Circle of Life

Disney and the Lion King do not have the "Circle of Life" market cornered.
Today friends and family overfilled a church, the overflow and the foyer to celebrated Austin Atkinson's soon departure to the Baltics. He is the oldest of my youngerst sister ( she is seven of eight) who's family is designed a lot like mine -- two boys a girl and a boy.








I remembered how frantic life was for Lori and I as we sent our oldest on his way to Seattle.
We had just moved into a new log home. We didn't have our sprinklers or lawn in. We were expecting a huge crowd (any time my family gets together, it is a huge crowd). I had a chance to get a lot of FREE sod. We worked frantically. My friend, who did sprinklers for a living, was hours ahead laying pipes and sprinklers of my brother-in-law Doug Snow who got to show us his expertise on a small Ford Tractor as he spread a thin layer of top soil. He was hours ahead of a crew that was taking sod from the Gunnison City Park. Th city was getting a new swimming pool and the guy digging the foundation gave me two days to collect all the sod I could. It was a miracle. Father-law, Stan Snow, some kid who was drifting through town who needed work, me and the boys cut, stacked, moved and laid nearly a half-acre if lawn in a matter of two days.
Of course, the lawn was beautiful and just in time for the crowd. It was a blessing as it kept the red dirt/sand out of our new carpet.
Louise and Brian,have double the trouble. they get twice the crowd I had. Over the past 30 years, Louise's older siblings are now grandparents. The cousins, who have married and born children, are very supportive when it comes to missionaries. They bring their little ones, to everyone's delight. Now we are an even bigger crowd.

All of this came to mind as I sat by one of my sons in the very very back of the overflow section. Cody and Kimberly are about to duplicate three-fourths of my family -- Two beautiful boys, and they are expecting a girl. (What are the odds?)

In 15 years it will be their turn to prepare a son to go into the world, to prepare a meal for a crowd that will probably be ......
Ah, the Circle of Life!