Category Archives: My Life Stories!

Arnold Friberg

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Many years ago when our Most Quoted son was in elementary school I accompanied him and his class on a field trip to the Utah State Capital. The Capital building is beautiful and one of the most prominent buildings in Salt Lake City. It is a exciting place to visit.

The purpose for the 4th grade field trip was to see the painting of Arnold Friberg’s “Prayer at Valley Forge.” It was on display at the capital and many of the school children from around the city would make the trip to see it.

It is a beloved painting featuring our first United States president, George Washington kneeling next to his horse in prayer. “It was the winter of 1777-78 at the most hopeless and discouraging time in the history of the Revolutionary War. The struggling Americans had been defeated in battle after battle and were losing all hope. Neglected by congress the soldiers were starving, and freezing, and dying without pay, and without shoes and clothing. It is said that you could track where the men walked by the blood on the snow,” said Arnold Friberg about the painting.

George Washington was their general and could have had nice accommodations, but chose to stay with his men and share in the hardships they were going through. He was such a wonderful leader, whose heart was gold and his soul was courageous. His character was what all true leaders should be, full of valor, and patriotism and a love of freedom and right. Because of his deep belief in God he knew he could pray and receive help.

Arnold Friberg said himself, “Where else could he turn, but to God?”

We went into the Gold Room at the Utah State Capital where the painting was displayed. I felt reverence and awe. What a beautiful rendition of that time in our history. I truly felt his urgency and need. I can’t imagine the weight on his shoulders. Everyone, I mean everyone was counting on him. He was counting on God.

As we came out of the Gold Room, me and Flexy were with his teacher Mr. Rhees. I saw a group of people standing around a man. I said to Mr. Rhees, “I think that’s Arnold Friberg.” We went to where he was talking to this group and listened. It was Mr. Friberg. He was giving personal information about his experience painting the beautiful, Prayer at Valley Forge. I am so grateful we came to listen. He said that at the period of time when he painted Prayer at Valley Forge it was common and usual to paint hands clasped in prayer with the palms together hands flat, but he felt that didn’t portray the urgency, and great need for Devine help. So he painted George Washington’s hands with the fingers interlocked and the knuckles almost white in a pleading gesture. Wow! I love that so much.

I felt that when I looked at the painting and I feel that in prayer about our country even now. As a citizen of our great nation I am so grateful to God for blessing the whole world with such a country as the United States of America. Is it perfect? No, but it is an example that when you put God first, like the founding fathers did, and have a desire to serve that God, and fight for the right to do so, He will bless your efforts and make more of them.

This nation gives us the right to chose: Who we worship, where we live, what we do. It gives us opportunities and possibilities, and that makes this nation the greatest. The United States of America is a blessing to me, and to all the world. I am so grateful for George Washington and others who fought and sacrificed for the rights we now enjoy. I am so grateful to our Father in Heaven for blessing me to live in such a wonderful country, with so many freedoms. I pray with interlocked fingers and white knuckles that it may continue to be “Home of the Free, because of the Brave.”

Arnold Friberg gave us a gem. Prayer at Valley Forge is a masterpiece. It was so fun to visit the Utah State Capital and see this beautiful painting, and to hear Arnold Friberg share an insight I will cherish forever.

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It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, and to be grateful for his benefits, and to humbly implore his protection in favor.

-George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation.

Best Freebee!

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I think we all like to get something for nothing. A gift, or a prize that you entered a drawing to win. Even if you win a prize, was it really free? You may end up with nonstop junk mail because your name and address were sold to multiple businesses. 

Most of the time nothing is free. But I’m so grateful for the time when we received a beautiful free Christmas tree. Back when Brett and I were a young married couple with small children it was close to Christmas time and we didn’t have a tree and we didn’t have money for a tree. 

My dad had a beautiful blue spruce pine tree in his yard that he had planted in a certain location. He had changed his mind about the location and decided he didn’t really want a tree in that spot. When he became aware that we needed a tree and didn’t have money for a tree, he offered the beautiful blue spruce tree to us to be our Christmas tree. 

Now when you’re looking at a tree in the great outdoors, it doesn’t really look that big, but when we got this tree in our house, it was huge. 

It was beautiful, but it was huge. 

