Men in my life

*I will apologize in advance for how long this post is :)*

This past week I have been thinking about Father’s Day and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful dad. My husband is playing a huge game of hide and seek, which he may think is funny but I do not. So being in this place in my life that I am in I am extremely grateful for my dad and brothers. They are all great men who I know I can count on to be there for me. I know that when I was younger I drove all of my brothers crazy by being a little brat (which they all tease me about now) but I am thankful that they did not kill me but let me survive and become an adult. (Malik lucked out on that one he did not know me too much when I was younger but I am sure he knows it is true – you don’t have to agree)

They all taught me by example the importance of missionary work, love and service. My brothers are all fathers now and I think that they are all such loving and devoted fathers. I hope they know how much I love them and love their children. I love being an aunt!
I love you Dad, Craig, Preston, Sterling and Malik.

I will always cherish the letters written to me by Craig while I was on my mission. His words of encouragement and wisdom strengthened my desire to work hard and be obedient. I appreciate him caring about my health and sharing his knowledge of drugs with me. J
I will forever remember Preston being there with me in the hospital when I had cancer. He always was able to cheer me up and continues to do it now, years later. He is a wonderful priesthood leader and a great teacher. He has always amazed me with how smart his is, like all my brothers, he is very knowledgeable.
I will always remember the friendship I had with Sterling when we were younger. He was always so protective of me and stood up for me. I was so thankful to again have him there for me when I was in the hospital with meningitis and be able to give me a blessing.
I am so grateful that my one and only sister married a man who has always been so kind to me. Malik is famous for asking me if I had any stories to share with him, I know that he cares about me and is interested in my life. I am thankful that he treats me like his very own sister. He is a great teacher of gospel principles and a mighty fine cook!

Besides my reflecting upon how wonderful my brothers and dad are I also have thought a lot lately about other men in my life whom I consider to have shaped me into the person that I am today. These men have all left a lasting impression upon me.

Bishop Kent Smith was my bishop in my singles ward before I left on my mission. I would have to say that he was the most influential bishop I have ever had. I remember very vividly going to talk to him about my desire to go through the temple 6 months before I was eligible to go on a mission. I was scared that he would think I just wanted to go through early because of my Nauvoo trip (which was one of the reasons) but he was super supportive and encouraged me to keep my goal of going on a mission. He did a marvelous job of preparing me to go to the temple. I will forever be grateful for his support. He made me start to believe in my ability to be a great missionary!

President Jason Willard was my stake president before I went on my mission (and is still the stake president in my stake at home) but before he was my stake president he was my seminary teacher. I had him for seminary my senior year of high school and we studied the Book of Mormon. After a few rough years in seminary it was great to be taught by such a gospel scholar. During that year my testimony of the Book of Mormon was strengthened so much! He was an amazing teacher. While in my interview before going on a mission I began to explain my health problems and began to wonder if I may not be able to serve a mission but President Willard was very understanding of my desire to serve. I so appreciate his help. I will always remember the setting apart blessing he gave me; it is so special to me.

President Cannon was my mission president. Everyone who has ever served a mission knows that mission presidents are special men. I believe my mission president to be the very best! There are so many words that I could use to describe President Cannon but I will sum it up by saying that he is the most Christ-like man I have ever met. He taught me so many lessons while I served in the Baltimore Maryland mission that I will carry with me throughout my life. The most important lesson he taught me is the power of Jesus Christ is real. I believe he is a very inspired and righteous man. I am so grateful that I was able to serve under him. My call was changed (while in the MTC) because of President Cannon; he is an endocrinologist by profession, which is the kind of doctor I needed to look after me while on my mission. I am so thankful for him being not only my Mission President but my doctor. I will always remember the love he had for the work and for us missionaries.

Brian Washburn was a member I met while serving my mission in Maryland. I met several hundred members on my mission but he was one of the few that really made an impact in my life. His family “The Washburns” (everybody who has served in the MBM knows them) is the greatest family ever! Sister Washburn is an amazing, amazing woman who is at the top of my “amazing women in my life” list. Every week while I was in their area we ate dinner at their home. EVERY time after the meal we would all find scriptures to share to see if anyone else in the group could name where it was at. I was really bad at it, but Brian was phenomenal. He is an amazing gospel scholar. I doubt that Brian knows how much I look up to him and how much I learned from him. He is an amazing priesthood leader. I remember so many times being in his home and thinking I hope that I marry a man who is as awesome as Brian. He really did amaze me. At a time when I was struggling he gave me great counsel and wisdom. He truly helped shape me into who I am. He changed how I did missionary work and how I live my life.

25 things I love about my dad
1. He taught me how to work hard
2. He taught me to love all people and to not judge.
3. He always says he loves me when I talk to him on the phone
4. He works hard to provide for his family
5. He was always there by my side while I was in the hospital.
6. He is a worthy priesthood holder
7. He is funny and tells great jokes that make me laugh
8. He loves my mom and taught me to respect her
9. His pancakes, egg in the baskets, French toasts are to die for!
10. He taught me how to serve others
11. He showed me by example the importance of reading scriptures faithfully
12. He shared his memories of his mother, who I never met and made me love her even more
13. He shows respect and love to his siblings.
14. He reminded me every week while I was on my mission to “Keep the Faith”
15. He served faithfully in so many callings and taught me it’s not where you serve but how.
16. He has passion for life and loves life!
17. He lets me go fishing with him and helps me when I actually want to fish
18. He is a super great grandpa.
19. He makes the best roasts ever!
20. He is always there to help me when I am in a bind (like driving out of his way to rescue me when my car died)
21. He watched The Price is Right with me so many times while I was in the Primary Children’s Hospital having cancer treatments.
22. He would play games with me while we traveled which I loved but does not like to do that anymore. L
23. He has given me numerous priesthood blessings that have given me inspiration and determination.
24. He is smart; he knows a lot of useless facts J and a lot of important knowledge too.
25. He is the best dad I could ever ask for! I am so thankful to be his daughter.

There you have it - 25 reasons I love my dad, one for each of the years he has been my dad.Happy Fathers Day to all