Profile Picture

This is my FB profile picture.

It is a picture of my children and I.

The picture is close to my heart for several reasons. First of all... it's the only professional picture I have of myself and my children as adults.

The picture was taken in April of 2014 at beautiful Temple Square in Salt Lake City. The picture I am holding is of my third child, and third daughter. I was sad that I could only hold her picture. Her husband took her life, the year before, on February 10, 2013. 

The story of how this picture came to be began a year before my daughter, Shaniel, was taken from us. I kept having this nagging feeling that I needed to get a family photo of my children and I. I didn't know why, but it seemed to be a pressing matter on my mind. 

In my mind's eye, I envisioned where we would have the picture taken and what we would be wearing. I wanted my girls and I dressed in white tops and muted skirts in a variety of patterns and colors. My son would wear a white shirt and jeans and we would be posed in a wheat field. Just west of where we live, in West Corinne where a daughter lives, you can see wheat fields as far as the eye can see. They seem endless. In the autumn time the wheat becomes mature and is ready to harvest. The fields are on fire with gold! The golden wheat waves back and forth in gentle breezes. It is so beautiful! I couldn't think of a better way to see my children every day. This was going to be the year for pictures! But because my youngest daughter was expecting her fourth baby and he was due at the end of the year, we decided to postpone plans to have pictures taken until the next fall. We had no way of knowing that by then it would be too late. Shaniel would be gone.

Shaniel's death was devastating to our family. We were numb. She was no longer here and we had to find a way to live without her. Yet... we wanted so much to keep her alive... in our hearts and in our minds.

Several months after Shaniel's passing, my oldest daughter saw an ad from a professional photographer that wanted to give away a photo shoot to a deserving family. It was called "Images of Hope". All they asked was to send in a story.... we called it "Shaniel's Story." It wasn't long before we were contacted by the photographer with the news that our family would be his special photo shoot. Our story... "Shaniel's Story" was posted to his facebook page and our photo shoot was set up. The wonderful thing about this story is that it was a complete surprise to me. It was a gift of love to me from my oldest daughter.... and a priceless gift of service from the photographer. I will be forever grateful for this wonderful gift. 

For our photo shoot, we chose a beautiful backdrop of spring tulips on Temple Square. The LDS temple, a beacon of hope and light, provided a stunning dimension of white stone and beautiful stained glass windows. Majestic spires reach heavenward, as if to say... "look up!" There is a greater power that whispers peace, hope, faith, and love. 

It was a beautiful day. Just my children and I. We held each other close and basked in the beauty and peace that the temple grounds graciously bestowed upon us. Our day was filled with wonderful and treasured memories of family togetherness... memories of Shaniel... and gratitude for a loving God in heaven that was ever mindful of our pain and heartache. 

We ate at a favorite nearby restaurant and laughed until we cried... from telling stories that only "our family" would understand. We shared a bond that day that can never be broken. We left with another lasting and treasured memory of a day that only heaven can shower down upon you. 

Days and months have passed. The path to healing has been lit with heaven's light. Faith, hope, and love have showered us with the Lord's tender mercies and has given us courage to move forward with peace in our heart's and in our soul's. Angels have been round about us. We are never alone. We are so grateful for the blessings of heaven.

The photo has been a treasured and priceless gift. But for some reason I could not get the picture of our family, in a wheat field, out of my mind. The image in my head finally led me to a local artist who would create a painting of Shaniel in an open field of wheat in a flowing white dress. In the painting she has her arms out-stretched... as if embracing the life beyond mortality. She is happy. She is at peace. I have this painting hanging in my bedroom in a place that when I wake up in the morning, it's the first thing I see. It is so beautiful and brings calmness and tranquility to my soul. 

A year and a half later, my son... my only son, would also leave this earthly life. Another devastation to our family would seem impossible to bear. Then... the quiet re-assuring whisperings, that only the comforter can bring, reminds me, once again, to hang on! Have hope. Have faith. Look up! Look toward the light. I do! Everyday.

I can't think of a better treasure than the picture of my children and I together. It is a visual reminder of the tender memories, the laughter, the fun, the challenging, and even the sad... that kept us together as a family. Never to be broken. Not in life and not in death. Never!

Inspired by Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Back to School.... Again!

When I read this week's writing prompts, I knew exactly what one I wanted to write about.

 What grade is your child going to be in? And Share a memory of yourself at that same age.

Since I am a grandmother now, I have a large reservoir of school years and memories to pull from. That includes 5 children of my own, and a lot of grandchildren... most of who are in school now. 

The first one that came to my mind was my oldest daughter Kelsey. She is 38 years old. She is going back to school... again! She has been an R.N. for her entire adult life. She has been an excellent and devoted nurse. A few years ago, she decided she needed to step it up. She loved what she was doing, but wanted to do more and contribute more.

After 16 years of doing the job she loved, she made the decision to go back to school. She completed her B.S. in nursing and got a minor in food and nutrition. Shortly after that she applied for the DNP, Doctor of Nursing Practice and FNP, Family Nurse Practitioner at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She got accepted and will start a new chapter in her life in just two weeks. Yes, it will take three more years! Yes, it will be hard!, and Yes, it will require a lot of sacrifice from her, her husband and children. They will pull together and make it work. And she will do it! Because that is who she is!

The possibilities will be endless for her once she graduates with her DNP, FNP. Whether she works in the community, in a clinic, a hospital, or opens her own practice, she will be the best around. She has always required the best of herself, and she will deliver only the best to those she serves. Her mother will gladly be her first patient!

