Before our Journey's Through

I like this little story that was delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell, on "The Spoken Word" last Sunday. It is more than a pioneer story. It is the story of all of our lives, and the process of reaching our destination. We have disappointments, and set-backs along the way and we often cannot change things to give us the end result we envision for ourselves and our loved ones. But...we can be faithful and strong in the journey, we can find joy where we are on the path. We can all do the very best to come through our challenges, having become stronger and better for them, even if we never see the desired outcome. Here is the story.... Enjoy

Too often we measure success by the outcome: a goal achieved, a task accomplished, a journey completed. But perhaps a better measure of success might be what happens along the way: the strength revealed, the lessons taught, the sacrifices made. For some, however, great efforts don’t always produce desired outcomes. Even while demonstrating courage and endurance, some might not reach the journey’s end. And yet their wholehearted efforts deserve praise and recognition. Their success might not be as measurable, but for those who witness their struggle, it can be even more inspiring.
In 1855 James Loader left his homeland of England and led his family in a handcart journey of more than a thousand miles. Their goal was the Great Basin of the American West. En route James became sick, but he determined to keep pulling the handcart. Only after collapsing twice from weakness would he let his daughters bear the burden without him.
But James still found ways to help his family. He used what little strength he had to make tent pins, explaining that his family would need them when the winter storms came. “You will not be able to make [them],” he told his daughters, “your hands will be so cold.”1
James did not live long enough to weather those storms. He never set foot in the valley he longed to see. In one sense, he did not “make it.” But in every way that really matters, James was a success. He forged a lasting legacy of love, determination, and faith for his family and for all who admire the pioneering spirit.
He showed us all that success often comes all along the way, even “before our journey’s through.”

Christmas In July

Randy and Cheri had us for June and July (the Christmas gift)

I have talked about, and posted pictures of past months,

detailing what the kids have done for us this year. Randy came for two days this

week and worked on the floor installation. We really appreciate the beautiful

laminate that he donated to the cause. It was originally going to be a dance

floor, for Danielle. I told her she can come dance on it anytime she feels the urge!

Here it is....our new floor!

We LOVE it!


Is this beautiful or what?

Here Randy is doing the molding in the pantry

All finished....Thank you Randy.....
For your expert craftsmanship and for donating

your time and materials. It's beautiful!

HEROES

We do not have to look far to find heroes in the scriptures. Jesus Christ himself, and a number of prophets and others are good examples. But, right here and now, in the every day goings and comings of our lives, there are also heroes. I have had a lot of people in my life, who at one time or another have been true heroes in my eyes.
Today’s hero is a seventeen year old boy in my ward. He is battling with bone cancer in his jaw. He is a sweet, quiet boy. I enjoyed having him in my Sunday School class for about a year. He always had good insights about how to apply the teachings of the scriptures to every day life. He faithfully came every week to give the sacrament to my mother when she was too ill to go out to meetings, or during the winter when she was shut in. She loved him so much, along with the other young men who served her. He often speaks of the love that mom had for the Lord. All of the Young Men in the ward will long remember how she dressed up in her Sunday clothes no matter how hard it was for her so that she was ready for the Sacrament. Today I saw the reverence that Alex has for this sacred ordinance.
Chemotherapy is hard at best, but Alex has had a severe reaction to it, leaving him with horrible sores in his mouth and throat, that make speaking and swallowing extremely painful. This past week, he asked his doctor if he would change his Chemo schedule to Mondays instead of Friday, so he would feel well enough to go to church on Sundays. There he was this morning at the sacrament table. His every move showed his reverence and respect, but when he knelt and began to carefully speak each word of the Sacrament prayer, I was moved to tears. This beautiful boy, struggling to fulfill his responsibility as a Priest, and blessing the bread so that I could partake of it, has touched me deeply. Today, Alex Wells, is my hero.

The above photo is of Alex in the center, and those surrounding him are the ones who shaved their heads a week ago in support of him. I took the photos at that event, and the Bishop asked me to make up a little page to put in the case next to the bishops office. I am proud of the men, boys, and one girl who participated last week. Alex is loved! We are all expecting a miracle for him.

July 4th

I hope that everyone had a nice fourth of July. Early AM here, Ralph ran the 10 K race in Sandy. He finished in one hour, 8 minutes. He was the only runner in his age category. I wonder where all the other 73 year old men were??? I went up to the top of Brighton Canyon with Ryan, Becky, and Rory for a breakfast that their old singles ward does every year. Rory was so cute, but a handful. She only wanted to run around and DID NOT want mom or daddy to follow her in the huge crowd. She was scowling at them and pushing them away. I have never seen this "approaching 2 behavior" in her before. Hmmmm it was really kind of cute, but then on the other hand...... :-/

Ralph spent quite a bit of time at the Sandy Center. We had cold salads for dinner and later, we went to the fireworks at the Sandy Center. I was trying to get some of those professional- looking fireworks shots. I browsed the internet for articles on how to do that. I followed their directions, but did not get the results that I wanted, although the pics I did capture, are beautiful and different, as you will see below. I will go with my own ideas next time. There were also some things I did not try. I would like to find a place with fireworks and a body of water to catch reflections. Any ideas anyone?
Robert’s were practically giving away decorations this past week and I have included some pictures of things that I got to liven up the yard and the house. I love this little berry garland and the metal wire and letters spelling out AMERICA!
These red white and blue star lights on the fence are my favorite decoration.

