We do indeed have many, many blessings....too many to count...we all love each other and have our health and strength...for which I am very thankful.
My sweet daughter sent me the following story in an email.
It's message is a perfect reminder for us. Take a minute to read it.
It has a message that we all need to remember...especially in times of stress.
Malachi 3:3 says: 'He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.'
This verse puzzled a group in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of them offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: 'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.' She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed..
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it.'
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire , remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Pass this on to someone who needs to know that God is watching over them.
And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.
...
This story gives us a great message.
It has been a hard week....and things may be difficult for a while....but we will be o.k. and hopefully come out even better in the end.
We know that God is watching over us... and all will be well... that knowledge makes us smile.
I am wishing you smiles this week too.
(((hugs))) Lura
Sweet Mindy came over before the party and helped me wash off all of the chairs and patio tables. I insisted that she stay with the kids and eat with us. So she did. That made me smile because just love it when my kids are here.
Here he is talking to our son-in-law while sitting under our walnut tree in the new swing he put up. (Grampy talks to our sons-in-law often....about BYU sports, business, cooper mine, family etc. 
It is late Thursday night here in CA. on Marie's birthday.
Several of us have birthdays this month.
I wave goodbye and hope I am still alive and in the raft when we dock 8 miles down river.
We are off.
The first half of the trip is quite calm with only 
It really is exciting and fun...
At the end of each run we are ready to go again.
Our first job this year was making a fire pit.
Justin leaves to go to boot camp in the Army in 2 weeks.
Next we worked to set up our camp.
We had 3 camp sites this year.... not as many could come as usually do, so we were there with our 3 girls, Lynell, Erin and Mindy, and their families and a couple of friends .... we missed the rest of the family 
In spite of being on vacation, 
Our first night we just made a simple hot dog dinner because we were tired from setting up camp......The rest of the time we made great camp meals.....
...but that first night the hot dogs tasted great....
...and the s'mores were wonderful.
