Greer "Coat of Arms"

 

Last year we didn't think Dad was going to make it through the treatments for prostate cancer. With good medical care and lots of prayers, he is doing better than he has for a long time. He grew up in a small town in northern Arizona named Eagar. He had quite a tough time with the use of alcohol in his family, another story.  Anyway, for the last twenty plus years he and my Mom have planted a garden up there and in the fall they harvest it before it freezes. He really wanted to have a family reunion up there to pick the corn, fish and be together. This has been the first time in three years our immediate family has been together and even with all the conflicts and illness we had a good turnout and a fun time. Mindi had planned on bringing her kids up while Dave watched the animals and get Tristyn to her volleyball tournament. But Trulie started throwing up Thursday night so we uninvited her. Spencer surprised us and drove from Denver with his little family and without them Rich and I wouldn't have had any support. We stayed up way to late talking on Friday, so when the kids started playing at 6:30 a.m. it was hard, but I can do anything for at least one day. The guys went up to Big Lake to fish while we stayed home and got ready for the rest of the family coming for dinner. We shucked corn, moved tables and got ready to feed the fifty or so people attending. Dad bought steaks and hamburgers and we had just a wonderful meal together. After eating Len gathered us all together to tell us about our ancestors who had come before us. It had a missionary twist to it, he's still in that missionary mode and will probably always be there. He gave a quote that is on the Greer "Coat of Arms" that says, "He who careth not whence he came careth not whither he goes." It was a nice little devotional and then we went out and cut the corn field down to make corn shocks to put up in front of our houses for Thanksgiving. Each family took a picture with Mom and Dad in front of the garden. Who knows if we will ever be able to do that again. It is always hard to try and find time to be together as a family, but I think my parents will remember this for a very long time and know that we all love and support them to the end.