Words for my Father

My Father lost his battle with cancer on May 14th 2009. We had a funeral for him on May 19th. My brothers and I were asked by my Father previously to speak at his funeral. We of course did. I wish to share here on my blog what I said at his funeral. It is my dedication to a great man and an awesome Father, William Ralph Riggs. He was 68 yrs. old.

Today as we have come together to remember William Ralph Riggs and say our final goodbyes. I look at the task that has been presented me to try and express to all of you my love, my memories and my thoughts about William Ralph Riggs, my Father. I wonder how I can accurately and adequately share with you these things when time and memory is less than sufficient and also with my inability to express myself without falling apart emotionally, it is a challenge.

I would love to spend all my time telling you story after story about my Dad, but I believe I can give you a better look at him with just words, words that describe his character more than any story I could tell. Each word having a multitude of stories behind their meaning... I may briefly share a few details or stories along the way. 

The first word to describe him is SON, he was the youngest son of James Orlas and Estella Riggs. 2nd is BROTHER, to his 4 older brothers and one sister. Being the youngest, but the first to pass away, I have to tell his brothers and sister that he looked up to you, admired you and wanted to be like you, especially his brother Duard who was just older than him. I believe also that he gained a great respect for women and honored them because of his Mother and Sister. 

3rd word is FRIEND, 4th MISSIONARY, 5th, 6th, 7th, UNCLE, HUSBAND, FATHER, 8th is GRANDFATHER. He was also HUMBLE, HONEST, full of INTEGRITY. He was hard working, ever learning, teachable and an able teacher. One of the most well known words that has been used to describe him besides Dad and Grandpa is COACH. He loved coaching basketball and he loved his ballplayers. He was SARCASTIC, FUNNY, CHARMING and always ENTERTAINING. He never lost his humor even at his very worst times.

Now if your beginning to wonder if I've been looking through rose colored glasses when analyzing my Dad's life, I'm not, I know he was IMPERFECT. I thank God for that, because perfection is too difficult to live up to... only one person that has ever walked this earth has accomplished perfection.

Dad was also SPIRITUAL, WISE and a DREAMER. It didn't matter if all of his dreams came to be, but that he kept dreaming, no matter what or who discouraged him. He was THOUGHTFUL, CARING and STUBBORN, ENCOURAGING and an avid HUNTER and often very SPONTANEOUS.

There are so many more words that could describe my Father with many more stories behind them, but I wish only to share with you 2 more details. First, my Father along time ago decided he didn't ever want his children to feel that they had to compete with one another to be the most loved or favored child in the family and he also decided he wanted his children to know they were loved by him rather than have them wonder all their lives. He told us everyday he loved us and his actions told us that as well. He was always there for us in anything we did, anything we were in pain over, he was there even when our parents divorced, we were mostly raised but, he came, he saw and he supported us in everything, no matter what. I know my Father has left his mark on all of us and everyone he has met has been better because of it. I'm telling you right now, he did make a difference in his lifetime.

His son Bill has his Dad's sarcasm, charm, integrity and fierce love for his wife and children, his five daughters. Allen has Dad's sarcasm, thoughtfulness, humor, intense love for his wife and family and he truly cares about other human beings. We all have been given a true testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ like our Dad had and much, much more.

As for his daughter, she gets choked up at a drop of a hat, like her Dad. She is sarcastic and kind of funny. She has a true desire to have a family that she can love as much as her Father did with his and last but not least, she has her Daddy's hands... let me explain. When I was young I use to love to play with my Dad's hands during church. I would trace them over and over and flip them from top to bottom measuring my hands to his. I would trace the lines inside his palm and I noticed that our lines were almost identical.

I loved my Daddy's hands and for the first time in my Dad's life, in the last months of his life his hands were soft, there were no more callouses. I told him the day before he died that he had to solve that problem of having no callouses. "You have to start working in the garden and building my mansion on the other side so that I can recognize you by your hands when I meet you there."

I hope my Father will be pleased with what I do with these hands he gave me. I hope to make them as gentle, strong, calloused and supportive as my Father made his. I would like to dedicate the song "Daddy's Hands" to my Dad. This is a song that expresses my love for the man I call Dad.

The boyz of Dog Town

It's 2009 and I thought it was about time I got back to my blogging. I took this picture of Alaska and Duke last year. Duke is my Dad's dog and he is a character and a half. Like you couldn't tell by this picture! He is always in your face and full of energy. I wish I had his energy and I think Alaska is thinking the same thing here. It looks like he is saying: "I remember when I was your age, was I that crazy? Naah, I was an escape artist. Nothing could hold me back, not collars, chain link dog runs, etc. ... Man those were the days." "I couldn't understand why Mom got so mad at me when she came to pick me up from that place where there are a lot of other dogs in kennels that I couldn't escape from. All the humans were so friendly, I just couldn't stay away for long. I think after awhile my Mom had to go to court about me. I don't know what that means, but I soon found out that she didn't like me taking off without asking. She bought me a new collar that wasn't comfortable at all. When I tried to escape again, instead of the collar coming right off my head, it got tighter and tighter and it poked my neck. I decided I didn't like that collar very much, but she wouldn't take it off. So I guess my Houdini days were over." Ahh, those were the days."

My Alaska

There is this saying about how a dog is man's best friend... I would have to say that he or she is a lot more than that. They are the prime example of unconditional love, they are the greatest source of entertainment that money can not buy and they tend to warm your heart, even the very toughest of hearts can be moved to tears of joy or awe by their genuine loving natures.

My dog's name is "Alaska" and he has brought me so much joy that I wish to share with you upon occasion, things that Alaska has done that have entertained me throughout the years. He is almost 12 years old and I have had him around for almost 11 of those years. Everyone of those years has brought a multitude of emotions, mostly happy ones. I wish to share those moments with you just for fun and just in case you don't have a pet of your own that entertains and blesses you with their presence, feel free to experience along with me the joys of having a best friend that never has to say a word to prove that he loves you no matter what. Here's to hoping you enjoy these posts so much, it makes your tail wag.

I looked out the window and...

A Highway to Heaven...
The Manti Temple.
The beauty of this day, with the amazing clouds and the Temple on the hill was awe inspiring. I had to take the picture. This picture was taken on my Blackberry Pearl in October 2008.

Art is Life and then some...

Art is Life and Life is Art. Stated either way means the same thing... Life is beautiful! Even in our darkest hours we can find hope and happiness in the things that have been given to us by our very own Creator/Artist.
I find that the seemingly most simple things in life that we one day "see for the first time" as beautiful art, has more value than all the money in the world.
I am an Artist at heart (meaning I make art and I appreciate all types of art) and with that I've learned how to view my world with awe and wonder everyday.
I feel though that some art is harder to appreciate than others. It is easy to see the beauty in the creases of a babies dimples when they smile, but not so much with the crows feet around my 30 something eyes or the one really long wrinkle around the middle of my neck. It is easy to see the beauty in the golden and gentle eyes of a beloved dog, but not so much in the rattlesnake or scorpion that may be laying in wait to strike anything that comes near, even your beloved dog.
It just takes a little or maybe a lot more searching to find the beauty in those things. I have to see my wrinkles as my life and smile lines. Those lines tell me that I've found mostly happiness in my life. The wrinkle around my neck I'm still struggling with, in trying to find the beauty there, but art is a process and so is learning to appreciate it. So here's to the process of finding beauty in all things!
I will be sharing some of my art with all of you here on my blog. Some will be photos I've taken and some will be drawings. I hope you can learn to appreciate them and feel free to tell me what you think about it all.