We ended up having to attach it to the wall at the top of the vaulted ceiling, so it wouldn’t tip over. What a sight! We thoroughly enjoyed this tree that took up most of our family room. Because it was a beautiful blue color, I ended up using peach and brass and gold decorations. It was gorgeous. 

To this day it is one of my favorite Christmas trees we’ve ever had. The story of our Dad-my Dad giving it to us and having it come from his yard, made it even more special. 

Yes, sometimes things are free. Sometimes the thing that’s free is a blessing and a beautiful gift at a wonderful time of year. I’ll never forget the most beautiful blue spruce Christmas tree!

Uncles

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Uncle Anthony and niece Luna

Merriam Webster defines an uncle as: the brother of one’s father or mother, or the husband of one’s aunt or uncle.

When I thought about writing about my uncles, I didn’t realize it would be kind of a sad thing. I first thought about who my uncles are:

I had one maternal uncle.

I had 6 paternal uncles.

My Mama only had one sister, that means one uncle. I didn’t really know him very well. They lived a distance away and when we saw the family I was busy playing and having fun with my cousins.

My Daddy had two brothers and 5 sisters. In his family there were 6 uncles. Some of them lived far away in other states, from us. I only saw them a few times in my life and the others I never even met them. All of my uncles have passed on now.

Merriam Webster also says that an uncle is: one who helps, advises, or encourages.

I will say I really never had an experience like that with my uncles.

Maybe that’s why I feel like having family close is so important. I have 5 siblings, my sweetie has 6 siblings. That means there are many aunts and uncles and they all live (at least part time) within a few hours of us. My children have grown up knowing their uncles and aunts and having a relationship with them. I love that.

Family is so important to me. Building relationships and memories together is the glue that keeps a family happy and loving each other. It takes work. We used to see the family I grew up in often. We saw my darlin’s family often, now it’s a little less often. We all have our own families, grandkids and that is where the focus is.

As I’ve gotten older the effort of planning, and arranging get togethers is harder and more exhausting. It’s still worth it though. I know my kids love their uncles and have great relationships with them. I am so happy about that!

The last definition Merriam Webster gives for uncle is: used as a cry of surrender. I laughed out loud when I saw that. I guess that is where I’ll end this post. Life is tough. It is an ongoing effort to do your best to see everyone as often as you can, even uncles. When you want things a certain way or different than it is. I always thought I’d see all the family more, but I don’t always get to choose how things go. Everyones get to choose for themselves how much time they have for family. So with that, I’ll just say “uncle!” and surrender to what is. Uncles are wonderful and I’m glad they’re part of life.

Most Memorable District Meeting

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When you’re a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there are many meetings to go to. We would meet with our district about once a month and zone about once a quarter. Our district leaders were two young men, also full time missionaries.They would check to see how we were doing, and give us counsel. They would give us a little lesson, pertaining to how to be our best as missionaries.

One meeting one of the district leaders asked us if we’d like a piece of cake. Of course we said, “Yes, please!” The cake was on the table where we could all see it. It was decorated very nice with the word Gospel written across it with icing. The elder proceeded to bring out a beautiful china plate and carefully slice the cake and put a piece of cake on the plate, with a lovely silver fork. The plate was then carefully handed to the first person. It was so nice!

The next person in line for cake waited with anticipation for the beautiful cake, plate and fork, and the delivery which was expected to be just like the first piece. To our surprise the elder took from a bag a paper plate, then while holding the paper plate with one hand, took the other hand and grabbed a hand full of cake and plopped it on the paper plate. He got a plastic fork, put it on the paper plate with the cake and shoved it at the next person, and said, “Here!”

We were stunned. I think we all just sat there for a minute with our mouths open.

I feel like the lesson is obvious. At least it was to us. And the question was asked, “How do you share the Gospel?” Are you polite? Do you prepare and is your presentation a lovely and pleasant experience for those you’re sharing it with? Are you rude, or pushy? What about your appearance? Are you clean, well groomed and smell and look nice? Do you leave people with a good and happy taste in their mouth? Is the Gospel truth you share leave them wanting more?

This was such a memorable experience. I have been thoroughly grateful for it. I did then and do now, try to present my testimony and belief of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a loving and pleasant way. What a great lesson!

