Stunned by the moonlit sky, cloud formations, flora and fauna (including grandchildren),
at the beginning of September, Val and I ventured from southern
New Mexico toward Colorado’s mile high city, to see another daughter
and learn of ancient ruins, dinosaur tracks.
Sauntering streets in a Golden city,
our hearts turned toward others who had lived there before. We had earlier found a duplex my father had grown up in from before kindergarten until age 10 ½, circled the
Dora Moore elementary school he attended that also an earlier alma mater to Mamie Eisenhower (wife to President Dwight D. Eisenhower).
Grateful to see smiles and cat training with two upper-level college children, thankful for kind hospitality, including fajitas, Papousas, new games 
and directions for studying Isaiah in learning to flow toward high mountains
(in our journey home,) we remembered we met 30 years ago in wooded surroundings a little further north and west. September has included harvesting produce,
greeting extended familial passersby, observing grandchildren take new challenges
(cross country, Heritage Girls, Science Olympiad, sewing and creating fluff ball stuffed animals, pruning grandparents’ gardens, trees, and shrubs) while appreciating gifts of talents and tools.
Grateful, we are to mark a milestone of 85 for one great grandmother 
and nearly 93 for another,
thankful for blessings in challenges that heaven can be ever present to guide, lift, teach and tutor.
One by one. Praying that your vistas are brilliant,
your focus filled with clarity and purpose, your harvest abundant, and preparations satisfying. 
We anticipate a reunion with my older siblings and spouses honoring 64 years of marriage for a Gee Grammy,
(74 for Grandma Verla) happy to learn in the blessing of heritage of courage in making choices creating liberty for future generations.
Grateful we are to cherish an inspired Constitution,
gather, howbeit virtually, for General Conference and laud a budding, cat-coddling child 
as she ventures to learn about industrial mechanical engineering, and hooks her pioneer hat to a rock-loving geology student.
Her best tip for life? Find someone intelligent and hang on. Maybe that is why we are invited to pray.
Thankful, I am for the blessing, daily, of trying to accomplish such.
What has been a blessing to each of you in the changing of the seasons?
We are grateful for the brilliance we see and feel as our orbits circle yours. 
Thank you for choosing to be lights in our life!
Sincerely, Laurene and Val Starkey
