"#Smile Bigger" and some "#Sweet Torture"

Pictured here {circa 2012-2013ish}, are the future missionaries from the Springville 4th Ward. Connor is on the right. They are practically all grown men now, some married and even have children!, but to me, they are still baby boys with all the preciousness of a newborn baby! That's my momma heart talking. My other three boys {all over the age of 30} are still babies to me and always will be. Of this group pictured... Connor was the last one to go. All except one had served a foreign mission... and three of them were serving in what would be thought of as pretty dangerous part of the world. One of these dear sweet men emailed us last night with a precious memory that touched us so deeply that he may never know the impact his words had!! I am forever grateful his friends still remember him and occasionally tell us the things they remember! Since we can't have Connor physically here with us, remembrances are the next best thing! Here's the email from one ...

Our Significant Contribution My thoughts on Memorial Day             This morning I ran across this blog by Daxton Burgon a U.S. Soldier serving in Afghanistan.  It’s QUITE a long read… but I kept going, I’m glad I did.  In the telling of the story there is much detail about his trek in an IED minefield.  I’m not into war movies or blood and gore {and there isn’t any of that in this blog}, but for some reason I felt compelled to keep reading… I’m glad I did, for at the END of this long article, I found a paragraph that was profound and thought provoking… here’s the blog link: https://daxtonburgon.blogspot.com/2015/12/afghanistan.html?fbclid=IwAR2g6RlrGyYFkDgx54v-cQypVliE2Ta6SkBMeJn_kCcRwAK008EpsdLbMI4                         If you’d rather not read the whole article… I get it, my Jan 2017 “roll...

"Our Greatest Blessings Come From Our Greatest Trials" This quote was found in Connor's scriptures by our 3rd son Brandon... on the day of our youngest son Connor's Funeral.  We were all pretty shocked and comforted by his deep thoughts written in his scriptures and it brought us great comfort to think that "someday" this great trial would one day be a blessing. After his funeral and even recently I have Googled this statement and have found VERY LITTLE results... and only ONE nearly EXACT quote...  So now I wonder what he was thinking or what prompted him to write this in his scriptures. And a few weeks ago when I was listening to this podcast on Hi Five Live by  Steffani Keetch Dastrup  AGAIN this quote came up... and brought all kinds of tears.  So I went to her YouTube channel... you can click on the Blessings link to bring up her sister and her singing the song by Laura Story. ~~~~~~~~~~ BLESSINGS ,  by Laura Story We pray for bless...

If a picture could speak a thousand words... this is what this one would say:  Grandma got up at 4:30am with Grandpa as he prepared to go golfing with son #1 {Brian} & #2 {Shane} and left the house... Grandma quickly got busy cleaning and doing somethings that can only be done when the MAN {Greg} is out of the house! {You know you take a day off work to get ahead of the mess}...  To the basement to wash t he quilt, back down to the basement to wash the sheets and that's when I notice W A T E R in  Connor 's room A G A I N {it happened a few years ago, only that time it was EVERYWHERE... ankle deep on both sides of the basement!!!}... walk in and realize that it's throughout 1/2 the basement and then there is the REAL Tsunami {of tears} again... seeking out the source I find that this time it's the water heater that let loose!!  I didn't want to ruin the sacred time the "boys" were having up at Wolf Creek Golf Course on their once ...

Many years ago when I served a mission in California, media was just beginning to be a “thing”, today there are many variations…   considering how early this version is… nearly 38 years ago, it’s amazing how touching it still is. I left for my mission in 1981 so I know this music was out before then… and I’m not sure how early this video is, but I remember seeing it!   What I do remember is that the feelings it brought then were that all those I loved SO MUCH while serving in California, I was going to miss terribly when I went home in early 1983.   I remember knowing that since they were from all parts of the US and the world… it would be almost impossible to hope that “we can be Together Forever Someday”!   I always knew that if I did not get a chance during this lifetime to see them again… I WOULD one day see them after this life is over! And here we go with perspective again… it’s now 35 years after my mission and just the other day someon...

      You might not be able to see them in the photo... but Connor had freckles on one side of his face.  At night when it was time for bed, he would be cuddled to sleep and then carried down the stairs by one of his brothers to bed.  But during the cuddle time, there were freckles to kiss!       I remember thinking that freckles on one side of his face were unusual... and it added to his cuteness!  The weren't super visible and as a mom cuddling her little baby, mostly visible to me, but I adored looking at all my boys and only Connor had these little freckles... so I'd kiss his little face and wonder why they were only on one side.       I don't have an answer... but it did bring back a "Smile Bigger" memory this morning.  Maybe that's where I got the saying for all the boys:  "Kisses for your face"!