Mystery Monday- Benjamin Franklin Goodridge and Penelope Randall Gardner Goodridge

Forty five  miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is a a small town known as Lunenburg in Worcester County.  It is here the story of Benjamin Franklin Goodridge (1794-1859) and Penelope Randall Gardner begins(1793-1859). Penelope was the daughter of Abel Gardner, a Revolutionary War soldier and a Veteran of the War of 1812)     There you will find perhaps even traces of the Goodridge ancestral home

Benjamin's great grandfather father, Phillip  was the first man interred in the Lunenburg cemetery and his grandfather Benjamin was a man of unparalleled prominence having help the office of selectman (30 years), town clerk (22years) and constable, collector, member of School Committee and a magistrate for several years.   Benjamin was known as Benjamin Goodridge esq. ). 

With such a cherished history, the "good news" of the gospel brought to them by Penolope's brother George Gardner (George was with Brigham Young in Peterborough New Hampshire in the summer of 1844 when Brigham Young received a letter regarding the deathof the Prophet Joseph he was also the first person in LDS church history to put music tho the hymns as they were sung by the early saints at Kirtland and Nauvoo).  The Goodridge (Goodrich) family was taught the gospel by Leonard Wilford Hardy and his wife Elizabeth.  Penelope and four of her children were baptized on September 2, 1849.  Her daughter Sophia had been baptized in 1844
.Something over twenty years ago my brother, George Gardner, (who is now in Arizona) came to make me a visit. He brought the truths of the gospel with him, taught them to me. I believed and embraced the same. I came out from the Methodist, was led into the waters of Baptism by an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the 2nd of September, 1849; in the spring of 1850, I, with my family, started from the Eastern states, even Massachusetts, for the valley of the mountains and arrived here in the October following. Did I make any sacrifice? No in my feelings, but as the saying is “our property went for a song.” I did not care for that if I only could get to the Valley. I am here and not for one moment have I ever wished myself back again. I can see the hand of the Lord has been over me for good even from my childhood up to the present time; nevertheless, I have had many trials, troubles, and afflictions to pass through, but the Lord has sustained me. Even now in my old age He is my comforter and my guide, praise be to His Holy name.
The Elder who baptized me first into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was L. W. Hardy now Bishop of the 12th Ward, and it was through his instrumentality that I and my family were gathered to the Valley of the mountains. He has proved to be an undeviating friend to me and mine ever since I came here. He has three of my daughter for wives, he fitted out George for his southern mission by taking my lot, and is to provide for me while I live and I feel pretty safe in his care. (family search contributed by Nancy Kay Peterson)


The Goodridge family joined the trek west with the Wilford Woodruff company, but all were not yet baptized.  In fact, Franklin and Mary Jane and son Benjamin were not  baptized until July 9, 1850 at the Platte River en route to  "Zion" by Wilford Woodruff. 

Benjamin's story reminds me of another Benjamin... although fictional Benjamin Steed (The Work and Glory Series by Gerald Lund) also followed his wife on the trek west not being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ himself)  what faith took to leave his ancestral home and follow "Penelope's Faith" West.

They arrived in the valley on October 14, 1850 (188 days on the trail).  Benjamin traded his teams and wagons and other belonging for a small house and lot in the 19th ward at 330 north and third west.  Both he and Penelope spent their remaining days here. Benjamin and Penelope were sealed Brigham Young July 28, 1851.

 This wonderful tribute to the Goodridge family was later recorded:
"In Capt. Hardy's camp [he was captain of 50 in the Woodruff company] there was a family by the name of Goodridge, father, mother, several young girls and an 11-year-old boy. They were a musical family, full of fun and possessing the happy faculty of making the best and most of every situation. The girls sang and danced; they gathered berries on the way; they laughed. But they also counted the graves and wondered about the sadness and hardships of the travelers and wept for those who were left behind on the prairie. They helped nurse the sick, washed and mended, cooked and carried water; they knew how to work. When necessary they would wade streams without complaining, shake the dust out of their clothing without resentment and gather buffalo chips without disgust. They could fall on their knees night and morning and thank their Heavenly Father for their health and strength, their safety, their food and clothing, and the boundless sea of grass that paved their way to freedom." (_Our Pioneer Heritage_, 15:266-7) Found on Family search contributed by Bonnie Seegmiller 10 January 2014

  I am waiting by the river
I am watching on the shore Only waiting for the boatman Soon he will come to bear me or’er. End of Penelope’s Journal Penelope Randall Gardner Goodridge died December 19, 1875 – seven months after she finished writing in her journal.

