Wednesday, May 27, 2009

My old friend Earl

Earl was old. He had lived a difficult and troubled life. He had little money and was unable to work a regular job. Early in our marriage Earl moved in the apartment across from us. I saw him often because when Earl would go fishing to catch some cat fish for dinner he would catch many and take them to his neighbors. He would go in the woods and find wild blackberries and pick enough to give away some to his friends. I said to him, "Earl, you should freeze your fish and your berries so you can have them on the days you're too ill to go out.” And he explained that if he wasn’t doing something for someone else everyday it was a wasted day. He had very little but he gave so much.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Britt Riggin Joins Dad and Mom as BYU Alumni















6000+people in the Marriott center in Provo, Utah. Among the crowd of strangers I hear "Anita". Examining the sea of faces there she is, SydButler with husband Kevin Calderwood, fellow graduates of MHS! With them their daughter Quincey and great parents we love dearly Bob and Ellen Calderwood . (Bob baptised Marty!) Syd and Kevin live in Virginia and us from Texas , we probably couldn't have found each other if we had tried. It was surreal to sit together with our family and friends as we watched our Britt and the Calderwood new son-in-law, Quincey's man, graduate from Brigham Young University.

It was so amazing to see our daughter complete such an outstanding accomplishment. Britt has always been one to work hard , set high goals and make it happen. She has already done so much in her life. She was a leader in color guard, graduated high school with amazing grades, served a wonderful mission at Temple Square and now a graduate from BYU.
Britt presented Marty and I with her white BYU stole and wrote, “Mommy and Daddy, I love you so much! This has only been possible through your love and support and your wonderful examples. Thank you! Love, your baby girl”. We will treasure it.


So Britt: Congratulations!

You're off to Great Places!You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
And YOU are the gal who'll decide where to go.

The Day Brice was Born






Twenty-six years ago I was three weeks overdue with a baby. I was thinking I might have a baby girl in April and call her April. But it was May and a boy on the way. Marty was in Provo ready to start his first class at BYU while I stayed put in Montrose Colorado til our baby was born. Marty called me in the evening from a pay phone because he was just getting things set up in our new apartment. This was before cell phones. He wanted to hear what the doctor had said earlier that day. The doctor told me that there was no progress and the baby would be taken cesarean on Saturday when Marty would be back in town. They had already induced me and that hadn't worked.

Shortly after I hung up the phone I had a labor pain. They persisted and we tried to figure out a way to call Marty. My mother-in-law, Bernadine, was able to get a hold of the manager of the apartment who said he wasn't home but that she left him a note. He was actually there and never saw the note when he rushed out the door in the morning.

Bernadine took me to the hospital and they put me on an infant stress monitor to make sure the baby was doing ok. It showed my labor pains also. The were sporadic and intense. Near the end of the progress to delivery they became concerned about the baby. His pediatrician was present and it was a blessing because Brice Glenn Robbins was born blue. It was frightful to me as they whisked him away to clear his passage way and help him breath. Soon I heard his precious cry and he was given to me.

In the mean time Marty slept, got up and went to class at BYU. Midway through his first class he was pulled out and given a memo telling him his wife had had a baby!