Background

 "Our Story" is organized by the location where we lived. The drop-down menu for each location has a different time period.

I have shared many stories about our experiences and the lessons we have learned from them. We have moved around the Western US and even briefly overseas. I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints near Washington, D.C. In our first years of marriage, we desperately wanted to begin a family but went through four years of miscarriages and other problems that prevented a successful pregnancy. And then, we had a child every two years for the following ten years. We began with a daughter, then added five sons. There have been challenges that almost ended our marriage, but solving them has given us an exceptional relationship. We have gone from prosperity to poverty to prosperity. We have faced the repercussions of severe mental illness. Our children have chosen paths not built around the faith central to how we live. We hope they someday have experiences with our Savior like the ones we have had. Even if that day doesn't come we love them, cheer their successes, and enjoy our times with them. I deliberately omitted many of our children’s stories out of respect for their privacy. I left only those that directly impact our story.

A person may have many different professional and religious roles in life. There are many demands and responsibilities. It is easy to get caught up in the flaws and imperfections in our lives. But I have realized that you can never do everything that could have been done. The real question is, "Did I do my best?" If you did your personal best, considering your circumstances, you won. That's all there is to it. We cannot judge ourselves. We are not the ones who decide the value of our lives. Only Jesus Christ is qualified to do that. We must forgive ourselves for our mistakes and take life with the conditions and terms we are given. Let go of the things we can't change.

There have been many challenges and trials in our lives together. Some have been a direct result of poor decisions. Others because we have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or someone just acted selfishly with us as the target. This is mortality, and life can be unfair. But the Savior can lead us through the unjust experiences of life and give our lives peace even in the middle of them. Ultimately, He will make it right for all the unfairness we experience. But not in mortality. Someday all the unfairness will be made right and the questions will be answered. Ultimately, the only limit to the rewards we receive are those we placed there ourselves.

Many friends have encouraged us to write these stories down. I am Ron Goodlad, the primary writer of this site. Kathy will also make some contributions to this as she sees fit. Kathy has always had a different view than mine on our life experiences. Our strength has come from seeing things differently. Our blended views have strengthened us and given us a more compassionate view of the world around us.