Putting off the Natural Man

Shortly after my accident I received my first computer along with some voice recognition software. Personal computer technology was not highly developed at the time, nor was voice recognition software. It was very frustrating to try to write or get the computer to respond to the commands the voice recognition software user manual instructed me to use. One embarrassing problem manifested itself almost immediately. To shut down my voice recognition software, the manual instructed me to say the word "close." However, almost every time I said "close" to my computer it would interpret it as "clothes," and immediately the Victoria's Secrets website would pop up on my screen. Somehow the computer was programmed in such a way that it was far easier to access Victoria's Secrets then to get rid of it.
Then there was the unforgettable afternoon that Jo Anne left me home with my youngest daughter Jackie who was a teenager at the time. Because I am on life support I can never be left alone outside of earshot. Jackie was in her bedroom upstairs and I was in my office downstairs working on my computer. We have a good baby monitor system in the house. The transmitter was in my office and Jackie had a receiver in her bedroom. For some reason the afternoon in question found my voice recognition software and computer unwilling to work for me. Whatever command I gave it wouldn't respond and whenever I tried to dictate, the words came out garbled. I had a self-imposed deadline of some kind I was trying to meet and time was slipping by quickly. I don't know how many minutes went by but suddenly I was shouting at the top of my lungs at my computer and using the dreaded "D…" word. Really, I am not in the habit of swearing but somewhere deep down in the dark recesses of my soul the "D…" word surfaced. A second or two later the door to my office burst open and Jackie came marching in. She said, "Dad, did I hear from you what I thought I heard?" I meekly and humbly muttered, "Yes." She responded, "I thought so, and you a patriarch!" With that she turned on her heel shut the door to my office and marched upstairs. I hope President Goodman doesn't read this or our Stake may be getting a new patriarch soon.
I hate to report that the natural man is apparently still well and alive in me. Just when I was thinking I was doing pretty well and maybe was even in line on certain days to be "twinkled," the natural man in me raises up his ugly head. I have a strong testimony and am prime evidence of the truthfulness of what King Benjamin taught his people: "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord…" [Mosiah 3:19]
I believe that maybe I am not so different from most people however. It will probably take a lifetime and more to completely put off the natural man through the atonement of Christ the Lord and become a saint which can only happen as we continually yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit each day of our lives.
I do have great faith that through the help of the Lord a purifying and sanctifying process can take place in all our lives. Let me share an analogy with you regarding the purifying and sanctifying process that can take place in all of us as we strive to put off the natural man.
I grew up in a little copper mining company town, Ruth, Nevada. As soon as we were old enough to qualify, if our fathers worked for Kennecott, the company would hire us each summer so that we could earn money to attend college in the fall. My brothers and I all worked many different jobs for Kennecott during the years and the jobs they gave us were always so unpleasant and physically labor intensive that it was one of our primary motivations to return to school full-time each fall. There was no way we could envision spending a lifetime working, for example, on the track gang in the Liberty Pit for Kennecott. I drove truck, worked on a drill, the track gang and various other jobs through the years prior to my mission, usually the graveyard shift (11:30 PM to 7:30 AM) because Kennecott was a 24-hour, seven-day a week operation. Upon returning from my mission however, the only jobs in available were in McGill -- the smelter.
It was from the mining, milling, and smelting process that I began to more fully understand the concept of conversion and putting off the "natural man." I had much experience watching and participating in the digging of ore out of an open pit. The Liberty Pit in Ruth was advertised as the deepest man-made hole in the world which I have always believed to be true. The ore dug from the pit would be hauled by truck, dumped into huge railroad cars, and sent 20 miles from Ruth to the mill and smelter in McGill. Copper ore is gray in color and most of the time tons of waste material holding no ore would have to be removed to get at the true stuff. It arrived in McGill at the mill and the ore cars would dump their loads of raw ore into an enormous machine called the CRUSHER. This machine was aptly named as it began to pulverize rocks and huge boulders into something resembling sand. In the mill a flotation process of some kind was used to skim off much of the impurities (having never worked in the mill I am not sure of all that occurred there). I do know that it eventually left the mill looking like gray damp sand. It was moved on a large conveyor belt to the smelter and dumped into the tops of massive blast furnaces made out of brick.
I won't soon forget the first day I walked into the smelter and felt the heat and noise emanating from those blast furnaces, along with the smoke and what seemed to me total confusion, as groups of men ran back and forth performing their duties. Each furnace had two openings near the bottom, one being a number of feet higher than the other however. These openings were closed with large hunks of clay called dollies. I was assigned to a gang whose job it was to tap out (remove) these dollies (big hunks of clay) several times each shift. This was accomplished by one of us, usually me, holding a long steel bar against the dolly while my friends would take turns hitting the end of the steel bar with a large sledgehammer. Holding the bar sounds dangerous doesn't it? It was and you just had to trust the guy with the sledgehammer that he would always hit what he was aiming at.
When the top dolly was tapped out, molten slag which consisted of the impurities in the ore which had risen to the top under the intense heat of the furnace would flow down a long trough out of the smelter and down the hill to the slag dump. Picture the aftermath of a volcanic eruption with volcanic rock and ash spread out everywhere. There were acres and acres of slag dumps him around McGill and no high-powered PR firm or Chamber of Commerce could ever make you believe that McGill was really picturesque and beautiful.
Eventually the bottom dolly would be tapped out and a more pure substance would run down a large trough dumping itself into vast buckets which a crane, suspended from the top of the smelter, would hook and transport quickly to the other side dumping its contents into a piece of equipment called THE CONVERTER. The converter was a super furnace that was able to apply more heat and pressure to the molten substance it received into its belly than even the blast furnaces. In this final process all impurities would be burned-out and when the converter eventually emptied its contents into special molds for shipping back East it consisted of bars of pure copper laced with gold and silver. Enough gold and silver came out of this process to pay for much of the operating costs to process the ore. I will leave it to you to flesh out the analogy or metaphor as it applies to the conversion process and the putting off of the natural man as you are inspired to do so.
My own take on this entire mining and smelting process is that it applies directly to the conversion that must take place in all our lives. As I watched the process of mining and smelting through the years, and especially while working in the smelter at the side of THE CONVERTER, I came to understand, as I am sure you all do, that true conversion is not just believing or thinking or knowing, it is literally becoming transformed from the raw material called the natural man and into what? I believe that Elder Oaks gave a beautiful answer to that question when he said:
"In teaching the Nephites, the Savior referred to what they must become. He challenged them to repent and be baptized and be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, “that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day” (3 Ne. 27:20). He concluded: “Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am” (3 Ne. 27:27). Ultimately we want to become like Christ! Elder Oaks went on to say: "Most of us experience some measure of what the scriptures call “the furnace of affliction” (Isa. 48:10; 1 Ne. 20:10). Some are submerged in service to a disadvantaged family member. Others suffer the death of a loved one or the loss or postponement of a righteous goal like marriage or childbearing. Still others struggle with personal impairments or with feelings of rejection, inadequacy, or depression. Through the justice and mercy of a loving Father in Heaven, the refinement and sanctification possible through such experiences can help us achieve what God desires us to become." (Elder Oaks, Ensign, November, 2000, 32).
THE CONVERTER ultimately is life itself and through constant repentance and the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost we can ultimately be converted from a natural man to a Christlike state.
"Who is righteous? [Who is like Christ?] Anyone who is repenting. No matter how bad he has been, if he is repenting, he is a righteous man. There is hope for him. And no matter how good he has been all his life, if he is not repenting, he is a wicked man. The difference is which way you are facing. The man on the top of the stairs facing down is much worse off than the man on the bottom step who is facing up. The direction we are facing, that is repentance; and that is what determines whether we are good or bad." (Hugh Nibley)
With the help of Christ we can be refined and turned into pure copper, gold and silver. It will be done over a lifetime and will undoubtedly include being thrust eventually into the crucible of affliction or into "THE CRUSHER AND THE CONVERTER."
Dad/Grandpa/Jack

Heap Big Smoke but No Fire

Several years ago I had a stomach ulcer that exploded. The doctors called it Mount St. Helens. A surgeon by the name of Dr. Nakono leaned over me and whispered in my ear, "Jack, if I don't operate right now you will die." I am not very smart but I got her message loud and clear and whispered in return, "Do it!" Dr. Nakono did it! There could have been many disastrous complications that had been mentioned to my family, but none of them materialized. I will always believe it was because Dr. Nakono was so well-trained, knew what she was doing, and simply did it, coupled with the intervention of Heavenly Father on my behalf that my life was saved. Don't you just love people who know how to do things and then they just do them without a lot of fuss or fanfare?

Jo Anne has been interacting with medical supply companies on my behalf ever since I was injured 21 years ago. For the most part they have done pretty well by us, but we have learned that all medical supply companies are not created equal. The company that supplies us with many of the things we need is just the best. Jo Anne can call in an order on Monday let's say, and the next day UPS will deliver it to our home with the exact things we ordered. On the other hand, the company that services our ventilator and all the equipment I need to keep my life support system functioning the way it should, is absolutely and irrevocably dysfunctional! Jo Anne can call in an order and it will never come. She calls back and they make excuses and say they will send it right out which they do but it is never the order we requested. They will send half of it or twice as much of it or often not even what we ordered. It is a source of great frustration for both of us. The only thing they never forget is to send is the bill, which is never accurate – always overcharged. And frequently we get a call from a collection agency asking us if we would like to settle our bill by giving them our credit card number. Well, if you know Jo Anne you can imagine what her response might be to these wonderful people who sound like they are in India or on the North Pole.

