Sundays are my favorite day of the week. Yesterday was spectacular again. After clearing snow from the walks of our church at 7:30 am, I spent the next couple of hours just relaxing; reading the paper, listening to Christmas music, and getting ready for church. Church started at 11 am. The first hour and ten minutes was our Sacrament Meeting. In Sacrament meeting we listen to a couple of speakers, partake of the sacrament, sing hymns and pray. Today we listened to a recently returned missionary, James Scott, tell of the remarkable experiences that he had serving the people in Paraguay for the last 2 years. We then heard from an Apostle of the Lord, Elder Richard G. Scott, an Uncle to James. Both of them gave wonderful messages. The message that I took home from James was to "read, pray and obey". In other words, his mission was very successful because he first studied the Gospel of Jesus Christ; he then prayed about it; and he then was obedient to Christ's teachings. As a result he was able to change his own life for the better, and he was able to share that joy of change with the people of Paraguay. The message that I took home from Elder Richard G. Scott was to appreciate and marvel about the creations of God. He said that we should contemplate the goodness and the greatness of God. Basically, it is incomprehensible for us to completely understand the creations of God; like the creation of our world, of galaxies, of eternity and of the plan of happiness, which is here for us. After Sacrament Meeting, we were taught for about 40 minutes about the apostasy, as prophesied in the New Testament, and about the teachings of the apostasy and of a restoration as recorded in the New Testament. This instruction was given by another of God's servants, Elder John Madsen. I came home with a greater appreciation of the word's of Christ, Paul, Peter, Jude and John from the New Testament, and with a greater appreciation for the great work that the Lord asked Joseph Smith to accomplish, as the one called to restore all things in these days. We then spent another 45 minutes listening to a neighbor, Dana Tangren, teach us about managing our time in a way consistant with the teachings of Christ. He used a talk entitled "Good, Better, Best" by another Apostle of the Lord, Elder Dallin Oaks, as the basis of his instruction. I took away from this lesson the importance of prioritizing the many good things that we can be doing with our time, trying to make sure that we keep a proper order of our many responsibilities and spend the appropriate time on things that are most important, like our families.
After this wonderful three hour block of worship, a few of us cleared the walks around the church again from about another new 4 inches of snow.
We then went home and cleared more snow from our sidewalks and driveways, after which, we spent time with our family, visiting and playing games. It was a wonderful day.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
1961 and Freedom
In 1961 I learned an important lesson about the metamorphosis called freedom. I learned that metamorphosis is a natural process for freedom. I learned that a successful metamorphosis takes time, work, kindness, patience and knowledge. I learned that it is a gift from God.
In 1961 I was eight years old. I lived in Mapleton, Utah. Mapleton is a beautiful little farming community at the base of the mountain called Sierra Bonita in central Utah. Sierra Bonita means Mountain Beautiful in Spanish. This mountain is quite symmetrical. It rises from the valley floor on the north from an elevation of about 4000 feet to an elevation more than 10,000 feet above sea level and then it falls back to the valley floor on the south. The mountain is filled with scrub oaks, pines, maples and aspens. Particularly in the fall, the autumn colors of these trees make this mountain a scenic beauty. When the Spanish Catholic missionary explorer Escalante visited this place in 1776, legend says that he saw that this mountain was so perfectly formed that he called it Sierra Bonita.
The 1960’s were a season of change. A metamorphosis towards freedom was taking place. Freedoms were won and lost. Various styles of government and leadership were being established. Great technological advances took place. Political revolutions, assassinations, racism, the Cold War, teenage rebellion, Woodstock, and technological changes occurred in the interest of individual rights and freedoms.
In 1961 Mapleton had about 1500 citizens. It was a farming community with many farm animals, orchards, hay fields, gardens and a variety of vegetable crops. There were both paved and dirt roads. It was a city with its own government. The citizens were active in making this place a nice place to live. Welby Warren was the Mayor. Clustered in the center of town was a beautiful white Church, a large brown City Building with its own basketball court, swimming pool and dance floor, a beautiful new little league baseball diamond, a small store, Gividen’s auto repair shop, a large two-story School and the volunteer fire station. For an eight year old, life was good. After the chores of feeding chickens, weeding the family garden, washing dishes and spending some time in school, there was plenty of time to explore the town and the nearby mountain canyons.
In September of 1961, school had just started and I had just been baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). I remember being excited for the new school year, for being a member of Christ's Church, and for living in such a beautiful place.
In 1961 I was in third grade. Mrs. Shumway was my third grade teacher. She was young and enthusiastic. This was her first year teaching full-time in Mapleton. She had recently graduated from college and she was inspiring in her efforts to teach us. This enthusiasm encouraged me to try a little harder and to do a little better. I will always be grateful for her efforts.
There were 29 students in my class. The old two-story grade school building that we met in had been built in 1899. A new addition to the school had been added in 1953. Our class was on the main floor of the old section. Mrs. Shumway was a great teacher because she encouraged us to learn both by study and by experience. My experience with the miracle of freedom, which I call a metamorphosis, took place in her class.
Metamorphosis is a principle of change. Mrs. Shumway organized an experiment to teach us about nature and about change.
Have you ever watched a caterpillar go through metamorphosis and become a monarch butterfly? It is fascinating to watch.
Monarch butterflies are one of the most beautiful creatures of nature. Having something so beautiful come from something so odd looking as a caterpillar has always interested me. It is one of the miracles of nature. Mrs. Shumway decided to have our class conduct an experiment about butterflies. She instructed each of us to get a clear glass mason jar and to put a monarch butterfly caterpillar in it. She told us to look on milkweeds throughout our town for these caterpillars. She instructed us further to put part of a milk weed plant in the jar with the caterpillar and to punch holes in the lid of the Mason jar. The caterpillar would feast on the milk weed plant until it was time for it to spin a cocoon. With the holes in the lid the caterpillar would also have air, which was necessary for it to live. Eventually it would change into a beautiful butterfly.
Mapleton had a lot of milkweeds in 1961 and it was easy to find the sleek brownish-orange, white and yellow striped caterpillars. All 29 of us in the class found these caterpillars, put them in mason jars and brought them to school to watch. Over the next couple of weeks the caterpillars all spun cocoons either underneath some of the milkweed leafs or on the lid of the Mason jar. The cocoons were all a bright green color and we anxiously anticipated the day that they would hatch into butterflies.
Every school day we would rush to school anxious to see if anything different had occurred with our cocoons.
One day, about two weeks after the caterpillars had spun their cocoons, one of the cocoons began to turn black. As a class, we were quite concerned. We were worried that something might be wrong. What should we do? Was there something that we could do to help this butterfly out? It looked really bad. We decided to wait another day and see what happened.
The next day the cocoon was even blacker. We were worried. Our teacher, Mrs. Shumway, didn’t know what to do either. Was something wrong with this butterfly? Did we do something wrong? Was there something that we could do to help this butterfly out? We decided to operate. We wanted to help. We felt that we had to do something now. With a razor blade and needles we carefully operated on this cocoon, cutting open the cocoon, trying to help this butterfly out of the cocoon.
