Happy Mother's Day! Maureen

I'm feeling a little bit melancholy today as we celebrate Mother's Day.  I think back on my mother and my heart begins to tug a little as memories come flooding back to days long ago.  I hope I was like most teenagers were of days ago but honestly I'm not sure.  I mostly was doing things with my friends and paid most attention to them and had little time spent with my parents.  I know they were always there but they weren't 'there' if you catch my drift.  I was so totally focused on me that 'they' were just on the periphery of my life.  It wasn't until my mission that the awesomeness of their existence began to dwell upon me.  The absolute model of sacrifice, love and support began to sink in and I then realized what a putz I had been.  I think now that it took some hard lessons learned on my mission to understand that we all have to look outside of ourselves to realize that Mom's (and Dad's) have it right all along.

I have learned that by being a parent, any amount of sacrifice whether large or small, is nothing in a parents' calling.  I have learned that my mother, bless her heart, would, if necessary, sacrifice her life for the benefit of her children.  I have learned over the years, that my mother did sacrifice her life for the benefit of her children.  Everything she did, she did that I might become a better person, that I might love the Lord with all my heart and that I might honor her sacrifice by how I raised my family.

I have learned that the Mother of my children, has done exactly what my mother did for me.  She has taken a page right out of my mothers' and her mothers' manual and followed it to a tee.  She is a wonderful mother and grandmother.  And so, in honor of my mother and the mother of our children and grandchildren....Happy Mother's Day, Maureen and Mom!!  I love you and cherish you.  Mom....wish I could hear your voice once again!

Family time is every bit what it is hyped up to be!....This past weekend was pretty amazing and it started on a very high note and the pitch and pace never did quite let up. Sunday morning we got to attend the Christmas taping of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We had never been to the conference center for anything other than to walk through it. We were on the first tier up and the first row right in front of the choir. The sound was awesome, the music phenomenal and the spirit piercing. But more impressive was
when the Prophet walked into the conference center. All the buzz, all the chatter and all moving about came to a complete stand still. It was something so unique and yet so overwhelmingly special to a mostly lds crowd that it is nonetheless memorable for whomever is there. To have 25,000 people suddenly stop, turn and longingly look to the front and follow every footstep in that hushed atmosphere is humbling. This experience was the beginning of our visit. Sunday night, we had dinner with
Maureen's brother Randy and his family. It was an enlightening dinner....!....as they like to have a family gospel q/a around the table. Questions were asked and answers were offered up which led to other questions. Lessons were taught and learned around the dinner table. I believe that is where good lessons can be learned! Shout out to Randy and Yvonne for a great evening.
Monday we started our journey to Deer Valley to be with my family, siblings and their children. We arrived to the sound of
fun and laughter. My oldest brother, John and his wife, Luella were there with their children and grandchildren, from Hawaii. My next oldest brother, Kendall, I picked up from my younger brother and took in with us where he to meet his wife and family who were enroute from California. My younger brother, Mike and his wife Sue were also enroute from Highland, Ut. My younger and only sister, Teri and her husband, Johnny and their family drove in from California the night before. And so there we were,
everybody in this cabin nestled up in Deer Valley. I managed to take a bunch of pics on Monday and so here are some of them.#1 is of Teri,Kendall, John, Cameron Mike's oldest son and Mike. #2 is Maureen, Sue, Mike's wife and her neice. #3 is of Maureen, Luella and John. #4 is Kendall, Teri and Maureen. #5 if Mike's family...Kelland, Sue, Mike, Cameron, Aubrey and Ashley in front.
#6 is all the Muaina sibs, me, Kendall, John Jr., Teri and Mike. Not pictured is sib #5, Craig who passed several years ago
tragically. And finally, the last pic is of all the Muaina cousins, sans John III and his wife Beth and their 2 children and all of my 5 children with their spouses and children. I guess I could name everybody in the picture but you will have to guess who everybody belongs to. Okay so here goes....back row with corresponding sib, by number: Caitlin #2, Kainalu #6, Korin #6, Kelland #4, Cameron #4, Ashley #4...front row, Kahea #6,Kelsi #2, Krista #2,
Autumn #1, Lauren #1, Morgan #1, Aubrey #4, Kayla #6, Thomas
#1...on the floor, twins Kory and Kraig #6.
Now for the rest of the story. My oldest brother, John is the family story teller. He has information in his head that nobody else has with regards to family history and lineage. I have often wondered why and how it is that he can tell and relate so many stories and I discovered a few years ago through my reading in the Book of Mormon that father Lehi and his family Nephi, Joseph and Jacob were of the tribe of Manasseh. Their story is has been read and reread millions of times. It is inspiring and filled with the spirit. We can read every verse and find words of encouragement and words of faith.....all predicated upon their deep seeded faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ. Their faith was truly exercised in every footstep into the wilderness, across the great sea and to a new uncharted land. Their faith moved them forward over every hill, every valley and each new circumstance. Through all of this, they were able to remember and record their words for future generations and the modern world to benefit from. They were the ultimate story tellers, but their stories were true and recorded as scripture. My brother is from that very tribe and he tells stories that you want to hear, remember and record for others. He is cut from the same cloth and the fabric of what he says is woven with the spirit of faith and trust in the Lord. We were all on the edge of our seats as he related our family history and the origin of the Muaina line. Family is where it's at. Harmony within the family, be it large or small are the tones which resonate into the eternities. It was a great reunion, being with all my brothers and sister and all my nephews and nieces and their children. Of course, they were deeply disappointed that they couldn't see any of our children and their families but look forward to seeing them some day in the future.....say 2 years from now and in Las Vegas???

