Find Courage to Continue

Our family has a theme, that we now live by daily. It is: Find Courage to Continue. It started a few years ago, when Charles and I were involved in the Youth Pioneer Trek, as a Ma and Pa. (One of the BEST experiences of my life, thus far!) 

Each family had to make a flag for the back of the family handcart. One night, our Trek family got together at the church, to create our flag. We had a blank piece of red material, and we laid it out on the kitchen counter, and started brainstorming. It took some time -- and some good and bad ideas -- but then, somehow, it just came together. 

Little did Charles know that piece of red material in front of him would mean so much to us later on… 

It was determined that "Courage to Continue" was a good idea, but then we wanted another word to go with it. I mentioned the word "have." For me -- being the tough-girl that I am -- I figured you just kind of deal with what comes, and HAVE courage to carry on. But the kids disagreed. They determined that a better word would be "find." They said that there may be times when you just don't have courage, and you will have to find it! With that explanation, how could I argue? Find Courage to Continue became our Family Motto.  How wise those kids were… there have been many moments recently, where I have definitely had to FIND my courage! 

That motto was with us the entire time we were pushing and pulling our handcarts, in the blazing-hot sun, during TREK. It was an amazing and challenging experience, but so inspiring and wonderful. You would be surprised at how heavy a handcart is… my respect for the Mormon Pioneers was lifted to new heights of appreciation and respect.

This picture is the screensaver on my computer… who is that handsome man with the beard? Woo-Hoo! 

We had this picture below blown-up and framed for Charles' Life Celebration. It was all ready to go, and then… we could not find it! It was nowhere to be found in my house, or in the cars, and we even considered that it was left on top of the car and fell off somewhere -- but we retraced every step, and it was no where to be seen! It just vanished. It is STILL missing… I am still hoping that someone, somewhere, will find it -- and that there will be some cool story to go with it! 

Little did we know that the same flag that we followed pushing our handcart, would be displayed at Charles' funeral just a few years later… 

And that it would be hanging over his muddy grave… 

And that the message would be displayed in our house… (Both the picture and the sign were a gift after he died.)

And that Sammi would create an art sculpture at school, portraying her dad, and what she called her, "Heavenly Message." 



Little did we know how meaningful the message -- and the flag -- would be for our family on that day we created it with our TREK family, a few years ago. At the end of TREK one of the boys in our family asked if he could keep the flag -- I wanted to give it to him, but I said no, because I really wanted to have it as a keepsake. I am so grateful I have it!

Since this message is now etched permanently in our minds, it felt very appropriate that it should be forever etched in stone… on Charles' Headstone.

It will look something like this (in about 8-10 weeks, or so)… it will have a family picture on the back, and a picture of Charles on the front.



Find the Courage to Continue… no matter what!

What else are you going to do? Give up?