We got the butterfly out, but it died. We were devastated. It was disappointing for all of us, especially for the student who had brought this caterpillar to class. As an eight-year-old every moment of every day is exciting and important. To lose this butterfly was very sad.
The next day, another cocoon started turning black. Oh no! What should we do? Should we operate or wait and see what happens next? We waited another day. The next day things looked blacker. We decided to operate again. We again cut in to the cocoon trying to save the monarch butterfly. We got it out, but it too died. As a class, we were devastated, again, to have lost these two butterflies.
Mrs. Shumway said that she would call the biology department at Brigham Young University (BYU) and ask them what we should do. Another one of the cocoons was turning black and this time it was mine. As an eight-year-old, this kind of concern and stress was intense. I didn’t want to lose my butterfly too. I had nurtured it along to this point and I was anxious for a successful metamorphosis to occur.
The next day my cocoon was getting really black. We had not heard back from BYU yet. We wrestled with the decision of whether to operate again or not. We decided to operate one more time on my cocoon. It went better this time. We were able to save the butterfly, but it was never able to fly. We probably touched the wings and disturbed the powdery substances there. Other cocoons were starting to turn black and we were all quite concerned. BYU did get back to us that day and we learned that the cocoons turning black was a natural part of the process before the butterflies hatched from their cocoons. The black color came from light not being able to penetrate the beautiful colors of the wings of the new butterfly. They told us that we needed to let the butterflies naturally fight their own way out of their cocoons. Nature was already set up for them to help themselves out of their own cocoons. If we helped them too soon and touched their wings, they would not be able to fly. They had to do this on their own.
This natural process, the metamorphosis or change that leads to freedom, is a gift from God.
Life often seems to be this way. Quite often, to gain strength and knowledge, we each need to fight our own way to freedom, within nature’s laws. Parents, coaches and teachers help us learn the rules and the laws of nature. They help us gain knowledge. They help us gain freedom. Just like the butterfly, for us to survive, though, we each need to stretch and work to get out of our own cocoons. We are beautiful when we do so. Monarch butterflies are gorgeous. Not that they did anything themselves other than follow nature’s gift from God.
Also, when we have to fight for things, they seem to be of greater worth and we prize them more.
Like the butterflies, we have a world full of food, although we have to work for it. We also have a world of air and light. These are gifts from God. They are just here. There is plenty for all if we follow natural laws to help each other. If we do our best and if we avoid pride, greed and fear, then we have what we need to become beautiful.
As a result of the butterflies successfully fighting for their own freedom, they had the health, strength and confidence that they needed to survive and live beautifully.
I learned from this experience that it is often harder for the one watching and waiting, being patient and kind, while letting a metamorphosis properly occur. Sometimes, when we operate too soon, bad things happen. Knowledge, inspiration and light are the keys in knowing when to operate.
In our lives, food, air and light are given generously. This provides the environment to allow a metamorphosis to take place.
All of the remaining butterflies in our class survived and were able to fly when we let them naturally fight their own ways out of their cocoons. What a miracle. When we let nature take its course and when the butterflies were allowed to fight their own way to freedom from the confinement of their cocoons, they were able to fly and we were able to enjoy their incredible beauty.
The greatest miracles that I witness, the greatest joys that I experience, and the most beautiful things around me are the triumphs over weaknesses. The metamorphosis or change that occurs when we work to overcome entropy, weakness and resistance is miraculous. We celebrate work, effort and doing one’s best. No wonder that we celebrate the Olympians. It is so fun to watch the beauty of their performances. This is a beauty, which can only result from a lot of work and knowledge.
The experiment with butterflies in my 3rd grade class, and the effort that Mrs. Shumway put forth to allow us such a wonderful experience, will always be a treasure for me on my journey through life. It helped me understand a little bit better the principle and the gift that we call freedom.
In 1961 I was eight years old. I lived in Mapleton, Utah. Mapleton is a beautiful little farming community at the base of the mountain called Sierra Bonita in central Utah. Sierra Bonita means Mountain Beautiful in Spanish. This mountain is quite symmetrical. It rises from the valley floor on the north from an elevation of about 4000 feet to an elevation more than 10,000 feet above sea level and then it falls back to the valley floor on the south. The mountain is filled with scrub oaks, pines, maples and aspens. Particularly in the fall, the autumn colors of these trees make this mountain a scenic beauty. When the Spanish Catholic missionary explorer Escalante visited this place in 1776, legend says that he saw that this mountain was so perfectly formed that he called it Sierra Bonita.
The 1960’s were a season of change. A metamorphosis towards freedom was taking place. Freedoms were won and lost. Various styles of government and leadership were being established. Great technological advances took place. Political revolutions, assassinations, racism, the Cold War, teenage rebellion, Woodstock, and technological changes occurred in the interest of individual rights and freedoms.
In 1961 Mapleton had about 1500 citizens. It was a farming community with many farm animals, orchards, hay fields, gardens and a variety of vegetable crops. There were both paved and dirt roads. It was a city with its own government. The citizens were active in making this place a nice place to live. Welby Warren was the Mayor. Clustered in the center of town was a beautiful white Church, a large brown City Building with its own basketball court, swimming pool and dance floor, a beautiful new little league baseball diamond, a small store, Gividen’s auto repair shop, a large two-story School and the volunteer fire station. For an eight year old, life was good. After the chores of feeding chickens, weeding the family garden, washing dishes and spending some time in school, there was plenty of time to explore the town and the nearby mountain canyons.
In September of 1961, school had just started and I had just been baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS). I remember being excited for the new school year, for being a member of Christ's Church, and for living in such a beautiful place.
In 1961 I was in third grade. Mrs. Shumway was my third grade teacher. She was young and enthusiastic. This was her first year teaching full-time in Mapleton. She had recently graduated from college and she was inspiring in her efforts to teach us. This enthusiasm encouraged me to try a little harder and to do a little better. I will always be grateful for her efforts.
There were 29 students in my class. The old two-story grade school building that we met in had been built in 1899. A new addition to the school had been added in 1953. Our class was on the main floor of the old section. Mrs. Shumway was a great teacher because she encouraged us to learn both by study and by experience. My experience with the miracle of freedom, which I call a metamorphosis, took place in her class.
Metamorphosis is a principle of change. Mrs. Shumway organized an experiment to teach us about nature and about change.
Have you ever watched a caterpillar go through metamorphosis and become a monarch butterfly? It is fascinating to watch.
Monarch butterflies are one of the most beautiful creatures of nature. Having something so beautiful come from something so odd looking as a caterpillar has always interested me. It is one of the miracles of nature. Mrs. Shumway decided to have our class conduct an experiment about butterflies. She instructed each of us to get a clear glass mason jar and to put a monarch butterfly caterpillar in it. She told us to look on milkweeds throughout our town for these caterpillars. She instructed us further to put part of a milk weed plant in the jar with the caterpillar and to punch holes in the lid of the Mason jar. The caterpillar would feast on the milk weed plant until it was time for it to spin a cocoon. With the holes in the lid the caterpillar would also have air, which was necessary for it to live. Eventually it would change into a beautiful butterfly.
