Friday Flashback

10/29/06

Landon asked Laila if he was her favorite?  She scrunched her face up and said, "Well kind of...on this earth."  Landon asked her what she meant.  "Well," she said, "My favorite is God."  Then he said,"Well what about being your favorite brother?"  And she said, "No" and pointed up...."Jesus is."  So now we know where we all stand, after God and Jesus.

We have been working on her "th" sound when she talks.  She uses an "f" or a "v" instead.  So we are trying to help her.  Thing instead of Fing.  Both instead of Bof.  You get the idea.  So she was saying Muhver, for Mother.  I was correcting her.  She tried and tried to say it right.  Finally she just gave up and exasperated she said,  "I'm just going to call you mom."

Momma's Obituary

Sheri Butters Cole (Sharolyn) passed away May 21, 2013. She forgot to breathe in. "I love life, life loves me!" she said. 2 years from her initial cancer diagnosis, she now says farewell. Sheri was born May 9, 1939 to Grant and Eulala Butters. She married the love of her life, her rock, her sweetheart, Lyle Cole on June 9, 1959, they have spent 54 years together with eternity still to go. We celebrate a life lived with grace, beauty, and style that she exhibited to the end. Sheri was a builder of people, a lifter of souls, an example to us all of how to live, laugh and unconditionally love. She touched so many of us with her passion and energy; she shared her talents and gifts everywhere she went. For you it may have been dancing for her in 30 years of musicals at Bountiful High, or in dance lessons in her home studio, or as one of the many hundreds taught life lessons and time management as a professional trainer with Charles Hobbs and Franklin Covey. Did you work with her in the Sweet Adeline's or Beehive Statesmen? Or in one of the many choirs she has choreographed or directed? Did you watch her dance across Utah with the Sheri Cole Dancers? Or hear her singing with her Mother and Daughters in the Cole-Collection? Or as the drama teacher at Davis High School or as the choir teacher at Bountiful High? Were you a student, or one of her families with Washington Online? Did you carry a banner as an LDS Young Woman in the days of '47 parade? Or were you part of her LDS mission to Scotland? Perhaps you witnessed one of her 4th of July spectaculars at Rice Eccles and Spring Mobile Ballpark? Or one of the many amazing Relief Society lessons she faithfully taught? Better yet, maybe she was simply your friend to comfort you in times of need and give you that boost of positive energy she had for everyone. Did you see her in a show? She loved the theater. She directed, danced and performed in shows too many to count. She spent genuine time with each of us, building us, teaching us, and was always everyone's biggest fan! She loved us all! 
She lived to have a party and would make up reasons if she had to. The legendary Thanksgiving pie party, Halloween doughnuts, and summer scones brought family and friends together. Her favorite role and best party was as loving wife and mother to her family. Bear Lake on the beach will never be the same without her, but we will never forget how she loved spending time with us there. We will never forget the Christmas records playing all year round, sitting with her at parades, puzzles on the dining room table, family talent shows and concerts, her love of learning, always the latest books, The Color Code, family nights at pine view reservoir, The Love Languages, road trips in the Pace-Arrow, her beautiful paintings, and living in "your essence." She was a one of a kind - an original. 
She is survived by her devoted husband Lyle Nelson Cole, children Marcie and Gary Call, Melinda and Wayne Welch, Adam and Christine Cole, Elizabeth Cole and Allison Dennison, Angela and Guy Brown, 20 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Also survived by her brothers and Sisters Darlene and Jim Ostlund, Lynette and Lynn Poulter, Stephen and Mary Butters, Diane and David Hill, Bailey and Christie Butters, Brad and Karen Butters. Preceded in death by loving parents Grant and Eulala Butters and brother Grant Michael Butters. 
We know she is returning to our Heavenly Father with honor! 
We will never forget her legacy of unconditional love; her remarkable style, beauty and grace and her testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are all better for having known her. A life well lived. 

We love you Sheri! 

Dino Van

Yes... This is what I drove around for a few years...the Dino Van.  I was very popular with the under 8 crowd, which Tru and Mons were, so they thought this was sooooo coool.

This was taken at the end of a wonderful swim day..could have been any holiday in the summer celebrated at Grandma Butters Pool.  I loved those days.

