Shell's Diaries

I remember when Hunter was just a toddler, and we had just come out of either The Home Depot or some restaurant that gives you balloons to children as they leave, and he was given a balloon.  Probably blue.  I remember making it all the way home with child and balloon safely in the car until the door opened.  And then the balloon escaped, floating serenely in the sky taking its sweet time ascending up to the heavens.  As beautiful as that blue balloon looked making its way towards the sky, my sweet little Hunter wasn't as thrilled.  But then it came to me, or John, not quite sure exactly who said it, that THAT balloon was making its way to McKenna, his big sister who died just a few short years earlier.  So that is what we told him; that we were going to share the balloon with McKenna, that she would catch it and know we were thinking of her. Three children arrived after Hunter, and that has been the tradition, especially from Reagan and Ha...

In my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , we are given assignments, or callings, to fulfill to help run the various organizations within the church.  The callings change from time to time, and at the moment I am the Primary Music Chorister, for the children ages 18 months to 11 years old.  There was a time when I prayed I would never be asked to fulfill this role.  But when I was asked to do it December of 2010, I was excited. I was ready. There is plenty of music in the airwaves that can influence us for good or bad.  But what I appreciate most about the music found within our church are the messages of faith, hope, love of and from our Heavenly Father.  The music I am able to learn, study and then teach to these children each week can give them strength to choose the right, help them feel their Savior's love for them, appreciate the beautiful world God has created for us, teach us the importance and value of family.   ...