I grew up in a town called Paradise, California. My father owned and operated a local town Pharmacy as long as I can remember, it was before the days when you could just drive up and pick up your medication at your local Walgreens. My siblings and I had the opportunity to work side by side with him. When we were young, we would take out the trash, vacuum and dust and as we got older we would put away the inventory, and take calls from Doctors office to okay refills.
My favorite job when I turned 16 was spending my afternoons delivering medication to homes, group homes, and convalescent hospitals. My eyes were opened to many people who were hurting, whether recovering from an illness or operation or from hurtful choices in the past. At times, I felt fear and nervousness as I approached the homes and buildings. I soon became familiar with their names, stories, and situations. I began to feel admiration towards many of my father's customers from all walk of life and I enjoyed serving them.
On Christmas Eve, my dad would bring his guitar and we would sing to them. Many were alone when we came and would ask my dad weeks in advance if we would be sure to stop by there home. When we arrived, they wouldn’t want us to leave. My dad would sing with love and kindness for those he cared for. It wasn’t hard to feel the Christmas spirit, and I, too, would look forward to those visits.
During this time my father taught me the importance of hard work, patience, and compassion for others.
My dad is really good at memorizing things. Not only did he read us poems from Shel silverstein he also has a love for the scriptures and I remember him carrying scripture chase scriptures on a metal key ring attached to his keys. One of my favorite scriptures that he repeated many times was Mosiah 2:17: "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." When called him the other day, I reminded him of this key chain and that particular scripture. He said it must have been your mom, because that is her favorite scripture. They both are amazing examples of that scriptures and of service.
My father and mother have taught me to have a love for the scriptures.
The word "fellow" in the dictionary means to refer to someone as a fellow being. You are emphasizing that you and they are human beings and have things in common with yourself. My dad had a way of making others feel comfortable in his presence and they trusted his opinion as a Bishop and as a friend. Many a times has my father been there to listen to my troubles and concerns and gives his best advice regarding my family. From fevers to allergies, flu bugs and afflictions. He always takes the time to listen and reassure me. I trust his opinion and insight.
My almost two year old was watching Horton Hears a Who the other day. I love it where Horton stands firm and continues to believe in that little voice he hears in his head, staying faithful 100%. I know that my Dad believes 100 percent that serving a mission is where he needs to be right now. I am sure he misses his home in Midway, UT, and seeing his family and grandkids. He is a man of faith.
Jumping out of an airplane requires a leap of faith. In yourself. In your equipment. In whatever gives you strength. My dad jumped out of airplanes in basic training. It might be easy to believe that if you jump out of an airplane with a parachute, you will float safely to the ground. You can read many books on parachuting. You can attend parachuting classes. You can watch parachuting videos and even join a parachuting club and never miss a meeting. But unless you wear the parachute properly and follow the instructions exactly, you will have problems.
My father has taught me to have Faith in Jesus Christ and gospel Principles.
When I trained for my first triathlon I spent a lot of time on the bike and running. I did go to the local pool with a friend and tried to take the advice she gave me, I even hired someone for a lesson to give me some pointers. She told me just stick your head in the water and get comfortable with it in your face for a while. But, when the triathlon came, and the waves and arms and wind came at me. I realized how unprepared I was. It was just like life without the scriptures, faith and hope it is hard to swim above the things that life throws at you. My friend who noticed I was struggling stayed right by me as I was guzzling water and panicking. She comforted me and told me to flip on my back and catch my breath. I made it out of that swim and not only do I plan to use a wetsuit next time I plan to put my faith into action.
Elder Dieter Uchtdorf said : There are times when we have to step into the darkness in faith, confident that God will place solid ground beneath our feet once we do.
When we were young, my parents took us to some Caves in Oregon. Caves are underground and no sunlight can reach very far into them so they are dark inside. My parents had us bring our own flashlights so we could see. The caves were wet. Water seeps through the cave roof and falls on the floor and walls. I remember my dad having us hold on to the metal walking rod and had us turn off our flash lights he spoke to us about holding to the rod, the iron rod.
