A Letter to my Parents

A letter to my parents,

Well, Mom and Dad..It's been quite a while since you've been with us.  Lots has happened.  You taught us so well by the way you lived.  You were loving, funny and unselfish.  You were devoted to the gospel and to your family.  You made a mark on so many lives.  Mom, you in your quiet, graceful, loving way.  And dad, you as the leader, our funny, positive, full of fun dad.  How were we so blessed to be born to you guys?  Since you've been gone, the children have grown, making lives for themselves.  You saw two of Jamey's boys, but since then he and Becky added two more and convinced them all that baseball and golf were the best ways to occupy their time.  

You would love watching them as they excel in their activities.  They are such good boys.  Tyler finally found his true love.  He and Melanie have two beautiful boys, as beautiful as their mother. Tyler treats her just as you treated mom.  (He was trained well).  Abby and Mike are busy with their two boys..(can you see a pattern here?)  They are a busy happy family.  Abby reminds me so much of both of you.  She is talented like mom, and has the drive of you dad.  What a combination.  Nothing stands in her way.  I am able to be around Dylan, Jake and Sam a lot of the time and love getting to know their personalities, and what makes them happy or sad.  They are amazing children.  Nick is our professor, touching the lives of many young cadets at the air force academy.  Whitney and Jason are the greatest, as they presented us with our only granddaughter, Wren.  How we love and cherish our little beauty.   

Everyone is busy with careers, raising children, and good works.  They are all successful and happy.  Jim, James and his boys have been back to the Masters once.  We go out once a year to watch the boys play baseball and there's nothing better than watching them for two weeks.  We've travelled, we've enjoyed concerts with music that always makes me wish you were there with me, loving the music as I do.  We've made improvements on our home, always grateful for the talent mom past on as I make something out of nothing.  Jim is serving in the Bishopbric right now.  He is so patient and kind with the issues that come before him. We are most happy when surrounded by our kids and grandkids.

Our lives have not always gone as we would want them to.  We've had health issues, retirement before we expected..other problems that get in our way.  But because of the things you taught us we move forward with faith and a knowledge that all will be well.  We are blessed with wonderful children and grandchildren and a knowledge that the gospel is true.  Thank you for leading the way.  I love and miss you every day.  Thank you for being my mom and dad.  love, polly

Giggs Bagley-Lessons learned from my dad

I've had the flu the last couple of days.  As a result I'm laying around in bed, thinking a lot. 

 Last night I started thinking about dad.  I thought of all the things he taught me. 

He was part of the "greatest generation,"  growing up during the depression. 

He wrote,

"I consider it quite a blessing that we had no money.  We had to scratch.  When I finally got a dress coat, I was out of high school.  We were always in deep trouble with money.  We did any old thing to make ends meet. We picked strawberries, we picked cherries.  We couldn't wait until June and July when the fruit came in.  When we picked it we could get a quarter per case.  One summer we went up there to Mount Olympus and picked worms." 

 He learned  a hard work ethic and sticking together as a family from those early years.  He fought in WWII as a young man. 

I learned from him a deep love of this country.  To never take for granted all the wonderful opportunities and blessings this great nation has to offer. 

After the war he married our mom.

  A woman he cherished throughout his life.

  He was a devoted family man. 

He loved his June and us kids more than anything and gave us everything, not just monetarily. 

He gave us a magical childhood.  We had fun growing up. 

 There was lots of laughter..much joy.

He taught me about persistence. 

One of his favorite quotes was by Calvin Coolidge.

"Persistence

Nothing can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not:   nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not:    Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not:    The world is full of educated derelicts.

 

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

He certainly lived this. 

There were many examples where he taught me this principal.  While he worked as an optometrist, coached, approached any problem, but one in particular comes to mind. 

He always wanted to build a golf course. 

As a young boy, he would caddy for "a dollar a loop,"  at the Salt Lake Country Club, hoping for a dime tip so he could buy a hamburger. 

 When he got older and had some land in Parleys Canyon, he could just see a world class golf course rolling through those hills.

