Being Human - Part-time

This will seem to be a short post, but I hope you will take time to read the linked message. 

I am approaching (or maybe I'm already there) the later third of my mortal experience.While it is a good time in life, there are also many frustrations with the "attitude" of my physical self. Many of the most annoying struggles I have in this life are connected to the temporal part of my make-up. 

My body doesn't do what I want it to, and it is very discouraging.

Disenchantment with aging is not an uncommon experience for residents of this earth. And, if we fail to have an eternal understanding of our body and its mission, we can begin to question God and His plan (yes, there is a Plan and it is very precise).

No one has been sent to earth to stay mortal forever (there is something much better if we are patient and faithful). The Plan of God is for all of us to experience mortality in preparation for eternity. Our eternal quest is to develop the attributes necessary to live with God and Christ. The body we have is a "test" vehicle for that preparation and if we are wise, our eternity will include a 'renewed' body and attributes that allow us to do much more than we can imagine.

In a recent issue of the Ensign, Pres. Nelson (a heart surgeon by profession) shared insights about the bodies we all inhabit. I found it to be a very enlightening and uplifting review of the purpose of our experiences in mortality. I would encourage all to take a few minutes and see what you can learn from a world-renowned heart surgeon, and prophet of God (BTW, he will be 95 in September and is still going strong). You will not be disappointed. This is the link to the message.

Please take care of your physical AND spiritual self so the blessings of God can lift you to better places in this life and the life hereafter. I want us all to be together in the next life with the joy of our eternal bodies, ready to serve God and all those we love (more than we can imagine).

Environmental Responsibility - 2019

In my youth, there were habits most people in our country cultivated that would seem very odd in the modern era.

One example.

In the 1960’s it was not unusual for people who were travelling on the highways or camping/picnicking in the USA to toss the garbage they had accumulated out into the environment – the idea of taking the trash and depositing it in a bin was not the norm.

Not an unusual sight in the 1960's

Looks like a 3rd world beach doesn't it?

Shortly after President Kennedy was murdered, the new presidents wife, Lady Bird Johnson, started making a big push to help clean up the highways of the United States. Everywhere you went, there were billboards and TV commercials inviting us to dispose of trash properly rather than sending it to the wind.

Lady Bird Johnson - by all accounts
a very good person.

Mrs. Johnson was very successful in her efforts and the roadways of the country began to look more pristine.

In high school (late 60's and early 70's), I was introduced to the idea of doing more to preserve the environment. I recall one young lady who handed out Greenpeace stickers and tried to get us to join her club. She asked us all to put the stickers on our lockers or vehicles to remind others of the serious need to be better stewards of the environment. Her challenge was to change habits that resulted in destroying the beauty of our planet. The majority thought she was weird, but we humored her (it was cool to put things on the locker).

 

This is a patch, but we had stickers like this for our lockers.

Mostly, I was oblivious to the movement and didn’t jump right in or join the “crowd” in their activism. But the message continued with enough encouragement that it influenced the citizens of the USA to think more about being responsible. Eventually, the norm changed to NOT LITTERING and our land looked less and less like a garbage dump.

Like many others, I found that making changes was a slow and often annoying process (who would deny that it is easier to throw stuff out the window than to bag the refuse?). But the results of a slow, comprehensive effort by the millions of Americans brought about a much cleaner environment and a more comfortable and attractive landscape.

Fifty years later, the idea of throwing litter out the windows of our cars is offensive (though I will admit to having let a few orange peels fall out of my hand over the decades).

I am grateful for people like Mrs. Johnson, who took the initiative to help us learn to be better stewards of our environment. The results are considerable, and the habits of most Americans have been shaped by her efforts.

BUT!!

Dare I say it?

Yes, because it is true!

As always happens, there were people/organizations who took a GOOD thing and turned it into something totally warped from the original intent.

(yes,I’m looking at you Al Gore).

