For The Father's In My Life~ Happy Father's Day!

When I think about the word Father it has great meaning to me. First of all I know that I have a loving Heavenly Father who loves all of His children. I know that I can communicate with Him through prayer anytime and anyplace. I know that He answers our prayers and that He alone knows us and knows what is best for us.

 I love the following  quote: "Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar His face is to us." - Ezra Taft Benson. 

I miss my own Father so much! He was such a kind and gentle man. I have a deep love for him and I always felt his sweet love for me,  He is my Daddy and will be forever. He was always doing extra special things for me. I was his youngest and only daughter. I have so many wonderful memories of him. We were very close and I felt like I could always talk with him and tell him anything. He gave great advice through the years. He supported me in all of my activities. He was always there for me.

He loved to dance. One of my favorite memories is dancing with him. He would often put music on and take turns dancing with my mother and I. Just a few months before he passed a way we had our last dance inside the activity room of the nursing home he was in.  He was in there due to  Alzheimer disease. The recreation leader put the music on and then he danced with my mom and then with me. It was a wonderful time when he did know us for those brief moments. it was such an endearing experience. 

I had the best of Father in laws. I loved my husband's father so much. He was always so kind and good to me. One of my favorite memories of him was the day that my husband and I told him that we were engaged. I had waited for my husband while he served a 2 year mission for our church. When he came home we became engaged within about 2 weeks. My soon to be husband was a little nervous about telling his Dad that we were engaged. We went to his home and his father was ironing a pair of pants; I went over and showed him my engagement ring and his comment was: "It's about time". He was always very supportive of our relationship and I loved him for that. He was a marvelous man and a spiritual giant in my eyes. 

My Eternal companion is the best of Father's. This man has always been an equal partner in caring for our children. He would often help me in the middle of the night with one of our newborns or one of our other children that were up.  He walked the floors many times with ill children.
 He is amazing at counseling with our sons and daughters and they often come to him for advice. He has always been supportive of their activities. He assisted with many school and scouting projects.  I have so many fond memories of him planning and working hard to provide for extra special things for our family.  He worked very hard through the years  to provide for our family.
He has always been a great example of a priesthood leader in our home. He has given countless priesthood blessings to his children through the years. I feel so blessed to be his wife and the mother of his children. We are a forever family. 

From these wonderful Fathers, we  have 32 Grandchildren and 4 Great Grandchildren. We are grateful for each of these very good men. We  have observed that they are great Father's and are trying hard to raise their children to be good citizens and to follow our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are so proud of each of them. They all have unique qualities that make them the special men that they are. They are very fun loving Dads.  We love them  very much. Happy Fathers Day To Each of You!

Our Enduring Love~ Celebrating our 49th Wedding Anniversary!

49 years ago today we were married in the Salt Lake Temple. 

This had been my goal and dream to be married to a man that I could love forever. My dearest husband is that man. It has been a sweet journey for us. We have enjoyed our married life together. We have been through many moments of pure joy and many times of struggle and sacrifice. We have been blessed with a very large posterity. There are now 52 of us; including 32 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. All have blessed our lives with their varied personalities, amazing talents and unique qualities. 

We are fortunate to be with them for a few days as we meet for our family reunion this year. We can hardly wait to see them all and enjoy time together. 

We recently attended the temple and while sitting in the Celestial room, contemplated our large posterity and wondered how we might influence them and be an example to them. 
We thought about Adam and Eve as they were cast out of the Garden of Eden into the "lone and deary world". Through them, the families of this world would multiply and replenish the earth.  
We then wondered how they felt as their posterity multiplied into thousands. As they lived out their final years on earth; what did they want their posterity to know? 

Here are a few of the thoughts of what we would want our posterity to know and remember:
1. We have a loving Heavenly Father and Mother who love us all more than you can possibly imagine. We are their spirit children. Everyone that has been born or will be born belong to our Father In Heaven's family. You have all been born into an earthly family of brothers and sisters that love one another. 