Mapleton had a lot of milkweeds in 1961 and it was easy to find the sleek brownish-orange, white and yellow striped caterpillars. All 29 of us in the class found these caterpillars, put them in mason jars and brought them to school to watch. Over the next couple of weeks the caterpillars all spun cocoons either underneath some of the milkweed leafs or on the lid of the Mason jar. The cocoons were all a bright green color and we anxiously anticipated the day that they would hatch into butterflies.
Every school day we would rush to school anxious to see if anything different had occurred with our cocoons.
One day, about two weeks after the caterpillars had spun their cocoons, one of the cocoons began to turn black. As a class, we were quite concerned. We were worried that something might be wrong. What should we do? Was there something that we could do to help this butterfly out? It looked really bad. We decided to wait another day and see what happened.
The next day the cocoon was even blacker. We were worried. Our teacher, Mrs. Shumway, didn’t know what to do either. Was something wrong with this butterfly? Did we do something wrong? Was there something that we could do to help this butterfly out? We decided to operate. We wanted to help. We felt that we had to do something now. With a razor blade and needles we carefully operated on this cocoon, cutting open the cocoon, trying to help this butterfly out of the cocoon.
We got the butterfly out, but it died. We were devastated. It was disappointing for all of us, especially for the student who had brought this caterpillar to class. As an eight-year-old every moment of every day is exciting and important. To lose this butterfly was very sad.
The next day, another cocoon started turning black. Oh no! What should we do? Should we operate or wait and see what happens next? We waited another day. The next day things looked blacker. We decided to operate again. We again cut in to the cocoon trying to save the monarch butterfly. We got it out, but it too died. As a class, we were devastated, again, to have lost these two butterflies.
Mrs. Shumway said that she would call the biology department at Brigham Young University (BYU) and ask them what we should do. Another one of the cocoons was turning black and this time it was mine. As an eight-year-old, this kind of concern and stress was intense. I didn’t want to lose my butterfly too. I had nurtured it along to this point and I was anxious for a successful metamorphosis to occur.
The next day my cocoon was getting really black. We had not heard back from BYU yet. We wrestled with the decision of whether to operate again or not. We decided to operate one more time on my cocoon. It went better this time. We were able to save the butterfly, but it was never able to fly. We probably touched the wings and disturbed the powdery substances there. Other cocoons were starting to turn black and we were all quite concerned. BYU did get back to us that day and we learned that the cocoons turning black was a natural part of the process before the butterflies hatched from their cocoons. The black color came from light not being able to penetrate the beautiful colors of the wings of the new butterfly. They told us that we needed to let the butterflies naturally fight their own way out of their cocoons. Nature was already set up for them to help themselves out of their own cocoons. If we helped them too soon and touched their wings, they would not be able to fly. They had to do this on their own.
This natural process, the metamorphosis or change that leads to freedom, is a gift from God.
Life often seems to be this way. Quite often, to gain strength and knowledge, we each need to fight our own way to freedom, within nature’s laws. Parents, coaches and teachers help us learn the rules and the laws of nature. They help us gain knowledge. They help us gain freedom. Just like the butterfly, for us to survive, though, we each need to stretch and work to get out of our own cocoons. We are beautiful when we do so. Monarch butterflies are gorgeous. Not that they did anything themselves other than follow nature’s gift from God.
Also, when we have to fight for things, they seem to be of greater worth and we prize them more.
Like the butterflies, we have a world full of food, although we have to work for it. We also have a world of air and light. These are gifts from God. They are just here. There is plenty for all if we follow natural laws to help each other. If we do our best and if we avoid pride, greed and fear, then we have what we need to become beautiful.
As a result of the butterflies successfully fighting for their own freedom, they had the health, strength and confidence that they needed to survive and live beautifully.
I learned from this experience that it is often harder for the one watching and waiting, being patient and kind, while letting a metamorphosis properly occur. Sometimes, when we operate too soon, bad things happen. Knowledge, inspiration and light are the keys in knowing when to operate.
In our lives, food, air and light are given generously. This provides the environment to allow a metamorphosis to take place.
All of the remaining butterflies in our class survived and were able to fly when we let them naturally fight their own ways out of their cocoons. What a miracle. When we let nature take its course and when the butterflies were allowed to fight their own way to freedom from the confinement of their cocoons, they were able to fly and we were able to enjoy their incredible beauty.
The greatest miracles that I witness, the greatest joys that I experience, and the most beautiful things around me are the triumphs over weaknesses. The metamorphosis or change that occurs when we work to overcome entropy, weakness and resistance is miraculous. We celebrate work, effort and doing one’s best. No wonder that we celebrate the Olympians. It is so fun to watch the beauty of their performances. This is a beauty, which can only result from a lot of work and knowledge.
The experiment with butterflies in my 3rd grade class, and the effort that Mrs. Shumway put forth to allow us such a wonderful experience, will always be a treasure for me on my journey through life. It helped me understand a little bit better the principle and the gift that we call freedom.
Stay on the trail
At the age of 14 I remember having a lot of confidence in myself and in my abilities to do things. For our summer youth activity that year, my friends and I convinced our religious leaders to take us into the Uinta mountains of Northeastern Utah. We had all been there two years before, when we had completed our first 50 mile backpack trip, going from Mirror Lake to Moon Lake. We had had so much fun and such a wonderful experience, that we wanted to go back.
One of our leaders, Tom James, knew of a place called Cyclone Pass. He was aware of an airplane that had crashed trying to fly over Cyclone Pass. Many of its parts were still there. Cyclone pass was near Four Lake Basin in the Uinta mountains and he wanted to show us how pretty and magnificent this basin and pass were.
Harold Gividen was our advisor. He had been our religious leader and our bishop. He was wise and he was one to make sure that we were well prepared. He was a great leader.
We made our preparations, planned the itinerary for the trip and finally the day came to go.
I remember this trip well. It will be a choice memory forever. But, I learned an important lesson. I learned how important it is to stay on the trail. I also learned that one must be prepared for the consequences if one gets off the trail.
Our leaders had a lot of confidence in us and they let us go at our own paces. We all knew that we were headed for Four Lake Basin. This would be our base camp for the week. We would take side trips from there. Potential side trips would be to go see the airplane wreckage, hike over Cyclone pass and fish for grayling in some of the nearby lakes. A few of us kept up a quick pace and arrived at Four Lake Basin in less than three hours. It is about a 10 mile hike from Mirror Lake (15 miles according to our leaders). We carried our own backpacks, which weighed about 30 pounds each. We packed in our own gear and the leaders were bringing in a few pack horses to treat us with nice meals later in the week.
