Pain and Adversity

Some faithful Saints face very difficult trials such as lifelong pain or one family tragedy after another. Some plead with the Lord and miracles happen. Yet at the same time, those equally faithful are not delivered. Their pleadings and striving do not result in a miracle. We can ask ourselves questions about why such intervention happens in one case and not another, Why are some spared and some taken? Why do some suffer so much and others hardly at all? Why does life seem so unfair at times? Many times we cannot answer those questions. God determines all aspects of revelation. We don't get to choose whether we are delivered from our trials any more than we get to choose whether we have trials or not or what form they take if they are given to us. What we do get to choose is how we will respond. We can decide if we will come through these experiences with greater faith and greater patience or if we will walk away doubting the Lord's power and love. ~ Gerald N. Lund

Missing My Hour Of Sleep!

Does anyone actually look forward to losing an hour of sleep every year when we "Spring Forward"? Imagine how much fun it would be if this yearly ritual occurred at 4PM on a Friday? Let's get the weekend started sooner! All those 9-5'ers out there would be thrilled! Not to mention how happy Sunday morning churchgoers would be to not wake up an hour early, especially those who have meetings as early as 6AM.

Or, we could just be like Arizona, and do away with "Daylight Savings" altogether!

A Note Of Gratitude

I haven't made this public until now, but I was given an extension on my life last Saturday by a wonderful co-worker. I was choking and having trouble breathing, and this young man stepped up and performed the Heimlich. I still ended up in the ER for over 2 hours, but I don't think I'd be sitting here typing today if not for the efforts of Alex Eckert.

My gratitude is greater than words can describe, to have someone come to my rescue, without a thought of ever getting something in return. With all of the bad we hear of in the world today, it restores my faith that there are still good people out there who care. Every day there are heroes who don't get recognized for their efforts. It seems the only people getting their "15 minutes of fame" are those shooting up schools or other manner of taking innocent lives. Thank you Alex, you are amazing!

Home Sweet Home

After being away and living in Texas for close to 5 years, I was given the opportunity to return to Utah for work. I just can't express how amazing it is to live within view of these majestic mountains!

The peaceful, comforting feeling I get from being "home".  The safety and security I feel now is amazing compared to the "stranger in a strange land" feeling I've had deep in the heart of Texas.  

Not A Grammar Nazi, But....

I find it disturbing that the more technologically advanced we become, the more illiterate we become. It seems the days are gone when articles are proofread before they are published.  The computer has really made Americans lazy.  No need to pick up a dictionary if you are unsure how to spell a word, just use spell check!  And that wonderful invention called the backspace button?  The people who invented white-out aren't getting very many royalty checks any longer...  Then there are the people too lazy to even use spell check. Or speak properly. I won't even get started on that, because my main argument is the misuse of words when written.  To, Too, and Two are NOT interchangeable, and all have different meanings: "I am going to the store." "You can come too." "The two of us went to the store." The same with There, Their, and They're. NOT interchangeable! "There is a red car parked down the street." "The person who owns the red car left their engine running." "Maybe they're just dropping something off."

Now I won't call you out if you misspell or misuse a word, but I know that every English, Writing, and Language Arts teacher I had in school would have a big, fat red pencil in their hand waiting to correct you.  And remember:

Washington's Birthday

Never mind what that mattress sale ad says - there is no such thing as President's Day. It is a myth, just as untrue as George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, throwing a silver dollar across the Potomac, and wearing teeth made of wood. Yes, there is a federal holiday on February 16th this year. But it's official name is "Washington's Birthday." We're supposed to celebrate the life and legacy of the Father of Our Country, not the rest of those Mount Rushmore guys. They can get their own holiday.

Admittedly, every sale as in the United States will talk about special Presidents' Day prices. Other media routinely refer to this as Presidents' Day. It is Presidents' Day in the popular mind. It just isn't Presidents' Day in US law. Let's look at the record: Washington’s Birthday has been a federal holiday since 1885. For more than 80 years it was celebrated on Washington’s actual birthday, Feb. 22. But by the middle of the 20th century some US lawmakers began to agitate for a more generalized recognition of presidential achievement. In 1968, this desire collided with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, legislation that aimed to shuffle certain US holidays around to create three-day weekends for increased leisure and sellathon purposes. Early drafts of this law did indeed change Washington’s Birthday to Presidents’ Day. But the bill stalled in committee. The list of 2012 holidays for federal workers says nothing about "Presidents' Day". It lists “Washington’s Birthday,” with an explanation. “Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law.”

Fifty Shades Of Immorality

When my wife first heard about Fifty Shades Of Grey, she joked that it was about my hair. Sadly, a book and movie about my hair would probably have more artistic worth!  We call it Fifty Shades Of Immorality.  There was a time, not that long ago, when the majority of people would have dismissed this smut for what it is - a total disrespect for something which should be sacred and beautiful. Pornography and perversion have become so commonplace in our lives that the sources of this material are everywhere.  Whatever happened to the days when married couples on TV slept in separate beds?  Are we not becoming a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah? Even though we are surrounded by sleazy material, we do not have to watch it.  In 2006, Gordon B. Hinckley stated: "I recently read that pornography has become a $57 billion industry worldwide. Twelve billion of this is derived in the United States by evil and "conspiring men" who seek riches at the expense of the gullible.  It is reported that it produces more revenue in the United States than the 'combined revenues off all professional, football, baseball and basketball franchises or the combined revenues of ABC, CBS, and NBC'. It robs the workplace of the time and talents of employees. '20% of men admit accessing pornography at work.  13% of women (do so)...10% of adults admit having internet sexual addiction.   One in five children ages 10-17 (has) received a sexual solicitation over the Internet... We do not have to view salacious magazines. We do not have to read books laden with smut. We do not have to watch television that is beneath wholesome standards. We do not have to rent movies that depict that which is filthy. We do not have to sit at the computer and play with pornographic material found on the Internet. Recognize pornography for what it is - a vicious brew of slime and sleaze, the partaking of which only leads to misery, degradation, and regret. Avoid it as you would a terrible disease".