My dad is 70

Yesterday was my dad's 70th birthday. We threw a big party for him and his twin brother on Saturday in South Jordan, Utah. His remaining living brothers and sisters came and brought lots of their children to eat a really yummy potluck dinner and cake and ice cream (lots of maple walnut!). Robyn wrote an amazing poem for him. Noel copied and put up lots of old pictures. Samuel played in every dirt pile around the clubhouse. Nathan climbed everything he wasn't supposed to climb. Marion, Jacob and Adam played with at least 100 cousins. :) Dad looked really happy.

I attended his older brother John's funeral last year. It struck me that so many family members were there, they'd put together a great slide presentation, beautiful old pictures displayed everywhere - and we couldn't enjoy it with him! I really wanted to do a great party for Dad before we had to do his funeral - when we could tell him how grateful we are for him and what a great person he is.

Don't wait for your parents' funerals to put on a great party for them!

Erin

Joy in the Journey

I've thought a lot about President Monson's last talk in Sunday pm GenConf. It seems that mothers of small children never get enough quiet time, sleep, clean floors, or shiny windows. What we get instead is lots of hugs, lots of attention, lots of conversation, and never a dull moment. Now fast forward 15 years. All we'll have is quiet time, full-nights' sleep, clean floors and shiny windows. We'll never get enough hugs, attention, conversation, and excitement. So, finding the joy in the here and now seems like the easy part. But that's not all President Monson said. He also said we shouldn't put things off for tomorrow. I want to sing in Colorado Mormon Chorale. I want to dig into family history. I want to learn to sew quilts. I want to spend more time with my preteen daughter. I want to exercise every day. I want to play the violin and piano every day. Those are the things I seem to be putting off. Like I put off learning to do a cartwheel until it's everlastingly too late. That's the hard part. Balancing family needs with things I'm putting off. I wonder if that's what he meant.

Sunday am GenConf

I loved Sister Dalton's talk on Virtue. Is it true that most people don't try the virtue of ideas before they espouse them? The word virtue comes from the Latin word for 'strength'. I like thinking of virtue as strength. Like, a person who chooses the right, ethical, good-feeling way shows strength by not consulting the majority first. We seek after virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy things. Does virtue exist outside, apart, independent in the universe? Can it be relative and still be virtue? If virtuous things tend to seek out one another, is it a quality, a quality that God possesses? He possesses all virtues.
My husband, who is virtuous, wishes every weekend could be conference weekend. Honestly. Today was so pleasant with the children. Everyone worked on a Lehi Roller Mills puzzle by Eric Dowdle, whose artwork I want in my house, while we listened to the conference talks. We've had good discussions at mealtimes and fun being together.