to remember

I've always loved Memorial Day. It's probably the only day where I don't see cemeteries as places to generally avoid. Memorial Day makes me think of fragrant lilacs clipped from the abundant bush outside my grandmother's window, placed lovingly in buckets of water and carefully arranged around the graves of my grandfather, great-grandparents, tiny baby niece and infant cousin. Every May we'd make that short drive to the quaint Shell Creek Cemetery located where the road curves right and continues on down through one of the most beautiful farm and ranch valleys you've ever seen. My mother and grandmother always made sure the weeds were pulled clear, the grass was clipped neat, and all the headstones in our family plot were appropriately garnished with bundles of purple lilacs, deep blue irises, and plush, pink peonies (if the weather was warm and we were lucky enough), the very best their gardens had to offer.

My family has a rich history of serving this country. My dad was an army man, I have uncles who served in Vietnam, Korea, and Desert Storm. A niece served overseas, my nephew served a tour in Iraq and is currently on active duty in San Diego. We're a military family. We're a pioneer family too. The ancestors on my father's side emigrated from Denmark to help settle the Sanpete Valley. They built the Manti temple, the second temple ever to be completed in the West, the temple I married in. No wonder I love it so much. My great-great grandparents on my mother's side helped settle the Big Horn Basin in Wyoming. They carved farms out of nothing, dug canals, built towns and churches, increased their families and served their communities.

Memorial Day gives me occasion to remember these things and these people who built their legacies for me to learn from. They gave me a foundation grounded solid in service and hard work, on families and love for their God and country. Their blood runs through my veins and that makes me proud. They are who I remember today, who my mother and grandmother honored every Memorial Day before, who's example I hope to live up to someday.

I come from good stock, and good stock is what I produce as evidenced by this little man.

Happy Memorial Day