Mom tells me, as she is dying in her bed, to accept change. Embrace it.  It's really all there is.  That and love.

Friday Flashback

09/17/06
We took Laila into the Dr. for a strep test.  At the hospital the nurse was asking questions and going over things.  Laila got on the scale; the nurse told her she weighs 33 pounds. Laila's eyes got big and she said, "I am growing up.  Soon my little clothes... I will put them on ...they will explode into a million pieces... So you have to get me bigger clothes" She informed the nurse about what she is allergic to. "I'm allergic to pink medicine, but it tastes so yummy and me and my mom are allergic to weeds and I'm allergic to cotton, not the kind you wear, but the kind that falls from trees."
She is something.
The nurse replied that Laila is so smart and Laila said with a side smile, "Yeah, I'm 4 1/2"

We were saying prayers on Tuesday night and Laila said, "And please, please, please bless all of the butterflies that we can never catch them so they will always be happy.  And please bless Addison that no alligators or crocodiles will eat him.  "

At the stores, all of the Halloween decorations are out.  Laila was explaining how scary it is to go to the stores now and said, "I saw one fing, an I was scared to deaf and then I saw that uver scary fing and I was scared to deafer."

.......what I'm thinking now

I've cried every day in May

My throat hurts from holding so much emotion there

I have to gear up to go out in public. I know there will be someone who asks about mom

Hugs feel great

I'm not amazed at how many lives my mom has touched but she is

Going through the death process is difficult but it's been a privilege to hold mom's hands, rub her feet and talk to her daily

I'm tired and easily distracted

I love my momma's hands.  I'm trying to memorize them, and her face and her voice

My sister's and my momma's hands...Angela, Me, Mom, Liz, Marcie

It's Laila Day ( May 15)..... 11 years ago we brought our little daughter home

I never thought I could sterilize, fill syringes and inject meds so efficiently

There is a lot of food at moms. People are so kind. Mom can't eat any of it. She hasn't eaten since April 28. We are all eating for her.  Ironic

Throw up stinks

Glad to know of the plan

Wondering when this vigil will end

Momma looks like an angel

It's hard to breathe

Sheri's Mission Statement

We had a great gathering for Momma's birthday.

All of the family gathered around her hospital bed.  She is set up in the living room and is the queen.

We sang Christmas carols and other songs to mom. Then she sat up in bed and spoke about her life and lesson's she has learned and hopefully what her legacy is.  She shared her mission statement and spoke about each area.   We laughed and cried and took a lot of pictures. We all said a big family prayer at the end then put all of out hands in a circle..connecting everyone to each other and said the Cole family cheer..."Forever."  

My mission is ....to return with honor

To pay homage and reverence to God for all I have

To live so I have no regrets

To find the joy and laughter of life

To share all I have

To read and learn all I can

To enjoy life with all my senses

To inspire others to be the very best they can be

To bring joy to self and others

To help make the path a little less painful for those who follow

To create environments where it is safe to speak out- to create- to discover

To help others gain a better understanding of life

To stay positive

To encourage others

To be a role model for the "can do" attitude

To help others find the beauties of the earth

To love unconditionally

Which is  best?  To live as if I will never die

Or

To live as if I will die at any moment?

Mother's Day recap

We are at the end of this beautiful Sunday.  It's been a good one.  It's hard to think that this is the last Mother's Day I  will have with my momma on this side of the veil.  She is still amazing.  Still lifting and giving and being positive and spreading her sunshine even with a stomach full of pain and knowing her time is limited.  I love my  momma.  She looks like an angel.

I did get some great time with my kids.  Truman spoke in church today about Charity -- Unconditional love and how he learned it from his sweet Grandma Sheri.   He almost made it through with out crying.
Addison and Bre face timed from Florida. They sent me 3 songs of them singing, and a silhouette of "Mother Knows Best."
Landon and Alex brought beautiful flowers with them, and a fun drawing board.
Laila wrote me a darling card and got flowers with Wayne to give to me.   I got a new dress from my Aunt Diane and  to top it all off a wonderful hour long phone call from my missionary Monson.
I made them all take a picture with me.....my favorite Mother's Day tradition....much better than breakfast in bed!

Wonderful Wanee....

 I love this guy.  He makes my dreams come true.