Sunday, April 8, 2012
Miracle
When our family was young we always had worries about money. Though I was gratefully employed, there never seemed to be enough for all our needs. Because Kathy was a Registered Nurse, she was able to find part-time work that paid a pretty good wage. Thanks to her, we were able to make ends meet. During that time, we never seemed to be able to save much money. As Ben and Joe got closer to missionary age we should have been saving for those expenses, but just couldn't. I don't know how we figured to cover that cost. One day I was in the Physiology Department Office when I overheard the secretary talking on the phone to someone who was looking for a faculty member that could substitute for an up-coming medical license examination preparation course. Apparently, this guy was scheduled to teach for two days in Chicago about endocrinology and gastrointestinal physiology, but his wife had taken sick and he needed someone to cover for him. A company named National Medical School Review sponsored the examination preparation course and paid pretty good money to their instructors. Just so happens that endocrinology and gastrointestinal physiology were the two topics I taught in our medical physiology course. To this day, I do not know why the call came to the Department of Physiology at the University of Louisville or why I was there to overhear the phone call. I view it as a miracle. I ended up substituting for this guy in Chicago and continued to teach for National Medical School Review (later sold to Kaplan Medical) for the next 10 years. I would make about 10 trips each year, usually on the weekends, to teach two 8-hour days of review material. This additional income allowed us to pay for Ben's and Joe's missions, including the six or seven months they were both out at the same time. It was a bitter-sweet experience. Bitter when I had to leave home for the teaching trips, but sweet when I got paid. I ended up teaching in courses in California, Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, D.C, and several Caribbean islands. I was truly blessed with this opportunity and thank Heavenly Father for His goodness.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Kathy's Brush with Cancer
It was almost 15 years ago that Kathy was diagnosed with breast cancer. Prior to that, whenever I heard that a woman had been diagnosed with breast cancer my first thought was, "Well, she will be dead soon." So you can imagine how I felt when Kathy received her diagnosis. The pathology report on the tumor was not very comforting. It said that there was already evidence that cancer cells had broken into the lymph vessels. The deadly thing about cancer is that it spreads through the lymph vessels to other parts of the body where new tumors can start. The accumulation of many tumors gradually sucks the life out of the healthy cells in the body. I went to the medical library at the university where I worked and checked out two thick books about breast cancer. I took them home and devoured them. I was looking for something in the books that would tell me Kathy would be okay. Unfortunately, the books didn't give me much comfort. The best news that I found was that Kathy's tumor was fairly small in size and smaller tumors where correlated with better survival. I also found that whether or not cancer cells could be found in the lymph nodes under the arm was important for prognosis. If no cancer was found in the lymph nodes, that was good. The more lymph nodes that had cancer, the worse the outlook for survival. One day in church, I had a thought that went something like this, "You are looking in the wrong books for comfort. You should be looking in the scriptures." This helped me realize that the true comfort I was seeking would come from the Holy Ghost, not from reading medical books.
I remember feeling a sense of complete peace on the morning of Kathy's surgery. I had gotten up early and had gotten ready so Kathy and her mother could get ready. While I waited for them downstairs in the kitchen, I realized that all of the fears and worries that I had been experiencing for the past three weeks (since the diagnosis) were gone. Instead, I felt nothing but peace. That feeling stayed with me all morning throughout the 4 and a half hours of Kathy's surgery. I wasn't sure what the peace meant, but have since come to realize that it was the Holy Ghost letting me know that all would be well.
The first good news we got in this whole affair came early in the morning two days after Kathy had the surgery to remove her right breast. She was in the hospital and I was at home with the kids. She called me about 6:00 AM. One of the residents that worked in the oncology unit had seen the pathology report from the lymph nodes (taken from under Kathy's right arm). He literally ran into Kathy's room to tell her that no cancer had been found in any of the 22 lymph nodes that were examined. Kathy immediately called me and relayed the good news. I was so relieved. I had had two nights of nightmares about the pathology report coming back really bad.
