God Be With My Angel.....

TWO CUTE SWEET LOVING WOMEN!!! Lois Bridges on the left Genell's mother-in-law and Genell's mother fron New Jersey Nanna Smith or Miss Smith!!

This was such a hard day for both as you could only imagine! Lois's husband and two sons,,,one being Genell's husband all passed away in less the five years. Genell was an only child

But they both showed such courage and strength! I really love then both!!!

Tom in the dark glasses!

Pall Bearers, Tom on right.

Genell loved purple and red!!

Raymond, Nichelle, Leigh, and Langdon! I LOVE all these kids!!

From Left, Raymond Genell's foster son Nichelle, Leigh and Sara,(they are expecting their first baby in November)! Heather and Langdon!

Heather and Langdon...SWEETHEARTS!!!

Heather saving flowers to dry!

Sweet Heather! Langdon's wife! Love her!!!!

 Genell;s earthly body was peacefully laid to rest today.
I will miss this precious, sweet, earthly angel so much!
Genell's children asked me to speak at her funeral. It was an honor to be asked...but I was so very worried for a few reasons.
I worried I would not get through a talk without a complete break down... I worried I would not give Genell the justice she would of deserved, in expressing the love she had for every one she knew and especially her family....But most of all, I could not find any words in this world to to share with, Everyone...The love, faith, long suffering, peace, joy, service, and endurance Genell always has had, in her self, and for everyone else!! Genell was the voice for many, who no one else would listen to! I also could not find the words to explain to everyone that Genell TRULY has CHARITY and the pure love of Christ for everyone!! I have not witness this in but only a few people I know! I never heard Genell speak ugly about anyone! But the MOST important thought I wanted to share with everyone was.... the LOVE she has for her Savior Jesus Christ,... her Heavenly Father! Through out this past 16 years I have know Genell...just about ever time we spoke she shared her CRYSTAL CLEAR, UNSHAKABLE testimony with me!! Genell love the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! She LOVED the plan of salvation! And she was a perfect example of the Gospel and...Charity the pure love of Christ!!! I know she is a special daughter of God and he LOVES her but....SHE LOVES HIM!!!!
On Friday night when Tom and I got home from the viewing, I told him he would have to read my talk for me the next day at the funeral because I just knew I would not be able to do this my self.! He asked me if he could give me a blessing and I said yes! It was a beautiful blessing I knew in that moment the Heavenly Father would pick up any slack for me....and it was confirmed to me That Genell  wanted me to speak and I would be able to go forth with the kids desire of me speaking! It was very powerful blessing for me!!
As I study my scriptures with different topics in mine, I was brought back to the say five or six scriptures every time! I am a little slow.... but I finally realized that The Lord and Genell was steering me to theses same  scriptures for a reason! Rhett had told me to read chapter 7 in Moroni. This chapter helped calm the Huge Winds that Satan was throwing at me! As Rhett has said Satan can throw some strong winds but if we are on a solid rock there is no need to worry!!!!
These are some of the scriptures that kept coming to me.....
In Moroni 7:47 it reads....
But Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endurtheth forever: and whoso ever is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with Him!! Genell Endure to the end with ELEGANT GRACE!!!
1 Nephi 13:37 It reads....
And Blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my ZION at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost, and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the lamb, and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be!!!! I can just see Genell on the mountain high!!!!
Corinthians 13:13 it reads....
And now Aidedeth, Faith, hope, charity, these three : but the greatest of these is charity. I know no one else that has more charity then this sweet girl friend and sister Genell! GENELL"S FAITH IS HUGE!!!!
In Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness,faith. Genell is a great example of these scriptures she IS amazing!!
These scriptures helped to bring me PEACE!! Thank you Rhett for sharing Moroni 7 for me to read, it gave me strength!!
Genell was such a wonderful women and dear sister to me! She suffered and endure so much more than anyone I know! But the truly amazing thing about it was.....SHE WAS HAPPY... AND ALWAYS FOUND JOY....NO MATTER!!!!!!!!
Genell did everything her Heavenly Father asked of her! Her little hands woke up ever morning serving and they did not stop until she was a sleep....Even when she was sick!!! She was a PERFECT example to her family, friends and everyone she came in contact with!!!
It was a blessing that Genell wore a beautiful temple dress that I had made several years ago. I had hand stitched some pearls around the neckline and it was one of my favorites! The night before I was to take all of clothing down to the Mortuary...I was double checking everything to make sure there were no spots on the dress and it was pressed, along with her temple clothing being pressed! I realized at 9:00 pm I forgot a slip! Tom heard me crying in my closet and came in and he asked what was wrong??? I explained to him and he said he would run up to Walmart and get one! I was sitting quietly when I hear....."Just cut the bottom off of one of yours"! Not sure if I had just heard Genell say this to me or.... if I thought it.... but either way I knew that is what she would of told me to do and.... I  feel pretty sure I heard her! I looked  Tom  told him Genell said it would be ok to just wear one of mine! You should of see the look he gave me!! I calmly just said..."DON"T ASK!!!!