Have I done any good in the world today

For those who don't know, two weeks ago on July 19, our good friend Ken Selch passed away while hiking on the Pioneer Trek with our youth. He had a massive heart attack on the trail, only about 1 mile from the end. He was only 55 years old. When something like this happens, it reminds us all again of our mortality here on this earth. It causes us to think about what we do each day to make someone elses' life better. Are we doing the best we can to obey the commandments and do what Christ would do? Are we serving others? Are we living each moment the best we can? In one small moment we could be gone from this earth and meeting our Master, Jesus Christ. I for one know I need to do a lot more so that I can be ready when my time is up. We miss our friend and feel sad for his family, but we know that he is smiling down on them and will never leave them completely alone.

Kodak moment without the Kodak!

We had a Kodak moment this past Thursday afternoon when the school at which I help coach at, Basic H.S., visited an opposing school, Coronado H.S., where Shaun helps coach at!! Shaun is the Junior Varsity volleyball coach and I am the Asst. Varsity Head Coach. It was kinda surreal as I walked there were several eyes that were focused on me and I could sense that whispers were made to the effect,..."there's coach muaina's dad". I unfortunately didn't have the forethought to bring a camera along so that Jamie could take our picture together. We do have another round where we will meet again in our gym so I will definitely have the camera ready. By the way.....if you were wondering.........Shaun coached his team to a "W". My buttons were busting!

Thankful for LIfe

Well today it is one year to the day that I had a stroke and so I am mindful for life today. I am very grateful that it was a minor incident and that all parts of my body still work perfectly. It is also Megan's birthday and I know that last year it was a bummer to have me in the hospital. Anyway, I know that probably no one will read this blog, but if you do please let us know. It sort of seems senseless to keep it up if no one reads it. To all my kids, please keep in touch with each other and read blogs or facebook or whatever. I know I nag alot about that but the most important thing in our lives, next to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, is our families.
Love to you all, Mom

Back in the day!

We got this cool gadget from Megan and Charlie for Christmas so that we could convert our slides over to digital images! Check this one out!!....This was back in the day when we were living in our very first apartment in Orem at 524N. 200E. and yep...that was Marchelle helping Maureen with the dishes. We have re-enacted that same scenario just recently with our grandchildren now and pretty much with the same results....lots of water every where but where it should be....in the sink. But the water is not nearly as important as what the kids got out of the whole experience.

Here is another with my beautiful wife and happy kids at the happiest place in the entire world!!
More to come, more fond memories to relive. Isn't life grand and doesn't it bring a smile to your face to see such happy and meaningful moments?

Time get's away!

By the looks of the picture of everybody sitting around the Thanksgiving table, who would have thought that we would add to our family 5 new spirits. All of them, such noble and sweet spirits that would make your heart melt just to look into their eyes. I know, it's been such a long time since anything was entered in our blog but we just wanted to let everybody know we are still alive and our thoughts are always with our family both immediate and extended.

I was sitting here listening to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, they have a way of causing one to ponder upon weightier matters in life that the thought came to me , which doesn't happen too very often, so I have to seize upon those moments as they may be fleeting, we have been charged from our last General Conference to "rescue the one", who is the one that requires rescuing? Has that "one" been in front of me and I haven't been able to recongnize what the Lord has placed in front of me or am I prepared to "rescue the one" when that one is recognized?

I have noticed that sometimes the Lord does not take us by the hand and walk us through the steps one by one but he will point us in the direction we need to be going and then allows us to muttle our way through. I do notice that in order for us to get from point A to point B, the best way to accomplish it is by one step at a time, beit small steps or large we can't skip steps or transport from A to B. All the time we have to exercise faith in our Heavenly Father and listen to the quiet whisperings of the Spirit.

It has been during those times that I have been inspired to do things that I wouldn't normally do. I have found that at times I have been "the one who needed rescuing". I am ever so thankful for those who responded to the spirit and offered words of encouragement, invitations to be more faithful and extended their hands of welcoming love. Likewise, I am grateful for the example of others who quietly show by their deep love of the Savior how we care for those around us.

I love that I have a family. I love that I have a loving and caring wife. We love our children, their spouses and our grandchildren. I love that I have brothers and a sister all of whom I deeply admire and respect. Although I do not have parents that are alive, they live through me in my actions and thoughts. I look to Grandma and Grandpa Richins as my role models for parents and they fill that role wonderfully. At times, we have all come to "rescue" each other, when we've been down in spirit, mind or body. At times, that "rescue" comes when we least expect it through a phone call or some gesture. I believe that if we are to heed the charge from our Prophet, President Monson, we need to align ourselves with the gospel as found in the scriptures.

This Thanksgiving, we will be spending it with Megan and her family. How grateful I am that we can go there and be surrounded by family. I have seen what it is like to not have a family. I have witnessed the loneliness and the hurt over the years and so in our celebration of Thanksgiving, I will be mindful of the "rescue" effort that involves all of our family and to be mindful of the true gospel of Jesus Christ as found in 3 Ne. 27:21. Happy Thanksgiving to all we love you all, from the Muaina's.