Fathers Day is a fun day. You get to tell your dad how much you love him and try to make some brownie points up with him. But really how wonderful are fathers are. How wonderful our parents are. But my story is of my Father. He is a big part of my life. I wouldn't be where and who i am today with out him. My dad Gary Mortenson grew up in Elfrida. In fact on the same road and the same ranch I grew up on. He had 4 older brothers. He was the young's, his older brother then him being 7 years older. So when they all left home and got on with there life's, he was still in Grade school. My grandpa had a heart attack when my dad graduated from High school. So he went to college close to home, and was there to help his mom around the place, because his dad wasn't able to work anymore. His dad past away when he was in his early 20's. His Mom a few years later died from a car wreck. So he was left to keep things going. He worked for a couple of different places. One being a big farm and ranch where he got to do what he loved, drive tractors and work with cows. He then decide to go on his own and ranch. So that what he was doing when he meet my mom and got married at the age of 32. My dad loved roping but he gave it up to have a family. He knew it was to much money to go play and have fun. So he just work and made sure we were take care of. My mom had to daughters when they got married and he adopted them, and loved them as if they were his. I was born in 1989 then my little sister was born in 1991.
Life was going good. We were ranching and making things work. But then when the cattle market started to go bad in the early 90's my mom took on a job working at a post office. So over the years we starterd to fall away from going to church. My mom had to work alot of Sundays, so we just stoped going over time. Things got really tough. I started to see my family fall apart. My older sister left home when she was 16 to go live with her real dad, then my oldest sister graduted that year. My mom had alot of stress on her and then, asked my dad for a devorce.
That when things really change. A awesome family that we once was. We did everything together. then with a little time, and falling away from the church. the very thing we need to hold us together, was taken out of our life's. It was just my dad, sister and me. I was in the 6th grade and my sister was in the 4th grade. We didnt really know what to do. It all just happened so fast. I still love my mom, and she has changed alot since then and we have a close relationship again, from over the years. But at that time in my life, my dad step up to the plate, and was bating 400. He did everything for us. He became Dad and Mom. We all had to pitch in and do our parts. Helping around the house and still trying to run a ranch. But that is when I became so close to my dad. We were always close growing up. Me being the only boy of 4 kids. We did everything together. Then after that it became even more so. When I would be having bad day he would come over and put his arm around me and ask me if everything is OK. He was always supportive of me in my choses I had to make going through school. Always being there to give me a little advice along the way. He was always at my games watching me and cheering me on. He got us back into the church, even though it was a tough, hard first step for him. But the thing I loved most about him, is he taought me how to work. I loved working with my dad. It was always the two of us. We were a team. We would go move 100 head of cows by ourselfs, or have to go out a short some apart to ship. We could do it. We just knew what had to be done, and how we needed to do it. My dad has awesome horse menship skills and taught me alot. We did everything on horse back. That was the only way we worked. with the both of us on horses, we didnt need other peoples help. I love those long saturdays, that seemed so long and hot. Sometimes having a game the day before and not getting back home until 2 in the morning, so Im was tired and didnt want to be there. But now I look back and I loved it. Just being with my dad, and work side by side.
My dad always knew what was best even when I thought he didn't know what the heck he was talking about. He loved me and he showed me through his words and actions. He never went a day when I left the house with out saying, hope you have a good day, I Love you. That was always so cool. But he always told me when I was going to a game or going anywhere I would be gone for awhile, was "Always Remember Who You Are." That as always stuck with me. I am so grateful for my dad. He lived the gospel and had a testimony of it. He started my testimony, and now I know that this is the only true church on earth. With out it, we can not be happy. We need it in our life's and in our families life's. I know now that I will always try to be who my dad was to me, a Hero. I want to live the gospel and show my love to my family like him. Thanks dad.
Life was going good. We were ranching and making things work. But then when the cattle market started to go bad in the early 90's my mom took on a job working at a post office. So over the years we starterd to fall away from going to church. My mom had to work alot of Sundays, so we just stoped going over time. Things got really tough. I started to see my family fall apart. My older sister left home when she was 16 to go live with her real dad, then my oldest sister graduted that year. My mom had alot of stress on her and then, asked my dad for a devorce.
That when things really change. A awesome family that we once was. We did everything together. then with a little time, and falling away from the church. the very thing we need to hold us together, was taken out of our life's. It was just my dad, sister and me. I was in the 6th grade and my sister was in the 4th grade. We didnt really know what to do. It all just happened so fast. I still love my mom, and she has changed alot since then and we have a close relationship again, from over the years. But at that time in my life, my dad step up to the plate, and was bating 400. He did everything for us. He became Dad and Mom. We all had to pitch in and do our parts. Helping around the house and still trying to run a ranch. But that is when I became so close to my dad. We were always close growing up. Me being the only boy of 4 kids. We did everything together. Then after that it became even more so. When I would be having bad day he would come over and put his arm around me and ask me if everything is OK. He was always supportive of me in my choses I had to make going through school. Always being there to give me a little advice along the way. He was always at my games watching me and cheering me on. He got us back into the church, even though it was a tough, hard first step for him. But the thing I loved most about him, is he taought me how to work. I loved working with my dad. It was always the two of us. We were a team. We would go move 100 head of cows by ourselfs, or have to go out a short some apart to ship. We could do it. We just knew what had to be done, and how we needed to do it. My dad has awesome horse menship skills and taught me alot. We did everything on horse back. That was the only way we worked. with the both of us on horses, we didnt need other peoples help. I love those long saturdays, that seemed so long and hot. Sometimes having a game the day before and not getting back home until 2 in the morning, so Im was tired and didnt want to be there. But now I look back and I loved it. Just being with my dad, and work side by side.
My dad always knew what was best even when I thought he didn't know what the heck he was talking about. He loved me and he showed me through his words and actions. He never went a day when I left the house with out saying, hope you have a good day, I Love you. That was always so cool. But he always told me when I was going to a game or going anywhere I would be gone for awhile, was "Always Remember Who You Are." That as always stuck with me. I am so grateful for my dad. He lived the gospel and had a testimony of it. He started my testimony, and now I know that this is the only true church on earth. With out it, we can not be happy. We need it in our life's and in our families life's. I know now that I will always try to be who my dad was to me, a Hero. I want to live the gospel and show my love to my family like him. Thanks dad.
