I find it amazing that during General Conference there are messages that you sit back and think well that was for me. Perhaps there was a story or instruction given that was exactly what you needed to hear at the time. I am grateful for conference time. I am grateful to sit at the feet of Prophets and Apostles and hear the words of God. I am grateful for the Lords Prophet on the earth today, President Thomas S. Monson.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation of my life. I was thinking about some of this earlier today. There are things that I just do because I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and because of that knowledge I find strength needed to press forward through the trials and challenges of life.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Good Morning
I sat down to write the blog a while ago. I was going to put on a movie to keep me busy while I write in an effort to keep myself awake. I started to browse the options and... then I woke up. It's now 3 in the morning and I'm up and awake once again. This reminds me of when I first started keeping a regular journal on my mission. There were entries that didn't turn out so hot when all of a sudden my handwriting went from bad to just a blurry line as I fell asleep in the middle of it. Then there were plenty of times when I got back home and would wake up kneeling at the side of my bed (that is how I used to write in my journal) with my pen in my hand and my head in my journal. There were plenty of times when that was in the early morning hours. I do recall that my knees were quite sore on those nights. Perhaps I can blame my illegible journaling over however many years on the fact that I was usually half asleep when I wrote. Probably not something that will matter a lot anyway. I will be able to decipher most of it when others can not. Perhaps when I am older and in need of a nap I can sit down with these journals of mine and transcribe them.
If I am always falling asleep or struggling to stay awake just to write this stuff why even bother? Why torture myself on a nightly basis? I do this because I was told to keep a journal of my life. It is really just that simple. I struggle with it and there are nights when it is really hard because I am exhausted but I made a commitment to do this. There have been plenty of times when that commitment lead to several entries that were just about identical to the those written previously. There were those times when I decided I was going to try and improve my penmanship by writing in cursive - that didn't turn out so well. Writing left handed didn't turn out so well either. Who knew there would be adventures in journaling?
Well anyway, let me note that the kids and I played a game in the back yard after dark. It is called Ghost in the Graveyard. They were playing it over at the Jensen's before I went and rounded them up and they really wanted to play a little longer. We did and they had a good time. I enjoyed watching them do their thing. Andy had a great little hiding place for one round. I knew where he was but let him ride it out until Natty finally found him. On the last round Jack was up and we were counting when he decided to sneak into the garage. Let's just say he wasn't exactly sneaky. When you get to the end of counting your suppose to say something like 'I hope there are no ghosts in the graveyard tonight'. I changed it to 'I hope there are no ghosts in the garage tonight' and then Jack started laughing. It was a fun way to end the game.
So anyway, long night and now a good morning and time for me to go to bed - for real this time.
If I am always falling asleep or struggling to stay awake just to write this stuff why even bother? Why torture myself on a nightly basis? I do this because I was told to keep a journal of my life. It is really just that simple. I struggle with it and there are nights when it is really hard because I am exhausted but I made a commitment to do this. There have been plenty of times when that commitment lead to several entries that were just about identical to the those written previously. There were those times when I decided I was going to try and improve my penmanship by writing in cursive - that didn't turn out so well. Writing left handed didn't turn out so well either. Who knew there would be adventures in journaling?
Well anyway, let me note that the kids and I played a game in the back yard after dark. It is called Ghost in the Graveyard. They were playing it over at the Jensen's before I went and rounded them up and they really wanted to play a little longer. We did and they had a good time. I enjoyed watching them do their thing. Andy had a great little hiding place for one round. I knew where he was but let him ride it out until Natty finally found him. On the last round Jack was up and we were counting when he decided to sneak into the garage. Let's just say he wasn't exactly sneaky. When you get to the end of counting your suppose to say something like 'I hope there are no ghosts in the graveyard tonight'. I changed it to 'I hope there are no ghosts in the garage tonight' and then Jack started laughing. It was a fun way to end the game.
So anyway, long night and now a good morning and time for me to go to bed - for real this time.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Out the Door
We had a first today at The Little Brick House. Our lunch hour was big, that isn't the first time, it's the norm. In our lunch hours however we have never had a line that went out the doors. Today that all changed. I looked up and all of the sudden the door was just open and the line was the biggest I had ever seen. It was pretty exciting stuff. We were moving for sure. It was a great hour, not our single biggest but it was one of them.
We have a lot of work to do over the next little while. We are anticipating continued growth and then the addition of a lot more business with the upcoming festival season and summer games. A line out the door isn't going to cut it in the middle of summer. People won't want to stand out in the heat just to have our food... well, maybe they will. It is good food. We are in the process of making those changes and it will resolve that challenge. If after we redesign there is a line out the door, well, I think then we won't have to worry much about people waiting in the heat because at that point they are totally dedicated.
Speaking of good food and out the door I have been watching this season of Survivor because one of my friends, Jonas Otsuji from Hawaii Kai, has been on. I remember when I first met Jonas in the Deacons Quorum of the Hawaii Kai 2nd Ward. He was one cool kid, easy going, very like-able. Today he is a very accomplished Sushi Chef and somehow ended up on Survivor. I don't pretend to have a relationship with him today outside of Facebook but it has been fun to watch him on Survivor and think about a lot of the good times we had back in the day. I saw a post from another friend on Facebook that indicated he had been eliminated so I pulled it up tonight and have been watching it. He in fact was eliminated tonight and it was sad to see him go. I don't know that I will follow the show any longer, I haven't watched it in years and was only interested in seeing how he did. It was a good run. Sad to see him go but happy he had the opportunity.
In other fun and exciting happenings of the day the kids walked to the LBH after school today and it was fun to have them come in. I made them dinner there and that was much easier then coming home and putting together something here. I did have a moment of pause and a prompting from the Spirit that I acted on and am grateful for. Andy wanted 2 hot dogs and so I made them and asked Natty to take them to him. She did and dropped them on the ground. Well, had to make two new hot dogs. I don't like wasting much and was a little irritated. Andy was a little upset and did not want Natty taking out his new hot dogs. I told him not to worry that she wouldn't and then it occurred to me, when someone falls of a horse they need to get right back on. I stopped and said, no she will take it out to you. She needed to have that opportunity to try again and to know that I trusted her to do it. It was a couple of hot dogs that were lost and that was all that needed to be lost today. So she took out the new hot dogs and was just fine. I don't know if it even made a difference to her but I hope it did. Jack, well, he wasn't ready to let her attempt to take out his sandwich and made it clear he would be taking out his own food. Such a character.
We have a lot of work to do over the next little while. We are anticipating continued growth and then the addition of a lot more business with the upcoming festival season and summer games. A line out the door isn't going to cut it in the middle of summer. People won't want to stand out in the heat just to have our food... well, maybe they will. It is good food. We are in the process of making those changes and it will resolve that challenge. If after we redesign there is a line out the door, well, I think then we won't have to worry much about people waiting in the heat because at that point they are totally dedicated.
Speaking of good food and out the door I have been watching this season of Survivor because one of my friends, Jonas Otsuji from Hawaii Kai, has been on. I remember when I first met Jonas in the Deacons Quorum of the Hawaii Kai 2nd Ward. He was one cool kid, easy going, very like-able. Today he is a very accomplished Sushi Chef and somehow ended up on Survivor. I don't pretend to have a relationship with him today outside of Facebook but it has been fun to watch him on Survivor and think about a lot of the good times we had back in the day. I saw a post from another friend on Facebook that indicated he had been eliminated so I pulled it up tonight and have been watching it. He in fact was eliminated tonight and it was sad to see him go. I don't know that I will follow the show any longer, I haven't watched it in years and was only interested in seeing how he did. It was a good run. Sad to see him go but happy he had the opportunity.
In other fun and exciting happenings of the day the kids walked to the LBH after school today and it was fun to have them come in. I made them dinner there and that was much easier then coming home and putting together something here. I did have a moment of pause and a prompting from the Spirit that I acted on and am grateful for. Andy wanted 2 hot dogs and so I made them and asked Natty to take them to him. She did and dropped them on the ground. Well, had to make two new hot dogs. I don't like wasting much and was a little irritated. Andy was a little upset and did not want Natty taking out his new hot dogs. I told him not to worry that she wouldn't and then it occurred to me, when someone falls of a horse they need to get right back on. I stopped and said, no she will take it out to you. She needed to have that opportunity to try again and to know that I trusted her to do it. It was a couple of hot dogs that were lost and that was all that needed to be lost today. So she took out the new hot dogs and was just fine. I don't know if it even made a difference to her but I hope it did. Jack, well, he wasn't ready to let her attempt to take out his sandwich and made it clear he would be taking out his own food. Such a character.
My Friend Guy
I have a friend named Guy. A few months ago it was his birthday and he had a friend that took him out for lunch. He chose to come to The Little Brick House. Well, we made his day. He ordered a Ruby, one of the first. He gave me a hard time about our Marble Rye bread and said we really needed a Russian Rye. I went to check on him after he had some of that sandwich and he was no longer worried about Russian Rye. He loved it. Well, it was his birthday and we try to deliver something amazing so when we showed up with a Hot Cookie Sundae and sang Happy Birthday it made his day. We have been friends ever since.
When Guy comes in we shake hands and before he leaves we have a hug. I guess I should mention that Guy is in his 70's. He and his wife come in pretty regularly. I found out we are in the same stake when I looked down from the stand and saw him there smiling at me. He told me today that President Sorenson was talking to him and said something about not knowing if he should call him Brother Gillespie or by a sandwich name. We laughed. If you have no idea what I am talking about go to Stake Conference Talk in the archives of this month.
Guy got me choked up a couple of times today. He tells me that he loves me and encourages me to keep on going. I appreciate that very much. I appreciate people who care and that aren't afraid to just give you a hug and tell you that they love you and that your doing a good job. Sometimes a struggling single dad just needs that reassurance. I'll tell you this, I don't feel like it most of the time. Most of the time I don't see myself measuring up. Funny enough I know that I am not alone in this. I think most of us don't see ourselves measuring up or doing as good of a job as so and so. We're all pretty tough on ourselves. That seems an easy thing to do.
I need to be a little more like Guy Gillespie.
When Guy comes in we shake hands and before he leaves we have a hug. I guess I should mention that Guy is in his 70's. He and his wife come in pretty regularly. I found out we are in the same stake when I looked down from the stand and saw him there smiling at me. He told me today that President Sorenson was talking to him and said something about not knowing if he should call him Brother Gillespie or by a sandwich name. We laughed. If you have no idea what I am talking about go to Stake Conference Talk in the archives of this month.
Guy got me choked up a couple of times today. He tells me that he loves me and encourages me to keep on going. I appreciate that very much. I appreciate people who care and that aren't afraid to just give you a hug and tell you that they love you and that your doing a good job. Sometimes a struggling single dad just needs that reassurance. I'll tell you this, I don't feel like it most of the time. Most of the time I don't see myself measuring up. Funny enough I know that I am not alone in this. I think most of us don't see ourselves measuring up or doing as good of a job as so and so. We're all pretty tough on ourselves. That seems an easy thing to do.