There will always be a small faction in the world who will corrupt a good thing in order to benefit their personal status/wealth – and those changes, as a rule, create greater challenges for the average person.

I love that the air we breathe is much cleaner than when I was growing up (we lived in mining towns and the smoke from the smelters often covered our homes).

When the wind was "just right" this smoke, full of sulfur and other
 nasty things would settle on our town. If it was a playground time,
all the kids had to go back in so they wouldn't get too much
in their lungs.

The cars we drive are way more efficient (mileage-wise) and safer for the occupants.

Except vehicles that look like this! (yes, I know it is diesel
but that doesn't make it any less nasty)

The highways we travel are MUCH more pleasant because there aren’t piles of litter (some still can’t resist – I’m sure it’s the visitors 😉).

And I’m glad that many of the mining and harvesting tactics of the past have been eliminated in wilderness areas.

But there are many people/corporations who have used the idea of “conservation” to further their own personal wealth generation…

…at the expense of those who cannot defend themselves!!

(This is where my Al Gore link fits.)

In many cases, all of the effects of some changes are at the expense of regular citizens who want to experience the wonders of this world without paying exorbitant fees (taxes, entrance costs, etc.).

A relevant experience from the Book of Mormon comes to mind.

In the days of the Jaredites, a righteous king seemed to have things in order so that his people could have places of beauty AND still access the necessary resources. Here are the pertinent verses:

And it came to pass that Lib also did that which was good in the sight of the Lord. And in the days of Lib the poisonous serpents were destroyed. Wherefore they did go into the land southward, to hunt food for the people of the land, for the land was covered with animals of the forest. And Lib himself became a great hunter.

And they built a great city…by the place where the sea divides the land. And they did preserve the land southward for a wilderness, to get game. And the whole face of the land northward was covered with inhabitants. (Ether 10:19-21)

Taking care of the environment is essential to protecting the gifts given to us by God. He has placed us on this earth to care for His work (people, animals, land, etc.) which is eternal. When we abuse what we have been given we are disrespecting the favors of our loving Father.

But when we try to exercise dominion over others - purportedly to save the environment - for personal gain (wealth, power, influence, etc.), we have made a mockery of the gifts God has given.

If you read one chapter before the previous quote, you find the reason for the abundance of serpents that kept the people out of the fertile land to the south:

But the people believed not the words of the prophets, but they cast them out; and some of them they cast into pits and left them to perish… And it came to pass that there began to be a great dearth upon the land and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon the face of the earth. And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people. And it came to pass that their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents… (Ether 9:31-33)

The people had become so wicked and abusive of the gifts given by God that they were denied the full glory/beauty of the world where they lived. It took many years and a change in attitude to experience the things in the first quote.

I want this earth to be as beautiful as Eden when Jesus comes to be with us. The works of SO MANY will be rewarded as they continue to make our home planet more like Eden. But when the greedy begin to twist the purposes of God (in any way), there will be a price to pay.

Conversely, there will be an accounting for those who are frivolous with the resources and beauty of our home.

The gifts of God are great (we just have to acknowledge their goodness and be wise in their use) and He will provide for our mortal needs and prepare us for the eternal blessings He has to offer.

I trust Him to do His work.

I will also do my best to do as He has asked, 

 that the beauty of this world will be a testament of our desire to live like He does. mw

The End of the Rainbow

 A few weeks ago Teresa and I were headed down to Huntington to visit her dad (we go at least once a month to visit and work on projects he has). The weather was wet (we have had an abundance of rain this year- hurrah for desert rain) so we were taking our time. Just south of Price, heading toward Huntington, we witnessed a rainbow like we have never seen before. With wipers making their crazy "back and forth" to keep the rain clear, we were dazzled by the size and clarity of this celestial vista. Both of us were enthralled by the experience (it was a full rainbow as well so we could look back and see the other end on the other side of Price) and kept commenting how cool it was.

But as we came to the edge of town, there was a sight that seemed even more impossible to believe. 

We have both seen full rainbows in our lives -- we have experienced bright colors in the sky -- and there have even been times when a double arc was spread before our view! But this was one vista we had never encountered.

You know how the legend is that if you can find the end of the rainbow you will discover a 'pot-of-gold'? 

Well, we found it!!

We could, literally, see the place where the rainbow touched the ground.

We were both stunned to silence. So much so that it was necessary to stop the car and gather our wits about us. 

(I have to admit that there was a brief moment when I seriously considered jumping out and running to the point where the rainbow and earth connected -- just to be sure there wasn't anything waiting to be found).

For several minutes, we sat in the rain in awe of the spectacular scene before us.  We had no desire to leave such a magnificent miracle so we mumbled excuses for staying a moment longer.

Eventually it was time to go on. 

But even today, weeks later, we feel a special wonder as look back on that trip to Huntington.

You would think, after many decades on this planet and having traveled to exotic places of great beauty, one little trick of light would not make such a huge impression on two mortal souls. Yet, we felt very blessed to be witnesses to one of the great visions of mortality (and a little bit of heaven). 

This is not something that will be easily forgotten. We are all a little more "touched by the Hand of God" for these kinds of events.  

It is the little "tender mercies" that remind us how wonderful mortal life is and how much we can experience joy - even in simple things we find.

This first photo was about a mile away

This is where we stopped and were tempted to run across the field.
Sure hope there WASN'T gold over there!!

Fearless But Practical

Four plus years ago, Teresa’s mother passed away after a long struggle with dementia and other maladies. It was a tough time for all of us but, in many ways, we were grateful that she was relieved of the life she was living. 

Teresa's mom as a teen

The memories we have help us focus on who she is and what she has done to make this life better for each of us. We love her and would be thrilled if she was still here, but we are also comforted that she is not struggling with the issues of mortality that made her so frustrated.

Recently, my youngest living sister has had a serious bout with that “evil cancer” thing and we were very concerned that she might decide it was time to “go home.” She is now recovering and is blessed (by doctors and God) to have an excellent chance to continue being the sweet little girl we all love so much.

When I was a young man, my mother delivered a baby boy who died shortly after his arrival in mortality. We were very poor, so a funeral was not an option. Instead, we loaded the family into our station wagon, put Tommy’s little body (in a casket) in the back part, and drove to a family burial site in Alpine, Arizona. 

Luna Lake, near Grandpa's cabin in Alpine

It was the first time I had experienced the effects of death with such a personal closeness. We dug the grave ourselves, my dad exercised the priesthood and dedicated the site, and then we placed the little body into the ground. The experience was one of the sweet memories of my youth.

My own heart problems, a few years ago, were a reminder to me of the fragility (but amazingly wonderful) strength of our mortal bodies and the nearness of mortality to death.

(I was going to add pictures of what that was like, but it wasn't very palatable so I skipped them)

These, and a number of similar experiences, have invited me to ponder the temporary nature of life and determine how I will approach the way I live. As many have said, no one gets out of this experience alive (though I would dispute some of the finality of that statement) so I want to be as prepared as possible.

But, I have never (or at least in the time I can remember) felt fear as it relates to the coming experience that will one day welcome us all. In fact, sometimes I secretly long for that day that so many fear (Teresa hates it when I say that, so please don’t tell her I put it here). Not because I don’t like my life, but just for the newness of the adventure.

It’s not that I’m anxious to leave this life we are all living (I know some may not be having such a great adventure at the moment, but, overall, this is a pretty cool gig). It’s just that I’m not really worried about what will happen when this mortal frame finally gives up and shuts down (though I do have a few concerns about my own preparation for the next part of the adventure – but not enough to be afraid).

There is a poem, written by William Wordsworth, with the following lines that I find comforting and worthy of thought on this topic:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
          Hath had elsewhere its setting
               And cometh from afar;
          Not in entire forgetfulness,
          And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come 
               From God, who is our home:

I find that this message expresses much of what I believe (the rest of the poem can be read here). The clouds of glory that linger with me offer hope of the greater glory that will come with the next step of our lives.

