Heather, does the size of the boy in this picture remind you of your boys? Well, as you might guess all big babies do not grow up to be big men.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Not my Post
As you might have guessed it was Teri, not me, who posted the last time. Teri and her sisters had a good time in Victoria, BC. and she wanted to share some of the pictures of their fun.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
This is the carriage ride around the city. Our guide had a distinct british accent when we started but by the end it was clearly lost. Funny
Here we are at Bushart Gardens. It was huge and very beautiful. We went a little crazy taking pictures of all the beautiful flowers. Makes a person want to spend all their time in the yard.
Diane and Sharon decided that we needed a sister's trip to celebrate the big 50 for someone so we went to Victoria BC for a weekend. Here we are at the Empress Hotel having high tea. Very posh! If you look closely you can see the Happy Birthday written in chocolate at the top of the tiered serving tray. We went from there to the spa and had massages and pedicures. These girls sure know how to pamper a person.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
A Tribute to Dorin and Lucy Porter on the Occasion of their 60th Wedding Anniversary
I am truly honored to be the spokesperson for the family in offering a brief tribute to Mother and Daddy on the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary. I guess maybe I was asked to speak since I have had some experience speaking. Having served on the high council for the last five and a half years I have put my fair share of people to sleep.
President Hinckley, in his book Standing for Something, related the following story.
“Several years ago, the Wall Street Journal carried an account of a lawyer in Ohio. He spoke of his boyhood, and told how his father took the family for a ride in their old car on a Sunday afternoon. While they were going down the street, a fancy red Cadillac passed them. The boy asked his father why some people had Cadillacs while their car was an old jalopy. His father responded that everyone couldn’t have the same, but that he, his son, had something of tremendous worth that many others did not have, and it was of greater value than any Cadillac. He was a descendent of his father’s and mother’s families, and there flowed in his veins the best blood of each. This wise father taught his son that although all could not achieve temporal equality, everyone could cultivate that wonderful quality of self-esteem.”
We truly have the best blood of both Mother’s and Daddy’s families in our veins. I know that you younger siblings did not get to know our grandparents as well as us older ones. The traits of our grandparents were passed on to Mother and Daddy and to us.
In The Family: A Proclamation to the World we are taught that the family is ordained of God and that happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. I think that we are a successful family. I know that we have had some bumps along the way but I still think we could be termed a successful family. Just look at the number of us who are together on this occasion.
I want to talk a little about each of these principles.
Faith-From the time I was little I was exposed to church activity. I remember walking the half mile or so to the church with Daddy. I tried to keep up with him as he walked. I remember the how I would get a pain in my side as Dauntes and I went to priesthood meeting with Daddy. Now we were not old enough to go to priesthood meeting but we would hang out with Uncle Woodrow’s kids while the men were in priesthood meeting. A lot of our life revolved around the church—of course for me it was the old building that stood across the road. The faith in Jesus Christ that we learned has gone to many places on the earth, South America, the Philippines and West Virginia just with us children. Now the next generation continues to carry this faith to many different parts of the world.
Prayer—Mother taught me to pray. After family prayer at Mother and Daddy’s bedside she would help us with a simple prayer. Many times I have turned to prayer just as Mother taught me.
Repentance and forgiveness—as I mentioned before we have had some bumps in the road. Growing up in a large family we did have some disagreements but Mother and Daddy taught us to forgive and to seek the opportunity to make things right.
Respect—Mother and Daddy lived lives that caused many people to respect them. Not the least of which was the respect that they earned from each of us, their children. Daddy taught us to respect Mother. They taught us to respect others, especially adults.
Love—Sixty years together is an expression of love and we have all been a part of that love. Daddy once told me that once a child came into the family it was loved and would not be traded away at any price. That is a good thing since that happened nine times in their lives. Love was not diluted but multiplied.
Compassion—Our family is, well, how should I say this? We are not really good at expressing our feelings, especially those of love and compassion. Maybe we are better at showing some other types of feelings. I think that one way we show compassion is through service. Mother and Daddy showed us how to serve. Many times we have had a chance to go along on those errands of service. When the church or community needed help our parents were there. One time, the church needed sand hauled for a ball diamond. Now, I’m pretty sure that Daddy didn’t give two hoots about the ball diamond but the call for service went out and he provided a dump truck and drove it all day long hauling that sand. The church provided many of those opportunities. Does church pig mean anything to anyone? This particular pig had a way of getting out of the pen and running up and down the river. The call would come, “The church pig is out!” and we would all chase it until we were able to catch it and get it back into the pen.