I was grateful to be one of the first ones to camp, because shortly after we arrived, a monstrous thunderstorm hit and anything that was not covered got drenched. Most of my friends and all of our leaders were still on the trail. They got really wet. They spent the first night of our trip drying out their gear. I had time to set up my camp and my plastic lean-to before the rains hit. Covered by a nice plastic lean-to my gear and I stayed dry. It was fun watching this most spectacular display of Mother Nature's awesome power from a dry and protected location.
The experience I wanted to share with you happened later that week. Our leaders had told us about a lake called Thompson Lake, where the fishing was great. It was off the main trail and it was cradled on two sides by cliffs. To get there, one followed a trail east out of Four Lake Basin, up over Cyclone pass, down the other side and around a valley of boulders and rocks to the lake. A group of us wanted to go there. The leaders said ok and to be careful.
We grabbed our fishing poles, some snacks for the trail, maps of the area and our rain-gear and we headed for Cyclone pass. Cyclone pass has an elevation of about 11,000 feet. It is difficult for small planes to get over it. The one that crashed could not get enough altitude to fly over the pass. Some of the nearby peaks rise to over 13,000 feet. The view from on top of the pass is spectacular. Mother nature is awesome. Man's ability to create such things are just incomparable to the beauty and majesty in nature.
On top of Cyclone pass we took our maps out and determined that there was a short-cut that we could take to Thompson Lake. From the top of Cyclone Pass one can see Four Lake Basin and the area near Mirror Lake to the west and to the east one can see most all of Rock Creek drainage. It is beautiful. We could see that the trail would take us maybe a mile or two out of our way to the east and then north back up to Thompson Lake. It looked much easier and quicker to go straight to the lake. This would be off the trail and across country. Without packs on, we thought we could make it and save both time and energy. We figured that a straight line is the quickest distance between two points. We were wrong.
After about an hour of negotiating cliffs that were between us and Thompson Lake, we determined that we could not get down to the lake without rock-climbing equipment and expertise. We had neither. I was the one who pushed to take the short-cut and I led the way. Now I was embarrassed because I had not only put myself in danger on these cliffs, but many of the young men had followed me into a precarious position among the cliffs. They trusted in me and my confidence. Not only had we put ourselves at risk, but it wasted two hours of our day, since we had to retrace our steps back to the trail. We learned that quite often the trails are the quickest, easiest and most efficient courses to a location. It reminded me of the words of a Spanish Philosopher, George Santayana, who said, "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them." We would have been much better off if we had stayed on the trail. Those who had gone before us were wise and had left a developed trail for us to follow.
It is exciting, fun, challenging and adventuresome at times to get off the trail. I like adventure and excitement. But I have learned that if you get off the trail, it is wise to either have planned and prepared for the dangers of being off the trail, or go with someone who knows how to be safe and secure while there. That way you can enjoy the wonderful and inspiring powers of nature, and still be safe. I have often pondered about the powers of nature. I believe that these powers are there for our joy, but they can destroy us if used improperly or carelessly. But, I did learn to stay on the trail and good things happen.
One of our leaders, Tom James, knew of a place called Cyclone Pass. He was aware of an airplane that had crashed trying to fly over Cyclone Pass. Many of its parts were still there. Cyclone pass was near Four Lake Basin in the Uinta mountains and he wanted to show us how pretty and magnificent this basin and pass were.
Harold Gividen was our advisor. He had been our religious leader and our bishop. He was wise and he was one to make sure that we were well prepared. He was a great leader.
We made our preparations, planned the itinerary for the trip and finally the day came to go.
I remember this trip well. It will be a choice memory forever. But, I learned an important lesson. I learned how important it is to stay on the trail. I also learned that one must be prepared for the consequences if one gets off the trail.
Our leaders had a lot of confidence in us and they let us go at our own paces. We all knew that we were headed for Four Lake Basin. This would be our base camp for the week. We would take side trips from there. Potential side trips would be to go see the airplane wreckage, hike over Cyclone pass and fish for grayling in some of the nearby lakes. A few of us kept up a quick pace and arrived at Four Lake Basin in less than three hours. It is about a 10 mile hike from Mirror Lake (15 miles according to our leaders). We carried our own backpacks, which weighed about 30 pounds each. We packed in our own gear and the leaders were bringing in a few pack horses to treat us with nice meals later in the week.
I was grateful to be one of the first ones to camp, because shortly after we arrived, a monstrous thunderstorm hit and anything that was not covered got drenched. Most of my friends and all of our leaders were still on the trail. They got really wet. They spent the first night of our trip drying out their gear. I had time to set up my camp and my plastic lean-to before the rains hit. Covered by a nice plastic lean-to my gear and I stayed dry. It was fun watching this most spectacular display of Mother Nature's awesome power from a dry and protected location.
The experience I wanted to share with you happened later that week. Our leaders had told us about a lake called Thompson Lake, where the fishing was great. It was off the main trail and it was cradled on two sides by cliffs. To get there, one followed a trail east out of Four Lake Basin, up over Cyclone pass, down the other side and around a valley of boulders and rocks to the lake. A group of us wanted to go there. The leaders said ok and to be careful.
We grabbed our fishing poles, some snacks for the trail, maps of the area and our rain-gear and we headed for Cyclone pass. Cyclone pass has an elevation of about 11,000 feet. It is difficult for small planes to get over it. The one that crashed could not get enough altitude to fly over the pass. Some of the nearby peaks rise to over 13,000 feet. The view from on top of the pass is spectacular. Mother nature is awesome. Man's ability to create such things are just incomparable to the beauty and majesty in nature.
On top of Cyclone pass we took our maps out and determined that there was a short-cut that we could take to Thompson Lake. From the top of Cyclone Pass one can see Four Lake Basin and the area near Mirror Lake to the west and to the east one can see most all of Rock Creek drainage. It is beautiful. We could see that the trail would take us maybe a mile or two out of our way to the east and then north back up to Thompson Lake. It looked much easier and quicker to go straight to the lake. This would be off the trail and across country. Without packs on, we thought we could make it and save both time and energy. We figured that a straight line is the quickest distance between two points. We were wrong.
After about an hour of negotiating cliffs that were between us and Thompson Lake, we determined that we could not get down to the lake without rock-climbing equipment and expertise. We had neither. I was the one who pushed to take the short-cut and I led the way. Now I was embarrassed because I had not only put myself in danger on these cliffs, but many of the young men had followed me into a precarious position among the cliffs. They trusted in me and my confidence. Not only had we put ourselves at risk, but it wasted two hours of our day, since we had to retrace our steps back to the trail. We learned that quite often the trails are the quickest, easiest and most efficient courses to a location. It reminded me of the words of a Spanish Philosopher, George Santayana, who said, "Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat them." We would have been much better off if we had stayed on the trail. Those who had gone before us were wise and had left a developed trail for us to follow.