This was not the end of the story. Kathy had a long recovery from the surgery and still had to have chemotherapy. Maybe I'll blog about that another day. But she did gradually recover. The hair she lost during chemotherapy gradually came back. She gradually regained her strength. Though I would never wish this experience on anybody, I learned a lot of lessons from this ordeal. And I know Kathy did too. This whole account has been from my view point. Maybe someday Kathy will write about it from her viewpoint. The two most important lessons I learned was 1) how important Kathy is to me, and 2) that Heavenly Father is aware of us individually.
I remember feeling a sense of complete peace on the morning of Kathy's surgery. I had gotten up early and had gotten ready so Kathy and her mother could get ready. While I waited for them downstairs in the kitchen, I realized that all of the fears and worries that I had been experiencing for the past three weeks (since the diagnosis) were gone. Instead, I felt nothing but peace. That feeling stayed with me all morning throughout the 4 and a half hours of Kathy's surgery. I wasn't sure what the peace meant, but have since come to realize that it was the Holy Ghost letting me know that all would be well.
The first good news we got in this whole affair came early in the morning two days after Kathy had the surgery to remove her right breast. She was in the hospital and I was at home with the kids. She called me about 6:00 AM. One of the residents that worked in the oncology unit had seen the pathology report from the lymph nodes (taken from under Kathy's right arm). He literally ran into Kathy's room to tell her that no cancer had been found in any of the 22 lymph nodes that were examined. Kathy immediately called me and relayed the good news. I was so relieved. I had had two nights of nightmares about the pathology report coming back really bad.
This was not the end of the story. Kathy had a long recovery from the surgery and still had to have chemotherapy. Maybe I'll blog about that another day. But she did gradually recover. The hair she lost during chemotherapy gradually came back. She gradually regained her strength. Though I would never wish this experience on anybody, I learned a lot of lessons from this ordeal. And I know Kathy did too. This whole account has been from my view point. Maybe someday Kathy will write about it from her viewpoint. The two most important lessons I learned was 1) how important Kathy is to me, and 2) that Heavenly Father is aware of us individually.
Monday, January 23, 2012
How I got into running
I don't remember exactly went I started running. I think it was in the early 1990s. I know I was getting close to 40 years old and my body was transitioning into my middle-age years. I could no longer eat anything I wanted and keep weight off. So I started to run partly because I wanted to increase calorie burning so I could continue to eat the donuts and other treats that I love. I'm pretty sure I was Bishop of the Louisville Second Ward at the time and was looking for ways to cope with that stress. Lyle Stucki and Craig Pickett and Chris Wakild were running together on Saturday mornings and they invited me to join them. So I guess I also started running for social reasons too. I remember the first time I ran with them it almost killed me. In order to be able to keep up with them on Saturdays, I had to start running during the week as well. With work and family and church responsibilities it made the most sense to do my running in the mornings, early. So I got started by running around the "big block" near our house on Borney Circle at 6:00 AM. It was a killer at the beginning. But over time that circuit got easier and I started to look for new routes. I finally settled on a route that took me about 3 miles. I would run that on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On Saturdays I would run with my friends and we would usually do 5 or 6 miles.
Louisville had a race series that occurred each spring. It started in March with the City Run that was a 5K race and another race (I can't remember the name) that was 10K. Then in April there was the Vencor Run that was a 15K race. Then just before the Kentucky Derby there was a mini-marathon (half marathon) in late April. I participated in that series several times. The half marathon (13.1 miles) seemed especially difficult. The course wound through one of the parks and was very up and down, but it always felt good to finish.
