On a Mission

I, DH, am going to share a few thoughts regarding the author of this blog on this Mother’s Day. 

My wife is named after her great, great grandmother.  Julia Ann Crandall was known to be a strong woman.  She was the mother of 8 or 9 boys and it is told that nothing could ever get by her.  With those simple descriptions alone, it makes sense to me that my wife carries the same name.  A few days ago, I was out digging in the yard.  Our soil is made of pure clay.  I honestly have no idea how this land became such a farming capitol without the machines they have available today.  I understand the clay to be nutritious but how anyone ever started digging had me perplexed until a few days ago.  I was beat.  I felt every time the tools would strike the ground it would send vibrations from my fingers to my toes.  I said to my wife, when are you going to let me get a Rota till and break this up.  She grabbed the hoe and started chopping.  Within a mater of minutes she had the soil loose and useful.  I was very impressed.  She was a woman on a mission and when she put her mind to it she accomplished something I saw as impossible.

It reminded me of another time when I left for a weekend with my brothers.  She and I were working on some backyard garden boxes.  They were permanent boxes made of cinder block, stone veneer and capstones.  We had never worked in masonry before but once again she was a woman on a mission.  I was gone only 2 days but by the time I had returned she was halfway done, somehow laying and sealing with cement 112 heavy cinder block while keeping our four young children well and content.  Another example of her physical strength is the when we returned excess cinder block to the store from that same project.  I was on the ground loading from a truck while she was handing the blocks to me and holding our toddler in her arms.  I took the load in on a cart, sweating, looking pathetic but proud that it was no longer sitting in our garage.  A store manager approached me and said, “I was watching you two from the window.  Was that your wife helping you?”  “Yes” I said with a smile.  She continued, “I bet she can beat you up.”  My smile went away, the reality set in.  “I bet she can.”  I replied. 

Her physical strength was also recently exemplified through her completion of the Salt Lake City Marathon.  What a feat!  She completed the marathon in 4 hours and 27 minutes.  This is the first marathon she has run in 10 years and the first official marathon she has completed.  The other marathon she completed was one that she and I ran together from Bridal Veil Falls, to Utah Lake to Springville and we finished that in 4 hours and 45 minutes.  This was such significant accomplishment for her since for so many years she has put any of her dreams on the side as I pursued my own.

But this woman is not just pure muscle.  She is strong in intellect, patience, kindness and sincerity.  She is strong in her commitment to her children.  She is there at the crossroads, available by choice to answer the math questions, provide the nutritious meal, comfort the sad and create a home striving to be a Heaven on earth.  She is the voice of reason and constantly carries a cheerful countenance.  Those of you who know her would agree that her smile alone could cheer you up.

This Mother’s Day, I am grateful my Father in Heaven who led me to such an amazing woman.  Julia my wife, like the Julia of so many years ago, continues the legacy of strength carried in the name.