It is exciting, fun, challenging and adventuresome at times to get off the trail. I like adventure and excitement. But I have learned that if you get off the trail, it is wise to either have planned and prepared for the dangers of being off the trail, or go with someone who knows how to be safe and secure while there. That way you can enjoy the wonderful and inspiring powers of nature, and still be safe. I have often pondered about the powers of nature. I believe that these powers are there for our joy, but they can destroy us if used improperly or carelessly. But, I did learn to stay on the trail and good things happen.
My thoughts about Helen Keller
I will always marvel at the accomplishments of Helen Keller. She was one who was blind and deaf, and yet, through hard work, and because of the light and knowledge given to her by another, she accomplished miraculous things. She wrote some marvelous pieces of literature. One of her pieces was called "Optimism". It is a beautiful piece of literature. A favorite quote from her is, “No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.”
A few years ago, my wife, Pam, and I attended a play at the Pioneer Memorial Theater, in Salt Lake City, Utah, about the early life of Helen Keller. It was called “The Miracle Worker”. The play was well done and it helped me appreciate a message that I had pondered about for some time. I had often questioned and wondered why it was so important to be obedient. I always felt that it was important to be self-sufficient and independent, and to work hard and to do our best. However, I always felt that blind obedience seemed to be in conflict with agency, and with being independent and self-sufficient. What was in common with blind obedience and free agency? After seeing this play, it was very clear to me, that knowledge comes from obedience. Some knowledge is a gift, but some can only be achieved by obedience to those or to principles that can impart knowledge to us. Nature often offers us such opportunities to learn. I learned that by being obedient, we gain light and knowledge and miracles happen.
You might remember the story of Helen Keller. Helen was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. At the age of 19 months old she became very ill. Because of this illness, Helen went from being a normal child, physically, to one that was deaf and blind. Her parents were devastated. They loved her and they tried their best to help her, to love her and to work with her. She described her state of being as knowing only "darkness and stillness, without past or future." By the age of 7 she had become savage-like and wild. Her parents, not knowing what to do, loved her by letting her do whatever she wanted. They tolerated her insolence and savage nature because they didn't know how to deal with it or how to solve it. They got to the point where they considered institutionalizing her, feeling hopeless about their ability to deal with her. They questioned her ability to be anything more than a menace to society and others. She was too wild and uncontrollable.
They did not want to institutionalize her, because that would almost certainly be a sentence to disease, abuse and death. The institutions of that day were poor and filthy.
They had read where Charles Dickens had reported about a deaf and blind girl by the name of Laura Bridgmann. This girl had learned to communicate with others. This report gave the family hope and they contacted a school for the blind.
Alexander Bell, inventor of the telephone and a teacher of the deaf, guided them to a young lady by the name of Anne Sullivan. Anne had become blind from filthy living conditions and disease, but she had learned to communicate with others. She had also been blessed through an operation to receive part of her sight back. Anne also knew first hand how horrible the asylums and the institutions for the handicapped could be, as she lived in one and as her younger brother died in one. She ended up in a state poorhouse with her little brother because her alcoholic father had abandoned the family and because her mother had died from tuberculosis. Through determination, courage and the kindness of others, Anne overcame the obstacles in her life and she dedicated her life to helping others overcome their obstacles. Over time, Anne realized that she could not alter the things around her, only herself. As she matured she rebelled less, and she believed that a child learned best through love, patience, and discipline, allowing the child individual freedom. Anne was hired by the family to teach Helen. She began on March 3, 1887. Anne demanded order, respect and obedience. Helen's family gave Anne their trust, faith, and support. Otherwise, they felt that they would have no other choice, but to send Helen to an asylum. Anne taught through repetition, patience, love, order, faith, consequences and a plan of education. Anne taught a love of nature, utilizing cornfields, rivers, barns, etc. in her teaching. Anne taught through the use of touching Helen's hands. Anne would try and get Helen to recognize the letters of the alphabet that Anne would spell into Helen's hands. It was not easy. It took a lot of love, patience, faith and order. The family questioned Anne's abilities and methods. But Anne had experienced this in her own life and she knew how to help Helen. After a lot of work and attention, Helen came to associate water with the letters w-a-t-e-r that Anne spelled into her hand. It opened the world of communication to her. Helen, like her mentor Anne, learned the importance of obedience. In her state of darkness, she could not learn without being obedient to one who knew. She learned how to see in darkness. She understood what it meant to be enlightened by knowledge. The play showed and taught that "obedience is the key that unlocks the understanding of knowledge and truth in the mind." It might be said also that obedience is the key to light. Anne never quit or gave up on Helen. Anne continued to teach Helen with love and patience and order, and by learning obedience Helen went on to gain college degrees and to become a great author, teacher and mentor for the blind and the deaf. Anne and Helen are great examples for all of us. When we are obedient, we can gain knowledge, and good things happen. Light and knowledge can be gained by obedience to laws and principles. The scripture in D&C 130:18-19 is really true that says ..."And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated". The play made mention of another fact, however, that we should always keep in mind. It went something like this: “Obedience without knowledge is another form of blindness.” The history of the world is full of examples of such blindness. It is so important to keep learning and progressing and being obedient to those who have gained knowledge through their own obedience, namely our parents, grandparents, coaches, teachers and leaders. It is also important to never give up. As World War II raged, I believe that Winston Churchill immortalized the words, “Never, never, never give up.”
A favorite quote from President Ronald Reagan about the opposite of optimism went something like this, “Opportunity knocked but the pessimist didn’t answer the door because of all the noise.”
What Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan accomplished is miraculous. By choosing obedience, work, light and knowledge, Helen and Anne overcame their weaknesses, the entropy (disorder) in their lives, and miracles happened.
A few years ago, my wife, Pam, and I attended a play at the Pioneer Memorial Theater, in Salt Lake City, Utah, about the early life of Helen Keller. It was called “The Miracle Worker”. The play was well done and it helped me appreciate a message that I had pondered about for some time. I had often questioned and wondered why it was so important to be obedient. I always felt that it was important to be self-sufficient and independent, and to work hard and to do our best. However, I always felt that blind obedience seemed to be in conflict with agency, and with being independent and self-sufficient. What was in common with blind obedience and free agency? After seeing this play, it was very clear to me, that knowledge comes from obedience. Some knowledge is a gift, but some can only be achieved by obedience to those or to principles that can impart knowledge to us. Nature often offers us such opportunities to learn. I learned that by being obedient, we gain light and knowledge and miracles happen.
You might remember the story of Helen Keller. Helen was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. At the age of 19 months old she became very ill. Because of this illness, Helen went from being a normal child, physically, to one that was deaf and blind. Her parents were devastated. They loved her and they tried their best to help her, to love her and to work with her. She described her state of being as knowing only "darkness and stillness, without past or future." By the age of 7 she had become savage-like and wild. Her parents, not knowing what to do, loved her by letting her do whatever she wanted. They tolerated her insolence and savage nature because they didn't know how to deal with it or how to solve it. They got to the point where they considered institutionalizing her, feeling hopeless about their ability to deal with her. They questioned her ability to be anything more than a menace to society and others. She was too wild and uncontrollable.
