Greetings one and all,
I have a dear friend in my ward who just lost his wife to cancer about a month or so ago. We were talking last week at church about it. Before they found out she had cancer they were on the verge of divorce due to many different issues that seemed to them to be insurmountable. He was within a week of filing for divorce when they found out she had 3rd stage ovarian cancer. It was 6 months from the time they found out until she passed away. When they found out he decided to stick it out and be there for her as they began all of the chemo. treatments and radiation treatments. As time progressed he devoted all of his spare time to her in helping in any way that he could and to make her as comfortable as he possibly could. To make this story short as we were talking he told me something that I will, hopefully, never forget. He said that, “what I have learned is that when you serve others all of those many little things that bothered me just didn’t seem to matter anymore.” I think he discovered that the problems they were having was based solely on selfishness on both their parts and their marriage became a “what about me” marriage. Through this ordeal due to the service that he rendered they were able to overcome and come together again. They forgave each other. He said that by the time she died they had been able to work out all of the things that had bothered them about each other. He said that he was able to overcome the problems because he thought of her and served her as best he could which helped him forget about the small things. Unfortunately she did die, but he had peace is in heart where she was concerned. I believe that there is purpose in all things and even though we might not understand or maybe even agree with what happens if she had not come down with cancer there would have been a divorce and a family torn apart and even possibly lost on the eternal side of things. It took this trial to bring them together. He had at the time before all this happened been on the verge of being inactive with nothing but bitterness where the church was concerned. There were 2 kids involved through all of this and they may have been lost and had bitter feelings had there been a divorce, but as of now there is still an eternal family there. When we serve others it just seems that all of the little troubles that we have just don’t seem to matter anymore.
I type me emails when I am at work so they will always come a little late in the day. My family is doing fine, but my daughter seems to be going through a spiritual struggle. How I wish she had stayed in Idaho perhaps things would be different now. My son turns 19 this year and in another year I will be kid free as far as them living at home is concerned. I have been informed that my 3rd grand child is on the way and is due sometime in November around thanksgiving time which means I will need to make time and go on out there to see this new little one. They are hoping for a girl. I am too. Diane is now serving in the young women group again and is almost done with another tax season which means the struggle of life continues and this year hopefully I will have a son that will go on a mission that will need to be paid for. That’s ok because I remember dad telling me that when we kids went on missions that he was able to pick up more work or another job or something to put us through and I hope the same happens with me.
Anyway, as far as family reunion goes for next year I have asked for all your inputs on preferences and I thank you all for your input. In order to decide on where to go I needed to know what it was that you would all be willing to do so that everyone would come. I did not want to hold it anywhere that would keep anyone away due to distance or cost. I had to find a place that would be somewhat neutral in difficulty for all of us to get to. You have to understand that by giving me the choice for this reunion that my planning is somewhat biased based on what I like to do and keeping in mind what you like to do and what would be fun for your families. I will admit that my idea of a reunion or vacation may be somewhat different than yours in the fact that I HATE tourist traps. I don’t’ like paying 10 bucks to see an underground water fall or pay 5 bucks and pet my buffalo and I am really not to interested in zoos. I don’t like dinner and a show kind of things and I hate a fast paced kind of thing where you need to be at 10 or 12 places in a day. My idea of a relaxed vacation or reunion is camping, with hiking trails and seeing the country for what it is. I love golf and I love fishing and I can do museums and other history related stuff of interest. I am willing to spend money on some things but I won’t on other things that. So taking all of this in consideration and with your inputs most of you chose the mountains (sorry sis, you will have to do a beach when it’s your turn). I love any chance that I can get to come west and be in or see the beauty of the mountains and I wanted to go to place I have not been to or if I had a place that I do not remember being too. That place is known as “The Crown of the Continent” this place has all of the things that I like to do with its hiking and fishing and golfing and site seeing and for those who don’t mind the jostling of horseback riding you can do that too. It is my idea of a vacation and I think it’s a great place for a reunion. The 2011 Bollschweiler reunion will be held on June 22nd – 25th year 2011 at Glacier National Park. We will be staying at the West Glacier KOA campground. I chose the latter part of the month because from what I have been reading depending on snow amount the park may not be open. I would rather stay in the park itself but I know that roughing it is out of the question so I chose another KOA so that there would be showers and bathrooms and such just like the one Moab. So bring your pop ups or tents or get a cabin if preferred. I hope this place will have something for all. Dad, there are 3 major championship golf courses in the area. Kalispell is a short drive for the shopping enthusiasts as well as the town of whitefish. As we get closer I will be forth coming in info on all that there is to offer or you can go online to see what there is that you might enjoy doing. I will be asking you for your help on assignments and what you would like to do for meal planning and such. With a destination now planned each of you can determine what you want to do and how much money you will need to save. Seriously folks, check out online all of the different things you can do in the flat head valley area. You have 14 months.
Until the 3rd Sunday of next month I bid all of you good day and I think of all of you often. Know that I love and miss you and hope to see some of you this May when I come west for vacation. Allen I would love to hook up with you in Boise to fish if possible and Diane would love to go to the temple there or maybe hook up in Yellowstone since we will be going there. Mom, Dad we plan on being in Yellowstone on the 14th of May and will stay probably 4 or 5 days. Anybody and I do mean anybody who wants to join us you are more than welcome to come. Until next month family members.
Steve
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