Macho Men

I have truly been blessed by the men in my life. From the time of my birth until now, I've been surrounded by good men.

My dad wanted a boy when I was born (I was his first child). He wrote a poem soon after my birth that started "Give away those bats and balls, change from blue to pink the walls..." Little did he know then that later he'd have to explain to me that if I kept beating up the boys, they wouldn't want to date me when I got older.

Despite the fact that I defied him at every turn, I have idolized my dad all my life. To me he is the smartest, most righteous man that ever lived. He has never wavered in his testimony of God, his love for my mother or his devotion to helping young people reach their potential. My happiest moments have been when I have known that I made him proud and some of my saddest moments have been when I have known I disappointed him.

I love these two pictures together because it shows him letting me "help" him paint and then my kids helping him in the garden. I am grateful for the example he has set for me and is now setting for my children.

My dad's dad - my granddad - was a cowboy. When I think of my granddad, I think of a hero from a Louis L'Amour book - a Sackett. One of my cousins was describing his brother recently and said the best word to describe him was "True." I think that's a great word to describe my Granddad. He was True.

My Granddad died when I was 12 years old. My memories of when he got sick and the day I learned he died are some of the most vivid of my childhood. He continues to be a powerful influence in my life. I have always been proud to be a Bayles and that comes from being proud of him.

To me, my grandpa (my mom's dad) was always a very romantic figure. He was dashing and adventurous. He traveled the world and did exciting things. I think I get my sense of adventure and wanderlust from him. He always believed in me. He would ask me what I had written lately and was confident I would do great things with my life. I believed in myself because he believed in me. Later in life I learned that my grandpa hadn't always made the right choices, but by the time I came around, he was a righteous man. It reminds me that it doesn't matter where we start, but rather where we end up that matters.

I am grateful to be married to a man who is a great dad. My kids are so lucky to have a dad who truly enjoys playing with them. Even before we had children of our own, David was a kid magnet. My nieces and nephews love their Uncle David. Once I married David, they didn't care too much about whether or not I was around.

LDS Historian Kenneth W. Godfrey said, “In the process of teaching church history for over 16 years and doing considerable research in early Mormon history, one of the most striking qualities that I have found in the Prophet Joseph Smith was his kindness. This great attribute seems to have pervaded his entire life and was extended to people of all races as well as the animal kingdom.” I feel that same way about David. He has the attribute of kindness.

On two occasions, different people have told me that David reminds them of Nathanael of whom Christ said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile."

Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), the thirteenth president of the LDS Church said, “Fatherhood is not a matter of station or wealth; it is a matter of desire, diligence, and determination to see one’s family exalted in the celestial kingdom. If that prize is lost, nothing else really matters.”

Today and every day I am grateful for the valiant men in my life.