Category: Family Time

Richard’s Birthday List

On top of Monroe Mountain, summer 2024

Richard celebrated a birthday recently. During the last year, here are some of the things I observed about him:

  • He became a grandfather. He delights in this little grandson.
  • He enjoyed his new upstairs home office, and worked from home until last September. He is now going into the office each day after nearly 5 years at home. What a change for both of us. He still uses his home office most evenings to put in more work hours.
  • He went on two trips with friends to ride 4-wheelers. He knows how to work hard and play hard with healthy balance.
  • He continued to serve as first counselor in the bishopric. I see the effects of his living a consecrated life in his countenance, his perspective, and his unselfishness. He becomes a richer version of himself each year.
  • He began to use some of his humor when he conducted sacrament meetings. When he says something funny, the ward members repeat his jokes to me throughout the week. People are tickled to be caught off guard when he shows his funny side.
  • He bought a new-to-us truck which makes him so happy.
  • He worked hard to plan 4-wheeling adventures and other activities for the Ross reunion. This year, we rode to the top of Monroe mountain, went tubing in the Sevier river, and stayed in a historic home in Joseph.
  • He planned an epic family and senior trip for Mark. We visited Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks and made so many memories.
  • He continued to exercise in the gym and took his supplements. He is fit and trim.
  • He watched over a plentiful apple and tomato harvest. We are still enjoying dried apples and salsa from his labors.
  • He edited an incredible family video for Christmas. What a history he has created of our family with these annual videos.
  • He helped Tim with lots of truck repairs.
  • He took Mark and Tim skiing many times.
  • I think he had a great year.

Weakness to strength

One of the things I did in 2013 was play in the stake musical production. Here I am with Tevye playing Tradition! from Fiddler on the Roof. 🔥

As I paged through a journal I wrote in 2013, I was amazed at the things I did that year. All of our children were still living at home, so beyond the things I recorded in the journal, there were so many meals, so much laundry, and so much driving. One line stands out to me from this journal,

“My favorite sin right now is haste.”

By “haste” I meant that I didn’t take enough time to be still.

In 2025, haste is no longer a favorite sin. I have been given the gift to be still. True, I have less laundry and cooking to do now, but there are a few more dominant forces during the last 12 years that taught me to slow down.

Saying goodbye to Tim, 2021

First, the years of decision arrived for our children with college, missions, marriage, and beyond. I realized that the most important thing I can do for my children is pray for them. And when they ask for advice, I need an arsenal of inspired wisdom. I choose stillness so I can feel assurances of peace concerning my children and to help my children.

In the hospital, 2020

Second, I had poor health for an extended time which taught me to slow down. I was forced to stop filling my life with non-essentials. I learned to sit on the couch and listen to my family. I didn’t miss being busy, so as my health returned, I remained more present and unhurried.

The women who served with me 2019-2024

Third, I had church callings that stretched me to study deeply. We had unprecedented and perplexing issues to handle, so I had to be still so I could see the path forward. I was perplexed so often that stillness became a habit.

This exercise of looking back over 12 years of personal growth shows me that my Father in Heaven works through many means to help me change. He wasn’t the cause of my difficulties, but he helped me to use these obstacles as stepping stones toward rest.

…my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

-Ether 12:27

Moving day

Daniel and McKenna are now Provo residents. We are thankful for all the pieces that came together so they could make this move. Daniel will no longer have that long commute to school at BYU.

We also had a video call with Elder Ross, so it was a bit of a reunion this afternoon.

Fun fact: I think that Tim is Daniel and McKenna’s landlord. 😄 Tim’s new adventure is that he is a property manager at my dad’s company.

Posting from the heart

Our kids didn’t have social media accounts until late in high school or after high school. This post showed up this week on Facebook from Mark, written in Danish. Missionaries in Denmark are having a lot of success on Facebook, which isn’t their generation’s social media platform of choice. So, despite being new to this part of the social media world, they post their hearts.

Delayed.

A winter storm in the South has caused a delay in my parents’ departure to Puerto Rico. Richard and I picked them up from the airport after a rough start to their journey and they are staying with us for a couple of days. This unexpected visit has been wonderful for me, a tender mercy from Heavenly Father, who knows my heart. My parents are anxious to be in their assigned mission, but they have taken some needed rest here before their big adventure continues.