I need to be a little more like Guy Gillespie.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Falling Down Stairs
I believe I found a cure for coffee drinkers or any who are hooked on caffeinated beverages. I don't think there is anything that will get your blood pumping quite as fast as falling down the stairs. Sure there are risks involved in this activity and proper precautions are highly recommended but wow, I can tell you from first hand experience that taking a spill on the stairs wakes you up.
I was going to get Natty up for school this morning, lights were off, thought I was doing great but then the left foot slipped and I went down. It was a good fall and I came out unharmed. It does get the vitals going and you tend to be awake.
I was going to get Natty up for school this morning, lights were off, thought I was doing great but then the left foot slipped and I went down. It was a good fall and I came out unharmed. It does get the vitals going and you tend to be awake.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Daily Walk
I was on my way home this morning after dropping Andy off at school and I was thinking about that part of our day a bit. He is capable of going on his own and has a few times. The norm however is that I walk him to school and help him get situated in class. We don't see a ton of other parents bringing their kids to class, there is one other lady that I see regularly but other then her it is usually just the kids.
Anyhow I was walking home and thinking about that time and wondered if Andy would ever grow out of it or if we would be doing the same thing in first grade. Sure it would be nice not to have to make that trip every morning and I don't want to hurt his development and growth by being there with him everyday. At the same time however, does it really matter? I really don't mind the walk. We get to have a little one on one time and talk about, well, stuff. With the Andyman it is usually pretty random and that is okay. I think it is something he enjoys and a chance for us to hang out - I don't consider him sneaking into my be every night hanging out.
As I walked home I came to the conclusion that I will happily walk Andy to school for as long as he needs me to. This is a special time for him and I get to be a part of it. Our daily walk is a wonderful little thing.
Anyhow I was walking home and thinking about that time and wondered if Andy would ever grow out of it or if we would be doing the same thing in first grade. Sure it would be nice not to have to make that trip every morning and I don't want to hurt his development and growth by being there with him everyday. At the same time however, does it really matter? I really don't mind the walk. We get to have a little one on one time and talk about, well, stuff. With the Andyman it is usually pretty random and that is okay. I think it is something he enjoys and a chance for us to hang out - I don't consider him sneaking into my be every night hanging out.
As I walked home I came to the conclusion that I will happily walk Andy to school for as long as he needs me to. This is a special time for him and I get to be a part of it. Our daily walk is a wonderful little thing.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Lead with the Left, it's better
The Stake Presidency requested that the wards hold Fast and Testimony meeting today because next week is conference and the following week is Easter Sunday. Natty, Jack and Andy each got up and shared their testimonies today. When I saw Jack stand up and begin to move towards the stand I called him back and told him no hot wheels and no trains. Is that wrong of me? I don't know. I don't want to break his spirit and his love of sharing his feelings. I really don't think that happened.
Jack was the first of the three to share his testimony and he was very obedient. There was no mention of trains and no mention of hot wheels. He did do something that was pretty cool. He said he had a testimony of faith. That was pretty fantastic. After that he went on to talk about how he has started walking better. "When I was 6 years old I used to walk with my right foot first followed by me left foot. But do you know what? I started to walk with my left foot first and then my right foot...". I of course was nervous not really knowing where he was going or for how long. Well somehow it lead him to his bike. He began talking about how he leads off with the left and it is easier and then went into how he learned how to ride his big bike when he was 7 years old. He mentioned crashing on the bike and showed some injuries he had on his left hand. He went on to talk about wearing a helmet and then signing his name on a paper at school last week that was all about being safe. He mentioned in all of this that riding his big bike took faith. Ahhh, there it was. Faith had come full circle.
He went on for awhile about other stuff. Natty was up on the stand waiting her turn and I got her attention and told her to go and let Jack know it was time to finish. She tried but Jack was not happy to have her interrupt him. My mistake. I should have gotten up instead. Right when I was about to go up he closed and came and sat down. I gave him some positive reinforcement. I let him know he did a great job sharing his testimony of Faith. We need to work on not taking 10 minutes but he did good.
Natalie helped Andy share his testimony. He hasn't grown a lot since last month and it was still a challenge just to see the top of his head. He also did a good job. When he came down he was complaining about something and I quickly realized what was on his mind. He had said amen but the congregation didn't. I guess he was looking for a loud one. Funny boy. Following Andy it was Natty's turn and she gave a sweet and simple testimony about obedience.
I am grateful for the kids sharing their testimonies. I am grateful for their strength and their faith. They are wonderful children who have been through a lot. I cannot pretend that they haven't and that they do not hurt because of it. I know that they do. I know that they miss their mom. I also know that the Lord does not leave us comfortless and that he is aware of each of them. I am grateful for the Savior who can fill the voids in our lives, for the Holy Ghost who comforts us in times that we stand in need of comfort. I am grateful for those who act and help us. Much of that help comes from the fam and I am in their debt as I cannot do this alone. Thank you all for your strength, for your support and for your love.
Jack was the first of the three to share his testimony and he was very obedient. There was no mention of trains and no mention of hot wheels. He did do something that was pretty cool. He said he had a testimony of faith. That was pretty fantastic. After that he went on to talk about how he has started walking better. "When I was 6 years old I used to walk with my right foot first followed by me left foot. But do you know what? I started to walk with my left foot first and then my right foot...". I of course was nervous not really knowing where he was going or for how long. Well somehow it lead him to his bike. He began talking about how he leads off with the left and it is easier and then went into how he learned how to ride his big bike when he was 7 years old. He mentioned crashing on the bike and showed some injuries he had on his left hand. He went on to talk about wearing a helmet and then signing his name on a paper at school last week that was all about being safe. He mentioned in all of this that riding his big bike took faith. Ahhh, there it was. Faith had come full circle.
He went on for awhile about other stuff. Natty was up on the stand waiting her turn and I got her attention and told her to go and let Jack know it was time to finish. She tried but Jack was not happy to have her interrupt him. My mistake. I should have gotten up instead. Right when I was about to go up he closed and came and sat down. I gave him some positive reinforcement. I let him know he did a great job sharing his testimony of Faith. We need to work on not taking 10 minutes but he did good.
Natalie helped Andy share his testimony. He hasn't grown a lot since last month and it was still a challenge just to see the top of his head. He also did a good job. When he came down he was complaining about something and I quickly realized what was on his mind. He had said amen but the congregation didn't. I guess he was looking for a loud one. Funny boy. Following Andy it was Natty's turn and she gave a sweet and simple testimony about obedience.
I am grateful for the kids sharing their testimonies. I am grateful for their strength and their faith. They are wonderful children who have been through a lot. I cannot pretend that they haven't and that they do not hurt because of it. I know that they do. I know that they miss their mom. I also know that the Lord does not leave us comfortless and that he is aware of each of them. I am grateful for the Savior who can fill the voids in our lives, for the Holy Ghost who comforts us in times that we stand in need of comfort. I am grateful for those who act and help us. Much of that help comes from the fam and I am in their debt as I cannot do this alone. Thank you all for your strength, for your support and for your love.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
A Manatee, A Hippo and A Panda
I know that at some point in all of this blog posting I have shared the story of Natalie's friend Anthony who was swimming in our pool and decided it was a good idea to say to Natty "Your dad looks like a Manatee under the water". Oh yes that was a wonderful moment in my life. Nothing helps the fragile ego quite as much as being compared to a manatee while swimming in your own pool. Isn't the idea of having your own pool one that includes a certain amount of privacy and the comfort that comes with that? Just throw a couple heads of lettuce in the pool with me and I will do my very best manatee impersonation.
A few months ago I was talking to my friend Ben Jackson after church and Jack proudly declared: "My dad looks like a hippo". I'm not quite sure which of those two is worse? I'm sure the hippo reference had nothing to do with my physique and everything to do with the gap that exists between my two front teeth. Please, I'm nowhere near the size of a hippo, it had to have been the teeth.
Seems this morning I managed to graduate from large mammals that live primarily in the water. It is Saturday and I was actually sleeping in. Jack was up before me and decided to come into my room. I heard him coming. I was stretching when he walked in the room and all he said to me was "Dad, you look like a Panda when you stretch". Sweet! I'm out of the water and into the trees.
A few months ago I was talking to my friend Ben Jackson after church and Jack proudly declared: "My dad looks like a hippo". I'm not quite sure which of those two is worse? I'm sure the hippo reference had nothing to do with my physique and everything to do with the gap that exists between my two front teeth. Please, I'm nowhere near the size of a hippo, it had to have been the teeth.
Seems this morning I managed to graduate from large mammals that live primarily in the water. It is Saturday and I was actually sleeping in. Jack was up before me and decided to come into my room. I heard him coming. I was stretching when he walked in the room and all he said to me was "Dad, you look like a Panda when you stretch". Sweet! I'm out of the water and into the trees.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Proper Prayer
It wasn't too long ago that Jack refused to offer prayers or did everything he could not to say the prayer even his personal prayers. I would hold his hands and offer his prayer for him. I know that I have shared this previously and how I was so relieved when finally Jack began to offer his own prayers. That was such a struggle. Funny enough Andy would follow Jacks lead and would not say his prayers either. So anyway, I still hold his hands in mine while he offers his prayers as I likewise do with Andy. Recently Jack became very focused on using proper verbiage while saying a prayer. He focused on how he addresses Heavenly Father, he is giving more thought to the things that he says in his prayers and then he is very clear on closing in the name of Jesus Christ.
It is an amazing thing to watch your children develop and grow. It is also wonderful to see a younger brother pick up on the righteous example of his older brother and follow it. I am so grateful. There were definitely times when I was saying both the boys prayers for them everyday that I had to keep going by pure faith. I didn't know if it was ever going to happen and when it did, well, I was filled with joy.
Now watching Jack and seeing him develop more fully is an amazing thing. Tonight he surprised me again when he decided it was time to kneel down properly and to fold his arms. I know that these are simple things to be excited about but alas, I am excited to see growth.
It is an amazing thing to watch your children develop and grow. It is also wonderful to see a younger brother pick up on the righteous example of his older brother and follow it. I am so grateful. There were definitely times when I was saying both the boys prayers for them everyday that I had to keep going by pure faith. I didn't know if it was ever going to happen and when it did, well, I was filled with joy.
Now watching Jack and seeing him develop more fully is an amazing thing. Tonight he surprised me again when he decided it was time to kneel down properly and to fold his arms. I know that these are simple things to be excited about but alas, I am excited to see growth.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Hard Place
I am usually able to sleep with out much trouble. I tend to wake up during the night, especially when Andyboy is in my bed, but I tend to fall right back to sleep. This morning I woke up in the wee hours and couldn't get back to sleep. We are at a bit of a tough spot at the LBH and don't have capital to make some needed expansions. As a result we are looking at a loan that leverages future sales and it isn't sitting well with me. It comes down to a couple of things - we can not do it and suffer or we can do it and suffer. One will be long term suffering while the other is only temporary and puts us in a better situation long term. Still, I don't like it. I would like to find another way. So I woke up with all of this on my mind and it was racing. Not what I like in the middle of the night.
