Page 17 – Tribute Journal

Greatness! A Special Father’s Day Tribute!

Greatness! A Special Father’s Day Tribute!

“The good that men do lives after them!” Unknown

What makes a father, a son, a brother, a grandfather great? These are some of the things I think made my father great.

Greatness is learning to do things that would make your mother proud!

My dad always talked about the close relationship he had with his mother.

“My mother cared for me with great love and attention.”

“My mother was an excellent cook and homemaker. Since I was the oldest of four children, I helped my mother with many household duties. I especially remember washing and wiping dishes–chores I don’t mind doing in my own home.”

as told by Leroy Jorgensen in his autobiography

“True greatness gains recognition because it has been observed by others, not advertised by the individual” Don Yeager (sportwriter, author)

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit!” Aristotle (Greek philosopher)

True greatness comes with equal parts of strength and humility!

Perhaps one of the things I admired most about my dad was that he lived his life with quiet dignity and great integrity. My father always encouraged me to be teachable and learn new things that would make my life better! In my mind’s eye, my dad instinctively seemed to know how to masterfully balance his life; he worked hard to provide for our family and gave us a wonderful lifestyle, but he also had a significant presence in our home and planned fun outings–even if it was simply to pile into the car and drive to go get fresh raspberry shakes at our favorite ice-cream shop. My dad also knew how to discipline kindly and love genuinely!

“We all get something in life. It’s not worth a nickel if you don’t give back.” Walter Payton (NFL football player)

“I want to be remembered as the guy who tried…tried to be a part of his times, tried to help people communicate with one another, tried to find some decency in his own life, tried to extend himself as a human being.” Paul Newman (actor–my dad’s favorite actor) Quoted from a statement on”Newman’s Own” brand website.

Greatness is taking time to share your enthusiasm for life with those you love!

My father had an insatiable desire to truly experience every aspect of living and shared that enthusiasm with his family and his grandchildren. My dad worked very hard throughout his life and loved it! My father enjoyed serving in our neighborhood and community; he loved this country! My father also loved to learn and audited classes at our local university well into his 80’s. My dad loved his family and showed it without reserve. I’m glad that in turn, I tried to let my father know how much I loved him. Like all of us, my dad had flaws, but he tried to improve upon them; he was quick to apologize if he felt he’d done something wrong. I felt important around my dad and so did his grandchildren. Mostly, he taught us to try and do our best, and more often than not, he was by our side helping us accomplish our goals in life!

“To be truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” Charles de Montesquieu (French politician)

I hope everyone has a Happy Father’s Day!

How did your father exemplify “greatness” in your life? If you haven’t already, tell him what he means to you!

–Mary

Happy Anniversary! Things I’ve Learned From My Parent’s Marriage!

Happy Anniversary! Things I’ve Learned From My Parent’s Marriage!

Happy Anniversary card A True Love Story!

My parents were married on June 14, 1946, sixty-seven years ago today! It’s sometimes hard to imagine our parents being young and in love, but when I read about my dad and mom’s courtship, (they even had a cool word for dating back then…)I know I am reading about a true love story!

In each of their personal histories, my parents both share fun glimpses into the beginning stages of their relationship and subsequent engagement and wedding. The genuine friendship and kind regard they had for each other helped to nurture a marriage that lasted over 50 years!

I love the things my mother wrote about the first time she met my father when they were both teaching at the same school.

“I attended the high school faculty party held at the end of the first week of school in Logan Canyon. I met Roy Jorgensen for the first time at this party. (I would later learn that he had already seen me at my graduation the previous spring.) Roy was so good-looking and so much fun, his eligible-bachelor status surprised me. Roy called me a few days later for a date to ride with him over to Bear Lake to get some lumber. My dad was worried we wouldn’t have enough to talk about on the long ride to and from Bear Lake. My dad worried in vain, Roy and I visited very comfortably the whole time! I enjoyed Roy’s company so much that I cancelled several dates during the fall to go with him.”

It’s as equally fun to read my dad’s perspective of this exciting time in my parent’s lives.

“At the time I met the young woman who would later become my wife, I was dating another girl steadily…but there was no magic there for me.”

My dad goes on to tell how heavy rains had shut down the farm work for a week, so he decided to go into town and hear the commencement speech of a literature professor he admired. (My dad was a wild and crazy guy when he had some free time! Ha!)

“I arrived at Old Main Auditorium early and got a good seat on the main floor. A good program followed, including an address by Merle Mecham, a most attractive young lady who represented the graduating class as their valedictorian. I was impressed by her and enjoyed learning that during the upcoming school year she would teach business at South Cache High School, where I also taught. I think the summer was a little brighter because of this experience; although for some reason, I never concerned myself that she might have scads of boyfriends!”

