We live in a world that is so big that people can get lost in it. My wife was reading a story to me about an American pilot shot down over France during the second world war. Neither the U.S. Government nor his family knew what had become of him until long after that war…
Tag: Family
On Donating Life
Most of us still living, seldom think of those who are dead, We mourn them for a while and then, only on the date of their birth, the day of their death and/or Memorial Day, do we think of them and maybe shed a tear for our loss. Other times when we see a picture…
On Symbolism
Symbolism is so common a practice in our world that most of us have and use symbols without even being aware of them. I watch a TV show called the ‘American Pickers’ every once in a while, where two people travel around the country looking for people they call collectors. These collectors have collected stuff…
On “How Great Thou Art”
My youngest son and his sweet wife live across the country from us and they arrange to come home to visit as often as they can; in the meantime we converse via phone or email. As his father, my writing to he and his wife, I sometimes include spiritual thoughts. This one Sunday before church…
On What I Believe I Have Learned About Life
Over the years I have heard statements by various people expressing what they thought they had learned either from an experience in their life or from life itself. I, too, have learned a few things over my eighty five years on earth. The expectation is that as a person ages their experiences in life should…
On Reaching Beyond the Norm
Years ago, Joseph Worthen, then a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told the following story. A young man sought a wiseman to find out what he would have to do to be successful. The sage held his head under water until he was close to being drowned. Then he told…
On Failing to Do Our Duty
Some years ago, when I was a very young man, I was called by our Ward Bishop to serve as the Deacon Quorum Advisor. As is the norm, when a person is called by church leadership, local, stake or by some other authorized church leader, they almost always respond in an affirmative way. And so…
An Organization that has Done a Lot of Good
Both my wife’s father and my father were alcoholics at one time in their lives. It is a difficult thing to watch a person you love struggle with an addiction such as that. They both grew up during the age of ‘prohibition’. An exciting time between law enforcement and the cunning of men to meet…
On Separating the Things of Earth From the Things of Heaven
I remember a story (joke) I heard many years ago. “It seems there was a very rich man who had been diagnosed with a terminal disease. As he lay on his bed close to death he called for his wife. He instructed her to go down to the bank and withdraw all of his money…
On Doing Time
Fortunately, I have never done time, but I have had a good friend who did actually do time in prison. His name was Gene, and as a youth he was a member of a very unstable family. His parents divorced and he lived with one for awhile and then the other. His father was an…