  It couldn't be just any old course, it had to be the best.

  So he just called Arnold Palmer and made it the beautiful world class course that it is today.  Every time I drive up that canyon  and see that golf course I am reminded of the lesson of persistence my dad taught. 

 Also, that one of following a dream. 

 

He certainly followed his dreams. 

Which leads me to another thing I learned from him. 

 Dad became very successful.  He always told me that all the" things" he had were nice and even fun to have, but they were just" things". 

 The trick was to remember that, and to be just as happy if you didn't have those things as you are when you do have them.

He proved this to me, when one day he lost most of what he had.  During that time he became great to me, because he lived what he preached. 

 He was as happy as before. 

 He continued to work, to be joyful, because he had what was of most importance to him. 

He had his wife, his family

 his faith..he could work. 

The challenge was before him, and he was no quitter.

 

I learned faith from him. 

 He had an unwavering faith and was a positive thinker. 

 He knew things would work out, as the scripture says.

 

"Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly."

 

D&C 90:24

 

I learned about imperfections from him.  For all that he accomplished, he was not perfect.  No man is.  Jesus Christ is the only person who has ever been perfect on this earth.  But I learned that you can always keep trying, I learned to not let imperfections get in the way, to strive to be better, to learn and to move on striving to be a better more compassionate person. 

 

Mostly I learned from my dad, that family is the most important thing this world has to offer.  For all the trials he overcame, when he lost his June, I think that one was just one that was too big for him, yet he did have his kids and grandkids to surround him with their love and that was the greatest blessing to him.  Because of his love for them, those grandkids circled around him and poured out love unimaginable. 

 

Thank you dad for these and many more valuable life lessons. 

love, polly

 

 

(just a little of Giggs and June's posterity-still having fun and carrying on as they would have us do)

Christmas Memories

After this last week, I've been remembering Christmas's past.  About the second week of December my mother started decking the halls of our home.  Everything was beautiful, warm and welcoming.  My dad's day off was Thursday, and usually on the second Thursday of December I came down with some illness or another, knowing he would be home and usually spend part of the day shopping for my mother.   If I suddenly felt well enough he would take me with him.  I loved going shopping with him for mom. 

 He spoiled her so.

Classy outfits and coats were always on his list.  He loved to see her in red or orange.  I loved a particular store where there were models who were the size of the person being bought for.  They came out wearing this outfit or that, until the perfect one was decided upon.

Many years there was lovely jewelry or a luggage set. 

And always Estee Lauder. 

 Makeup and Fragrance gift baskets were also under the tree. 

When we girls were older we usually got a perfume or something special picked out especially for us by dad. 

With all these seemingly material gifts given, the thing I remember most is the love felt in our home.  My Mom and Dad loved each other and showed us, their children. They cared for us, loved us, made us feel secure and happy.  I am so blessed to have grown up in these circumstances and only hope to pass that great love on to my children and grandchildren.

"The Heart of Christmas which is Love..."

Yesterday it was my Grandmother's birthday.  Our family (cousins, aunts, uncles) celebrated, as we usually do, getting together at Christmas time, because of this woman.  She taught us the meaning of family, of Christmas and of love.  She was just a little woman, simple in her needs, but so powerful in her example and her legacy. 

She lived into her nineties, always with a sweet smile, and such a funny sense of humor.  Little notes left to illustrate that wit.  She was never too busy for a visit, to write a letter to a granddaughter, to tell a story or two. 

 

My grandparents and my parents taught me by example that family was something to be cherished. Not just at Christmas, but all year.  Their time was given freely regardless of what was going on. And at Christmas, magic was in the air, and the love felt was as if a warm quilt had been wrapped around us. 

How grateful I am to have the opportunity to be around little ones.  To feel their little arms around my neck.  Whenever I want during our days, I ask, and am given "loves".  They are as much for me as for these precious children.  The world is so fast today.  It is more important than ever to stop and remember the love given and then pass it on.

 

"May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope;

The spirit of Christmas which is peace;

The heart of Christmas which is love."

