Where I live there are rainbows...

So now I am writing according to two sources. One the word of the week and two the challenge of the week put forth by my beautiful wife. "If I know what is good for me I will participate" actually my wife did not threaten me, but I know when I am highly encouraged. The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of where I live is a song I learned when I lived in Hawaii called the Hawaiian Lullaby. "Where I live there are rainbows with life in the laughter of morning and starry nights. Where I live there are rainbows and flowers full of color and birds filled with song. I can smile when it's raining and touch the warmth of the sun I hear children laughing in this place that I love. Where I live there are rainbows with life in the laughter of morning and starry nights". I learned this in kindergarten and never have forgotten it. I guess where you live and how you view it depends on your attitude and perspective of it. Of course I lived in Hawaii where there were rainbows, children laughing, birds filled with song, beautiful flowers, and starry nights. I was a child then, but I believe children understand this no matter where they live. Is this why our childhood holds such fond memories because of how we perceived our lives then as to now? We must not forget that marvelous spirit of youth that teaches us no matter what, there are flowers that bloom, rainbows after every storm, crystal starry nights, and yes children laughing. "There is beauty all around when there's love at home"; this is the staple to happiness and finding joy in your surroundings. Where I live now does not matter as much as what I do now to make where I live now as happy and full of life as when I was in my youth. Take in the little things that make each moment special. Do not overlook the beauty God has created in any and every form. Just as each person has a special unique quality about them; so does each place of residence and every corner of earth. Enjoy the wonders that make your home special; a smiling face, a beautiful rose, a quiet brook, a field of grain, rugged mountains, the ocean, a forest, a desert, and I could go on and on. As children we see these things and explore them to try to learn and understand them. Once adults we either think we know enough or we no longer care to learn. Take advice from a child and feel a rose for the first time, pick up a rock to study its beauty, collect a leaf and place it in a book, play in the dirt or get muddy, take chances, and don't be afraid to dream. There are endless possibilities to what you can find in your own backyard; use a little imagination. I hear "life in the laughter of morning" and I know this is where I live...

Believe

What do I believe? I believe the 13 Articles of Faith the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints puts out. I believe there are angels among us (and not just an Alabama song). I believe we create our lives and we decide how we are going to live. I believe Topher can climb anything he wants and Bekah can get anything she wants. I believe Zach can accomplish what ever he sets his mind too and Ryeleigh (as sweet as she is) isn't as sweet as she is. I believe my wife Tiffany is the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I believe I have the greatest brothers and sisters in the world. I believe my parents to be perfect and anyone who tells me otherwise will get an earful. I believe simplicity is key to happiness and knowledge is key to understanding and salvation. I believe I can be a whole lot better than I am but I know I am pretty good. I believe I have a lot to learn, but I also know I have learned a lot. I guess I could go on forever on this subject; perhaps write a book about what I believe. Belief is something you do, and it is something you feel. To have a belief is not just to have faith in something it is to know for yourself that it is real; it is that inner connection into your spirit that attaches you to the world around you. I believe alcohol is bad; have I had it? No, but I have seen the results of it in the lives of people around me. I don't have to try, use, or even participate in something to know if it is something I will put my beliefs in; that is the beauty of believing. I believe in God because I know this world did not just explode into existence. These are my beliefs and no one can take them from me; they are mine, I may share them but they always stay with me. Sometimes believing in something is all you have in your life and it is that belief that will carry you through until you are able to gather more legs to stand upon. Hold on to your beliefs; share them with whom you will, do not let them fall by the way side. No one else has your exact beliefs; yes there are similar beliefs out there, but none quite to your specifications. You are unique, you are special, and you created these beliefs. Take control of your life and start believing more, find people, places, and ideas to believe in. Use these beliefs to create more and soon we will become a believing people. People can change all we need to do is believe....

Gone

It is kind of funny, but when I hear the word gone I think of the song by Willie Nelson "To all the girls I've loved before...". Better yet perhaps I think of the things I use to have when I was younger and no longer possess (Jeep, truck, youth, energy, time, carefree, no bills). Maybe I miss my vast knowledge and wisdom I knew I had when I was younger and now I can't seem to find. Perhaps greatest of all things gone is the man I wanted to be when I grew up, my Dad. There was the man I idolized as a child, the man I thought walked on water, and the man who always had time to sit me down and ask how my day was. He always had the right thing to say even if it was wrong it was what I needed to hear and I knew he was always telling me the truth. He could get me out of a jam and was always there to catch me when I started to fall. He never tired as he slept maybe four hours a day due to his work around the world. No matter what his mood his phrase which became mine was "I am fine" when asked how he was even if he was sick in bed. This was the man I knew would never die and would always be around to get me out of a tight spot. We were living on a tropical island as a family and my dad was a man who started out successful in everything he set out to do; we were living the dream and a prophet of God told him to take his family home to Utah. My dad without hesitation picked up and moved back; from there on my dad struggeled to keep his family fed, the bills paid, and his work successful. We never went without food, we had all a family could hope for; we just never flourished as we did on that island. My dad never regretted that decision and never showed a doubt in his heart. I have seen and been part of miracles because of my dad and his priesthood blessings; I have heard stories of many people who knew him of his kindness and giving nature. Let me tell you of a story of a 16 year old boy who thought the world revolved around his dad and how he came to appreciate how his dad didn't revolve around the world. Remember the truck I mentioned earlier? Oh how I longed to drive that truck; it was a 79' Ford F250 extended cab long bed with Automatic transmission, four wheel drive, air conditioning and a 400. Oh I loved that truck and there was one problem, my dad kept a camper on that truck; he did this for two reasons, one to keep his kids from driving it and two so it wouldn't get ruined and he could use it to go camping or hunting with his boys. I begged and pleaded for weeks and weeks to get him to take the camper off so I could drive it and he did; for some reason he thought I was more responsible than his other boys? (I doubt it) The camper was off for maybe a week and it happened; June 08, 1989 (I remember this day because it was my sisters birthday and the day of my brothers wedding) I wrecked my fathers truck; totaled it. I couldn't believe it I was uninjured, but thought I was doomed to be killed as I destroyed the one worldly possession I knew my father cared about. Little did I know how great my father truly was and how wrong I was; my father grabbed me and held me tight and held up my hand and said that little pinky right there is more important to me than that whole truck. I couldn't believe it that was all that was said to me about the matter and the subject was closed. I love my dad and this year on December 02, marks the tenth year since his passing. I know I can never live up to his greatness and I have so much to learn to even compare to his knowledge of religious as well as business matters, but I know that his being gone has changed my life. I have learned I do not know everything, but I can find the answers, take care of your worldly possessions, but do not let them take care of you, let go of the pain of the past and embrace the newness that is today, let go of the anger that can build and remember that everything is fine. Do not ever quit no matter how hard your trial, love your enemies, keep pressing on when others are pulling you back. Visit or call your mother often and let her know you love her, show your children you love them with your time, kiss your spouse often, always uplift her, and talk highly of her to your peers. Perhaps one of the greatest lessons learned is pray often, pray sincerely, and have faith the Lord hears and answers your prayers. Of all the things that are gone from my world; the most important are the ones that created happiness in my life. While I did have happiness driving that old Ford and that old Jeep, my life is not fulfilled because of it. I have loved more, and argued less because of the physical person that is no longer with me; yet because I carry within me his spirit he is no longer gone....