mentor
My nephew, Shannon Moore married my niece, Lindsay (Hadlock) Moore, on Valentine’s Day of 2014. This year marked their tenth anniversary, and every day has been a great blessing to Lindsay. Lindsay tells me that “Shannon is an amazing husband and dad!! God made him for this role. He is so patient, so kind, and so loving!!” I agree. Anyone who has seen these two together, will attest to that fact. Life has not always been easy for Shannon and Lindsay, but together, they have worked their way through it, supporting each other all the way. Their love is beautiful.
Lindsay can’t say enough good things about her husband. She tells me, “Shannon has been growing spiritually…and a lot over the last year. I’ve loved watching him grow and lead our family.” Having a husband that encourages the family to attend church is so important. The reality is that there are moments every day, when we need to draw closer to God, and learn to lean on Him. There is gladness, for which we can rejoice in Him; and sadness, in which we can draw our strength from Him…but only if we know Him. Shannon knows his God, and that has been a great source of strength and leading for him.
Shannon is such a fun-loving guy, and very adventurous. Among his favorite things is planning adventures for his family. This year, they went to Houston and Galveston. They also made a trip across South Dakota and Minnesota. They went camping in Casper, and in the Snowy Mountains, and Saratoga!! Lindsay tells me, “He loves to take care of us and show us something fun.” I can certainly see that in Shannon. They got on hikes to some of the most beautiful places, and their daughter, Mackenzie, their pride and joy, is so blessed to be introduced to these fun activities.
Shannon is the assistant coach for the Wyoming Cowboys football team. He is also their tight ends coach and helps with special teams too. Not only does Shannon’s family benefit from the kind of loving person Shannon is, but his players do too. Shannon and Lindsay are always doing special gatherings with the guys, many of whom 
are far from home. Shannon and Lindsay really aren’t old enough, to be parental figures for the guys, but they definitely serve in the role of mentors, and the guys really appreciate that about them.
Shannon is well known for his servant’s heart. He serves his family, his friends and colleagues, and church with a glad and generous heart. That is one of Lindsay’s favorite things about him. Shannon has loved Lindsay since he first laid eyes on her, and his love for her grows deeper and deeper with each passing day. Shannon has a huge capacity for love, and his family is very blessed to have him. Today is Shannon’s birthday. Happy birthday Shannon!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
My sister, Cheryl Masterson is the oldest of the five girls that my parents had. For me, the second child, maybe more than the others, Cheryl was a mentor of sorts. As the sister who was just two years younger, following the footsteps of my big sister was just what I wanted to do. She was always the cool one. She could dance, and I was really awkward in that department, no matter how hard I tried to learn the latest dance steps from her, I just didn’t have the moves. She never ridiculed me, which she might have been justified in doing, but rather just showed me again.
Today, my sister is once again becoming a mentor, as we move through these chaotic times in the history of our nation. The worse things get, the more Cheryl encourages all of my sisters and me to press into God. While things seem to be heading in the wrong direction, we all know that God has a plan for us all. We are seeing such a great turnaround in our nation. The faith of many is being tested, and it is up to us to find out where we are in our faith life’s. Cheryl is very rooted and grounded in her faith. She is in the word pretty much every free moment she has.
Cheryl is also very family oriented. Her whole family comes to her house to have dinner on Tuesdays, and they have a wonderful time. Cheryl has five children, 15 grandchildren (two who live in Heaven now), and six great grandchildren. Of course, they can’t always make it to her house, but they try to get there. Her youngest granddaughter, Aleesia Spethman, is the granddaughter who is after her heart. They are two if a kind, and they 
love to spend quality time together. In fact, Cheryl and Aleesia are so close that they try to spend time together almost every day. These are sweet times for my sister, who knows that the years go by too quickly and there will come a day when Aleesia is more interested in friends than spending time with her grandma. Nevertheless, Cheryl has been a wonderful mentor to Aleesia too, and that will go with Aleesia all of her life. Today is Cheryl’s birthday. Happy birthday Cheryl!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
I realize that everyone who has a goal in mind for their life, must be focused on that goal, in order to achieve it, but I find that very few people say that they want to do a certain thing when they are in high school, and then follow through to achieve that goal. My grandson, Josh Petersen is such a focused young man. He wants to be a firefighter and EMT, and he just keeps taking the steps that he knows are necessary to get there. He completed some of the Fire Science classes in high school, using the Boces program, and now that he is in college, he just keeps moving forward toward his goal. I am very proud of his accomplishments thus far, and I look forward to all the great things he is going to do in the future. During the Boces classes, one of the instructors took Josh under his wing, and continues to mentor him as he moves forward. I don’t think his instructor had ever had a high school student the Fire Science class. The mentoring has really helped Josh, because he has been advised on which classes to take in order to better proceed through his requirements.
One of the most recent classes that Josh is taking is one that I am very excited about. He is in the current EMT course that is offered through the Bar Nunn, Wyoming fire department. I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around the fact that when this class is over, my grandson will be ready for state licensing tests to become an EMT…and he will only be 19 years old. That makes me very proud. Josh is enjoying the classes, but really looks forward to the clinical part of the training, when he actually works with patients. That makes sense. Every EMT, nurse, CNA, or other health care professional wants to move beyond the learning stages and get to doing the work. When I asked Josh about his class, he told me that it was interesting, but he was looking forward to the clinical training. He is always keeping his eyes on the prize, and that makes me very proud.
Of course, Josh is still very focused on his training to be a firefighter too. He loves everything firefighter. He loves t-shirts and tattoos that have anything to do with firefighting or EMT work. Everything he does these days is to further himself toward the ultimate goal. That takes determination and drive. He loves volunteer work too, especially if it is sponsored by the fire department. I’m sure that every time he sees anything about a fire, he wishes he could be there to help with the efforts to put the fire out. I know that with Josh’s focus and determination, he will become an amazing firefighter and EMT. We are so proud of him. Today is Josh’s 19th birthday. Happy birthday Josh!! Have a great day!! We love you!!
