By the time you read this story, we will have said our final goodbyes to our beloved Mother. I decided to write this before the funeral because I knew it would be too hard to try and do it after. This week’s story will be about a few of the lessons we learned from our Mom. I will need to limit it to a few because there are way too many to put into one story.
1. The necessity and empowerment of a good education.
Our Mom was one of the smartest people we have ever known. She was valedictorian in her senior year at Grace High School and the first woman Student Body President. She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree at Utah State University. She went on to teach school for 22 years at Thatcher and Grace. Now when you are growing up, there is a benefit when your mom is a schoolteacher. It came in extremely handy when we were stuck on homework problems. The downside is when your Mom is YOUR schoolteacher. There is absolutely no excuse for not turning in your homework that will fly. Every one of her students will tell you what an intelligent teacher she was and how she had a positive influence on their lives.
2. The value of hard work.
From our earliest memories, our Mom seemed to always be busy working. If she wasn’t cooking and cleaning for all of us, she was outside working on the ranch. She could handle any job she was given and did it all with no complaints or hesitation. Even when she was going to college at Utah State, she managed to still take care of us kids and our needs. I know I speak for the rest of my siblings when I say these are the values of a hard work ethic she installed in all of us.
3. The blessing and rewards of faith and testimony.
Of all her talents and accomplishments, there is no question that her greatest gifts and strengths were her faith and testimony in our Savior and Heavenly Father. She enjoyed and fulfilled the callings she was given faithfully and flawlessly. She worked tirelessly in her service to our Heavenly Father and approached her callings with the same hard work ethic she applied to everything. Her faith was steady, unwavering, and compassionate.
It will be hard for us to think of our life without her here, but we are comforted to know she has entered her next chapter of service to our Heavenly Father. We want her to know we will miss her, but we are comforted to know she had a glorious reunion with our sister Pam and brother Curt. We are all grateful for the powerful blessing of family and friends at this time. Thank you all for thoughts and prayers and thank you for reading.
Next week: Pumpkin Carving Contest
P.S. I almost changed the title to “My Mom, the Hereford” in reference to my brother Craig’s tribute at the funeral, but you would have had to have been there.
P.P.S. I can promise you Mom loved that one!