Homemade Halloween
Homemade elk jerky!
Bryan's birthday party
The kids watched as a deer ate our pumpkin
I painted the bathroom and Brad put in a new toilet! Yeah!
Ryan passed away, boy do we miss him.
Jared loved shoveling and playing in the snow with me
Hyrum was awarded his Arrow of Light
Santa stopped by our home to see if the kids had been naughty or nice
And then the traditional barefoot racing across the yard.
So back to Ryan. His death really surprised us. It broke my heart in pieces. I love Brad's older brother, but we were very different. Our opinions clashed often. Although we were never enemies or anything of the sort, our differences seemed very difficult to overlook. I spent a lot of time praying for peace after he died. It crushed me to come to the realization of what an amazing man he is now that he's passed on and what stood out to me was our differences while he was here. It's easier to see a person as they really are after their gone. I never want to make this same mistake again. I am going to strive to see that goodness within every person. I keep reminding myself everyday that opinions do not define who we are. There is so much more to a person. Opinions change, sometimes soften and do influence us, no doubt. But not define. Be careful when disagreements arise. Separate your love for a person from the opinion of a person. Ryan was good. He loved. He is wise and kind. He reached out. He watched out. I love you Ryan. Thanks for your example.
Love isn't a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle. To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.
Fred Rogers