Many years ago I remember watching with my mother on TV the Arthur Godfrey show each day at noon. We only had three channels we could receive at our home in East Ely, Nevada. On Squaw Peak just outside of town there was a receiver of sorts that would pick up the signal from the major stations in Salt Lake City and then reflect them to our home. We were only 250 miles from Salt Lake, but 350 from Las Vegas and about the same from Reno. I believe the Arthur Godfrey show was one of my mom's favorite shows on TV. He was a big man with red hair and freckles who loved to sing while playing his ukulele. As a young man I always remember, and still do to this day, the favorite song he used to sing – "Heap Big Smoke but No Fire." It went like this: "Heap big smoke but no fire, heap big smoke but no fire. Him talk a lot but him not so hot. Heap big smoke but no fire!"

A favorite story I read many years ago that is still influencing me is entitled "A message to Garcia." It was written by Eldred Hubbard . It is a wonderful story about initiative, trustworthiness and simply "doing it!" Eldred Hubbard wrote: "...When war broke out between Spain and the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia [leader of the Cuban insurgents against Spain] was somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba—no one knew where. No mail or telegraph could reach him. The President [William McKinley] must secure his co-operation, and quickly. What to do! An aid to the President said to him, "There is a fellow by the name of Rowan who will find Garcia for you, if anybody can." Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia....the fellow by the name of Rowan took the letter, sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, and in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and having delivered his letter to Garcia... The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he at?"

"By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this or that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing—"Carry a message to Garcia." (Eldred Hubbard)

I believe that Rowan was a prime example of one who was "Heap Big Fire with Little Smoke!" His type of initiative, trustworthiness, and integrity, sadly, is not found in great numbers of people. I know that in the leadership positions I have held over the years I have always tried to surround myself with people that could "carry a message to Garcia." Frequently these men and women have not been great public speakers but they know how to carry the message to Garcia. I have been blessed to find men and women that I could totally trust to use their initiative to accomplish something delegated to them better than I could ever have done it myself. Such individuals are truly priceless.

To do what we say we are going well to do is surely a priceless character trait. The Savior felt strongly about going and doing, he himself having volunteered in the Pre-mortal life to save mankind by basically saying, "I will go and do it, and the glory be thine." He did it!
Obedient and faithful Nephi when asked to go back to Jerusalem to secure the brass plates from Laban simply said, "… I will go and do what the Lord hath commanded …" [1 Nephi 3:5]

We can learn so much from the Savior, the man Rowan who delivered the "message to Garcia." Nephi, and a host of others. None of these were "Heap big smoke and no fire!" To say what we mean, and mean what we say and then to do it is one of the great character traits we can develop during this trial period we call mortality.

President Kimball's favorite saying I believe consisted of only two words, "DO IT!" For years on my desk were those two words that looked like they were chiseled in stone.. Actually the entire object was made out of some very lightweight synthetic material that resembled stone. However, the message was never synthetic or was the man who lived by those two words! As I looked at each day I was inspired to always try to simply "DO IT!" Not a bad way to try to live our lives.

Dad/Grandpa/Jack

The Work and the Glory

After a particularly hard day Jo Anne sat down with me and said, "Jack, we really ought to write a book about our experiences together since your accident." She went on to say, "If we do write such a book I have the perfect title. We will call it "The Work and the Glory!" I looked at her in amazement and responded, "That is truly a wonderful title, but quite a famous author has pretty well used up that particular title." She looked me in the eyes and said, "I know that, but it would still be the perfect title for our book, because for some reason I seem to do all the work and you manage to get all the glory!" Well, it certainly is true about Jo Anne doing all the work but I'm not sure about the glory part of the proposed title.
My mother passed away a few years ago while living with one of my brothers in South Jordan, Utah. The funeral was held in Salt Lake City. Jo Anne and I drove to Provo with our daughter, Jolene, and her youngest child at the time, Tanner. We stayed with Jo Anne's sister, Judy, at her home in the Provo area. The night before the funeral my two older brothers came to visit. About the time Jo Anne was putting me down for the night I said to her in their presence, "Now you know the funeral begins at 10 AM in Salt Lake City and then we are going to have to drive directly to Ely, Nevada for the burial the next day (Ely is 250 miles from Salt Lake City). So do you think you can get me up in the morning, get me dressed and into the wheelchair, feed me some breakfast, load the van and the car top and get us to the funeral by 10 AM and then drive us to Ely after the funeral service?" Jo Anne looked at me without blinking her eyes or grimacing too badly and said, "No problem!" My two brothers looked at each other and one of them said, "Boy, that's what I call a good marriage!"
About now you are probably thinking, "Jack, what do you contribute to this marriage?" That is a very good and legitimate question and the answer is very simple, "Not much!" Really, the only thing I can contribute is to be cheerful, express gratitude for all that is done for me, complement Jo Anne on how nice she looks and how wonderful the outfits are that she puts on me each morning. I also try to be very open and honest in my communication with her and have learned the truthfulness of the significant statement, "Openness brings closeness!"
As Jo Anne takes care of me, makes sure the grass, flowers, and shrubbery are carefully and beautifully maintained, makes sure home repairs are done correctly and by competent individuals (I never did deserve being numbered as part of this elite group), keeping the house spotless, the van serviced properly, battling insurance and medical supply companies, and cooking wonderful meals, and a multitude of other things, what do I do? Good question!
I thought some of you might be interested in a typical day in the life of this quadriplegic on life support. I think it might help you better understand why Jo Anne's proposed title for our book is so apropos.
My day typically begins at about 5 AM each morning. I do however struggle for a few weeks adjusting to daylight savings time each year. When I wake up it is dark but I usually can't sleep anymore at that time of day. I lay there for a few minutes and try to go back to sleep, but once I finally realize that sleep has escaped me for the night, I begin what I call my morning devotional. I begin singing in my mind my favorite hymns. I have approximately 20 that I enjoy singing. I generally sing 10 to 15 of them each morning after I wake up. I will share with you some that I sing. I always start off with "Oh How Lovely Was the Morning" – all four verses. Next I sing "Praise to the Man," followed by "I Stand All Amazed." And then I sing the following: "Have I Done Any Good in the World Today," "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel," "There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today," (I especially love the verse – "there is music in my soul today, a Carol to my King, and Jesus listening can hear the songs I cannot sing) "High on a Mountaintop," Redeemer of Israel," "Hope of Israel," "Let Us All Press On," "Ere You Left Your Room This Morning," "I Need Thee Every Hour," "Oh My Father," "We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet ," and I won't bore you with any more. I always end by singing "How Firm a Foundation." I especially love the third verse, "Fear not, Jack, I am with thee, oh be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll strengthen thee, bless thee and cause thee to stand [I especially like that phrase] upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand, upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand!"
By the end of my hymn singing I am feeling very happy and peaceful inside and am prepared to offer my morning prayer. I am in no hurry and enjoy this part of my morning devotional the best. If I know I have overslept I will eliminate the hymn singing but never the prayer. I simply could not make it without the prayer. The third part of my devotional is to meditate or ponder. I prepare lessons and talks in my mind, receive ideas for observations I would like to write and have had some very special experiences during that pondering time. I can never go to the computer saying to myself that I am now going to write an observation. I will think for several weeks about an experience or an idea I think might be worth writing about and when I finally go to the computer it generally flows for me, although at times it ends up going a completely different direction once I start writing.
About 7 AM my son-in-law, Nathan Brown, (I really like this boy) comes into my bedroom on his way to work, gives me a drink of water, does some other things to make me more comfortable, and then puts my earphones on me so that I can listen to a book on tape. Because my eyesight has gone south on me making it impossible for me to read the printed page any longer, and because I don't have the use of my limbs I qualify to be a member of the braille Institute who through the Los Angeles County public library system supplies me with a special tape recorder and a wide variety of books I can request to read. I always have on my shelf 9 or 10 books I can hardly wait to listen to.
Between 8 and 8:30 AM my caregiver comes to start getting me ready for the day. He performs some necessary procedures on me, washes my face, shaves me, brushes my teeth, and exercises my body, stretching my limbs to keep my muscles from atrophying and my limbs from becoming frozen in place and distorted. About this time he calls for Jo Anne to come down to make the most important decision of the day. My caregiver and I would not dare to choose the outfit for the day. To do so would be way beyond our intelligence and abilities. Jo Anne selects the outfit and she and my caregiver get me completely dressed. The caregiver, a wonderful man from the Philippines, does all of the tugging and pulling and finally I am hooked up to the hydraulic patient lifter, transported from the bed to the wheelchair which is always an adventure because I am without air during the transfer, and I truly do love to breath. Jo Anne reluctantly lets my caregiver comb my hair. It has taken many years for her to delegate that awesome responsibility to anyone but herself. Finally my caregiver feeds me some yogurt with fruit in it, gives me some water to wash down a variety of pills (I am one of the great "pillars" in the Church) and then I am ready for the day.
I roll out of my bedroom across the dining room and into my office. Either Jo Anne or my caregiver sets me up on my computer, positions my microphone headset properly, boots up the computer and I am finally ready to go to work.
I am usually on the computer by 10 AM and study the Scriptures, prepare lessons, write observations, research on the web, read and send e-mails, and thoroughly enjoy what I am able to do. My voice recognition software is incredibly good and I can accomplish by voice what normal able-bodied people can do with their hands and fingers. I work until about 12:30 PM when I take a 10 minute break, drink some tomato juice to wash down another series of pills, maybe eat a handful of nuts and then get back on the computer. Between 2 and 3 PM Jo Anne takes me out in the van to run errands and to go to lunch. Our errands generally consist of returning purchased items to the major mercantile establishments in the greater Orange County Area. I can generally persuade her to get lunch before 3 PM. We go to Taco Bell, subway, Baja fresh, Café Rio on Taco Tuesday where we get a good deal on their wonderful tacos, Saturday afternoon we have a tradition of going to "In N Out Burger" which to me is always the highlight of our gourmet dining during the week. Sometimes Jo Anne talks me into going to a healthy organic pizza place. I really don't enjoy it and prefer the greasy, cheesy pizzas at Pizza Hut. I know my lunch diet is not really good for me but I don't care. I remember Tommy Lasorda, the former Hall of Fame manager of the Dodgers, was talked into going on a diet one time. He finally gave it up and said "I did lose lots of weight and was looking good, but the thought came to me that all the misery I was going through would culminate at my viewing before my burial where people would come by and say,' My, doesn't he look great' ! I just decided the misery wasn't worth it."
On a typical day we will be home before 5 PM and I will spend a couple of more hours on the computer. I'm usually in my bedroom by 6:30 PM watching the news on TV. We eat dinner between 7 PM and 8 PM most days. My caregiver comes at 8 PM to put me down for the night. I am in bed on my left side so I can watch the TV by 8:30 PM. I will be watching the Lakers or the Dodgers or BYU sports in season or a Turner classic movie. I have sworn off network TV not finding anything virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy, or of good report in most of the programming. Jo Anne and Nathan come in about 11 PM, reposition the bed, get me on my back, give me another bunch of pills with a big drink of water and I am ready for a good night's sleep until 5 AM in the morning.
We also try to go to the Temple once each week, an occasional movie if we can find one worth watching, out to dinner with friends, and we love Sundays being with our good friends, teaching gospel doctrine, and usually giving a patriarchal blessing or doing some home teaching Sunday afternoons. We especially enjoy visiting with our children and grandchildren who fortunately live within an hour of our home.
Now, I'm afraid I have painted such a rosy picture of the life of a quadriplegic on life support that some of you may feel cheated that you haven't been blessed with this great opportunity. I must admit it has a downside as well however, which I won't dwell on and really never think much about.
A while back in our Gospel doctrine class we were discussing the Savior and Peter walking on the water during the storm on the Sea of Galilee. I once heard a minister on a radio program saying that he thought Peter was like a cheap suit. Every time the going got tough he folded. On the Sea of Galilee he sank like a rock and that night in Caiaphas' Palace he denied knowing Jesus. I beg to differ with him. How many of us have ever walked on water? Peter was a man of great faith but it was not fully developed yet. He was momentarily distracted and became very self-conscious I believe when he realized he was actually walking on water. The moment he lost his focus on the Savior his walking on the water was over. Matthew recorded the following: "But when he [Peter] saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him…"[Matthew 14:30-31]
I am convinced that Peter, though his faith faltered in that instance and he was afraid he, never lost faith in Christ. And as he was sinking to his death he cried out, "Lord, save me," and Jesus stretched forth his hand and saved him.
I can identify with Peter. For the better part of 21 years now I have felt I have been "rolling" on water. The burden of paralysis has been made light and because of the Savior and his great , the fix out one thing out of the bottle, neither just one chapter love I have been strengthened spiritually so I have been able to lift up the burden of paralysis with ease and submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord. [Mosiah 24:15]
However, there are those moments when I lose focus like Peter did and reflect on what I am doing and what I have been doing for the last 21 years and I begin to sink like a rock and feel for just a second or two that what I have done and am doing, and what Jo Anne has done and said is doing is absolutely impossible. In those rare moments, like Peter, I cry out, "Lord save me," and he does and will continue to do so I believe, as long as I do my part.
And the truth of the matter is that Jo Anne is both "The Work and the Glory," and to me "A Marvelous Work and a Wonder!"
Dad/Grandpa/Jack