In other exciting news I have completed day 2 of the 23 days of dieting I have before me. I am not dying of starvation ... yet. Getting into that detox headache phase - at least I get headaches, not sure if everyone experiences the same. Hopefully we will move past this in the next day or so. I'm sure this has nothing to do with me waking up in the middle of the night... actually it does. I end up having to drain my bladder a few times at night when I start this diet. It can be a little crazy. I know all my faithful readers were very excited for this bit of information. Dave was supposed to be on board and doing this with me but he seems to be having a sluggish start. That makes it tough but I am determined to achieve my goal this year. Lots of work ahead.
So hey, we find ourselves in hard places sometimes. That is part of life. A little less sleep, a few hunger pains, it's all good. I have been through worse.
In other exciting news I have completed day 2 of the 23 days of dieting I have before me. I am not dying of starvation ... yet. Getting into that detox headache phase - at least I get headaches, not sure if everyone experiences the same. Hopefully we will move past this in the next day or so. I'm sure this has nothing to do with me waking up in the middle of the night... actually it does. I end up having to drain my bladder a few times at night when I start this diet. It can be a little crazy. I know all my faithful readers were very excited for this bit of information. Dave was supposed to be on board and doing this with me but he seems to be having a sluggish start. That makes it tough but I am determined to achieve my goal this year. Lots of work ahead.
So hey, we find ourselves in hard places sometimes. That is part of life. A little less sleep, a few hunger pains, it's all good. I have been through worse.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Humbling Thing
I found an envelope in the mail at the LBH today that was addressed to me. I thought maybe it was a wedding invitation or something. Turns out that a member of the Stake decided to send me a note just to say thank you. Actually he said that he was blown away by my talk and thanked me. He talked about my future and wished me the best. I was humbled by the kindness of the man. There was a couple in to eat lunch today and they complimented my talk as well. Tonight at the Parent Training meeting Jill talked to me a bit about the talk and her husband reporting to her what a good job it was. I am humbled by each of these and grateful for the opportunity. I am very grateful for the things I learned in preparing.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Tank
I got a call from Natty this afternoon and she was in a bit of a panic. We do not have a fence between our yard and the neighbor to the rear. They have a good size Rottweiler named Tank. He has been pretty aggressive with me a few times and he poops in my yard so I am really not a fan. Anyhow, today Jack was in the back yard just doing his thing and Tank was in his back yard doing his thing right up until he saw Jack. He then came after Jack in our yard. Jack took off towards the house. He didn't get to the door but ended up behind the garage. Tank was in the middle of our yard barking at him and I think for the first time in his life Jack was scared of a dog.
The kid, or Jack, is like the dog whisperer. He has, or had no fear of dogs. I am sure they sense that and Jack really enjoys just loving them. He does end up in an occasional make out session where the dog ends up licking all over his face. Makes me want to vomit.
Anyway, Natty adds just a little taste of drama to her reports sometimes. It's, creative journalism I suppose. In her state of panic and outrage she told me that Jack was attacked by Tank. I am picturing the worst. She told me all about yelling at the neighbors and threatening to call the pound. Sweet. I asked about Jack - was he bit? No, no bites. Tank apparently jumped up on Jack and wouldn't get off of him. When you are getting these reports over the phone in a most dramatic fashion you tend to get a little worried. So it ends up that none of this is true. The dog did come after Jack but never got close. It was a very traumatizing thing for me to go through when I was a kid and I am sure that Jack won't soon forget Tank. He was pretty shook up about it.
Perhaps the Tank experience will be a good one for Jack and maybe he will use more caution around certain dogs. We shall see.
The kid, or Jack, is like the dog whisperer. He has, or had no fear of dogs. I am sure they sense that and Jack really enjoys just loving them. He does end up in an occasional make out session where the dog ends up licking all over his face. Makes me want to vomit.
Anyway, Natty adds just a little taste of drama to her reports sometimes. It's, creative journalism I suppose. In her state of panic and outrage she told me that Jack was attacked by Tank. I am picturing the worst. She told me all about yelling at the neighbors and threatening to call the pound. Sweet. I asked about Jack - was he bit? No, no bites. Tank apparently jumped up on Jack and wouldn't get off of him. When you are getting these reports over the phone in a most dramatic fashion you tend to get a little worried. So it ends up that none of this is true. The dog did come after Jack but never got close. It was a very traumatizing thing for me to go through when I was a kid and I am sure that Jack won't soon forget Tank. He was pretty shook up about it.
Perhaps the Tank experience will be a good one for Jack and maybe he will use more caution around certain dogs. We shall see.
Monday, March 19, 2012
IWFJB - Andy
WWJD - Many of us are familiar with these four letters and the question they represent - What Would Jesus Do? Yes we are to ask ourselves this when faced with decisions.
WWJDD - I remember when the Red Sox were playing for the World Series - actually I believe this was in the series just prior verse the Yankees. Anyway, this was a great one adding one letter to the mix and asking ourselves What Would Johnny Damon Do? He was a member of the Red Sox and sported long hair and a beard that year. It was pretty humorous.
Last night Natty and I were talking about guys and an experience she had with a boy who happened to be somewhat of a jerk. Natty said she hoped Andy, who was sitting with us, didn't grow up to be a jerk. I said "No way, not my Andy. He is a righteous young man and follows Jesus".
Andy was right on board with what I was saying and followed up with a Yeah, IWFJB. What does that stand for? Well, let me share the entire quote "Yeah, I Won't Follow Justin Bieber". Oh my goodness I laughed. It was great. Love that kid.
Now look, no offense to Justin Bieber or any of his fans. I am sure he does some good things. Ultimately however, I don't want my son following him or asking himself what would Justin Bieber do? Not at all. So when my 5 year old recognizes who he should and should not follow I am a happy dad.
WWJDD - I remember when the Red Sox were playing for the World Series - actually I believe this was in the series just prior verse the Yankees. Anyway, this was a great one adding one letter to the mix and asking ourselves What Would Johnny Damon Do? He was a member of the Red Sox and sported long hair and a beard that year. It was pretty humorous.
Last night Natty and I were talking about guys and an experience she had with a boy who happened to be somewhat of a jerk. Natty said she hoped Andy, who was sitting with us, didn't grow up to be a jerk. I said "No way, not my Andy. He is a righteous young man and follows Jesus".
Andy was right on board with what I was saying and followed up with a Yeah, IWFJB. What does that stand for? Well, let me share the entire quote "Yeah, I Won't Follow Justin Bieber". Oh my goodness I laughed. It was great. Love that kid.
Now look, no offense to Justin Bieber or any of his fans. I am sure he does some good things. Ultimately however, I don't want my son following him or asking himself what would Justin Bieber do? Not at all. So when my 5 year old recognizes who he should and should not follow I am a happy dad.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Storms of Life - Stake Conference Talk
As some of you may be aware I spoke in Stake Conference on Saturday night. It was a different topic then I had heard before as it highlighted something that we normally don't see highlighted in the Church. Maybe highlighted isn't the right word here. Anyway the subject I was asked to talk on was Family Relations in a Single Parent Eternal Family. I am prefacing this talk a bit so if you just want to get to the talk scroll down some. You'll find it. Otherwise enjoy my ramblings.
For a week and a half I labored over this talk. I had a lot of thoughts, a lot of emotions and not a lot of sleep. I prayed a lot to know what the Lord would have me say and I tried my best to listen. The subject matter is a sensitive one. As a single parent having gone through divorce I have experienced the emotions that can accompany that. I know what it is like to feel out of place, unworthy to participate, lost, afraid and alone. There would be members of my Stake who knew that pain and I wanted to speak to them, to reach out to them in love and with a hope in Christ that we share. I also knew there would be members of the Stake whose marriages were struggling and I wanted to provide some sort of encouraging word. In the end I had a lot of thoughts and feelings go through my mind. I rewrote the talk a couple of times. There were thoughts and conversations and examples from some of my fellow single parents that have had an impact on me and influenced my life. I hope it is something that inspires us to carry on in faith. It was a reminder to me, certainly of some harder times in my life but also of some wonderful people and experiences along the way and the testimony that the Lord knows each of us personally. That he loves us and that he will come in our hours of need. I know that.
Let me say a couple additional things. When I sat down on the stand I looked out in the congregation and one of my favorite customers was sitting there looking at me with a huge smile on his face. It helped to calm my nerves. He is an older gentlemen, we sang for him on his birthday. I think his name is Guy. He loved the Ruby, loved the Philly and just loves us. I knew how to start my talk when I saw him.
I ended up being the third speaker. The first two talks were from a couple and they did a fabulous job. Their topic was Successful Marriage. I loved their messages. When I got up I said "Some of you are probably wondering where you recognize me from. I'm the guy that takes your order and brings you fudge at the Little Brick House. I was a little nervous coming here tonight, I know some members of the second ward, some members of the 8th ward but not too many of the members in the Stake. Then I looked out at the congregation and saw a Ruby, a Philly Steak and a Muffalatta and suddenly I was a lot more comfortable. I guess I'm going to throw a little bit of a twist into the meeting tonight, I'm actually divorced." That kind of woke people up, not that they were asleep but I definitely had their attention.
After the meeting I had a lot of hands to shake and a lot of people to talk to. Guy came up and gave me a big hug and told me how much he loved me. I love that Guy. There were a lot of tender moments with members who told me they had been through divorce. They thanked me for having the courage to share what I did. I felt their sincerity and their love. I usually feel a strong connection to these people, I gave some hugs and thanked them. I had a Bishop ask if he could have a brother in his ward call me. Apparently he just went through divorce and is in that devastation period that I know so well. I gave him my card and said absolutely. I had a lot of people identify themselves by their sandwich of choice.
In the summer of 2010 there is no way I would have been able to do this. I was in that devastation period and struggling to have hope. I had some healing to do. I have probably shared somewhere on this blog the experience I had one day while struggling with the idea of attending church and not feeling like I fit in. I had a powerful impression that I had been given these experiences for a reason and that I needed to share them with others. That was a great blessing to me and helped me to see beyond myself. I don't feel that I am anything special. Believe me, I feel like a huge failure most of the time and that is something I struggle with. My hope is that when the Lord calls on me to share that I will be worthy to heed the call and know the things he would have me say. I hope that I accomplished that here.
Here is the talk.
Storms of Life
I. Opening Scripture - 3 Nephi 14: 24-25
24. Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.
25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beaut upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
II. Divorce - My Storm
Three years ago my world was turned upside down when my wife decided she was done with church, with me and with our family. It was the beginning of the most painful and heartbreaking trial of my life. After a year of trying everything I could with counseling, prayer and fasting I finally realized that no matter how much I wanted our marriage to last she didn’t and I couldn’t want it for her. I also knew that in order to protect my family I had to let her go. Certainly the rain was descending, the floods came, the wind was blowing and my house was being beat upon. My wife chose another path and in that time of great loss for myself and my children the only thing I knew to do was to continue doing the things that I knew were right. The Gospel Basics of daily prayer and scripture study, weekly Family Home Evening, attending our church meetings and serving in the temple are 5 anchors that keep us founded upon the rock of the Savior. They strengthen our families to withstand the storms of life.
