The Greatest Generation

     Dear sisters,
    Yesterday, Brian and his wife, Tawnya and boys were speaking in church so I went to show my support.  I got to watch their youngest, 2 year old Rex, who incidentally ate my last 3 sticks of gum by the time church was over.
     There, sitting in the seat in front of me, sat Uncle Reo's Granddaughter and her husband with their darling twin boys, who are 6, their cute 4 year old daughter and new 6 month old baby girl.  Amber is cousin Rick's daughter. She reminds my a lot of Uncle Reo's boys.  She has coal black long curls and all her kids have Grandma Lillie's dark hair.
     A few of years ago, Brian and Tawnya walked across the street to meet their new neighbors, Amber,  her husband and their twin boys.
     Amber said they were just getting home from a family reunion. Brian asked."Where was your reunion?"
     "Rexburg, Idaho." Amber said.
     "That's where my family is from. What's the name."
     "Archibald."
     "Shut up! That's my Grandma's name. Her first name is Ilene."
     "Shut up! My Grandpa Reo has a sister named Ilene."
     "We're second cousins!!" They said together....
And they have been good friends ever since.
    As I sat there in church it felt like mother and her brother, Reo and Grandma Lillie and Grandpa David were sitting on the bench with me.  What a lovely man Uncle Reo was.  All 8 of mothers brothers were wonderful, kind men. Five of them went off to war at the same time. Uncle Reo was a medic and by the time he came home from the war, his coal black hair had turned white.  He never wanted to talk about the horrors he had seen.  I remember he always had a smile on his face and would have given you any thing he had. He was just older than Mother and he played house with her a lot when they were little. They loved each other dearly.
   The next generation is moving on. Taking the example their parents set for them. Taking their babies to church.  Singing 'Come, Oh Thou King of Kings', like I did yesterday, (with the slowest chorus director I have ever seen. I mean I was singing as loud as I thought appropriate from the back trying to get her to speed it up before everyone went to sleep. I was on the second King when she was just getting to the First King, my gosh how slow can you go! And that tight, white, almost see through skirt she was wearing should have been outlawed. What the heck was she thinking. Getting up in front of all those people wearing that skirt that showed her ass off like that!!!)
    I think the next generation of kids we raised are awesome too. They are products of the Greatest Generation, so how can they help but be great.
     My 2 year old charge had yelled out 'Hi Daddy', really loud, waving his tiny hand, 3 time during his daddy's talk, filled his hand with half  the bread off the sacrament tray, ran up and down the rows, dragging his blankie,  eaten all Amber's kids treats and then finally got out of my grip long enough to walk all the way up to the stage and climb up onto his mama's lap. Boy, I'm sure they will call me to watch him during church again.
   I was a proud Mom and Grandma after Briggs  read his story about how to be a good friend, Beckham sang "I Love To See The Temple", and Brian and Tawnya had given their talks on God's Tender Mercies. We sang the closing song, (really, really slow) and after the prayer I leaned forward to talk to Amber. I told her I had never met her new baby yet. "What did you name her?" I asked
    "We named her Haven Lillie."
     And the beat goes on..........Love You All,  Jelene