I'll Go, Even Give My Life

I talked with a friend who told me about the news of the death of a cousin, in Afghanistan. My heart felt saddened by his loss. I have thought about this man's ultimate sacrifice. I can't help but think about the happiness I feel to live in the land of the free. We are so blessed. Tomorrow, we celebrate the birth of this country. Those freedoms come from men and women who both live and died. To each one of them I give my sincere thanks!

Modern Medicine...Thank You

I spent some time in the hospital and how thankful I felt to have doctors and nurses who were trained and schooled to deal with the various ailments that our bodies sometimes endure. There was one particular nurse, Tyanne was her name, who took the time to get Becky comfortable with the excruciating pain she was feeling. She was detail oriented in her job and did it very well. I have to tell you something really funny. A male nurse came into the room because he was given the task of starting an 'IV'. It has always been difficult to find good veins in her arms and so normally she has to get pricked a couple of times in order to get the 'IV' in correctly. After several minutes of examining both arms, the man told us that he wasn't comfortable with doing it and that he would get somebody else to do it. Not even a minute later a female nurse came in and promptly looked at Becky's right arm and began to quickly prep her arm and in no time had an 'IV' started and that was that. There are always people who are very good at their jobs and can do specific things very well. I was so grateful for that nurse and her expertise. We live in a wonderful time. We are so blessed with so many different things. I am so thankful to live in this time and I hope that you are too.

My Faith Brings About Peace

There was a time when I heard a young man as he spoke of his experience as a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He spoke of the kind of young man he was throughout high school. He said that at that time his faith was a part of his life. After serving a mission, he learned that his faith was his life. My faith is my life and the peace that I receive from the knowledge that I have is remarkable, even life-changing. I am so grateful for all that I have in my life!

Have I Done Any Good?

I have stated many times my deep gratitude for the blessings of my life. I wonder at the end of each day if I have done something that would positively contribute to society. There are many people who look for someone to look up to and try to pattern their life after. It is amazing to me the number of people who long for direction. They aren't accustomed to fully understanding what life is all about or where their place is in this world. I want to be somebody that people feel comfortable with to be their friend, someone who will accept them for who and how they are. There is a lot of good that we can do. I hope that I am the kind of person that I am supposed to be. The most important contribution that we can give lies within the walls of our own homes. That is my greatest desire!

Creative Thinking

“The process of creative thinking reminds me time and again of the work we used to do on my uncle’s ranch. The steps used in growing crops offer a good guideline:

“1. Prepare the soil. Start with prayer to clear your mind and set the proper atmosphere. Research the problem thoroughly. Develop a positive attitude that a solution can be found. Establish an atmosphere of trust in yourself and in others.

“2. Plant the seeds. Investigate what you can do to help. Determine where you may need help. Ask for counsel when you are ready to act on the advice given to you, but don’t ask someone else to make the decision for you.

“3. Let the seeds grow. Don’t uproot your idea before it has a chance to grow. Back off and give the idea time to develop. But you must be willing to face failure with a willingness to try again.

“4. Examine your crops. Weed out ideas that don’t belong. Through obedience to the Lord, you are entitled to inspiration.

“5. Harvest. The most productive farmers in the world would be unsuccessful if they didn’t harvest their crops. Do something about your ideas. Take the initiative to share your thoughts with others and to take action on your own.”

Do You Ever Feel Confused?

Experience is a great way to learn the lessons of life that help invite progression to be a part.  I can't begin to calculate in the forty years of life, how many different decisions I've had to make.  Those of you who are older than I have that many more.  In the decision-making process, there are times when confusion dominates and makes the process more difficult. 
I want to discuss two aspects that have helped me in decreasing the confusion that I feel.
First. Everything in life has something to do with somebody else.  During a tough time, have you found yourself thinking about how a particular decision will benefit you?  Our weak human minds tend to think that way.  I am a firm believer in creating a mechanism in yourself that automatically switches to a different way of thinking and thinks of others before yourself.  Now some of you are thinking, "What, I can't ever do anything that I want to do?"  No, that is not what I'm saying.  If you want a true compromise to exist, then 'I' cannot be anywhere in your thinking.  If it is, then there is an increased probability that problems will eventually creep in.
Second.  Communicate, communicate, and then do it some more.  Before you roll your eyes, I want you to think about a time when proper communication helped to quickly resolve a situation that would have otherwise taken a very long time and a lot of expended energy. 
When Becky and I were quite sure that we were done having children after Brady, which is kid #3.  We wrestled with the finality that would come if we moved forward with a permanent surgical procedure.  Becky's health wasn't the best and we had three wonderful children that we adored.  We talked about it constantly but seemed convinced that three was the magic number for our family.  No matter how much we talked, the topic never left our minds.  Now keep in mind that we were young and the older we have become the easier it is to see that when you can't stop thinking about something, it normally means that the decision has some 'holes' in it.  It wasn't until we enhanced our circle of communication and included our Heavenly Father in it, that we realized that there was another baby that would come to our family.  We are richly blessed to have Danny as our last child and what a joy he is!
Becky and I humbled ourselves enough to think of others that would be effected outside of just her and I.  We communicated extensively over this important decision that pertained to our family.  In the end, we were blessed abundantly.  There are other things that you can do but the implentation of these two things has helped me many times over.
Personal experience is invaluable.

Keep It Simple

When I was in the Netherlands, I would awaken early in the morning and during the summer months I would read and study out on the back porch. I would look at the surrounding tulip fields and feel so blessed for the beauty that those flowers offered me. One particular morning I could see something move in my periphery. I looked to the side and saw a large, beautiful spider web. Toward the center of the web was a large spider. I became curious of this spider because of it's intriquette workmanship. I watched it for several minutes as it spun a much larger web than already existed. It's movements were eloquent. I continued my studying, every once in a while peeking over to see it's progress. The next morning, I went out to the porch in anticipation to see the spider. It was there and still hard at work.
Some time ago, I was taught a lesson about spider webs and my mind raced back to Holland. I found this lesson a good one and I want to share it with you. The man stated that our lives are much like a spider web. In many instances, we have over-scheduled ourselves and now that there are so many 'strands' involved, we get stuck in the web unable to break through the stress that our business has created.
I could see that large web in my mind and the hundreds of strands that forked in every direction. I remember the sight of an imprisoned fly as it inadvertantly flew into the web. When it stuck, it was only moments until the spider 'mummied' up the fly and prepared it for later consumption.
I watch as people become so busy and stressed that the activities of life overtake and destroy the things in their families that were once solid and immoveable.
If your life seems like a spider web, simplify and better manage the day-to-day facets. The relief of stress will allow the beauty of your life to return and a feeling of normalcy will again prevail.