Another writer put it this way:

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors. (Alma34:32)

Mortality is an amazing experience for each of us. It is not random or without purpose in the eternal scheme of things. We are here to do things that will prepare us to become more like God and Christ. To fear this challenge is to doubt the hope of the Atonement of Christ. He has promised that He will do all we will let Him do to bring us home. All He asks is that we follow the Holy Ghost, His prophets and then lift our fellowman to higher places.

With this knowledge and the influence of the Holy Spirit, I can say (with great confidence) that there is much ahead that will bring us joy.

The renewal of friendships, family relations, and eternal bonds with God and Christ will make all of the struggles of this life well worth the seemingly difficult parts of what we endure.

Life is not for suffering – it is for learning to be like God and Christ.

It is the greatest adventure ever!!

Live it with faith and love for all (avoiding fear at all costs) and it will be the best preparation for living like God thru the eternities.

The Last Train

As Teresa’s Dad ages (he will be 93 in Nov.), we are trying to help him in a lot of ways. The last several years he has expressed a desire to go to California and visit with his daughter’s family (Steve & Denise Stiles) and we have tried to make that happen. Last year we tried taking the train and had a pretty good experience, so we made the choice to give that another go.

The AMTRAK train starts in SLC for us, but Dad picks it up in Helper, Utah (most people have no idea where that is, I suspect.) and he rides alone for a couple of hours to SLC.

Since trains are stuck to a track, they often have delays and slow-downs that make arrivals and departures iffy – and this was one of those trips. Our ticket said we would leave SLC at 11:30 pm, but we didn’t get on our way until nearly 1:00 am. Still, since it was dark and we were only going to be sleeping, it wasn’t considered a problem because they can make up time out in the desert.

So, we settled into our chairs (which are much way more comfortable than airline seats) and slept thru the night… or at least that was the plan!

For some reason, the peace of the train was not as ‘peaceful’ as we had experienced on our journey last year. For one thing, it was a supremely SLOW journey. Not just regular train slow, but ‘creeping along just faster than walking’ kind of slow.

(OK, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it felt like that).

When we asked the porter why things were so slow, he paused before replying and then said, “must be lots of tankers on the rail.”

I suppose that might be right, but he looked a little guilty when he said it.

Our other problem was that dad seemed to be very stressed and could not find a way to sit comfortably. He just couldn’t settle, or sleep. And even walking around the car made no difference.

When we finally got to Sacramento, we were two hours late – just exactly the amount of time we were supposed to wait for our next connection (so I guess that was karma playing her little hand in the adventure). And that part of the trip was fast - arriving exactly on time at the Denair/Turlock station where Denise and Steve were waiting.

We all stretched, yawned, and chatted for a while until it was time to go to bed and get some rest – but with all the sitting and resting on the train, sleep did not come easily for any of us.

When we all arose the next morning, dad was a little slow getting ready. As he came out of his room, he made a comment about his left leg hurting and feeling hot. The girls had him pull up his pantleg to see and they were surprised to see ‘angry’ red swelling all over the lower leg. We all discussed what it could be and finally decided to take him to see a doctor.

Here’s a lesson we learned!

Most clinics don’t like to take care of 93 yr. old men!!

They are concerned that they won’t have the ‘tools’ to help.

And they are also probably worried about liability.

While both clinics couldn’t help, they did surmise, by the symptoms they saw, that he probably had a blood-clot in his leg… not a happy diagnosis for an older guy (or younger ones either).

So, we ended up in a really nice Emergency Room with kind and competent doctors and nurses who were very polite and worked diligently to try and find what was wrong.

The first thing that we learned was……… he did not have a blood clot!!

YEA!!!

Upon further review, they “pronounced upon him” cellulitis!

And the cure was strong anti-biotics and rest for the leg.

