The Loss of Civility

I was watching one the morning news programs today and they did a piece on this topic. So many thoughts went through my mind as I watched. They talked about so many examples in the world today. People who are famous for being uncivil. Off colored language from those at the highest levels of government. The examples just went on and on.

It made me think about myself. How often has my speech been thoughtless and uncivil. How often am I more interested in getting a laugh than speaking appropriately. Who have I hurt? Who have I been dis-respectful to?

I have been trying to make the idea of "Let virtue garnish your thoughts unceasingly" be a much bigger part of my life. I truly understand that "As a man think-ith, so is he".

I can see that civility is something else I need to be thinking about.

Blessing of Missionary Service

I have not written anything for a few months. And today in church I realized that I need to write something down when I am inspired.

Today there seemed to be a theme to the testimonies in church. They seemed to be centered on missionary service. I was flooded with so many feelings. First thinking of Jordan serving right now. Thinking of all the blessings that he has received and all that he has learned. I am profoundly grateful. Second, thinking of the blessing it has been for us to support him during this time. We have been able to watch his growth. We have felt his spirit. We have had an increased spirit in our home. For us this is truly a once in a lifetime experience and I am very grateful. Thirdly, I think back to my time as a missionary. I learned so much. I grew up in so many ways. Looking back, and knowing what I know now, I would certainly do some things differently. But, I think that is an important part of being a missionary at such a young age. The Lord has so many things that he needs to teach you. All these lessons will serve you through out your life. That has been the case for me. My mission was a foundational experience in my life. I learned so many things that at the time I didn't even know I was learning. I am a better man today for having had the experience and I would think that is all you can ask.

The peace in my heart and the hope for the future that the Gospel of Jesus Christ provides for me, are truly priceless. I hope that I can continue to take advantage of opportunities to learn and grow that the Lord has waiting for me. And I will always be grateful for the blessing that missionary service continues to be in my life.

Sacred Title..

I have been thinking about times when people use the title of Mother. We have Mother Earth, Mother Nature, Mother Country and so many others. I am bothered by the use of Mother in these settings. The earth is not my Mother. It is a home prepared for use by our heavenly parents and I am grateful. But it does not deserve the sacred title of Mother.

On this Mother's Day I choose to honor what a Mother truly is. The Mothers in my life have given me more than I can possibly explain. But the most important thing is true love. When I think of myself as a child, I see a boy very unsure of his own worth. A boy who wondered if this world held a place for him. And, through all those feelings of uncertainty I always knew that there were those who loved me. I think of my home, the home of my grandparents. These were places of comfort and peace for me. Places where I was always welcomed and accepted.

Now as as man I have my home where the Mother of our family makes me feel that same way. I know that she is always there for me, that she loves me and loves our children. I know that she will always stand up for me. She will help me to be better than I am.

Thank you to all women who look after all of us who truly never stop needing a little Mothering.

May already?

I can't believe that is it May. This past week Jordan reached his 1 year mark on his mission. It has really gone by fast. His serving has been an amazing blessing to our family. We love sharing the experience with him. It is only a week more till we get to talk to him on the phone again. That will really make Mother's Day special.

We are back to the "getting the yard in shape" time of the year. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of yard work, but do enjoy the results when things are looking good. The problem for me is that I have neighbors that for some sick and twisted reason do love yard work. It tends to increase the pressure on a slacker like me. I am sitting here this morning watching it rain and wishing that I could get out there and do some weeding at least. Maybe it is a sign of growing up when you are wishing you could do something that you really don't like. I guess that when you are about to turn 49, it is time to show some sign of growing up. Don't expect too much of that though.

I am sure that this month will fly by. We have Mother's day, Jane's bunco group at our house, Kenny's wedding and Analey's homecoming. And of course my last birthday before I become officially old. (When Jordan was little he always said "you aren't old until you are 50".) So, one last year before I am official.

So I don't forget..

I just got home from Stake Conference and I have a lot of things running through my mind. I just wanted to write a few of them down.

Two quotes I want to remember:
"Are we living lives of Christianity or Churchianity?"
"Christian soldiers are not just weekend warriors".

There was a talk about the Atonement of Christ. The statement was made that we can not comprehend the infinite nature of it. The thought that came to my mind was the personal nature of it. I don't claim to understand how Christ did it, or how far reaching it really is. But, I understand the part of it that personally applies to me. I understand that through his love for me I can be forgiven and I can be made whole. I know that he loves everyone else as much as he loves me, so I know that they have a personal stake in the atonement also.

Another statement that touched me was that our offering to the Lord may be as a little child bringing a dandelion. He only asks for our best. All of us fall short, but his love will make up the difference.

I am grateful to have the opportunity to be taught by good leaders and most importantly by the Holy Ghost.

My Human Family

Yesterday I was sitting at a stop light waiting for the light to change. It is a road with 3 lanes in each direction and a lot of traffic. Just as the light changed, a young man (early 20s I would guess) tried to run through the stopped cars and get across the road. I thought, "what is he doing, can't he see the cars coming the other way?" Well, he didn't make it even that far. A car came up into the left turn lane and could not see him cutting between the cars. He was struck and thrown back into the car in front of me. We all stopped and jumped out. I was calling 911 and so was another man. So here he is laying in the road with blood all over his face. His front teeth scattered on the pavement. The poor lady who hit him is having a melt down.

The police and ambulance respond quickly. He is able to answer their questions and is soon on his way to the hospital. I am hopeful that he will be alright. Those of us who witnessed the accident are asked to provide written statements. The police are very kind and professional.