Then someone came up with the idea that we should run a marathon (26.2 miles). We started looking around for the ideal race. The criteria we used were 1) it had to located in a city that we could drive to in no more than 4 hours, 2) it had to be on a Saturday, not a Sunday, and 3) it had to have enough runners that there was no danger in us coming in very last. We found a marathon that fit all the criteria. It was the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville is known as the Rocket City because it has a NASA facility that was involved in the US space program. Training for a marathon is time consuming. My mid-week runs had to get longer and my Saturday runs had to gradually lengthen until I was running 20 miles (3 hours). We worked at it for a good 4 months before the race. The day of the race it was raining and windy. The first half of the course took us straight into the wind and the rain pelted our faces and felt like darts hitting our skin. The second half of the course came back the other way so the wind was at our backs and was better, but we were really tired. It took me about 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete the race (my goal was to beat 4 hours). I remember after the race that I started to shiver uncontrollably. I must have gotten some hypothermia from the cold weather conditions. Thankfully, they treated us to hot chili at the end of the race and that helped warm me back up. I vowed never to run another marathon. Interestingly, the next day in the van coming home we were already talking about another marathon.
Since then, I have completed 6 other marathons and have reached my goal of beating 4 hours one time. I tore the cartilage in my knee three years ago running a half marathon in Bryce Canyon and had to have surgery. Since then my knee hasn't felt strong enough to run long distances. I am hoping this year may be better.
I still run 5 days a week. I like how it makes me feel good. I like to start my day with exercise, I believe it helps me think better during the day. I like to have the time while I am running to just think about things.
Louisville had a race series that occurred each spring. It started in March with the City Run that was a 5K race and another race (I can't remember the name) that was 10K. Then in April there was the Vencor Run that was a 15K race. Then just before the Kentucky Derby there was a mini-marathon (half marathon) in late April. I participated in that series several times. The half marathon (13.1 miles) seemed especially difficult. The course wound through one of the parks and was very up and down, but it always felt good to finish.
Then someone came up with the idea that we should run a marathon (26.2 miles). We started looking around for the ideal race. The criteria we used were 1) it had to located in a city that we could drive to in no more than 4 hours, 2) it had to be on a Saturday, not a Sunday, and 3) it had to have enough runners that there was no danger in us coming in very last. We found a marathon that fit all the criteria. It was the Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, Alabama. Huntsville is known as the Rocket City because it has a NASA facility that was involved in the US space program. Training for a marathon is time consuming. My mid-week runs had to get longer and my Saturday runs had to gradually lengthen until I was running 20 miles (3 hours). We worked at it for a good 4 months before the race. The day of the race it was raining and windy. The first half of the course took us straight into the wind and the rain pelted our faces and felt like darts hitting our skin. The second half of the course came back the other way so the wind was at our backs and was better, but we were really tired. It took me about 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete the race (my goal was to beat 4 hours). I remember after the race that I started to shiver uncontrollably. I must have gotten some hypothermia from the cold weather conditions. Thankfully, they treated us to hot chili at the end of the race and that helped warm me back up. I vowed never to run another marathon. Interestingly, the next day in the van coming home we were already talking about another marathon.
Since then, I have completed 6 other marathons and have reached my goal of beating 4 hours one time. I tore the cartilage in my knee three years ago running a half marathon in Bryce Canyon and had to have surgery. Since then my knee hasn't felt strong enough to run long distances. I am hoping this year may be better.
I still run 5 days a week. I like how it makes me feel good. I like to start my day with exercise, I believe it helps me think better during the day. I like to have the time while I am running to just think about things.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
I love to read
For many many years I have gotten real enjoyment from reading. I know my mom read a lot of novels and my dad always had something he was reading too. I remember that my Grandpa Dickson liked to read as well. I can remember in elementary school when I was learning to read. We used some sort of reading module curriculum where you worked at your own pace. If you finished one module, you got to go to the next higher module. Each module got harder.
When I think of reading for pleasure, my first memories are of reading the Hardy Boys series. Frank and Joe Hardy were the teenage sons of a private investigator and always managed to get caught up in some kind of caper that required them to use their budding sleuthing skills. We have the whole series down in the basement, but I'm not sure if any of our kids ever got into them. Any of you grandkids can borrow them anytime you like. I also remember reading fictional stories about baseball and other sports, and I read a biography about my favorite baseball player, Willie Mays.
