior. He is my God.

In Jesus Christ’s name I leave you this testimony that we might all one day sit down in God’s greatest kingdom together forever. Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

JNP

#LDS #LDSFAITH #MORMON #CHRISTMAS #SHARETHEGIFT

Single Mom Gets Ex Convicted for Felony Non-support

Recently my Nana was on my case about sharing a family history anecdote, one that I, being a longtime single mother, found quite amusing, and one that I'd been saying I'd write a blogpost on for over a year now. I guess it took a lecture by my Nana to get my butt in gear and get my fingers back to stroking keys.

While researching our ancestors my Nana uncovered many interesting facts about my great great grandfather, Richardo B. Norzagaray. The datum I find most amusing--he was a convicted felon--convicted for being a dead beat dad. (LOL! Those were the days.)

Richardo was born December 26, 1894 in Ures, Sonora, Mexico, and died on June 3, 1950. His remains are at the Holy Hope Cemetery in Tucson, AZ. Around the year 1911 in Altar, Sonora, Mexico, he married Nana's grandmother (my great great grandmother who I've previously posted about) Angelina Jaquez who was born March 14, 1896. They were very young when they got married, Angelina approximately 15 years old, and Richardo about 17 years old. (And I thought I was young when I entered into my first major mistake of a marriage...but 15...yikes!)

Richardo and Angelina had seven children together, six sons and one daughter. Their sons names are Richardo, David, Armando, Anibal, Adan, and Bernardo. The latter two boys died as infants from malnutrition. Because they were so poor Angelina and Richardo could not afford to have a funeral for the babies who died, so Richardo buried both baby boys in unmarked graves under a palo verde tree somewhere in Tucson. My Nana told me that her grandmother Angelina was very sad that she was never able to visit their graves because Richardo never shared with her the location of where he had buried their boys. It wasn't until many years later that Angelina learned from Richardo that the boys had been buried under a tree, but by then finding the unmarked tree was impossible as the city had filled in the previously open desert terrain that was once Tucson. 

Why Richardo withheld such information from Angelina, I can't imagine. It seems strange to me though, even a little bit mean. But then again, maybe he didn't realize it mattered so much to her.

Angelina and Richardo also had a daughter together, Sara, who is my great grandmother. Unfortunately her life was cut short by a tragic car accident that happened when my Nana was a young teenager, during a time when her family lived in Los Angeles. Not too long after her mother died my Nana ended up residing with her grandmother Angelina for a brief time back in Tucson.

Before Arizona was a state Richardo and Angelina moved their family to Tucson. Then, around 1927, Richardo up and left my great great grandmother Angelina. My Nana described her grandfather Richardo as "a womanizer", which may provide insight as to one possible explanation for his decision to abandon his wife. However, I'm of the opinion there is no excuse for leaving your wife alone to raise your five children, especially if it's to chase after your own whims, if that's why he left. Regardless of his reasons for leaving, he left Angelina in a predicament.

"What a jerk!" I thought, feeling a bit of resentment toward my great great grandfather. Especially considering all the wonderful stories I've heard about my great great grandmother.

The stories Nana told me of how hard her grandmother Angelina worked during her plight as a single parent, and also the faith she maintained through it all, were inspiring. I felt an immediate connection to my very beloved ancestor. Great great grandmother had it way more difficult than I could ever imagine. Nana explained how Angelina worked long hours to support her children and also her grandchildren. Nana said her grandmother often took care of her and her siblings when they were small children while they were still living in Tucson before they moved to Los Angeles, since both her parents also worked a lot. 

I think of how Angelina didn't know the English language when she first came to Tucson, and it amazes me that she found any work at all during the Great Depression Era that began shortly after her husband left her. Yet, according to my Nana, it was by the grace of God that Angelina found work, and I believe God did indeed bless her for her faith in Him.

Angelina was the quintessence of a good single-mother as far as I can tell. A woman full of wisdom who nurtured her children and grand children through both her words and deeds. 

Nana laughed, and I did too, when she told me the way her grandmother used to say that no matter how poor they were it was no excuse to be dirty. (I couldn't agree more, and I wonder if my neat-freakishness is something I inherited.) 

Angelina was very innovative too. Nana said that when her mother Sara was little she wore underwear that Angelina had fashioned out of flour sacks for her. (Waste not, want not.)

Angelina mostly worked as a maid. She washed clothes and cleaned for a prominent family from out of state--the Mayo family. They were relatives of the same Mayo family who opened the first Mayo Clinic expansion outside of Minnesota. The renowned clinic opened in Phoenix, AZ in 1984. The Mayo family was very wealthy, and apparently quite generous too, because Nana tells me they used to order clothes from Chicago and New York and give them to Angelina for my Nana and her sister to wear.

Angelina also worked as a maid during the 1930's for Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt who had a home in Catalina Foothill just outside of Tucson. So, despite the fact that her husband abandoned her in the middle of a depression era, Angelina stuck to her motto: You can do it. 

Angelina wasted no time pursuing charges against her sneaky husband, Richardo, who must have failed to consider the consequences of scorning a strong woman before deciding to disappear. 

I chuckled like crazy when I saw the Florence, AZ prison record Nana unearthed--mug shots included. The prison record documents Richardo's time served from 1928-29 for "failure to provide for minor children". Talk about swift revenge. This was only about a year after he left Angelina. 

"Serves him right," I thought. 

(By the way, when did our society cease to put deadbeat dads in prison for this type of robbery and crime against the family? This in turn is a crime against society...at least the way I see it.)

I'm sure you can understand why I admire my great great grandmother so much, and why I feel so inclined to be upset with my great great grandfather.

I'm happy that Angelina was able to obtain even a small portion of justice. I'm not sure how she managed to get Richardo imprisoned, but Angelina was clearly a force to be reckoned with. At a time when men ruled the world (I think they still do) Angelina didn't put up with Richardo's nonsense or anyone else's. Nor did she become a victim to her circumstances. She's a great example of a devout single mother who was also committed to the Lord, which is what my daughter tells me I have been to her, and I hope that's true.  

I hear that history tends to repeat itself. In my family it has. One broken home has led to another. I've learned from my mistakes, but sometimes I think that if I had made time to research my family history when I was younger I might have learned from my ancestors and gained an advantage, perhaps avoiding a few of my bad choices altogether. But, then again, I'm fairly certain the Lord knows how to make the most of my imperfections.

Hopefully, my great great grandfather Richardo learned his lesson after serving a prison sentence. I think he did, because Nana said that by the time she finally met Richardo years later he seemed to be a good man who had changed. 

The whole thing kind of makes me think that maybe "failure to support minor children" should still be a felony for which there is prison time. To hell with pointless lawsuits. If it was an option for me today I'd be itching to press charges! 



-- JNP

Photos of Richardo Borboa Norzagaray and images of his Florence Prison record noting "failure to provide for minor children".