Mills Family Book of Faith

  Hey all, I'm hoping you are having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  I'm in a hotel room in North Chicago as I write this.  I've had several of you tell me you were working on stories - or I've typed up stories from interviews that I've sent needing you to make corrections.  If you have thought of a story to send and haven't or are one of the people I mentioned, please send your stories in ASAP.  It is time to figure out options for printing and electronic publishing.  This week, I thought it appropriate to hear from Aunt Lajune.  She wrote her own personal history before she got sick and passed away.  She is a great example to all of us, because none of us really know how long we have on this earth.  To be able to feel her personality as I read her words is priceless. You may have read it before, but I think it's worth a re-read.  Enjoy your weekend! Valerie PS - I still plan to share stories until the book is published or...

  Just in case you haven't been following my weekly emails, this month of May, I have been choosing stories as I've gone through each branch of the tree about members of our family that have left us too soon.  (That's true of anyone of passes on, in my opinion). This story by Troy is very precious to me.  It was submitted early on.  I tend to get my inspiration in the minutes/hours when I first wake up in the early morning.  One morning, I woke up with the thought that I needed to make sure a story was included about Bryan.  I worried though. How should I go about asking Troy and Sandy to include one, not wanting to cause them pain.  Sometimes its hard to put down our stories on paper, because, we in effect, relive those hard times. Imagine my surprise when I received this story from Troy that very day without me asking at all.  I love it when the Lord prepares me for these things.  It's not that I needed to ask.  Rather, i...

  With Memorial Day approaching I find myself thinking of those who have passed away.  I think of the stories that I have shared already about many of them as well as the opportunities in the future that I plan to.  This week I thought I would share a story written by Aunt Lorna Gail that I asked her to write.  I knew Shauna was born not too many months before I was. I felt like our book needed to mark the moment for each and every one of our family members. I can only imagine how hard the experience was for Aunt Lorna Gail to go through.  I think we can all learn from her experience through trial and look to the day when we can be together again with our loved ones. Shauna June       By Lorna Gail Nielson Wood   I was seventeen years old, young and dum.  We were both so happy about a new baby coming.  In those days they were not able to tell us what it was or anything about it.  I entered the ho...

  As I thought about what to share this week, one story in particular stood out to me.  I grew up with some incredible Aunts and Uncles. With today being Mothers' Day and May being the month of Memorial Day, I felt a tribute to Aunt Loa was in store as we turn to the Mavin & Loa branch this week. Aunt Loa's life is such a wonderful example of Mothering to me.  I still remember where I was when I learned of her passing earlier that morning.  I was at work doing therapy for my speech/language patients at Primary Children's.  I was so distraught I had to leave to go home.  Growing up, we spent a lot of time playing games there.  Sherilyn and I shared a booth at a crafter's boutique in Sandy in my twenties.  Aunt Loa made the cutest ceramic rocking horse to go in the nursery when I had Steven.  I could go on... Last week Sherilyn shared a picture after my post about Becky that I want to include in todays email.  Aunt Loa was...

 It's May!  It feels right to devote this month to our lost loved ones.  As stories have come in, I have been so blessed to read the thoughts of family members about those who have passed during my lifetime as well as those who died before I was born. And it makes last week's story about Aunt Kathy  a perfect beginning. This week I want to share two stories about Becky.  The first is mine and occurred during her illness and the second is from Pam and goes through the last days and her burial.  We both had experiences that have changed our lives and given us a for sure knowledge God is real and that there is life after death and we will see her again. Sometimes His   Answer Is “No.”   By Valerie Mills Hunt Summer 1983 After we were told that Becky’s brain-stem tumor was inoperable and her condition was terminal, my parents arranged for her to have a priesthood blessing. (Uncle Len had given her a ble...