Thoughts have turned to the July’s of my youth. Those were care free days of playing outside with neighbors. Every fourth, Jerry and I could pretty much depend on three things. Those magical bubbles to blow, and caps for our cap guns, and water pistols. If we did not have cap guns, we improvised with hitting the caps with rocks to pop them. I loved the smell of those, and the little bit of burned paper around each one. Jerry and I always looked forward to sparklers which were the only fireworks we had. After dark, we could see the fireworks low in the sky, coming from Murray Park. It was so exciting to go outside in the back yard and watch for them. Many times we would sleep out on the grass in our back yard with our friends. Sometimes we were in a little pup tent, other times we were right out in the open. We would walk down to "Joe’s Stand" earlier in the day for some penny candy to eat outside before going to sleep. Those were such simple, happy days. If we were hot, we had home made popsicles made in the ice cube trays, with round toothpicks for sticks. Then we all ran through the sprinklers on the grass in our underwear!!! Only the older kids had swimming suits.
When I got into my teen years, I always went with my boyfriend and his large family to Liberty park for a picnic and the fireworks. Those are happy memories also.
Nothing matches the joy of taking our small children to fireworks on the 4th. We spread out a blanket and sat together. Sometimes we had a picnic right there before they started, other years, we went to the mountains or a park earlier in the day. Lot's of times we ate a BBQ with my parent's in their backyard. Mom's hamburgers were sooo Good. She put all kinds of goddies in the meat, and she grew the tomatoes and corn on the cob that went with the meal.
Now I look forward to reading everyone’s blogs, and looking at their photos and descriptions of the fun they have in their families.

Father's Day, and the men in my life

Yesterday was Father’s Day, and I thought a lot about the men in my life.
Two important men are now gone. That would be my grandfather, Roland Fish, and my father, George Smith. From Grandpa, I learned the importance of always doing the best work you can do. He was a great carpenter. Everything had to be perfect, beautiful and exact. One Thanksgiving day when I was a child, about five years old, Grandpa came into the house with a large slab of wood to put over the table to make it bigger. He bumped into the wall and made a little nick. He was so upset about it and Grandma said to him, “Now, Roland...you will fix that little spot, and no one will ever know it was there”. I will always remember his reply, “ I WILL KNOW it is there”. I took that to heart, and gave it a lot of thought over the last 60 years or so. It’s been a great lesson to me. I know all the little nicks in my life. I try hard not to have elements in my life, that I feel a need to cover up.
My father was not a learned man, he was not ever well to do, or fancy in his appearance, or an impressive leader. Just a simple, hard working man. He was a very good Grandpa. What ever ideas my mother had for grand-parenting, be it vacations with the kids along, or the purchase of motor cycles to play on in the hills of St George, or helping with school clothes, he went along with it all. He would sit for hours at the city pool in the heat, keeping an eye on the kids while they played. He liked to play games with them and take them places. I know he was proud of them and the look on his face when they performed or came to their home, showed that he loved them all. I love an old home movie of him playing with Randy when he was 2 or 3 years old. They were having a pillow fight. I do not know how many games of checkers he played with my kids, or how many trips he made to the store to get treats for them. I miss him. I wish I had taken the time to have a better relationship with him. He never volunteered much information about his younger life, and now I wish I could have him here for a day, and I would have a lot of questions for him. I wish I had tried harder to be attentive to him and his needs. I learned some great lessons after it was too late. That of never judging anyone, freely forgiving, and never holding grudges. So, dear readers, learn from me. Just do it while people are alive. Never withhold love or forgiveness to anyone and never , ever pass judgement. The Lord takes care of all of that for us. My mother learned all of this, and lovingly taught it to me in the later years of her life and I thank her for that. It meant a lot coming from her because I knew of her hurts and sufferings in life. I miss her and her "life" lessons.

A special tribute to my father in law, Fritz Hubrich. (above photo) He has been in my life for 43 years, He is a great example of endurance, and resourcefulness. He has kept a stunningly beautiful landscape around his home continually. He has served the Lord and been faithful in every assignment he’s been given. We enjoyed the fish that he caught for many years., especially the smoked fish. He taught our sons to fish. Some special memories for them are the many Priesthood General Conferences they attended with him, and enjoyed the culinary skills of Oma afterwards in their home. He is 97 years old, and I do not want to imagine the world or our family without him.
NOW.... THE OTHER MEN IN MY LIFE TODAY. The ones pictured here, my husband Ralph, and my four sons. From the left, they are Danny, Brian, Jeff, and Randy. I appreciate all that they do for me. I certainly know why the Lord sent me four sons. They re all so talented .... and in different areas, so I believe we have everything covered. They are All so creative and resourceful, strong, and just plain hilariously funny. I love them all very much.

