What a great place to spend time with family!

It is that time again. The Mahan, Sadler, Mahan, Griffith, Glem, Guzman, Esplin, and (for this year at least) Thorne families will gather in this beautiful part of Western Colorado to spend a few days getting reacquainted, sharing news, and introducing new family members and friends to each other. It has been several years since we all have made the journey and the excitement has been building for several weeks.

I lost count of the years we have been enjoying this family retreat that began at Mesa Lakes Resort (probably in the early 1990's) that we quickly outgrew as more family and friends were invited to join us. We made the move to Powderhorn Resort during a year of ownership change at Mesa Lakes and decided the comfort and space afforded by the Goldenwoods Condos at Powderhorn would be more amenable to our needs.

There have been many late nights spent playing board games, many early morning hours contemplating looming opportunity and change, but mostly just being proximate to those we love have brought us each joy in the opportunity. We have always been a close family and these shared experiences have made us more so.

This year we have Matt and Lesley Ram Thorne joining us along with their daughter Evelyn. Matt joined us one year when he and Adam (our son) were serving in the Marine Corps together. It must have been in 2002 or maybe 2003 - and he has wanted to make a return visit since that time but has not been able to work it out. We were very pleased when Lesley contacted us last spring to see if they could do so this year as a surprise to him. It is Matt's 40th birthday anniversary this September so we will add his name to the list of those we will celebrate on Sunday.

"A home with a loving and loyal husband and wife is the supreme setting in which children can be reared in righteousness and in which the spiritual and physical needs of children can be met." (David A Bednar)

I understand that there are some who do not live in this ideal family setting and they get along just fine. I wonder if they might do a little better with a two parent household. We each have the option of choosing the path we follow. I will say that my personal belief is that the traditional family structure is the best way to rear children. From my own experience it worked very well. I think the comfort of having that structure comes from knowing that there is always someone to turn to when one parent is overwhelmed with the daily grind or occasional emergent circumstance family members deal with.

Lately I have been observing the interaction between my children and my grandchildren with amused interest. I often hear them saying things that their Mother said as they were growing up (and even words from my own mouth on occasion). The reality is that she (Cindy) taught them well and they still turn to her for guidance in raising their families. I often have the blessing of sitting nearby when one of ours reaches out to Cindy for counsel about a particular situation in their home. The advice is usually sound and also makes a difference to those mothers, our daughters, who already have arrived at the answer but seek the confirmation from their Mom that they are on the right track.

Family! Joy and sorrow brought to pass in the same DNA. I am looking forward to a great weekend spent with this marvelous family of mine. I do love the people they are becoming.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.

Random thoughts from the mind that never sleeps.

"Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect." Steven Wright

As I was driving to visit some friends in Ridgway Colorado recently I traveled through an area that I had not been through before. Along the way there were many deer and other critters grazing and, apparently, just hanging out near the road I was driving on. It had been raining throughout the late afternoon hours so the foliage and animals were soaked with moisture - though they did not seem to mind. There are many of my acquaintance who live in this part of Colorado, though most of our interaction takes place at church or in the Montrose area. I realized as I was  headed into this somewhat unfamiliar territory that there is a lot of this part of the world that I have not spent time in. My loss.

A few days ago my sweetheart (Cindy) made a comment that went something like, "You would think that after living here for 8 years I would be more familiar with the surrounding area. People talk to me about local geography and I have no idea what the heck they are talking about!" I invited her to ride along with me last night but she had other commitments that made that impossible. We need to spend more time exploring the surrounding territory over the coming months and years. If nothing else good comes from the effort at least we will be a little more familiar with where places are and what they look like.

A long time ago but not too far away, it did not take a lot of outside input for us to drive an hour or two to spend some time in the outdoors - exploring those venues that could be reached in that time frame. We knew most of the geography of the area where we had grown up and did not hesitate to go anywhere. Things changed with the introduction of small children (though it should not have) and the big change came when we moved to the Metro Denver area. The motivation to go into the wilds of Colorado diminished as life got busier and pressure to maintain a home and family grew.

Now the nest is empty. It is time to get back out there.

Just a short post today. Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.

 

"Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." Dr. Seuss

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go." (Dr. Seuss)

I try to have a positive outlook on life and its circumstances, most of the time. But there are days when it can be a battle to see the bright side. Today could have been one of those days with a cloud appearing over my head. I just returned to my office from a funeral for a twenty-two year old woman who passed as a result of injuries from a roll-over vehicle accident last week. She leaves behind a spouse and two small children in addition to many other family members and friends.

It is hard when thinking of something like this to see any good or positive thing that may come from it. It also is too easy to dwell on all the obvious negatives. Seeing the suffering and pain of the family and close friends of this young woman is a hard thing. To try and provide any comfort or peace is difficult. I think that the simple act of being there provides a little comfort. Words spoken will be forgotten, but physical presence can and does provide a needed reminder that we are not alone here.

A Facebook friend of mine (former co-worker) over the course of the past year went through the experience of watching one of her children slowly die. She posted this thought a month or so following her daughters death.

    "We all grieve differently, I understand that. But I get tired of being treated like I am broken because I've lost a child. I'm sometimes sad or angry, but choose to be grateful. I choose to honor the time I've been given, my other children, and most of all Mia's memory by consciously searching for positive thoughts and memories and enjoying the new positive memories I get to make each day. Some days it's harder than others but I choose to live, not wallow, because Mia would be very mad if I wasted the opportunity to be happy. I'll see her again and know she understand and be glad I choose to live."

                                                                                                                  Jennelle TerHar Ertl

I have not had to endure anything akin to the loss of one of our children. I agree wholeheartedly with the often used quote that "A parent should never have to bury one of their children." Having read the post on Jenelle's Facebook wall I was moved to ponder if I would have the strength to endure such an occurrence with the same uplifting attitude. I like to believe that I would. And thank you Jennelle for sharing the journey that began for you and your family nearly a year ago.

I don't know the faith of all who might read these words - but faith in God makes a tremendous difference for me. It is my faith that helps me to have a positive outlook most of the time. Though there are those occasional days (like this one) when things that occur dampen that positive outlook.

Thanks for checking in. More to come soon. See you then.