 

~Ada V. Hendricks

A Tribute to my Parents

Usually on April 1st, I post some not so funny joke which no one falls for.  I thought this year I would honor my parents who were married on April 1, 1946.  Their marriage was no joke!!!  It was one of those true love stories that lasted 50+ years, and what they created continues as a lasting legacy to that love.

Giggs and June met just as dad was ready to be shipped off to the war.  So there love grew through the letters they wrote to one another.  They married soon after dad returned, and started their life together.

 

They created a family of four children and brought us up in a loving home.  We had fun growing up, while being taught lessons that would serve us throughout our lives.


Mom and dad had many adventures during their life together.  Dad was an optometrist as a profession, but he had big dreams, which my mom always supported and with her support, he built a world class golf course, owned an NBA basketball team, a racquet club, where we all spent our summers.  The older grandson's learned to love the game of golf from their gramps. They travelled the world, yet their greatest joy was being with their family.

 

Parties and get-togethers always were a big deal to mom and dad, and I think they'd be happy to know, we still get together and enjoy Christmas, summers and just hanging with one another. 


Their passion for all things sports related is still going strong.  Jake, who is only four loves the beaches of Hawaii just as Giggs did. 

There have been weddings..

additions to the family...I think there are around forty great grandchildren with two more on the way.  Happy and healthy.  There are lots of smiles, and when there are tears we know how to turn things around.  We were taught in our youth.."Look for the good, be grateful, think positive!"

Of course there is still much singing and much to sing about!

Mom would be happy to know that the Lundgren's still get together twice a year.  We love seeing "the aunts" for they are a reminder of mom.  Her grace, her smiles, her love.

So Happy Anniversary mom and dad.  I'd say right now your family is happy.  Joyful for the blessing of being a part of you and grateful for all you gave to us.  Our lives, our childhood, your time, your love, your commitment to one another.

I give thanks I had you as my parents.  "All the great things are simple."  You simply got married and had a family.  You created a legacy and a posterity that is great simply by loving one another and your children. 

Family -The thread that holds us together

There is a story in my family history where an ancestor was part of a wager.  A man would go into a ladies bed chamber where she was asleep with her child and kiss her! The family member would be a witness to this frivolity.  The wager was taken, witnessed and carried out. The man was punished for his "abusvie carriages" and judged to be an abettor."  My ancestor was fined and admonished.  "It appears he had a sense of adventure and mischief." 

It must be in the genes, because all these years later the mischief seems to sift down through the generations.  My grampa had a funny sense of humor.  Dad and Uncle Mel were a little on the mischieveous side and can you see the twinkle in Sam's eye? 

Dad was a coach of basketball, softball and loved the game of golf.  That gene has certainly come through in his son, his grandson's and great's.  (Their father's certainly helped the talent along).  The love of baseball, golf and anything round that flies through the air is something that continues to thrill everybody in this family.   

I'm sure Whitney recieved her creativity and love for faraway places from her Grama June and her mom, Agnes.  She is like them in many ways.  She has such a style and grace.  She is sensitive and loving, just as they were.  Beautiful traits to have from lovely women.

Wouldn't Grama Bagley love to sit down with Abby in her quilting room?  She would marvel at her quilting machine.  They could chat about fabrics and colors and designs.  How thrilled Grama would be in Abby's talent.  Abby also inherited a great business head. She's full of drive and persistence.  She came into the world that way.  It has to be in the genes.

Then there's those brainy people.  The one's who are always thinking about something and wondering why this and why that?  Taylor had his grampa Sieverts who could build anything.  Jake looks just like Abby, but there are times when he's thinking really hard...his face just transforms into his dad's, who is always thinking and one step ahead of everybody.  Nick has loved learning since he was tiny.  Wondering and reading and continueing to learn. 

And then there are Maude's twinkling brown eyes.  Jamey has them and he passed them on to his son, Hogan.  Everytime Hogan smiles, we see Maude.  Physical features carry through.  My dad always told me I was lucky to marry into such a good looking family (The DeSpain's).  They are!  Their genes came through in my beautiful children. 