During high school I got interested in Mark Twain. I think I read most of his books. I loved the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I though Mark Twain was really funny with his dry satirical humor. His travel books like Innocents Abroad and others were also fun to read. I also developed an enjoyment for some of the well-known 20th Century authors like John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, and others.
In my college years, I remember reading all of James Harriot's books in the All Creatures Great and Small series. I loved reading about his adventures as a veterinarian in the rural Yorkshire Dales of England. He was a great storyteller and had a way of making you feel like you were there witnessing his adventures first hand. He also had a great sense of humor.
I have read many of the books written by Dick Francis. His mysteries always had something to do with the horse racing industry in England. I like Clive Cussler and all of his Dirk Pitt adventures. Dirk Pitt was a mans man and could rescue any damsel in distress or save the world from any environmental disaster just in the nick of time. Other authors of fiction that I enjoy include Michael Crichton, James Patterson, Robin Cook, Johnathon Kellerman, Faye Kellerman, and others.
I also enjoy reading nonfiction. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey is one of my favorite books of all times. I like David McCullough and his historical books. I have read books about leadership, about science, about history, about religion, and many other topics.
And of course, I have read the scriptures nightly for as many years as I can remember. I have probably read The Book of Mormon the most, followed by The New Testament and The Doctrine and Covenants. I believe that regular reading of the scriptures helps me be a better person and helps my days go better.
I have had too many hours of enjoyment from reading to count them all. I hope you will learn to like reading and start to read books for fun as soon as you are able. Learning to read is not easy, but it is one skill that is well worth acquiring.
When I think of reading for pleasure, my first memories are of reading the Hardy Boys series. Frank and Joe Hardy were the teenage sons of a private investigator and always managed to get caught up in some kind of caper that required them to use their budding sleuthing skills. We have the whole series down in the basement, but I'm not sure if any of our kids ever got into them. Any of you grandkids can borrow them anytime you like. I also remember reading fictional stories about baseball and other sports, and I read a biography about my favorite baseball player, Willie Mays.
During high school I got interested in Mark Twain. I think I read most of his books. I loved the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. I though Mark Twain was really funny with his dry satirical humor. His travel books like Innocents Abroad and others were also fun to read. I also developed an enjoyment for some of the well-known 20th Century authors like John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, J.D. Salinger, and others.
In my college years, I remember reading all of James Harriot's books in the All Creatures Great and Small series. I loved reading about his adventures as a veterinarian in the rural Yorkshire Dales of England. He was a great storyteller and had a way of making you feel like you were there witnessing his adventures first hand. He also had a great sense of humor.
I have read many of the books written by Dick Francis. His mysteries always had something to do with the horse racing industry in England. I like Clive Cussler and all of his Dirk Pitt adventures. Dirk Pitt was a mans man and could rescue any damsel in distress or save the world from any environmental disaster just in the nick of time. Other authors of fiction that I enjoy include Michael Crichton, James Patterson, Robin Cook, Johnathon Kellerman, Faye Kellerman, and others.
I also enjoy reading nonfiction. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey is one of my favorite books of all times. I like David McCullough and his historical books. I have read books about leadership, about science, about history, about religion, and many other topics.
And of course, I have read the scriptures nightly for as many years as I can remember. I have probably read The Book of Mormon the most, followed by The New Testament and The Doctrine and Covenants. I believe that regular reading of the scriptures helps me be a better person and helps my days go better.
I have had too many hours of enjoyment from reading to count them all. I hope you will learn to like reading and start to read books for fun as soon as you are able. Learning to read is not easy, but it is one skill that is well worth acquiring.
Monday, December 12, 2011
I am thankful
Since this is a time of year when we are reminded of our many blessings, I thought I would take a stab at listing the ABCs of the things I am thankful for. This list will include mostly the people in my life.
A: Abby - Thank you for your example of righteousness and your willingness to try new things.
Andrea - Thank you for making Joe happy and for your great sense of humor.
Addie - Thank you for your keen sense of curiosity.
