Appreciation….

I have such a great appreciation for my family. After all the scares this year it is such a wonderful blessing to be together. On Saturday, we went to my brother Brian (and Tracy) for their Thanksgiving FEAST. It was so wonderful. They usually do it the Saturday before because then the kids can do other things, cause they have so many places to go. I love this family of mine. I feel so blessed. It is so nice to have a beautiful, peaceful day.

This is Jenna. She is my nephew’s daughter. Last summer she was in an accident with a Rino. (the big 4 wheeler that 2 people can fit in) It rolled and caught her arm under the roll bar. They rushed her to the hospital to learn they would probably have to take her arm. They said if they tried to save it, she wouldn’t have any use of her fingers. She is a trouper. She showed them!!!!! Not only were they able to keep her arm, ALL of her fingers work. She is a little miracle. We love you Jenna!  (She is holding the newest addition to the family, Braydon) (He is Amanda’s Baby}

 

My Brother Brian with Max

Stacy, Grandma, Grandpa and Derek.

Remington and Adyson

Sara with the great grandkids!

Yum

Stacy and Derek and baby Braydon

Grandma with Tayvian

Grandma with Braydon

Us…..The Lott Family

Out meetings were so good today. Evelyn gave her talk on teaching a family. It was so good. She used this story that Russel M Nelson told:

In June 1972, Sister Nelson and I decided to take our family on a rafting trip down the Colorado River. We thought it would be fun to be together for a week, and we were told the water level was low, so we believed it would be safe. We had no idea how dangerous the trip would turn out to be!

Our youngest child was only four months old then, so we left him with relatives and went with our nine daughters and one son-in-law. On the second day of the trip, as we started to go over the Horn Creek rapids, we suddenly saw a drop ahead that seemed to be the depth of a several-story building. These precious people in my family were about to drop down a waterfall in a small rubber raft, and I was frightened! By instinct I let go of the rope in the raft and protectively put one arm around my wife and the other around our youngest daughter, Marjorie, who was not quite seven years old.

I was sitting in the back of the raft, and as we hit the rapids, I was thrown into the air. I landed in the water, and each time I tried to reach the surface, I found myself trapped underneath the raft. I was tossed about by the water like an egg in an eggbeater, and I had no air and nearly drowned. My family couldn’t see me, but I could hear them shouting, “Daddy! Daddy! Where’s Daddy?”

I finally came to the surface, and my family was able to drag me, exhausted, out of the water. They were relieved to see me—and I was certainly glad to see them!

The next several days we went over rapids that were much calmer. Then toward the end of the trip, we approached rapids that were much more difficult than any we had previously gone through.

We decided to have a family council, so we stopped the raft by the side of the river. We knew we had to have a plan if we were going to live through this experience. I was so worried about the safety of my family that if there had been a way to end the trip right then, I would have done it. But there was no other way to get to our destination or to return to where we had started.

I said to my family, “The only way we can make it through these rapids is to understand that the raft will make it through no matter what, because it will float. So if we hold on to the rope on the raft with all our strength, we will make it through the rapids. Even if the raft flips over, we will make it.”

I turned to my littlest daughter. “Marjorie,” I told her, “you will need to hold on to your daddy. Get behind me and put your arms around me and hold on tight!”

We went through the terrifying experience of going down those steep, rough rapids where, as we later learned, people had lost their lives in the past—and we made it.

A lesson we all learned from that trip is that we need to learn as much as we can before we begin new experiences. If they are dangerous—even life-threatening, as ours was—we should avoid them if possible. If avoiding a dangerous situation is not possible, we can be sure that we are prepared.

Another lesson we learned is that there is a right way and a wrong way to go through the dangerous rapids of life. The wrong way is to react by instinct and do what immediately comes to mind, like when I let go of the rope and was flipped out of the raft. The right way is for parents to cling to the iron rod of the gospel and for children to cling to their parents and their leadership, like Marjorie clung to me. Then they will all make it through the rough water.

My wife and I have tried to cling to the iron rod of the gospel and have taught our children to cling to us as they, too, learn to hold on to the iron rod. If you will hang on to the gospel and to the counsel of your righteous parents, you will make it through any trouble in life.

I love it…….hang on with all your might!

Oh…. and one more thing I am super appreciative of…….6 weeks without hives. Yes! I hate to say anything for fear I will jinx my self, but I went off my prednisone 6 weeks ago and NO HIVES! Whoooo Hoooooo! Now if we can just get Lindsey HIVE FREE! :}