Dear Jane,

Today I received a letter from you. I love it when you send me letters. In this day of instant messages sent by several forms of technology, it is still nice to get a letter through the mail, addressed just to you. That is why I always try to write you back, so you will have that special feeling too.

Your letter was interesting. You drew pictures of "Mommy", "Jane", "Daddy" and "Baby C". It made my heart hurt a little for you. It has been a long time since Catherine was "Baby C" so I think it might of how your family was before your parents' divorce and how you maybe wish it had stayed. There is nothing wrong with that. My parents divorced when I was five and I know that no matter how long it has been or how good or bad things are afterward, there will likely always be a part of you that wishes you could put that original family back together again. When my dad left, he left a brown suede jacket in the closet. When I really missed him I would go to the closet and stand there and smell the jacket and it made it seem like he was close. There are lots of different reaslons that divorces happen, but the important thing for you to remember is that your parents love you very much and that there is no way the divorce is your fault. The other important thing to remember is that Heavenly Father loves you even more than your parents and if you trust Him and try to obey His commandments, He will keep His promises to you and you will have a wonderful life. I know that because even though my life had a rough start, Heavenly Father has done that for me.

You are a beautiful girl Jane, inside and out. You are kind and sensitive and you feel things deeply. When life seems confusing, trust that you can talk to your parents and your Heavenly Father and that they will give you the help you need. Grampa and I will always cherish the time you, your mom and Catherine (Baby C) spent in our home. We had some fun times together and I miss those days, but I am so happy your mom found Kevin and that he fell in love with all three of you and wanted to take care of you. Hard times always work out somehow.

I love you so much and am so blessed to be your

Gramma

Dear Livvy,

Happy 7th Birthday! I can't believe you are seven already! It seems like just a few months ago you were born and delighting your parents who had waited a long time for you to get here! The first time we visited in Utah you looked so tiny to me that I was worried you weren't getting enough to eat! But now you are just the right size for a seven-year-old, so I needn't have worried.

Even though you don't call me as much now that you are in school all day, I hope you know you can call me anytime. When I was your age, my grandmothers were just two ladies who came to visit sometimes. It might have been OK for me to call them, but it never occurred to me that I could. And I probably wasn't as smart and you and couldn't memorized their phone numbers--forward and backward!

When we have family gatherings, you are always a good friend to Jane, Ashlin, Juli and your brother Jesse. I never had cousins I was close to growing up, but I wish I had. We are so fortunate to knows that families are forever and how important they are in this life. You are blessed to have good parents who love each other and their children very much! Someday you will grow up and have children you will love and you will be able to teach them all the wonderful things you are learning from your parents. Be sure to teach them all about the church and the Book of Mormon. If we love our Heavenly Father and Jesus and keep the covenants we have made, we can be happy no matter what problems or challenges come into our lives.

I love you Livvy, and am so happy you are part of our family and that I get to be one of your grandmas. Heavenly Father must really love me to give me such a special granddaughter.

I love you so much,

Mama