III. Single Parents and The Family Proclamation
Strengthening Our Families is an in depth look at the Proclamation on the Family. It discusses Single Parents and points out that in the United States 32% of families with children under the age of 18 are lead by single parents. Essentially one third, that is pretty staggering. I am sure that we are all aware of other statistics out there and the challenges that exist for children that grow up in Single Parent homes. As a single parent I can assure you that life is hard, there are challenges everyday and there is little or no down time. I will also say this; I don’t have time for statistics that tell me I am doomed to failure as a parent and that my kids are destined to become criminals. I don’t think any single parent does. Rather we press forward with a hope in Christ, determined to do all we can to help our children be firmly planted on the path that leads to eternal life. I find comfort in these words from President Benson: Single parenthood is understood by the Lord. He knows the special challenges that are yours’. I testify that this is true. I have witnessed the hand of the Lord in my life and when I have been exhausted, alone and afraid he has not left me comfortless. Someone has always come.
IV. Individual Adaptation – The Family Proclamation
The Lord has provided instruction for single parents to nurture and strengthen Family Relations. You will find that this is very similar to the instruction given to all families. In The Family Proclamation the Lord says that ‘other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation’. Other Circumstances includes single parents. Individual adaptation does not give single parents some sort of a pass. If anything it adds more responsibility.
Single parents still have a solemn responsibility to love and care for their children. Single parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Single parents will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations… Happiness in a Single Parent Family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful Single Parent Families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.
By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. When that partnership is not equal Single Parents have to adapt and fill both roles as best they can. Life becomes even busier for the single parent as they try to fill these roles, maintain positive family relations and keep their family anchored in the gospel.
V. Extended Families – Support When Needed.
The Lord includes this statement in the Family Proclamation: Extended families should lend support when needed.
I am grateful for my extended family. That extended family in my definition includes not only my parents and siblings but my ward family as well. Before my children and I moved to Cedar my friends and ward family were the only extended family that I had. When I think about family and friends who came to our rescue, who support us in a variety of ways, who share an encouraging word, or simply love us, it is with a full heart and very tender feelings.
Said President Hinckley: “Now a word to single parents among us, … You need not be entirely alone. There are many, ever so many in this Church who would reach out to you with sensitivity and understanding. They do not wish to intrude where they are not wanted. But their interest is genuine and sincere, and they bless their own lives as they bless your lives and those of your children. Welcome their help. They need to give it for their own sakes as well as for your sake.”
I think most of my Single Parent friends out there would agree that we are not looking for friends and family to take over our lives. Genuine and sincere friendship is wonderful and will open doors of trust. Simply being included is fantastic. Effective Home and Visiting teachers are essential and provide a great service to any family in the church.
Single Parents – there are times when additional support is needed and it is okay to accept that help. There will be members of your family or ward family who are moved upon by the Spirit of the Lord to do something on your behalf. You are not failing in your duties when you accept this help.
After my wife left I had a very difficult time. One day when I was feeling especially low there was a knock at my door and when I opened it I found Bobbie Lake standing there. She just stopped by to see how I was doing. Bobble lived a few houses down from me and she was pretty much my Florida mom. That encounter at my door was heaven sent. I was a wreck; she could see that even though I tried my best to disguise it. She asked what she could do for me. I didn’t want her help. I didn’t want to let her in my home because I was embarrassed of the condition it was in. I told her I was okay. She gently asked if she could help me clean. Again I resisted and told her I could take care of it. She very tenderly said, “I know you can John but this is something I can do for you if you will let me and it will help me too”. In tears I said okay. Bobbie was going through a very challenging time herself and this service was something she needed. She left to get a few things and returned with her daughter Gloria who lived around the corner and then her daughter Kathy came as well. I have since regarded these sisters as Angels in my life. They lifted me up when I most needed it. I had to humble myself and accept that it was okay to receive help. I had to see that others needed the opportunity to serve and that I could give them that opportunity. In doing so I was blessed with a greater testimony of the Savior. I knew that He still loved me, that He was aware of me and that He was sending his servants to lift me in my hour of need.
VI. Gospel Basics – My Anchors
Previously I said the gospel basics of daily prayer and scripture study, weekly Family Home Evening, attending our church meetings and serving in the temple are 5 anchors that keep us founded upon the rock of the Savior. They strengthen our families to withstand the storms of life. Each of us, our children, our families need the Savior. We cannot do it alone. When we choose to live the gospel basics we draw nearer to God.
I will touch briefly on my experience with a couple of these anchors as a Single Parent.
I have prayed much for my children and for their mother. Their relationship was very important to me. Specifically I have prayed for her to make good choices in her life that would allow her to be the kind of mother she needs to be for them. I have witnessed miracles over the last two years. I felt strongly that I had a responsibility to my children to maintain a high level of respect for her. Prayer has allowed for that.
My kids went up to Alaska to live with their mom last summer. This was the first time in my life that I was away from them. I had no way of directly caring for them and was nervous. I decided that I could go to the temple each week while they were gone. I went to the Lord with my plan and asked for his blessings upon my kids. Each week I attended the temple. Each week I put the kids names on the prayer roll along with their mothers name. It was all I could do and in exercising that faith the assurance came from the spirit that they would be protected and they were.
VII. In Closing – President Monson
Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel's end -- no dawn to break the night's darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea "Is there no balm in Gilead?" We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abundant, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you through whatever storm you face.
For a week and a half I labored over this talk. I had a lot of thoughts, a lot of emotions and not a lot of sleep. I prayed a lot to know what the Lord would have me say and I tried my best to listen. The subject matter is a sensitive one. As a single parent having gone through divorce I have experienced the emotions that can accompany that. I know what it is like to feel out of place, unworthy to participate, lost, afraid and alone. There would be members of my Stake who knew that pain and I wanted to speak to them, to reach out to them in love and with a hope in Christ that we share. I also knew there would be members of the Stake whose marriages were struggling and I wanted to provide some sort of encouraging word. In the end I had a lot of thoughts and feelings go through my mind. I rewrote the talk a couple of times. There were thoughts and conversations and examples from some of my fellow single parents that have had an impact on me and influenced my life. I hope it is something that inspires us to carry on in faith. It was a reminder to me, certainly of some harder times in my life but also of some wonderful people and experiences along the way and the testimony that the Lord knows each of us personally. That he loves us and that he will come in our hours of need. I know that.
Let me say a couple additional things. When I sat down on the stand I looked out in the congregation and one of my favorite customers was sitting there looking at me with a huge smile on his face. It helped to calm my nerves. He is an older gentlemen, we sang for him on his birthday. I think his name is Guy. He loved the Ruby, loved the Philly and just loves us. I knew how to start my talk when I saw him.
I ended up being the third speaker. The first two talks were from a couple and they did a fabulous job. Their topic was Successful Marriage. I loved their messages. When I got up I said "Some of you are probably wondering where you recognize me from. I'm the guy that takes your order and brings you fudge at the Little Brick House. I was a little nervous coming here tonight, I know some members of the second ward, some members of the 8th ward but not too many of the members in the Stake. Then I looked out at the congregation and saw a Ruby, a Philly Steak and a Muffalatta and suddenly I was a lot more comfortable. I guess I'm going to throw a little bit of a twist into the meeting tonight, I'm actually divorced." That kind of woke people up, not that they were asleep but I definitely had their attention.
After the meeting I had a lot of hands to shake and a lot of people to talk to. Guy came up and gave me a big hug and told me how much he loved me. I love that Guy. There were a lot of tender moments with members who told me they had been through divorce. They thanked me for having the courage to share what I did. I felt their sincerity and their love. I usually feel a strong connection to these people, I gave some hugs and thanked them. I had a Bishop ask if he could have a brother in his ward call me. Apparently he just went through divorce and is in that devastation period that I know so well. I gave him my card and said absolutely. I had a lot of people identify themselves by their sandwich of choice.
In the summer of 2010 there is no way I would have been able to do this. I was in that devastation period and struggling to have hope. I had some healing to do. I have probably shared somewhere on this blog the experience I had one day while struggling with the idea of attending church and not feeling like I fit in. I had a powerful impression that I had been given these experiences for a reason and that I needed to share them with others. That was a great blessing to me and helped me to see beyond myself. I don't feel that I am anything special. Believe me, I feel like a huge failure most of the time and that is something I struggle with. My hope is that when the Lord calls on me to share that I will be worthy to heed the call and know the things he would have me say. I hope that I accomplished that here.
Here is the talk.
Storms of Life
I. Opening Scripture - 3 Nephi 14: 24-25
24. Therefore, whoso heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.
25. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beaut upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock.
II. Divorce - My Storm
Three years ago my world was turned upside down when my wife decided she was done with church, with me and with our family. It was the beginning of the most painful and heartbreaking trial of my life. After a year of trying everything I could with counseling, prayer and fasting I finally realized that no matter how much I wanted our marriage to last she didn’t and I couldn’t want it for her. I also knew that in order to protect my family I had to let her go. Certainly the rain was descending, the floods came, the wind was blowing and my house was being beat upon. My wife chose another path and in that time of great loss for myself and my children the only thing I knew to do was to continue doing the things that I knew were right. The Gospel Basics of daily prayer and scripture study, weekly Family Home Evening, attending our church meetings and serving in the temple are 5 anchors that keep us founded upon the rock of the Savior. They strengthen our families to withstand the storms of life.
III. Single Parents and The Family Proclamation
Strengthening Our Families is an in depth look at the Proclamation on the Family. It discusses Single Parents and points out that in the United States 32% of families with children under the age of 18 are lead by single parents. Essentially one third, that is pretty staggering. I am sure that we are all aware of other statistics out there and the challenges that exist for children that grow up in Single Parent homes. As a single parent I can assure you that life is hard, there are challenges everyday and there is little or no down time. I will also say this; I don’t have time for statistics that tell me I am doomed to failure as a parent and that my kids are destined to become criminals. I don’t think any single parent does. Rather we press forward with a hope in Christ, determined to do all we can to help our children be firmly planted on the path that leads to eternal life. I find comfort in these words from President Benson: Single parenthood is understood by the Lord. He knows the special challenges that are yours’. I testify that this is true. I have witnessed the hand of the Lord in my life and when I have been exhausted, alone and afraid he has not left me comfortless. Someone has always come.
IV. Individual Adaptation – The Family Proclamation
The Lord has provided instruction for single parents to nurture and strengthen Family Relations. You will find that this is very similar to the instruction given to all families. In The Family Proclamation the Lord says that ‘other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation’. Other Circumstances includes single parents. Individual adaptation does not give single parents some sort of a pass. If anything it adds more responsibility.
Single parents still have a solemn responsibility to love and care for their children. Single parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Single parents will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations… Happiness in a Single Parent Family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful Single Parent Families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities.