Work—Do I need to explain this? I want to share some things that I learned and some things that I did not know until much later.
Some things I learned:
1. Cows need to be milked twice a day no matter what, even if you don’t feel good.
2. Gardens need to be weeded. Peas are not weeds
3. Raspberries need to be picked.
4. Plowing is a boring job. Just how slow can you go on a D4 Cat?
5. You can drive too fast while harrowing.
6. It gets really cold in the winter while Daddy is up on the pole fixing TV lines and you are standing on the ground waiting for him to get the work done.
7. Choke cherries taste good while you do farm work. If you are smart you can pick enough on the first round on the Baker Knoll to last for a long time. The only problem is that they can make you very thirsty.
8. Tractor lights make it possible to extend the work day.
9. You can’t see out of frosty windshields. This is especially bad when the disk is parked along side the drive way.
Some things I did not know until later:
1. Not everyone owns a welder and a cutting torch.
2. Not every mother makes bread every other day. Bread can be purchased in the grocery store.
3. You don’t have to own a cow to get milk. They sell it in the store as well.
4. You don’t have to change your own oil. There are quick lube places that have oil and filters and they will do it for you.
5. Not everyone had to learn to ride a horse. I didn’t like riding so much but I did learn to ride. I even got bucked off a time or two. One time was just before I went on my mission. Nonavee was in the saddle and I put the fence posts up behind the saddle and swung myself up. I must have kicked the horse in the flanks because the next thing I remember was Nonavee shaking me to see if I was okay.
6. Not every household get the Reader’s Digest and not every father reads the articles in it to their children.
7. Not every woman knows how to sew.
Wholesome recreational activities—Do any of these things mean anything to you?
A. White Elephant—Yes, it was our boat. It wasn’t much to look at but it was a lot of fun.
B. NSU, Honda, Kawasaki—More of you remember Kawasaki, don’t you?
C. Snowmobile
D. Yellowstone Park—I think I must have gone with Mother and Daddy about four times. I think everyone got to go with them at least once.
E. Glendale reservoir—I just about drowned there trying to learn to water ski. I think it must have been before they invented bare foot skiing. The skis came off but I did not let go of the rope and got dragged under the water for a ways.
F. Sunday afternoon drives—We got to see a lot of the local area on those drives.
In closing I just want to pay tribute to the two people for whom we are gathered here today. I thin that any good that we’ve done in this world we have to thank Mother and Daddy for instilling in us the virtues of honesty, service, faith, and work.
Mother and Daddy we love you. Thank you for the gift of life and showing us how to live.
I am truly honored to be the spokesperson for the family in offering a brief tribute to Mother and Daddy on the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary. I guess maybe I was asked to speak since I have had some experience speaking. Having served on the high council for the last five and a half years I have put my fair share of people to sleep.
President Hinckley, in his book Standing for Something, related the following story.
“Several years ago, the Wall Street Journal carried an account of a lawyer in Ohio. He spoke of his boyhood, and told how his father took the family for a ride in their old car on a Sunday afternoon. While they were going down the street, a fancy red Cadillac passed them. The boy asked his father why some people had Cadillacs while their car was an old jalopy. His father responded that everyone couldn’t have the same, but that he, his son, had something of tremendous worth that many others did not have, and it was of greater value than any Cadillac. He was a descendent of his father’s and mother’s families, and there flowed in his veins the best blood of each. This wise father taught his son that although all could not achieve temporal equality, everyone could cultivate that wonderful quality of self-esteem.”
We truly have the best blood of both Mother’s and Daddy’s families in our veins. I know that you younger siblings did not get to know our grandparents as well as us older ones. The traits of our grandparents were passed on to Mother and Daddy and to us.
In The Family: A Proclamation to the World we are taught that the family is ordained of God and that happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. I think that we are a successful family. I know that we have had some bumps along the way but I still think we could be termed a successful family. Just look at the number of us who are together on this occasion.
I want to talk a little about each of these principles.