I hope we won't forget the sacrifices of Penelope and Benjamin and their conversion story.  Every time I read a conversion story, my conversion deepens.  Thanks Benjamin for embracing Penelope's at the Platte river that day in July 1850.  The spirit of God doth truly burn like a fire....

Thanks cousin Taressa for being my partner in crime today!

Honoring the Veterans of the 222

           Preface:  Last spring I was contacted by an editor of the Utah media group and was asked to do a piece on the history of the 222.  This story appeared in VALOR, this past Sunday,  November 8,2015.  It is an amazing tribute to the soldiers of the Korean War.  Unfortunately, my story did not appear in its entirety so in honor of Veterans Day, tomorrow I am sharing it her on my blog.  I am so grateful I had the chance to be part of VALOR.  Thanks to all of the 222nd and to Veterans everywhere.   America is the land of the FREE because of the BRAVE.




 A fervor of patriotism ripples across Southern Utah.  The root of this patriotism is embodied in the 222^nd Field Artillery Unit of the Utah National Guard- Commonly known as “Southern Utah Pride,” “The Triple Deuce,” and “The Golden Boys”.  For generations, men have left their wives, children, and their livelihoods to answer the call of freedom.

            The absence of these soldiers not only left holes in the hearts of their loved ones, but in the communities as a whole.  These men were educators, medical personnel, policemen, farmers, businessmen, and civic personnel. They were young- in the beginning stages of their lives.  However, they answered the call to serve and their communities rallied behind them.

History of the 222nd

            This portrait of freedom spans generations. The 222 traces its heritage to 1841- the Nauvoo Legion and then the Mormon Battalion.  These soldiers served  their God, their country, their wives, and their children.

            Batteries from the 222^nd including Battery E (Richfield), Battery F (Cedar City), and the Headquarter Battery in Beaver received service credit for the Civil War. Units from the 222nd FA also served as the 145^th in World War I.  World War II brought restructuring within the guard units.  Re-designated and restructured as the 204^th, the 222   took part in various campaigns in WWII including Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe.           

            The Post World War II Period again brought restructuring to the 222^nd FA.  In March 1947, the Triple Deuce known as the 204^th FA was reorganized and re-designated as the 213^th and attached to the 145^th.  The men of this Battalion were comprised of the following batteries: A Battery-Cedar City, B Battery- St. George, C Battery-Fillmore, and Service Battery- Beaver.

Korean Conflict

            On August 3, 1950, the “now 213^th was inducted into Federal service. The Korean Conflict was a physical manifestation of the Cold War.  To the men who served, it was a war- not a conflict.  The Golden boys began their trek of miracles.  Of the nineteen field artillery units summoned to battle in the Korean Conflict, the 213^th was the only one not to lose a soldier.  They became known as the “Mormon Battalion,”  “the Six Hundred Stripling Warriors.”

            The call to duty came far too soon after World War II.  Communities and families were still bandaging deep wounds.  Somehow they mustered their courage…

            These men were simple boys who rushed to the altar to marry their sweethearts before deployment.  In the ten days before deployment, there was a wedding almost every night in Beaver.  One soldier even lied about his age in order to join the 213^th because his two older brothers enlisted. The boys of the 213th had grown up together- they now prayed they would not die together.

            These soldiers prayed- they knew they needed God with them.  These prayers were consistent and earnest much like those of their Colonel’s who every morning closed his tent flap and hung a white hanky to signify “prayer time.”

            Lt. Col. Frank Dalley of Summit Utah led the 213th.  These soldiers were new to the rigors of war.  They were all from surrounding communities.  They were brothers, cousins, friends, uncles, nephews.  The weight to bring them all home hung heavily upon Dalley’s shoulders. The 213^th remained in tactical position at the “Old Iron Triangle” extending from Kumwha to Kumsong from December 1951 to March 1952.

Lt. Colonel Frank Dalley- photo credit Dalley family

            The Miracle of Kapyong took place in the early morning hours on April 23, 1951.  Located in a lush valley, 4,000 Chinese Soldiers attacked the 213^th hoping to break through to the valley.  The soldiers fought through the night- it was ferocious- the artillery men held their ground enabling firing missions to continue. At dawn, Battery A organized a combat patrol and used a SELF-PROPELLED Howitzer as a tank.   When the roar of gunfire ceased, three hundred fifty enemy men lost their lives… eight hundred thirty surrendered; not one guardsman lost his life. One Chinese soldier stated, “we shoot them, but they don’t fall.”