They did not want to institutionalize her, because that would almost certainly be a sentence to disease, abuse and death. The institutions of that day were poor and filthy.
They had read where Charles Dickens had reported about a deaf and blind girl by the name of Laura Bridgmann. This girl had learned to communicate with others. This report gave the family hope and they contacted a school for the blind.
Alexander Bell, inventor of the telephone and a teacher of the deaf, guided them to a young lady by the name of Anne Sullivan. Anne had become blind from filthy living conditions and disease, but she had learned to communicate with others. She had also been blessed through an operation to receive part of her sight back. Anne also knew first hand how horrible the asylums and the institutions for the handicapped could be, as she lived in one and as her younger brother died in one. She ended up in a state poorhouse with her little brother because her alcoholic father had abandoned the family and because her mother had died from tuberculosis. Through determination, courage and the kindness of others, Anne overcame the obstacles in her life and she dedicated her life to helping others overcome their obstacles. Over time, Anne realized that she could not alter the things around her, only herself. As she matured she rebelled less, and she believed that a child learned best through love, patience, and discipline, allowing the child individual freedom. Anne was hired by the family to teach Helen. She began on March 3, 1887. Anne demanded order, respect and obedience. Helen's family gave Anne their trust, faith, and support. Otherwise, they felt that they would have no other choice, but to send Helen to an asylum. Anne taught through repetition, patience, love, order, faith, consequences and a plan of education. Anne taught a love of nature, utilizing cornfields, rivers, barns, etc. in her teaching. Anne taught through the use of touching Helen's hands. Anne would try and get Helen to recognize the letters of the alphabet that Anne would spell into Helen's hands. It was not easy. It took a lot of love, patience, faith and order. The family questioned Anne's abilities and methods. But Anne had experienced this in her own life and she knew how to help Helen. After a lot of work and attention, Helen came to associate water with the letters w-a-t-e-r that Anne spelled into her hand. It opened the world of communication to her. Helen, like her mentor Anne, learned the importance of obedience. In her state of darkness, she could not learn without being obedient to one who knew. She learned how to see in darkness. She understood what it meant to be enlightened by knowledge. The play showed and taught that "obedience is the key that unlocks the understanding of knowledge and truth in the mind." It might be said also that obedience is the key to light. Anne never quit or gave up on Helen. Anne continued to teach Helen with love and patience and order, and by learning obedience Helen went on to gain college degrees and to become a great author, teacher and mentor for the blind and the deaf. Anne and Helen are great examples for all of us. When we are obedient, we can gain knowledge, and good things happen. Light and knowledge can be gained by obedience to laws and principles. The scripture in D&C 130:18-19 is really true that says ..."And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated". The play made mention of another fact, however, that we should always keep in mind. It went something like this: “Obedience without knowledge is another form of blindness.” The history of the world is full of examples of such blindness. It is so important to keep learning and progressing and being obedient to those who have gained knowledge through their own obedience, namely our parents, grandparents, coaches, teachers and leaders. It is also important to never give up. As World War II raged, I believe that Winston Churchill immortalized the words, “Never, never, never give up.”
A favorite quote from President Ronald Reagan about the opposite of optimism went something like this, “Opportunity knocked but the pessimist didn’t answer the door because of all the noise.”
What Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan accomplished is miraculous. By choosing obedience, work, light and knowledge, Helen and Anne overcame their weaknesses, the entropy (disorder) in their lives, and miracles happened.
My Friend Wendell Johnson
One of my fondest memories as a teenager growing up in the small farming community of Mapleton, Utah was attending church at the side of the bed of a young man just a few years older than myself who became a quadriplegic at the tender age of 16. Because of the paralysis, he was basically a prisoner in his own body. His name was Wendell Johnson. His life was a miracle. Miracles occurred all around Wendell. Many people had special influences on him, and he in turn inspired and influenced the lives of so many others.
His younger brother, Morris, and I were good friends. I remember as a 14 year old going over to the new addition of the Johnson home, which Wendell’s father had built for the care of Wendell. It was one room, maybe 15 feet by 15 feet in size, with a large bathroom and a hospital type bed. Here Wendell spent a good deal of his life. Here he learned anew how to eat. He relearned how to paint. He became renowned in some of his paintings. Here he was loved by family and friends who sought to help and comfort him. Here he taught and influenced many for good. Here we held some of our church services on Sunday, so that Wendell could participate with us. Here I admired the strength and character of Wendell and those who served him.
I remember being in church the day that the Boy Scouts of America awarded a medal of heroism to the friend that saved Wendell’s life. In 1964 at the age of 16, Wendell had been swimming at the flume, a washed-out portion of the irrigation canal that flows above the farms of Mapleton. Wendell and one of his friends had gone to the flume to swim and cool off after a hard day of working on the farms in Mapleton. Wendell told his story of standing on the embankment of the canal, of looking down into the swirling waters of the flume, and of diving in. He expected to make a shallow dive, but for some reason he said that he arched awkwardly in the air. As he dove into the water, he hit the bottom with his head and he broke his neck and spine. He remembers the moment as one in which he thought he might die. He remembered thinking that one’s life does flash before him as one’s life is near its end. He remembered struggling to move his muscles and his body and having nothing work for him. He remembered the feelings of panic and fear as he could not get air or move. Suddenly the friend that was with him raised him out of the water and he remembered how wonderful it was to grasp for air again. He remembered looking down at his body while he was lying still in the middle of the dirt road next to the canal and being unable to make his body move or work for him. He remembered being lifted into the Mapleton ambulance, a blue Edsel, that on the occasion of his accident needed to be pushed to get started. He remembered the blessings and prayers that were offered in his behalf and he remembered how powerful the principle of hope became in his life. He underwent many surgeries and therapy sessions to try and help him recover from this terrible accident. As time went on he was able to develop some movement in his arms. He described how one day he and his therapist noticed a twitch in his arm and how they worked hard on that twitch to develop enough movement that by the aid of braces he could move his arms. Just like when he was a baby he learned again how to do simple things. He relearned how to eat, write and do simple things like turning the pages of a book. He never walked again or had any movement in his legs. Instead of the powerful, strong muscles that he had developed as a teenager working on the farm, he now had a very skinny, motionless body.
I remember him getting very discouraged and despondent. At times it seemed that he just wanted to give up. It was hard for him to just lie there and it was hard for others to see him there. What would he be able to do with his life? His life seemed to be over. He seemed destined to be waited on by others for the rest of his life. He could not stand to have others pity him. He was a proud person. He was ashamed and embarrassed with his condition.
