Once Upon a…
WAIT! Hold on a second.
Why start a tale of a loved one with such a casual and not unique beginning?
Let’s start over…
“It’s a girl!” Lonni exclaimed to her husband
Rich. Her first pregnancy ended up putting her in labor in October of 1993.
Lonni gave her daughter the name Sierra, as Rich gave her the middle of
Kyrschel; which he got from Start Trek Credits. After Lonni held her daughter, she handed the
small helpless child to Rich. That moment, both Lonni and Rich realized their
lives would never be the same again. That little brown haired baby started
growing up into a blonde headed child.
“Catch
me Daddy!” Sierra yelled as she jumped off the couch and into his arms. 5 years
old and she was already a Daddy’s Girl. She found herself being thrown into the
air, and spun all around. She loved the way her daddy would hold her, play with
her and love her. She loved taking trips with him in the little red pickup
truck while singing Walking on Sunshine.
One day as Sierra was taking a trip with both her parents she started singing
along to the song, A Whole New World. Sierra
thought she was a professional singer and did her best to accentuate all the
syllables and sounds in all the words, making it sound like, “A hoe neew
woooood!” making her parents try their hardest to hold back their laughter. 
“Will
the water be warm?” Sierra asked her dad. He nodded as he reminded her to grab
his arm with one hand, plug her nose with the other, and to remember to bend
her knees. 8 years old and dressed in white, Sierra couldn’t wait any longer to
get baptized by her dad. While in the water, she looked up at her dad with a
huge cheesy grin, unable to wait any longer. As Sierra went undershe felt the
warm water wash over her face. Once the embrace of her dad pulled her back out,
she wrapped her arms around him, “I love you Daddy!”
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Sweet
16! The year all dad’s dread. How could his little girl be able to drive and
date already?! Oh how the years flew by. He watched how she danced the night
away at her Sweet 16 Ball in her black and sparkly red ball gown; then pass her
driving test later in the year; then saw all the pictures of the dates she went
on through facebook.Time was moving faster and faster. How much more time until he had to send her off to college? Or even give her away on her wedding day!
Sierra’s Sr.
year arrived and Rich watched as his little girl walked out the door with her
Prom date. Dressed in her elegant sparkly blue dress he walked up to her date,
Jared and told him to take care of his girl, or else… for little did Jared
know, Rich owned Red Ryder Shot gun. He never heard the end of Prom night once
Sierra got home. A month later Rich watched as Sierra’s name was called and she
walked onto the stand, graduating High School. In her green with orange ribbon
cap and gown he smiled knowing all the hard work it took her to get that
far. “…and Sisters can serve now at 19.” Sierra screamed her lungs out as she dashed to the phone and called her bishop to get the ball rolling; for in 20 days she would be turning 19. Thinking about all the wonderful mission stories her father told her, she was ready to start a mission of her own. Right before their family cruise, Sierra got her papers in the mail telling her she would serve in Sao Paulo East Brazil, Portuguese speaking.
4
months later, Sierra came home from her mission with back problems. Through
tears, struggles, doctors, pain, prayers and Father’s Blessings, Rich watched
Sierra get through 8 months of being at home from her mission. From the small
miracles of being able to walk without pain, to the larger miracles of one of
her friend’s getting baptized, Rich was able to see that the little girl he
held in his arms as a baby has become a woman of faith and one who never gives
up.
The
following day ended up being Father’s Day. As she laid in bed that morning, she
thought about what made her dad so special. She got out her 26th
journal and wrote,
“Dear Dairy,
Today is Father’s Day, and I want to write what
makes my dad so special to me. My dad is always willing to get up in the middle
of the night, or come home early from work to give me a blessing; and when he
gives blessings, the spirit is always so very strong. He’s hilarious and always
has a comeback. He’s a hard worker and never gives up! Whenever I’m feeling
down he always cheers me up and makes me feel loved. He’s humble enough to
admit when he’s made a mistake. My Dad is great at giving talks, for he only
needs to write bullet points and can adlib the rest. When he sits down at the
piano, it’s like Heavenly Angels strumming their harps. My dad can do a killer
Cannon Ball in our backyard pool. In the end, I’ve looked at all my friend’s dads and I’ve never found
anyone like my dad! He loves my mom and guides our family in faith, virtue,
integrity, obedience to the commandments of God and with love. I love my dad, and I wouldn’t ask for anyone
else! He is the best dad anyone could ask for!”
Sierra looked at her journal entry and smiled as she glued a picture of her dad on the same page. No matter what path lied ahead of Sierra, she’ll always remember how lucky she is to have such an exemplary Father. Happy Father’s Day! Wishing you the best of the upcoming year! Thanks for all that you do!
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