            Prayers had been answered- Prayers from kneeling mothers, begging wives faithful children, their own fervent earnest prayers, and the prayers of their valiant leaders. Before rejoining their infantry, these soldiers buried their enemy- a true act of valor.

            Korea and Beyond

            Freedom was “cold” and quiet in Southern Utah and throughout the world in the years that followed the Korean Conflict.   In 1972, the 222^nd was organized to its present state.  From January to March 2002, the 222^nd provided security during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. 

            It wasn’t until September 11, 2001 that the 222^nd knew terror was on the rise when the United States was attacked on its own land.   Men and women who grew in the shadows of the men of Kapyong awakened and communities once again rallied.

             In March 2002, the 222^nd was activated for war in Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom.  Shortly thereafter, the mission changed. The Triple Deuce was deployed to Ft. Lewis Washington to provide logistical support to the ROTC.

Future missions for the 222^nd included   January 2005- June 2006 Camp Ramadi, Iraq and June 2011- December 2011 Baghdad. 

            The 2005 deployment of the 222^nd stripped Southern Utah once again of its youth. Over five hundred soldiers from Utah were sent to Iraq leaving children  without a parent, spouses separated, hospitals, schools, businesses, civic duties left shorthanded.  For the soldiers, times in Iraq were far from pleasant.  Warfare had changed since the days of Korea.  The Triple Deuce was assigned difficult missions under bad conditions.  The area was difficult.  Their mission- not to conquer, but liberate.

            These soldiers were neither faceless nor nameless.  Young Corporal Justin Chappel left behind his bride of 5 months.  While serving in Ramadi, Chappel had 3 assignments.  These included: 1. C Battery fire direction specialist which involved   base defense- 12 hours on the tower.  2.  Patrols- 24 hour shifts with battalion to observation post. 3. Artillery- Habbaniyah Howittzer- self propelled cannon- could hit target 5 football fields away.  Chappel’s favorite assignment was artillery.  He loved the intensity.  Chappel returned home and after fulfilling his 8 year commitment to the Guard, his service continues but now as a local police officer.

Corporal Justin Chappell

            Travis Fullmer joined the 222 in 1991 while still in high school.  During his 2005 deployment Staff Sergeant Fullmer left behind his wife and two young daughters.  While deployed, he served with his three cousins, Kaden, Kam, and Luke Mitchell.  For these four young soldiers, serving their country was a family tradition. Fullmer’s three uncles had also served with the 222.  While away at war, Grandma Mitchell always said “Grandpa Elmo” (deceased grandfather) was watching over their 4 grandsons. Today, Fullmer continues to serve his country.  He presently serves as a Major with the Medical Command Unit (MEDCOM).

SSG Travis Fullmer with Iraqi soldiers

            Following the example of his father, Daniel Ekker joined the guard when he was 17 years old. In 2005, he left behind his 5^th grade classroom and his wife and two young sons. It was hard to say good-bye to daddy- hard for daddy too. But to the boys, he was in “Icrack.”  Daddy told them somebody had to “stand on the wall.”  Ekker began his service as Private First Class but retired from the 222 in December 2014 as a Second Lieutenant.  Ekker now serves as a principal in a local Elementary School.

 

            Perhaps Lt. Colonel Richard Miller was read “The story of Kapyong” at bedtime as a child from which he learned Colonel Frank Dalley’s military maneuvers.  Whatever the case, the 222 followed the examples of their predecessors.  Members of the Triple Deuce gathered around their Humvees and prayed before each mission.  All 500 soldiers from Utah came home.

Austin and Richard Miller

            In 2011, on their last deployment the “Golden Boys” of the “Triple Deuce” were given gold coins as a good luck token.  But the tokens represented far more than that.  They represented the legacy of faith of soldiers since the days of Nauvoo, they embodied the prayers said daily in their behalf around kitchen tables and at bedsides, and they symbolized 600 stripling soldiers hanging onto a white hankie.  The ripple of Patriotism continues today in Southern Utah because of the 222.

            

Mystery Monday- Who is William Flint

I wonder if William is happy to be buried under beautiful trees next to his children.  I hope they were happy when I came to visit them last fall.  They were a "must see" on my pilgrimage.

  

As a young boy, William was a strapping sort- 200 pounds, broad shoulders.  He was of great help to his father on the farm.  Raised as a methodist,  William was diligent in keeping the sabbath day holy-- until he went fishing.