WOOHOO!!

But that left us with a different problem.

There was this REALLY long train ride in store for the victim.

Quick thinking and use of our cellphones solved the dilemma.

We cancelled the train (mostly refunded) and rented (hired if you are from Britain) a car so we could drive back.

Now, there may be some who will say,

“isn’t riding in a car just as bad as going on the train?”

We wondered the same thing so we asked the doctor what to do and he said if we would stop periodically and let him walk around, he would be fine.

So, we proceeded with our plan.

It worked. There was a lot of driving and we did stop often to let him walk. And we also stopped for the night at our home in West Valley City before going on to Huntington, but there were no further incidents with “the leg.”

So!!

The title of this post is “The Last Train” because it WILL be the last train dad will ride for the rest of his life (which I suspect will be many more years, based on the available data). I’m not too sure Teresa and I will ride again, but we might find a time where it would be an option.

So, the adventure of the Train is complete, and all are home. Dad has recovered and is back to his “puttering” around the home.

And we have a new adventure to share with our posterity, so they know we weren’t just “lay bouts”, wishing to find adventure but sitting at home flushing life away (thinking of the crazy mouse show).

Oh, and let me give a special thanks to Steve and Denise for being great hosts on these little adventures.

There couldn’t be a more accommodating couple, always willing to taxi people around and let them hang in their home. Hopefully we can find another way to ‘transport’ dad so he can visit again. And if not, we have had some wonderful experiences over the past few years.

The kind that will last forever in dad’s mind!!

Wrong Place, Wrong Time - (Another Book Review)

Here's another review I did for DN. It was a pretty good book and I would rate is 3.5 Stars out of 5. I don't do these as much as I used to but still a dozen or so a year.

Two years after his wife, Marena, had a double mastectomy, Greg Walker convinced her that it would be helpful, mentally and physically, to take a long vacation in the Carribbean. She reluctantly agreed and they soon found themselves on a beautiful island with all the attractions such places provide.

On a whim, the couple hired a young man, Wiggy Wiggy, to take them to a secret cove for snorkeling and a fresh seafood dinner. The day was much more than they had imagined and the couple felt they had hit the jackpot. As the little group prepared to end a beautiful day, to their surprise, Greg and Marena witnessed a horrific murder - the driver of a large cigar boat murdered their new friend as he swam across the little cove they had enjoyed so much.

The Walker's did everything they could to help the authorities (in the Carribbean and the U.S.) identify and catch the killer, but their efforts were in vain. Wiggy Wiggy was gone and no one seemed to care.

What the Walker's didn't know was that there was a conspiracy afoot that suddenly had them in the middle of international events. For the bulk of the story, they are chased by U.S. Government agents, foreign spies, and ruthless drug dealers -- all with different plans for their lives.

James Harrison's novel is full of adventure, mystery, and plot twists that sneak up on the reader. He writes with clarity and allows readers to 'percolate' ideas before revealing the true intents of the characters. He is an LDS father of two daughters and resides in St. George, Ut. 

On Things of Mortality

Making Up The Loss

I have an “Internet Friend” whom I have never met personally, though we have had conversations over the years. He is a much more prolific writer than I will ever be and has drawn the ire of many because of his on-line efforts to defend the doctrines of our common faith. Many are offended by the direct methods he uses to help others understand what members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really believe. He has my admiration for his dedication and unwavering support of the leaders and doctrines of our faith. His willingness to accept the ‘sticks and stones” thrown by so many who have become disaffected from the faith and have chosen to become detractors is a witness of the depth of his testimony of the Savior and His work.

In addition to defending the faith we share, he also “waxes poetic” on many subjects concerning life and the world we live in. He is a bit of a ‘world traveler’ and is not afraid to let readers participate in the adventures he is blessed to experience. But he is also a very sensitive soul (much to the chagrin of his critics) and willingly expresses himself in ways to help all of his readers see the mercies of God in this life.

