Our Canada Trip to Glacier, Waterton and Banff

We enjoyed the majestic scenery on our trip to Canada this summer.

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Wild Flowers in the Rocky Mountains

When you visit the mountains in Utah
you discover that spring comes late
and autumn comes early.
There is so little time to explore and relish
the miracles of God's creations
before snow falls once again.

We took a hike on the 4th of July
and here are some of the spring flowers we found.

 

 

BABY BLESSING

BABY BLESSING

In a world where there is trouble at home and abroad, the blessing of a newborn infant doesn’t make the headlines . . . but perhaps it should. Gideon Michael Cope was given a name and a blessing today. He is my grandson.

Earlier on this bright summer morning before church began, I watched as his mother Arianne lovingly dressed her newborn son in white. In another part of their home, Gideon’s father Jared knelt to ask for heaven’s guidance as he blessed his newborn son.

I watched as family gathered and shared good food in the back yard of my daughter’s home to celebrate the occasion – a fitting feast. Then later we all walked together to the Mormon church two blocks away.

Once inside the chapel, we prayed and sang a hymn. Then his father, two grandfathers and a dozen uncles surrounded Gideon in a protective circle. I watched as each man reached inside the circle and placed one hand beneath the child and the other hand on the shoulder of the man standing next to them.

Then Jared gave his new son a name and a father’s blessing. It seemed as though the circle of those who love Gideon kept expanding to include all who love him both here on earth and beyond the veil. For never is God’s love more real than in His gift of a new child to us. Now in this place, there is new light and hope.

After the blessing my daughter stood before the congregation and bore her testimony of the atonement of Jesus Christ. She said, “I am so grateful that I have the privilege of being a mother so that I can understand in some small way the new birth the Savior offers all of us.”

Perhaps it is in these loving circles of family - where those who have gone before and those who follow us – keep us from falling and show us the light. Through both water and blood new life is born and we are all new once again.   

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Celebrating the 4th of July with Family

What would the holidays be without children?

I'm Speaking on Healing From Abuse and Neglect



I will be speaking about

healing from abuse and neglect

on July 11th at 7:00

in Payson Utah

at 1138 East 100 South.



Maple Mountain Stake Girl's Camp 2013

My husband and I were asked to speak to this awesome group of young women at their girl's camp in the Rocky Mountains. It was such a blessing to be in the presence of these righteous young women who will change the world with their goodness.

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Happy Anniversary Sweetheart

Thirty-eight years ago today I was married and sealed to the man I love in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a bright and early 8 a.m. wedding on a beautiful summer day much like today. We had nothing in the way of worldly goods, but we had each other.

The first years were lean and busy with mice infested apartments, tuition and doctors to pay and the first of our ten children quickly filling our home and hearts . We had three dreams . . . to serve God, each other and our family. Today we are seeing the fulfillment of those dreams in ways we could not have imagined when we were so young and naive.

Last night I saw my sweetheart speaking to hundreds of young women and their leaders at a church sponsored Girl's Camp in the Rocky Mountains at dusk. I was moved to tears by the gentle giant of a man he has become. How I respect, trust and adore him. My decision to marry Ross Baadsgaard has filled my life with incredible joy. All that is most meaningful to me has flowed from our union.

Happy anniversary sweetheart. You are the love of my life.

      

Just in case you need to smile. . .

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Ross and Janene Baadsgaard Reunion 2013

All the people I love the most minus one family in Florida.

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THE QUALITY OF LIFE



My grandson Caleb lived for seven years.
He taught us all what quality of life really means.
April and Dallan Moody are pictured here next to their son Caleb's grave.
They lovingly cared for him with joy and gratitude.

THE QUALITY OF LIFE
Years ago my obstetrician called me at home to educate me on the laboratory results of a blood test he’d ordered earlier.
“At your age, your chances of having a baby with severe genetic defects are one in twenty-two,” the doctor said. “After the blood test, your chances are one in two. You have a fifty-fifty chance of having a child with serious problems. Do you still want to continue this pregnancy?”
“Of course,” I answered.
“I can order an amniocentesis to confirm,” he offered.
“No,” I answered. “The results won’t change my choice to have this child.”
“Well, it’s your decision,” the doctor answered. “But remember this choice will negatively affect the quality of life not just for you - but your whole family.”
After I hung up, I felt stunned, unsure how to feel. So I cried. My two-year-old saw my tears and asked me why. It was difficult to find words to explain.
“The baby inside Mommy might be different, I finally answered.
“What’s different?” he asked.
“Different means the baby might not be the same as you and me.”
“Different isn’t sad Mommy,” my young son said.
He was right. I stopped crying.
When I told my husband about the doctor’s report he said, “What ever shape our baby’s in, she’ll still be our little girl and we’ll love her and take good care of her.”
My daughter Alisa was born a few months after my doctor’s phone call . . . perfectly healthy. Will she have challenges during her life time? Yes - we all do.
 
A few years later, the doctors kept urging my daughter April to consider her son Caleb’s quality of life and her own and to reconsider her decision to actively pursue urgent medical care because her son was born without a brain.
“They are not able to grasp what a privilege Caleb is and how immensely he is loved and adored,” my daughter said to me after one long tiring day in the hospital. “Today I met with several doctors and told them our family story. When I finished, they were all in tears. I explained how Caleb is surrounded by love and how our family’s quality of life has been richly blessed by his presence."
 
Every parent takes a life-altering chance each time they conceive a child; but the chance is not between having a “normal” child and one with “problems”. Every child will have challenges - be they physical, emotional, social, mental or spiritual. Each parent is given the soul altering privilege to learn the true meaning of devotion in the midst of those challenges. That deeply personal choice is what creates quality of life. The chance is really a choice - to love - whatever the chances.

My daughter Alisa is now 13 years old and such a blessing to our family.

 

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The Holiness of Everyday Life

There is a holiness in everyday life. Sometimes we think that we can't enjoy our days until everything is running smoothly  . . . no problems or cares. Yet it is in those very daily challenges that we become more than we were . . . where our spirits are stretched or deepened by a loving God. The problems we face every day don't get in the way - they are the way. How do we learn patience without life experiences that try our souls? How do we develop empathy until our hearts have been broken?