The Boat

"We spend our money on the things that are important to us."

I heard Bishop Brinton say that to a lady in our ward once, when she asked him how he could afford to take his family on so many trips around the world. 

"Some people spend their money on big cars or fancy houses, we spend our money on seeing the world," he’d said.

I've thought about his explanation ever since.  I guess it's about where your priorities are.  Dad's priorities were making memories with his children.  That's why he bought the cabin when I was little, so he would have a place to take his family to have fun.  It worked.  If you asked me where the happiest place on earth was I wouldn't say Disneyland.  I would say "the cabin." 

Later, dad built the camper so we could explore the country together as a family.  We toured the west coast, drove all the way back east and spent three weeks discovering our American heritage, and took the camper on numerous smaller vacations, building memories and bonds that could never be replaced.

As we grew older dad decided he needed to find a way to keep us close that didn't involve so much time.  Going to the cabin or on trips happened a few times a year.  He needed something we could do on the spur of the moment, every weekend if we wanted.  When our neighbors down the street decided to sell their ski boat dad realized it was the answer to his prayer. 

The boat wasn't new, but it sure seemed cool to us.  It cost dad an arm and a leg to buy it, and then to keep it running, but it was money well spent if it gave him an opportunity to spend time with his kids, especially his teenage boys.  It never took any coaxing to talk them into taking the boat up to the lake for an afternoon of fishing or skiing.  They even took it down to Mexico a couple of times.  It was a good investment.

I loved the boat, too.  I was sixteen when dad bought it.  We took a trip to Lake Powell that summer, camping on the beach and spending the days driving around the huge lake, swimming and learning how to ski.  How much fun we had!  I loved the tropical smell of sun tan lotion on warm skin, the feel of the sun on my arms and legs, the gentle rocking motion of the boat as we floated through glassy water, and color of the sun mirrored in the clear water all around us.  Lake Powell was so huge, so clean, so amazing!  Unless we were right next to the marina it seemed like we were the only people in the world, the lake was so big that we hardly ever saw anyone else.  

I spent hours learning how to ski, but since there were six of us kids all trying to get our turn it took me nearly a whole week before I got the hang of it.  Then, wow!  It was like flying, only bumpier, with the wind rushing through my hair and my arms feeling like they were being pulled out of their sockets.  Sometimes I fell, but it didn't hurt since I just fell into the water, but my favorite part was skiing until my turn was over, then just letting go of the rope and gradually sinking down into the cold, soft water.  I loved to swim, and skiing added a new dimension that I couldn't get enough of.

Everyone in our family loved it, except mom.  She didn't like swimming in the lake, it scared her not being able to touch the bottom; she didn't enjoy the sun, she burned too easily; and she worried all the time that the little girls might fall over the side and drown.  But she never complained or stopped us from going.  Sometimes she would let us go to the lake while she stayed home with the little girls, but a most of the time she came with us even though it wasn't her favorite thing to do.  Like dad, mom's priorities were making memories with her family, even if it meant she didn't get a new couch to replace the old ratty ones we'd had in the front room ever since we moved into our house, or new carpet or fancy clothes.  Mom and dad chose to spend their money building memories with their family, and what memories we made.