A few years ago his son and daughter-in-law lost a baby daughter (his first grandchild) and he was heartbroken, as any grandparent would be. Never having lost any children or grandchildren, I had not even considered how it might feel to have that experience. After reading the expressions of love my friend wrote, I was, in a small way, able to get a little taste of what such a tragedy might entail.

I know this is not a favorite topic for many, but the “eulogy” given for this baby girl left a strong impression in my heart. Despite the sorrow he felt, there was also a sense of comfort in the words he wrote (spoke) and it seemed appropriate to share with those whom I love and care for.

Dr. Daniel C. Peterson

Some are displeased with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over socio-political disputes, gender concerns and other perceived grievances. While I seldom if ever share their specific issues, I don’t discount them. I know they can hurt.

However, compared with ultimate questions of life and death, they seem thin, even trivial. If the LDS Church’s claims are true — which I believe — everything else is at most secondary.

I echo the apostle Peter’s declaration, when some were offended by the Savior’s teaching:

“From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God” (see John 6:66-69).

On a wintry Utah night decades ago, President Harold B. Lee and a local church leader paused, gazing through snow and darkness toward the Manti Utah Temple, high on the hill above them. “That temple,” the local man observed, “lighted as it is, is never more beautiful than in a storm or when there is a dense fog.” President Lee made the application: “Never is the gospel of Jesus Christ more important to you,” he said, “than in a storm or when you are having great difficulty” (see “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Harold B. Lee”).

Mortality offers happiness and sweet satisfactions, but also deep disappointments, intimidating obstacles and — sometimes — almost unbearable sorrows that pierce like a knife.

Among the sharpest such sorrows is the loss of a child. When excited thoughts of baby clothes, crib, stroller, anticipated first books and a cheerfully waiting nursery are displaced by funeral preparations, those things remain — but now, they mock and wound. The world is suddenly desolate. Joy turns to ashes.

A passage from T. S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi” comes to mind, however misapplied:

“… Were we led all that way for

Birth or Death? There was a birth, certainly

We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,

But had thought they were different; this birth was

Hard and bitter agony for us, like death, our death.”

But God be praised: The birth that the Magi came to honor was the birth that would end death. “One short sleep past,” said John Donne, “we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.”

Naturally, we grieve. Even knowing what he knew and what he would soon do, the Savior himself mourned the death of his friend Lazarus: “Jesus wept. Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!” (see John 11:35-36).

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,” wrote the apostle Paul, “concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13).

“Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:45-46).

Surely death is sweet for tiny infants who scarcely draw breath in mortality. Surely they will enjoy a glorious resurrection. “Little children are alive in Christ,” insisted the prophet Mormon, “even from the foundation of the world” (see Moroni 8:12).

Decades ago, a simple sentence in an LDS Church magazine article deeply impressed me. Sad at parting from co-workers after intense days together at the Hill Cumorah Pageant, a volunteer remarked that the pain was less acute because “friends in the gospel never meet for the last time.”

That comment has remained with me ever since. I believed it then; I believe it now. And yes, I desperately want it to be true.

“All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection,” testified Joseph Smith in a passage that I’ve needed to cite too often in these columns, “provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it.”

Lena Alaia, our long hoped-for first grandchild, was born on June 13 and died on June 16.  In Canadian songwriter Craig Cardiff’s words, “We said hello at the same time we said goodbye.”

We’ve wrapped her in the blanket that we brought from Bethlehem for her crib, entrusting her to the Savior who was born there. He loved little children.

Knowing of our loss and our heartache, a friend brought Craig Cardiff’s achingly sad song “Smallest Wingless” to my attention.  It’s the source of the quoted line above: “We said hello at the same time we said goodbye.”

I watched this music video of “Smallest Wingless” dozens of times over the next few days.  And — I’ve just verified my suspicion experimentally — even five years later I, who never cry, still can’t listen to thirty seconds of the song without breaking down.