"25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God."
I grew up in a town called Paradise, California. My father owned and operated a local town Pharmacy as long as I can remember, before the days when you could just drive up and pick up your medication at your local Walgreens. My siblings and I had the opportunity to work side by side with him. When we were young, we would take out the trash, vacuum and dust and as we got older we would put away the inventory, and take calls from Doctors office to okay refills.
My favorite job when I turned 16 was spending my afternoons delivering medication to homes, group homes, and convalescent hospitals. My eyes were opened to many people who were hurting, whether recovering from an illness or operation or from hurtful choices in the past. At times, I felt fear and nervousness as I approached the homes and buildings. I soon became familiar with their names, stories, and situations. I began to feel admiration towards many of my father's customers from all walk of life and I enjoyed serving them.
On Christmas Eve, my dad would bring his guitar and we would sing to them. Many were alone when we came and would ask my dad weeks in advance if we would be sure to stop by there home. When we arrived, they wouldn’t want us to leave. My dad would sing with love and kindness for those he cared for. It wasn’t hard to feel the Christmas spirit, and I, too, would look forward to those visits.
During this time my father taught me the importance of hard work, patience, and compassion for others.
My dad is really good at memorizing things. Not only did he read us poems from Shel silverstein he also has a love for the scriptures and I remember him carrying scripture chase scriptures on a metal key ring attached to his keys. One of my favorite scriptures that he repeated many times was Mosiah 2:17: "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." When called him the other day, I reminded him of this key chain and that particular scripture. He said it must have been your mom, because that is her favorite scripture. They both are amazing examples of that scriptures and of service.
My father and mother have taught me to have a love for the scriptures.
The word "fellow" in the dictionary means to refer to someone as a fellow being. You are emphasizing that you and they are human beings and have things in common with yourself. My dad had a way of making others feel comfortable in his presence and they trusted his opinion as a Bishop and as a friend. Many a times has my father been there to listen to my troubles and concerns and gives his best advice regarding my family. From fevers to allergies, flu bugs and afflictions. He always takes the time to listen and reassure me. I trust his opinion and insight.
My almost two year old was watching Horton Hears a Who the other day. I love it where Horton stands firm and continues to believe in that little voice he hears in his head, staying faithful 100%. I know that my Dad believes 100 percent that serving a mission is where he needs to be right now. I am sure he misses his home in Midway, UT, and seeing his family and grandkids. He is a man of faith.
Jumping out of an airplane requires a leap of faith. In yourself. In your equipment. In whatever gives you strength. My dad jumped out of airplanes in basic training. It might be easy to believe that if you jump out of an airplane with a parachute, you will float safely to the ground. You can read many books on parachuting. You can attend parachuting classes. You can watch parachuting videos and even join a parachuting club and never miss a meeting. But unless you wear the parachute properly and follow the instructions exactly, you will have problems.
My father has taught me to have Faith in Jesus Christ and gospel Principles.
When I trained for my first triathlon I spent a lot of time on the bike and running. I did go to the local pool with a friend and tried to take the advice she gave me, I even hired someone for a lesson to give me some pointers. She told me just stick your head in the water and get comfortable with it in your face for a while. But, when the triathlon came, and the waves and arms and wind came at me. I realized how unprepared I was. It was just like life without the scriptures, faith and hope it is hard to swim above the things that life throws at you. My friend who noticed I was struggling stayed right by me as I was guzzling water and panicking. She comforted me and told me to flip on my back and catch my breath. I made it out of that swim and not only do I plan to use a wetsuit next time I plan to put my faith into action.
Elder Dieter Uchtdorf said : There are times when we have to step into the darkness in faith, confident that God will place solid ground beneath our feet once we do.
When we were young, my parents took us to some Caves in Oregon. Caves are underground and no sunlight can reach very far into them so they are dark inside. My parents had us bring our own flashlights so we could see. The caves were wet. Water seeps through the cave roof and falls on the floor and walls. I remember my dad having us hold on to the metal walking rod and had us turn off our flash lights he spoke to us about holding to the rod, the iron rod.