Genell is someone I want to be like! I will miss her so much! I have already caught my self thinking.... "oh I have to call Genell and tell her.....I then I rememeber she is home with her Heavenly Father.
It will be a glorious when I see Genell again!! I can see her standing there....A perfect "Page Boy"!  We will hug forever, we will laugh....neither of us will be able to get a word in edge wise, we both will be talking so much!!!! It will be  a GRAND reunion when that day comes and we are together again!
I can only imagine how proud Genell is of her three children!! Genell LOVES each one of them so very much!!  Motherhood was by far Genell's favorite calling!! Genell was a wonderful mother! Leigh gave an eloquent tribute to his mother at her service...I know she was so very proud! Nichelle gave the family prayer with a grace and LOVE...just like her mother would of done. I know each of her children will feel her presents as they continue there earthly life! Genell loved Sara and Heather! She knew her sons were blessed with great wife's....and the love she has for her grand children...there are no words for!! Langdon spoke as well at his mother's funeral it was a lovely tribute...again I can say their mother in each child! You can see Genell's  SWEET spirit in each one of her kids! Genell was a great example to her children... I can see this in Leigh, Langdon and Nichelle!
Langdon asked Tom to dedicate his mother's grave....  Tom said he would to happy and would feel honored to use is priesthood in this way for Genell ..... But Tom also knew that Genell  would want Langdon to use his priesthood  and dedicate his mother's grave! With FAITH...Langdon performed this sacred ordinance. The blessing was beautiful...I knew in that moment how proud Genell was of Langdon.  
I miss Genell.... But I have found some peace and comfort  I need  in the scriptures! It is still hard!
I could go on for ever about Genell but there is something so tender to me that Leigh shared with me.....  Leigh said.... "my mom taught me how to love"!!!  
In my talk I explained there are 3 types of love!
* I will love you IF... examples...IF you are pretty, IF you will go to the store with me, IF you you are not an addict..
*2 I will love you because...Because you are pretty, Because you are thin, I will love you because you gave me a gift..
*3 This love is called Charity the pure love of Christ
~~~I love you even tho you are not perfect, I love you even tho you did not get a good grade, I love you even tho you made a bad choice,,,,,,
This is how our Heavenly Father and Christ loves us....This is not easy to do!! Genell loved this way..Like HIM!!!  
Genell had conquered CHARITY, FAITH, PEACE, JOY, GOODNESS, HOPE LOVE and LONG-SUFFERING and most of all ENDURANCE!!! Genell would often tell me....we are both "Enlisted" "HAPPY ARE WE"!!!!! I did not always like to hear this!!!! :) Genell is right ...We all are "enlisted" and "happy are we"! This is something I will try and work on thanks to Genell.
Genell my PRECIOUS Heavenly Angel, I will miss you more than you know!!!!!! Until we meet again I will continue to try to be more like you, and my Heavenly Father and my older brother Jesus Christ!! I will do my best but I feel sure I will not completely learn Charity the Pure Love of Christ until we are together again and you can tutor me some more!!! In the mean time I will work on it!!!
Until we meet again...God be with my sweet eternal sister
I love you and miss you and will watch over your kids as you have asked me to!!
Thank you for all you given to many..... and me....... so freely!!!

I LOVE YOU FOEVER

A HUGE Lost in my life!!!!!

One day Genell was at our house and she was getting love from baby Max!!

Today a TRUE earthly angel was given her "Heavenly Wings" and was called home to her Heavenly Father.

My especially sweet, treasured, dear friend and sister, Genell Bridges passed away.

There are no words to expressed how sad I am! Nor are there words to express how much I will miss her!
Genell was the best wife, mother, foster mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, and friend  EVER! Genell had love for everyone, no matter who they were! 
I remember one of the first times I met Genell., about 16 years ago, We were at Gilbert High school where our kids attended school together. I was waiting for the meeting to start when Genell walked in with a big, perfect big shiny "Page-boy" (as she always said) bright pink lipstick, bright blue eye shadow, and a huge purse . She was darling!!! I knew in that moment I wanted to get to know her! How thankful I am for that day! Over the years we became close. Genell was ALWAYS so busy so we did not get together to often but when we   did....It was trouble!! Our favorite word was jackass!! I   think I learned that word for Genell!
Fast forward to early 2007 when Genell was working full time in and out of her home, serving in the Temple, and serving in the Stake Relief Society Presidency.She was diagnosed with an autoimmune syndrome called   TTP. With in a week or so she was in a coma and had suffered several stokes. She was in ICU for many months on a ventilator. She lost the use of her left side. Her family was told she had less than a 5% chance to live. As the months went on she was moved to a few different step down ICU in Phoenix, one in Apache Junction, and in and out of the ICU of the hospital many more times. Over the last 3 plus years Genell has been in a nursing home/ rehab center. Genell had to be hoisted out of her bed every morning into her wheel chair. She was not able to even wheel her self in her wheel chair because of the loss she suffer on her left side. There is really no way I could explain ALL she has gone through over the past five years, including the loss of her husband.
