A long time ago, my ancestors on the Jepson side moved to a place that was out in the desert of Southern Utah.  I am not sure how they survived the heat and the lack of water but somehow they turned an arid place into a town that they called Hurricane.  I guess that it was windy there and it felt like they were going to blow away.  My great, great, great grandpa James was instrumental in digging a canal that brought water from the Virgin River to the town of Hurricane.  It took several years to complete and most of the people that started working on it quit before it was completed but James never gave up and he secured the rest of the financing from Salt Lake to finish the job.  I’m really proud of him and want to live up to that same determination.  My dad and I are training for a half-marathon right now and although I know that it doesn’t compare to the challenges that my ancestors faced, I am going to think about James Jepson when I feel like giving up and that will keep me going.  Today, on our training run, I wanted to stop and walk even though the end was in sight.  My dad said, “Don’t quit! We are almost done.”  I heard that and thought of my Grandpa James and I pushed through to the end.

Aaron.  Jepsons don’t quit.  Thanks Grandpa James.