But, Wendell had family, friends and acquaintances that would not mind their own business. One day, a man who taught religion classes for the local seminary, and who had recently moved his family to Mapleton, went to visit Wendell. His name was Brother Howes. Brother Howes and others would not leave Wendell alone. They came over regularly to visit, talk and read with Wendell. I remember Wendell saying that he at times wanted to run away from the embarrassment of his situation, but he couldn’t. He was a captive audience. He couldn’t run away. This was a time when in his self-pity he didn’t want any one around to see him. Wendell was always grateful though for Brother Howes and others who took the time to make Wendell part of their business. These visits gave Wendell hope and inspiration for a better future. It helped him to not give up.
As a result of the hope and inspiration that came into Wendell’s life from the many doctors, therapists, family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances who made Wendell their business, Wendell went on to accomplish incredible things. One of his first accomplishments was to learn how to eat. I remember being at his home when he was relearning how to eat mashed potatoes by himself. With the brace on his left arm holding the spoon for him, he would laboriously get a spoonful of mashed potatoes and try and get them into his mouth. He started with mashed potatoes and peanut butter in relearning how to eat, because it was harder for him to spill them. Early on in this process he often missed getting the food into his mouth as he relearned how to feed himself. How could anyone spill peanut butter or mashed potatoes, but he did. He went on to learn how to feed himself, how to paint and how to write. He painted many beautiful sceneries and pictures, even though it would take him months to do just one painting. The task was still extremely difficult to do with a brace and with the limited movement of his arm muscles, but he persevered and produced many beautiful paintings. He coauthored a book. He taught many church lessons from his bedside. It will always be a cherished memory for me to have 15 to 20 of us surround his bed on a Sunday morning and listen to him teach us about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He had insights because of his condition and experiences that most of us will never have. I still marvel to this day at his courage and character as he taught us, lying crippled in bed, dressed in pajamas, with the braces on his arms and with a blanket over his useless body. With the brace on his arm, propped up in his hospital-style bed, with his books on a podium over his lap, he turned the pages of the instruction manuals as he taught us.
He was a good friend, counselor and confidant for many a young man at this time. I will always be grateful for those who inspired him to give what he could and to do the best that he could. I will also always be grateful for those who were wise enough to give him the opportunity to serve others. He became both the Justice of the Peace and the Mayor of Mapleton. He married a wonderful young woman, Susan Edmonds, who supported and helped him. Together they have a beautiful daughter. At his funeral, at about the age of 45, Wendell’s daughter told a story about his final painting. It is a beautiful painting of our Savior, Jesus Christ. She said that her father had died once before, but he was allowed to return to his feeble body and to finish this final painting. I have a copy of this painting on my bedroom wall. It reminds me daily of the strength and character of one who was paralyzed at an early age of his life, but who was inspired by the caring of others, and who became a magnificent influence in the lives of many. It reminds me of the great example of our Savior Jesus Christ and the miracle of his life and resurrection. Wendell’s life was a miracle. What he accomplished inspired many. I will always be grateful for his friendship and counsel. I believe that I will see him again and I look forward to that reunion. Well done Wendell.
His younger brother, Morris, and I were good friends. I remember as a 14 year old going over to the new addition of the Johnson home, which Wendell’s father had built for the care of Wendell. It was one room, maybe 15 feet by 15 feet in size, with a large bathroom and a hospital type bed. Here Wendell spent a good deal of his life. Here he learned anew how to eat. He relearned how to paint. He became renowned in some of his paintings. Here he was loved by family and friends who sought to help and comfort him. Here he taught and influenced many for good. Here we held some of our church services on Sunday, so that Wendell could participate with us. Here I admired the strength and character of Wendell and those who served him.
I remember being in church the day that the Boy Scouts of America awarded a medal of heroism to the friend that saved Wendell’s life. In 1964 at the age of 16, Wendell had been swimming at the flume, a washed-out portion of the irrigation canal that flows above the farms of Mapleton. Wendell and one of his friends had gone to the flume to swim and cool off after a hard day of working on the farms in Mapleton. Wendell told his story of standing on the embankment of the canal, of looking down into the swirling waters of the flume, and of diving in. He expected to make a shallow dive, but for some reason he said that he arched awkwardly in the air. As he dove into the water, he hit the bottom with his head and he broke his neck and spine. He remembers the moment as one in which he thought he might die. He remembered thinking that one’s life does flash before him as one’s life is near its end. He remembered struggling to move his muscles and his body and having nothing work for him. He remembered the feelings of panic and fear as he could not get air or move. Suddenly the friend that was with him raised him out of the water and he remembered how wonderful it was to grasp for air again. He remembered looking down at his body while he was lying still in the middle of the dirt road next to the canal and being unable to make his body move or work for him. He remembered being lifted into the Mapleton ambulance, a blue Edsel, that on the occasion of his accident needed to be pushed to get started. He remembered the blessings and prayers that were offered in his behalf and he remembered how powerful the principle of hope became in his life. He underwent many surgeries and therapy sessions to try and help him recover from this terrible accident. As time went on he was able to develop some movement in his arms. He described how one day he and his therapist noticed a twitch in his arm and how they worked hard on that twitch to develop enough movement that by the aid of braces he could move his arms. Just like when he was a baby he learned again how to do simple things. He relearned how to eat, write and do simple things like turning the pages of a book. He never walked again or had any movement in his legs. Instead of the powerful, strong muscles that he had developed as a teenager working on the farm, he now had a very skinny, motionless body.
I remember him getting very discouraged and despondent. At times it seemed that he just wanted to give up. It was hard for him to just lie there and it was hard for others to see him there. What would he be able to do with his life? His life seemed to be over. He seemed destined to be waited on by others for the rest of his life. He could not stand to have others pity him. He was a proud person. He was ashamed and embarrassed with his condition.
But, Wendell had family, friends and acquaintances that would not mind their own business. One day, a man who taught religion classes for the local seminary, and who had recently moved his family to Mapleton, went to visit Wendell. His name was Brother Howes. Brother Howes and others would not leave Wendell alone. They came over regularly to visit, talk and read with Wendell. I remember Wendell saying that he at times wanted to run away from the embarrassment of his situation, but he couldn’t. He was a captive audience. He couldn’t run away. This was a time when in his self-pity he didn’t want any one around to see him. Wendell was always grateful though for Brother Howes and others who took the time to make Wendell part of their business. These visits gave Wendell hope and inspiration for a better future. It helped him to not give up.
As a result of the hope and inspiration that came into Wendell’s life from the many doctors, therapists, family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances who made Wendell their business, Wendell went on to accomplish incredible things. One of his first accomplishments was to learn how to eat. I remember being at his home when he was relearning how to eat mashed potatoes by himself. With the brace on his left arm holding the spoon for him, he would laboriously get a spoonful of mashed potatoes and try and get them into his mouth. He started with mashed potatoes and peanut butter in relearning how to eat, because it was harder for him to spill them. Early on in this process he often missed getting the food into his mouth as he relearned how to feed himself. How could anyone spill peanut butter or mashed potatoes, but he did. He went on to learn how to feed himself, how to paint and how to write. He painted many beautiful sceneries and pictures, even though it would take him months to do just one painting. The task was still extremely difficult to do with a brace and with the limited movement of his arm muscles, but he persevered and produced many beautiful paintings. He coauthored a book. He taught many church lessons from his bedside. It will always be a cherished memory for me to have 15 to 20 of us surround his bed on a Sunday morning and listen to him teach us about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He had insights because of his condition and experiences that most of us will never have. I still marvel to this day at his courage and character as he taught us, lying crippled in bed, dressed in pajamas, with the braces on his arms and with a blanket over his useless body. With the brace on his arm, propped up in his hospital-style bed, with his books on a podium over his lap, he turned the pages of the instruction manuals as he taught us.