Afton -Thank you for joining in in all the family fun and for being a sweet princess.
B: Ben - Thank you for your example of persistence and for sharing your creativity with us.
Brynn - Thank you for your smile and for your desire to choose the right.
Brigg - Thank you for your sensitive spirit and the reminder of my little Hannah when I look in your eyes.
C: Caleb - Thank you for being such a good friend to all and for your excellent example to them.
CJ - Thank you for your emails and for you willingness to help with Xander and Mia and Zoey
D: Dodge - Thank you for loving your mom and for your happy disposition.
E: Elizabeth - Besty, I already had 3 B names so I went with Elizabeth for you. Thank you for your adventurous spirit and I am grateful that you survived that crash long ago.
Ellie - Thank you for your sweet serenades in the morning.
F: Football - Go Cougars!
G: Golf - I don't play much, but I am thankful when I can get together with my sons and sons in law for a best-ball scramble.
H: Hannah - Thank you for your ability to organize and be on top of things.
I: India - Thank you for your warm smile.
J: Joe - Thank you for being my fix-it consultant. As long as I can remember, you have been helping me with my projects. I am grateful that you survived that crash long ago.
Jess - Jess Dog! You are the man. Next time you visit, let's pull out another tooth. Thank you for your help with my projects. You are a lot like your dad.
Jared - Thank you for your fun spirit. I love hanging out with you.
K: Kathy - Thank you for your constant companionship, for believing in me, for helping me be better. You are the love of my life.
Kendall - Good job on that MBA! Thanks for making Hannah happy and thanks for those sweet boys.
Kameron - Thank you for always being ready and able to help me with so many things. Thanks for loving Abby and treating her so well.
Kaitlyn - I am grateful that you are so talented and smart.
L: Luke - I am grateful for your unique personality. Thank you for being obedient.
Lea - I have heard recordings of your giggling. I'm thankful that you are happy.
M: Mia - I'm thankful that you have a vivid imagination.
Mira - I'm thankful for your happy face and smiling eyes.
N: Nathan - I'm thankful that you are such a fun little boy who likes to throw things.
O: Olivia (Livy) - I used Olivia instead of Livy because I needed a good O word and you certainly are good. I'm grateful that you are so talented and fearless.
P: Parents - I am thankful for parents who have helped me all of my life. Thanks for the support.
Porter - I love your name. I'm thankful that you love life so much.
Q: Quiet - I'm thankful for quiet. We are watching Luke and Brigg and they are in bed and it is quiet.
R: Russell: I'm thankful that you are such a good husband and father. And I love you even though you always cheat so Betsy can win at family games. Thanks for your example of family service.
Reid - I'm thankful that you are such a fun person. When you get that look in your eye I know something mischievous is about to happen.
S: Sarah - Thank you for staying in close contact. Even though you live far away, you remain in our lives via the phone or internet.
Scott - Thanks for providing for Sarah and the kids. Thanks for being a fun person. Thanks for your example of service.
Sam - I am thankful that you are such a good big brother and such a good conversationalist.
T: Toyota - I couldn't think of a better T word. We have had one or more Toyotas since 1986. They are good cars.
U: Ukulele - I am grateful that Caleb can play a ukulele and that Joe can make one.
V: Valerie - Thanks for your positive attitude, your great skill at taking pictures, and your excellence in mothering.
W: Waffles - Nothing like an Eggo Waffle for breakfast.
X: Xander - Hey X-man! I'm thankful that you are a good brother and are so helpful.
Y: Yogurt - Pretty lame. I can't think of any other Y word. I do like Yoplait Yogurt.
Z: Zoey - I'm thankful for your funny dances. You go girl!
A: Abby - Thank you for your example of righteousness and your willingness to try new things.
Andrea - Thank you for making Joe happy and for your great sense of humor.
Addie - Thank you for your keen sense of curiosity.
Afton -Thank you for joining in in all the family fun and for being a sweet princess.
B: Ben - Thank you for your example of persistence and for sharing your creativity with us.
