Overlooking Beauty‏

Melanie Bolton

Sister Hritz

English 106-37

6 May 2013

Overlooking Beauty

            I am clinging to the door handle of my Dad’s truck, eyes shut, as if my grip could keep the vehicle on the bumpy, narrow road. My Dad and Mom have placed us in the truck and camper, for a weekend family camping trip. After several hours (which seems like days), my Dad stops the truck at the top of the last rise of the winding, mountain track.  He breathes deeply and says, “Wow. This view always takes my breath away. Just look at God’s beautiful creations!” I too take a deep breath, but mine is to alleviate the panic I know I am going to feel as soon as I see the steep escarpment, which I silently pray won’t be the reason for our untimely demise. I will myself to look. In front of me is a gray-white mountainside which drops off severely to valleys on both sides of the road. Scrubby looking grass is dotted sparsely across the top of the mountain. My eyes follow the road downward to the right, as it parts the dusty, rocky, mountain. Suddenly, I see magnificence. The valley below me is blanketed in waves of green meadow grass. On one side of the gulley stands a tall army of Ponderosa pine trees, sentinels of this forest island. Lying idle in the sun at the bottom of this valley is a beautiful body of lake, a turquoise jewel.

            While I am admiring the picturesque basin, my Dad points to our left and commands us, “Look there!” I turn my gaze to view yellow-brown and red-clay plateaus, distant purple mountains, and a vast, barren, uninhabitable desert. As I am gazing, my Dad declares, “This is definitely God’s country.” Have I misunderstood him? Here are two contrasting views from one mountain height. Could both be beautiful? To this child, the lake, amid grass dotted with wildflowers of red, purple and yellow, with the pine trees which surround the valley, is the winner of nature’s beauty pageant. Yet, my Dad has called the desert scene beautiful also. In my mind, there could not be two winners. We drive on, and the question in my mind is not settled.

            Many years later, I disembark my car at the same crest on the mountain. I look over both valleys, realizing how much I have missed this panorama, the desert plateaus on one hand, the verdant valley on the other. This viewpoint is magnificent, literally breathtaking. Seeing it through my wiser, adult eyes, I realize this is the most beautiful spot in the world. I declare to my Dad, who is standing with my children, “This is definitely God’s country!”

More comment from Melanie:

I thought maybe you would like to read an creative essay I had to write about Overlooked Beauty. I received high marks and praise for the paper. It was limited to 450 words, so I feel it could have been better if I had been allowed to elaborate a bit more...you know, be more wordy. :)

Mel

Myrna wrote: Oh, Melanie, dear heart. It is perfect as it is. I had an editor once who said that enough words needed to be used to cover the subject but short enough to keep the reader's attention. I think the quote is more like: essays are like skirts--long enough to cover the subject short enough to make it interesting.

I shed a few tears. I agree with your teacher. You should have high marks and an A+.

I love you. I am so proud of you.

Dad is napping after mowing the grass. I printed it off for him to read.

Leonard wrote: Thanks for sharing this with us. I am proud of you and your writing brought back many happy memories. I am asking your mother to share this with all of your siblings. I wanted your mother to send this on. Thanks for writing this, Melanie.

Shawn wrote: Thanks. I loved it Melanie. You are so gifted and lack nothing in comparison to the scene described.

Kirsten wrote: Where's the "like" button?!!!!

Letter to the Family

This week, we have several birthdays. David's was on Sunday, AnnMarie and A.J. will celebrate on Tuesday and little Jens will be age two on Friday. Hopefully, everyone has money inside their envelopes. ;) I had Gramps look while I was putting the money inside so, if there is a mistake, it took two of us to make it.

I remember the excitement we felt as we wecomed each new addition to our family. What joy we knew then and that joy has just grown over the years.

Auntie Helen is healing well. Her knee is nearly better and she will be able to have Nanci go home. Nanci has been so good to stay the entire time that Auntie has needed her. As you know, because she writes, Auntie Eva is still doing as well as she can. She does not have a car anymore but she does have a motorized cart that she can use to get around closeby.

Matthew really injured himself Saturday when he crashed and burned on a friend's motor scooter. He has some bad injuries to his knee and elbow. Auntie AnnMarie is doing her best to help him heal with her nursing/doctoring ability.

The other grandchildren are all doing well. You know that Braden is now in Peru. Siovhan was nominiated for an Emmy. Alyssa is going to be in a musical this summer. Donovin's ball team is doing well. Dane and Kyle are graduating. Kyle and his father get to travel Europe this summer because of the TimpView music department. Each grandchild has achieved in all kinds of activities. We see some of the performances, like Emily's and Tyler's via Facebook postings. We just are so proud. We are proud of our missionary grandsons and the work they are doing to aid their fellow beings.

We have been very, very busy at the temple the past two weeks. Of course, we usually are as the universities are out for the summer. That is a time when all of the young people chose to marry so we are accustomed to that. However, this year has been a bit different. We are getting many young men who are soon to graduate from high school and will be leaving on missions in the next few weeks. I can only imagine what that has been like--getting ready for graduation and getting ready for a mission at the same time. Also, I have been over the specail dressing room, as part of my calling, for the women. We have had a great number of young women, age 19, who are now preparing to leave for missions. Each mission, I am certain, benefit from the willingness of the youth in stepping up to serve.

We have also had big sessions at the temple with women filling the sessions as part of the "Dressed in White" program. That has been most helpful and we hope will continue to bring people to the temple. We have seen many people from our youth and folks that used to live near us in Carbon County and also many who lived in Nephi at one time or another.

Some of us sisters were laughing at a time line that one of the sisters had filled out with her personal feelings. There was a large space between birth and age 20. Then, each decade, the space got smaller between the decade marks. Finally, she had drawn age 70 and several letters "s" and had followed that with age 80 and a large "P" which she then explained. It seems that life streateches out before us with lots of time to accomplish our goals when we are young. Then we hit age 70 and the scared age, when we know time will be short. Then comes age 80 and the panic sets in. We know that we will never get our 30-years worth of repenting done in the time we have left. None of us will be here in another 30 years and, if we are, we may not even know who we are. The upshot is, do not wait for deathbed repentence. Do as you should while you are young.

"As we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. And day by day, the hope of God’s light will grow within us, 'brighter and brighter until the perfect day.'" —Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Hope of God's Light"

We wish you well. We are praying for your success and for your happiness. Keep up the good work. We love you.