Goodbye Sweet Addie

Last night was a hard one....filled with tears, and prayers, and disbelief. We learned that the 12 year old daughter of friends was killed in a car accident and her 8 year old sister was in critical condition in the hospital. They were caravaning with extended family, while on vacation in Utah, and the girls were in another car. The cousin who was driving was also killed, and three others are in the hospital as well.

I can't begin to fathom what they are going through. Coming upon an accident and discovering that it is your family...your children...broken and hurt. How do you grieve for one child and still hold it together enough to care for the others? I can't get my brain around it.

I know that they will see their daughter again, I KNOW it! I know that she is in paradise, in the loving arms of family. But a part of me still wants to scream that no parent should have to bury a child. Somehow it seems easier to find peace in that eternal perspective when the person who has gone has lived a fuller life....had the chance to grow up.

And what do I say to this friend when she comes home and I see her again? Somehow "I'm so sorry" doesn't seem enough, but what else do I say? My heart aches for her.

Her daughter was a sweet, beautiful girl....who whenever she saw me would break out in a big smile and wrap me in a huge bear hug....though I was never certain what I had ever done to deserve that reaction from her. She had a good heart, always happy and kind. It's hard to believe that her mission in this life was done.....that there wasn't a need for her light to remain here longer. I trust that the Lord has His reasons for taking her home. It's just hard not knowing what they are...but I guess that's where the trust comes in isn't it?

Though her beautiful spirit will be missed, and her loss difficult for those who love her to bear, I know that the Lord will help them through the heartache. And friends will share what burdens they can. Somehow all who miss her will be strengthened and grow from this experience....though at the moment it is hard to see how.

So to sweet little Addie....know that you are loved by many, and will be sorely missed. Reach out to your parents and siblings, and let them know that your spirit is still close. And I hope that when I see you once again you will still be just as happy to see me, and that you will smile that big beautiful smile at me and wrap me in a great big hug.

Sorry Ladies, He's Mine!

This is my darling husband. Pretty dang cute, huh?!! I have had the extreme fortune of being his wife for 19 years, 1 month, and 9 days. I love him to death!!

He makes me laugh everyday...and would have me believe that I am the hottest, sexiest, best looking woman around. I love him for that. (Though sometimes I worry that his eyes are going because the woman I see in the mirror is not as hot as he claims!)

He is a terrific husband...far more thoughful than I...and a fantastic dad. He works very hard to take care of all of us. OH!..and he is the BEST at picking out presents! I really hit the jackpot when I found him. As my dad said today.."He's a keeper!!"

Though we have always thought a lot alike it started getting freaky when we hit the 15 year mark. We started to find our selves thinking and/or saying things at the same time. If we only had a dollar for everytime one of us said, "I was just thinking the same thing" or "I was just about to say that." (But somebody PLEASE shoot us if we ever become one of those old couples who dress exactly alike! ha.ha)

I enjoy being with him....he's my best friend. And I'm pretty sure that eternity with him is gonna be a blast!

Cholla Girls Rock!!!

I spent last night with a group of those good women I mentioned in my last post. We all met in 1995 when my husband and I, along with our first two children, then ages 3 and 3 months, moved to Phoenix and into the then Cholla Ward. We were quickly pulled in by a sister in the ward who began to introduce us to a band of friends that would, over the coming years, become our extended family. To say I love these women would be an understatement -- they're AMAZING!!! (And in all honesty their husbands are pretty rockin' too)

The cool thing about last night is that the planning of it started because my BFF and I wanted to get together with the daughters of these friends. See, we watched these girls grow up. I was one of their Young Women leaders. Our families went on ward campouts together, had family nights together, and got together to hang out, just because. And as these girls have gotten older and become adults they've moved beyond being the daughters of friends, to being friends.

So last night we had two generations of women gathered together to hang out for some strictly girl time. We talked, we ate, and we laughed ALOT!! Some of us even sang and danced!! (Ofcourse it's hard NOT to when you're watching Mama Mia!! Who can sit still when ABBA is playing?!) It was FABULOUS!!! I wish we could do it more often!! .....And I wish one of us had thought to get a picture!

So,..... Sarah, Melissa, Brittiny, Dani, Peri, Alecia, Katelyn, Amanda, Denene, Elaine, Kathy, Pam & Rhonda......thanks for a GREAT night!!!! Joleen & Katelyn...so sorry you weren't able to be with us. I'll love ya all forever!

Here's to Good Women

As a thank you gift for being a leader at girl's camp I received a plaque a with the following quote:

Here's to Good Women:

May We Know Them,

May We Be Them,

May We Raise Them.

I love it! We all need good women in our lives, at every stage of life. Good women teach us, listen to us, laugh with us, cry with us, and keep us sane.

Those older than us help us by sharing their experience and teaching us that we're not going through anything that hasn't been experienced before by many others.

Those in the same stage of life we are let us know we're not in it alone.

And those younger than us keep us energized and excited about life, and make us feel like the wise ones. (Okay I admit, sometimes they just make us feel old.)

The point is, I could not survive without other women. Nor would I want to try.

All of my women, and young women, friends fill a different need. There are those that I call when I need a shoulder to cry on and those that I call when I need to laugh so hard that I pee my pants. Those that I know will help me carry any load and laugh my way through it. Some of these women have filled each need at some point in my life. Some are far more than friends...they are sisters.

I have an incredible, ever expanding, circle of women around me. They are my lifeline to sanity, or insanity when that's what I need. They let me be who I am and encourage me toward who I want to be.

I hope that in Heaven we can all live on the same big cul de sac, where we can continue to love and share our lives together......and get together to laugh over pie or pazookies!