Brynn - Thank you for your smile and for your desire to choose the right.
Brigg - Thank you for your sensitive spirit and the reminder of my little Hannah when I look in your eyes.
C: Caleb - Thank you for being such a good friend to all and for your excellent example to them.
CJ - Thank you for your emails and for you willingness to help with Xander and Mia and Zoey
D: Dodge - Thank you for loving your mom and for your happy disposition.
E: Elizabeth - Besty, I already had 3 B names so I went with Elizabeth for you. Thank you for your adventurous spirit and I am grateful that you survived that crash long ago.
Ellie - Thank you for your sweet serenades in the morning.
F: Football - Go Cougars!
G: Golf - I don't play much, but I am thankful when I can get together with my sons and sons in law for a best-ball scramble.
H: Hannah - Thank you for your ability to organize and be on top of things.
I: India - Thank you for your warm smile.
J: Joe - Thank you for being my fix-it consultant. As long as I can remember, you have been helping me with my projects. I am grateful that you survived that crash long ago.
Jess - Jess Dog! You are the man. Next time you visit, let's pull out another tooth. Thank you for your help with my projects. You are a lot like your dad.
Jared - Thank you for your fun spirit. I love hanging out with you.
K: Kathy - Thank you for your constant companionship, for believing in me, for helping me be better. You are the love of my life.
Kendall - Good job on that MBA! Thanks for making Hannah happy and thanks for those sweet boys.
Kameron - Thank you for always being ready and able to help me with so many things. Thanks for loving Abby and treating her so well.
Kaitlyn - I am grateful that you are so talented and smart.
L: Luke - I am grateful for your unique personality. Thank you for being obedient.
Lea - I have heard recordings of your giggling. I'm thankful that you are happy.
M: Mia - I'm thankful that you have a vivid imagination.
Mira - I'm thankful for your happy face and smiling eyes.
N: Nathan - I'm thankful that you are such a fun little boy who likes to throw things.
O: Olivia (Livy) - I used Olivia instead of Livy because I needed a good O word and you certainly are good. I'm grateful that you are so talented and fearless.
P: Parents - I am thankful for parents who have helped me all of my life. Thanks for the support.
Porter - I love your name. I'm thankful that you love life so much.
Q: Quiet - I'm thankful for quiet. We are watching Luke and Brigg and they are in bed and it is quiet.
R: Russell: I'm thankful that you are such a good husband and father. And I love you even though you always cheat so Betsy can win at family games. Thanks for your example of family service.
Reid - I'm thankful that you are such a fun person. When you get that look in your eye I know something mischievous is about to happen.
S: Sarah - Thank you for staying in close contact. Even though you live far away, you remain in our lives via the phone or internet.
Scott - Thanks for providing for Sarah and the kids. Thanks for being a fun person. Thanks for your example of service.
Sam - I am thankful that you are such a good big brother and such a good conversationalist.
T: Toyota - I couldn't think of a better T word. We have had one or more Toyotas since 1986. They are good cars.
U: Ukulele - I am grateful that Caleb can play a ukulele and that Joe can make one.
V: Valerie - Thanks for your positive attitude, your great skill at taking pictures, and your excellence in mothering.
W: Waffles - Nothing like an Eggo Waffle for breakfast.
X: Xander - Hey X-man! I'm thankful that you are a good brother and are so helpful.
Y: Yogurt - Pretty lame. I can't think of any other Y word. I do like Yoplait Yogurt.
Z: Zoey - I'm thankful for your funny dances. You go girl!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Live the Word of Wisdom
The Word of Wisdom that teaches us to avoid coffee, tea, tobacco, and alcohol comes with a promise that if we live this commandment we will "run and not be weary, and walk and not faint." This has been one commandment that I have been able to keep. I have never smoked a cigarette or tasted coffee. I did taste tea once at a Japanese cultural event in school. I have never tasted wine or hard liquor. I do admit that one time when I was really young (maybe about 7 years old) my friend got me to taste beer. I took one small sip and couldn't stand it. I have never taken any kind of illegal drug. Though some people say my life is really restricted because I don't use any of those things, it is really just the opposite. I am totally free of any addictions to these substances and so am totally free to make decisions about what I take into my body.