.










Go to top of page up

If We Don't Try We Don't Do

Sometime ago, in fact a few weeks before Christmas, my son-in-law, Nathan, was telling me he was going to upgrade his computer. That sounded like something I should do to my computer since it was six years old and I had been told that it was woefully outdated. The more we talked about it, I came to the brilliant conclusion that instead of doing an upgrade it probably made more sense to just buy a new computer. The word got out to my children that this is what I wanted to do and for Christmas they gave me some money to help defray the cost. At Christmas a good friend of mine also gave me the latest and greatest new edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software. I had been using for some time the 10.1 version which worked really well but I was told the 11.0 edition was far superior.

Well, about a week after Christmas Joanne, Nathan, and I went out one evening to shop for a new laptop computer. We first of all went to Micro Center, which is just a few blocks from our home. They carry every computer ever made it seems and every other electronic gadget man has invented. As I rolled into this mecca of electronic wizardry, I became dizzy with all of the choices of computers that were available. Thankfully I had done some homework and the experts I knew told me that the Toshiba laptop worked better with Dragon Naturally Speaking than any other computer. We finally found a Toshiba laptop that seemed to have everything I wanted or needed, but Joanne – the great shopper that she is – insisted that we leave Micro Center and truck on down to Best Buy. Again I was dazzled by both the incredible array of computers available as well as other electronic inventions. What met my gaze rivaled the Liahona the Lord had given to Lehi to guide him through the wilderness. I was secretly wishing I had a Liahona to guide me in making the momentous decision as to what computer to buy.

We again found a Toshiba at a better price than at Micro Center which brought peace to Joanne's soul, who will hardly buy anything unless she thinks it is a real "deal." I asked the salesman what he thought were the two best laptops available on the market and he said the Hewlett-Packard or the Toshiba. On further interrogation he said that if he had to choose between the two he would choose the Toshiba. He said it was a little more stable and reliable than the Hewlett-Packard. Toshiba isn't giving me a kickback to promote their product, by the way.

I discovered that my new computer had a 500 gig hard drive. I was impressed! My old computer only had a 60 gig hard drive. I don't know what a gig is – the only Gigs I ever knew were the old movie star, Gig Young and a young man by the name of Gig Griffith. Please don't write and tell me what a gig is – I wouldn't understand it anyway and it would only confuse me more than I already am. To my mind 500 gigs seemed a lot better than just 60. Then I discovered I now had four gigs of RAM memory. My old computer only had one gig of RAM memory and so it seemed to me that to have three more RAMS must be pretty good. Abraham only needed one RAM to satisfy Jehovah in the incident involving his son Isaac, so having four RAMS in my computer made me feel quite secure.
I had been using Microsoft Windows XP for many years, which worked really well for me but now I had Microsoft Windows 7 operating system that came with my new computer. I had also been using Microsoft Word 2003 as my word processor but now had installed the new Microsoft Word 2010 version. So armed with more gigs and Rams than I ever thought possible, a new voice recognition upgrade along with new word processing software, and a new e-mail system, I was ready to get back to work once again with high hopes and expectations.

Nathan set everything up for me and then turned me loose. The next two days were two of the most frustrating of my life. Nothing seemed to work. I contemplated suicide! The new Microsoft Word 2010 was so different from the 2003 version that it looked like Chinese to me. The updated Naturally Speaking voice recognition software didn't use many of the old commands I had mastered in using the older version. The e-mail was very confusing and I just couldn't seem to make anything work. By the end of the second day I was thinking I had made a fatal mistake in upgrading everything and that why didn't I just stay with what I had been using and leave well enough alone? The old adage, "If it ain't broke don't fix it" seemed to make a whole lot of sense. I thought of the waste of money and that all the gigs and Rams I now possessed didn't seem to be helping me that much. Nathan would help me every night after work but still I was very frustrated.

I think it was on the third day that I finally came to grips with myself. I said "Jack, you can either look at this new computer with all of its gigs and Rams and new voice-recognition software and word processor as an insurmountable problem and stumbling block to your creativity, productivity and happiness, or you can look at it as a great opportunity to learn something new." Thankfully in that moment I chose to look at it as an intriguing challenge and an opportunity to learn and grow. I began to try to learn to do two new things every day and then I would have Nathan help me to gain some new insights into not more than one or two things each time I called on him for help. A few days later I had an incredible breakthrough and everything began to work and to exceed my greatest expectations. It was exhilarating!

My new computer and all the new programs have catapulted me forward and upward into a higher stratosphere of computing. With my new system I am light years ahead of where I was using the old comfortable computer and programs. My word processing is almost 100% accurate now. I am able to use the Internet and edit Word documents much more efficiently than ever before. I shudder to think what I would have missed out on had I not kicked myself out of my comfort zone and tried to master something difficult and challenging

President Monson loves to quote from poetry, music, and movies in his talks. In two consecutive general conferences he quoted the following line from the old Civil War movie "Shenandoah." The words are spoken by Jimmy Stewart as follows, "If we don't try we don't do and if we don't do then why are we here? To me those are words to live by. I believe there are times in all of our lives when we are tempted to give up or give in because things that confront us are just too difficult to deal with. Of course if we quit trying we quit doing and the "why are we here" question becomes very relevant in our lives.

On those occasions when I have been tempted to give up and feel that all is lost and quit trying and doing I remember my Grandmother Halley Wilkin Young. Her example gives me courage to keep trying and doing. She faced an unbelievable challenge as a young mother in her 30s that almost got the best of her. The following is taken from a journal entry she wrote on June 3, 1951.
"A week before Christmas Allen (her husband), Wallace and Herb Taylor went to Cherry Creek for wood and a cedar Christmas tree. (They were living in Abraham, Utah just outside of Delta at the time) They were caught in a big snow storm, It took them four days to make the trip. When they arrived home Allen was sick with a bad cold and pain in the side.
Doctor Broaddus, the only doctor in the community, was away on a vacation.  Christmas morning we were informed about a woman doctor visiting in Woodrow. We called her on the telephone and described his case. She said he has appendicitis, get him to Salt Lake City as soon as possible. There was a terrible snow storm and blizzard raging. The first train out of Delta was 10 o'clock that night, Grandpa Young advised me not to go to Salt Lake City with Allen because I was three months pregnant; He would ask brother Oscar Fullmer to go. Brother Fullmer was a good religious man and knew just what to do. Mr. Cooper from Delta came in his car to take [Allen ] to the train. the train was three hours late on account of the storm. The ambulance met the train in Salt lake City and took [Allen] to the LDS. hospital. There he was operated on as soon as possible. When the doctor made the incision the pus shot to the ceiling. Bro. Fullmer telephoned me about his condition I left for S.LC, on the train that night, Allen was very glad to see me. He had two drains in his side, he had peritonitis. I stayed with him all day at the hospital. At night I stayed with my cousin, Ellen Blondell. The second week, Allen’s condition improved so much I came home for my family needed me. I was home a week when I received a telegram to come at once Allen has pneumonia. When I arrived he wanted me to stay with him all the time. Annie Chaffin, Allen’s sister, came from Provo to be with me The third morning after I arrived, Allen took my hand arid said 'Halley" the Devil has won. I have had a hard fight and lost. I said don’t talk that way Allen, what can I do without you, he said I have been trying to figure that out. I can see the sad look he gave me yet. In the afternoon he tried to get out of bed, “I am going to walk now or never,” it took two nurses and an orderly to hold him in bed. He sank into unconsciousness and passed away at 12:30 A.M. Jan. 12, 1917.

After the funeral I was left with a bitter feeling that was terrible. I couldn’t cry. It seemed the world died for me the day Allen left. The two great things I had fasted and prayed for with all earnestness had been denied me. “To spare the life of my mother and my husband.” In my weakness the devil was alert and beckoning me. I stopped praying and resigned all my religious activities. 

I told the children they could continue to pray and go to church. If there was a God, he wasn’t a just God… The children continued to pray and to attend church; the older ones helped the younger ones. Ten days before my baby was born I was bitten by a deer fly. I was very sick and under care of Doctor Broaddus. He told my folks he was afraid the baby would not survive, and did not give them hopes for my recovery. I heard them talking in the kitchen. My baby boy was born 2:00 A.M. June 23rd 1917

When I heard my baby’s cry it put new life and new hope in me. I began to pray earnestly to the Lord to spare my life and the life of my baby that I might live to raise my family, four sons and four daughters, and teach them to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be true Latter Day Saints."

Grandma successfully raised her eight children, kept the farm going, became a midwife and the post mistress of the little post office in Abraham, and has bequeathed to her posterity a legacy of faith, endurance, and courage.

During some of my dark days I have thought to myself, "If Grandma Halley could keep trying and doing, faced with her seemingly insurmountable challenges, I can certainly follow her example and never give up or give in as well."

One of my heroes is Nephi. I have a small porcelain statue of Nephi that sits above my computer monitor. With the Liahona in his left hand and with a bow in his right hand and a visionary look on his countenance, it is very inspiring to me. I look at it every day and am reminded of the words that, to me, describe the essence of the man, "I will go and do…!" Not a bad example to follow.

Dad/Grandpa/Jack





















"If We Don't Try We Don't Do!"
Sometime ago, in fact a few weeks before Christmas, my son-in-law, Nathan, was telling me he was going to upgrade his computer. That sounded like something I should do to my computer since it was six years old and I had been told that it was woefully outdated. The more we talked about it I came to the brilliant conclusion that instead of doing an upgrade it probably made more sense to just buy a new computer. The word got out to my children that this is what I wanted to do and for Christmas they gave me some money to help defray the cost. At Christmas a good friend of mine also gave me the latest and greatest new edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software. I had been using for some time the 10.1 version which worked really well but I was told the 11.0 edition was far superior.
Well, about a week after Christmas Joanne, Nathan, and I went out one evening to shop for a new laptop computer. We first of all went to Micro Center which is just a few blocks from our home. They carry every computer ever made it seems and every other electronic gadget man has invented. As I rolled into this mecca of electronic wizardry I became dizzy with all of the choices of computers that were available. Thankfully I had done some homework and the experts I knew told me that the Toshiba laptop worked better with Dragon NaturallySpeaking than any other computer. We finally found a Toshiba laptop that seemed to have everything I wanted or needed, but Joanne – the great shopper that she is – insisted that we leave Micro Center and truck on down to Best Buy. Again I was dazzled by both the incredible array of computers available as well as other electronic inventions. What met my gaze rivaled the Liahona the Lord had given to Lehi to guide him through the wilderness. I was secretly wishing I had a Liahona to guide me in making the momentous decision as to what computer to buy.
We again found a Toshiba at a better price than at Micro Center which brought peace to Joanne's soul who will hardly buy anything unless she thinks it is a real "deal." I asked the salesman what he thought were the two best laptops available on the market and he said the Hewlett-Packard or the Toshiba. On further interrogation he said that if he had to choose between the two he would choose the Toshiba. He said it was a little more stable and reliable than the Hewlett-Packard. Toshiba isn't giving me a kickback to promote their product by the way.
I discovered that my new computer had a 500 gig hard drive. I was impressed! My old computer only had a 60 gig hard drive. I don't know what a gig is – the only Gigs I ever knew were the old movie star, Gig Young and a young man by the name of Gig Griffith. Please don't write and tell me what a gig is – I wouldn't understand it anyway and it would only confuse me more than I already am. To my mind 500 gigs seemed a lot better than just 60. Then I discovered I now had four gigs of RAM memory. My old computer only had one gig of RAM memory and so it seemed to me that to have three more RAMS must be pretty good. Abraham only needed one RAM to satisfy Jehovah in the incident involving his son Isaac, so having four RAMS in my computer made me feel quite secure.
I had been using Microsoft Windows XP for many years which worked really well for me but now I had Microsoft Windows 7 operating system that came with my new computer. I had also been using Microsoft Word 2003 as my word processor but now had installed the new Microsoft Word 2010 version. So armed with more gigs and Rams than I ever thought possible, a new voice recognition upgrade along with new word processing software, and a new e-mail system I was ready to get back to work once again with high hopes and expectations.
Nathan set everything up for me and then turned me loose. The next two days were two of the most frustrating of my life. Nothing seemed to work. I contemplated suicide! The new Microsoft Word 2010 was so different from the 2003 version that it looked like Chinese to me. The updated NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software didn't use many of the old commands I had mastered in using the older version. The e-mail was very confusing and I just couldn't seem to make anything work. By the end of the second day I was thinking I had made a fatal mistake in upgrading everything and that why didn't I just stay with what I had been using and leave well enough alone? The old adage, "If it ain't broke don't fix it" seemed to make a whole lot of sense. I thought of the waste of money and that all the gigs and Rams I now possessed didn't seem to be helping me that much. Nathan would help me every night after work but still I was very frustrated.
I think it was on the third day that I finally came to grips with myself. I said "Jack, you can either look at this new computer with all of its gigs and Rams and new voice-recognition software and word processor as an insurmountable problem and stumbling block to your creativity, productivity and happiness, or you can look at it as a great opportunity to learn something new." Thankfully in that moment I chose to look at it as an intriguing challenge and an opportunity to learn and grow. I began to try to learn to do two new things every day and then I would have Nathan help me to gain some new insights into not more than one or two things each time I called on him for help. A few days later I had an incredible breakthrough and everything began to work and to exceed my greatest expectations. It was exhilarating!
My new computer and all the new programs have catapulted me forward and upward into a higher stratosphere of computing. With my new system I am light years ahead of where I was using the old comfortable computer and programs. My word processing is almost 100% accurate now. I am able to use the Internet and edit Word documents much more efficiently than ever before. I shudder to think what I would have missed out on had I not kicked myself out of my comfort zone and tried to master something difficult and challenging.
President Monson loves to quote from poetry, music, and movies in his talks. In two consecutive general conferences he quoted the following line from the old Civil War movie "Shenandoah." The words are spoken by Jimmy Stewart as follows, "If we don't try we don't do and if we don't do then why are we here? To me those are words to live by. I believe there are times in all of our lives when we are tempted to give up or give in because things that confront us are just too difficult to deal with. Of course if we quit trying we quit doing and the "why are we here" question becomes very relevant in our lives.
On those occasions when I have been tempted to give up and feel that all is lost and quit trying and doing I remember my Grandmother Halley Wilkin Young. Her example gives me courage to keep trying and doing. She faced an unbelievable challenge as a young mother in her 30s that almost got the best of her. The following is taken from a journal entry she wrote on June 3, 1951.
"A week before Christmas Allen (her husband), Wallace and Herb Taylor went to Cherry Creek for wood and a cedar Christmas tree. (They were living in Abraham, Utah just outside of Delta at the time) They were caught in a big snow storm, It took them four days to make the trip. When they arrived home Allen was sick with a bad cold and pain in the side.
Doctor Broaddus, the only doctor in the community was away on a vacation, Christmas morning we were informed about a woman doctor visiting in Woodrow, We called her on the telephone and described his case, She said he has appendicitis, get him to Salt Lake City as soon as possible. There was a terrible snow storm and blizzard raging. The first train out of Delta was 10 o'clock that night, Grandpa Young advised me not to go to Salt Lake city with Allen because I was three months pregnant; He would ask brother Oscar Fullmer to go. Brother Fullmer was a good religious man and knew just what to do. Mr., Cooper from Delta came in his car to take [Allen ] to the train. the train was three hours late on account of the Storm. The ambulance met the train in Salt lake City and took [Allen] to the LDS. hospital. There he was operated on as soon as possible. When the doctor made the incision the pus shot to the ceiling. Bro. Fullmer telephoned me about his condition I left for S.LC, on the train that night, Allen was very glad to see me. He had two drains in his side, he had peritonitis. I stayed with him all day at the hospital .
At night I stayed with my cousin, Ellen Blondell. The second week Allen’s condition improved so much I came home for my family needed me. I was home a week when I received a telegram to come at once Allen has pneumonia. When I arrived he wanted me to stay with him all the time. Annie Chaffin Allen’s sister came from Provo to be with me The third morning after I arrived, Allen took my hand arid said 'Halley" the Devil has won. I have had a hard fight and lost. I said don’t talk that way Allen, what can I do with out you, he said I have been trying to figure that out. I can see the sad look he gave me yet. In the afternoon he tried to get out of bed, “I am going to walk now or never,” it took two nurses and an orderly to hold him in bed. He sank into unconsciousness and passed away at 12:30 A.M. Jan. 12, 1917.

After the funeral I was left with a bitter feeling that was terrible. I couldn’t cry. It seemed the world died for me the day Allen left. The two great things I had fasted and prayed for with all earnestness had been denied me. “To spare the life of my mother and my husband.” In my weakness the devil was alert and beckoning me. I stopped praying and resigned all my religious activities.
I told the children they could continue to pray and go to church. If there was a God, he wasn’t a just God… The children continued to pray and to attend church; the older ones helped the younger ones. Ten days before my baby was born I was bitten by a deer fly. I was very sick and under care of Doctor Broaddus. He told my folks he was afraid the baby would not survive, and did not give them hopes for my recovery. I heard them talking in the kitchen. My baby boy was born 2:00 A.M. June 23rd 1917
When I heard my baby’s cry it put new life and new hope in me. I began to pray earnestly to the Lord to spare my life and the life of my baby that I might live to raise my family, four sons and four daughters, and teach them to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be true Latter Day Saints."
Grandma successfully raised her eight children, kept the farm going, became a midwife and the post mistress of the little post office in Abraham, and has bequeathed to her posterity a legacy of faith, endurance, and courage.
During some of my dark days I have thought to myself, "If Grandma Halley could keep trying and doing, faced with her seemingly insurmountable challenges, I can certainly follow her example and never give up or give in as well."
One of my heroes is Nephi. I have a small porcelain statue of Nephi that sits above my computer monitor. With the Liahona in his left hand and with a bow in his right hand and a visionary look on his countenance is very inspiring to me. I look at it every day and am reminded of the words that to me describe the essence of the man, "I will go and do…!" Not a bad example to follow.
Dad/Grandpa/Jack





"If We Don't Try We Don't Do!"
Sometime ago, in fact a few weeks before Christmas, my son-in-law, Nathan, was telling me he was going to upgrade his computer. That sounded like something I should do to my computer since it was six years old and I had been told that it was woefully outdated. The more we talked about it I came to the brilliant conclusion that instead of doing an upgrade it probably made more sense to just buy a new computer. The word got out to my children that this is what I wanted to do and for Christmas they gave me some money to help defray the cost. At Christmas a good friend of mine also gave me the latest and greatest new edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software. I had been using for some time the 10.1 version which worked really well but I was told the 11.0 edition was far superior.
Well, about a week after Christmas Joanne, Nathan, and I went out one evening to shop for a new laptop computer. We first of all went to Micro Center which is just a few blocks from our home. They carry every computer ever made it seems and every other electronic gadget man has invented. As I rolled into this mecca of electronic wizardry I became dizzy with all of the choices of computers that were available. Thankfully I had done some homework and the experts I knew told me that the Toshiba laptop worked better with Dragon NaturallySpeaking than any other computer. We finally found a Toshiba laptop that seemed to have everything I wanted or needed, but Joanne – the great shopper that she is – insisted that we leave Micro Center and truck on down to Best Buy. Again I was dazzled by both the incredible array of computers available as well as other electronic inventions. What met my gaze rivaled the Liahona the Lord had given to Lehi to guide him through the wilderness. I was secretly wishing I had a Liahona to guide me in making the momentous decision as to what computer to buy.
We again found a Toshiba at a better price than at Micro Center which brought peace to Joanne's soul who will hardly buy anything unless she thinks it is a real "deal." I asked the salesman what he thought were the two best laptops available on the market and he said the Hewlett-Packard or the Toshiba. On further interrogation he said that if he had to choose between the two he would choose the Toshiba. He said it was a little more stable and reliable than the Hewlett-Packard. Toshiba isn't giving me a kickback to promote their product by the way.
I discovered that my new computer had a 500 gig hard drive. I was impressed! My old computer only had a 60 gig hard drive. I don't know what a gig is – the only Gigs I ever knew were the old movie star, Gig Young and a young man by the name of Gig Griffith. Please don't write and tell me what a gig is – I wouldn't understand it anyway and it would only confuse me more than I already am. To my mind 500 gigs seemed a lot better than just 60. Then I discovered I now had four gigs of RAM memory. My old computer only had one gig of RAM memory and so it seemed to me that to have three more RAMS must be pretty good. Abraham only needed one RAM to satisfy Jehovah in the incident involving his son Isaac, so having four RAMS in my computer made me feel quite secure.
I had been using Microsoft Windows XP for many years which worked really well for me but now I had Microsoft Windows 7 operating system that came with my new computer. I had also been using Microsoft Word 2003 as my word processor but now had installed the new Microsoft Word 2010 version. So armed with more gigs and Rams than I ever thought possible, a new voice recognition upgrade along with new word processing software, and a new e-mail system I was ready to get back to work once again with high hopes and expectations.
Nathan set everything up for me and then turned me loose. The next two days were two of the most frustrating of my life. Nothing seemed to work. I contemplated suicide! The new Microsoft Word 2010 was so different from the 2003 version that it looked like Chinese to me. The updated NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software didn't use many of the old commands I had mastered in using the older version. The e-mail was very confusing and I just couldn't seem to make anything work. By the end of the second day I was thinking I had made a fatal mistake in upgrading everything and that why didn't I just stay with what I had been using and leave well enough alone? The old adage, "If it ain't broke don't fix it" seemed to make a whole lot of sense. I thought of the waste of money and that all the gigs and Rams I now possessed didn't seem to be helping me that much. Nathan would help me every night after work but still I was very frustrated.
I think it was on the third day that I finally came to grips with myself. I said "Jack, you can either look at this new computer with all of its gigs and Rams and new voice-recognition software and word processor as an insurmountable problem and stumbling block to your creativity, productivity and happiness, or you can look at it as a great opportunity to learn something new." Thankfully in that moment I chose to look at it as an intriguing challenge and an opportunity to learn and grow. I began to try to learn to do two new things every day and then I would have Nathan help me to gain some new insights into not more than one or two things each time I called on him for help. A few days later I had an incredible breakthrough and everything began to work and to exceed my greatest expectations. It was exhilarating!
My new computer and all the new programs have catapulted me forward and upward into a higher stratosphere of computing. With my new system I am light years ahead of where I was using the old comfortable computer and programs. My word processing is almost 100% accurate now. I am able to use the Internet and edit Word documents much more efficiently than ever before. I shudder to think what I would have missed out on had I not kicked myself out of my comfort zone and tried to master something difficult and challenging.
President Monson loves to quote from poetry, music, and movies in his talks. In two consecutive general conferences he quoted the following line from the old Civil War movie "Shenandoah." The words are spoken by Jimmy Stewart as follows, "If we don't try we don't do and if we don't do then why are we here? To me those are words to live by. I believe there are times in all of our lives when we are tempted to give up or give in because things that confront us are just too difficult to deal with. Of course if we quit trying we quit doing and the "why are we here" question becomes very relevant in our lives.
On those occasions when I have been tempted to give up and feel that all is lost and quit trying and doing I remember my Grandmother Halley Wilkin Young. Her example gives me courage to keep trying and doing. She faced an unbelievable challenge as a young mother in her 30s that almost got the best of her. The following is taken from a journal entry she wrote on June 3, 1951.
"A week before Christmas Allen (her husband), Wallace and Herb Taylor went to Cherry Creek for wood and a cedar Christmas tree. (They were living in Abraham, Utah just outside of Delta at the time) They were caught in a big snow storm, It took them four days to make the trip. When they arrived home Allen was sick with a bad cold and pain in the side.
Doctor Broaddus, the only doctor in the community was away on a vacation, Christmas morning we were informed about a woman doctor visiting in Woodrow, We called her on the telephone and described his case, She said he has appendicitis, get him to Salt Lake City as soon as possible. There was a terrible snow storm and blizzard raging. The first train out of Delta was 10 o'clock that night, Grandpa Young advised me not to go to Salt Lake city with Allen because I was three months pregnant; He would ask brother Oscar Fullmer to go. Brother Fullmer was a good religious man and knew just what to do. Mr., Cooper from Delta came in his car to take [Allen ] to the train. the train was three hours late on account of the Storm. The ambulance met the train in Salt lake City and took [Allen] to the LDS. hospital. There he was operated on as soon as possible. When the doctor made the incision the pus shot to the ceiling. Bro. Fullmer telephoned me about his condition I left for S.LC, on the train that night, Allen was very glad to see me. He had two drains in his side, he had peritonitis. I stayed with him all day at the hospital .
At night I stayed with my cousin, Ellen Blondell. The second week Allen’s condition improved so much I came home for my family needed me. I was home a week when I received a telegram to come at once Allen has pneumonia. When I arrived he wanted me to stay with him all the time. Annie Chaffin Allen’s sister came from Provo to be with me The third morning after I arrived, Allen took my hand arid said 'Halley" the Devil has won. I have had a hard fight and lost. I said don’t talk that way Allen, what can I do with out you, he said I have been trying to figure that out. I can see the sad look he gave me yet. In the afternoon he tried to get out of bed, “I am going to walk now or never,” it took two nurses and an orderly to hold him in bed. He sank into unconsciousness and passed away at 12:30 A.M. Jan. 12, 1917.

After the funeral I was left with a bitter feeling that was terrible. I couldn’t cry. It seemed the world died for me the day Allen left. The two great things I had fasted and prayed for with all earnestness had been denied me. “To spare the life of my mother and my husband.” In my weakness the devil was alert and beckoning me. I stopped praying and resigned all my religious activities.
I told the children they could continue to pray and go to church. If there was a God, he wasn’t a just God… The children continued to pray and to attend church; the older ones helped the younger ones. Ten days before my baby was born I was bitten by a deer fly. I was very sick and under care of Doctor Broaddus. He told my folks he was afraid the baby would not survive, and did not give them hopes for my recovery. I heard them talking in the kitchen. My baby boy was born 2:00 A.M. June 23rd 1917
When I heard my baby’s cry it put new life and new hope in me. I began to pray earnestly to the Lord to spare my life and the life of my baby that I might live to raise my family, four sons and four daughters, and teach them to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be true Latter Day Saints."
Grandma successfully raised her eight children, kept the farm going, became a midwife and the post mistress of the little post office in Abraham, and has bequeathed to her posterity a legacy of faith, endurance, and courage.
During some of my dark days I have thought to myself, "If Grandma Halley could keep trying and doing, faced with her seemingly insurmountable challenges, I can certainly follow her example and never give up or give in as well."
One of my heroes is Nephi. I have a small porcelain statue of Nephi that sits above my computer monitor. With the Liahona in his left hand and with a bow in his right hand and a visionary look on his countenance is very inspiring to me. I look at it every day and am reminded of the words that to me describe the essence of the man, "I will go and do…!" Not a bad example to follow.
Dad/Grandpa/Jack





















"If We Don't Try We Don't Do!"
Sometime ago, in fact a few weeks before Christmas, my son-in-law, Nathan, was telling me he was going to upgrade his computer. That sounded like something I should do to my computer since it was six years old and I had been told that it was woefully outdated. The more we talked about it I came to the brilliant conclusion that instead of doing an upgrade it probably made more sense to just buy a new computer. The word got out to my children that this is what I wanted to do and for Christmas they gave me some money to help defray the cost. At Christmas a good friend of mine also gave me the latest and greatest new edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software. I had been using for some time the 10.1 version which worked really well but I was told the 11.0 edition was far superior.
Well, about a week after Christmas Joanne, Nathan, and I went out one evening to shop for a new laptop computer. We first of all went to Micro Center which is just a few blocks from our home. They carry every computer ever made it seems and every other electronic gadget man has invented. As I rolled into this mecca of electronic wizardry I became dizzy with all of the choices of computers that were available. Thankfully I had done some homework and the experts I knew told me that the Toshiba laptop worked better with Dragon NaturallySpeaking than any other computer. We finally found a Toshiba laptop that seemed to have everything I wanted or needed, but Joanne – the great shopper that she is – insisted that we leave Micro Center and truck on down to Best Buy. Again I was dazzled by both the incredible array of computers available as well as other electronic inventions. What met my gaze rivaled the Liahona the Lord had given to Lehi to guide him through the wilderness. I was secretly wishing I had a Liahona to guide me in making the momentous decision as to what computer to buy.
We again found a Toshiba at a better price than at Micro Center which brought peace to Joanne's soul who will hardly buy anything unless she thinks it is a real "deal." I asked the salesman what he thought were the two best laptops available on the market and he said the Hewlett-Packard or the Toshiba. On further interrogation he said that if he had to choose between the two he would choose the Toshiba. He said it was a little more stable and reliable than the Hewlett-Packard. Toshiba isn't giving me a kickback to promote their product by the way.
I discovered that my new computer had a 500 gig hard drive. I was impressed! My old computer only had a 60 gig hard drive. I don't know what a gig is – the only Gigs I ever knew were the old movie star, Gig Young and a young man by the name of Gig Griffith. Please don't write and tell me what a gig is – I wouldn't understand it anyway and it would only confuse me more than I already am. To my mind 500 gigs seemed a lot better than just 60. Then I discovered I now had four gigs of RAM memory. My old computer only had one gig of RAM memory and so it seemed to me that to have three more RAMS must be pretty good. Abraham only needed one RAM to satisfy Jehovah in the incident involving his son Isaac, so having four RAMS in my computer made me feel quite secure.
I had been using Microsoft Windows XP for many years which worked really well for me but now I had Microsoft Windows 7 operating system that came with my new computer. I had also been using Microsoft Word 2003 as my word processor but now had installed the new Microsoft Word 2010 version. So armed with more gigs and Rams than I ever thought possible, a new voice recognition upgrade along with new word processing software, and a new e-mail system I was ready to get back to work once again with high hopes and expectations.
Nathan set everything up for me and then turned me loose. The next two days were two of the most frustrating of my life. Nothing seemed to work. I contemplated suicide! The new Microsoft Word 2010 was so different from the 2003 version that it looked like Chinese to me. The updated NaturallySpeaking voice recognition software didn't use many of the old commands I had mastered in using the older version. The e-mail was very confusing and I just couldn't seem to make anything work. By the end of the second day I was thinking I had made a fatal mistake in upgrading everything and that why didn't I just stay with what I had been using and leave well enough alone? The old adage, "If it ain't broke don't fix it" seemed to make a whole lot of sense. I thought of the waste of money and that all the gigs and Rams I now possessed didn't seem to be helping me that much. Nathan would help me every night after work but still I was very frustrated.
I think it was on the third day that I finally came to grips with myself. I said "Jack, you can either look at this new computer with all of its gigs and Rams and new voice-recognition software and word processor as an insurmountable problem and stumbling block to your creativity, productivity and happiness, or you can look at it as a great opportunity to learn something new." Thankfully in that moment I chose to look at it as an intriguing challenge and an opportunity to learn and grow. I began to try to learn to do two new things every day and then I would have Nathan help me to gain some new insights into not more than one or two things each time I called on him for help. A few days later I had an incredible breakthrough and everything began to work and to exceed my greatest expectations. It was exhilarating!
My new computer and all the new programs have catapulted me forward and upward into a higher stratosphere of computing. With my new system I am light years ahead of where I was using the old comfortable computer and programs. My word processing is almost 100% accurate now. I am able to use the Internet and edit Word documents much more efficiently than ever before. I shudder to think what I would have missed out on had I not kicked myself out of my comfort zone and tried to master something difficult and challenging.
President Monson loves to quote from poetry, music, and movies in his talks. In two consecutive general conferences he quoted the following line from the old Civil War movie "Shenandoah." The words are spoken by Jimmy Stewart as follows, "If we don't try we don't do and if we don't do then why are we here? To me those are words to live by. I believe there are times in all of our lives when we are tempted to give up or give in because things that confront us are just too difficult to deal with. Of course if we quit trying we quit doing and the "why are we here" question becomes very relevant in our lives.
On those occasions when I have been tempted to give up and feel that all is lost and quit trying and doing I remember my Grandmother Halley Wilkin Young. Her example gives me courage to keep trying and doing. She faced an unbelievable challenge as a young mother in her 30s that almost got the best of her. The following is taken from a journal entry she wrote on June 3, 1951.
"A week before Christmas Allen (her husband), Wallace and Herb Taylor went to Cherry Creek for wood and a cedar Christmas tree. (They were living in Abraham, Utah just outside of Delta at the time) They were caught in a big snow storm, It took them four days to make the trip. When they arrived home Allen was sick with a bad cold and pain in the side.
Doctor Broaddus, the only doctor in the community was away on a vacation, Christmas morning we were informed about a woman doctor visiting in Woodrow, We called her on the telephone and described his case, She said he has appendicitis, get him to Salt Lake City as soon as possible. There was a terrible snow storm and blizzard raging. The first train out of Delta was 10 o'clock that night, Grandpa Young advised me not to go to Salt Lake city with Allen because I was three months pregnant; He would ask brother Oscar Fullmer to go. Brother Fullmer was a good religious man and knew just what to do. Mr., Cooper from Delta came in his car to take [Allen ] to the train. the train was three hours late on account of the Storm. The ambulance met the train in Salt lake City and took [Allen] to the LDS. hospital. There he was operated on as soon as possible. When the doctor made the incision the pus shot to the ceiling. Bro. Fullmer telephoned me about his condition I left for S.LC, on the train that night, Allen was very glad to see me. He had two drains in his side, he had peritonitis. I stayed with him all day at the hospital .
At night I stayed with my cousin, Ellen Blondell. The second week Allen’s condition improved so much I came home for my family needed me. I was home a week when I received a telegram to come at once Allen has pneumonia. When I arrived he wanted me to stay with him all the time. Annie Chaffin Allen’s sister came from Provo to be with me The third morning after I arrived, Allen took my hand arid said 'Halley" the Devil has won. I have had a hard fight and lost. I said don’t talk that way Allen, what can I do with out you, he said I have been trying to figure that out. I can see the sad look he gave me yet. In the afternoon he tried to get out of bed, “I am going to walk now or never,” it took two nurses and an orderly to hold him in bed. He sank into unconsciousness and passed away at 12:30 A.M. Jan. 12, 1917.

After the funeral I was left with a bitter feeling that was terrible. I couldn’t cry. It seemed the world died for me the day Allen left. The two great things I had fasted and prayed for with all earnestness had been denied me. “To spare the life of my mother and my husband.” In my weakness the devil was alert and beckoning me. I stopped praying and resigned all my religious activities.
I told the children they could continue to pray and go to church. If there was a God, he wasn’t a just God… The children continued to pray and to attend church; the older ones helped the younger ones. Ten days before my baby was born I was bitten by a deer fly. I was very sick and under care of Doctor Broaddus. He told my folks he was afraid the baby would not survive, and did not give them hopes for my recovery. I heard them talking in the kitchen. My baby boy was born 2:00 A.M. June 23rd 1917
When I heard my baby’s cry it put new life and new hope in me. I began to pray earnestly to the Lord to spare my life and the life of my baby that I might live to raise my family, four sons and four daughters, and teach them to live the gospel of Jesus Christ. To be true Latter Day Saints."
Grandma successfully raised her eight children, kept the farm going, became a midwife and the post mistress of the little post office in Abraham, and has bequeathed to her posterity a legacy of faith, endurance, and courage.
During some of my dark days I have thought to myself, "If Grandma Halley could keep trying and doing, faced with her seemingly insurmountable challenges, I can certainly follow her example and never give up or give in as well."
One of my heroes is Nephi. I have a small porcelain statue of Nephi that sits above my computer monitor. With the Liahona in his left hand and with a bow in his right hand and a visionary look on his countenance is very inspiring to me. I look at it every day and am reminded of the words that to me describe the essence of the man, "I will go and do…!" Not a bad example to follow.
Dad/Grandpa/Jack

Hope – Adrenaline for the Soul

continue resume is A couple of weeks ago Jo Anne was coming down the stairs from her bedroom early in the morning to turn up the heat.. Being a little groggy she failed to notice the step down to the heat register by the entryway. She said on a scale from 1 to 10 in terms of a graceful fall hers was a one. She landed on her right shoulder and because of the intense pain she thought she had broken it. She was able to drive herself with her good left arm to the urgent care facility near our home. In my helpful way I encouraged her to go for it but to be careful!

After a thorough examination it was determined she only had a severe sprain. Her arm was placed in a sling and she was given some
pain medication. I told her she was a wimp and that if I sprained my shoulder I wouldn't ask for pain medication – I would just tough it out. The doctor said it would be several weeks before she would have the full range of motion in her shoulder once again.

Well, what a pathetic couple we looked like for a few days with me totally paralyzed and in a mega power wheelchair and unable to move, and Jo Anne with her arm in a sling. Thankfully our daughter Jackie and her husband Nathan who are living with us for the time being have made it possible for us to get through this little ordeal.

Several days ago my caregiver was getting me ready for the day and I passed out. He and Jo Anne were able to revive me and we thought it was just a random episode but just as Jo Anne left the room I passed out again, my lips turned blue, and it was with great difficulty that they brought me back. The life-support system had not failed as it has a number of times in the past. This time I apparently was the one that failed. I had no premonition of what would happen, it was like a light switch being turned off. Jo Anne called the paramedics and as usual they came roaring up to our home with a fire truck, paramedic unit, and an ambulance. At least it provided some entertainment for the neighborhood which all turned out to see what was happening with Jack this time. Six big paramedics came rushing into my bedroom to lend assistance. Some of these men had been to our home several times before. My blood pressure was way low and my heartbeat was not doing very well either. We convinced them that Jo Anne would drive me to the ER and that we would be okay until then. They hesitantly agreed and about a half hour later we made the drive to the ER.

To make a long story short I spent three nights in the hospital with Jo Anne sleeping on an air mattress by my side. Do you think I love her? Past experience has taught us that hospitals are ill equipped and prepared to safely take care of someone in my condition. It was discovered I was severely dehydrated which was causing my kidneys, and heart to begin to shut down. They fixed me up thankfully and I am home once again! As my good friend John Nelson often says when these kinds of things happen to us, "If it's not one thing it's your mother!"

Are we discouraged and think our lot is hard? I don't think so! We have hope that things will get better and that we can endure this temporary inconvenience of paralysis, passing out, and a sprained shoulder without giving up or giving in or getting discouraged. We feel like the Apostle Paul when he wrote: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair…" [2 Corinthians 4:8]

Watching Sports Center on ESPN (my third favorite channel only superseded by BYU TV and Turner Classic Movies), one of the hosts of the show in quoting a famous coach, and I can't remember which one, said "Hope is adrenaline for the soul!" Now, Sports Center is not exactly the Scriptures or the home of great thinkers and philosophers but when I heard that statement I realized, based on my own life's experience, how true a statement it was.

How many times have we seen a team seemingly outplayed and being defeated, but because of hope that they can still turn the tide and win, miraculously come back and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat? I am convinced that it is hope that keeps us going forward in spite of the challenges and seeming tragedies that can come into all our lives.

I believe there are at least two different levels of hope that are operative in our lives. There is the hope that no matter what the problem is that there is a way out and that things can get better. And then there is a higher level of hope which the Scriptures call "A perfect brightness of hope." This perfect brightness of hope is faith and hope in the atonement of Christ and in the great plan of happiness. Fortunate is the man or woman who has both levels of faith/hope alive and well in their lives.

I believe we all have within us a God-given desire to live as long as we can regardless of how strong our faith and hope is in life after death.. I know the seven or eight times my life-support system has failed and I have almost left mortality and taken that step into eternity I have not been saying to myself "Oh boy, I get to die and go to the spirit world!" On the contrary, during those desperate circumstances I have been fighting with every molecule and atom of my being and crying out to the Lord in my mind and heart to let me have just one breath of precious life-giving air and oxygen. Knowing that help is not likely to come in time there is still an element of hope that somehow my life will be preserved.

I have had many friends who have suffered from cancer and instead of dying have opted to undergo surgery, chemotherapy and radiation which has made them sick and miserable for extended periods of time. Why haven't they just turned their faces to the wall, accepted the perhaps inevitable, assumed the fetal position and let nature take its course? It is because of hope – hope they can be cured and remain upon this earth with their loved ones as long as they can. I am sure this kind of hope is pleasing to our Heavenly Father.

We all know however, that in spite of our hope for a cure, sometimes the cure doesn't come. That's when the next level of hope sustains us– the "perfect brightness of hope" that life is eternal, that there will be a glorious resurrection, and that families are forever. This is the hope that sustains us when we realize there is no cure in spite of our hope that there would be one.

Two hours after my accident at the beach while in the ER room of the Laguna hospital two dear friends convinced the neurosurgeons to let them give me a blessing. I had just come out of a two-hour coma and my mind was very foggy. I knew one thing though, and that was that I was paralyzed and couldn't breathe on my own and that the condition might possibly be permanent. The only part of my body the neurosurgeons would permit my friends to touch was a portion of my foot. Laying their hands on that part of my body a special blessing was given. 21 years later I still remember the promise made in that first blessing following my accident. I was promised the following, "You will be able to continue to be a husband to your wife and a father to your children!" Those words sank deep into my heart and although I could not see at the time how such a promise could ever be fulfilled in my physical condition, I was filled with hope that such would be the case.

I came to learn that a cure of my physical condition was not to be and that the promise made by the Lord through my friends would have to be miraculously fulfilled in some other way. It has been! Through some desperate and depressing times those words have continued to fill me with hope and to want to never give up.

We just can't make it through this minefield of mortality without both levels of hope. I know so many wonderful people with health challenges much more severe than mine who are great examples to me of how hope truly is adrenaline for the soul. My nephew, John Michael Stuart, born with severe cerebral palsy has gone on to receive a BA degree and a Master of social work degree, has become an author and powerful motivational speaker and has blessed the lives of many. I think of Rob Hadlock who lives in our neighborhood and was rendered a quadriplegic while in high school by diving into a shallow swimming pool. He graduated from high school, BYU, Hastings law school in San Francisco, and is now a practicing attorney in Southern California. He married and he and his wife have adopted a beautiful little baby girl. I do not have words to express how proud I am of these kinds of individuals who with hope – both levels – teach us all so much.

