Day 61: A New Appreciation

In the transition I wanted to honor both of our parents for the wonderful job that they did in raising our family, and the way that they have worked together to make such a difference in all of our lives.

When you see a great magic trick you are left wondering 'Wow, how did they do that?' I often feel the same way when I look back at our family and what Mom and Dad did and the influence that they continue to have.

I knew that we had a lot of children in our family. I knew that it must be a lot of work to keep everything going but Mom and Dad always made it look easy. I didn't really come to appreciate how difficult things could be until I was married and had children of my own. When I think about how exhausting taking care of just a few children can be I appreciate this even more.

Dad commented that somebody asked him how he raised eight kids because they were busy all of the time with just three. Dad's reply was that after three it is easy because you are busy all of the time with 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 as well.

I will be eternally grateful for the wonderful job that they did in raising us, for making the gospel an active part of our lives, and for the great love that each of us feels from them. Thank you Mom and Dad, I love you

Jim