Easter Sunday

It was only by God's grace that we made it through Dad's favorite holiday without him. I may have shed a few tears when no one was looking but the day was not as painful as I feared it would be. When I listened hard enough, I could hear dad singing "Up from the grave he arose" with the heavenly choir, now perfectly in tune.

We spent the holiday with the Clark's in Monmouth, which brought back many memories of Easter egg hunts with all the cousins growing up. We used to spend hours dying Easter eggs around the kitchen table. By the end of the day we had dozens of beautiful eggs, multi-colored fingers and we all smelled of vinegar. All the uncles, including dad, would take turns pushing us on the porch swing. Each one would turn their backs as they pushed us and act completely surprised when the swing came back at them a second later. To all of us this was completely hysterical, no mater how many times they did it. I have lost count of how many pictures we have of the extended family in our Easter clothes on the Clark's front steps.

As I think of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made on Good Friday for each and every on of us, I pray that my fathers legacy will continue to invite people into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus died so that each and every one of us will be reunited in heaven when we believe in him. As I look back on my fathers life and my own, I realize that this is the only thing that really matters. Everything else is "small stuff". If you want to know more about Jesus you can start by visiting: Who is Jesus, Really?

Fiona's first swim! What a memory this picture was. It was just last November that I planned to attend my 10th class reunion. I asked Mom and Dad if they would come up and watch Fiona while Katie and I went to the event. Our hotel had a pool so we had to take the opportunity for Fiona to experience swimming. We were also able to attend our old church in Maquoketa and see friends we hadn't seen in years. It was surely Gods planning that allowed us to have so many special memories this last year.
 

A Living Legacy

While sorting through records following Kent's death, I have found dozens and dozens of charities that he supported over the years. He had such a heart for missions and was so happy to support many short term missionary trips as well as having three nieces and nephews in fulltime campus ministry. He was an ardent supporter of Promise Keepers, Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, Republicans for the Christian agenda., Marriage conferences , The Heart Association, Relay for Life, . .. . The list goes on and on. What a legacy.

These are the famous "seven dwarves" that all lived under one roof in Colorado with Kent, Bonnie and Barb. We have added Katie Jean and Fiona since then so now we are looking for a fairy tale with 9 characters in it ;-) 

Dad and Fiona taken the Sunday before he died. He was such a proud Grandpa. My heart aches that she will never know her Grandpa but what a blessing that he was able to know her. 

Winter Memories

It snowed 20" in La Crosse over the last 24 hrs and reminded me of all the fun we had with Dad in the winter. Making snowmen and snow angels in the yard or sneaking under the fence to go sledding at the reservior in Greeley. The family used to go skiing every winter at Winter Park, CO where we always stayed at Grandpa Boulton's condo timeshare. Over the years I graduated from never letting go of Mom's pole to racing Dad through the mogul fields. When I started college, finals week always coincided with Grandpa's timeshare and I was unable to go. You can imagine my disappointment, so Dad made a special trip in January to take me skiing at Afton Alps in Minnesota. It wasn't Colorado but being with my Dad made it just as fun.

Celebration of Life

Friends, business colleagues and family. Drew, Katie, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and I were overwhelmed with the outpouring of love for Kent last Sunday at the Celebration of Life service. Estimates were that 700 people attended--Kent would have been so humbled by the things said about him and the wonderful tributes by people who knew him best. It was a great homecoming party---I know he is singing with the angels, and just in time for Easter--his favorite holiday of the year!!

This picture of my father was taken exactly one year before his death. 

My Dad

I have created this Blog in honor of my Dad. He was not only the best father anyone could ask for but also my best friend. Please use it to share your memories of this irreplaceable man.

He was in perfect health but had a heart attack on his way to the Iowa State Capitol to attend a rally in support of the marriage amendment. Paramedics were able to get his heart started again but his brain had been without oxygen for too long. After all his children arrived and had a chance to say goodbye, we took him off the ventilator at 8:15 on Thursday morning. We prayed and sang praises around him until he left his earthly body 7 hours later. The sense of peace we felt when he passed was tangible and we knew he was then with Jesus for all eternity.

Mere words cannot describe my father but I will use them to the best of my ability. I could fill volumes with the memories I have of my dad so you may see my name often on this blog. For now, I will share with you one of my fondest memories.

When I was 10 or 11, my father took me on a backpacking trip to Blue Lake in the Colorado Rockies. It took a full day to hike in from the trailhead and we sang songs like "Apple Red Happiness" the whole way. We spent 3 nights by the lake sleeping in our small tent and cooking all our meals on a single burner camp stove. The water was crystal clear and you could see all the way to the bottom of the lake. We fished every day and kept only what we could eat. At some point during the first day, Dad dropped his pliers into the lake about 3-4 feet under water but just a foot from shore. Although we could see the pliers clearly, they were well out of reach. Not being one to give up easily, Dad pulled off his shirt and told me to hold onto his legs. He leaned headfirst into the frigid water and retrieved the pliers on the first try. In fact, he had also grabbed another tool dropped by some less resourceful fisherman in the past. We have some great pictures of that trip and I will post some if I can find them.

Drew

Drew