When I was in high school I ran on the track team. I was a hurdler. This run involved having to "jump" over 10 hurdles during the race to the finish line. I was pretty fast and gradually got better times as I mastered the technique of getting over hurdles. I worked very hard during practice after school each day. But I wasn't the fastest hurdler on the team. There was another boy who always beat me. To make things worse, he was a boy who was lazy during practice and who was known to get drunk on Friday nights. It didn't seem fair to me that I, who lived the Word of Wisdom and worked hard, would always lose to a guy who was lazy and a partier. But I eventually came to understand that the promise that I would 'run and not faint' was not a promise that I would always win races. Sometimes the blessings of living the commandments don't come right away. Sometimes the blessings come gradually over years. The blessing of living the Word of Wisdom has been a lifetime of confidence that the Spirit can be with me because of my obedience. It has been a lifetime of knowing that I am in control of my body. It is well worth it.
When I was in high school I ran on the track team. I was a hurdler. This run involved having to "jump" over 10 hurdles during the race to the finish line. I was pretty fast and gradually got better times as I mastered the technique of getting over hurdles. I worked very hard during practice after school each day. But I wasn't the fastest hurdler on the team. There was another boy who always beat me. To make things worse, he was a boy who was lazy during practice and who was known to get drunk on Friday nights. It didn't seem fair to me that I, who lived the Word of Wisdom and worked hard, would always lose to a guy who was lazy and a partier. But I eventually came to understand that the promise that I would 'run and not faint' was not a promise that I would always win races. Sometimes the blessings of living the commandments don't come right away. Sometimes the blessings come gradually over years. The blessing of living the Word of Wisdom has been a lifetime of confidence that the Spirit can be with me because of my obedience. It has been a lifetime of knowing that I am in control of my body. It is well worth it.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Dont tell a lie
I have run out of ideas for my blog! Rod Brown, the Dean of our College and my boss, gave me the idea to buy a book from the bookstore called 300 Questions to Ask Your Parents. So I bought it on Friday. It has all sorts of ideas for what I could blog about. Today I want to tell a story about a time when I got got lying. One Christmas, I got a new sweater from my grandparents. I remember it as being orange with a brown V down the front. One day at school (I think I was in 6th grade) I took it off during recess while I played tether-ball. Tether-ball is a game that involves hitting a ball that is connected to a pole by a rope. Two people play. One tries to wind the ball all the way around the pole in one direction. The other tries to wind it in the opposite direction. The one who gets the ball wound all the way wins. Anyway, I guess I forgot about the sweater and left it on the playground when the bell rang at the end of recess. I'm not sure when I realized it was gone. Probably at the end of the school day. I remember going back out on the playground to look for it. It was nowhere to be found. I also went to the lost-and-found. Not there. When I got home my mom asked me where the sweater was. I didn't want to get in trouble for losing it so I said I had left it at school. That was a lie. I should have told the truth right then. Instead, I had to live an unhappy life worrying about what I was going to do. For the next week, I continued to check the lost-and-found. Nothing. I once saw a kid wearing a sweater just like the one I lost and wondered if he had taken it. Meanwhile, my folks asked about the sweater everyday, and everyday I continued to tell them that I had just forgotten it. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I hoped that I would eventually find the thing. I didn't feel very good about myself and regretted lying to my parents. Finally, my parents gave me an ultimatum and said I had to bring the sweater home or else. Well, I didn't have the sweater so I had to finally confess that it was lost. As I recall, there was a flag football game coming up at the school that I wanted to play in. My punishment for lying about the sweater was that I had to miss the game. The funny thing is, I didn't get punished for losing the sweater. I got punished for lying. I learned that it would have been so much better to just tell the truth from the very beginning. I learned that it is not good to live a lie.
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