2 We have an  Elder Brother, Jesus Christ, whom through His Atonement provides the way for each of us to return to live with our Heavenly Parents again someday. Our Redeemer paid the price for all of us in the Garden of Gethsemane and Golgotha and He only asks that we be baptized, repent, keep the commandments and covenants that we have made with Him and Endure to the end. 
Each week as you partake of the Sacrament reflect on how you can repent and or improve in your daily actions. Then keep those commitments to always remember our Savior and do as He would have you do. There is nothing you can ever do that the Atonement of Jesus will not cover if you repent and overcome whatever struggle it might be. Forgiveness will come.

3. Heavenly Father has revealed His Gospel in every dispensation since the world began. 
In each dispensation there have been prophets who have taught the gospel. There have been periods of Apostasy throughout the centuries.  During the great apostasy there was no revelation given through a prophet; people fell into spiritual darkness; this was foretold by ancient prophets and apostles. 

4. Because of the Apostasy there was a need for a restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The restoration of the Gospel came through the Prophet Joseph Smith.  Joseph saw in vision the Father and the Son and the Kingdom of God was once more upon the earth. God restored the fullness of the gospel through Joseph Smith. The Priesthood was again restored and Christ's Church was organized.  The Spirit has testified to our souls that this event in history happened. 

5. Today we have a living prophet in President Thomas S. Monson and  twelve Apostles that lead and guide His church today. Follow the Prophets and you will never be led astray. Follow their counsel and advice and you will be safe in an increasingly evil world. 

6. Keep your baptismal covenants and your temple covenants. As you do you will have the great blessing of having the Holy Ghost as your constant companion to guide you, protect you, comfort you, heal you and bless you in so many ways. 

7. Come to know your Heavenly Father through daily prayers to Him. He will always answer those prayers.  The Savior is always there for you no matter what. His arm is always stretched out still. It is up to you to reach for Him. He knows you and because He has suffered all; He is the only one that can lift and succor you in your greatest hours of travail. 

8. One of life's greatest blessings is the privilege to serve your brothers and sisters that surround you.  Service is one of the best ways to show your love to your Heavenly Father and at the same time it will bless your life beyond measure. Service is a the key to a happy life. As you serve one another you will be filled with tremendous joy. 

9. To our sons, grandsons and great grandsons we say; receive and utilize the priesthood in your homes and church assignments. The priesthood is the power to act in God's name. You can heal, bless and serve others through this great gift of the priesthood. You families will be deeply blessed as you use this priesthood to bless them and the lives of others. As a family we have already witnessed the Priesthood in action. There have been numerous examples of healings and times of comfort through Priesthood blessings. 

10. Believe in Miracles because they are all around you. As we have been serving our mission we see the hand of the Lord in this work like never before. He is preparing His children all over the world to receive the gospel into their lives. Look for the little tender mercies that you will find everyday in your life. Just look!

We love our posterity with all of our hearts. We have an enduring love for each and everyone of our children and grandchildren. We want them to partake of the fruit from the Tree of Life which represents the Love of God - Atonement of Jesus Christ and the blessings of the temple.

We want them to hold on to the Iron Rod; which is the word of God.  The Book of Mormon is the greatest book ever written. Within the pages of this book you will find the True Doctrine of Our Savior Jesus Christ. You will find this book to be the best guide throughout your life. It is the perfect parenting manual. It has the answers to life's questions. It will bless your lives as you read it personally and as a family. It is the key to our individual conversions. It is the key to enduring to the end and being prepared for the 2nd coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

As you come to know our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ you will have a desire to make the Atonement more effective in your life. The culminating ordinances are found in the temples of the Lord. We pray that you will all strive to attend and live the covenants that you have made or will make in the temple. The temple is the ultimate of God's blessings on this earth. Through the temple sealings we can be a forever family and have no empty chairs. 
We have a dream to someday be in the temple with all of our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. What a beautiful day that will be. 

Our love for one another has sustained us through various circumstances. Mostly, we have had a great deal of joy in being with one another. We are enjoying our time of serving together as companions on this mission. We enjoyed all of the precious times that we have been able to attend and to work in the temples of our God. We know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and is what has helped us cultivate and enduring love for each other and for our families.

Here is a sweet video that I wanted to share with you on enduring love in a relationship of marriage. Grab some Kleenex.