LIFE IS GOOD!

Greenwood family (Lynn, Eugene, Keith, Lyle, Roger behind the tire, Mariet, Brian, Wayne sitting on the front tire, Eldon, with Scott and Ronald in the cab of the tractor).

LIFE IS GOOD! (30 August 2019)

The question of the day is, “What makes life good?” What makes you want to celebrate? That reminds me of today’s theme song, “Celebrate” which was sung eloquently by the North Gem High School choir in 1991. You may imagine Wayne and I as you watch Kool & The Gang sing “Celebrate” in their music video… https://youtu.be/3GwjfUFyY6M.

Looking back on life helps put things in perspective. So let’s look back at this picture of my family. There are a few things that I want you to notice…
- The tractor is awesome… maybe even Instagram-worthy!
- Everyone (except maybe Wayne and Eugene) have their shirts tucked in (indicates we are in public).
- Keith has a blue ribbon hanging from his belt (I am sure he won that at the fair, maybe showing a calf… some of my other brothers probably had ribbons as well that aren’t displayed).
- Lyle is drinking A&W root beer (fairs were special occasions!)

I don’t remember taking this photo, but I am pretty sure it was taken at the annual Caribou County Fair in Grace, Idaho. I really liked going to the fair, seeing the animals, booths, tractors, and sometimes even the rodeo. I was also always excited to ride the spinning rides, but I always felt pretty sick afterwards, so in hindsight I am not sure it was worth it.

Since I have good memories of the fair, you might conclude that fairs make life good. But maybe that oversimplifies the matter. Maybe that is like the Grinch thinking that Christmas was all about the trees, the presents, and the roast beast...

Another good memory I have is listening to BYU football games on the radio. I remember listening and cheering with my brothers during many games. I remember one game in particular when BYU put in freshman quarterback Ty Detmer. I didn’t quite hear his name right so I called him Ty Denver for a while, but Ty went on to win the Heisman trophy, which was pretty exciting for BYU sports fans.

Things got real exciting on the farm when I was a teenager and Aunt Paige gave us a 13-inch black and white TV when she and Brian came to visit. We thought it was pretty amazing to watch some shows, and we would get really excited when they televised BYU football games.

One day I was left alone to milk the cows and do all the chores.  That usually wasn’t cause for celebration, but I was excited that evening because BYU was playing the Colorado Buffaloes, and it was going to be on TV. So I hurried to finish all the chores so I could go in and have a perfect, undisturbed evening watching the BYU football game and eating popcorn… I even arranged couch cushions to ensure maximum relaxation and enjoyment! If Instagram had been available, maybe I would have posted a selfie, or a picture of my feet watching the game.

I am sure that I enjoyed it, but I remember feeling pretty unfulfilled as the game ended and I put the cushions back and cleaned up my popcorn. This evening was supposed to be the pinnacle experience of my young life…, what went wrong? Looking back I realize that the experience would have been much more meaningful if I had shared it with someone. Some of my best memories and greatest joys in life have come through shared experiences- especially with my family.

And the funny thing is, some of these great experiences were not even pleasant, like that miserable campout at the Great Sand Dunes. If you had asked me at the time if I would remember that trip fondly, I would have definitely replied in the negative! (I wanted to include a picture of that campout, but I couldn’t find one) But then you kids talked about how great that trip was for the next year, so now I also have good memories of the experience!

See… nobody even knows that Megan has no shoes…

I do have a picture of you in the May snowstorm. I wasn’t there, but I am guessing that experience is probably another good example of an unpleasant experience bringing good memories. If I remember right, Megan only had flip-flops, and I know you got stuck on the road, had to turn around, and only barely made it home. But you made it… and now it is fun to remember!

Stopping halfway to the hotel in a parking garage...

Then there was the time we were eating at the mall in St. Louis and encountered an awful thunderstorm as we tried to get back to our hotel. That was pretty scary, as you can see by Megan and Caleb’s faces. We were all scared as we sprinted probably a half mile through the pouring rain with lightning flashing all around. I don’t ever want to do it again, but now it brings a smile to my face when I think about it.

After making it safely to our hotel, soaking wet…, but safe!

So maybe what makes life good is not necessarily having everything perfect, like my perfect night of football and popcorn, maybe what makes life good is just making it through the hard times together and in one piece...

The next morning at the hotel… the previous day’s awful experience has already become a good memory!

Or maybe milk is what makes LIFE good...

LIFE was my favorite cereal growing up, and I particularly liked it a little mushy, often waiting a minute after adding the milk for the perfect consistency. On one of my first campouts as a deacon we were asked to pack our own breakfast. It was easy for me to decide to bring LIFE cereal, but initially I struggled with how to best transport and keep the cereal and milk cool until the next morning. I finally concluded that the simple solution was to use one container and reasoned that this would have the added benefit of making my cereal extra mushy.

So I put LIFE cereal into a drink cooler, poured plenty of milk on top, sealed the lid on the cooler, and put it in my pack. At some point I started questioning if that was the best solution, and I was little nervous when it was time to open the cooler for breakfast. But what I saw as I sat on the log by the fire pit and looked into the cooler exceeded all my expectations- it appeared that someone had replaced my LIFE cereal and milk with a very thick paste!

A scout sitting to my side looked over when I opened the lid and asked what was in the cooler. I was very embarrassed and mumbled that it was cereal, with no additional explanation. It became very obvious that LIFE is not delicious after sitting in milk for 15 hours! I tried eating my cereal, but it had no taste and the texture was like thick, sticky glue. I only managed to swallow a couple bites before I closed the lid, finished with breakfast.

I still like LIFE cereal, sometimes even a little mushy, but I have learned to never leave it in milk overnight! They don’t have LIFE cereal here, but it turns out I miss ya’ll much more than LIFE cereal :). Watching football games by myself as a youth was not much fun, and staying in Iraq without my family is also not my idea of a good time… even with water polo! I miss you and can’t wait to come home and have more experiences with you! Just eight more weeks!

Love you!

Dad

Marci, Megan, Caleb, Kelsey, Sydney, April, Roger