Brothers, Sisters and Smokey Doughnuts

I have to be honest and admit that being the youngest of seven children has not always been my favorite. We, like any other large family, have had our ups and downs and have not always "played nice"! I will say, however, that there is no other family that loves each other through thick and thin like our family!! After we all received the news about Dad on Tuesday we decided to get together and have a family council. The very next night, all seven of us dropped everything without even a second thought and traveled to our oldest brothers house to meet. One of my sisters so eloquently said, "I just feel like I need the brothers and sisters for support right now, I need my family around me." How true! We need each other and we were all there for each other. Not only were we there to talk about Dad's diagnosis and how we could all help out by taking dinners to Mom and Dad on Sundays or arranging our schedules to be with them at each and every doctors appointment, or how we were going to set up a calling tree to make sure everyone was updated on every new change in Dad's condition...but there was a prayer, an agenda, a thought about adversity, and a huge box of smokey doughnuts--the only thing missing was the lace tablecloth!! :) An amazing thing happened that night too...we each felt the power and strength that comes from our faith in Jesus Christ and the love of our family. All differences were simply set aside that night...we need each other and we're going to get through this trying challenge as a family!!

***Just a quick thought about smokey doughnuts*** There is no denying the absolute love that Dad has for Mom! There isn't a gas station that goes by where Dad doesn't stop and run in to get Mom a smokey doughnut--they are Mom's favorite! There is nothing that Dad wouldn't do for Mom. His love has spanned over 51 years and it is stronger today than it was the day they met (which is a story for another post!) Dad loves to tell the story of how when he and mom were courting he would literally fill her refrigerator with chocolate eclairs from the Mayflower Bakery. He tells how he loved Mom so much that he would double park on Main Street in Salt Lake City just to run in and get her a treat!! We each have a truly amazing example of love to follow!