He was a good friend, counselor and confidant for many a young man at this time. I will always be grateful for those who inspired him to give what he could and to do the best that he could. I will also always be grateful for those who were wise enough to give him the opportunity to serve others. He became both the Justice of the Peace and the Mayor of Mapleton. He married a wonderful young woman, Susan Edmonds, who supported and helped him. Together they have a beautiful daughter. At his funeral, at about the age of 45, Wendell’s daughter told a story about his final painting. It is a beautiful painting of our Savior, Jesus Christ. She said that her father had died once before, but he was allowed to return to his feeble body and to finish this final painting. I have a copy of this painting on my bedroom wall. It reminds me daily of the strength and character of one who was paralyzed at an early age of his life, but who was inspired by the caring of others, and who became a magnificent influence in the lives of many. It reminds me of the great example of our Savior Jesus Christ and the miracle of his life and resurrection. Wendell’s life was a miracle. What he accomplished inspired many. I will always be grateful for his friendship and counsel. I believe that I will see him again and I look forward to that reunion. Well done Wendell.
Tabby Mountain
Tabby Mountain is just west of Highway 208 in Duschesne County Utah. It rises to over 10,000 feet in elevation. Efforts are being made to preserve the land adjascent to Highway 208 as winter range for the many deer and elk herds in this area. Yesterday, as I was driving along this 10 mile stretch of highway, which has an elevation of about 6500 feet, I was privileged to see 2 bald eagles near the highway. There was a herd of elk on the west side of the highway, and there were many deer. The snow was about 8 inches deep and the temperature at 2 pm was 13 degrees F. I can see why it would be a nice area to preserve. It was fun to observe such wildlife. Nearby on Highway 40 there was a moose and another bald eagle. What a pretty day.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Jordan Education Foundation
It was a great pleasure for me this week to visit three different grade schools in the Salt Lake Valley to present checks, in the form of mini-grants, to pay for special projects. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving on the board of the Jordan Education Foundation, and it is even more rewarding to see up close and personal the wonderful service the teachers and administrators provide for our children. One class I visited was providing learning opportunities to severely handicapped children. I marveled at the wonderful progress these students were making under the tuteledge of very talented and very dedicated teachers. The second visit was to a faculty meeting where the teachers receiving the mini-grants described their different projects. They had 47 teachers serving over 1100 students in this school. I marveled at the dedication of these teachers and administrators. Finally, I visited a grade-school, where a very dedicated music teacher was leading a band of grade-schoolers in an assembly celebrating the music of the season. It was wonderful. Again, it looked like there must have been 1000 or more students in this school. With such wonderful teachers and administrators in the Jordan School District, I know that good things are going to continue to happen. Thanks to all those that serve in the Jordan School District.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Christian Mormons
As a Christian and as a Mormon, my favorite chapter of scripture is Chapter 25 in the Book of Matthew of the New Testament. Here, just a few days before the Saviour of the World is crucified and is then resurrected, Christ teaches his disciples three important lessons. The first one is to be prepared. The second one is to not be afraid, but to go to work. And the third is to be righteous, which He defines in the parable of the sheep and the goats as doing good to others. At this Christmas time of the year, good things happen as we serve and give to others. I am thankful to live in this great country of America where I have the freedom to practice these principles of divinity; preparation, work and righteousness.
Reagonomics
Which of the Republican presidential candidates would promote Reagonomics? Is Reagonomics the correct course for the future?
I'm not sure. But under President Reagan, even though the budget deficit increased dramatically, some very good things took place:
1. Supply side economics.
a. Budget deficit increased from $700 Million to $3 Trillion.
b. Inflation went from about 11% to about 5%.
c. Income tax rates were decreased significantly; particularly for the rich.
d. Gold went from about $600/oz. to about $400/oz.
e. Oil went from about $30/barrel to about $16/barrel.
f. US stock markets increased about 300%.
g. World stock markets increased about 400%.
h. The US $ strengthened into 1985 and then fell sharply into 1989.
2. Peace through strength.
a. The Berlin Wall came down.
The debates are on.
What are some of the differences this time around that need to be addressed:
1. Is there too much wealth in the hands of too few?
2. How do we pay for social security, medicare and medicaid going forward?
3. How do we deal with rising energy costs?
I'm not sure. But under President Reagan, even though the budget deficit increased dramatically, some very good things took place:
1. Supply side economics.
a. Budget deficit increased from $700 Million to $3 Trillion.
b. Inflation went from about 11% to about 5%.
c. Income tax rates were decreased significantly; particularly for the rich.
d. Gold went from about $600/oz. to about $400/oz.
e. Oil went from about $30/barrel to about $16/barrel.
f. US stock markets increased about 300%.
g. World stock markets increased about 400%.
h. The US $ strengthened into 1985 and then fell sharply into 1989.
2. Peace through strength.
a. The Berlin Wall came down.
The debates are on.
What are some of the differences this time around that need to be addressed:
1. Is there too much wealth in the hands of too few?
2. How do we pay for social security, medicare and medicaid going forward?
3. How do we deal with rising energy costs?
Utah Wildlife Viewing
Yesterday I drove from Salt Lake City to Fruitland and back. It is about a 3 hour drive round trip. The temperature at Salt Lake in the morning was 21 F when I left. It was 5 F at Heber City. It was 15 F at Strawberry Reservoir and it was 9 F in Fruitland. On the return trip in the afternoon, the temperature at Fruitland was 15 F; at Strawberry it was 21 F; at Heber City it was 20; and at Salt Lake it was 27 F. There were many deer on the hillsides along the way. With about 8 inches of snow on average in these mountains, the deer were easy to see. There was a moose between Strawberry Reservoir and Fruitland and there were two bald eagles flying up Daniels Canyon. On other occasions when I have made this trip, I will often see elk herds on the hills just west of Heber City. There are also many deer, eagles, and elk along the highway from Highway 40 to Tabiona in the winter time. There are domesticated elk and buffalo worth seeing along the highway between Tabiona and Duchesne. It's a great place to see Utah Wildlife.
Friday, December 7, 2007
A Christian President
I think that a Christian President would be one who focuses on the attributes espoused in Matthew 25 of the New Testament. Since Mitt Romney referenced these passages in his Faith Speech yesterday, I would say that he is focused on these values. Good Job Mitt.
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