The Will

I was out running yesterday.  The same run I had just done 2 days early with very little problems and I was dying.  I was doing all kinds of emotional pep talking and these words just started flowing, so I sat down and wrote them down. 

I'd like to think I am in the best shape of my life at almost 39.  I couldn't run 6
miles like I do now, I couldn't do 60 'boy' pushups in 2 mins like I did last
week.  But the aches and pains are worse.  My knee, my feet, my arm, my
shoulder, uuugghhhh.  But the WILL is stronger.  The heart aches are bigger,
hips wider, stretch marks longer, but the Will is stronger!  The knowledge, the paths
crossed, the burdens carried, this is what allows me to go on and be the best I
can be,  to never give up, to keep on keeping on.   A trainer once told me
,"christy, you are stronger than you think.". Oh how that has come true in the
past 4 years.  I learned to run: did a few 5K races (I lost but I ran), I learned how to swim: did an aquathon, and a triathlon, moved half way around the world: learned a new language, and the hardest thing of all, the one thing that truly showed me the inner strength I did not know I had was losing my
dear sweet mom.  I kept hearing over again as I begged and pleaded for her to be
spared, "not my will, but thine be done". Is it MY will that is so strong, that
allows me to climb that mountain? Or is it Thine.  I tend to think I dont give
my Heavenly Father enough credit for my accomplishments and tend to blame Him
for all my faults.  Without Him, what would I be?  Who would I be?  Definitely
not who I am today.   The people who have inspired me, the trials I have
overcome, the burdens I have born, are nothing compared to what my brother and
Savior did for me.  My Heavenly Father loves me!  He loves me so much that while
I take personal credit for all my accomplishments He smiles and when I complain
about all the bad things He has allowed to happen to me He smiles.  For only HE
knows my true potential and only He knows the plan.   Not my WILL but His will
be done!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. She would have been 60, although we all know she quit aging years ago. I remembered the day I realized this. It was a few years ago. I was home visiting - (the only good thing about living far away is when you visit you get to stay for weeks instead of days.) Anyway - we had been out running around like usual, up early, then morning walk/jog, breakfast for the kids, clean the house, do laundry, run to the grocery store, drug store, bank, red canyon, back to grocery store, the post office, back to red Canyon, clean up the mess the kids made, make cookies, a quick 4 wheeler ride, you know the daily routine in the life of Crazy Mare, then she says, "come on Christy, let's go for a walk." I looked at her as I collapsed on the couch and said, "I need to sit down for a minute, I'm not as young as you." We both laughed our heads off, and then I got up and we went for the walk. Love and miss you so much mom! called the answering machine 100 times yesterday while everyone was at church just to hear your voice.

I love this pictures.  she use to always tell me, I looked so Smart in my glasses.  I think she's looks pretty hip in hers.



waterskiing - she was fearless




In her Element!  she loved teaching and did a great job keeping the kids attention and making everything so fun and interesting.



FEARLESS



this picture says it all! 




My mom ROCKS!



Mom & Dad's Christmas Card 2011

This Christmas Card had new meaning when I read it this year.  It was sitting by the phone with mom's to do list when we got to her house on Sunday night.  I read it and thought she had just wrote it, but wondered why she put outdated pictures of the grandkids on it.  Then I showed it to my dad, who asked, "who do you think wrote that?"  I answered, Mom of course.  He said, "no I actually wrote it."  We passed copies out at the funeral but I wanted to share it here, with the picture my dad took that morning that inspired the letter. 

Christmas is that time of year that makes us reflect back at those special occasions through out the past year.  “Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take but by the number of moments that take your breath away.”  Driving to Bryce each day and taking time to take in the beauty of the red rock and shadows is what makes that 26 miles enjoyable.  The rock formations on I-70 make the 300 mile drive to Grand Junction more than just a trip to see the grandkids, and even the lights of Vegas as we drive to Ft Irwin are beautiful.  That short walk to the taxidermy shop and taking time to notice the sunrise or sunset makes life more meaningful.  How many times do we see a particular vista that catches our eye and we don’t take the time to enjoy it or even take a picture?  This past year we have been trying to enjoy our surroundings more.  take time to enjoy your families, you never know how long you will have them around.  Like a sunset you keep watching waiting for the best time to take your picture and before you know it; it is gone and no picture was taken. God has given us many beautiful things to enjoy in our lives and we should take time to enjoy them.  The soccer and baseball games, the dance recitals, the swim meets, violin solos, the water skiing trips, karate demonstrations, the Primary programs, the grandparent weekend (no parents allowed), the fishing trips, the whole family sitting together in church; these are the things we remember and cherish.  You may only have one day in your life when the sun rises through the fog down the river lane . . . .  don’t sleep in and miss it.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas.