The secret to being a good mom

I learned a great life lesson from Marlene before her passing. She was an wonderful person and an incredible Mother. She raised four kids on her own for the most part. Her kids are incredible parents themselves, they serve whenever and where ever possible, they are good citizens in the community and so much more. All things she taught them. She sacrificed so much to give them the very best- like Reebok Pumps for Jared when he was 10. She never had much money to work with but always made sure they had what they needed. So many times she would sacrifice money from her budget to buy their yearbooks, a cool shirt, school lunches (when they could have qualified for help) or whatever else she saw they wanted within reason.

Life gets pretty crazy for every mom. At the end of the day, around dinner time seems to be the hardest. The kids are hungry and restless while you try to get dinner on the table and take care of whatever chaos might be happening. For most of us our husband comes home and is just as ready to eat as the kids are and you might be at your wits end. What do you do? Me? Try and stay calm, try to tell my self that I really do love my kids- even when I want to pull my hair out. But not Marlene. For her the sunset was her saving grace. I've written about it before.

So back to my lesson.

One night, my sisters and law and I were sitting with Marlene asking her questions about life when my sister in law Tara asked her what her secret for being such a good mom is. She sort of chuckled and said "oh, there's no secret. I just looked forward to the sunset each day. I knew that if the sun was setting, then Heavenly Father was keeping his promises and everything was as it should be." It was a sign that he was still there. Instantly the thought came to me "the secret is in the sunset."

And it is. The world is going to go on no matter what kind of day it is, but it is a sign that you are being watched out for. I have taken it to heart and tried to apply it in every possible way over the last few weeks. And the truth is, it does apply.

So for Christmas I gave each of my sisters in law this picture.

It's not as fancy as I wish it was, but I wanted to make it small enough that they could put it in their kitchen window or some where that it would gently remind them that not only is Heavenly Father watching out for us, but so is our dear Mom.

The secret to being a good mom

I learned a great life lesson from Marlene before her passing. She was an wonderful person and an incredible Mother. She raised four kids on her own for the most part. Her kids are incredible parents themselves, they serve whenever and where ever possible, they are good citizens in the community and so much more. All things she taught them. She sacrificed so much to give them the very best- like Reebok Pumps for Jared when he was 10. She never had much money to work with but always made sure they had what they needed. So many times she would sacrifice money from her budget to buy their yearbooks, a cool shirt, school lunches (when they could have qualified for help) or whatever else she saw they wanted within reason.

Life gets pretty crazy for every mom. At the end of the day, around dinner time seems to be the hardest. The kids are hungry and restless while you try to get dinner on the table and take care of whatever chaos might be happening. For most of us our husband comes home and is just as ready to eat as the kids are and you might be at your wits end. What do you do? Me? Try and stay calm, try to tell my self that I really do love my kids- even when I want to pull my hair out. But not Marlene. For her the sunset was her saving grace. I've written about it before.

So back to my lesson.

One night, my sisters and law and I were sitting with Marlene asking her questions about life when my sister in law Tara asked her what her secret for being such a good mom is. She sort of chuckled and said "oh, there's no secret. I just looked forward to the sunset each day. I knew that if the sun was setting, then Heavenly Father was keeping his promises and everything was as it should be." It was a sign that he was still there. Instantly the thought came to me "the secret is in the sunset."

And it is. The world is going to go on no matter what kind of day it is, but it is a sign that you are being watched out for. I have taken it to heart and tried to apply it in every possible way over the last few weeks. And the truth is, it does apply.

So for Christmas I gave each of my sisters in law this picture.

It's not as fancy as I wish it was, but I wanted to make it small enough that they could put it in their kitchen window or some where that it would gently remind them that not only is Heavenly Father watching out for us, but so is our dear Mom.

Home Sweet Home

We're finally home! I have mixed emotions about it but as soon as I crawl into my OWN bed tonight (which I hope to do very shortly) I'm pretty sure it will clear up any confusion.

The funeral and graveside were perfect. I just don't know a better word to describe it. Marlene planned out what she wanted and the boys and Yvette (their sister) did a remarkable job making it happen. The music was beautiful, the talks were touching and the people were incredible.

I have tons of things to post about in the coming weeks so be looking forward to it!

Home Sweet Home

We're finally home! I have mixed emotions about it but as soon as I crawl into my OWN bed tonight (which I hope to do very shortly) I'm pretty sure it will clear up any confusion.

The funeral and graveside were perfect. I just don't know a better word to describe it. Marlene planned out what she wanted and the boys and Yvette (their sister) did a remarkable job making it happen. The music was beautiful, the talks were touching and the people were incredible.

I have tons of things to post about in the coming weeks so be looking forward to it!

Funeral Info

For those of you who have asked about the services, here is the info:

Saturday, January 3rd
Visitation: 8:30-9:45
Services: 10:00 at the Queen Creek Stake Center (The building next to Queen Creek High School)

Burial: 3:30 pm the same day at the Taylor Cemetary

Funeral Info

For those of you who have asked about the services, here is the info:

Saturday, January 3rd
Visitation: 8:30-9:45
Services: 10:00 at the Queen Creek Stake Center (The building next to Queen Creek High School)

Burial: 3:30 pm the same day at the Taylor Cemetary

The latest...

Marlene passed away this morning, peacefully in her sleep. We are so thankful that she is now free from all of the pain and suffering she has gone through over the last four years. Isn't the Plan of Salvation great? I can't imagine not having the knowledge that I do. We know where she is and who she is with and that we will be with again someday. How wonderful!

Thank you all so much for you love and support over the last few weeks. The phone calls, the food, the prayers, everything!

When I get home and get situated again I will close my blog and share thoughts and pictures from our time here. So don't forget...if you want an invitation and haven't left a comment, there's still time!