My mom also tells the story of how my dad proposed…

“I went with Roy to a college basketball game in early February…after the game, while we were still in the car, he asked me to marry him. Roy loved to travel and told me he would love to see the ocean breeze blowing through my hair on our honeymoon!”

I have to admit, that was a pretty smooth move on my dad’s part!

My parents were always good to speak kindly of each other–not only in public, but around their children!
Dad vacuumed and mom dusted; dad swept out the garage and mom did the laundry! My parents were a great give-and-take team!
Come ten o’clock, even as our family got older and homework and other activities were still going on, my dad and mom would say good-night and then sneak away to watch the news and talk about their day! I’d often go to their room just to say good-night again; seeing them all cuddled up made everything seem all right with the world!

What I’m learning now is…

Anyone who is married knows that it is a lot of work! What I’m learning now is like any other job or project they did together, my parents made the “work” look fun!

I’d love to hear what your parent’s taught you about marriage or what you’ve learned on your own by being married and working hard at making it great!

–Mary

Cinderella Days! Grandma Magic!

Cinderella Days! Grandma Magic!

Tending my granddaughters every Tuesday (and any other day I’m lucky enough to get the chance) is the highlight of my week. My oldest daughter, Malia, is an interior designer and helps her clients design their homes from the ground up. She can do the majority of her work from home, but goes into her office every Tuesday. I first started tending my oldest granddaughter, Makena, when she was just a few months old; she is nearly five years old now and her younger sister, Marli, is almost two. Oh, what fun I have with these two darling, little girls! (I think it’s probably natural to wonder what kind of grandparent you’ll be as you watch your own children associate with their grandparents–my parents provided me with a good example of how to be a “great” grandparent!)

Makena and Marli love having story books read to them! (I admit, I can get a little dramatic and kind of silly–that’s what grandmas do, right.) One of Makena’s very favorite books is Cinderella–even at a young age, she’d pick that book to read more than any other from our collection of books. When Makena was about three years old, I pulled out our old VHS version of Disney’s “Cinderella”, (a rare collector’s item, I’m sure…) and we watched it on a small video/TV combo in our playroom while lounging on her favorite bean bag chair. It was fun to watch Makena’s animated reaction to the movie! I knew right away that I’d added a new dimension to Makena’s Cinderella love fest! It’s safe to say she was hooked at “bippity, boppity, boo”! Makena has since watched the movie over and over a countless number of times. Makena’s fascination with this Disney classic story has made our Tuesdays together extra special and once in awhile I’ll refer to them as our “Cinderella Days”–since they are indeed, magical days! I’m always trying to think up fun and unique activities to do with Makena and Marli, but as I did some research to find out what other grandma’s out there are doing, I found the resources to be rather sparse. I hope as I try and share weekly some of the fun things I do with my granddaughters, as well as some of the things I’m learning as a fairly new grandma, that you will be inspired to share some of your ideas with me! Let’s make Grandma Magic!

Makena has heard the Cinderella story often enough that she now shares her version of the tale with Marli. I often think that if Disney ever does a re-make of the movie, I’ll send them some of Makena’s adaptations…they are hilarious!

Having young granddaughters has reminded me that doing fun and simple things is what really makes children the happiest! One of Makena and Marli’s favorite things to do is play “house” out on our patio. (One funny thing to note is that the Cabbage Patch doll Makena is holding was her mom’s favorite doll named, “Peachy”! Now Makena loves her too! Grandchildren always seem to be drawn to anything that belonged to their mom or dad!)

On beautiful spring and summer days there is nothing like spending time at the park and having yummy treats after. On the playground, children are in their “element” and I find this is when they just chatter away and say the funniest things! (The park we went to last Tuesday, has a fountain and wishing pond. Since “Uncle Jake” was visiting, he gave each of the girls a bag of pennies and boy did they love flinging them one by one into the water! I didn’t get any pictures because I was being careful to watch that Makena and Marli didn’t get too close to the edge of the pond! As a grandma, I think I watch my granddaughters with more vigilance than I did my own children–perhaps that’s as it should be…)

What I’m learning now is…

I love being a grandma! What I’m learning now is that the satirical writer, Erma Bombeck had it right, “Becoming a grandparent is one of life’s rewards for surviving raising your own children!”. Ha!

What are some of the fun things you do to create “magical” times with your children or grandchildren?

–Mary

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: