Things have been very quiet and rather humdrum at our house for some time. A number of years ago our youngest daughter Jackie said to her mother, "If dad were "normal" like everyone else life would be so boring!"
Well, last week I decided to bring a little excitement back into our lives. Our three married daughters, a daughter-in-law, and eight of our sixteen grandchildren came to our home in Tustin and Jo Anne and I went with them to a nice park for a picnic. We had Subway sandwiches, cookies and chips and root beer -- life just doesn't get much better than that!
The sun was shining brightly but it was cold and I had a black poncho on to protect me from the chill in the air. As long as I faced the sun, I was warm and happy, much like a toad sitting on a hot rock out in the desert.
Facing the way I was; however, I couldn't see the kids playing on the playground equipment and so I decided to re-position myself, even though it meant turning my face away from my friend, "Mr. Sun."
My eyesight isn't very good and as I turned toward the playground area it looked to me like there was no drop-off or barrier between the sidewalk I was on and the playground area. To my surprise, there was a drop-off from the sidewalk to the sandy area where the kids were playing. I hit it at such an angle that my wheelchair began to tip over on its left side, of course with me in it. I resembled a pregnant elephant that not very gracefully, had to lie down on her side rather quickly. If you were to assign style points to my tipping over, on a scale from zero to 10, you may have given me a one, but that would have been generous.
Two of the girls saw me literally "bite the [dust] sand" and their screams would have raised the dead. Jo Anne, from her vantage point, could only see a big black blob lying in the sand and then was able to make out my features and realized the black blob was me.
When my face was finally settled into the sand and I realized I was still breathing, any panic I had quickly disappeared. I have always said "If you can just breathe, everything else in life is pretty much just icing on the cake."
Well, there I was, at least 450 pounds of dead weight -- I hate to say that but it's true -- lying on my side in the sand. Jo Anne, always practical, felt there was no way they could get me up so she commenced to dial 911. My daughters, daughter in law, some of the bigger grandkids, and three or four moms that were at the park with their kids tried to push me and the chair upright. Their first effort was unsuccessful but the second effort, spurred on by massive doses of adrenaline now pumping through their bodies, was very successful as these women got that chair with me in it upright and out of the sand. Whoever said women are the "weaker sex" should have been at the park that day to realize how false that statement really is.
And so, I made my contribution to the picnic by turning it into a very exciting and memorable event. Who said I wasn't good for anything? I must admit being a bit offended at being called a "black blob" by my wife, but it was an apt description.
I can't tell you how many times I have driven up to the "edge" of a drop-off in my wheelchair only to be miraculously stopped before tipping off onto my face. I know I can't see well and have promised Jo Anne to stay as far away from the edge of the sidewalk as I can, and to never drive anywhere without somebody walking in front to show me the safe way.
Because of our agency, if we choose to do so, we can live our lives on the very edge of physical or spiritual disaster. One false move and we are over the edge and must suffer the consequences of our actions. How wise it is to stay away from the edge of physical or spiritual disaster following those who know the "safe way."
And what if we do plunge off the edge; is all lost? I don't think so! David teetered on the edge of spiritual disaster and then plunged off into an abyss of misery. I have often wondered when David quit reading his scriptures and praying regularly. As he quit doing these things he got too close to the edge and invited disaster into his life. However, even David's disaster taught him a great lesson about the love of the Savior in his life. "I waited patiently for the Lord and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. And he has also brought me up out of an horrible pit, out of the mire in clay, and has set my feet on a rock and has put a new song in my mouth." [Psalms 40:1-3]
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
Monday, April 27, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Living Our Religion Will Help Us Rise Above Mediocrity And Excel In Our Professions
The Transcontinental Railroad is the popular name of the U.S. railroad line (known at the time as the Pacific Railroad) completed in 1869 that tied to our nation together as one. It was opened for through traffic on May 10, 1869, with the driving of the "Last Spike" at Promontory Summit, Utah.
Several years ago I read Stephen Ambrose's wonderful book "The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad." It is an incredible story of engineering and technology, political intrigue, and hard backbreaking work, as well as unbelievable endurance in the face of seemingly impossible odds.
I found it intriguing to realize that the Transcontinental Railroad was built across the state of Utah in 1868-69 when Brigham Young was governor of the territory and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Saints had only been in Utah approximately 20 years when the Transcontinental Railroad was being built across the state. The Railroad Company needed to hire many men to get the Railroad built across Utah in a timely fashion and then to maintain it. The economy of Utah was still very fragile and Brigham Young saw this as a great opportunity for the men of the Church to earn some valuable income for their families and to bolster the local economy.
In a general meeting with the Saints, Brigham Young, always very practical as well as visionary, said: "We want the Saints to increase in goodness until our mechanics, for instance, are so honest and reliable that this Railroad Company will say, “Give us a ‘Mormon’ Elder for an engineer, then none need have the least fear to ride, for if he knows there is danger he will take every measure necessary to preserve the lives of those entrusted to his care.” I want to see our Elders so full of integrity that they will be preferred by this Company for their engine builders, watchmen, engineers, clerks, and business managers. If we live our religion and are worthy [of] the name of Latter-day Saints, we are just the men that all such business can be entrusted to with perfect safety; if it can not it will prove that we do not live our religion." (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Brigham Young Book on page 24. Also found in Discourses of Brigham Young, 232-33).
I believe Brigham Young's counsel given in the 1860s to be timeless. Given today's fragile economy and with millions losing their jobs, to follow his admonition is to exercise great wisdom.
Actually, my good friend and former Bishop, Brent North, put me onto the Brigham Young quote. He also gave me permission to quote him as follows:
"I think that one of the most important things we can do in this economy is to excel in our jobs. Just collecting a paycheck, just doing our jobs is not enough. We must excel in them. When we do, we will be so irreplaceable that the marketplace will not be able to do without us. When I was a junior in high school and was beginning to consider whether or not to become an attorney, I expressed my concerns to the only attorney that I had ever met—a man named Richard King who spoke at a Rotary Youth Leadership Camp that a teacher nominated me to attend on scholarship. I told him I worried about what I had read about how there were too many attorneys and that I wasn’t sure I would be able to find work. He said something that never left me. “Mediocre will always be crowded in every profession, but there will always be room at the top. If you are going to excel, don’t worry about how many others there are in the profession.” That gave me the courage to launch my career." [Brent North]
I hope my grandchildren will read what Brigham Young and Brent have written and take it to heart. I know I have worked hard to try to excel in my profession as a quadriplegic on life support so I would never have to worry about being replaced as numero uno quadriplegic on a ventilator by the many others that are out there vying for my position. I surely wouldn't want to be replaced at the top of my profession and fall into the ranks of the "mediocre," commonplace quadriplegics on life support. Heck, I might even get fired -- I wonder how that would be?
Brent also gave me permission to share the following wonderful story, having gained permission to do so from Walter Dellinger.
"A friend of mine is Walter Dellinger, former Solicitor General of the United States. During the Watergate trial, Judge Sirica's chambers were constantly beset with attempts to get leaked information. He had asked Walter Dellinger for a recommendation for a clerk before Watergate fell into his lap. His first clerk was a good LDS attorney, but his tenure was expiring. Judge Sirica went to Walter again and explained that his first clerk’s tenure was ending and he had to find another one, but that the next one had to be LDS too. He explained that given the nature of the position and the pressures on it, he absolutely had to have confidence and trust in the integrity and work ethic of the clerk. The clerk that Walter recommended and who was hired as Judge Sirica's second Mormon clerk was Lynn Wardle. The first one, hired before the Watergate trial began, was none other than D. Todd Christofferson. Isn't that a great story?" [Brent North]
Yes, Brent, that is a great story! I believe that you and Brigham have taught us all a great lesson given the fragile status of the nation and the world at this time.
There always has been and always will be a need for excellence in any profession. It never really is crowded at the top. "Mediocre" will just never ever do it for us!
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
NEVER give up!
February 24, 2009, Observation:
Victor E. Frankl wrote his landmark book, "Man's Search for Meaning" in 1945, having lived through the Holocaust and witnessing the deaths of his immediate family and extended family as well. I read his book for the first time as a college student and it had a great impact upon me then. What he said struck a chord with me and rang true. Now, based on 20 years experience of living life paralyzed from the neck down and on life support his words are even more profound and meaningful to me. If you have never read the book you must do so and if you read it many years ago you owe it to yourself to read it again.
His insights and reflections regarding those who were able to survive the death camps of the Holocaust are timeless and applicable to anyone who has faced seemingly impossible circumstances that life has brought their way. There are many individuals, like those who lived in the death camps, who share similar experiences: paralysis, cancer, heart problems, multiple sclerosis, marital and family problems, financial problems, etc., but who react to them in different ways. In the death camps, there were those who simply gave up and died, while others survived and eventually went on to live happy and productive lives. The same is true with the less dramatic experiences that so many of us share in common. There are those who simply give up in the face of their adversity, while others, being faced with the same adversity, seem to actually grow stronger, and in many cases, survive the seemingly non-survivable.
In the short paragraph below, Frankl identifies something those who survived the death camps had in common, as opposed to those who simply gave up and died.
"A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."
[p.127]
My understanding of what Frankl is saying is that if we know that family members need our love and that we are loved in return, and if we have some work, some significant project (at least to us) that we have a desire to complete, then we will be blessed with a desire to live and press forward regardless of the seemingly impossible odds we are facing.
I know this has been the case with me during the past 20 years. Because of the love and support I have received from our family and because I still feel I can contribute in my own unique way in strengthening and blessing my loved ones, I have a great will to continue to live. I also have projects and work, goals to achieve, that make me excited to get up each day and go to work. I would imagine the worst day of my life would be that there was nothing to get up for and to accomplish. I haven't faced that day yet, thank goodness.
As insightful as Frankl's observations are regarding survival, I believe he left out the most important ingredient which is faith and hope. Several weeks ago Jo Anne had me watch a 20/20 program on ABC which she had previously recorded. It was a documentary on survival. There were five or six different individuals whose survival stories were told. Many of these people were severely injured and should have died, but did not. One man lost both legs when a train ran over him and should have died on the spot but was able to keep his wits about him and get help through his cell phone. He continues to live a productive life without legs. The moderator had interviewed dozens of survivors all over the world and discovered a common element in all those who had the will to live and did so. That common element was faith in God. They were all from different religious traditions but they believed that God could help them and their faith gave them the hope and will to cling to life.
Faith and hope, coupled with family love and support and daily goals in seeking to accomplish some great good, will kindle and cause to blaze within our hearts the will to live and be productive.
There are many examples, both negative and positive, regarding what I have written above. I have known four men, younger than me, who have sustained spinal cord injuries that left them paralyzed from the neck down and on life support. All of them had more movement of their upper body than I have and yet each of them died within two years of their accident. I was able to visit with three of them several times in care facilities where they were being warehoused because family members were unwilling or unable to bring them home and see to their rehabilitation. My heart would just break because I could see their potential and yet they were without hope and I believe, in at least three cases, they simply died of a broken heart. In one case, after two years of not being able to get out of bed because of horrible pressure sores, the poor man with his family's support and permission went through the necessary legal paperwork so that he could be disconnected from his life-support system. He was finally injected with a sedative and the doctors "pulled the plug" as he had desired.
There is no way I can describe my sorrow as I have experienced these needless deaths and miserable lives. What contributions to family, friends, and society at large could these men have made had they received the family support they needed, had some great goal to work toward, and had greater faith and hope in a loving and kind Heavenly Father?
Thankfully, there are many more positive examples that we all are aware of. How proud I am of the many individuals I know who, for example, are battling cancer with great courage, or courageously fight other difficult health challenges, who never give up, and bless so many other lives in the process.
One of my favorite historical characters is Winston Churchill. The essence of his life is captured in the words he spoke to his countrymen during the dark days of World War II, "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, GIVE UP!" Hopefully his words will be the essence of our lives regardless of what circumstances life may bring our way.
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
Victor E. Frankl wrote his landmark book, "Man's Search for Meaning" in 1945, having lived through the Holocaust and witnessing the deaths of his immediate family and extended family as well. I read his book for the first time as a college student and it had a great impact upon me then. What he said struck a chord with me and rang true. Now, based on 20 years experience of living life paralyzed from the neck down and on life support his words are even more profound and meaningful to me. If you have never read the book you must do so and if you read it many years ago you owe it to yourself to read it again.
His insights and reflections regarding those who were able to survive the death camps of the Holocaust are timeless and applicable to anyone who has faced seemingly impossible circumstances that life has brought their way. There are many individuals, like those who lived in the death camps, who share similar experiences: paralysis, cancer, heart problems, multiple sclerosis, marital and family problems, financial problems, etc., but who react to them in different ways. In the death camps, there were those who simply gave up and died, while others survived and eventually went on to live happy and productive lives. The same is true with the less dramatic experiences that so many of us share in common. There are those who simply give up in the face of their adversity, while others, being faced with the same adversity, seem to actually grow stronger, and in many cases, survive the seemingly non-survivable.
In the short paragraph below, Frankl identifies something those who survived the death camps had in common, as opposed to those who simply gave up and died.
"A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."
[p.127]
My understanding of what Frankl is saying is that if we know that family members need our love and that we are loved in return, and if we have some work, some significant project (at least to us) that we have a desire to complete, then we will be blessed with a desire to live and press forward regardless of the seemingly impossible odds we are facing.
I know this has been the case with me during the past 20 years. Because of the love and support I have received from our family and because I still feel I can contribute in my own unique way in strengthening and blessing my loved ones, I have a great will to continue to live. I also have projects and work, goals to achieve, that make me excited to get up each day and go to work. I would imagine the worst day of my life would be that there was nothing to get up for and to accomplish. I haven't faced that day yet, thank goodness.
As insightful as Frankl's observations are regarding survival, I believe he left out the most important ingredient which is faith and hope. Several weeks ago Jo Anne had me watch a 20/20 program on ABC which she had previously recorded. It was a documentary on survival. There were five or six different individuals whose survival stories were told. Many of these people were severely injured and should have died, but did not. One man lost both legs when a train ran over him and should have died on the spot but was able to keep his wits about him and get help through his cell phone. He continues to live a productive life without legs. The moderator had interviewed dozens of survivors all over the world and discovered a common element in all those who had the will to live and did so. That common element was faith in God. They were all from different religious traditions but they believed that God could help them and their faith gave them the hope and will to cling to life.
Faith and hope, coupled with family love and support and daily goals in seeking to accomplish some great good, will kindle and cause to blaze within our hearts the will to live and be productive.
There are many examples, both negative and positive, regarding what I have written above. I have known four men, younger than me, who have sustained spinal cord injuries that left them paralyzed from the neck down and on life support. All of them had more movement of their upper body than I have and yet each of them died within two years of their accident. I was able to visit with three of them several times in care facilities where they were being warehoused because family members were unwilling or unable to bring them home and see to their rehabilitation. My heart would just break because I could see their potential and yet they were without hope and I believe, in at least three cases, they simply died of a broken heart. In one case, after two years of not being able to get out of bed because of horrible pressure sores, the poor man with his family's support and permission went through the necessary legal paperwork so that he could be disconnected from his life-support system. He was finally injected with a sedative and the doctors "pulled the plug" as he had desired.
There is no way I can describe my sorrow as I have experienced these needless deaths and miserable lives. What contributions to family, friends, and society at large could these men have made had they received the family support they needed, had some great goal to work toward, and had greater faith and hope in a loving and kind Heavenly Father?
Thankfully, there are many more positive examples that we all are aware of. How proud I am of the many individuals I know who, for example, are battling cancer with great courage, or courageously fight other difficult health challenges, who never give up, and bless so many other lives in the process.
One of my favorite historical characters is Winston Churchill. The essence of his life is captured in the words he spoke to his countrymen during the dark days of World War II, "NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, GIVE UP!" Hopefully his words will be the essence of our lives regardless of what circumstances life may bring our way.
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Giving Up Something Good For Something Better
Last Sunday Jo Anne and I had a sweet experience that many of you grandparents are fortunate enough to have as well. Our 16-year-old grandson, Garret Jack Stratford, was ordained a priest and we were able to be there to participate in this wonderful event. Garret is a good boy, a great athlete -- starting quarterback on his JV football team -- a good student, and most importantly as I mentioned above, a good boy -- just like your grandsons.
During the course of the evening our granddaughter, Allora Stratford, played the piano for us. She is a gifted pianist and also has been blessed with a beautiful soprano voice. She played a piece she had memorized for a competition -- an eight minute number written by Franz Schubert. It was technically difficult and she played beautifully and with great feeling.
As I sat there listening to her I had a little pang, a nostalgic feeling, come into my heart. One of the things I truly miss in my current physical condition is that I can't play the piano anymore. I took piano lessons from the time I was 12 years old through my sophomore year at BYU where I was majoring in music with a music scholarship. Allora is much more gifted than I was but I had a great love for the piano. In the mission field, although I took no music with me, I was still able to play Chopin's Revolutionary Étude, Franz Liszt's Lebestraum, The Dream of Olwen, and a few others as well all by memory. It always brought me great joy to sit down at the piano and play. I especially enjoyed playing the hymns and singing my heart out while nobody was around to hear me. Although I didn't pursue studying the piano after my mission I dearly enjoyed being able to play up until my accident.
I think one of the things I miss the most from my former life is not being able to play the piano or sing anymore. Don't get me wrong, I am not eating my heart out about that, but once in a while, as when I listened to Allora last Sunday, I get that little pang in my heart.
Sometimes in life, either by accident or by conscious choice, we have to give up something good for something better. I lost so much because of my accident but gained even more because of the unique experience I have been privileged to have over the past 20 years. My situation was forced upon me. I honestly think those who make the conscious choice to give up something good for something better are the truly blessed ones.
Most of the people I know have pretty well mastered many of the commandments like not committing murder, or lying or cheating, and etc. I believe however, that if we are to step up to a higher level and better quality of life our challenge may be not so much repenting of deep, dark, sin, but realizing we must give up something good for something better. Let me give you some examples of what I am trying to say.
One of my heroes has always been Joseph Fielding Smith. I love the following story he told about himself to the youth of the Church. He wrote: "[Late in my life I came to realize] ... How hard it frequently is for some people to give up something they really love and enjoy. I have always loved sports and particularly enjoyed playing handball with my brother David. One day I came off a handball court perspiring heavily and with my face flushed. A nonmember friend of mine, Dr. Plummer, was standing near my locker. He looked at me and said, “Brother Joseph, if you don’t stop that, one of these days you will drop dead on the floor, just as So-and-so did.” It was hard for me. Every day I wanted to play some handball. Whenever I would look out my office window, I’d see the Deseret Gym next door and want to go and play. But I kept my resolve. I visited Dr. Plummer a short time later, and he said, “Brother Joseph, are you still playing handball?” I said, “Doctor, when you told me to quit, I quit, and I have never been back on the court.” ... I enjoyed that game more than I can say. I almost hungered to play, but I had learned that it was not good for me at my age. At that time I gained a little more perspective on how difficult it is for [us] to give up some activity or habit [we] may have enjoyed for many years... I’ve learned from my own experience that when you want to change, really want to change, you can do it." [Joseph Fielding Smith, January, New Era, 1971]
I can identify with that Joseph Fielding Smith experience. Had he not had the discipline and willpower to give up something good for something better; in this case his life, he may never have become president of the Church.
A story written by Karen Nolen, which appeared in the New Era in 1974, is one which should never be forgotten as we think of giving up something good for something better.
"Benjamin Landart, in 1888, was 15 years old and an accomplished violinist living on a farm in northern Utah with his mother and seven brothers and sisters. In late 1892 Benjamin was asked to travel to Salt Lake to audition for a place with the territorial orchestra. For him, this was a dream come true. After several weeks of practicing and prayers, he went to Salt Lake in March of 1893 for the much-anticipated audition. When he heard Benjamin play, the conductor, a Mr. Dean, said Benjamin was the most accomplished violinist he had heard west of Denver. Benjamin was told to report to Denver for rehearsals in the fall and learned that he would be earning enough to keep himself, with some left over to send home.
A week after Benjamin received this good news, however, his bishop called him into his office and asked if Benjamin couldn’t put off playing with the orchestra for a couple of years to serve a mission. We can only imagine what Benjamin must have felt knowing that if he accepted the call and he would lose this once in a lifetime opportunity to play in the territorial orchestra. Benjamin however, told the bishop that if the family could raise the money to support him in the mission field that he would go. When Benjamin told his mother about the call, she was overjoyed. However, when they discussed the financing of the mission, her face clouded over. Benjamin told her he would not allow her to sell any more of their land. She studied his face for a moment and then said, “Ben, there is a way we can raise the money. This family [has] one thing that is of great enough value to send you on your mission. You will have to sell your violin.” Six days later, on March 23, 1893, Benjamin wrote in his journal: “I awoke this morning and took my violin from its case. All day long I played the music I love. In the evening when the light grew dim and I could see to play no longer, I placed the instrument in its case. It will be enough. Tomorrow I leave [for my mission].”
Forty-five years later, on June 23, 1938, Benjamin wrote in his journal: “The greatest decision I ever made in my life was to give up something I dearly loved to the God I loved even more. He has never forgotten me for it.”
Saturday, January 24, 2009
We Should Nurture Our Spirits By Thinking On These Things
I quickly learned 20 years ago, just days after my accident that whatever quality of life I would have from that time on would be centered in the mind and spirit. The passing years have proven that to be true, but my spirit still resides in my physical body and an enduring challenge for Jo Anne and me is to do everything in our power to keep both my body and spirit healthy. I don't want to add "spiritual and emotional paralysis" to my physical paralysis.
The Scriptures teach us, "And the spirit and the body are the soul of man." [Doctrine & Covenants 88:15] Because we are both spirit and body -- dual beings -- in order for our souls to be complete, happy, and fulfilled we must take good care of both our body and spirit. When we receive a trauma to the body or when we are sick physically it usually affects our spirit as well, and vice versa.
Not being able to feel pain from my neck on down is a real liability because pain alerts us to the fact that something is wrong and we can go about getting it fixed before we incur greater damage. We don't like pain because it is well, "painful," but it is really a great blessing to us.
In my situation I generally only know something is wrong with my physical body because I start feeling down, unenthusiastic, depressed, and listless. I have learned to immediately heed these warning signs that come from my spirit, seeking medical help, and invariably finding the physical cause that is triggering my bad feelings. I must also truthfully report that Jo Anne always seems to know something is wrong with me before I do. Girls are just smarter for some reason -- it is maddening but true!
The fact still remains however, that for someone in my situation my life truly is centered in the mind and the spirit. Striving to keep my body healthy is extremely important but I believe what the Lord teaches us in the Scriptures regarding our concern for body and spirit. "Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul [spirit], and for the life of the soul [Spirit]. Doctrine & Covenants 101: 36-37 (emphasis added)]
Now, I don't think the Lord wants us to not strive to keep our bodies clean and healthy but I do think he doesn't want us to obsess over the way we look. If I read the scripture correctly he is telling us that the thing that will be of most worth in an eternal sense is to care for the spirit.
I am in a very interesting situation physically. I get bathed, exercised by my caregiver, teeth brushed, face shaved, hair combed, fed, and an outfit chosen for me to wear every single day. Truthfully, I have not looked in a mirror for about four months -- I don't need to. Oh, I want to look nice or at least presentable -- I don't give Jo Anne much to work with in raw material, but she does the best she can with what she has. We don't get to the temple as often as we would like but I reassure Jo Anne that as she cares for me daily she is doing her work for the dead! As for me however, my physical appearance is something that I don't even think about 99.9% of the time. My challenge in life is not physical but mental and spiritual. My entire existence involves trying to implement the Lord's counsel to "... care for the spirit and the life of the Spirit..."
This is a great challenge! Because I am trying with all my heart to "care for the spirit and the life of the spirit" I constantly seem to do battle with the media (I watch far more TV because of my situation than I would like to) to never let it get the best of me. In trying to care for my spirit I basically only watch Turner Classic Movies and sports on a regular basis. This is not an indictment of all movies or TV shows Hollywood produces -- Jo Anne and I saw several good movies during the holiday season. Maybe it is because I can't use my body at all that my spirit is so repelled by the blasphemy, cursing, violence and blatant sex that Hollywood parades before us in a seemingly endless tsunami of filth. What Hollywood gives us coupled with the sorry news we are exposed to day after day can just poison our spirits.
I was reading Paul's epistle to the Philippians the other day and gained a new insight that is probably not new to you but was quite meaningful to me. Joseph Smith quoted from Paul in writing what we know as the 13th Article of Faith. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." [Philippians 4: 8, emphasis added]
The thing that struck me with this reading was Paul's admonition to "... think on these things!" That was the insight -- "... think on these things!" With our agency every minute of every hour of every day we can choose what to "think on." We can let Hollywood and the world in which we live dictate what we think on or we can make the deliberate and conscious choice to think on those things that are honest, true, pure, virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy, and of good report. That is why we search the Scriptures daily and covenant each Sunday to "always remember Him."
Paul also beautifully said in his Epistle to the Romans: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." [Romans 12:2 emphasis added]
My daily challenge is to not become conformed to this world but to think on better things as I strive to care for the spirit part of my soul. What is your challenge?
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
The Scriptures teach us, "And the spirit and the body are the soul of man." [Doctrine & Covenants 88:15] Because we are both spirit and body -- dual beings -- in order for our souls to be complete, happy, and fulfilled we must take good care of both our body and spirit. When we receive a trauma to the body or when we are sick physically it usually affects our spirit as well, and vice versa.
Not being able to feel pain from my neck on down is a real liability because pain alerts us to the fact that something is wrong and we can go about getting it fixed before we incur greater damage. We don't like pain because it is well, "painful," but it is really a great blessing to us.
In my situation I generally only know something is wrong with my physical body because I start feeling down, unenthusiastic, depressed, and listless. I have learned to immediately heed these warning signs that come from my spirit, seeking medical help, and invariably finding the physical cause that is triggering my bad feelings. I must also truthfully report that Jo Anne always seems to know something is wrong with me before I do. Girls are just smarter for some reason -- it is maddening but true!
The fact still remains however, that for someone in my situation my life truly is centered in the mind and the spirit. Striving to keep my body healthy is extremely important but I believe what the Lord teaches us in the Scriptures regarding our concern for body and spirit. "Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full. Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul [spirit], and for the life of the soul [Spirit]. Doctrine & Covenants 101: 36-37 (emphasis added)]
Now, I don't think the Lord wants us to not strive to keep our bodies clean and healthy but I do think he doesn't want us to obsess over the way we look. If I read the scripture correctly he is telling us that the thing that will be of most worth in an eternal sense is to care for the spirit.
I am in a very interesting situation physically. I get bathed, exercised by my caregiver, teeth brushed, face shaved, hair combed, fed, and an outfit chosen for me to wear every single day. Truthfully, I have not looked in a mirror for about four months -- I don't need to. Oh, I want to look nice or at least presentable -- I don't give Jo Anne much to work with in raw material, but she does the best she can with what she has. We don't get to the temple as often as we would like but I reassure Jo Anne that as she cares for me daily she is doing her work for the dead! As for me however, my physical appearance is something that I don't even think about 99.9% of the time. My challenge in life is not physical but mental and spiritual. My entire existence involves trying to implement the Lord's counsel to "... care for the spirit and the life of the Spirit..."
This is a great challenge! Because I am trying with all my heart to "care for the spirit and the life of the spirit" I constantly seem to do battle with the media (I watch far more TV because of my situation than I would like to) to never let it get the best of me. In trying to care for my spirit I basically only watch Turner Classic Movies and sports on a regular basis. This is not an indictment of all movies or TV shows Hollywood produces -- Jo Anne and I saw several good movies during the holiday season. Maybe it is because I can't use my body at all that my spirit is so repelled by the blasphemy, cursing, violence and blatant sex that Hollywood parades before us in a seemingly endless tsunami of filth. What Hollywood gives us coupled with the sorry news we are exposed to day after day can just poison our spirits.
I was reading Paul's epistle to the Philippians the other day and gained a new insight that is probably not new to you but was quite meaningful to me. Joseph Smith quoted from Paul in writing what we know as the 13th Article of Faith. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." [Philippians 4: 8, emphasis added]
The thing that struck me with this reading was Paul's admonition to "... think on these things!" That was the insight -- "... think on these things!" With our agency every minute of every hour of every day we can choose what to "think on." We can let Hollywood and the world in which we live dictate what we think on or we can make the deliberate and conscious choice to think on those things that are honest, true, pure, virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy, and of good report. That is why we search the Scriptures daily and covenant each Sunday to "always remember Him."
Paul also beautifully said in his Epistle to the Romans: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..." [Romans 12:2 emphasis added]
My daily challenge is to not become conformed to this world but to think on better things as I strive to care for the spirit part of my soul. What is your challenge?
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Joseph Millett Story
Our son John is an ER doctor serving his final six months in the Air Force. The Air Force paid for three years of his medical school education at USC and for that he owed them three years of full-time service. He was deployed to Afghanistan for about five months a while back and is now serving his final six-month deployment at a large air base and hospital in southern Germany near the French border. His home base for the past three years has been Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. He has been trained as a critical care doctor and heads a team that consists of an RN and a respiratory therapist.
His team has a very interesting and vital mission. Every Sunday they fly from Germany to Maryland with wounded troops that are checked into Walter Reed Hospital in the Washington, DC area where they receive specialized care. John's team's mission is to keep these soldiers and Marines alive during the long flight from Germany to Maryland. They fly in a huge cargo plane that has been converted into a flying ICU. The thing that impressed me and touched my heart was when I asked John how many wounded troops were on the plane from Germany to the United States. He told me that on the two trips he has taken thus far there has only been one critically wounded soldier on the entire airplane which he says is like flying in a massive warehouse. I believe on the first flight he and his team were responsible for keeping alive a young man who had been severely injured in an explosion in Iraq. He was being flown to Walter Reed in an attempt to save his leg. He also said there were several, what he called, "walkie-talkies"; wounded troops who were injured but not in imminent danger of dying. I was so impressed at the money expended and the care given, especially to this one critically injured young man. It made me feel good inside to know how concerned we are for this one critically wounded soldier and what we are willing to do to save this single precious life. I don't know where you are at politically, but what John is doing along with his team made me feel proud to be an American.
How important is a single life? No price can be placed on it of course! I couldn't help think of the Savior and his concern for the "one" as exemplified in his mortal ministry. Oh, he fed the 5,000 and spoke to multitudes on occasion, but most of his ministry was spent ministering to individuals. He healed the man born blind, raised Lazarus from the dead, as well as the daughter of Jairus, and the only son of a widow in the little village of Nain. He healed the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda, as well as countless other individuals. Individual people were important to Jesus, and still are today. I believe we only see the tip of the iceberg in terms of the individual healing and teaching Christ was involved in during his earthly ministry. Think of the amount of time he must have spent with his 12 apostles on an extended camping trip that lasted three years. He loved them as individuals as he loves us as well. He knows us by name and is intimately acquainted with our innermost thoughts and feelings. He knows of our infinite potential, and though his love is infinite and eternal for all mankind, it is also extremely individualized and personalized.
One of my favorite stories from church history which illustrates how we are known as individuals to the Lord is the incident Joseph Millett recorded in his journal. Many of you have heard this story, but it is one that must never be forgotten. Joseph Millett, an early pioneer, was struggling through a difficult winter in Utah with his large family and recorded the following in his Journal:
“One of my children came in and said that Brother Newton Hall’s folks was out of bread, had none that day.
“I divided our flour in a sack to send up to Brother Hall. Just then Brother Hall came.
“Says I, ‘Brother Hall, are you out of flour?’
“ ‘Brother Millett, we have none.’
“ ‘Well, Brother Hall, there is some in that sack. I have divided and was going to send it to you. Your children told mine that you was out.’
“Brother Hall began to cry. He said he had tried others, but could not get any. He went to the cedars and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord told him to go to Joseph Millett.