As I watched this tale of pain unfold, I could not help but share the pain with them. This young man who's poor choice had caused this all to happen, is not someone that I would normally be around. But, his suffering was real. The suffering of the woman who hit him was real. I am sure that the other witnesses are still suffering from it today with me. I don't know any names. I am not sure that I would know their faces if I saw them today. But, they are all a part of my human family and together we share concern for each other. We suffer with those around us when we truly understand what they are going through. I have been thinking that if we really knew the people around us, our tendency to be dismissive, feel superior and judge would be much less. May we see those around us as truly our family.

Life, you never know what's next..

Missionary Bear - Celebrating Birthday and rooting for USA

We have had an eventful couple of weeks. On Feb. 12th we had a party to celebrate the opening of the Olympics and Jordan's birthday. It was strange to not have him here for his birthday. But, he has almost reached the 10 month point. It has gone fast in some ways.

The opening ceremonies was "different". I was inspired to write a poem about it. (see my rambling writings) It has been amazing to see how they continue to not get the concept of the Olympic Flame. To see the public stuck behind a tall fence to try and see it has been a joke. They just didn't expect that people would be so interested in seeing it. (who would have guessed)

On Sunday the 14th we went down to Springville to Cindy's to meet a lot of the family for dinner. It was great to see everyone. It has been really nice to have family closer. We have seen everyone so much more in the last few months.

Today was one of those days that just doesn't go at all like expected. The phone rang at 8am. Joan was on the the phone asking if I could come over and help her get the Granny up out of her chair. She was having so much pain in her right knee that she couldn't get herself up and could hardly walk. I ended up taking her to the ER to see what was going on. We were worried because her right knee had been replaced 10 years ago, and were afraid that something had happened to the joint. Well, after blood tests and x-rays, we found that everything is fine with the joint. The doctor thinks that she has twisted it some. She is now back home with it wrapped and on some pain pills. Joyce is staying with her till Monday morning. We will see how she does and hope for the best.

Eleven times Three

Today was the Shipley triplets birthday party. The one big difference for us this year is that we got them an early birthday present about a month ago. On New Year's Eve we talked their parents into letting us get them a dog. We went the next Saturday morning and picked up Ashley and Matthew (Mikayla didn't want to come). We headed off to the animal shelter. We didn't find the right one there, so we went to the Humane Society. They soon fell in love with a small chihuahua mix. We soon found out that they would not let us adopt him for them. We had to call and have Steve come down. Mikayla and Spencer came with him. It was a long, drawn out process to get everything cleared for them to take him home. We were worried for the first week wondering how things would go with them. After the first week, everyone seemed to be getting along fine.

So, today was the first time we have been to their house since they brought him home. For a little while I was wondering if he still had the ability to walk. He was being held all the time. I saw him being kissed by a couple of the kids and Spencer was telling us how he sleeps with him. He has truly found his home. They seem to really love him. Since we had already gotten them their present, we gave each of them a dog toy. It wasn't long before he was running, jumping and chewing on these. They seemed to be a hit.

Then we took a party of 18 to the Texas Road House. It look a while for them to get a space cleared for a group that big, but we had a great time. Janice asked for a full "rack" which just got everyone laughing. Now, we have leftover ribs for lunch tomorrow. Sweet, sweet leftovers.

"I sailed, my first try"

Yesterday we got home from our first cruise. I think that I can safely say that it will not be our last. Amanda and Scott went with us. We had a BLAST. It is such a different vacation experience.

So, Monday we flew to Long Beach and caught a cab to the ship. We were on the Carnival Paradise. We spent the evening exploring the ship and eating (of course). I have to say that the staff on this ship are truly something special. Everyone was so friendly and helpful.

Tuesday morning we woke up in Avalon Bay at Catalina. I am sorry to say that I didn't know much about Catalina. It is a beautiful island with about 4,000 residents. Our first order of business was to take a Segway tour of the island. Jane and I had ridden them a little bit in Disneyland last year and were excited to get to do it again. It was a great way to start the day. They took us around the town of Avalon and told us a lot about the history of the island. We really enjoyed it. The only problem was that when we were going back down the canyon road, Amanda was literally thrown off. Jane was right behind her and almost ran into her. Luckily she only got some minor road rash on her hand and leg. The Segways were the older first generation models and I have heard that they are not as stable as the new ones. So, when we get rich and buy ours, we will be sure to get the second generation model. We then spent a few hours walking around and shopping. We found out that you can get to the island via ferry in about an hour from Long Beach. We may have to go back next time we are down there.

Wednesday morning we woke up heading into the harbor of Ensenada Mexico. We took the shuttle bus into the main shopping area of the town. It was fun to walk around the shops. The man at one of the shops where we bought a couple of things was really funny. We were happy to spend some money there because he was so entertaining. There was a taco stand that smelled so good that I had to stop. I first got a shrimp taco, then Scott, Amanda and I each had some beef tacos. Jane, wasn't up for trying it. It was really good.

Thursday was our at sea day. I was afraid that I would be bored, but that was not the case at all. One of the fun things about a cruise is the people watching. There were a lot of Red Hat ladies that entertained us every day. Between their amazing outfits and their constant drinking and dancing it was a non stop show. There were people of every shape, size and age. The thing is, so many of them seem to come on a cruise to just let loose and be silly. People singing along with the performers, dancing and just having a great time.

The hardest part of cruising is coming home. I have been off the ship for more than 24 hours and still feel like the room is swaying. Also, last night when I realized that I couldn't just head up to the Lido deck and have a bagel and smoked salmon sandwich made for me. Back to having to take care of my self. Darn..