The things I hope to pass onto my children is my love for them and an appreciation for all that we have been given. From the time I was small I loved my grandmothers garden.  Her beautiful lilacs, roses and grampa's home grown fruits and vegetables.  I inherited a great love for nature, especially my garden from my Grama Bagley, a love for family, friends and music.  The simple things.  Oh, and of course...my children and grandchildren all know how to be "one with the sun."

I am so grateful for the family I came from.  I was loved and taught by good parents.  I was close to  my grandparents and cousins.  I am grateful to have that thread that weaves itself through the  generations.  It reminds me where I come from.  It ties me and my family to those that came before.
That thread is strong and will continue to hold us together.

What a Wonderful World - My Dad

Things I loved about my dad:

his sense of humor

the way he loved my mom

the way he loved us kids

the way he loved his grandkids

the way he loved his parents

his loyalty to all of the above

his love of country

his joy in living

his enthusiasm

his persistence

his positive attitude

his sense of adventure

his smile

his wise counsel

his kind heart

his faith

the way he worked

his example

The way he complimented others

and made them feel good about themselves.

the way he looked on a golf course

(at home)

his generosity

the way he played the piano

the way he sang

the secure and happy life he gave me. 

the list goes on.

It would have been your 90th birthday today.

You will always be remembered, because of all the things you accomplished in this

life. 
You did so many things, 
but always put your wife and children first.

That will be your legacy.

I'm blessed to have you for my dad.

The Best Christmas Gifts

Another Christmas is over, only to be captured in our memories. I hope it will be a good one

I hope my children and grandchildren will remember Christmas as a happy time.

I always have.

As I remember Christmas's past, I always have a warm feeling. It was always a time for family and friends. My mom and dad worked together, decorating our home giving it a magical feel.

Upstairs was always quite elegant. Everything beautiful, glittery and perfect.

Downstairs it was bright and cheery, red and green. Where ever you were it felt like Christmas.

Dad always spoiled mom with beautiful knit suits, usually in red or orange. He loved her in bright colors.  Or a new set of luggage. But the thing that was the best about Christmas wasn't the gifts that dad bought for mom or us kids. It was the feeling of love. I felt it everywhere.

I felt it in the way my dad adored my mom. I felt it in the way my parents took care of their neighbors.

I felt it in the way my mom and dad loved and respected their parents. They were so much apart of our lives and I am so grateful for that. I had such a strong bond with both sets of grandparents because of that closeness.  I have always appreciated the way my dad bought his daughters special gifts, just from him.  Lovely perfume or jewelry that he picked out. What a treasure to recieve from your father.

He gave me more than perfume and jewelry.  He gave me a sense of who I was. He taught me how to look at life in a positive way. He taught me how to work and enjoy life. He taught me how to laugh.

 My mom created a home where love, security and fun were always in great abundance. There was music, love and laughter.  Not just at Christmas but all year long. These were the gifts my parents gave to me.  I am forever grateful.

The Lundgren Family Christmas Party

Christmas on my mom's side was always a big deal.

 My grandparents came from Sweden and they made much of this special holiday.

They had seven children. Six girls and one boy.

So their extended family was large. Lots of cousins in every age group.

 In the summers we gathered at their home every Sunday afternoon and ran and played on their big lawn in the front yard.

It was surrounded by beautiful roses.

 I remember going with my mom and aunts to pick fruit with all the cousins in my grandpa's orchard in the late summer,

 so the mom's could all go home and can the delicious peaches and pears.

 Every year we had our annual Christmas Eve party.

A big dinner was served, then our nativity was performed.

 And finally, Santa arrived with presents for everyone. 

 From a child's memory it seemed as if the Nativity was a great production.

We had props, a backdrop, cardboard animals and fabulous costumes.

The year you got to be Mary was very special.

When you got a bit older, you got to be Santa Lucia and carry the tray of sweets to all in attendance with a wreath of candles on your head.

It all seemed magical.

The families have all grown up.

All of the grandchildren are now the grandparents.

But our Aunts who are still alive continue to instill in us a love of family,

 and we continue to get together twice a year.

