Poetry I Like: I Am a Child of God for the Parents of a Child that has Died

This was shared by Shawna Webb Tripp on Yahoo and I liked it so much I wanted to save it.  

I am a Child of God for the parents of child that has died

I am a child of God and He has called me home.
My earthly journey's through but still, I do not walk alone.
He leads me, guides me, walks beside me, helps me find the way,
He welcomed me with open arms. I live with Him today.

I am a child of God and I have gone ahead.
My earthly life was brief but oh, such peace and love you gave.
You loved me, held me, stood beside me and though I cannot stay.
You gave me much to help me and I live with Him today.

I am a child of God and I will wait for you.
Celestial glory shall be ours, if you can but endure.
I'll lead you, guide you, walk beside you.
Help you find the way.
I'll welcome you with open arms
One bright Celestial day.

~Donna Kulliard

Our first boy was stillborn.  We called him simply Billy Boy.  Often I think of him in this light.

My BB Gun: Hid by my Parents

I really wanted a BB gun when  I was a kid, and finally I received one for Christmas.  This was a nice gun.  You could load a whole slew of BB's, or you could load pellets one at a time.  It was fun.  I used it with friends to shoot birds.  Not a very comely activity, but mostly I missed.  One time I actually hit a bird, and was so distressed that I didn't shot at birds after that.  I would also use the gun to shoot at army men.  One time, I was watching t.v. with my gun in hand, pretending to shoot at characters on the screen.  The gun actually went off, and hit the t.v. console.  Our t.v. had a large consul, so I didn't damage the working mechanism at all, but I left a BB dent in the wood.
Shortly after that my BB gun came up missing.  I couldn't find it anywhere.  I looked and looked with no luck.
However, several years later I did find it.  It was in the fruit room, above the heating ducts that were above your head.  It was close to the furnace so the duct was very large there and afforded a good hiding place.  I only had it a couple days though, when it disappeared again.  I never did find it again.

Veterans in my family

My Son, Mark, Marine, served in Iraq

My dad, Navy served during WWII in Brazil and Africa

Great-great-great grandfather Ashton who served in the Infantry of the Army defending U.S. interest at the time against Native Americans 1856-1861.  He marched to California, and walked the entire state North to South.  He was discharged from Benecia in 1861. (sorry no picture)

Aunt Verna who did a a couple tours of duty.

Mother's Day Dedication to My Wife; "Star of Justice"

This song always reminds me of mother's day, and the importance Sheri has taken with bearing and raising our eight children.  I love her very much for that, but also for her support.

10 Commandments of Human Relations

This is found in Legacy: Daughter of Utah Pioneers Newsletter, Winter 2008

1. Speak to people.  There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting.
2. Smile at people.  It takes 72 muscles to frown, and only 14 to smile.
3. Call people by name.  The sweetest music to anyone's ears is the sound of his or her own name.
4. Be friendly.  If you would have friends, you need to be one.
5. Be cordial.  Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.
6. Be genuinely interested.  People want to know that you care about what they have to say.
7. Be generous with praise.  Affirmation is uplifting to a person.  Be cautious with you criticisms.
8. Be considerate.  Feelings are hurt rather easily.  Be aware of that fact and don't be rude--even if you disagree.
9. Give service.  It's more fun to give than to receive.  You'll make somebody's day.
10. Add to these a sense of humor, a big dose of patience and a dash of humility, and you will be rewarded many fold.

8 Natural Swimming Spots With The Clearest, Most Pristine Water In Nevada

4. Big Water Spring – Railroad Valley

Flickr / Mary-Austin & Scott

The largest geothermal hot spring in Nevada, Big Water Spring offers beautifully clear water of about 91-93 degrees. The sacred waters of the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe are a designated critical habitat of Railroad Valley Spring Fish, but the spring remains open to the public for enjoyment. There’s a stairway with handrails leading into the spring, which is naturally heated by the earth. 

This is from a Nevada Tourist resource.  I spent many many days in this pool of water.  It was never cold.  It offered a steady flow of warm water from which a catfish farm enterprise developed.  However it provided many enjoyable hours.  I would help youth recreation activities in the summer, and making it to the pond was an almost daily experience during the summer.  

Haircuts Through the Years

When we lived on the farm in Othello, Me and my brothers would get our hair cut at a family friend.  the friend had a stepping stool you could sit on that brought you up much higher than a chair, and he would cut our hair.

Of course when we moved away from the farm, my Dad cut our hair.  For many years we always received crew cuts, hair shaved right off.  I remember some older kid on the bus liked to feel my head as he thought it felt good.  But it was not fun going through life with only on option for a hair cut, buzzed all the way off, not even leaving a little on top.
From their my father graduated to the "Miracle Barber."  You remember, "This message is not for barbers, this message is not for barbers."  This was a device into which you put a razor blade.  then the hair cutter could just slide the device across someone's hair, and it would cut the hair to the desired length.  It failed miserable.  There was no way to determining how long the hair would be at the end of the thing, and it always dragged, more pulling the hair out rather than cutting it off.
From there we graduated to the cheap barber in Smithfield, yes it was worth the drive (fifteen miles form Hyrum.)  Here we received a professional haircut, but for some reason the Smithfield barber didn't charge very much.
And then there was visits to Uncle Marvin.  If our visiting Grandmas coincided with a need for a haircut, Uncle Marvin would give them to us for free.  Again his cut was professional, and it always included a back massage.