Mills Family Book of Faith

 We just had an amazing Mills Family Reunion in my backyard.  We were touched by the support that family members gave.  Austin & Stephanie brought a canopy and chairs and helped set up.  Sherilyn contributed prizes, James, Pam, Mercedis, Rena & Cline and my sweet hubby, Trent and kids all helped with setting up and preparing food. And family came!  Without that, there would have been no reunion.  Thank you to everyone for pictures - many who could not make it still contributed pictures for the Name That Baby Game.  I put together a Google Form Quiz so that people could use their smart phones to play. Bad news was that Roger, Aunt Lorna Gail & Paul's baby pictures were in an email that I didn't see. When Aunt Lorna Gail asked if I got all the pictures I thought I had.  I was wrong.  So the game is new and improved over what was used at the reunion. Whether you played it already or not, check it out! New & Improved "Name that Ba...

Tomorrow Trent and I celebrate 22 years of marriage.  We are traveling with the girls in Europe and have spent the last week in Athens.  The best part, in my opinion, is meeting people who live in these places.  We have made several new friends.  One new friend had also been married and divorced from a police officer.  As I thought about that and my anniversary, I thought I would share some stories included in the book on marriage and divorce.   The first two are about my first marriage and the second happened during my honeymoon with Trent.  From the beginning, Trent has been such a great example of love and faith to me.  We are very blessed to have found each other.  Marriage is not easy, but it is so much easier when we both have a desire to include God.  How grateful I am for so many moments like the one I share last with my sweet husband.  Enjoy! Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged   By Valerie Mills Hu...

It's been a few weeks. School got out and my summer became crazy - probably not unlike yours. If you liked the Sunday Stories - please go to the blogspot: https://MillsFamilyBook.blogspot.com. You'll find several new stories that I received about the men in our lives that have passed on. You'll also find the complete story that I am including an excerpt from in this email.    And now - the question: Do you want a book? It looks like if we do digital it would be about $5. Soft Cover, again depending on the numbers $25-$35 each and hard cover about $10 more than soft cover. Please complete this form to let me know what you are interested in and then I will have a better idea of the actual cost.      Fathers’ Day 2019    By Valerie Aileen Mills Hunt   The day before Fathers’ Day, 2019, I was asked to speak in Sunday School on how my dad was like the Savior. Please don’t judge me too harshly, but let’s just say the list didn’t come read...

John was truly a helpmate in everything we did. By Sherilyn Mills Hirschi Closing remarks given by Sherilyn Hirschi after a Primary Sacrament Meeting Program 2013: This is the time during the program when the Primary President always stands and says something like this “after yesterday’s practice, I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out” and she learns to "Fully Rely on God." Brothers and Sisters I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve the children of this ward. I have learned much more from them than they will ever learn from me. I am thankful for this year’s theme of: Families are Forever. I know that families are central to God’s plan, and that through sacred temple ordinances, families can be together forever. I was a little hesitant about this year’s theme at the beginning of the year because I didn’t belong to a forever family until later in life and I remember going to Primary and singing “Families Can Be Together Forever” and feeling a little out ...

Lessons Learned from Dad By Brent Mills It all started when I was 15 years old. My thought was that the worst part about being 15 was waiting around to be 16 so that I could drive and get a job. My Dad, Mavin, had a company truck for work and not that many months before this time he purchased a new truck for our family. During that summer of 75 that new truck sat in the driveway just glistening in the sun. It had so many cool features and tech for its day. I would wash it regularly and polish the chrome and look forward to the weekends when Dad and I would go someplace in it. One day Dad was working late and Mom had gone somewhere and I had the thought, hey, I know how to drive the truck. After all my Uncle Melvin taught me to drive when I was 12 in his 49 Chevrolet truck he called the Lumber Buggy. Uncle Melvin was blind but he was patient with me and walked me through the process. We made several trips in the Lumber Buggy for lumber and landscape materials for their new home. I ...

Prayers are Answered Sooner or Later Laura Lea Nielson Allred In February 2013, I came up with the idea to do a surprise 70th birthday party for my dad because he had never had one before. I talked to Roger about it and he was all for it, but when I talked to my mom, she said, “You don’t do a party for the 70th. You do it at 80 or older.” I said, “Okay, we won’t do it.” But the thought wouldn’t go away. One day while I was driving out to Roger’s house, a thought came into my mind. The thought was “If you’re going to do a birthday party then you need to do it now. He might not be here at 80. When I got to Roger’s house, I told him my thought and I called my mom and told her. She said, “Then you better do it.” My dad passed away at 75 years old – Five years later. While planning the party, another idea came to mind. I thought that it would be really special if I could find my Indian brother and sister: Everett and Helena. I told Mom. She was all for it. I hunted on line...

  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...