Once at Christmas and once in the summer.

It is fun to relive those days long gone.

There are just a few of the "originals" left.

We love them dearly,

 and cling to them as they are our only reminder of those long ago days of our childhood.

Aunt Ruthie along with her husband my Uncle Allen were usually the producers and directors of the Nativity. Uncle Allen is gone, but Aunt Ruth at 91 is going strong.

I love and admire her along with Aunt Niece (above) 89,

and my sweet Aunt Ginnie (below) 91.

 Aunt Carol (not pictured) is my mom's youngest sister.

 So there are only the four of them left.

 They are all great women and I am grateful for their love, their example and their legacy.

The cousins-

 all grown up.

Marty and Dee -

the host's this year.

 Thanks so much for having us.

It was a great party.

MEMORIAL DAY~ A TIME TO REMEMBER

It's Memorial Day. 
 Usually on this day we would be visiting the very peaceful Mt Olivet and the not so peaceful Wasatch Lawns. 
 Cleaning up and bringing flowers to Leo, Maude, Jiggs and June.  
Remembering their love, the fun times we had with them and all they did for us. 
 Jim and I are two blessed people.  
We both had parents who loved family and would do anything for the family they had. 
 They were the happiest when surrounded by children and grandchildren.  
As we have been with these ballplayers this week, I can't help but think how much fun both Leo and Jiggs would have had watching each of these boys play. 
 As we sat around the table eating and all the boys continued playing in their yard, I can hear Maude and June laughing and commenting on how dear each one of the boys were.  
June and I would tell Maude how Hogan has her twinkling brown eyes.  
She would be thrilled. 
 Memorial Day is a time of remembering, not in a sad way, in a reflective happy way. 
 It is a time to stop and be grateful for those who gave their lives for our freedom.  
For me it is a time to remember those loved ones who have gone on before. 
 I might get a little teary, but mostly I am happy and grateful, for these are the people who made me who I am. 
 They are the ones who loved me unconditionally, who cared, who nourished, who taught, who sacrificed.  
So even though I am not there to put flowers on your grave, thank you to my parents, grandparents and all the greats who came before..
I love you.

MY MOM'S HANDWRITING

I think of all the belongings I have left of my mom, it is her thoughts written in her handwriting I treasure the most.  It is the connection I feel to her when I see something she has written. 
I am missing my mom right now.  I miss talking to her on the phone or running over to her house to see her.  We had such great conversations.  We could really talk about our troubles, feelings. We could laugh or cry together.  She could talk to me and I could talk to her.  At the end of a long phone call - mom would say, "it's so good to be able to talk to you like this."  I would agree.  We just got each other.  The worst part about her being gone after all this time - is that I still miss her, daily.  The best part, is that nothing was left undone in our relationship.  It was a good, loving relationship that I will be excited to take up where we left off when I see her again.  For now, I'll read what she has to say - and feel comforted by her presence.

Positive Attitude and Faith - My Dad

January 18th - Happy Birthday Dad. 

 Dad believed in and taught two powerful lessons to me.  To have faith and the "power of positive thinking".  I am grateful for these traits that he passed on to me.   Dad always felt that if you had faith and thought positive thoughts you could pretty much have control over how things went in your life. Maybe in his case it was so. 

 I have learned that faith is to believe so profoundly that you know someone else (like God) is in control and that I have to lean on Him when things don't go exactly as I planned.  And when things happen, like poor health or other things out of my control, it is best to have a positive attitude to cope as you go through these trials.  Trials come to everyone here on earth. The test is what we learn and how we go forward.  Do we let ourselves become bitter and sad or do we learn valuable lessons and become a more loving, compassionate person?  As I live and get older and endure different trials and life lessons, sometimes I can become down and wonder why I happen to be going through this or that? I catch myself getting a little sad and sometimes feeling a bit sorry for myself.  Is it because of my lack of faith?  Do I not use those valuable positive thinking lessons I was taught as a child?  Then I pick myself up, and realize how blessed I am.  What a blessing to grow up in a home where I was taught, so I would be prepared for things to come.  How grateful for those dinners and discussions afterward where dad taught us.  For his example, his perseverance and determination.  He would literally set his jaw in such a way, that would say I will do this, and he did.  Faith, determination, positive thinking, humor - these are things dad lived.  He gave me his time and made me feel valued as well, which is a great gift. 