By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. When that partnership is not equal Single Parents have to adapt and fill both roles as best they can. Life becomes even busier for the single parent as they try to fill these roles, maintain positive family relations and keep their family anchored in the gospel.
V. Extended Families – Support When Needed.
The Lord includes this statement in the Family Proclamation: Extended families should lend support when needed.
I am grateful for my extended family. That extended family in my definition includes not only my parents and siblings but my ward family as well. Before my children and I moved to Cedar my friends and ward family were the only extended family that I had. When I think about family and friends who came to our rescue, who support us in a variety of ways, who share an encouraging word, or simply love us, it is with a full heart and very tender feelings.
Said President Hinckley: “Now a word to single parents among us, … You need not be entirely alone. There are many, ever so many in this Church who would reach out to you with sensitivity and understanding. They do not wish to intrude where they are not wanted. But their interest is genuine and sincere, and they bless their own lives as they bless your lives and those of your children. Welcome their help. They need to give it for their own sakes as well as for your sake.”
I think most of my Single Parent friends out there would agree that we are not looking for friends and family to take over our lives. Genuine and sincere friendship is wonderful and will open doors of trust. Simply being included is fantastic. Effective Home and Visiting teachers are essential and provide a great service to any family in the church.
Single Parents – there are times when additional support is needed and it is okay to accept that help. There will be members of your family or ward family who are moved upon by the Spirit of the Lord to do something on your behalf. You are not failing in your duties when you accept this help.
After my wife left I had a very difficult time. One day when I was feeling especially low there was a knock at my door and when I opened it I found Bobbie Lake standing there. She just stopped by to see how I was doing. Bobble lived a few houses down from me and she was pretty much my Florida mom. That encounter at my door was heaven sent. I was a wreck; she could see that even though I tried my best to disguise it. She asked what she could do for me. I didn’t want her help. I didn’t want to let her in my home because I was embarrassed of the condition it was in. I told her I was okay. She gently asked if she could help me clean. Again I resisted and told her I could take care of it. She very tenderly said, “I know you can John but this is something I can do for you if you will let me and it will help me too”. In tears I said okay. Bobbie was going through a very challenging time herself and this service was something she needed. She left to get a few things and returned with her daughter Gloria who lived around the corner and then her daughter Kathy came as well. I have since regarded these sisters as Angels in my life. They lifted me up when I most needed it. I had to humble myself and accept that it was okay to receive help. I had to see that others needed the opportunity to serve and that I could give them that opportunity. In doing so I was blessed with a greater testimony of the Savior. I knew that He still loved me, that He was aware of me and that He was sending his servants to lift me in my hour of need.
VI. Gospel Basics – My Anchors
Previously I said the gospel basics of daily prayer and scripture study, weekly Family Home Evening, attending our church meetings and serving in the temple are 5 anchors that keep us founded upon the rock of the Savior. They strengthen our families to withstand the storms of life. Each of us, our children, our families need the Savior. We cannot do it alone. When we choose to live the gospel basics we draw nearer to God.
I will touch briefly on my experience with a couple of these anchors as a Single Parent.
I have prayed much for my children and for their mother. Their relationship was very important to me. Specifically I have prayed for her to make good choices in her life that would allow her to be the kind of mother she needs to be for them. I have witnessed miracles over the last two years. I felt strongly that I had a responsibility to my children to maintain a high level of respect for her. Prayer has allowed for that.
My kids went up to Alaska to live with their mom last summer. This was the first time in my life that I was away from them. I had no way of directly caring for them and was nervous. I decided that I could go to the temple each week while they were gone. I went to the Lord with my plan and asked for his blessings upon my kids. Each week I attended the temple. Each week I put the kids names on the prayer roll along with their mothers name. It was all I could do and in exercising that faith the assurance came from the spirit that they would be protected and they were.
VII. In Closing – President Monson
Mortality is a period of testing, a time to prove ourselves worthy to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. In order to be tested, we must sometimes face challenges and difficulties. At times there appears to be no light at the tunnel's end -- no dawn to break the night's darkness. We feel surrounded by the pain of broken hearts, the disappointment of shattered dreams, and the despair of vanished hopes. We join in uttering the biblical plea "Is there no balm in Gilead?" We are inclined to view our own personal misfortunes through the distorted prism of pessimism. We feel abundant, heartbroken, alone. If you find yourself in such a situation, I plead with you to turn to our Heavenly Father in faith. He will lift you and guide you. He will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you through whatever storm you face.
Clock Management
Yes I am a guy that sets my clock 10 minutes fast. There have been times in my life where that has gone beyond 10 minutes. I know, it is pretty ridiculous. One of my dear, sweet friends recently discussed this issue and pointed out that it is pointless because you know that your clock is fast and all you really do is the math to figure out what time it really is. Ouch! This is true. Back in the day it was one of those things that I could manage a little easier. I could control the time on my watch, my alarm clocks, the microwave, the oven, the car stereo, the XBox, the VCR, the DVD player, the clock on the wall and just about any other clock you could imagine. Technology has changed all of that. Well, to a point. You see I can still manually set every one of those clocks but why?
There are these little devices we walk around with today. They call them smart phones. Pretty handy if you ask me. The only problem I have with my smart phone is that the network I am on handles the time for me. I don't have the power to control my 10 minute cushion any longer. The time is the time. It has really screwed me up. The poor microwave and oven clocks are becoming obsolete. They are like a mom and pop shop suffering from the effects of the new Super Walmart that just opened up. It is sad. Now I just look at my phone for the time and I know that it is the right time. Well, we hope it is the right time anyway. I was with my dear, sweet friend the other day and we were discussing the 7 minute cushion that existed on my clock in the car (why 7 minutes instead of 10? I am sure there is a good explanation for this minor inconsistency - ahh, the math, it helps me exercise my mind). So she calls me out on my supposed 7 minute cushion stating it was only 2 minutes fast according to her Sprint Network. No no no. It is 7 minutes faster then my Virgin Mobile Network.
What is the deal? Someone is messing with the time. Sprint must have hired some dude who has constantly lived life setting every clock 5 minutes fast. I love this guy. It might be time to switch networks. Wait just minute. My Virgin Mobile runs on the Sprint Network. How can there be this inconsistency? I think, and this is just theoretical, that Sprint is trying to give their customers the upper hand on us Virgin Mobile folks.
In the end, my friend at Sprint whom I love, your scheme will fail. Yes, now that I know your trickery I have programmed in my mind that when I look at my microwave I can simply subtract 10 and add 5. And yes, in the car I can subtract 7 and add 5. My mind is good. This math stuff is pretty amazing. And I thought it was a complete waste of time. Ridiculous.
On the subject of Clock Management my smart phone out smarted me today. I set a special alarm for this morning so I could make it to a meeting that I needed to go to. All was well. I even woke up 3 minutes before the alarm was set to go and thought, I am going to try and get just a little more sleep in before that alarm sounds and I do have a little cushion so when it does sound I am going to snooze it once or twice. Well that few minutes felt like an hour and I was so grateful for that three minute power nap. I thought about getting up but then figured I would test that 5 minutes snooze and see if I could experience that power nap once again. Well, not so much but I did still have one more snooze I could work in and I haven't had a lot of sleep lately so we'll see if this will work. It wasn't quite the same but oh well.
I was up and getting ready. I looked out the front window to assess the snow situation. We had some but it did not stick to the sidewalks or street so no need for shoveling. Sweet. Wait, problem, Brother Jenkins car is not in the drive way. Did I mess up the meeting time? No way. He must just be at the church early to make sure there is no snow on the walks. We're good.
I grabbed my ever smart phone to make an adjustment to my regular Sunday morning alarm that would sound 5 minutes after today's meeting was scheduled to start. I didn't want any heads to turn when my rooster started sounding. Ummm, problem. Yes, the little clock in the corner of my smart phone was an hour faster then a larger clock in the middle of my smart phone. The alarm was still set to go off which is weird because based on the small clock in the corner it should have already sounded and cleared until next Sunday morning. What is happening here? I'm looking at one smart phone and two different times. This is a problem. Only one thing to do - hello microwave, give me some good news. Oh this is not right. Subtract 10 minutes and I am still an hour ahead of what time I thought it was. I guess the reason my 3 minute power nap felt like an hour is because it actually was and now I am all messed up.
I couldn't get the clock thing figured out. It must have been my trip to Vegas. Somehow the time change did something to my smart phone. It has out smarted me yet again. I had to shut it completely down and then restart it. Finally, it is back. I'm thinking it's the Sprint guy. He knows I'm on to him and now he's just having fun with me. So much for clock management Mr. Smart Phone.
There are these little devices we walk around with today. They call them smart phones. Pretty handy if you ask me. The only problem I have with my smart phone is that the network I am on handles the time for me. I don't have the power to control my 10 minute cushion any longer. The time is the time. It has really screwed me up. The poor microwave and oven clocks are becoming obsolete. They are like a mom and pop shop suffering from the effects of the new Super Walmart that just opened up. It is sad. Now I just look at my phone for the time and I know that it is the right time. Well, we hope it is the right time anyway. I was with my dear, sweet friend the other day and we were discussing the 7 minute cushion that existed on my clock in the car (why 7 minutes instead of 10? I am sure there is a good explanation for this minor inconsistency - ahh, the math, it helps me exercise my mind). So she calls me out on my supposed 7 minute cushion stating it was only 2 minutes fast according to her Sprint Network. No no no. It is 7 minutes faster then my Virgin Mobile Network.
What is the deal? Someone is messing with the time. Sprint must have hired some dude who has constantly lived life setting every clock 5 minutes fast. I love this guy. It might be time to switch networks. Wait just minute. My Virgin Mobile runs on the Sprint Network. How can there be this inconsistency? I think, and this is just theoretical, that Sprint is trying to give their customers the upper hand on us Virgin Mobile folks.
In the end, my friend at Sprint whom I love, your scheme will fail. Yes, now that I know your trickery I have programmed in my mind that when I look at my microwave I can simply subtract 10 and add 5. And yes, in the car I can subtract 7 and add 5. My mind is good. This math stuff is pretty amazing. And I thought it was a complete waste of time. Ridiculous.
On the subject of Clock Management my smart phone out smarted me today. I set a special alarm for this morning so I could make it to a meeting that I needed to go to. All was well. I even woke up 3 minutes before the alarm was set to go and thought, I am going to try and get just a little more sleep in before that alarm sounds and I do have a little cushion so when it does sound I am going to snooze it once or twice. Well that few minutes felt like an hour and I was so grateful for that three minute power nap. I thought about getting up but then figured I would test that 5 minutes snooze and see if I could experience that power nap once again. Well, not so much but I did still have one more snooze I could work in and I haven't had a lot of sleep lately so we'll see if this will work. It wasn't quite the same but oh well.
I was up and getting ready. I looked out the front window to assess the snow situation. We had some but it did not stick to the sidewalks or street so no need for shoveling. Sweet. Wait, problem, Brother Jenkins car is not in the drive way. Did I mess up the meeting time? No way. He must just be at the church early to make sure there is no snow on the walks. We're good.
