OUR LITTLE ANGEL TREE

During Christmas, Patrick and Ashley were having a difficult time setting up their Christmas tree.  I had wanted to plant a tree in memory of  Preslee, so Patrick and I went down and purchased a live spruce tree.  They decorated it with angel decorations and called it the angel tree. 

The snow finally melted here, so on Saturday I braved the forty mile an hour winds and went out and planted it in my back yard.  It looks a lot smaller than than it did in the pot all decorated for Christmas.  It is very significant of our little angel "Preslee".  She was small.  Very strong, but still very small.  Right around the corner from our house, there is a row of pine trees that are very old and tall and strong.  It is a reminder of what our angel tree can become.  Probably at least 100 years.  It too will grow tall and strong. 

I now will have a lifetime of mowing around the tree, pruning, watering, and fertilizing it.  It will always be a reminder to me of our angel.  Each week as I make the rounds mowing I will have a reminder of all that Preslee and her short life taught me.  The teachings are immeasurable to me.  The love that she showed us, the joy that she brought to our home, the hugs and kisses, and all of the teachings that she has blessed us with during and after her passing.  As the tree grows, it will also symbolize the growth that she is also undergoing in the spirit world. 

I am sure that the "Angel Tree" will live on, way after I am gone.  Hopefully it will be a memorial to her greatness for a long time.  We love you Preslee and still miss you every day.  This tree is for you, and in a way for all of us as well.  I will enjoy watching it grow.  

The more I learn the less I know

I have done so much thinking lately about the great plan of salvation.  I feel like the saying "the more that I learn, the less I know".  Jodi and I spent some time yesterday at the cemetery.  As always we talk about Preslee at her grave, reminisce about how much joy she brought to our family during her short stay in mortality.  Then we kind of wander around and look at other graves.  Preslee is buried in Archer where I grew up.  I know many of the people buried there or at least their families.  Most of the Archer frogs (our nickname for the ward choir when I was a boy) are buried there now.  They were great people who taught by example and put up with my friends and I, when we were growing up.  We were anything but perfect, but they had patience with us and loved us anyway.  That is what Wards do.  I always liked the Ward members when I was a youth.  Their teachings and examples to me helped shape my life.  It is like going back to memory lane whenever I go out there.  It is very comforting to me to know that Preslee will resurrect someday among such great people. 
     Something that is becoming clearer to me is how much life here on earth is tied into the pre-mortal life, as well as the spirit world following this life.  I don't think that I understood before, how much these three worlds are intertwined.  I also did not understand how much pre-ordination has affected our lives here.  The experiences and trials that we go through here, are chosen for us to help us progress to our ultimate goal. (to become as our Father in Heaven)  The experiences that we face here, were chosen because of our strengths and weakness in the pre-existence.  We understood then, that we needed to progress, and we chose to come here in order to accomplish that.  Hence our challenges and trials were chosen specifically for us.  They are all to teach us.  No more no less. 
     We understood when we came here that we would make mistakes.  Our hope was that we would use the Savior's atonement to help us repent, and stay on course.  We all knew that we would face challenges designed to help us progress.  Even little Preslee has her challenges.  It can't be easy for her to watch as we mourn her loss.  She is very aware of our grief and comforts us the best she can.  I am sure at times that she feels helpless as we work our way through the grieving process. 
     The experiences that we face here will also be a great strength to us in the next life.  Remember we all looked at our Father in the pre-existence and said, I want to be like you.  We were subsequently taught that in order to be Godlike we had to develop Godlike traits and gain and master a body.  That is why we are here.  Anything that we don't learn or master here will have to be learned in the next life.  Repentance is more difficult in the next life.  We have no body in the next life.  So we are able to progress here in ways that will be difficult or impossible in the next life.  That is why we cannot squander our time in mortality. 
     Preslee's death has certainly awakened our family to the fact that these worlds are all tied together.  The Temple seems to me where these worlds meet.  I have felt very close to those that I have done ordinance work for in the Temple since Preslee's accident.  It has been a tender mercy for me to feel the love from those that I have done work for.  I know that Preslee is with them.  The prophet Malachi taught us that if we do not keep the promises made to our fathers, the Earth would be wasted at his coming.  JS history 1:39  I think that the promises are to do their Temple work for them.  Remember they can't progress in their current state unless we unlock the chains that bound them in spirit prison.  At this moment in history, temple work needs to be done like no other time.  That is our generation's assignment.  It is up to us.  I testify to all who would read this that vicarious work for the dead is a means for us to help our ancestors, as well as a means for us to become closer to our final goal.  To return to live in God's presence and to become like him. 
     I have been very touched by the outpouring of love towards our family these last four months.  We truely have many friends here.  Thank you all who have stepped up and helped our family.  I love you all and am grateful for our friendship.  I am grateful for the learning curve that I have experienced throughout this trial.  I would still like to have Preslee back with us, but that is not going to happen.  So I take the teachings that have been given me from this experience and give thanks to Heavenly Father.  I know that Preslee is close by.  It is frustrating at times that I can't reach out and hive her a big hug, but knowing Preslee she is anxiously engaged doing God's work where she is.  She also is working to perfect herself.  She will have to do the "body thing" in the millennium.  Then I will give her lots of grandpa hugs.  Thanks again to all of you for your kindness to us.              Trent Siddoway    