 On what would have been his 89th birthday I thank him for these gifts, they have served me well.  

Love, polly

Merry Christmas Maude

Another Christmas Card going out to my dear mother-in-law. She has been gone for about 11 years now. Never was there a sweeter lady with a right merry old laugh! Just like St. Nicholas himself. She was even blessed with his twinkling brown eyes. They twinkled when she was just visiting with you. But if she started laughing then they really got twinkly and bright. The best part about her eyes is that, even though she may not be with us anymore - she left her twinkle as if by magic on some members of her family. Of course all 3 of her children have those beautiful brown eyes with that same twinkle. Different grandkids and great-grandkids have received her eyes. Her grandson Eric and a few of his daughters, Tristin and Kendra have their grandmother's eyes. My son James and his son Hogan, who never met his great grandmother have the twinkle. Her gift to us was her unconditional love, her kindness, her welcoming arms whenever we walked into her home. Our gift to her, especially those that were touched by and given her magical brown eyes, is to keep that twinkle, that love of life that joy and love of family alive.

Merry Christmas Maude.

 Love you, Paula

How my Dad influenced me.

I read an article by Ann Cannon yesterday. She wrote about how a friend who had a difficult life carried on with resilience. The answer was that she had a good dad. She had a good mom, but having a good dad was a double blessing. No one had to convince her that she was as good as the guys, she already knew it. Because of her dad she could hold her own in a room full of men. And she wouldn't even know she was doing it,  it was second nature to her. Ann goes on to ask, "how do you raise a daughter like that?"
Her answers are: Tell her she's smart. Take an active interest in her schoolwork. Listen to her when she expresses an opinion. Make eye contact. And it doesn't hurt to tell her she's pretty, but let "smart" trump "pretty". Laugh at her jokes. Tell her your stories. Pay your daughters as much attention as you do your sons. The list goes on.

I had just such a dad. He talked to me, and gave me such confidence that as I grew he listened whether he wanted to or not. He told me I was beautiful when I smiled, which made me want to smile alot. He told me I could accomplish anything I set my mind to. He took me to work with him from the age of 12 and taught me how to work, and the importance of work. During those years of working with him he told me stories of his life and lessons he learned.

When I was young my dad coached church basketball. At a very young age he taught me how to take stats during the game. It was my job to sit close by the bench, so during time out, and and half time he could look over my stats to see how the team was doing. I never missed a game. I learned the game of basketball. I felt a part of his world. I felt important and included.

How grateful I am for a dad who loved me enough and was smart enough to teach me to believe in myself. To give me self-confidence. To teach me the value of work.

To love me.

Thanks dad.

More Remembering

Taken from a journal entry written in July of 2006.
"How lucky to have had Maude and Leo as parents and grandparents to our kids. They were always so wise. They stood by letting Jim and I learn life's lessons, yet they were always there. Giving of themselves and totally unselfish. They really loved the simple pleasures of life. Maude taught me how to love one small flower or bush. I know now that her little yard was like the garden of eden to her. I can picture her hands holding, very gently, the petals of a beautiful peony and loving that petal and flower. She has taught me to be content with those simple joys like a flower blossoming in my garden."

Many of the very bushes that I love were given to me by Maude and Leo for my birthday. I can just picture Maude bringing me my lilac and my snowball bush. (They are mine cause they were given to me as gifts). She would advise me where to plant them and then Leo would get the shovel and plant them right where she said to! Maude was right because those two bushes have thrived and are always beautiful. The lilacs in my upper garden are transplants from their yard and are especially beautiful. Even though I have other lilacs and snowballs that are lovely, they don't stand out quite as brightly as those.
I was truly blessed to have Maude and Leo as in-laws.