I grabbed my ever smart phone to make an adjustment to my regular Sunday morning alarm that would sound 5 minutes after today's meeting was scheduled to start. I didn't want any heads to turn when my rooster started sounding. Ummm, problem. Yes, the little clock in the corner of my smart phone was an hour faster then a larger clock in the middle of my smart phone. The alarm was still set to go off which is weird because based on the small clock in the corner it should have already sounded and cleared until next Sunday morning. What is happening here? I'm looking at one smart phone and two different times. This is a problem. Only one thing to do - hello microwave, give me some good news. Oh this is not right. Subtract 10 minutes and I am still an hour ahead of what time I thought it was. I guess the reason my 3 minute power nap felt like an hour is because it actually was and now I am all messed up.
I couldn't get the clock thing figured out. It must have been my trip to Vegas. Somehow the time change did something to my smart phone. It has out smarted me yet again. I had to shut it completely down and then restart it. Finally, it is back. I'm thinking it's the Sprint guy. He knows I'm on to him and now he's just having fun with me. So much for clock management Mr. Smart Phone.
So Tired - Why Bother?
Yesterdays post was probably my all time worst. That was a pretty sad effort on my part I know. I'm sure any who look at it are probably scratching their heads wondering why I even bothered to put forth that effort. Well, here is the answer.
I made a commitment over 17 years ago while in the mission field serving out in the Queenstown Branch and Ezibeleni Township in South Africa. What was that commitment? Keep a journal and write it in daily. That is pretty much it, nothing else to it. I have not missed a day in that time. So when I am exhausted and just trying to get something down just know that it is something important and that I am fulfilling my commitment.
I am like bacon at breakfast. On the breakfast platter the chicken was involved but the pig was committed. That is it. So why bother? I'm a pig.
I was going to write more but I am too tired yet again. Suffice to say I gave the talk at Stake Conference tonight. It went very well and I will share more on it tomorrow. I have nothing left in the tank tonight.
I made a commitment over 17 years ago while in the mission field serving out in the Queenstown Branch and Ezibeleni Township in South Africa. What was that commitment? Keep a journal and write it in daily. That is pretty much it, nothing else to it. I have not missed a day in that time. So when I am exhausted and just trying to get something down just know that it is something important and that I am fulfilling my commitment.
I am like bacon at breakfast. On the breakfast platter the chicken was involved but the pig was committed. That is it. So why bother? I'm a pig.
I was going to write more but I am too tired yet again. Suffice to say I gave the talk at Stake Conference tonight. It went very well and I will share more on it tomorrow. I have nothing left in the tank tonight.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Sleep Over
Natty and I are in Las Vegas tonight and the boys are at grandma and grandpa's house. I am visiting a friend and Natty is playing with her cousins. She was so excited to come and really wanted to have her own special get away. Likewise the boys were very excited to have a sleep over of their own.
If any read this post already you got my extremely tired, I fell asleep in the middle of, unedited, unfinished version. I was trying to write with nothing in the tank after 4 hours of sleep the night before. I was back to blogging at 2 - 2:30 AM my time. Anyway, sleep is now over and my mind is functioning a bit better.
I too slept over at Natty's cousins house. Thanks Jim and Clo for letting us stay. I guess Merien was up and moving at some point this morning. I am usually a light sleeper at home hearing every movement in our house. Well, apparently I sleep heavier at someone else's house. I didn't hear Merien at all. Either my extreme exhaustion took over or she is extremely quiet. It was good to sleep.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Eyelids
Tonight I have defied the odds. It is 2:30 in the morning and I have not fallen asleep. Usually the eyelids take over as soon as my backside lands itself in a chair. Not tonight. I have been working on a talk, this is a challenging one for me and I have struggled to put it together. I am headed to Vegas tomorrow afternoon and will not get back to Cedar until Saturday morning. I have to speak Saturday evening. I do not have a lot of time left to work on it as I will not be able to over the next couple days so I really wanted to have it done. Well, I got it pretty well down and just timed the delivery - I am 2 minutes over so I have some editing to do. We'll see how I feel about it over the next two days. It may end up being scrapped all together. Hard to say.
Well, those eyelids are kicking in and I don't really feel like sleeping in this chair.
Well, those eyelids are kicking in and I don't really feel like sleeping in this chair.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Jack's Rainbow of Trains
Jackson Walter Fontano shares the same middle name as his great grandfather Alfred Walter Fontano. Grandpa Al was a fun man and he used to write poems. Many of these were about his sweet wife, Grandma Vi. I'm just going to say that these are some of my favorite people, I love them. I miss them. Well back to Jack. He is a bit of a poet as well and last week at school he pointed out his Rainbow Poem. I think technically it is a simile but I am not very technical when it comes to my English. I try to avoid things like punctuation and grammar so when someone throws out a simile I just say 'ah, poetry'. It works for me.
So anyway I check out this poem and naturally it was all about trains. Well, almost all about trains. Some mornings when I walk Andy to his class we walk down the red stair case and are able to see Jack's work on the wall. I always stop to read it and walk away laughing. The boy cracks me up. This morning I grabbed my phone when we left the house so I could get a picture of it.
Here is Jack's Rainbow of Trains. That is not the official title of his work, just what I refer to it as. You may be able to read it right from the picture but if not you can simply read it below.
As red as James pulling a freight train
As orange as a fire burning in the boiler
As yellow as a steam rocket pulling seven cars
As blue as Thomas pulling a train
As green as Henry with a long train
As purple as the car parked at Wal Mart
By Jack
So anyway I check out this poem and naturally it was all about trains. Well, almost all about trains. Some mornings when I walk Andy to his class we walk down the red stair case and are able to see Jack's work on the wall. I always stop to read it and walk away laughing. The boy cracks me up. This morning I grabbed my phone when we left the house so I could get a picture of it.
Here is Jack's Rainbow of Trains. That is not the official title of his work, just what I refer to it as. You may be able to read it right from the picture but if not you can simply read it below.
As red as James pulling a freight train
As orange as a fire burning in the boiler
As yellow as a steam rocket pulling seven cars
As blue as Thomas pulling a train
As green as Henry with a long train
As purple as the car parked at Wal Mart
By Jack
Monday, March 12, 2012
Sleep Anywhere
I mentioned yesterday at church that it was the worst day of the year - that daylight savings thing is simply no fun when you spring forward. I believe today that I need to retract that statement and say that today is the worst day of the year. Yesterday I got up an hour earlier as happens with the time change but I also wasn't tired when bed time rolled around. My body clock was not saying bed time and so I wasn't exactly tired. I stayed up. This morning I had to get up again and keep things moving. I was sluggish though. Tired from yesterday. I am simply not a fan of the time change, at least for a couple of days anyway.
I do possess an amazing ability to sleep anywhere. Today I suddenly heard Amy laugh and looked up to see what it was. I had sat down in a chair at work and next thing I knew I woke up to Amy's laugh to see her filming me. She kindly posted a short video of me knodding off on YouTube and on my facebook. What can I say? When I am tired I am done.
I also managed to fall asleep in the middle of dinner tonight. When I dozed off Andy hadnt even touched his plate - He was actually skyping with his mom when dinner was served. When I woke up I saw that Andy came in and ate his food, the plate was clean. It just so happened that I had dozed off at the dinner table and Andy came in and ate right by my head. I didn't even notice. Somehow I can manage to sleep through just about anything and I can somehow manage to sleep anywhere.
I do possess an amazing ability to sleep anywhere. Today I suddenly heard Amy laugh and looked up to see what it was. I had sat down in a chair at work and next thing I knew I woke up to Amy's laugh to see her filming me. She kindly posted a short video of me knodding off on YouTube and on my facebook. What can I say? When I am tired I am done.
I also managed to fall asleep in the middle of dinner tonight. When I dozed off Andy hadnt even touched his plate - He was actually skyping with his mom when dinner was served. When I woke up I saw that Andy came in and ate his food, the plate was clean. It just so happened that I had dozed off at the dinner table and Andy came in and ate right by my head. I didn't even notice. Somehow I can manage to sleep through just about anything and I can somehow manage to sleep anywhere.
FontDo!
It is a sad thing that I have never introduced my kids to fondue. It is only one of my favorite all time meals. I think we held off because of the potential hazards involved in the boiling hot lava you cook everything in. I came home with a few left overs after last nights Elders Quorum Fondue party that we hosted at the Little Brick House. I was just going to combine it all in the crock pot and make a stew but then came to my senses. The kids most likely wouldn't touch a stew and they would probably love everything about fondue. I had broth (we switched from oil to broth and I like it), steak, chicken, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, onion, bread and cheese so I put it all together and we gathered round the pots. They all loved it. It was a great time doing a little FontDo with the kids. Andy requested that we do it again tomorrow, Jack was a bit more reserved suggesting we make it a monthly thing. Our tradition has always kind of been an annual thing but I am not opposed to doing it a little more often then that. I went into it not knowing what to expect and came out of it excited that the kids all ate veggies and meat, they had fun, and we had good conversations. The good conversations are part of what makes fondue great so why not have that time with the kids? I did stay busy the entire time because I would rather not have Jack and Andy handling raw chicken, Natty would have probably been fine and maybe I just worry too much but I handled all of the chicken. That turned out to be their favorite thing so I was constantly working chicken. I can remember fondue parties from my childhood and how much I loved them. I know that Natty, Jack and Andy will remember their first fondue experience and it will be a good memory. I am excited that they enjoyed it and are anxious to do it again. Any excuse is a good excuse for a little FontDo!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Are You Serious?
I don't pay attention to the calendar all that well and had no idea we were hitting Day Light Savings time tonight. Sweet. I am so tired right now. Wow. The thought of losing an hour of sleep tonight doesn't help. No, I think that just makes me even more tired. I guess I'll just have to hope for a nap tomorrow afternoon. We shall see.
In other news we hosted the Elders Quorum tonight at the Little Brick House. It was a fondue party and I spent much of my day preparing stuff. It actually turned out really well. We were not quite as full as I had hoped and we missed some people. Those that attended enjoyed themselves and that is good. I'm sure we'll try it again sometime though we will do our best to avoid spring break.
In other news we hosted the Elders Quorum tonight at the Little Brick House. It was a fondue party and I spent much of my day preparing stuff. It actually turned out really well. We were not quite as full as I had hoped and we missed some people. Those that attended enjoyed themselves and that is good. I'm sure we'll try it again sometime though we will do our best to avoid spring break.
Old Friends
A couple days ago I received a message from my old friend Nick Johnson. He was going to be passing through Cedar with his family and wanted to know if I was going to be at the Brick House serving sandwiches. I told him I would and that I would love to see him. I was helping some customers at the counter today and looked up when I heard the door open and there was this guy with his family that I instantly recognized. It was great to have him come in and to be able to catch up a bit. The last time I saw Nick was back in 2004 in Carson City. He was visiting he parents and had his wife, who was his fiance at the time, with him. I didn't really get to meet her or spend much time with them. Anyhow it was nice to visit with them today. They have 4 beautiful children and I had a good time talking with them, making funny faces and laughing. They are on their way to St. George for a quick little weekend get away. Wendy is Nicks wife and she was really nice. It is a neat thing to see an old friend and to learn of his family and see that they are well. I am grateful for that and am happy for Nick. He is a good man and has always been a good friend.