“ ‘Well Brother Hall, you needn’t bring this back. If the Lord sent you for it you don’t owe me for it.’ ”
That night Joseph Millett recorded a remarkable sentence in his journal:
“You can’t tell me how good it made me feel to know that the Lord knew there was such a person as Joseph Millett” (Diary of Joseph Millett, holograph, Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City).
Joseph Millett was an ordinary member of the Church. I don't know that he ever held a high ecclesiastical position. As a young teenager he had served a mission in Canada by himself and did a great work. He was a man of faith and what a joy it must have been to him to know that the Lord knew who Joseph Millett was. I believe the same could be said of all of us. The Lord knows who we are. He loves us as individuals. I believe one of our great challenges in life is to love other individuals as we are loved by the Savior. How precious is each individual soul? No price tag can be attached!
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
His team has a very interesting and vital mission. Every Sunday they fly from Germany to Maryland with wounded troops that are checked into Walter Reed Hospital in the Washington, DC area where they receive specialized care. John's team's mission is to keep these soldiers and Marines alive during the long flight from Germany to Maryland. They fly in a huge cargo plane that has been converted into a flying ICU. The thing that impressed me and touched my heart was when I asked John how many wounded troops were on the plane from Germany to the United States. He told me that on the two trips he has taken thus far there has only been one critically wounded soldier on the entire airplane which he says is like flying in a massive warehouse. I believe on the first flight he and his team were responsible for keeping alive a young man who had been severely injured in an explosion in Iraq. He was being flown to Walter Reed in an attempt to save his leg. He also said there were several, what he called, "walkie-talkies"; wounded troops who were injured but not in imminent danger of dying. I was so impressed at the money expended and the care given, especially to this one critically injured young man. It made me feel good inside to know how concerned we are for this one critically wounded soldier and what we are willing to do to save this single precious life. I don't know where you are at politically, but what John is doing along with his team made me feel proud to be an American.
How important is a single life? No price can be placed on it of course! I couldn't help think of the Savior and his concern for the "one" as exemplified in his mortal ministry. Oh, he fed the 5,000 and spoke to multitudes on occasion, but most of his ministry was spent ministering to individuals. He healed the man born blind, raised Lazarus from the dead, as well as the daughter of Jairus, and the only son of a widow in the little village of Nain. He healed the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda, as well as countless other individuals. Individual people were important to Jesus, and still are today. I believe we only see the tip of the iceberg in terms of the individual healing and teaching Christ was involved in during his earthly ministry. Think of the amount of time he must have spent with his 12 apostles on an extended camping trip that lasted three years. He loved them as individuals as he loves us as well. He knows us by name and is intimately acquainted with our innermost thoughts and feelings. He knows of our infinite potential, and though his love is infinite and eternal for all mankind, it is also extremely individualized and personalized.
One of my favorite stories from church history which illustrates how we are known as individuals to the Lord is the incident Joseph Millett recorded in his journal. Many of you have heard this story, but it is one that must never be forgotten. Joseph Millett, an early pioneer, was struggling through a difficult winter in Utah with his large family and recorded the following in his Journal:
“One of my children came in and said that Brother Newton Hall’s folks was out of bread, had none that day.
“I divided our flour in a sack to send up to Brother Hall. Just then Brother Hall came.
“Says I, ‘Brother Hall, are you out of flour?’
“ ‘Brother Millett, we have none.’
“ ‘Well, Brother Hall, there is some in that sack. I have divided and was going to send it to you. Your children told mine that you was out.’
“Brother Hall began to cry. He said he had tried others, but could not get any. He went to the cedars and prayed to the Lord, and the Lord told him to go to Joseph Millett.
“ ‘Well Brother Hall, you needn’t bring this back. If the Lord sent you for it you don’t owe me for it.’ ”
That night Joseph Millett recorded a remarkable sentence in his journal:
“You can’t tell me how good it made me feel to know that the Lord knew there was such a person as Joseph Millett” (Diary of Joseph Millett, holograph, Archives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City).
Joseph Millett was an ordinary member of the Church. I don't know that he ever held a high ecclesiastical position. As a young teenager he had served a mission in Canada by himself and did a great work. He was a man of faith and what a joy it must have been to him to know that the Lord knew who Joseph Millett was. I believe the same could be said of all of us. The Lord knows who we are. He loves us as individuals. I believe one of our great challenges in life is to love other individuals as we are loved by the Savior. How precious is each individual soul? No price tag can be attached!
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
Monday, December 15, 2008
Life Support System
December 15, 2008, Observation:
I love this holiday time of the year for many reasons. One thing I enjoy is going to Church and seeing the astonishing array of holiday neckties worn by the men and boys. I have always been intrigued by neckties, who invented them, why do we wear them, what purpose do they serve, and etc. I used to have quite a collection myself that I enjoyed wearing, but 20 years ago I traded them all in for just one "breathtaking necktie" I wear daily.
This "breathtaking necktie" connects me to my ventilator which pumps 12 breaths of air into my lungs each minute -- I love every one of them. Without this "necktie" which connects me to my life support I wouldn't be here writing this observation.