Faith-From the time I was little I was exposed to church activity. I remember walking the half mile or so to the church with Daddy. I tried to keep up with him as he walked. I remember the how I would get a pain in my side as Dauntes and I went to priesthood meeting with Daddy. Now we were not old enough to go to priesthood meeting but we would hang out with Uncle Woodrow’s kids while the men were in priesthood meeting. A lot of our life revolved around the church—of course for me it was the old building that stood across the road. The faith in Jesus Christ that we learned has gone to many places on the earth, South America, the Philippines and West Virginia just with us children. Now the next generation continues to carry this faith to many different parts of the world.
Prayer—Mother taught me to pray. After family prayer at Mother and Daddy’s bedside she would help us with a simple prayer. Many times I have turned to prayer just as Mother taught me.
Repentance and forgiveness—as I mentioned before we have had some bumps in the road. Growing up in a large family we did have some disagreements but Mother and Daddy taught us to forgive and to seek the opportunity to make things right.
Respect—Mother and Daddy lived lives that caused many people to respect them. Not the least of which was the respect that they earned from each of us, their children. Daddy taught us to respect Mother. They taught us to respect others, especially adults.
Love—Sixty years together is an expression of love and we have all been a part of that love. Daddy once told me that once a child came into the family it was loved and would not be traded away at any price. That is a good thing since that happened nine times in their lives. Love was not diluted but multiplied.
Compassion—Our family is, well, how should I say this? We are not really good at expressing our feelings, especially those of love and compassion. Maybe we are better at showing some other types of feelings. I think that one way we show compassion is through service. Mother and Daddy showed us how to serve. Many times we have had a chance to go along on those errands of service. When the church or community needed help our parents were there. One time, the church needed sand hauled for a ball diamond. Now, I’m pretty sure that Daddy didn’t give two hoots about the ball diamond but the call for service went out and he provided a dump truck and drove it all day long hauling that sand. The church provided many of those opportunities. Does church pig mean anything to anyone? This particular pig had a way of getting out of the pen and running up and down the river. The call would come, “The church pig is out!” and we would all chase it until we were able to catch it and get it back into the pen.
Work—Do I need to explain this? I want to share some things that I learned and some things that I did not know until much later.
Some things I learned:
1. Cows need to be milked twice a day no matter what, even if you don’t feel good.
2. Gardens need to be weeded. Peas are not weeds
3. Raspberries need to be picked.
4. Plowing is a boring job. Just how slow can you go on a D4 Cat?
5. You can drive too fast while harrowing.
6. It gets really cold in the winter while Daddy is up on the pole fixing TV lines and you are standing on the ground waiting for him to get the work done.
7. Choke cherries taste good while you do farm work. If you are smart you can pick enough on the first round on the Baker Knoll to last for a long time. The only problem is that they can make you very thirsty.
8. Tractor lights make it possible to extend the work day.
9. You can’t see out of frosty windshields. This is especially bad when the disk is parked along side the drive way.
Some things I did not know until later:
1. Not everyone owns a welder and a cutting torch.
2. Not every mother makes bread every other day. Bread can be purchased in the grocery store.
3. You don’t have to own a cow to get milk. They sell it in the store as well.
4. You don’t have to change your own oil. There are quick lube places that have oil and filters and they will do it for you.
5. Not everyone had to learn to ride a horse. I didn’t like riding so much but I did learn to ride. I even got bucked off a time or two. One time was just before I went on my mission. Nonavee was in the saddle and I put the fence posts up behind the saddle and swung myself up. I must have kicked the horse in the flanks because the next thing I remember was Nonavee shaking me to see if I was okay.
6. Not every household get the Reader’s Digest and not every father reads the articles in it to their children.
7. Not every woman knows how to sew.
Wholesome recreational activities—Do any of these things mean anything to you?
A. White Elephant—Yes, it was our boat. It wasn’t much to look at but it was a lot of fun.
B. NSU, Honda, Kawasaki—More of you remember Kawasaki, don’t you?
C. Snowmobile
D. Yellowstone Park—I think I must have gone with Mother and Daddy about four times. I think everyone got to go with them at least once.
E. Glendale reservoir—I just about drowned there trying to learn to water ski. I think it must have been before they invented bare foot skiing. The skis came off but I did not let go of the rope and got dragged under the water for a ways.
F. Sunday afternoon drives—We got to see a lot of the local area on those drives.
In closing I just want to pay tribute to the two people for whom we are gathered here today. I thin that any good that we’ve done in this world we have to thank Mother and Daddy for instilling in us the virtues of honesty, service, faith, and work.
Mother and Daddy we love you. Thank you for the gift of life and showing us how to live.
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