I did have to laugh a little because the pictures of our sandwiches that I post on Facebook caught his eye and he decided that he had to have one. So great. He had the Ruby. It is really a good sandwich. His wife had the Thunderbird which is also a good sandwich. Truthfully, I don't think there is a sandwich on the menu that isn't good. I have my faves and that does not include the veggie but there are people that absolutely love that one.
On the subject of old friends and delicious sandwiches - I have said before that I get to meet a lot of wonderful people. It really is a lot of fun to serve them and to try and create an experience that is meaningful for them. That may sound weird but it is the basic concept that we set out to accomplish. Provide great food, great service and an amazing experience so that when people leave they leave amazed and want to come back. It's kind of like treating everyone like we are old friends getting reacquainted. I really like that and I think our customers like it too.
Anyhow, great to see Nick and his family today. Thanks much for stopping by.
I did have to laugh a little because the pictures of our sandwiches that I post on Facebook caught his eye and he decided that he had to have one. So great. He had the Ruby. It is really a good sandwich. His wife had the Thunderbird which is also a good sandwich. Truthfully, I don't think there is a sandwich on the menu that isn't good. I have my faves and that does not include the veggie but there are people that absolutely love that one.
On the subject of old friends and delicious sandwiches - I have said before that I get to meet a lot of wonderful people. It really is a lot of fun to serve them and to try and create an experience that is meaningful for them. That may sound weird but it is the basic concept that we set out to accomplish. Provide great food, great service and an amazing experience so that when people leave they leave amazed and want to come back. It's kind of like treating everyone like we are old friends getting reacquainted. I really like that and I think our customers like it too.
Anyhow, great to see Nick and his family today. Thanks much for stopping by.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Researching
I am researching a topic at the moment and not having a lot of luck. The topic: Family Relations in a Single Parent Eternal Family. A couple of days ago I got a call from President Burgess and he came to meet with me. You know I was totally hoping for a call to serve as the Stake Single Adult Rep. I should probably stop joking about that... Anyway, I didn't really expect a calling especially since he was coming to see me. Well, the topic I am researching is the topic he invited me to speak about during the Saturday night session of Stake Conference next weekend. This is new for me. I have spoken on a few different topics in my day but never on something of this nature. I have never spoken in a Stake Conference before either. Should be a great experience though the lack of information on the topic assigned is making it interesting. Actually, my first impressions are that of the Family Proclamation. It applies to single parents just as much as married parents. To say there is good information and direction in the proclamation is a bit of an understatement. There is also personal experiences. I've thought of a few things that we've experienced as a family in the last two years. Some may be appropriate to share. Anyhow, I will do my best to be spiritually prepared and will seek guidance from the Lord. In the mean time, let the research continue.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Midnight Laundry
So I was just taking Andy down to his bed - he fell asleep in my bed tonight because he was scared. Andy getting scared takes no more then 30 seconds after I have turned off the light and closed the door. Anyway, I was taking Andy downstairs and then went to get the latest load of laundry out of the dryer. When I am done with this post I will begin folding clothes. It is 11 now so I am actually a little early but it occurred to me when I was carrying the basket of clothes up the stairs that I do a lot of laundry folding at midnight. Sometimes, oft times that is the only time I have to do it.
We all have things that we don't necessarily enjoy doing, things that if we had a choice we'd simply take a pass. I don't mind not having to do laundry but it is one of those things that I don't get to take a pass on. It has to be done. Life can be pretty exhausting, it can wear you down but there are things that just have to be done and so you pick yourself up and you do them. People are counting on you. It's okay to do laundry at midnight. I feel like I'm giving myself a little pep talk. Nice work Johnny. Way to fold that laundry. You are the man.
Enjoyed a fabulous 6th grade beginner band concert tonight. Natty is doing a great job with her flute and I think she really enjoys it. I am glad for that and hope that she will stay with it. The concert, well, it was a rough and sometimes painful but there were moments that were good. I especially enjoyed the announcement that the last song was coming up. Seriously, the concert was hard to take but it is also beginning band with kids that never even touched the instruments before the school year. Keeping that in mind these guys were fabulous. There were just a couple of timing issues. Anyway, it was just the motivation I needed to come home and do laundry... at midnight, after I pull the shoots of bamboo out from under my fingernails.
We all have things that we don't necessarily enjoy doing, things that if we had a choice we'd simply take a pass. I don't mind not having to do laundry but it is one of those things that I don't get to take a pass on. It has to be done. Life can be pretty exhausting, it can wear you down but there are things that just have to be done and so you pick yourself up and you do them. People are counting on you. It's okay to do laundry at midnight. I feel like I'm giving myself a little pep talk. Nice work Johnny. Way to fold that laundry. You are the man.
Enjoyed a fabulous 6th grade beginner band concert tonight. Natty is doing a great job with her flute and I think she really enjoys it. I am glad for that and hope that she will stay with it. The concert, well, it was a rough and sometimes painful but there were moments that were good. I especially enjoyed the announcement that the last song was coming up. Seriously, the concert was hard to take but it is also beginning band with kids that never even touched the instruments before the school year. Keeping that in mind these guys were fabulous. There were just a couple of timing issues. Anyway, it was just the motivation I needed to come home and do laundry... at midnight, after I pull the shoots of bamboo out from under my fingernails.
Weather
I am not a weatherman, I don't play one on TV and I have not the skills to predict it. With the weather we enjoyed here yesterday and with how beautiful everything appeared here this morning I thought we were in for another beautiful day.
When Natty left for school she announced that she was not taking a jacket. Well Jack heard this and apparently decided that he would do the same. After making that announcement later when he was going to school Andy determined the same. Neither would listen to my suggestion that a light jacket would be wise. I figured the weather was great and they really wouldn't need the coats so I didn't push it. As I walked Andy to school we got out from the houses and in the open area of the school yard and the wind was blowing right through us. Andy suggested that maybe he should have brought his jacket. I agreed but figured they would be fine.
When I left for work a bit later it had turned a little nastier as the wind had picked up, clouds had blown in and it was a bit chilly. I started to feel guilty for not making them take their jackets and wondered if I should have taken them over. I had thought about it but then recalled some parent trainings where the idea of always bailing your kids out was discouraged. I decided to let it go and have them experience it all.
Let me not mislead here. The weather wasn't wonderful but we also did not have a full fledged storm pounding us. The cold wind is really most of the problem and the kids felt it. We had conferences with the boys teachers today and afterwards when we came home Jack said he wished he would have listened and taken his jacket. Had I bailed him out he may not have reached that conclusion. Maybe I did something right here. That is rare for me.
I subscribe to the idea that it is better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Perhaps now my children will adopt more of this idea. I also subscribe to the idea that our daily scripture reading and prayers are things we do - not because we will necessarily be tempted but we do them so that in the event that we are tempted we can be strengthened by the Lord to overcome. I don't want to find myself or have my kids find themselves in a place spiritually when we wished we would have been faithful in doing those things.
When Natty left for school she announced that she was not taking a jacket. Well Jack heard this and apparently decided that he would do the same. After making that announcement later when he was going to school Andy determined the same. Neither would listen to my suggestion that a light jacket would be wise. I figured the weather was great and they really wouldn't need the coats so I didn't push it. As I walked Andy to school we got out from the houses and in the open area of the school yard and the wind was blowing right through us. Andy suggested that maybe he should have brought his jacket. I agreed but figured they would be fine.
When I left for work a bit later it had turned a little nastier as the wind had picked up, clouds had blown in and it was a bit chilly. I started to feel guilty for not making them take their jackets and wondered if I should have taken them over. I had thought about it but then recalled some parent trainings where the idea of always bailing your kids out was discouraged. I decided to let it go and have them experience it all.
Let me not mislead here. The weather wasn't wonderful but we also did not have a full fledged storm pounding us. The cold wind is really most of the problem and the kids felt it. We had conferences with the boys teachers today and afterwards when we came home Jack said he wished he would have listened and taken his jacket. Had I bailed him out he may not have reached that conclusion. Maybe I did something right here. That is rare for me.
I subscribe to the idea that it is better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Perhaps now my children will adopt more of this idea. I also subscribe to the idea that our daily scripture reading and prayers are things we do - not because we will necessarily be tempted but we do them so that in the event that we are tempted we can be strengthened by the Lord to overcome. I don't want to find myself or have my kids find themselves in a place spiritually when we wished we would have been faithful in doing those things.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Personally
I was pondering a few things today about the Savior. I thought about trials that each of us face. We all have hardships and struggles. We all fall short of perfection and sin. We all need the Savior. He is mighty to save and it is only through Him that we can be saved. No matter what our circumstance in life may be, where we have been or what we may be going through today, when we call upon the Savior, when we exercise that faith and trust in him, deliverance comes. It may not come in the way we think it should but it comes exactly how it is supposed to come, and it is personal. It is personal because he knows who we are and he loves us... each one. I am grateful for that love, that personal relationship. I love him and testify of his love me. I know that he knows me personally and I am grateful for that relationship. I testify the he loves you and that he knows you personally as well.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
A Big Boy Testimony
I shared my testimony in church today. Andy and Jack followed. I had to go back and help Andy. I don't think anyone could possibly have seen him, maybe just the crown of his head, maybe. Jack followed and I was hoping our FHE lessons on testimonies would be remembered. There was not a beautiful, flowing testimony of the divinity of the Savior and the restoration of the Gospel. No, Jack stood there for a moment, scratched his head in thought and then shared his testimony. There was a beauty about it for sure. This 7 year old boy stands before a chapel filled with people and speaks from his heart with absolutely no fear. He is completely comfortable. I don't recall every word he shared today but will do my best to share some of it.
I'm going to tell you more about trains. Trains were invented to haul freight. There is some freight that cannot travel by planes, that is why trains were invented. There is freight that can't be moved by planes or boats or cars or trucks. I don't know. I'm going to tell you about the trains that pull the freight, they called them the giants. One of the last of the giants was called the big boy. It could pull a five and a half mile train on level track. Then there was the war and the big boy was used to move the army and supplies. When a train starts up it makes noise that is: hah hah, hah hah. There was one type of train that was hard to maintain. Oh, I want to tell you about the roundhouse. The roundhouse is like a station with doors in the back where they put the engines. They are really neat. There is something wrong with Mater-national...
As soon as he switched gears to the Mater-national video game I jumped up and let Jack know that it was time to close. He began to step down and I asked if he wanted to say amen... he stepped back up.
Amen.
We just sat together and reviewed this. He feels it is pretty accurate and made some edits to what I had written. He really liked this one. I let him know that he did a great job, Andy also. We talked about remembering the Savior in our testimonies and I said we need to figure out how to relate his trains to the gospel. He was excited about that. I also thought of a talk that could work for that. We'll see how it goes.
