Southwest Memories - Amy Lynn

Some of my fondest memories of you Dad always seem to revolve around the Southwest nature.  We both share a great love for the Southwest.  I remember on one occasion when we lived out in La Luz you took a couple of us kids out on an "Expedition" through one of the canyons hidden in the desert floor between La Luz and Alamogordo.  That was so fun!  I felt like a real explorer.  It amazed me how this canyon could be hidden from everyday view.  I had no idea it was out there but you did.  Dad you always seemed so knowledgeable of nature (one of my favorite subjects) and made those expeditions so interesting.
I remember on one occasion walking through our neighborhood, there by Dixie and Pete, a neighborhood I had walked through many times and not taken much notice of, and you explaining what all the different types of trees were and information regarding their flowers and suddenly our neighborhood contained something so much more than I had realized.
I loved Sunday drives, staring out the window, admiring the beauty outside, and listening to you spout off some form of information about the place we were seeing. Often times our excursions seemed to take us to High Rolls and on to Cloudcroft and the surrounding areas.  Those memories always seem to be associated with Light and Peace for me.
When I think of the smell of Creosote it takes me back to an evening, standing with you, out in the front yard of the Pence's house, at sunset, just after a rainfall, that beautiful smell filling the air and looking with awe at a sky filled with hues of green and orange and red that I had never seen before.  AMAZING!!
The Southwest reminds me of you Dad and I think that is why I love it so much.  It's attributes represent what you are to me.  A place where I feel at home and safe. A place that evokes awe and admiration.  A place where I first felt my testimony take root.  A place where I see and know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live.
Thank you Dad for giving me these beautiful and profound memories.  I hold them close to my heart as I do you.  I love you and long to be near you!  I hope one day my children can have similar experiences with you.:)
Feliz Navidad!