Live.

My Dad has cancer. Mesothelioma, to be exact, the kind you get from asbestos exposure. In fact, the precious time he has left to spend with us here on Earth is short.


But I don't believe it.


Because this man knows how to live.


Did he seriously take us to the rodeo the day we got there?



You bet he did. That's my Dad.

Eager to make memories,

(and really wanting to see Dominic's face light up when he

witnessed his first "mutton busting").

I love him so much it hurts.

He is such an example to me.

I hope my boys grow up to be half the man that he is.

I haven't seen him be bitter or angry about his situation.

Instead, it's made him more eager than ever to love his children, his grandchildren, and all of his family.

He's become even more tender-hearted, more humble, and more patient.

The man has perspective. We could all use a little more of that.





"There are many trials in life which do not seem to come from unwisdom or folly; they are silver arrows shot from the bow of God, and fixed inextricably in the quivering heart.--They are to be borne.--They were not meant, like snow or water, to melt as soon as they strike; but the moment an ill can be patiently borne it is disarmed of its poison, though not of its pain."

-Henry Ward Beecher



Whenever I return from visiting this wonderful man, I am reminded of the things are vitally important in life.

It's not our jobs, (although jobs are necessary) it's not our houses or our cars (although helpful and convenient). It's not the clothes we wear (and whether they are trendy or boring), and it's definitely not our social status (thank goodness).



It's the relationships that we make with others.

Those are everlasting, enduring, important.


Everything else is just stuff.




Daddy, thank you for teaching me to appreciate the important things... like the way it feels when you wrap me up in a long hug and tell me,

"I'll always love you, Sister". I know you will. I'll always love you too.

Important things... like the way my babies feel as they breath heavily on my chest while they sleep.


Like the feeling I get when I see my husband's car pull into the driveway.


Like the peace and calm that surrounds me when I petition my Father in Heaven for comfort, and the warm feeling in my heart, the welling up, that comes from having a testimony of eternal families.

How lost I would be without that sure knowledge.



These things are important.

Important.

Important.



I love you, Dad.

Love, your Cryssie