And... what was I doing at her age?

I, myself, had just finished up my back to school... again! I had just graduated from USU with a B.S. degree in Family & Consumer Science and a minor in Food & Nutrition Science. I found a job with the Division of Family and Child Services as a Homemaker Consultant. It was a satisfying job, but I also wanted more! My youthful ambitions of being an Extension Agent prompted me onward and upward. It wasn't long before I found myself working my dream job as an Extension Educator (now I was the woman in charge of putting on 4-H fashion shows!), and with that came the requirement of obtaining a Masters Degree. So... once again, I found myself going back to school!

 Kelsey, my oldest who my post is about, had just graduated from High School and was starting her undergraduate work in Nursing. We have tagged each other in school for most of our lives. Life-long learning is something we do... whether it's in the classroom or in the world, it's what we love! 

Kelsey and Me

Fashion Show 101

I'm no longer an Extension Agent, but I still get to be a part of the BEST kind of Fashion Shows.

Family Fashion Shows!

Every year, before the start of school, my sisters and I put on a "fashion show". We pranced around the front room in front of a very important audience, mainly mom, showing off our new dresses, long knee high stockings and patent leather shoes. My children modeled their new clothes for us every year before going back to school. It was the most anticipated day of the new school year!  And, now, my grandchildren love to fashion their new school clothes for grandma before the 1st day of school. I just love this tradition!

Our youngest Elementary Grade Schooler, who will be in first grade this year, was the last one to model her new attire. The theater room stage was the perfect setting. The spotlight was on her, and her only! Just before the fashion show began, Ali said to her mommy, "grandma likes me to pose!". Wow! did she ever! My camera was snapping every second. I just love my little Ali Bear.

Enjoy the Fashion Show as Ali Bear struts her stuff. And then some!

 

Writing prompt # 2: What grade is your child going to be in? Share a memory of yourself at that age.

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Mama Kat's Pretty Much Famous Workshop

What a Woman!

My oldest child is not only my daughter, but my best friend! (along with my other children) She is amazing! She has high expectations of herself and never disappoints. 

It's given me great satisfaction and enjoyment watching her grow through the years into the confident and beautiful woman she is today. She is a mother, a daughter, a wife, a nurse. She may be my child, but she has the characteristics and qualities that even I, her mother, look up to with love, respect, and adoration.

What have I learned from her?

1. Think big and follow your dreams!

2. When making a plan, doing a project, deciding the future – stick with it and follow through until it’s done.

3. Think before you speak.

4. Pay attention to detail.

5. Be patient and kind.

6. Think it, create it, make it!

When she was just a little girl, about 8 years old, she knew what she wanted to do in life. She made a plan and followed that dream her entire life. She’s been a nurse for 16 years and decided to further her education a couple of years ago. Her acceptance into the U of U will allow her to practice in the way she has always dreamed... or pretty close to it! She really wanted to be a bush pilot doctor in Alaska. That is until marriage and children came knocking on her door. She adjusted life accordingly. She has served diligently as a nurse in the Emergency Room and in Home Health. When she is done with school, she will be a FNP DNP (Family Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Nursing Practice). I’m so proud of her! The sky is the limit for this girl. She knows how to chase her dreams, yet be realistic about it. Nothing gets in her way!

Oldest daughter, Kelsey (on right) with younger sister, Shaniel (who we lost last year) - two nurses!

Oldest daughter can sew like no other. More often than not, she envisions a specific look, a design that can’t be found anywhere. So… she designs her own pattern and makes it look like a professional did it! She sewed her youngest sister’s wedding dress, countless blessing and baptism dresses, and beautiful Easter and Christmas dresses for her daughter, nieces and friends. Not to mention the quilts she has designed and made. She is so talented and attentive to detail. She’s a pro!

When she starts a project, she finishes it. Something her mother has a hard time with. She saw a painted dining room set she really wanted. Rather than spend the $800 for it, she found a table and chair set on the local classifieds for $50 and did it herself. It turned out amazing! Another talent that she has not wasted.

She’s been painting her house the last couple of months. She muds, sands, tapes, primes, and paints to perfection! Her work looks better than most pros! Another attention to detail.

She knows how to grow the most beautiful garden. She plants like it’s an art project. She not only grows her own food, but she preserves it. She is thrifty.

My heart swells with pride watching her mother her children. When the kids were younger, she amazed me every time I saw her bend down on her knees, to their level, so she could look them straight in the eye when they needed disciplining. She did it in such a way that the kids both listened and learned a lesson. How did she always get the results she wanted? With both love and firmness, always using a calm, soft tone of voice. The kids are teenagers now. She doesn't have to bend down to look them in the eye anymore. She can do it straight on! And still gets the same results! She has an extreme amount of patience. Nothing ruffles her feathers! I adore this quality in her. It makes my heart so happy. 

My oldest daughter is knowledgeable, dependable, persistent, creative, fun, thrifty, professional, and talented! And, can be very influential... especially on her mother!

You might think I painted a picture of near perfection. Well… she is what she is! I am a lucky mama.

picture, top - patterns she designed to make the skirt, blouse, and dress she and granddaughter are wearing in the photo just below it. Her beautiful garden. bottom - painted dining room set. So country!

My oldest child.. my beautiful daughter, my friend... Kelsey.

Writing prompt #4: List 6 things you've learned from your oldest child.

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