Parker Wayne - What's in a name?

Parker, I thought you would appreciate knowing where your name came from.

About a year before we had you, we were in Washington for the funeral of your Great Grandpa Jex. As we had the opportunity to be with family to celebrate him, his life, and his legacy, we were chatting with your aunts and uncles.  We starting talking about having other children, and were asked if we had any names we liked.  Mommy had always liked the name Parker, and daddy suggested the name Peter Parker. Yes, Spider-Man was a possible name for you. We liked the way it sounded and it was similar to Jackson in that your first and middle initials would be the same. Unfortunately, or fortunately, however you choose to see it, your Aunt Lisa teased that you would be P(ee) P(ee) Ward. Needless to say, that name was quickly tossed out.

After we found out we were expecting you, just like with your brother Jackson, your dad was not willing to be serious about names until he knew what your gender was. After we found out that you would be a boy we started seriously talking about names.

We decided to use a family name for your middle name, just like with Jackson. Wayne was the name of your Great Grandpa Ward and is also the middle name of your Grandpa Ward, so we chose that.  We just needed to come up with a first name.

One option that was very popular with our friends was Bruce. Yes, you guessed it. If we couldn't do Spider-Man we might as well do Batman. However, one day mommy jokingly called you Bruce, and we realized neither of us liked Bruce on its own. We would have to forever call you Bruce Wayne as if it were your first name and we didn't like that idea.

Our final decision, as you know, is a combination of our two favorites, Parker Wayne. As with Helaman and his sons, the same goes for you and Jackson. There was a purpose for your name. Your Great Grandpa Ward and Grandpa Ward are great men of faith. Your Grandpa Ward diligently fulfills his callings no matter the call. His faith in Jesus Christ shows in all he does and says. He is a very loving man and never lets an opportunity slip by to share his love and gratitude for each and every one of his family members. He is a very hard worker. These are qualities that we wish for you to emulate in your life.

We love you!

Dad

Jackson Jeffrey - What's in a name?

Jackson, I thought you might be interested in knowing where your name came from.

We were so excited when we found out we were expecting you, even though you made mommy sick while we were in Hawaii. I guess you can say you have been to Hawaii too, technically. We had been trying for some to get pregnant and we were so happy to know you would soon be coming.

Well before we knew if you were going to be a boy or girl, mom like to talk about possible names. I, however, did not want to discuss names until we knew your gender. Whenever the conversation of possible names came up I would jokingly suggest names like 'Psych Ward' or 'Maternity Ward' or even church congregations back in Washington like 'Tiffany Park Ward' and 'Benson Hill Ward'. Needless to say mom did not care for my jokes to much.

Mom remembers it being one night as we were laying in bed, when she started asking what names I liked again. I gave her the standard joke names, when suddenly the name Jackson Emery came to my mind. I told her the name and she looked at me astonished. I couldn't understand why. She asked me if I really wanted to name you that. I responded that I did, I really like the sound of it. She laughed. I was really confused and asked why she laughed. She asked if I realized that Jackson Emery was a BYU basketball player. I completely forgot and had to laugh. That was probably why I liked the way it sounded so much. Ultimately, we both agreed we loved the name, but your mom could not live with your initials so we had to come up with a different middle name.

In the end, we decided and giving you your Grandpa Brown's middle name. At the time it may have been because of how it sounded together more than anything else. However, around the time you were to receive your baby blessing I thought more about your name and I how wanted it to be more than a name to you.

In the Book of Mormon, Helaman named his sons Nephi and Lehi. His desire was that they would think of their namesake and seek for the same good characteristics and blessings in their own lives. That is what I wish for you. Your Grandpa Brown has one of the biggest hearts that I have ever known. He genuinely loves all he comes in contact with. He is able to make friends regardless of what country he is in or language he is speaking. He has charity for all the people he meets and that is why people are drawn to him and quickly become his friend. Grandpa Brown is a hard worker. He gives his everything at whatever he does. He is smart and resourceful. These are traits and characteristics that we wish you will strive for in your life as you remember your name and where it comes from.

We love you.

Dad

April, 21, 2013

An experience shared by Kate Mackay

I had to stay home from church because Addi and Jenn were sick so I was helping Rich and Dell get dressed and out of the house.

Rich was struggling after his shower; shaky, out of energy, pale, the usual fibro effects. I made him a quick lunch and put it on the bed next to him. I asked if he wanted me to offer a prayer. He said yes.

I started and thanked Him and asked for the usual things but then things changed during the prayer. With everything inside of me I desperately wanted Richard to be healed. No more pain. No more fibro issues. No more suffering. I wanted desperately for him to be able to work outside the home so I could selfishly stay home with my girls. I so wanted to ask for all of this. In my mind I was, I was begging for it all. I started to cry for it all. But the words, “please allow Richard the strength, energy, and relief to get through church until he can come home.” Those were for sure not my words or my thoughts.

So where did they come from? I was an emotional wreck for the rest of the day/ For the first time in my life I felt constrained to pray for the thing I so deeply wanted. I felt as though Heavenly Father would not allow those words to come out of my mouth.

I talked to Richard briefly about it. I asked if that was what a priesthood blessing felt like. You want to say something or heal someone so desperately but the Lord has another plan and we have to accept that the things we want to ask for may not be the best things. Certain thoughts and feelings are restrained so the Lord can bless us fully, in His time and in His way.

I felt like today for the first time I wasn’t just talking to Heavenly Father, but that we were communicating and I was submissive to His will. Not just accepting, but submissive. It hurt. But the tender mercies from the Lord enveloped me. I felt the tenderness of “Abba” today. My husband and daughter got home safely and the fibro attack did not last long. He is not free from suffering, but he will make it. He was promised to be healed one day. We just have to hold on to that.

Love,

K

Shawn - A Poem for your birthday

Happy birthday Shawn, you're a wonderful husband & Dad,
Having you in our family makes us oh so glad!

Take good care of our daughter, and our precious grandson too,
for inspiration, love, and guidance; they both look up to you.

May your year be filled with much happiness and love,
and may you always acknowledge your rich blessings from Above!

Happy Birthday,
Love Dad (Brown)
December 2012

What we wish for you to know

There are lots of things going on in the world around us. Some of these things are good and some of them are bad. Media is everywhere and often focuses on the negative choosing not to report the good. There are many reasons for that, one of them being ratings. What the world views as acceptable is changing. Those with moral standards are persecuted and told that they are being small minded and labeled as intolerant and hateful.

It is amidst all of this tumult that your mom and I decided we wanted to be able to write down for you what we wish for you to know. Some of our thoughts will be more spiritual in nature. Other thoughts will be silly. We might even have some wisdom to share that we have gained through experiences of our own. Sometimes these thoughts might be driven by what is going on in the world around us at the time. Ultimately, we are writing things we wish for you to know that you may learn from us and avoid dangers along the path of life. We want you to be happy and to know we love you deeply. Nothing you can do will ever change that fact. You are ours. You can always turn to us or these words when you are in need of comfort, peace or direction.

It is with this in mind that we begin this blog.