Growing Up.

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As a child I wanted to be grown up. I wanted to buy a car, get married, have children, own a home and decorate. It all sounded like fun! And seeing people travel the world, and having fun adventures always looks better on film, or in pictures. We have no idea what went into the planning, the money involved and the energy it took to do their life.

The hardest part about growing up for me has been doing hard things. Responsible things like, working, or giving birth, or making dinner. There is an artist that I love named Mary Engelbreit. She made a calendar years ago with the quote, “Life is Just So Daily” on the front. I’m sure kids don’t get it, but adults do.

Since I have been an adult, I’ve realized our parents and others made it look good. They must have had struggles and challenges, but I was really unaware. I must have been busy being a kid. I heard it said once, “Don’t grow up, it’s a trap!” Hahaha! That’s funny, and true! There are mundane daily things like dishes, laundry and chores, but also some really hard challenges and experiences. You just need to keep going, keep living and plugging along.

I have spent the majority of my adult years very overwhelmed and feeling pretty bad about myself. My expectations of what it would be like and how I would manage were way off. I was very disappointed in myself. Then I learned some great lessons. I learned that life is harder as an adult than I thought it would be. I learned that it’s ok to not have it all together. I learned that for the rest of my life I will be trying to get a grip. And that’s ok. I learned that even in all the challenges of being an adult, there are some major benefits too.

Some of the best blessings and most cherished experiences you can only have with a sweetheart and in a family, as an adult. Getting married and having your best friend as your mate is like a play date. He’s so wonderful, and fun, and sometimes I with I could send him home to “his” house, but we just go to bed and things are better in the morning. To create life with my sweetheart is so wonderful. To see him holding and loving and caring for our kids, and grandkids is such a treasure. To have things and stuff that we have worked for, a home, cars, fun toys, comfortable furniture, and we can’t forget food to enjoy is the best. But most important is the relationships, the family, the time and the love we have experienced in a greater sense than ever before in life.

Growing up is hard, but it is the best!

Favorite Books

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As a small child a fun thing that would happen about once a month or so, down by the church we attended would be parked a big motorhome/bus looking vehicle. It was called the Bookmobile. To see it parked there would be such a happy thrill. I loved the Bookmobile. I had various books for different ages and by different authors. It had a special smell and all the books looked wonderful lined up waiting to be read.

I loved the picture books before I was very proficient at reading. One of my favorites is a book called The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton. It’s a story about a precious little cottage that is built on a hill out in the country. There is a brook nearby and fruit trees with swing hanging from them. Smoke is coming from the chimney in the cold months and in the warm months the mother in the home hangs clothes to dry in the yard. There is even a little pond for swimming just down the hill from the house. At first the family comes and goes in a horse drawn carriage, but soon there are cars, and tractors and machinery that makes it way to the little house. The little house is curious about the city, but is concerned as other houses rise up around, and soon the little house is surrounded by a large city. The buildings are very tall on either side of the little house and the sun is blocked, so no one wants to live in the little house. The city kept getting bigger and bigger. Trollies and cars and busy people constantly moving and the little house missed the country. Then one day the great great granddaughter of the man who built the little house came and moved the little house back out to the country. The great great granddaughter found just the right spot and the little house was so happy and never wondered about the city again.

I love that story! The cute little house and yard and country location are just what I’d always wanted to live in.

The next favorite book that I love is The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett. An orphan goes to live with her uncle. He is very sad and lonely. She is very sad too. She finds a secret garden near the uncles home and asks him if she can use a bit of land to plant things. She meets a new friend, Dickon, who is the younger brother to the chambermaid Martha. She finds out shortly after she gets to her uncles house that she has a cousin, Colin. He is very sickly and his existence is all about crying and being taken care of. Well, Mary the orphan and cousin is not putting up with him. She helps him to realize he’s not sick and encourages him to do more. He starts to do better, and Mary, Colin and Dickon spend hours in the garden. This is another example of something I always wanted to do. Work the land and make my patch of earth very beautiful with flowers, vegetables, shrubs and trees. I love to be in nature.

The next favorite story that I love is one that I read as an adult. It is a classic. It’s called: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. My Mama read to us kids from this book when I was young. I remember being kind of concerned about the lady Miss Havisham, who still wears her wedding dress and that the wedding cake and flowers are covered in cobwebs. It was always there in the back of my mind growing up and then I finally decided it was time to read it. It’s not an easy book, even though the reading level for this book is considered to be grade 9, and the genre is young adult. The book is over 100 years old and many of the words are not in use anymore. This does make it a challenging book to read. I must say even though it was tough for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the story and the characters. The main hero of the book is Pip. His full name is Philip Pirrip, but goes by Pip. He is a very poor orphan who is being raised by his oldest sister. She is unkind to him, but her husband Joe is a good man and treats Pip kindly. Pip runs into an escaped convict, Magwitch who asks Pip to bring a file so he can cut his chains off. Pip brings the file to him and also food.

This kindness touches the convict who later becomes a very important part of the story.

Pip is asked by Miss Havisham to visit and he spends time with her adopted daughter Estella. The two children play games and Pip developes an affection for Estella while she acts aloof and disinterested.

Much later Pip is given an opportunity to go to London and become a “Gentleman”. Pip doesn’t know who his benefactor is, but he suspects it is Miss Havisham. There are many twists and turns and Pip finally finds out who is supporting him. He learns some very hard lessons about what is most important. He learns that sometimes the ones we judge or look down on turn out to be the best people after all.

I’ve always considered expectations to be one of the most difficult things in life. It’s something we all do. We have some plan for our future, we have expectations, but very seldom does life turn out exactly like we think or expect. As a young woman my hope was to marry and become a Mama. That was my dream. My expectation was that I would be able to be a homemaker and care for my children without working a job outside the home. Reality, my dream came true, I am married and a Mama. I’m so thankful for that blessing. My expectation did not happen the way I hoped. It has been necessary for me to work in some way or another to help provide for our little family. Was I disappointed? Yes, but I also found creative ways to work, like doing daycare so I was home and bringing in income.

So is it better to not have expectations? If we don’t make plans or expect certain things to go a certain way, will we move forward toward our goals or what we want? Or what if there is an event that you’re planning, you need to plan. How many people do you expect? And the planning continues; I want people to come, what if they don’t? I want it to be fun, what if someone gets upset? (Like last time). I better be prepared or expect there could be problems. Another example: When I’m a grandma, it will be like this or that. Then when you become a grandma you realize you’re not in charge. How you expected it to be is not how it is. I’m still learning this at 61 years old. It seems to be better to just enjoy life. Do your best in whatever life gives you. Be careful with expectations, for Pip and me they don’t always turn out how you thought they would, but they turn out wonderful. It is best to enjoy life, and be thankful in all things. Great Expectations are a lesson in life.

Music

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I am not a huge music follower, but I love music. I forget to listen! I love it when I hear it, but I don’t need it going all the time. I enjoy pop or at least the “pop music from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and more” as the radio station used to say. When a song comes on the radio or I hear it in a store somewhere, I find myself humming or softly singing a long.

The very first song I remember liking as a kid was a song called Sugar, by The Archie’s that came out in 1969. We danced to it in the 5th grade. I loved it, and it takes me back in time. I loved the sound the dancing and the boys that we danced with.

Then there was a song called Brandy by Looking Glass that me and my friend Julie used to sing together.

Sometimes a song would be popular and be heard at the time of a significant event and that song forever reminds you of that event. When a family friend died, Midnight at the oasis by Maria Muldaur played in the car on the way to the funeral.

Pretty much any Dan Fogelberg, Billy Joel, Elton John, Jackson 5, Blondie, Cindy Lauper, Eagles, or Chicago songs remind me of high school. Although a lot of the songs I liked were one hit wonders for some bands, so I won’t mention them. Anything that would play on the pop radio station back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s was my favorite. I didn’t have the ease of listening to music that I liked -like the kids do now. Just what the radio played and occasionally what I bought, but it was a cassette tape then.

The song Jessie’s Girl by Rick Springfield used to be a favorite between me and my friend Julie. We’d sing at the top of our lungs playing our air guitars, and then play it again. So much fun!

Since the late 1980’s I was introduced to Yanni. My little brother would play his music at the house I grew up in while we were there on Sunday’s for dinner. I loved it from the start. No vocals just instrumental. Yanni is from Greece and has a very unique sound to his music, but it just touched me and I love it. I used to blast Yanni on Saturday mornings so the kids could enjoy it while we got our Saturday chores done. I have seen him in concert at least 3 times. I really don’t do concerts so that is more that anyone else. I love Yanni.

Since I’ve gotten older and have struggled more with depression I have come to love Paul Cardall. Instrumental again. Very soothing and calming. I love instrumental hymns and piano music. The older I get the less I like drums, loud noises and scream singing. In fact most of the time that I’m in the car driving, it’s either silent or I’m listening to a podcast.

Isn’t it interesting how we change as we grow older?

The Little Red Wagon

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While living in our third home my mom would make me a picnic lunch and I would ride with my lunch in my little red wagon down to the bottom of the hill. The road in front of our house was not paved. It was a dirt road and not super steep, so I would have momentum but the ride down the hill would be bumpy and the dirt and rocks would slow me down enough to keep moving, but not too fast. The location was in the country and there weren’t very many homes. I would sit in the wagon and eat my lunch, enjoying the sights and sounds of nature and thinking. Most of the time my brothers were off enjoying time doing boy things like hiking, climbing around in the trees and having adventures together. I was completely content to sit quietly enjoying my lunch in my red wagon, and after I was done, I’d pull my wagon back up the hill. I enjoyed the time having a little picnic by myself in nature by our country home.

We’re All Influencers

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I had a conversation with my daughter Kelsey the other day about “Influencers” on social media. As we talked about how they seem to be quite confident in what they share and seem to believe. Some of the influencers are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the same church we belong to. These are good people, and they sometimes have a large following, but they’re views and what they do is not always the view of the church, exactly. They sometimes don’t follow all the teachings, completely. Some are even upset about something the church or its leaders have said, and they share that on their platform. I’m a believer in agency and the freedom to choose. I know others don’t always agree with what the church teaches, but when my daughter and I talked, we both agreed the best place to learn about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is from an official representative, missionaries, leaders, and those who are called to share the true gospel teachings. If you got your feelings hurt, or an older mentor told you something and it’s not correct, you shouldn’t be sharing that information if it’s not true. That being said, you can’t change others.

The 6th question in the temple recommend interview is this:

  1. Do you follow the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ in your private and public behavior with members of your family and others?

Russell M Nelson said, “Individual worthiness requires a total conversion of mind and heart to be more like the Lord.”

Are you an example? What about an Influencer? Influencer: one who exerts influence : a person who inspires or guides the actions of others.

Aren’t we all- Influencers? Whether we influence others to do what’s right or not.  

I want to tell you about two of the most Christlike influencers I know: My parents. My Daddy was not a member of the church until he was a 20 year old in the army, stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco. He joined the church, because he was influenced by another soldier who was a member and who gave him a copy of the Book of Mormon. My Mama grew up a member of the church in Salt Lake City, and was on an adventure working and living with girlfriends in San Francisco.  They met at church and shortly after fell in love. 

After marriage they moved to Utah. All the while living the gospel, and being amazing. They raised a big family by today’s standards, 6 kids. Five boys and one girl. That’s me. 

All parents know that the job is tough. We do our best, but we’re not perfect. My three older brothers struggled living what my parents taught, but were never left out or not included. The influence and love my parents showed was beautiful, and consistent.

I want to tell you about one brother, Keith. He was an alcoholic, a smoker, and a drug addict for most of his adult (young) life. He was finally jailed for a DUI, and would call my parents often begging through tears for them to come get him, all while the parent not talking to him would help the one talking to him be strong. “You need to be there”, they’d say. He was there for 5-6 months. While waiting for the court date, Dad wrote a letter to the judge asking to please be lenient with his ruling and let Keith be released with time served and come home. He could have gone to prison. Thankfully, he was released with an ankle bracelet and allowed to come home to my wonderful parents’ influence and love. FYI there isn’t alcohol, cigarettes or drugs at the county jail. He was clean the day he was released. Maybe seeing his life for the first time since his teen years, sober. The pull of my parents’ love would prove to be greater than the pull of his previous lifestyle. He was able to stay sober and became completely active in the church. He married in the temple, and served in whatever calling he was given. Guess what? He became a righteous influencer to all who knew his previous life. He became a positive influencer because my parents were a positive influence to him. One remaining challenge from using needles with drugs, he had contracted Hep C. His liver began to fail. We were so worried and sad. He had just cleaned up his life! But we all prayed for a miracle. It happened and through a very generous donation Keith received a liver from a donor who had died in a car crash. 

