January 21, 2016 - Thursday in Nauvoo

We had a little warming trend this morning.  The temperatures were in the mid twenties....  That made our walk a little more comfortable!  We left the house about 6:00am after our morning prayers and devotional.  We were excited to get back outside for our 3.5 mile walk, and the air was so fresh with a mild breeze this morning.

It was just past 7:00am when we returned home and got ready for the day.  We left for our assignment at the Visitors Center at 8:25am so that we could be there by 8:45am.  The roads were a little slippery, as I found out on our morning walk.  I slipped and went down by the Blacksmith's Shop but there was no damage done.  I think the road will be OK...  Mom tried to catch me but that wasn't a good thing to do!  I just rolled over to my back and there was this bundled up senior trying to regain his composure!  Thank goodness most seniors stay inside on brisk winter mornings!  (Boy are they missing out!)

The Visitors Center had no visitors today.  In fact the Rendezvous Play was cancelled for the second night in a row.  We got off about 1:10pm and walked back home.  The temperatures were closer to the low 30's so our walk was very nice.  When we got back home we got into our comfortable clothes and enjoyed a quiet afternoon.  We then attended the 6:00pm temple session and were the witness couple again.

I have been sharing some things that I have learned about being a father during the early years, with my children the last few days.  Since there is really no text book on parenting, it has been fun following mom's example of sharing some sweet inspired things we have learned as we have gone through the parenting cycle.  

Here is what I plan on sharing with the kids tomorrow morning.  I have often thought about this effort over the years, that now spans two generations, and I wanted to pay more attention to this wonderful part of my fatherhood with a few more details that I will list here;

It begins; "Once upon a time, a long, long, time ago, there was a boy named Bobby".....  For historical notes, this probably started around 1983, in Fremont, California.  The lightening rod of this almost daily event was made famous by one of my childhood, teenage friends, John Hinckle....  For the most part, the John Hinckle stories started off by telling some of my childhood experiences that involved him.  I must have been 12 or 13 when we first met, and his dad, Vern Hinckle, worked with my step father in building houses in the mountains.  As the years progressed, those stories got better and better.,,, and not always filled with facts!

But, I think the best part of starting up this time and tradition, was that I wanted to spend a few quiet minutes with the children right before bedtime.  They would get ready for bed, and the one that was ready first, and was the quietest, got to be first.  I would bundle them up in their blankets, and we would go to the rocking chair in the living-room, and get comfortable.  The other children would wait quietly in their rooms...

I would always start the stories off the same way;  "Once upon a time, a long, long, time ago, there was a boy named Bobby, and Bobby lived in the mountains.... and Bobby had a friend by the name of John Hinckle.... and John Hinckle was a city boy...."  Oh, I had fun with those stories!  (Still do!)

My goal was to spend those precious few minutes with those precious children.  I would cuddle with them and hold them tight and look at them and tell them these wonderful stories.  My only regrets were that some nights I would not get to one of the children who had fallen asleep in their beds waiting for their turn!  They would be first the next night for sure!

That wonderful tradition continues to the next generation.  However, those evenings, and those memories, I had with our precious children, and being able to look upon them and love them and cuddle with them, are priceless.  My fatherhood advice is love those precious children and make them the center of your lives!

Hopefully my children won't read this bog post tonight!  They will get this in a text in the morning!  Mom and I sure love our family!  Thank you for checking in with us tonight!