Blue Magoos, Ant Farm Harvest and days gone by

Life is funny; just when you get all warm & comfy, you get hit on the head with reality! I savor the days gone by; I realize that the best part of my life is over with Rick's death; not to say that life is over; it certainly isn't; but the comfortable day to day living and planning for events; even those made up! The Ant Farm Harvest began the day that I met Elder Shea. We'd been to the Stake Farm picking up rocks and Elder Shea flexed his muscles and picked up a huge rock, held it over his head and had red fire ants streaming down his arms biting him repeatedly. He I'm sure was miserable! A few days later I received a bouquet of red roses with a note that stated how much he'd enjoyed the "Ant Farm Harvest". Our own holiday; anticipated like a birthday; celebrated with gusto; souveniers are all I have left; and the date March 27 stays in my mental calendar.

Blue Magoos began as a way to honor our children's achievements and funny things that had happened in their lives that we wanted to remember. Each of them were given a Blue Magoo (I don't know which of them coined the name) filled with candy and we had an awards ceremony on Oscar Night. It went on for years. Rick was so creative and funny, my contribution was the memories or a word here and there. It was so much fun; I don't think the kids thought it was anything special but they put up with us because they love us; the sad part is that I've failed miserably trying to keep this alive. Not that they haven't done many, many miraculous and wonderfully funny things but I can't remember anymore. I would have given Tom a Blue Magoo for getting a gold medal in a sailboat racee that nearly killed him; I would have honored Aaron for the caring father and son that he is; I would have given Kellye a medal for bravery for taking law school and a move to Florida with hardly any complaining. I would have given Doug & Becky the award for the most events to personally happen to anyone in a year; moving to a new home with a mother-in-law, endowments, sealing, callings etc. Ricky would have had the tear-jerker award for the most difficult break-up of the year because we all loved Patsi. Bethany would get the step-mother of the year award for being the puppy mom. Jordan would get the Matlock award for being a lawyer in the South; Tiffany would get the Vegan award for healthiness. All of these are good I just couldn't put them in a funny format. Brain Dead.

Oh the sweet memories; they flow and then the tears start so it's better to only go there once in awhile. I love my family; I unabashedly love them. I want them to have everything; I don't want them to suffer pain or anguish; and I think they want the same for me. We need to start some new traditions; we need to endure and have a darn good time doing it. Faith in Christ is living like you know what's going to happen tomorrow and your down with it.

I'm so grateful for the blessings I've received in this life; I'm grateful for the opportunities and experiences I've been given up to now. I hope to have many more; I know they will join a host of other wonderful, happy, painful, thought provoking, hilarious other experiences. When you think about it; I've had a great life! I'm positive of a few things; that I have a Heavenly Father who's listens to my prayers and then for whatever reason continues to preserve me for something only he knows; I have a Savior who knowing all there was to know about me; gave His life that I might get through mine; that gave me the promis of a resurrection and eternal life that I can have an eternal life. That the smartest most wonderful decision I've ever made was to be a wife and then a mother it's been the most rewarding and heartbreaking experience I've ever had. And because of the first two I'm ready for the next part of my life with little fear.