Preslee

Somehow during the whole Preslee ordeal, our blog got messed up and I wasn't able to post anything about the situation.  Not that that many people come to this blog anyway, but maybe someday down the road Jodi and I can look back and use this blog as a partial history for our family. 
     I first want to say thank you to all the wonderful people who have given so much to our family during this crisis.  I know that Patrick and Ashley have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love that has, and continues to be shown to them, and we feel the same.  We have the greatest family, the best ward, and a community of friends unmatched.  We love and appreciate you all. 
     As for Preslee.  I just want to say that she is one incredible chica.  She was definitely grandpas little girl, (as well as everyone else's girl).  I will forever miss our breakfasts that we ate together every morning, as well as our nature walks picking up rocks.  She was adorable helping Jodi water her flowers with her own little watering can that grandma bought for her.  I even think that Izzi, and Freckles will miss her even though they seemed very much annoyed with her whenever she came over. 

     Those nights that we spent with her in the hospital will forever be etched in my memory.  To be able to be at her side and hold her little hand all night, and comfort her when she was struggling was an honor for us.  Looking back on it, maybe she was the one doing the comforting.  I have learned more about the plan of salvation from Preslee than through any other means in my life.  I feel as though she had a great mission to accomplish in one week, and she did a good job.  She has and is still impacting people to be better in their lives and in teaching people about God's plan.  Way to go Presser. 
     I can also say that Preslee is still around us.  I have felt her several times since the funeral.  I wish I could give her more hugs, but then that time will come.  More motivation to live right so that can happen some day.  I just want my family to know that I love them all.  Thanks for all your love back.      Trent

Rhett Brady Josh

Here is proof that Rhett did go to the MTC in Brazil.  He is with friends Brady Hastings and Josh Hope who are all going to different missions in Brazil.  Rhett tells us that he is still learning the language and is in good health.  They had two baptisms and his attitude is very positve.  We miss you Rhett, but we are glad that you are doing the work that you are.  

Rhett's Mission

Not sure what happened to our last post but it went crazy. That is what happens when my generation tries to use a computer. We always have had one of our children here to keep us running so to speak. Since Rhett left to Brazil, we are on our own.
Speaking of Rhett, he made it to Porto Alegre safely and is working in a suburb of Porto Alegre. He reports that the missionary work is going well, and that the members are making sure that he is well fed. We look forward to future letters from him and hearing of his experiences.

I know, I know! These are a little slow but here is proof that Jodi and I went to main with Phil and Pat this fall. We saw the beautiful fall leaves, some light houses, and much more. It is an interesting part of the country. I was very interested in the lobster industry. I especially enjoyed eating many of them. Anyways, here are the photos.