Their children were raised strictly in the Methodist faith. Their son, William, didn't always do as he was told. One Sunday, he went fishing with his friends and soon had a nice catch of 6 fish. When getting ready to go home, he realized his father would not be pleased for he would know that William had been fishing on Sunday. So he dug a hole in the sand near the stream, wrapped his fish in leaves and buried them. When he reached home, he asked his father if he could go fishing early the next morning. The next morning he retrieved his fish and returned home with them. His family was so pleased that he had gotten such a nice catch in such a short time. They all praised him for being such a good fisherman. It wasn't until years later that the truth came out. (family search submitted by James Lawerence Myers.

  William was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by  Elder WIlliam Hyde in New York.  After baptism he was a branch president until he headed to Zion.  He 1848 he drove a team of Hyrum Smith's Widow, Mary Fielding Smith across the plains.  Then at the request at President Brigham Young, William  along with Elder Geo. Terry was sent to help other emigrants who were yet crossing the plains.

 William only knew the beautiful Mary Jane Goodridge for 3 weeks when he proposed marriage.  Thankfully, Heber C. Kimball gave a fine recommendation and subsequently performed the marriage on December 24, 1860. They became the parents of 8 children- Sarah Jane, Valeria Ann, William Lenard, Fidelia Lovantia, Abel Josiah, Harriet Rosella (my ancestor), George Martin, and Sophia Lois.

The first documented Flint family member  to have  been  born and to have died in the in the new world was Joseph Flint (June 25, 1662- February 5, 1710, Salem Massachustest) son of Thomas and Ann (Woods) and husband to Alice.  He was present at the Salem Witch Trials as a witness.

( Joseph Flint v. George Jacobs, Sr. )

View Entire Case File

The deposicon of Joseph Flintt aged 30 yeares Saith that being at the house of Mr Thomas Beadles on the 11th of May 1692, when the Magistrates were Examining George Jacobs his Grandaughter and understanding that she had confessed I this deponent went into the other room where George Jacobs was and Told him that his Grandaughter had confessed he asked me what she had confessed I told him that she had confest she was a witch or that she had Set her hand to the Devil's booke

Whereupon s'd Jacobs said that She was charged not to confess and then I asked him who charged her not to confess, he then made & stop and at last said that if she were Innocent and yet Confest she would be accessary to her owne death

marke Joseph Flint 
Jurat in Curia 
(Reverse) Joseph Flint ags't Geo. Jacobs Sen'r. 

( Essex County Archives, Salem -- Witchcraft Vol. 1 Page 90 ) 

Son of WIlliam Flint, husband of Lucinda  E. Flint and father of Lucinda

daughter of Lucinda and Abel Josiah Flint

This  document cites William Flint (1603-1672) as a fornicator.  From his relationship with Alice Bosworth resulted one son, William- the story is somewhat reminiscent of Hawthrone's Scartlet Letter.

John was married to Elvera.  He was the son of Abel Josiah Flint son of William Flint

So this week not only did I discover family ties to the Salem Witch Trials, but that my very own family has its own Scarlet Letter story complete with floggings in the town square.

To top it off, I discovered I am related to the man who invented the trolley car fender and that Elder M. Russell Ballard and I share a common ancestor, Thomas X.Smith.  Thus,  making he and my father both great grandsons to Thomas X ( of course we descend from different polygamous wives).  Now, who thinks family history is boring?

No pictures tonight.... just my words

It is near 11 and I am at the computer... I just finished reading my cousin Brenna's last post, Shawn Cosper, on her blog "inspiring women."  There is a puddle from my tears.  What strength- what dignity- what faith.  Thank you Shawn.

As I read her story, I was reminded of my own story of loss.... the ache that has subsided but has never left my heart.  Two miscarriages-- twice no heartbeat, twice no growth of our babies...and now I am sobbing.  I think of them.  I wonder- will they be mine or was it our sweet Maleck waiting for a strong body to house his amazing spirit- I don't have an answer.

Rigby is working late and so I cry alone and remember the moments of absolute devestation. People would say funny things to me like, "Oh, you should be so grateful you already have four children.  Some women get none..." 

I had no words for them- a loss is a loss.  They were my babies!

I walk to each room and pat their five  heads whispering- I love you to each.  My heart is full of gratitude! 

Tonight, Seleck was busy preparing for college scholarship interviews.  Stockton was doing his honors English homework and icing his sprained ankle -football injury- hoping he will be able to take the court for basketball next week.  Madsen cleaned the kitchen, read his book, and built a train track with Maleck.  Emma chose her outfit for tomorrow and hugged me tight, and sweet Maleck did his reading and climbed under his covers with sleepy eyes...


