Top Five: My Kids

So here's one thing I like about each of my five kids. No numbers today, since I'm not ranking them (!), I'll just talk about them from youngest to oldest.

Dallin. He is great working with people, and has an interesting range of friends at school and at work. Quick with a smile and a joke, he can charm the socks off a snake. I like his loyalty, too. He won't let you run roughshod over him, but if you are kind to him, expect an intensely loyal friend back. Now if he'd just stop reminding how much taller than me he is...

Shelly. Shelly is a thinkerwoman, and is passionate about her life and the world of ideas. I enjoy our discussions and explorations, whether, it's politics, religion, society, interpersonal relationships, or any other topic that makes your heart skip a beat. We keep each other honest in what we believe, whether we agree or disagree.

Kevin. Kevin is a great pacemaker, making sure everyone's hearts are beating in sync. Wait, I meant peacemaker! He is great at getting people together, soothing over rough spots, and ensuring each feels welcome and loved. He brings that quality with him everywhere, whether he's at home, at work, on vacation, or on the net. So in a way I guess he does get people's hearts beating together...in love.

Afton. She has an eye for design, that brings beauty to everything around her. For example, in her apartment she decorates, simply but effectively, for every season that comes along. Winter, she'll hang snowflakes from the ceiling, till you think you're walking in a warm snowstorm. St. Patrick's Day, shamrocks from the same heights. She knows just where to put pictures, accents, plants, and everything else. The apartment building she's in is very unprepossessing, but once you walk through her door, you're in another, better world.

Sam. He's willing to keep trying till he succeeds. I've seen this many times in his life, the most recent is when he applied to work as a policeman. He didn't score high enough on his exam once, though he was over 90%. And earlier this year he didn't pass the mile run portion of the testing. At that point I might have given up, saying "Forget them" or something similar... but Sam kept at it, passed the whole deal, and is just finishing up the process to become a sheriff.