Over the last 20 years my life support system has failed me four different times. On three of the occasions, Jo Anne has been able to bring me back from a state of unconsciousness without getting the medical world involved. The last time we were not so fortunate and I was in a coma for eight hours requiring the assistance of police, paramedics, and hard-working ER/ICU professionals, accompanied by priesthood blessings and much prayer. The first three experiences I can remember in vivid detail, but have no recollection of the last. Finally awakening in the hospital, the last thing I could recall doing was eating a hot dog at Costco. Was it the Costco hot dog that almost "done me in?" I don't seem to enjoy them nearly as much as I used to, but Costco will be relieved to know it wasn't a tainted hot dog that was the cause of my brush with death, but rather a malfunction in my life support system.
It is a rather humbling experience to absolutely know -- not in theory but in actual fact -- that if you are disconnected from your life support that death will quickly follow within a few short minutes. I am no medical doctor and have not researched the subject but I would imagine that most people die because they quit breathing.
My rather unique situation has helped me to understand and appreciate the truthfulness of what Jesus taught his apostles just before going into the Garden of Gethsemane that night of nights as recorded by John. "I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman... Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me... I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." [John 15: 1-5, emphasis added]
I believe John recorded very accurately what the Lord said to the apostles on that occasion. Jesus didn't just say he was "the vine" but that he was the "true vine." The implication is that there are other vines we can attach ourselves to -- false philosophies, precepts, organizations, etc. -- but unless we attach ourselves to the "true vine" we will not be able to bring forth "much fruit." As the Savior said "... the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine." Unless we are attached to our life support -- Christ -- we can do nothing!"
I am convinced that, in a spiritual sense, we are as dependent on Christ each minute and hour of the day for our spiritual life support as I am totally dependent upon my electrical and mechanical life support system to keep me alive physically.
I have seen people in the midst of life's most challenging problems and trials sever themselves from the true vine and have watched them die spiritually almost as quickly as I would physically if my life support system were to fail me. Truthfully, unless we are attached to Christ we can do nothing!
Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge of the 70 in the October, 2008, General Conference beautifully and truthfully said:
"... Life is hard for all of us, but life is also simple. We have only two choices. We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier... There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way is foolishness."
I know with a sure knowledge that if I detach myself from my life support I will die almost immediately. I also have a sure knowledge that if I detach myself from the "true vine" that unhappiness, depression, and despair will surely follow.
"There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way, is foolishness."
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
I love this holiday time of the year for many reasons. One thing I enjoy is going to Church and seeing the astonishing array of holiday neckties worn by the men and boys. I have always been intrigued by neckties, who invented them, why do we wear them, what purpose do they serve, and etc. I used to have quite a collection myself that I enjoyed wearing, but 20 years ago I traded them all in for just one "breathtaking necktie" I wear daily.
This "breathtaking necktie" connects me to my ventilator which pumps 12 breaths of air into my lungs each minute -- I love every one of them. Without this "necktie" which connects me to my life support I wouldn't be here writing this observation.
Over the last 20 years my life support system has failed me four different times. On three of the occasions, Jo Anne has been able to bring me back from a state of unconsciousness without getting the medical world involved. The last time we were not so fortunate and I was in a coma for eight hours requiring the assistance of police, paramedics, and hard-working ER/ICU professionals, accompanied by priesthood blessings and much prayer. The first three experiences I can remember in vivid detail, but have no recollection of the last. Finally awakening in the hospital, the last thing I could recall doing was eating a hot dog at Costco. Was it the Costco hot dog that almost "done me in?" I don't seem to enjoy them nearly as much as I used to, but Costco will be relieved to know it wasn't a tainted hot dog that was the cause of my brush with death, but rather a malfunction in my life support system.
It is a rather humbling experience to absolutely know -- not in theory but in actual fact -- that if you are disconnected from your life support that death will quickly follow within a few short minutes. I am no medical doctor and have not researched the subject but I would imagine that most people die because they quit breathing.
My rather unique situation has helped me to understand and appreciate the truthfulness of what Jesus taught his apostles just before going into the Garden of Gethsemane that night of nights as recorded by John. "I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman... Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me... I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." [John 15: 1-5, emphasis added]
I believe John recorded very accurately what the Lord said to the apostles on that occasion. Jesus didn't just say he was "the vine" but that he was the "true vine." The implication is that there are other vines we can attach ourselves to -- false philosophies, precepts, organizations, etc. -- but unless we attach ourselves to the "true vine" we will not be able to bring forth "much fruit." As the Savior said "... the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine." Unless we are attached to our life support -- Christ -- we can do nothing!"
I am convinced that, in a spiritual sense, we are as dependent on Christ each minute and hour of the day for our spiritual life support as I am totally dependent upon my electrical and mechanical life support system to keep me alive physically.
I have seen people in the midst of life's most challenging problems and trials sever themselves from the true vine and have watched them die spiritually almost as quickly as I would physically if my life support system were to fail me. Truthfully, unless we are attached to Christ we can do nothing!
Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge of the 70 in the October, 2008, General Conference beautifully and truthfully said:
"... Life is hard for all of us, but life is also simple. We have only two choices. We can either follow the Lord and be endowed with His power and have peace, light, strength, knowledge, confidence, love, and joy, or we can go some other way, any other way, whatever other way, and go it alone—without His support, without His power, without guidance, in darkness, turmoil, doubt, grief, and despair. And I ask, which way is easier... There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way is foolishness."
I know with a sure knowledge that if I detach myself from my life support I will die almost immediately. I also have a sure knowledge that if I detach myself from the "true vine" that unhappiness, depression, and despair will surely follow.
"There is only one way to happiness and fulfillment. Jesus Christ is the Way. Every other way, any other way, whatever other way, is foolishness."
Dad/Grandpa/Jack
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