Sharing Every Good Gift

A few years ago we took the family on a backpacking adventure. Little did I know that an experience at the end of the trip with my 9 yr old daughter would, years later, teach me a profound lesson about the love that my Savior has for me.  I think it was a little too much too soon for Ella, because she no longer wants to backpack with her mom, brother and I. We had planned a two night, three day backpacking trip to one of my favorite places in southern Utah. My good friend, his family, as well as my sister in law and her husband were planning to make the trip.  When I was in college I took a class called Literature of the Outdoors. At the end of the semester I was able to go along with a small group of classmates and my instructor on a two night backpacking trip to Coyote Gulch. It was a life changing experience. I have always loved nature and spending time outdoors but this trip was different. We walked for miles in the bottom of a narrow canyon with towe...

My dad and my grandpa are teaching me how to weld. I love welding because I want to be like my Dad. I like being out in the shop with my Dad and my Grandpa.  They always play good music while we work. Welding is cool because Grandpa makes awesome sculptures and Dad is able to fix a lot of stuff for us. My Dad and my Grandpa helped me weld a little firefighter helmet for the school Reflections contest. I made a little house to practice and it looks cool. I even chose a welding cake for my birthday. It's fun to weld with my Grandpa and my Dad.  Emmett - Age 9

This might be a lengthy post so if you need the short version you can jump to the quotes for the highlights.  I went back and forth on whether I should even bother to say anything about all the events but have been happening recently because part of me just doesn't want to hear any more about it ... but the other part of me thought that in a year or two from now I may want to go back and remember what was going on at the time of this post. Ironically what has scared me much more than the coronavirus has been the frantic reaction of a lot of people. There is so much to be frustrated about, irritated over, and downright angry at.  HOWEVER... it is also been encouraging to see so many good things and that is what I would like to focus on. I have seen some really creative ideas being shared on how to work with our kids at home and how to keep ourselves sane during a time of isolation.  Many have offered free online sources to help us still attempt to enjoy life....

The other day I was hanging out with my cousin and she asked if I wanted to learn how to draw a wolf. I agreed and I thought it was really cool, so I wanted to share it with you: Step 1: draw a circle for a head then add a triangular ear Step 2: erase under the ear and where the neck would be. Then add a line  Step 3: add a curvy line and a line under that then a nose Step 4: add a neck and detail the ear then add another ear behind that. Step 5: add any kind of eyes and brows then teeth are optional Step 6: now you can add any kind of personalization and shading. I hope you liked this!!!! - Ella ( age 11)

Music has always been a major part of my life. In the car, we listen to awesome 80's songs and on Sundays we listen to hymns. There are songs that we all like and songs that just make us cringe. Music runs in the family. My mom was in a choir when she was younger and my younger brothers are doing guitar and piano. My dad, however, is just an appreciator of music (mostly 80s rock 😀).  I currently play three instruments, the piano, cello, and the organ. I've been playing piano since I was eight and this built the foundation of my love for music. I've been playing the cello since sixth grade.  Just recently I've been practicing hymns on the organ. I've been able to do so much with my musical abilities. For example, I won a superior rating for cello solo and Ensemble at school and a district. I've been in a select Orchestra for district. I've played the piano and cello in church and so on. I love using my musical abilities to bless people's lives and brin...

I grew up on a small farm in Washington. I remember riding on the tractor with my dad in the spring time getting the field ready to plant. It always amazed me when he would stop the tractor, climb down, and go pick up a small Meadowlark nest and move it out-of-the-way and then go on. I'm grateful that my dad taught me to listen and to be aware of nature. He would often stop and ask us to listen and tell him everything we could hear. Even now, one of my favorite things about spring is hearing all the different birds. -Dan (aka Grandpa)

It's my son Tannen's turn to post but if it's alright I'd like to share something that he has taught me! This is one of the trucks Tannen got for his 6th birthday last week. This kid has been obsessed with vehicles since he was old enough to know what they were. If there is a vehicle around he will lose all focus on anything else. He will sit quietly and look through a Car and Driver Magazine page by page soaking in every car! Everyone that knows him knows about this obsession. Any type of vehicle from sports car to garbage truck brings him complete joy and it shows in his face, in his actions, and his words. I am so grateful for this little one who teaches me to truly find joy in the simple things!