"25 And it came to pass that I beheld that the rod of iron, which my father had seen, was the word of God, which led to the fountain of living waters, or to the tree of life; which waters are a representation of the love of God; and I also beheld that the tree of life was a representation of the love of God."
In that story in the Book of Mormon, Lehi had partaken of the fruit and desired that his whole family could taste it. My dad is just like that. He has seen both sides of being part of the gospel and not being part of the gospel. After tasting of the gospel, he wants his family and others he meets on his mission to also be a part of that joy the gospel can bring into your life.
I am also thankful for my husband, who also wants that for his children. One of my favorite memories with Brent was being able to run and train and couple marathons with Brent by my side.
Brent wrote down his thoughts after his marathon. He said, "It has definitely been a life changing experience for me. During the most difficult moments, I remember thinking that I've been through a of lot more difficult things than some leg pain in my life. I guess it's just like anything in life. Sometimes, you really don't feel like trudging forward but if you just keep going, you can get through anything you want to."
I was touched by Elder Uchtdorf's talk in the Priesthood session of conference when he was talking about hard work. He said, "It wasn't easy, but the work kept us from dwelling too much on the difficulties of our circumstances. Although our situation didn't change overnight, it did change. That's the thing about work. If we simply keep at it, steady and constant, things certainly will improve."
I am thankful for a husband who works hard for our family, who gets up with a two year old so his wife can sleep, who makes the best dinners ever, who loves to make his children laugh with a joke , a silly dance or a movie. Who still opens the door for his wife where ever we go, and who is my best friend. He is steady, constant, and never gives up, most of all loves his children and wants them to know that they are loved by a Heavenly Father who knows the difficult things they face and loves them no matter what.
I am grateful for a father who still calls me today on a regular base to not only to give me gardening advice but also to tell me he loves me and how pleased he is with me and my family.
I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who we can go to with our deepest thoughts and feelings who loves knows, loves and wants to be with us again someday.
Thankful for an earthly father, husband and Heavenly Father who know that to be true.
In that story in the Book of Mormon, Lehi had partaken of the fruit and desired that his whole family could taste it. My dad is just like that. He has seen both sides of being part of the gospel and not being part of the gospel. After tasting of the gospel, he wants his family and others he meets on his mission to also be a part of that joy the gospel can bring into your life.
I am also thankful for my husband, who also wants that for his children. One of my favorite memories with Brent was being able to run and train and couple marathons with Brent by my side.
Brent wrote down his thoughts after his marathon. He said, "It has definitely been a life changing experience for me. During the most difficult moments, I remember thinking that I've been through a of lot more difficult things than some leg pain in my life. I guess it's just like anything in life. Sometimes, you really don't feel like trudging forward but if you just keep going, you can get through anything you want to."
I was touched by Elder Uchtdorf's talk in the Priesthood session of conference when he was talking about hard work. He said, "It wasn't easy, but the work kept us from dwelling too much on the difficulties of our circumstances. Although our situation didn't change overnight, it did change. That's the thing about work. If we simply keep at it, steady and constant, things certainly will improve."
I am thankful for a husband who works hard for our family, who gets up with a two year old so his wife can sleep, who makes the best dinners ever, who loves to make his children laugh with a joke , a silly dance or a movie. Who still opens the door for his wife where ever we go, and who is my best friend.
I have learned from he to perservere and try new things, keep at it and never give up.
He is steady, constant, and never gives up, most of all loves his children and wants them to know that they are loved by a Heavenly Father who knows the difficult things they face and loves them no matter what.
I am grateful for a father who still calls me today on a regular base to not only to give me gardening advice but also to tell me he loves me and how pleased he is with me and my family.
Elder Holland said, “Believe in god and in yourself . You are doing better than you think.
I am grateful for a Heavenly Father who we can go to with our deepest thoughts and feelings who loves knows, loves and wants to be with us again someday.