My parents provided Sunday Dinner every week for most of our adult lives for all the extended family. All were invited and most of the time everyone would come. On occasion my kids would  see one of my older brothers smoking out in front of the house. They knew it wasn’t a good thing, and they’d come tell me in a very worried voice. I’d say, “yes your uncle smokes, but that’s not who he is. We love him no matter what he does.” 

My parents went through so much worry with kids whose choices were not what they wanted for them, but their love for them was always greater.  

Even if we understand the idea that we should love people, we sometimes think we’re supposed to love them back onto our path instead of respecting their own journey. I’m not trying to love people into coming with me. I’m just loving people. No expectations, no transaction. They and God will figure out their journey; my job is to love them along the way. -Steve Young

Now, back to my brother Keith. He did great for a while, loving and serving and blessing lots of people, and living as a follower of Christ. He found out that he had throat cancer in 2019, then glioblastoma (brain cancer) in 2020, and passed away in January of 2021.  

I have lost all three of my older brothers, now. They all died young. Their choices and lifestyles quite possibly could have played a part in that. But they always knew they were loved and could receive help at any time from Mom and Dad. The lesson is this. Our job is not to judge. Our job is not to choose for another. Our job is to live the gospel of Jesus Christ in our homes and in our community and in the world. We are all influencers. Living the gospel is the right thing to do, and being a righteous influencer as a result of it is wonderful. I want my legacy to be that I loved everyone, and that I was an example of a believer. When you love, it doesn’t mean you agree, it means you honor their right to choose for themselves. It means we love our non-member or inactive neighbor. It means we continue in faith even when the world is in turmoil.

2 Nephi 31:19 …after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow apath, I would ask if all is bdone? 

20 Wherefore, ye must press forward with a asteadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of bhope, and a clove of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and dendure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eeternal life.  

Jesus said, “Love everyone, treat them kindly too. When your heart is filled with love… (you’ll feel good and true.)” I’m so thankful for the most wonderful influencers in my life, my parents. For their example and influence that has blessed me with the desire to “follow the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ in my private and public behavior, with family and others.“

A Little Quirky

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We’re all human beings, and are mostly the same. Made in the image of God. We have eyes, ears, arms, legs, hair, mouths, etc. Because of DNA we all have familiar traits. Many times in life you can tell people from the same family because the look very similar.

In the family I grew up in we have funny little pinky toes. They’re short and bend toward the big toe, over the toe next to it. It is very obvious in most of us kids. My dad and all the brothers except two have what my dad calls fringe. Bald on top with hair on the sides and back. There’s an old wives tale that says the men/sons go bald if the mother’s father is bald. My Mama’s dad had a full head of hair when he died. So I don’t think that’s true.

In our family, we have two girls and two boys. We hear from many people that our girls look exactly like each other. Some people can’t tell them apart. That is a surprise to me, because I don’t think they look alike much at all. The boys are very different Riley has dark brown hair, and Alex has blonde hair, although the older he gets the darker his hair has gotten. People have said they look alike. Really?

One of the things I would say is a trait that has carried down to our kids, and grandkids is curly hair. Not everyone has it, but some do and I did and do. My maternal grandma and my Mama both had wavy/curly hair. I have always had curly hair. Riley has curly hair. His kids have curly hair. Although his sweet wife Janet has curly hair too. So they get it from both parents. Emily, our Bonus Baby has a sweet little one with really curly hair.

Joy
Grandbaby Monroe

One other physical trait that I think I have from my grandma is short and fluffy. I may not be super fond of the fluffy part, but I have learned to love me, all of me, and I do.

I think physical traits that repeat through the generations are neat! It is one of the many things that bonds us to each other even if they’re a little quirky.

We’re made in the image of God and each other.