SNOW!!!

I love snow! So many great things today... huge falling snow flakes :) More yoga! The impression to take Airborne this morning--not knowing that the friend I was going out with tonight had been sick :) Fresh Florida grapefruit. A good book & a down comforter! Rebecca & Mackay's sealing approval!!! Congrats for the 17th :) The sweetest emails from quality friends, a phone call with Tamara--where she took seriously the 'Costco sized bottle of self confidence' :) I tell you it really works. Catching up with some more old friends I haven't talked to in years--plans to go skiing with a couple really good guys. A wonderful evening, great conversation, getting all dressed up to go out. Wearing gold flip flops in the snow (please note it was not snowing when I got picked up ;) An incredible movie--Forever Strong & yummy hot chocolate afterward. Courtney getting engaged!!! I'm so happy for you! Seeing Brooke & Dave SO happy tonight :) A wonderful, productive & introspective day with big beautiful snow flakes to top it off!

On that movie... so many things touched my heart...I shed a couple silent tears, I won't lie...but you wouldn't have known if I didn't tell you. You have to understand the premise of the movie--the star athlete who makes some bad choices, gets some DUI's, is sentenced to Wasatch JuVD & winds up playing Rugby for Highland. The role the father plays--or doesn't play in the life of his son--so many things rang true of our family, of Scott & his drinking. It made me wish things were different, that my dad hadn't enabled Scott's behavior the way he had--that maybe if he'd had to accept the consequences a little sooner they wouldn't have been a matter of life or death. All the pain & tragedy caused by alcohol... the incredible moral lessons taught in the movie--"let's focus on where you can go, not where you were or are" "he was a real friend--he made me want to be a better person" On losing a loved one "although his body was gone, his spirit is still with me." "I want you to be forever strong on the field so you'll be forever strong off." And then one that really drilled home in my heart--after having all those feelings of frustration toward my father awakened--the lessons taught to Rick about forgiveness: "It took me 40 years to forgive my father Rick--you stand where I stood 40 years ago--don't spend another minute being angry about yesterday--free him & you free yourself." And then in the end "you have a choice here, you either get up & finish this game or you stay down & end up like me."

Right after Scott died, there was a billboard along the 15 in Utah Co. that read: "get back in the game." It was of an injured basketball player--something Scott loved & excelled in--I tried to come close with my 3's ;) I know that the lessons we learn in mortality enable us to better help people, to endure in faith & to become like our Heavenly Father. Just like the head of the JuV center who had been there--he knew how to be there for others--he didn't always have his head screwed on straight, but he sought to be better because of the trials in his life--how great that there are still uplifting movies out there! And my old FHE co-chair was one of the players in the movie--he's amazing--congrats Ian!