You can judge whether I am efficient or lazy, but I am going to use this entry to do double duty and also count as a letter to both Nicholas and Sharolyn's family.  We had our family home evening tonight and Kathy and Richard were in charge.  One of the activities was a care package for those two.  We put in some cookies and some candy and each family was to write or draw something to be included in the box. We kept it a secret from Nicholas who we talked to for a long, long time on the phone during the evening.  Having the family over and thinking about those that were not here did cause me to think about and actually miss them.  You know, being a father and grandfather, and I'm sure that I can speak for Sheila (mother and grandmother) as well is a life changing event.  Here you go and spend so many years of your life being there when your children and grand children are growing up and then all of a sudden the time comes when they are not there.  Sure, you see some of them often, even frequently, but it is never the same.  It is actually quite a short amount of time that our children were together with us.  They took off to various places and different lives and we count the time that we can be with them as a great blessing.  One of the most important dreams that we carry in our heart is the fact that we will still be together as long as we choose to be.  It is a hard concept for me to really grasp, but I know that it is true and I know that it will be so much more wonderful then I can even imagine.  I felt almost cheated, but enjoyed the short visit that I had with Nicholas, but wished that I could be a much bigger part of his life.  I admit that I know the reality of that and I will settle for what I can have of him as I observe him through the coming years.  I really do have plenty of living left for myself that will keep me occupied, but wanting more of my family in my life is really a normal and a very good thing.  The same goes for Sharolyn, David, AmandaRae, Aubree, Autumn and #25. It won't be but a couple more weeks and we will be making some wonderful new memories with them when we visit Arizona for Thanksgiving.  That is our plan and we hope that it works out okay and we are really looking forward to it.  My life seems like such a strange thing.  Even though I have a pretty routine schedule week after week I make sure that I take time to consider the things that are most important to me.  Of course the 'thing' that is the most important for me to 'know' is that I am a child of God and that my Heavenly Father loves me.  The 'thing' that is most important for me to 'do' is to live so that I can return to Him and be with Him and the rest of our family.  I mean our whole family, from our past, our present, and our future.  Nothing else in this world matters more then that.