Deep Breath and Prayer

I have the coolest toys. Yes, I really do. Therefore when any kind of job that requires power tools needs done, it is trip to my house. Monday is TKD promotion test so we had to chop down some pine boards for the kids to break. I always breathe deep when my brother plays with my saws. He wasn't really the one in the family to get the carpentry genetics. I let him play though, and I keep my phone close to call 911. We had some odd sized pieces, so what else do you do with them except break them! I haven't broken boards for a lot of years, so I finally got to hit something and not feel guilty or have to follow it up with apologies. It's not really a surprise that I've been wanting to plow my fist through anything for a while now. So we can just call this, a controlled environment, yes, that sounds wonderful! JB tried to hold it, yet he just wasn't strong enough. That strike will probably bruise. The next shot though, my brother held it and I popped through it like it ...

I do a lot of posting about my missionaries as well as when I was a missionary myself. Missionaries have been a part of my life for a long time. Back in 1978, a set of missionaries started meeting with my family and teaching them. I was 7 and would not be baptized until almost a year later, yet I was smitten as much as a 7 year old could be with Elder Bishop. Oh the innocence of a child. I remember more emotions and feelings that actual memories from that time. I do remember being so sad when Elder Bishop was transferred. My first heartbreak. He would come back for a visit about 5 years later, except he brought this woman with him he called his wife. Heartbroken and devastated, I would have to let him go - LOL!! That seemed like a whole different lifetime. I often wonder what life looked like from that vantage point. Too young to understand the harshness of things, the cruelty of people. It would still be almost two years before hell started breaking loose, or until I was old enough to...

A couple weeks ago I did the whole "I'm not going to write anymore" thing which managed to last for about 4 days until my poor brain thought it was going to explode. When I sat down to write again I started out my post describing a certain situation. While writing, the missionaries came over for dinner and a visit. I was sharing with them what I was writing and how my mind was trying to explain something. I then thought, why not see if we can get the words to translate into reality. They were game for the experiment and the "cups" lesson was born. Each person involved gets 10 "red solo cups" and the task is "build a pyramid (4, 3, 2, 1)" with the cups. The pyramid has to be built on their extended arm. They cannot set the cups on anything nor can they lean them on anything. Encourage them to be aware of their thoughts while doing it - is it easy, hard, frustrating, fun, etc. Take 5 minutes or so to do this. Some may do it, yet most probably w...

Elders Brown, Reay, Vaka, Jones, Brooks, and D'Ewart In the Book of Mormon there are several stories about "Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah." These four spent a large amount of time for years trying to destroy the church any way they could. (I guess some things don't really change through time, I went to school with some kids whose fathers were pastors and they were pretty rebellious too.) One day an angel appears to the four and commands them to stop their evil course. Other events transpire and in the end Alma and his friends are all converted to the Lord. They would go on to minister of Christ together, yet after a while Alma went one direction and the three sons of Mosiah went another so more people could hear the gospel. The story continues that many years later, while journeying and preaching, Alma ran into his friends and all rejoiced to see one another again, and even more so that they all were still strong in the faith. I had the chance this morning t...

I really can't believe I am going to try and write a post tonight. I am so tired I can barely keep my eyes open. Knowing that once I get back home it will return to non-stop life, I need to take the chance of "down time" and throw my thoughts out there. Besides, my dead-tired writings seem to be the most honest and blunt. First, let me note that the raven at Ravenden is alive and well. Leaving town today in the daytime, I was able to confirm that it still stands as it has all these years. I'd like to think that if you lived there, it would grow on you after a while. My old roommate was from Harvard, IL - "milk capital of the world" (or something like that) and they had this huge fiberglass cow in the town square named "Harmilda" who was the mascot for Harvard Milk Days. I thought it was tacky, she praised the thing. I'm not sure if the raven has a name or not yet here is what I did find out - the original raven was built by the town's volun...