I have to clarify and correct your moms memory. It was actually an early morning as I was getting ready for Sunday meetings and I felt the weight of the ward on my shoulders. So I laid down in bed for a few minutes, in the fetal position. And your mom put her arms around me and did comfort me.
I had a great birthday last week, thanks for your birthday wishes. mom set up a late night meeting with the Smiths, Tom and becky, at Claimjumpers. We didn't each much, but we just talked for about two and a half hours. The waitress, i am sure felt frustrated since we spent all that time with no drinks and not much food. I always come away from time with tom and becky feeling uplifted and wanting to do better. This time was no different.

tom mentioned something that stuck out in my mind. He expressed his faith that God really does stand ready to bless us and help us, in whatever area of our life that we wanted the help. He really emphasized the depth of God's willingness to help. Meaning all areas of our life, and that we are the ones who limit Him due to our disbelief that God would be concerned with trivial matters.
I had a chance to put this to the test a few days later while on the golf course. I haven't golfed in about one year. Last time was with Caleb, I believe. We had the stake golf tournament last saturday and I played with president osbornes team. I wasn't really helping the team much, playing pretty erratic. Toward the end of the round, we came to the 16th tee. A 185 yard 3-par, with a strong wind blowing across our face. As I was debating what club to use, I realized, I didn't have a club in my bag that could hit this shot. In other words, I couldn't hit this shot, and I commented to the others that there was no way I could get the ball on the green.

As I placed my ball on the tee box and stood over getting ready for the shot, Tom's statement came back into my mind. I remember thinking, something to the effect of, "well, lets see how willing God is to help." I then had a remarkable thing happen. Whereas usually when i stand ready to hit a golf shot, i don't feel very comfortable. Its not natural. I feel much more at home shooting a basketball or throwing a football. But as I stood there, a sense of peace came over me and suddenly everything felt natural. I took the club back and hit the ball. In all the times I have ever hit a golf ball, never have i hit one like this. It exploded off my club face into the air. It went straight toward the flag without a hint of fading one way or the other. It literally was the perfect shot. By far the best shot I have ever hit. i was fully expecting the ball to end up in the hole. The green was actually over a hill and behind a bunker, so we couldn't see what happened until we drove up to the green. It wasn't in the hole, but had landed within five feet of the flag and had rolled by the hole about a foot to the right.
On the next hole my same erratic and unnatural feeling golf returned. So it was only for that one shot. But since it was the only shot of the day during which I had specifically thought about God's willingness to bless us in our life, in ALL AREAS, I choose to believe that it was a small tender mercy, not just a coincidence. I had made some personal commitments in my life last week to elevate my faithfulness and I think this was God's way of putting an exclamation point on the end of a revelatory week.
I am thankful to be your father/husband
dad

A Post from Mom...

Well...yesterday morning turned bad after Dad left for work....Corrie wouldn't budge or obey and her girls camp ride was soon to leave . After a good time of trying to coax/manipulate/threaten her, I lost my patience. I yelled at her and she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrolably.. Anger lingered in the air far too long. It became apparent that I had broken her heart and thankfully after a time this awareness softened mine. The spirit went to work and nudged me to lead her to the couch where I held her in my arms while communicating my love for her and how sorry I was for yelling. Corrie gave me the gift of forgiveness as we lay there together soaking in the moment.

After finally getting her and all her stuff to the Scott's by 10:30 am----I broke. Thankfully Leslie was there for me as I crumbled emotionally. She led me to her couch, wrapped her loving arms around me and listened with understanding. I sobbed for 20 minutes and was given the gift of friendship and love which I desperately needed. I left feeling better and felt encouraged in my efforts to be a better mother.

The moral of this story is.......there's no substitute for human touch and physical presence when we're struggling.

It reminds me of a time when Dad was serving as Bishop, carrying the burdens of the ward....he came home late one night especially heavy. Nothing was said and confidences were kept. Comfort came to your dad as I lied next to him and communicated my love in silence.

Physical Touch is a beautiful language ! I hope we speak it often :)

Me again. I decided that since nobody else pays attention to this blog I will make it my own personal blog. Feel free to comment whenever you so desire. (Then again, I'm not sure anybody actually reads this; however I find documenting my thoughts therapeutic.)
So in sacrament meeting last week a girl mentioned going to efy, and one of the speakers asked the youth to draft their own scriptural "dream team." As the NBA finals come to a close, I thought about the top five people from the scriptures I would want on my team, and why. So here's my pick:
1. Nephi, son of Helaman-There are very few times when God has given a human as much power and authority as He gave Nephi. He could do this because he knew that Nephi would never do anything against his will. I would love to be that aligned with my Maker. Also, Nephi and Lehi converted over 8,000 people. That's quite an accomplishment.
2. Captain Moroni- Alma 48:17 says if every man were like Moroni, "the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever." A statement like that denotes unwavering righteousness to me. But Moroni wasn't a sissy either. He was a mighty warrior, and never shied away from conflict in order to defend truth. His title of liberty was a visual sign of that.
3. Paul: I have found that those who fought with the most energy and conviction against the church, and then were converted, fought with even more energy and conviction for it. Paul is one of those men. I admire his 180 degree turn around, proof of the power of repentance and forgiveness. Also, he has so many incredible discourses in the new testament on the doctrines of the church.
4. Joseph of Egypt-He got dealt a pretty unlucky hand in the beginning. If his brothers weren't selling him off into slavery, Potiphar's wife was accusing him of rape. And what did he do to deserve it? And yet he remained faithful and worked his way to the top. He even forgave his brothers and helped them survive the famine. Joseph didn't let adversity define him.
5. Ruth-One, because I want a girl on my team. Two, because I love how she is described in the scriptures. She is loyal-- She cleaves unto her mother-in-law, even when it would have probably been better for her to go back to her family after her husband dies. She is "steadfastly minded," which means that her beliefs and decisions weren't swayed by others. She knew what she wanted, and went for it. Also, the whole city knew Ruth as a "virtuous woman." She was pure in action and thought, and her reputation reflected it.

Anyone is welcome to comment on their own personal dream team!