Right or Wrong
We made it back to the aquatic center today after a bit of a hiatus. Colds and traveling have kept us away for a few weeks so we were happy to be able to go. Yes, for those wondering, we were back on the water slide. Only 357 stairs today - yes 7 trips down the slide. At least that is all I can remember.
It would seem that I didn't get the memo. What memo? you ask; well the memo that it was take your tattoo swimming day at the aquatic center. Well over 50 percent of the men there had tattoos and most of those had multiple ink spills under their skin. What is the deal with this? I mean this is Cedar City. One guy looked like he had C3PO's body tattooed on his hip - meaning a life size tattoo, his hip was tattooed to look like it was actually C3PO's hip. Very strange. I am not an expert on tattoos and did not go up and study this one, it's really not my gig. I was just happy to get out of there without having Jack call out someone for having a tattoo.
Had an interesting moment with Jack as we were in the locker room preparing to leave. There was a gentleman with a baby getting ready to leave. I am guessing 10 to 13 months. Anyway, there was another gentleman also with a baby who was probably just a little younger. Both of these gentlemen had tattoos by the way. So the first guys little boy is doing great. No fussing at all. The other guys son was going nuts - crying and screaming non stop. Jack actually handled the noise well. He said something about the boy being upset but that was about it. Andy started talking about one choosing the right and the other not. Jack simply stated that a baby is not capable of choosing the right or the wrong. I thought that was a pretty insightful tidbit of information. I have no idea why he has that in his mind. It must have been a lesson on children and baptism. I don't know. Anyway, thought it was cool... and... I'm going to bed now.
It would seem that I didn't get the memo. What memo? you ask; well the memo that it was take your tattoo swimming day at the aquatic center. Well over 50 percent of the men there had tattoos and most of those had multiple ink spills under their skin. What is the deal with this? I mean this is Cedar City. One guy looked like he had C3PO's body tattooed on his hip - meaning a life size tattoo, his hip was tattooed to look like it was actually C3PO's hip. Very strange. I am not an expert on tattoos and did not go up and study this one, it's really not my gig. I was just happy to get out of there without having Jack call out someone for having a tattoo.
Had an interesting moment with Jack as we were in the locker room preparing to leave. There was a gentleman with a baby getting ready to leave. I am guessing 10 to 13 months. Anyway, there was another gentleman also with a baby who was probably just a little younger. Both of these gentlemen had tattoos by the way. So the first guys little boy is doing great. No fussing at all. The other guys son was going nuts - crying and screaming non stop. Jack actually handled the noise well. He said something about the boy being upset but that was about it. Andy started talking about one choosing the right and the other not. Jack simply stated that a baby is not capable of choosing the right or the wrong. I thought that was a pretty insightful tidbit of information. I have no idea why he has that in his mind. It must have been a lesson on children and baptism. I don't know. Anyway, thought it was cool... and... I'm going to bed now.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
A Tale of Two Hats
Natalie was off on a school activity today to read Dr. Seuss books to elementary school students. She was excited about it and borrowed a Cat in the Hat hat from Jay to do it. When her bus rolled by the front of the house I walked into the office and found the had sitting on the desk. Roughly 10 minutes later my phone rang and I knew who it was. Natty asked me to drop off the hat. Unfortunately there was no way for me to get it to the school before they were scheduled to leave and take care of the boys and getting them to school on time. I told her I was sorry but I wouldn't be able to make it. I think she took it well enough. We talked about it tonight and she had a great time. I don't think the hat mattered all that much.
Jack, Andy and I were on our way to school this morning and all was going well until Jack, who was about 40 yards from the doors to the school and 50 yards in front of Andy and I realized he didn't have a hat on his head. He started to freak out a bit. It was a little chilly. The sun was shining but it hadn't warmed up yet. I thought the boys would be fine but Jack kind of let me have it. Of course I couldn't make out what he was saying until I found him standing just inside the door. He was talking to Mrs. Murray, tears in his eyes and quite upset about his hat. I got an earful about how I never remember to give him his hat. Amazing, this is the first day I have sent him without it. We talked about that but he was really in a state.
I think one of the things that is most challenging about Jack is knowing how he is going to react to something. My concern was not so much the hat, I knew things would warm up and he would be fine. My concern was for his state and the disruption he would potentially become to his class. We had a little conversation, he was pretty caught up on the hat and so I assured him that I would go get it and bring it back to him. Complete calm. When I came back with the hat Jack was actually with a TA reading Chicken Little. He was doing very well and was excited to see me walk in. I showed him the hat and it was like, eh, the hat. We made it through the moment and for that I am grateful.
Two children, two hats, two positive outcomes. Grateful for Natty handling it the way she did. With Jack, well, I didn't know exactly what to do and just listened. The answer was simple and I am grateful for that little bit of inspiration. So the challenge - dad can't always come to the rescue as Natalie got to experience. How do we fix that for Jack? Well, that inspiration came also. We will discuss expected and unexpected behavior in those situations but also we will make a plan to avoid not having the hat in the future. Expected behavior - Jack is in charge of his hat and he should put it in his backpack when he takes it off after school. Then it will always be there even when dad forgets to put it on his head.
Jack, Andy and I were on our way to school this morning and all was going well until Jack, who was about 40 yards from the doors to the school and 50 yards in front of Andy and I realized he didn't have a hat on his head. He started to freak out a bit. It was a little chilly. The sun was shining but it hadn't warmed up yet. I thought the boys would be fine but Jack kind of let me have it. Of course I couldn't make out what he was saying until I found him standing just inside the door. He was talking to Mrs. Murray, tears in his eyes and quite upset about his hat. I got an earful about how I never remember to give him his hat. Amazing, this is the first day I have sent him without it. We talked about that but he was really in a state.
I think one of the things that is most challenging about Jack is knowing how he is going to react to something. My concern was not so much the hat, I knew things would warm up and he would be fine. My concern was for his state and the disruption he would potentially become to his class. We had a little conversation, he was pretty caught up on the hat and so I assured him that I would go get it and bring it back to him. Complete calm. When I came back with the hat Jack was actually with a TA reading Chicken Little. He was doing very well and was excited to see me walk in. I showed him the hat and it was like, eh, the hat. We made it through the moment and for that I am grateful.
Two children, two hats, two positive outcomes. Grateful for Natty handling it the way she did. With Jack, well, I didn't know exactly what to do and just listened. The answer was simple and I am grateful for that little bit of inspiration. So the challenge - dad can't always come to the rescue as Natalie got to experience. How do we fix that for Jack? Well, that inspiration came also. We will discuss expected and unexpected behavior in those situations but also we will make a plan to avoid not having the hat in the future. Expected behavior - Jack is in charge of his hat and he should put it in his backpack when he takes it off after school. Then it will always be there even when dad forgets to put it on his head.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Learn From Them
Natalie went to her first activity with the Young Women yesterday evening. She loved it and is excited about being there. I am very happy for her. I posted a question on FaceBook on the topic and asked if it was okay for me to get a little emotional over these things. I got a few replies and naturally that included a bit of mockery by Dave and Amy. I love them. I never said why I got emotional and thought I would just share the moment here.
I walked Natty to the door because she was nervous. Sister Thorley, the YW President was there waiting for her and was fantastic. I ran back out to the truck and was heading out of the parking lot. Sister Thorley and Natalie were walking down the sidewalk towards SUU and I watched them for a bit. Sister Thorley put her arm around Natty and just loved her and that was it, that was my moment. I am not afraid on Natty growing up, she has had to grow up a lot over the last few years. No, my moment was one of gratitude for my Heavenly Father and for the blessings of the Gospel in our lives. I have hurt for Natalie because there is only so much that I am able to provide as the single father in the home. I lack so many things and to see her with this righteous leader and role model just filled me with hope and gratitude.
I try, I try hard to be the kind of person I need to be for my children. I don't always succeed in fact I fail quite a lot. Personally I am unable to compensate for Natty's mom not being in the home. That is hard for me and there are times when I simply hurt for my children. We are fortunate to have Grandma and a couple of Aunts here in town that help so much I am grateful for that. I am grateful for the leaders of the young women in our ward and am so happy that Natty will be able to learn from them.
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I walked Natty to the door because she was nervous. Sister Thorley, the YW President was there waiting for her and was fantastic. I ran back out to the truck and was heading out of the parking lot. Sister Thorley and Natalie were walking down the sidewalk towards SUU and I watched them for a bit. Sister Thorley put her arm around Natty and just loved her and that was it, that was my moment. I am not afraid on Natty growing up, she has had to grow up a lot over the last few years. No, my moment was one of gratitude for my Heavenly Father and for the blessings of the Gospel in our lives. I have hurt for Natalie because there is only so much that I am able to provide as the single father in the home. I lack so many things and to see her with this righteous leader and role model just filled me with hope and gratitude.
I try, I try hard to be the kind of person I need to be for my children. I don't always succeed in fact I fail quite a lot. Personally I am unable to compensate for Natty's mom not being in the home. That is hard for me and there are times when I simply hurt for my children. We are fortunate to have Grandma and a couple of Aunts here in town that help so much I am grateful for that. I am grateful for the leaders of the young women in our ward and am so happy that Natty will be able to learn from them.
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Basketball Slut
There I was enjoying a conversation with a friend when suddenly I got called out for being a basketball slut. Who me? The fact that I regularly went on dates, scratch that, the fact that I have taken a few dates to basketball games is the qualifier. Can I help it? Probably, though it is such a convenience for a guy that is a little nervous and not so sure he really wants to be out on the date anyway. The basketball game with the back and forth helps you avoid eye contact and then the home crowd getting into it and the loud speaker - yep, conversation killers. Oh, I am a basketball slut. Mmmm, pathetic. Take out someone to the game knowing that it is the perfect way to avoid the uncomfortables of dating as if eye contact and conversation are the uncomfortables. But then there is the other side that perhaps we're missing out on here. Sitting side by side is good for a little hand holding with the right person. The back and the forth of the game wouldn't matter because you're really not there for the game you just want to be close to someone. The game is still going on and that can be nice in the background. Though the crowd noise and the loud speaker exist it allows you to draw closer for conversation. Is there any possibility one could take a date to the basketball game and not be guilty of basketbal slutology? I don't know. I think it is a means to an end or a doorway to something more. It's a safe way to get a feel for someone. Not a lot of risk there. It can still be an excellent venue for a date but for the special lady that allready has your trust, well she can step right in to an upper echelon date like courtside at competitive bad mitten, croquette or even lawn darts. Not just any woman is worthy of that kind of a date. This dating advice brought to you by a man that knows very little of the world of dating and the keys to a womans heart. I did learn that socks can trump flowers, especially carnations and if you ever have a chance meeting with a sports figure, you know like a basketball player while on one of those safe dates, don't ever ask them about their sport. Well, maybe if I listen well enough I may just become a love doctor yet. It's a definite step up from Basketball Slut.
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