I have thought to my self a million times over the past five years how does anyone ENDURE what she has with such GRACE and FAITH.!
Every time I would go and visit with Genell it was a spiritual feast! She was never bitter. She was always worried about everyone else. She would say.....I just don't know how so many people keep up in their busy lives! All I have to worry about is learning to walk again. Genell's faith NEVER wavered! I have never know anyone so in tuned to her Heavenly Father and her Savior! She would share things with me that are to personal to write here and I would say how do you know that? She would smile and say..."HE told me when we talked last night" or "I asked him"! There were times when I would go to visit Genell and as we would be talking she would say " You need to tell me what is going on with you, because I know something is wrong, I have felt it"! There was  nothing I could keep from Genell it is hard for me to explain this but she was so close to the spirit!!! It is t hard to to express what I am trying to say!! I guess what I am say is I personally have never know anyone that had such an intimate close relationship with their Heavenly Father and her Savior Jesus Christ! Genell put everyone before her even the last five years! Even though she could not walk or use her left hand and arm....She still did so much for everyone! She could not write well but she would do her best and then as her daughter or someone that worked at the nursing home to print out the letter or poem or birthday card or what ever it was and then she would have Nichelle or I get a frame so she could give it to who ever she made it for. She just recently had a new quilt made for her grandson. She never stopped thinking of everyone else!! The day Tom had his biopsy I told very few people. I especially did not want Genell to know because I knew she would worry so much! That night when Tom and I got home from the biopsy Genell called. I said hello..... The first things she said was "Honey Bunny" (this what she always called me) "I want you to know that I put yours and Tom's name on the prayer roll today". She went on to say she felt like something was wrong and she wanted to know if we were okay!! At this point like I say she is so in tuned that I could not keep it from her. I told her about Tom! She said she had been feeling like something was wrong! She then said to me..."Honey Bunny....Don't worry for a minute everything will be fine"! She was right again! I could go on forever about this celestial sweet girl.... But again there are just not words to describe Genell spiritually!  I feel pretty sure everyone in the Plaza where she lived....was given a Book of Mormon from Genell!
Genell never thought for one moment she would not walk out of the nursing home!   She would go to physical therapy 3 times a week and then she would ride the stationary bike almost every day! It was just amazing to watch her he hoisted on the bike and some way she would lock her feet to the pedals and she would go for at least 30 minutes or more! Genell never called it physical therapy she called it the "GYM"!!! She would report all the time to me on her progress and often I would go and watch her at the "GYM"! Again I have never seen any one work so hard!!!! Go here to see Genell at the "GYM"! I feel like if I look up the word ENDURE....Genell's picture should be there for the definition! As disabled as she was she made sure that she never slacked at the "GYM"! Genall would even eat at night her Weight Watcher meals and would mostly just eat her little 100 calorie snackwells for her treat! She could be so funny!! Over the past while she would tell me...."Look Tamy, the "girls" are coming back because I am working hard at the "GYM"...." as she would point to her chest! She even had me pick up a few new lacy push up bras for the "Girls"!
I will miss my precious sister SO much!! I will miss the laughter, our heart to heart visits, my messages on my phone with her saying in her soft raspy voice...."Honey Bunny its me just checking in, I am praying for you...I am doing great and I love  and miss you so much"!! The day before Genell passed away she left me a voice mail....I am so thankful I did not delete it! I will listen to it often!! I will miss having the transport company bring her to my house! What a huge blessing that was the few times we got to do this in the last few months! She loved coming! Her and mine grand kids and a few friends would come and visit, she loved to visit!  I would give her pedicure and manicure, and we would end the night with bring home Chinese food! Her FAVORITE!! Just a few other Favorite things other that her children and grand children She Loved,... having a page boy, She loved to where sparkly jewelry. She loves flavored sparkling water. She LOVE manis and pedis!!!. She loved her flower and vege garden! Genell Loved to cook and was a great cook!! She loved serving in the Temple and in any and all church calling! She loved bracelets, She loves BRIGHT pink and purple lipstick and nail polish,,,,For many months she was sick and I would go to visit her before I left her I would put bright pink lipstick on her lip around the ventilator, Every one knew I had been there when they would come to visit. She loved her make-up and she loved to get her hair done!She loved Chinese food and snackwells! She loved her blingy reading glasses and she loved new purses!! Oh How could I forget she LOVES her dog Badit!! And any other dog she can get her hands on!!
