The Mergenthaler Family

 I have had a good attitude about the weather this winter. The gloom hasn't weighed on me. The cold hasn't cut me. Not yet. But I'm starting to feel my mood shift. It's been icy and windy, and I've had enough. To brighten my afternoon, I'm reviewing some snapshots of our family adventures over the past few months. I might feel grumpy right now, and maybe for a few days now, but I haven't been grumpy ALL winter. We've had some fun. To prove it, I have to go all the way back to December because I can't believe I didn't share some of these delights. I'll write about some of these pictures so future generations will know the context, but some of them speak for themselves. Snowflake-making competition in seminary. One of the kids accidentally made a creepy face. Went to visit Mom at her new house in Arizona. We spent some time at the Mesa Temple Visitors Center. Fun to see Grandma Della. I like how Gavin and Brooklyn get along most of the time. Yo...

 Letters from the Nest https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/that-drawer We have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to face masks. You know, the kind people wore every time they interacted with anybody outside their bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic nearly FIVE years ago. A whole drawer. For face masks. From years ago. Why? Why, indeed. The why doesn’t refer to the act of wearing face masks. That topic was debated, disputed, accepted, rejected, suffered, rebelled against, and on and on. I don’t want to talk about that. Just writing about it makes my blood pressure rise. So much conflict and uncertainty. It’s sickening! (not viral, haha). The “why” I’m thinking about is why, when no member of our family has actually worn a face mask in at least three years, do we still have an entire kitchen drawer dedicated to them? Okay, actually, you’re right. The drawer also holds packs of gum. Bad breath and face masks. They go together, right? A couple of weeks ago, I went to that drawer...

Thoughts on Bonhoeffer and Cabrini Letters from the Nest January 17, 2025 https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/hiding-in-my-hoodie I’m your mom. I do what moms do--find the missing items, clean the dirty clothes, organize household tasks, make assignments, give medicine, and provide comfort and guidance. I make jokes. I forget things. I say the same things repeatedly: “Go to bed.” “Brush your teeth.” “Don’t forget . . . . “ “Did you already . . . .” In our everyday lives together, you might not think much about what goes on inside my head. What are my wonders and worries? They mean little to you because, as children, teens, and developing adults, you have your own wonders and worries that you are so busy expressing and working through. How could you possibly have the capacity to see or even comprehend that I might have a lot more going on inside my head than, “Did I switch the laundry?” Sometimes, though, my wonders and worries leak out, like when I tried to explain my feelings ab...

In an effort to have more intentional time together on Sundays, Rick and I have instituted a family time in the afternoon before dinner.  How did our first Sunday go? I'm glad you asked. We had a coloring page competition. Brooklyn and Makayla chose two coloring pages for us to interpret as we would. We colored to our hearts' content and then presented our pieces to Rick and Andrew. I thought these beauties should be saved on the blog for our future family to admire and wonder about. First, the pigs: By Makayla By Brooklyn By Gavin By Ricky By Bonni Now, the bananas: By Gavin By Brooklyn By Sean By Ricky By Bonni What fun family activity shall we do next week?

 Letters From the Nest, December 20, 2024 https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/gathering-expectations A big aspect of the holiday season is gathering—visiting family, work and school parties, church events, concerts, caroling. For those who love a packed social calendar, it’s literally “the most wonderful time of year.” For the more reclusive types (me), it’s a season of careful planning. I saw a T-shirt that said, “Of course, I want to be invited. I just won’t show up.” Our large family is automatically at odds with my introverted nature. When we’re all together, I wonder how I managed the years with the constant noise and interaction of crying babies, busy toddlers, active grade schoolers, and teens. Add different social needs and maturity levels to the mix, and it’s no surprise that walk-in closets and parked cars became my secret sanctuaries. (Although, not so secret because you guys always manage to find me and my hidden white chocolate-dipped Oreos.) With more than half ...

Like this little pile of "things" I found under the washing machine a couple of months ago, we have a lot of little things going on in our life. Some of the things are annoying or unwanted--viruses, traffic, misunderstood communications. Some things we're happy about--Christmas music (even in October), the smell of wood-burning fireplaces, tidy spaces, clean clothes. Some things are delightful surprises--special gifts from thoughtful friends, unexpected book or movie endings, school delays for winter weather. Some things we didn't know we were missing until they appeared in our midst--the Merg clan being all together for Thanksgiving. (Okay, actually, we have been missing these kids all along, but the missing is magnified the day after everybody catches flights back west, and our once full house echoes with the sound of the appliances resetting spaces for the next gathering. We had a lovely fall. The weather was sunny and warm most days. We had time to prep the garden...