Headed On An Experience Of A Lifetime

My nephew is leaving to go on a LDS mission, to the Canada Calgary Mission.  Tonight, Becky and I went to support him as he was set apart as a full-time missionary.  It is a joy to listen to the blessing that is pronounced on the individual (Taylor in this case).  I am so grateful that he is willing and able to go serve the people in the area of Calgary.  It brings back very fond memories to me.  How thankful I am that I was able to go and serve the people of the Netherlands. 
I hope and pray that our boys will understand the importance of serving a mission and learning all that there is to learn.  It literally changed my life and taught me some valuable lessons.

Love At Home

It is such a joy to spend time at home, surrounded by Becky and our children.  It doesn't even matter what we are doing--I just like to be home.
I spoke to a man who told me a little about his 'home life'.  Through his words I could see and feel a lot of pain.  He spoke negatively about the various things that happen there.  I just listened and silently thanked heaven for the blessings that are so abundant in my life.
I watch and try to be as good of a person as Becky is.  She brings me great joy.  
I want my life to be as good as it can be.  I also realize that a lot of what life is depends on me.
I love you, Beck!  Natalie, Laurel, Brady, and Danny--I love you very much!  You five, make it all worthwhile. 

My Meeting With A Man

Today, a man walked into the church and needed some information. He was an elderly man who needed to find the time that a particular church meeting started. I looked up the information he was looking for in the phone book and drove him there. Once I got him to the correct church building, I walked in with this man and got him settled and then left to go back to church. He was from the Flagstaff, Arizona area. He was a sweet little man. His ethnic background was Navajo Indian. I asked him if he was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or had he been a member all of his life. He told me that there was a boy in his school class who introduced him to the church. He was six years old. He then wondered what ever happened to that little boy. He told me that because of that young boy, his life had been changed forever. I silently wondered where this man was in his journey of life. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance I got to be with this man and to feel of his sweet spirit.

A Moment In Time For The Ages

We went swimming at the Taylorsville public swimming pool, a couple of nights ago.  Music played from large speakers that hung on the light poles around the swimming pool.  One song came on that means a lot to our family.  Every member of our family knows the words to the song and they did so with gusto!
I watched as the people in the swimming pool looked in the direction of our children and our nieces and nephews as they sung.

The song is called 'We Are Young".  This is kind of a bizarre video but our kids have really loved the song.  Try to imagine a group of more than ten people singing this with all of their might.  My heart took a picture and downloaded it forever.





I love my life!  It is more than I imagined it could be.  It's times like these that make life all worth while.

I Love Everything About You

I want to devote this blog post to my sweetheart, Becky.  I hope that this will benefit all who read it even though it is about her. 
I have watched my sweet wife as she has been patient with this knee injury.  For anyone that knows Becky, she is a devoted person.  She loves to help others and she really loves her family.  Because she has been ordered to stay off of her knee, literally, she has missed some things that she so badly wanted to be a part of.  She has missed some family functions.  For months, she has worked on the float for the Days of '47 Youth Parade that she was in charge of and yet was unable to be in attendance.  She has helped plan and carry out Girl's Camp and was unable to attend.  For the most part, it has been a frustrating summer for her but she has remained positive and even done so when people weren't particularly understanding about her ability be in attendance.  I have been so grateful for those people who have provided their time and talents to help 'shoulder' the load that she couldn't carry. 
In the privacy of our own home, I have watched and personally felt of her incredible love.  I am so grateful for who she is and how she carries herself in life. 
On a more personal note, may I mention a couple of things that I really love and admire about Becky?
From the time when we were dating up until the present time, I have been grateful that Becky is who she is no matter who she is around.  She is the same today as she was yesterday and she will be that same person tomorrow.  There aren't very many people that have that ability.  I have loved that so much and I feel grateful to have her in my life.  I love you!
I have a lot to learn from Becky.  She teaches me things that I would not learn from anybody else.  I am a blessed man.

We Win As A Team

Most people associate the word 'team' with a sporting event or some other group activity. I want to talk a minute about our family as it relates to a team. In my short life I have watched as some families succeed but others don't. I have watched a man and woman work extremely hard, unitedly, to make sure that their family is all that it can be--and do it successfully. On the other hand I have seen it work just the opposite.
I don't think that anyone knows all of the 'in's and out's" of this but many have succeeded in an approach that brings unity and pure joy to their family.
The word 'family' signifies plural. A selfish approach of an individual(s) is not the recipe for success as a family.
Not a day goes by that I don't look at every member of our family and think about what I can do to help a member of our family be everything that their potential dictates. We were all created as successful beings who came from the presence of a loving Heavenly Father. We are divinely created to succeed. It is much easier to work hard, in unity, and to succeed, when we place ourselves in a 'team' environment. Our families are imperative to life's enjoyment and success.
I am very thankful for my family. They mean so much to me. 'I want to spend my life with them through all eternity.'

You Are On My MInd

Some years ago, Becky and I received a handwritten letter from a person. In the letter this person expressed their appreciation for the way that we were raising our young children. The man thanked us for being kind and gentle with them and talking nicely to them. He told us that he had watched our approach to raising our children and was grateful for the way we were trying to do it. This man and his wife had already raised their children and so for a letter to come from him, I knew that he knew of the experiences we were going through. We appreciated that very much. The older I have gotten the more grateful I am that he would take a few minutes and pen his feelings that would then encourage and buoy us up in our parenting approach.
I would encourage each of us to do something similar to that. If there is someone who is on your mind and you will take a minute to express your appreciation for them, it will lift them higher than anything else.
I am so grateful for the kind words that come from others. It is those acts of kindness that help get us through the various endeavors that we will pursue.