I think the biggest thing I will miss with Genell is the spiritual talks we always had! Go here! Genell" FAITH....and her testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ were HUGE!!!! There have been many times especially in the last five years when my "flame" was gone, Then I would go visit with Genell. As I would leave her there was no way I could not feel the spirit of my Heavenly Father and my Savior! She always knew what to say! Genell was truly an Earthly Angel!! When I would go visit Genell I was the one that was blessed...I should of been the one to comfort her yet...It always seemed the other way around!!! Genell ALWAYS found joy in her live no matter where she was and what she was doing!!! Genell's hands never stopped serving form the moment she got up in the morning, to minute she ent to bed! EVEN from her bed and wheel chair she served in many many ways!!!
In a talk today  in church a young girl talked on "Charity, The pure love of Christ!! I felt like she was talking about Genell!!!!
This sister was explained there is 3 types of love....
1**I WILL LOVE YOU IF.... (Example) I will love you if you were thin or if you are pretty or if you have money or if you clean the house and the list could go on!
2**I LOVE YOU BECAUSE.... you are pretty, or because you are kind or because you are strong or because  you have lots of money and the list goes on!
3**I LOVE YOU EVEN THOUGH...... This kind of love is call the PURE CHARITY and LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST!!!!!!  I love you even though you are an addict, I love you even though you made a bad choice, I love you even though you  are not prefect ect...
This kind of love is not always easy!!! It is hard to have charity  and the pure love of Christ! And.... forgive everyone..  everywhere.  We all need to learn this kind of love and truly mean it!!  Heavenly Father loves us in this way! Love is a action work,,,,You have to show people you love them,,,,and  not just say I love you!!
***Charity SUFFERS long! -Genell!
***If you have charity this means you have patience for  your self AND HIS WILL!_Genell!
***Charity seeketh not him self!!-Genell!!
***This is my favorite and reminds me so much of Genell .......
Charity is not an act....It is an ATTITUDE!!!!!!- GENELL
This is what I saw in Genell the first time I saw her at our children meetings!!
I think anyone that know Genell  would completely agree that Genell is the perfect example of Charity  and the Pure Love of Christ!!! She has taught MANY to love! She has brought many to the gospel AND
Many love her and many will miss her! I know I will miss her more that words can say!! I will miss those "Honey Bunny"calls at least every other night!! I will miss her great advise
My Precious girl Just know how much I love you and how much I will miss you!! You will always be precious to me! You know I will keep my eye in the kids so you don't worry about them!
I love you for EVER ALWAYS!! You truly gave more than anyone I know!! I will miss you more than you know!!!!
Until we meet again....And I can't wait!

I LOVE YOU MY SWEET GENELL
and SISTER!!!
         

A New Friend!!

Dear Sis. Scheurn,

i just read  your son's letter on his blog!!!

he is incredible....

i m so sorry that due to snow we couldn t drive to Bolzano and take him out for dinner.....

i hope my parents will be able to do that soon!!!!!

he is an incredible missionary and for sure is a blessing for who ever meets him!!!

I m in SLC....... :)

i m very excited to be hear.......

so you ll see a picture of me...it s hilarious.....

now i know why everyone gets their car even for just a 15 min walk......

i went to send some letters...and decided i would go in a store.....after 30 min i was in the store ...i get out and there was snow everywhere.....

the picture of me...is how i was when i got home ......

i have to go now......

i ll also pray for anziano sheurn that way everything will go good :)

ciaoo :)

They Make Me Smile and Laugh!!!!!!!

This cute plant makes me smile every time I walk by it!! Vance gave this to me for Valentines day and I have never had a bean plant last so long!!! Vance checks on the plant each time he comes over and say..".Good Job" Mima, It is growing so big!!  Does anyone know how to keep a bean plant alive!!!

This makes me smile!! I love wearing my new necklace! Not that I need a necklace to remind me how much I love and miss Rhett....But it is makes me smile to have his name literally on my heart!!!

My new scripture bag! It makes me smile!! I love throwing all my stuff in it and going to church!! It has helped me to bring my scriptures to church instead of being lazy and only using my iPhone or iPad at church to read scriptures!!!!

Now these pictures make me laugh so hard!! We all went to me little sisters house for Sunday dinner last weekend! Forrest on the right is Rhett's most favorite cousin! They have always been insuperable!! Eric and Rhett are like real brothers as well!! Eric was our exchange student, from Brazil Rhett's senior year and has come back to stay for a while with us.! Eric is truly part of our family! Forrest and Eric were saying how much they miss Rhett so they decided to make these pictures and send them to Rhett!! Rhett LOVED these pictures!! Now these pictures make me LAUGH!! 

CUTE BOYS!! 

I LOVE ALL OF THESE BOYS SO MUCH!!!!