My Other Mom

The topic of todays post comes thanks to my sister, who yet again is dealing with "mother-in-law issues." She and her mother-in-law have a horrendous relationship....to put it nicely.

I on the otherhand have been tremendously blessed in the mother-in-law department. There is a reason that my husband is the wonderful man that he is -- he has a wonderful mother. She is kind and generous, and I love being around her. We share the first name, we just spell it differently, and still occasionly recieve each others mail as a result. I called her mom right from the start..... long before Brian and I started talking marriage....I probably should have taken that as a sign.

It is no exaggeration to say that I consider her one of my best friends. We think a like in a lot of ways and enjoy spending time together. Some of our favorite activities are shopping (especially the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas), going to the Harvest Festival, talking politics (or anything else) , and eating dessert for breakfast -- we are especially good at that one!!

My friends and sisters are admittedly jealous -- and I certainly can't blame them. I have definitely been blessed!

Why me?

I woke up at 4:20 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. Something Pam talked about at the memorial service yesterday kept running through my brain. She said that she went to visit her mom at the hospital one day, after struggling with the question of why this was happening to her mother. She sat on Myrna's bed and asked if she ever asked herself the question "Why me?" "Why did I get leukemia?"

Myrna's answer was a profound one....a life lesson for us all! She told Pam that whenever she asked "WHY?" it was "Why am I so blessed?"

Why am I blessed with such a loving husband?

Why am I blessed with such a wonderful family?

Why am I blessed with such loyal friends?

Why am I blessed to have a knowledge of the gospel?

Why am I blessed with a nice house....good food for my family....the beauties of this earth....air in my lungs?!

The list is endless!

So here's what I've decided -- I am going to make the effort everyday to ask myself why I am so blessed with certain things in my life...and to share those questions here, at least on occasion, and/or to write them in my journal.

Here is my first question, one I have been thinking about for a week:

Why am I blessed with such an amazing daughter?

Perhaps this thought has been running through my head because I just had the opportunity to be with her at girl's camp, to see how she interacted with others, and to hear her bare her testimony. I watched her in awe...wondering what I ever did to deserve her. She is such a gift! She is such a light!....and always has been. I swear that girl was born smiling. The kind of smile that lights up her whole face...and the room.

She has a personality that draws people to her like a magnet....friendly and kind to everyone. One of the girls in her third grade class walked up to me one day and said, "Katelyn is the kindest person I know." She looks out for the outsider, the person hanging out on the fringes, and pulls them in, because she knows how bad it feels to be left out and doesn't want anyone else to feel that.

She has a strong sense of who she is and what she believes in....and she lives it! She doesn't let the opinions of others affect her standards. At a time when so many teenagers follow every fad, and give in to the slightest pressure from their peers, that is amazing! She sets an example others can follow...an example of kindness, compassion, modesty, and finding the joy in life.

And one of the greatest blessings is that she likes me! She enjoys doing things with her mom and isn't embarrassed by me. I know that not all moms of teenage girls are so blessed. I always had a good relationship with my mom growing up, and prayed that I would have the same with my daughter. Happily that is a blessing I have received.

I may never know just what I did to deserve her...but I will be ever grateful that I have been so blessed as to have her in my life!!!

Eternal Perspective

I originally posted this on Facebook this afternoon, but thought I would share it here as well.

My family just came home a little while ago from the memorial service for a phenomenal woman -- Myrna Pratt. She was an example of unwavering faith and Christlike love to everyone around her. She was the type of woman I want to be. I had the priviledge of living in the Cholla/Moon Valley ward with her and her dear husband Wayne for many years, of teaching her youngest daughter in Young Women's, and getting to be friends with her daughter Pam. All you have to do is look at the wonderful people that her children are to get a glimpse at the type of person she is. Her children paid a beautiful tribute to her today in the songs and words that they shared about their beloved mother. She is such a bright spirit that I believe even those who saw her infrequently or only knew her as an acquaintance will feel the loss of her light.

But isn't it wonderful to know that she is not really gone?! What a blessing it is to know the restored gospel of Jesus Christ...to know that she and all our loved ones, though no longer visible to us, live on in another sphere. To know that she was greeted by the loving, open arms of family that had gone before her...and that she in turn will be waiting to meet her own beautiful family again....That none of us will walk into the next portion of our journey alone, but will be guided and greeted by family and friends.

I had the great blessing of spending time with my Grandma Ann in the weeks leading up to her death, and being with her when she passed....and I KNOW that her family, especially her children that had preceded her, started gathering to comfort and ease that transition for her. As the veil grew thinner she would see them...and speak with them. What a comfort it was to me to know that they were there for her.

I am so grateful for my testimony of the gospel...for an eternal perspective, that helps to ease the loss of family and friends, because I know the loss of their company is only temporary. Our loving Heavenly Father, with our beloved older brother Jesus Christ, has prepared a way for us all to be together again, to spend eternity as families, in the company of those we love most.

Speeding into the 21st century?

I've thought about starting a blog for awhile now, but have been intimidated by the idea of trying to come up with entries that anyone other than me would find interesting. Not sure why today I finally decided to give it a go, but here I am. I'm sure my husband will be SHOCKED!! This may just be the thing that blows him over. Last month I got a new phone, the first that I picked out for myself, with a full keyboard so that I could finally start texting like everyone else. My husband sent me my first text ....welcoming me to the 21st centry! Then, two weeks ago, I opened a Facebook account...the first in our household to do so...he found it so humorous he had to take a picture of me on the computer. Now a blog...from the one person in the house who is the most technologically challenged...he may just fall over.