Sneaky

At my Grandpa's funeral, every one of his children spoke. My mom's oldest brother spoke first and has not been in an LDS church for probably 45 or 50 years. It was kind of a joke that Grandpa got him to stand at a pulpit. Although he was clearly out of his comfort zone, he gave some beautiful thoughts about his father. He talked about how he felt that Grandpa had led a "sneaky" life. To my Uncle Doug, it always seemed that his dad was living a mundane, ho-hum, work-hard-so-you-can-support-your-family kind of life. But as he and his sisters sat around discussing my grandpa's life, my Uncle Doug came to realize that Grandpa had sneakily lived a very full, happy life. Grandpa filled his days with small, seemingly insignificant moments that when added together created a grand portrait.

Sort of like a puzzle. When you open a box containing a 1000 piece puzzle, each individual piece doesn't mean very much. But when constructed, a beautiful image comes to life. My grandpa lived his life at campgrounds, singing around campfires. He spent his days gliding across a glass lake on a slalom ski. He spent nights at Yuma, St. George, Bear Lake, and Escalante swapping hilarious stories and off-color jokes. He spent hours in a fishing boat. He spent Sunday afternoons playing whiffle ball and H.O.R.S.E. with his grandchildren and spitting corn kernels at each of us while he ate corn on the cob and laughed simultaneously. He spent Christmas Eve in the cheapest, most hideous Santa suit you can imagine (generally with one eyebrow falling off). He was so sneaky about his happiness that one could miss it is you weren't looking for it.

I think of my grandpa often as I notice the sneaky moments of my life. A few months ago, we were at Bear Lake. Greg was in the big pool with Austin and Macy throwing them off his shoulders and having "hold your breath" contests (which Greg always wins - hands down [I swear the man has gills]). I was in the baby pool with the youngest three trying not to concern myself too much with the fact that it was significantly warmer than that hot tub or the big pool. When suddenly, a ladybug landed on my hand. I quickly gathered my three littlest hens under my wing to show them this "sneaky" treasure of nature. We probably spent 20 minutes or so passing the ladybug among the four of us. The boys got good at holding out their pointer finger and waiting patiently for the ladybug to climb aboard. They would all watch in wonder as the ladybug made its way up their arm. The lucky bug-holder would squeal with delight as it got closer to their shoulder. Then, I would gingerly take the ladybug in my fingers and pass it along to the next child. They were mesmerized. Every once in a while, the ladybug would fall and land in the water and like little chirping chicks they would point and beg for "Mommy" to save it.

As I sat there, looking into the faces of Paige, Spencer, and Kade, I was kind of sad that I didn't have a camera handy. I wanted to capture this magical moment. The first time my boys experienced a real, live ladybug. Then, I thought of my grandpa. I was determined to remember where I was sitting, the look of sheer amazement in the eyes of my babies (who aren't technically babies, but the word "technically" bugs me), and try to take a mental snapshot of all the details of this precious, "sneaky" moment. I consider ladybugs one of God's most fascinating creations.

The happiest people I know...are those who, while in pursuit of worthy goals, discover and treasure the beauty and sweetness of the everyday moments. They are the ones who, thread by daily thread, weave a tapestry of gratitude and wonder throughout their lives. These are they who are truly happy. - President Dieter F. Uchtdorf