Moving Forward--Together

Becky and I went to Orem to visit our grandparents. My mom is in town to be with them for the next week. Grandpa's health continues to worsen but he keeps 'hanging on' through these last days.
I thought about how good life is when we go through it together. I watch my grandma as she shows her true love and devotion for my grandpa and reflect on the promises that Becky and I made the day we got married.
I want to emphasize how important it is to move forward in life, even after the stumbles that take place, and be united in all that you do.
Marriage is ordained of God and the marriages between a man and a woman are supposed to be enjoyable. Working through the struggles builds strong character and the love that can be enjoyed is endless.
I held Becky's hand yesterday and felt grateful for all that she does to make life wonderful for me and our children.
Difficult times will come to all of us and some of you might be right in the middle of one of the 'storms' of life but there is hope that eventually the sun will shine through the clouds of mortality and the refreshment of a new beginning is shortly on the horizon. That new beginning will be worth the endurance that you pursued.
Move forward with faith and with a sense of unity that will prove the worth of the one that you so desperately love. Be in it together, no matter what!

Love At Home

Our girls arrived home from Girl's camp and it was so nice to be at home as an entire family. When we sat around the table for dinner, my heart was overjoyed as I looked at each member of our family and wondered how the time has flown by and everyone has gotten so big. What a rich blessing it is to be a family. Neither Becky and I like that life is cruising by so quickly. It is neat to watch the various things unfold in the lives of each person in our family. It seems important to say that we all need to enjoy things in 'the moment'. You blink and everyone is grown and the memories are what you have to remember. The positive side is that there are always more memories to make. I am thankful to be a husband and a father. Those two titles bring me the greatest joy.

Are You There?

Our family spent some time in Orem, Utah, as my parents were in town from Sacramento, California and staying with my grandparents.  We decided to gather together at a nearby park and enjoy one another's company.
We stayed for quite awhile and as our boys and I set sail towards home, I watched as Danny began to quickly fall asleep in the back seat of our truck.  I watched him in the rear view mirror and thought about how blessed I am to be a father to four very nice children.  Several minutes passed by and I looked again in the mirror to see Danny's face.  He wasn't visible at all.  I quickly turned around to get a peak in the back seat.  He was sound asleep and sprawled across the entire back seat of our small Toyota pick-up truck.
Knowing that he was resting, my thoughts turned to my gratitude for these two nice sons.  They try so hard to do the right things.  They want to make correct choices in their lives.
We had a wonderful time being together.  We played several different games and got to run around a little bit, too.
I want to have our family around me.  They bring me a great deal of peace and comfort.  It is easy to keep good track of them, when they're young.  I don't want to look in 'life's back seat' and wonder if they are really there.  I want good choice making to be something I desire each and every day.  I hope that our children will carry that same desire.