Our roots

I recenlty heard this quote from Elder Richard H. Winkel, in his Oct 1999 General conference address. It has made me reflect alot on the many people who have intertwined their roots with mine and helped our family stand a little taller during the storms in our life. One of the greatest blessings I have is my amazing family and friends.
This quote reminded me of growing up in Northern California, in the heart of the redwoods. I remember the tree that was carved out so you could drive your car through it.
(As a matter of fact, here are my older brothers Scott and Kurt, with the good old VW van, on one of our camping trips in these very woods. I don't think I was born yet, which makes it even more amazing that I just happen to have this picture stored in my computer.)

"The coastal redwoods are truly lords of their realm and a most exquisite creation of our Father in Heaven. They reign over associated trees because of their overwhelming height and majestic beauty. However, there is another feature of these towering giants that is truly remarkable and somewhat unknown to most of us. Even though they grow up to heights of 300 feet and can weigh more than one million pounds, these trees have a very shallow root system. Their roots only go down three to six feet but can spread out several hundred feet. As these roots extend out, they intertwine with their brother and sister redwoods and other trees as well. This intertwining of roots creates a webbing effect. Most engineers would tell you this shallow root system still would be impossible to keep the redwoods intact and protected against strong winds and floods. However, the interconnecting root systems are the secret of their strength and teach us a great lesson.

First, let’s acknowledge that these magnificent giants simply could not make it alone. Without being connected to other family members and helpful neighbors, they would not survive.


Today I've thought alot about Jon and Meghan and the blessing it has been to have their roots interwine with ours these past 2 years.

I never imagined what a great blessing it would be to live in the same town with family. When we heard they were moving here we were giddy with excitement. We had been talking for years about how nice it would be to live close to them. We dreamed about being able to swap for date night babysitting, to watch BYU football games together, to get together for fast Sunday dinner and have cousin sleepovers. I knew it would be wonderful in so many ways, but I had no idea then how much their lives would influence ours for good. Their examples of doing what's right no matter what, their devotion to attending the temple regularly, their diligence in reading the scriptures, their constant service to others, their self discipline to study hard and make sacrifices, to always be positive and speak of the best of others. The list is endless. In so many ways I have looked up to their examples and wanted to be better because of their quiet goodness.

Perhaps that is why everytime I ask Russ, "so what will you miss most about Florida?" the answer is always, "Jon and Meghan", and when I ask "So what do you want to do in Florida during your last weeks here?" his answer is always "spend time with Jon and Meghan."

We announced at church that we would be moving soon. Many people came and asked me, "Now, Jon and Meghan aren't moving too - are they?" Oh how I wish the answer was Yes.