Hard to believe that this past Sunday, November 1st marked the 5 year date- the day my  heart quit beating.  I remember lying there begging the ER doc to not let anything happen to me.  I pled with him explaining I had 5 young children at home who needed me- I had a job to do.  

So much to be grateful for--- then there is Rigby's story- his stroke in 2009- we didn't lose him, but we "lost" parts of him.

  Thank you Shawn and Brenna for reminding me of my own rainbows and storms.  For giving me a moment to reconnect with that pain, that loss that brought me and continues to bring me closer to my Savior and to God.  

I know he lives because I have felt him hold me. I truly believe that "with his stripes we are healed."

Mystery Monday, Where is Ann

Ann Pearsall Jackson

I could not find my grandmother Ann Pearsall Jackson.  I did not get to kneel at her grave...  I found her daughter Ellen Jackson and Christopher Weaver's grave...  and then  I searched for her story.  

Ann Pearsall Jackson, was my grandfather Max Dickson Weaver's great grandmother.  She was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England on October 20, 1819. she married Joseph Avery in 1838.  24 year old Joseph was gifted glass maker.  They were blessed with a son in February 1840.  They named him James after Ann's father.  Within the next two years, Ann lost her father, James, husband, Joseph, and son, little James.  Ann was only twenty-three years old.

   She married  William Jackson in  April 1842.  They made their home in Stourbridge.  They were the parents of five daughters: Emily, Maria, Mary Ann, Sarah Ann and Ellen.  

William was a factory worker.  Most likely he worked in one of the famous pottery or glass factories for which Stourbridge was known.  Ann's heart must have nearly broken when she lost both Maria and Mary Ann at age 2.  The plan of Salvation which Mormon Missionaries shared with she and her husband must have comforted her mourning heart( 1849).  They made plans to go to Zion.

However, William would never live to see Zion.  He died of what was termed as a "brain disease" in January 1858.  Their youngest daughter Ellen was only four years old.  

Ann was a gifted maker of mother of pearl buttons.  So with her limited income making craft and with the help of the Latter Day Saint Community in Stourbridge, she sought to care for her three young daughters ages 14, 9, and 4.  Emily and Sarah must have carefully polished the buttons for her mother as well as helped with other household chores.

Ann saved her "pearl pennies" for seven years until she had enough money to book passage with a company of saints from the Birmingham area.  She joined a group of six hundred Mormon immigrants on April 29, aboard the ship Belle Wood.  It was upon the voyage that the friendship between the Jackson and Weaver families developed. 

Ann settled near Nebraska City with daughters Emily and Sarah Ann and their English convert husbands for 8 years. Life on the prairie was most difficult, but they managed and in 1873 when they had finally established some sort of life of comfort and security when they once again exercised their faith and pulled  up stakes  and boarded a train bound for Zion around 1873.  Ellen and Christopher Weaver made their home in Layton on "Easy Street."  After years of living in a dugout (no much more than an cave) and after much  hard work and toil, they built a comfortable home in 1878.

At age 54, Ann made her way to Cedar City choosing not to live with any of her daughters.  Instead, she made her way to Cedar City where she was given a beautiful patriarchal blessing(November 23, 1874) and was sealed to her husband William in the St George Temple on June 2,  1880.
During her Cedar City Years, Ann worked as a servant in the Henry Lunt Home.  Lunt was the founder of Cedar City. He held prolific  civic and church positions for 30 years.  Under his employ, Ann sought to manage the care of his four wives and 13 children.(side note- the plot thickens here- Henry Lunt is the grandfather of my husband's grandmother, Zina Lunt- WOW!)  Her bouts with Asthma became worse and returned her to the care of her daughter.

  In 1880, Ann joined daughter Ellen and husband Christopher as her health was failing.  She passed away in September 1881.  She is buried in the Kaysville cemetery-somewhere in the family plot near her grandson George Weaver, the infant  son of Ellen and Christopher.

Ann, I didn't find your grave, but I found your story.  What an example of faith you share. You were truly one who exercised faith and had it strengthened through years of hard work and heart break.  Thank you Ann for coming to Zion!

I express my deepest gratitude to the Shelley Dawson Davies family for their extensive research and compilation of histories!

