Family Matters Most

     I have hesitated  to share about our sweet family on this blog, because they are most precious to me. But, I have now decided that sharing the most important part of our lives may help or inspire someone else in some small way. Where do I start?  How do I tell others that my faith & my family mean everything to me?  I believe that families are forever and that forming happy families is the most important work on Earth.  I believe that investing the time and energy in our families makes happy families, good communities, and a great nation.  So, I will begin right where we are:

     In the past week, our son, Kacey has graduated from high school (Summa Cum Laude) in our little town of Chipley, FL, graduated from Early Morning Seminary (4 years of high school religion class which meets an hour before school begins each week day), and today he received his mission call from our church.  He will be serving in the Managua North, Nicaraguan mission for two years.  We are all so excited for him! He will be sharing with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He will be a great missionary! He begins his mission on  August 22nd.  We are so very thankful for all five of our beautiful children, Mandi, Mitzi, Lacey, Kacey & Kenzey.

     Also, all three of our married daughters are having baby boys this year.  Mandi & her husband, Ryan had baby boy Reed on Feb. 21st.  He is so very sweet.  He joins his  very awesome older sister and brother, Randi Jo & Rhett. Mitzi & Lacey are both due in early August. We can hardly wait for the next two little boys to join our family!  Mitzi & Adam's little boy will join his big sister, Eden who is sweetheart!  Lacey & Nate's little guy will be their first bundle of joy.  Our daughters below are from R-L, Mandi, Mitzi, Lacey & Kenzey.

Out of the Best Books

"And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith."  D & C 88:118

The best books bring out the best of the human spirit.  They teach us life lessons that we can relate to in our day.  I strongly recommend the following books.  They are just awesome!  My husband & I can't wait for the 4th book! Great books that leave you with the warmth of hope, love, grace, redemption, and faith in the human spirit.  You must read these!




"My name is Alan Christoffersen. You don’t know me. ‘Just another book in the library,’ my father would say. ‘Unopened and unread.’ You have no idea how far I’ve come or what I’ve lost. More important, you have no idea what I’ve found." —Prologue What would you do if you lost everything—your job, your home, and the love of your life—all at the same time? When it happens to Seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen, he’s tempted by his darkest thoughts. A bottle of pills in his hand and nothing left to live for, he plans to end his misery. Instead, he decides to take a walk. But not any ordinary walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Al leaves behind all that he’s known and heads for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life—and inspire yours. Richard Paul Evans’s extraordinary New York Times bestsellers have made him one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. A life-changing journey, both physical and spiritual, The Walk is the first of an unforgettable series of books about one man’s search for hope.



Miles to Go is the 2nd in this series.
Alan Christoffersen, a once-successful advertising executive, wakes one morning to find himself injured, alone, and confined to a hospital bed in Spokane, Washington. Sixteen days earlier, reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan left everything he knew behind and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. Carrying only a backpack, he planned to walk to Key West, the farthest destination on his map. But a vicious roadside stabbing has interrupted Alan's trek and robbed him of his one source of solace: the ability to walk.Homeless and facing months of difficult recovery, Alan has nowhere to turn—until a mysterious woman enters his life and invites him into her home. Generous and kind, Angel seems almost too good to be true, but all is not as it appears. Alan soon realizes that before he can return to his own journey, he must first help Angel with hers.From one of America's most beloved and bestselling storytellers comes an astonishing tale of life and death, love and second chances, and why sometimes the best way to heal your own suffering is by helping to heal someone else's.Inspiring, moving, and full of wisdom, Miles to Go picks up where the bestseller The Walk left off, continuing the unforgettable series about one man's unrelenting search for hope.



The Road to Grace is the third installment of Richard’s bestselling series, The Walk, the ongoing story of one man’s unrelenting search for hope. Reeling from the sudden loss of his wife, his home, and his business, Alan Christoffersen, a once successful advertising executive, has left everything he knew behind and set off on an extraordinary cross-country journey. Carrying only a backpack, he plans to walk to Key West, the farthest destination on his map.

Now nearly halfway through his trek, The Road to Grace takes him from South Dakota to St. Louis, Missouri. Alan covers more than 800 miles on foot, but it’s the people he meets along the way who give the journey its true meaning.

Full of wisdom and hard-won truth, this is a moving standalone story as well as the continuation of the unforgettable series about hope, healing, and the meaning of life

No Other Work

"No other work reaches so close to divinity as nurturing the sons and daughters of God."
                                                                                 Gordon B. Hinckley

     This week in my Marriage & Family Therapy class, I was once again reminded of the most important work here on Earth, that of strengthening families and nurturing children.  I know that parents who take the time to love and nurture their children will have joy in family relationships and in their children's development.  As we discussed difficulties in families, I thought how most of these difficulties could be lessened or completely abolished if parents were true to each other and put their family first.  Children who seldom experience the loving investment of their parents are less likely to contribute positively to their communities, and more likely to develop problems with relationships with others.

      A young married student who has chosen, so far, not to have children, mentioned in one of my graduate classes that she didn't want to have children.  She said that it just seemed too hard to have to worry about someone else when it was all she could handle to get herself to work and to school, etc. I thought that was so sad when I know the greatest of all joys of life is that of happy parenthood. There is nothing to compare to the instant joy felt on an ordinary day when you're child spontaneously says,"I love you, mama" or "I love you daddy."  I have learned that it is through loving and sacrificing for a child that enables adults to learn the value of patience and the importance of a child's developing his own inner strength and character.

      I am so very grateful for my family and the good choices they make everyday.  Our three older married daughters are expecting babies this year and we are thrilled, thrilled with their decision to have a family and thrilled that we will have three new little people joining our family this year.  We are truly blessed!  Mandi is due by Feb. 21st and both Mitzi and Lacey are due in August.  We can't wait to welcome these sweet spirits to our family!