Here I am with my daughters in law. Another gynormous blessing in my life. Our family would not be complete without them. They are all so very talented, compassionate, creative, and loving. They are my friends! They are the greatest mother’s to my precious grandchildren, and wives to my sons. They are good cooks, and keep lovely homes. They are all amazing, beautiful, strong women. I thank the Lord for them every day.
Some of our family were missing yesterday.......both of my daughters, Heidi, and Becky, and their husbands, Ken and Ryan. Here again.....I feel I have been blessed with the best daughters and sons in law on the planet! They are all amazing people, who are wonderful parents to more grandchildren. They give me reasons to be proud, (in a good way), and give me so much love and support in everything I do.
A special thank you to my family......I love all of you SOO much!

Lessons from Grandchildren

Sometimes it is the simplest things that bring the most joy. Life gets so hectic and stressful. Lately, I have treasured up moments that refresh, and bring joy to me in simple ways.
Our little three year old grandson, Cameron, likes to call, just to say "I Love You" or to report a little thing that he enjoyed during the day. Ralph and I both are thrilled when he calls us. His older sister, Livvy, recently drew me a picture of a monkey in the rain forest. I loved her explanation about how the mother monkey holds her infant in her legs while she swings from the trees. I had never heard of that, but she had learned it in a video at school.

Last week, My mother in law called to say that they have beautiful poppies flowering in their back yard. She suggested that I try to get some photos, so Becky and I took 18 month old Rory, for pictures in the poppies. She was a little tired and not too cooperative, so I took her favorite horsie with us and she sat on him long enough for a few pictures. We managed to get a few smiles out of her when Becky balanced a big Tweety Bird stuffed animal on her head and let him fall off, accompanied with funny gestures and sounds! Silly mommy! Now, I love looking at the bright cheerful photos. I laugh at this one where Rory learned that Poppies do not smell like the roses at her house!

Monday, Jeff and Heather attended a funeral for a friend, and the children came here to play while they were gone. I had to laugh as they filled play dishes with dog food, and offered it to the dogs, who were more than happy to gobble it up.

Lance received some comfort from Oscar, when he did not get to go shopping with Grandpa and Cessna. Oscar was perfectly happy to let Lancie’s tears fall on his back as they gazed out the window together. Such a simple little thing, but it reminded me of days long gone when I was a child, and dressed up our puppies to take for walks in my doll buggy. They were my best friends and confidants. I could tell them all of my troubles and secrets, and it was all safe with them.

Lance enjoyed the horsie swing out in our big tree. Who could not be cheered watching his angelic little face, as he played outside?

Later, Rory came over for just a little while when her mom went to the store. She wants to be outside all the time recently. She found such enjoyment just sitting on top of the bark in the flower bed, picking it up, smelling each piece, then piling it up on a big rock. That reminded me of times when I was about 5 years old, smashing granite rocks with a hammer, and never tiring of seeing how they sparkled and glittered in the sunshine. Children are amused and entertained by such small and simple things. We older people need to slow down and get down on their level more often and see the world through their eyes.

Danielle and Braden were here Tuesday. I really enjoy their companionship. Braden talked a lot about basketball and football. I love how I have to look up at him now. He was showing me his new shoes size 9½ !! I get a kick out of his deep voice. Danielle was laughing and joking around with a friend from school, who happens to live in my ward. She invited him over to make cookies with her. I sent her to the store in my car, and she returned with the cookie ingredients AND Jace! Having them here yesterday, almost felt like going back in time to when my own teens were here at home and passing time with their friends.
Being a grandma is a really good thing. I’m planing a little trip to Idaho soon, and I will need Kylie to help me out with my crocheting! I will for sure increase my knowledge about rocks, birds, and flowers from Kylie, Ashley, and Lizzie. Who knows what else? I am so grateful for every one of my grandchildren and the love and enjoyment that they afford me.

Temple Celebration !

I had the marvelous opportunity to see both Temple Celebrations Friday and Saturday. First, from the youth in the 25 stakes in the Draper Temple district, and Sat night, the youth from the 26 stakes in the Oquirrh Temple district. I loved seeing my grandchildren, Danielle and Braden, dance in this last one, Saturday night, for the Oquirrh Temple. I cannot say enough about it all. It was breathtaking with all of the music, the talent, the singing and dancing, and the exuberance of 7,000 youth each night. They were "on fire" with their love for the gospel. What a fabulous display, fitting for the House Of The Lord. The spirit filled the Conference Center, testifying to us of the truthfulness of temple worship. I am thrilled for the 14,000 wonderful young people who performed in this magnificent celebration. I know they will carry the memory and the spirit of this occasion in their hearts all through their lives. We are so blessed to live now when the gospel has been restored to the earth. I can hardly wait to tour the Oquirrh Temple, and also go there to serve occasionally. Early this year I set a goal to go at least twice a month and it has been a tremendous blessing in my life. I LOVE the Lord, I love his word, and am so privelaged to have made covenants in His holy Temple.