"The Potter's Clay"

"But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." Isaiah 64:8

 Rigby and I walked with our "youngers" to church this morning.  The autumn air carried with it a sweet memory- the scent of the tree in my grandparents' backyard. Although I don't know the name of the tree, I will never forget its scent.  Immediately, this scent carried me to decades previous- I was watching my grandfather on his potter's wheel under that very tree.  These are memories I shall not forget.

 October 15th marked the anniversary of Grandpa's death- he has been gone for three years now.  I feel him with me as I witness the hand of God's grace in the beauties of my surroundings- Autumn's color, the bare branches of winter, spring lilacs, summer's sunshine.  He saw beauty in everything- and he shared it with us- with everyone!

 Every week as a family, we study one of the most recent conference talks.  Last week, 13 year old Madsen chose the talk by Richard J. Maynes "The Joy of Living a Christ Centered Life.  Of course as Elder Maynes presented the analogy of  Elder Aoba and his pottery making,  I thought of my grandfather, Max Dickson Weaver.  I loved to watch him transform  clay into the most beautiful pottery.  He was a magician.  Elder Maynes' words of keeping the clay in the exact center of the wheel rang true for me. 

 Grandpa was a master potter just as Jesus Christ is the Master of all.  My grandfather loved our Savior. His life exemplified the following words of Elder Maynes, "Our core, the center of our lives, must be Jesus Christ and His gospel.  

Thank you grandpa for following the Savior. You and grandma touched my life daily and continue to do so!  Thank you Elder Maynes for reminding me of my grandfather and the workmanship of his hands.  But most of all, thank you for reminding me to keep my life centered on Christ!

Wednesday Wander- Happy Harvest!

Come fall, I wish I could say that I bottled peaches and pears, and that I knew what to do with all my tomatoes and squash that come from our backyard garden, but If I did, I would be lying.  But harvesting bucks when the breeze of  Autumn sets in- well that's another story.  Or at least that is Rigby's story.

You must be strong and sturdy to Hunt with Rigby.  Madsen and Stockton headed to the "hunting spot" with him the first Monday morning of the Hunt and after hiking 14 miles and climbing 6,000 feet they landed a trophy.  

 But most of all they "harvested memories."  Memories that build the bonds of brotherhood and that get bigger and better with the telling.  "Memories" that I hope will bring them home to us when "Fall's Foliage" ignites the mountaintops each harvest.

We aren't much for road hunting, nor do we like to hang with a crowd.  But we live to hunt with our "Huntin' Fool" and love the moments we get to create together.

Tomorrow, I head with Rigby to try out my new 243"Muddy Girl camo."  Yep, because come Thanksgiving I have a "hunt" of my own!

#webelieve

 Football is violent poetry in action... there is nothing quite like the sound and rhythm of football.  It is intoxicating.  It is a synonym for fall.  The crunch of football players colliding- the snap of the football, the cheering of the fans- Friday night lights!

I watched my four older brothers suit up for what is now my sons' team cross town rivals.  I was enraptured by the movement of the ball even as a little girl and dreamed that I one day might be an "autumn girl."

Today, I travel to watch the falcons- my Rigby Boys compete for a spot in the state play offs.  I have been their taxi for years to and from practices and games.  We have scheduled our lives around the Falcons.  My basement has been engulfed by the aroma of pads, helmets, and cleats- Football is our fall music.  

25 seniors suit up today- not all will get playing time, but all will cheer.  Football takes the entire team.  It is doubtful my boys will get much playing time, but I go to cheer for they are all my "boys."

These two are my twins- born two years apart to the day (April 22nd).  They are so alike and yet so different.  One plays offense, the other defense.  But one thing they have in common is the love of the game.  They both have, heart, determination, and a work ethic I would stack up against any other player's.

 Their love of this poetry has made my love for it grow even more...  they are the boys of football.

It takes courage to play this sport. It is not for the weak or faint of heart.  The impact is real- strong and forceful.  But it is also a game of finesse and strategy.  

I will pray for them today and their coach, and I will be grateful that I was able to witness the memories.

Thankful to have two more years with # 22.  Hard to believe he was once that sick little baby boy who at 15 months old had the bone structure of a 6 month old baby.  This year has been his first ever at quarterback- Well done Stock!

"Life is a not a work of Art... the moment cannot last."

To be his parents has been a great gift

 Thank you Seleck for trading in your dreams for ones that will carry you to unknown places.  Thank you for your courage, persistence and dedication.  

 Thanks to the many coaches who have helped our boys along the way.  We are so very grateful.

Childhood friends

We will remain Falcons for years to come and we will cherish our days with CTC for # webelieve

                             Don't Give up... Anything is possible