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.

Happy Mother's Day!

Just wanted to wish all you mother's a happy day! This morning when I was writing in my journal, I commented on the fact that I wish that I could wish my mother a happy mother's day and that I miss not being able to. I then remembered that the best thing that I could do to celebrate my mother's legacy is to be a good husband and father as she would have wanted. In doing so, I was in fact, bringing to pass a wish that my mother would have wanted to have. All of these reminders are what keep us moving forward and in the right direction. Maureen is a great mother to each of our children and grandchildren. She remembers them for every occasion. Me on the other hand, I'm lucky if I can remember what holiday is coming around. She has had a go of it for the last several months and she has had to pull me through it all when it would have been easy for me to be a slackard. I have learned to become more rounded as a husband in tending to needs when they are needed.
We are very fortunate and blessed to be able to have a few of our children around us and wish that we could see the others more often. But we realize that they have their lives that they have to live and not necessarily living for us. We are off to see Nathan graduate from Case Western Dental School, these last 4 years have gone by pretty fast. We are excited for him and Bridgette in their new adventure down in Houston for the next year. At least they are or will be very close to the continental divide. We will miss going out to Cleveland as we like that area and especially the climate, when we've visited. Obviously, during the best times of the year.
The best news though this year is that we will have Marchelle, Rahul and family along with Megan, Charlie and family out to Bear Lake this year! They haven't been for awhile and along with, hopefully, Shaun and Jamie, Kai, don't know about Derek and Rebecca, Elizabeth this year, we could have a crowd! Sorry I'm kinda all over the place right now. So I'll quit.

Grateful

Grateful!! That word expresses how I feel after the life changing event that took place on Mar. 8 (our precious daughter Megan's birthday) when i suffered a minor stroke. Needless to say, it has been a life changing event for me and I think for a few others also. I feel so blessed to have another chance to enjoy life and the little things that we take for granted every day. I feel blessed to see, hear, speak, use my hand (although a little slower), type on the computer, play the piano, button my shirts, comb my hair, many other things, but most of all to hug my husband, my children, and hold our precious little grandchildren. When you are faced with your own mortality things become very precious and also a little scary. I try very hard to keep fear gone and faith in the forefront, but it is very hard not to think about it every time anything happens or as you try to go through a day. Right now my blood pressure is high again and I am very worried. I see the doctor on Tuesday and I am putting my faith in him that he can help me. In the meantime I had a blessing where I was told to rest, have peace, and know that all will be well. I am so thankful for the Priesthood and faithful men who can speak Heavenly Fathers words to us. I was also told to trust the Doctors. I thank all of you for your continual prayers on my behalf because I still need them. I pray many times every day that I will have more years here on this earth and I guess if nothing else this experience has shown me how many people really care about me and how much I need to rely on the Lord. Basically our lives are in his hands and even though we are told this all the time, it sometimes takes something drastic to remind us that it is true.