I contrast them with the doctor from Texas who had a snow skiing accident in Colorado about the same time I had my accident, and ended up in a condition similar to mine. When he realized his condition and the prognosis for the future he made three requests. He wanted to drink a margarita, watch a Dallas Cowboys football game, and then have somebody pull the plug. All three wishes were granted.

Faith hope and charity are inextricably intertwined and form a powerful and strong lifeline that anchors us to the love and power of Christ that we all need so badly in our lives.

No one said it more beautifully than Nephi of old: "Wherefore ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ [this is faith] having a perfect brightness of hope [this is hope] and a love of God and of all men [this is charity] wherefore if you shall press forward [not looking back on the supposedly good old days] feasting upon the word of Christ and endure to the end, behold thus saith the father, ye shall have eternal life." [2 Nephi 31:20 – commentary added]

Dad/Grandpa/Jack

Joy

A short while ago we attended the funeral service for our good friend, Lloyd Rasmussen. The funeral service was a wonderful celebration of the life of a very good man. Elder Legrand Richards, in speaking at the funeral service of a dear friend, said, "There is nothing that makes for a good funeral like the life of a good man." This was certainly the case with Lloyd. Not only was he our friend but he was the friend of many other people as well.

We first met Lloyd when we moved to Orange County in 1975. He was then serving as our stake president and in 1976 he called me as a counselor to Bishop Tom Murray, the first bishop of the newly formed Tustin Fourth Ward. Having served as a bishop and then as a stake president, Lloyd was called as a regional representative, in which calling he served for about eight years. Later he would be called to serve as president of the newly organized Eugene, Oregon Mission and then eventually as a counselor in the Temple presidency of the Newport Beach Temple.

While he was a Regional Representative, my assignment with the Church Educational System was to coordinate educational matters in Orange County with Lloyd. I met with him frequently, usually in his New York Life Insurance office, and always left having been taught something significant. In one meeting I revealed to him I was writing my dissertation for my doctor's degree in education at USC. He looked at me and said, "Jack, you and I potentially have the same problem." I was shocked and couldn't imagine what that potential problem we both shared could possibly be. He went on to tell me that when he went to BYU where he played varsity basketball, he had one desire and that was to get his degree as quickly as possible and then get out into the world and make as much money as he could. On the other hand, he could tell that I enjoyed education, study, gaining knowledge and was not that concerned about making money. "My money for me and your education and knowledge for you," he said "could be potential stumbling blocks. Let's agree to never let my money or your knowledge and education come between us and the Lord."

I was never smart enough to gain enough knowledge to become dangerous, but Lloyd certainly lived up to his part of the bargain. He was very successful in the insurance business and the investments he made, but none of that ever got between him and the Lord, as far as I could ever see.

During another visit he said, "Jack, how is Zion to be established in these last days?" His question caught me off guard and I'm afraid my answer was not very cogent. He finally said, "Let me tell you how Zion will come about. We must all work hard, become productive, create a surplus of money, or time, or talent, and then develop the quality of charity to the point that we willingly give our surplus to the Lord to bless the lives of others." He told me that about 30 years ago; I have never forgotten it, and to me it captures the essence of the life of Lloyd Rasmussen.

Lloyd Rasmussen was a big man in many ways -- physically, mentally, and spiritually. To me his greatest quality however, was the compassion and kind things he did for others in need, very quietly behind the scenes, and out of the spotlight.

About a month after my accident Lloyd walked into my room in the spinal cord injury unit at Rancho los Amigos Rehabilitation Hospital along with Dave Parker. While serving as a bishop, Dave had finally won a battle with cancer and Lloyd thought it would be good for both of us to meet each other. I think it was, at least for me. That visit was the first of a number of subsequent visits Lloyd had with Jo Anne and me over the years.

I always signed up for every insurance policy offered by CES and because of a 24 hour death and dismemberment policy I had, having lost the use of all four limbs, we received a generous settlement from our insurance company. Lloyd, and his good friend and partner DeMar Baron, gave us some wise counsel at that time regarding how to best use the insurance settlement. With the insurance money, along with our retirement/disability income and Social Security, it made it possible for Jo Anne to remain at home, never needing to work outside of the home or worry about finances, and enabled her to devote her time to raising the three younger children, who were still at home and taking care of me, which is a full-time job in and of itself. She has also maintained the house, the lawns, and our van. I hate to admit it, but since she took over, everything looks a lot better than when I was in charge. How can that possibly be?

We shudder to think what our post accident life may have been had Lloyd and DeMar not taken an interest in our situation and blessed us with their wise counsel, love and support.

We felt sorrow when we heard of the passing of one who had been such a blessing in our lives. We know that tears were shed by his beloved wife and family members and others as well, and appropriately so, for as the Scripture says, "Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die... [D&C 42:45] But then the Lord puts death into proper perspective by saying, "And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them..." [D&C 42:46] I believe that Lloyd died in the Lord and it was sweet unto him.

Lloyd passed away at the beginning of the Christmas season. Christmas is a special and a wonderful time of the year. I love everything about Christmas -- the food, the parties, the family gatherings, the music and lights and special decorations. For many years my favorite decoration was a three letter word made out of a kind of felt material of green, red, and white. For years it was prominently displayed on a wall in our dining room. It began to look a bit worn out, and since the children have left home, Jo Anne doesn't decorate quite as much as she used to. For the last couple of years I haven't seen my favorite decoration hanging on the wall. It might be there, but I can barely see the wall so I just don't know. I will have to ask Jo Anne. To me that three letter word captured and captures the essence of Christmas and the Christ spirit. In case you haven't figured it out already, the word is "JOY." If you were to go to the topical guide and look up all the references for the word "joy," you would find that, in almost every instance, it has something to do with Christ, his birth, and his mission and atoning sacrifice. The most famous example of course is the declaration of the angel to the shepherds that night of nights, "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great JOY, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior , which is Christ the Lord." [Luke 2:10-11, emphasis added]

A young prophet who would, in a few short years, face a martyr's death at age 38, was taught a significant lesson about joy by the Lord, "[Joseph] fear not even unto death, for in this world your joy is not full but in me your joy is full." [D&C 101:36]
And so we miss Lloyd and many other wonderful close friends and family members that have temporarily left us, but are comforted in knowing that, as wonderful as mortality is, it is only through Christ and his infinite love and atonement that any of us will ever be able to experience a "fullness of joy."

It has been said that birth is the beginning of a terminal disease. Death is as inevitable as birth and we will all exit mortality through that door. Because of Christ and his love for each one of us; however, we need not fear death or be heart broken and filled with despair at the temporary separation from a loved one. Surely, in this life our joy is not full, but in Christ it is! I pray that the joy that is HIM will fill our hearts at this special time of the year and always.

 As we follow his example and become his true disciples, loving others as he has loved us, surely the day will come that he will say to each one of us, "...Well done, thou good and faithful servant : enter thou into the JOY of thy lord." [Matthew 25:21]

Dad/Grandpa/Jack

All people make me happy

As Joanne and I, almost daily, travel about Orange County to return things to our favorite stores, and to eat some tacos or a bean burrito with extra onions at our favorite gourmet restaurant, "Taco Bell," we listen to books on CD that we obtain from our local public library.

We just finished listening to one that I feel compelled to tell you about. Let me preface it with a statement shared with me by a good friend, Randy Smith that has a ring of truth to it. "All people bring happiness into our lives -- some by coming and others by going." [Anonymous] During our lifetimes hopefully the people that bring us happiness by coming into our lives will far outweigh those who bring us happiness by going. Fortunately that has been the case during my lifetime.

The book I am referring to has introduced Joanne and I to a person that has brought us happiness and enriched our lives. We are only sorry we did not have him come into our lives sooner. His name is William Wilberforce and the book is entitled, AMAZING GRACE: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery by Eric Metaxas.

Through our own ignorance over the years somehow we had not come to know William Wilberforce. The movie, "Amazing Grace," which we saw several years ago, was taken from this book, but does not do justice in portraying the kind of man William Wilberforce was. The book does so in depth in a beautiful way. We were enthralled, edified, and also somewhat embarrassed we didn't know anything about him. Maybe some of you are like Joanne and I. The following was taken from the book jacket. "Amazing Grace tells the story of the remarkable life of the British abolitionist William Wilberforce (1759-1833). This accessible biography chronicles Wilberforce’s extraordinary role as a human rights activist, cultural reformer, and member of Parliament. At the center of this heroic life was a passionate twenty-year fight to abolish the British slave trade, a battle Wilberforce won in 1807, as well as efforts to abolish slavery itself in the British colonies, a victory achieved just three days before his death in 1833. Metaxas discovers in this unsung hero a man of whom it can truly be said: he changed the world. Before Wilberforce, few thought slavery was wrong. After Wilberforce, most societies in the world came to see it as a great moral wrong... This account of Wilberforce’s life will help many become acquainted with an exceptional man who was a hero to Abraham Lincoln and an inspiration to the anti-slavery movement in America."

We were very touched by this multifaceted, "born-again, evangelical" Christian who after a young life of debauchery and self-centeredness found Christ and devoted his considerable talents and fortune, not only in seeing slavery abolished, but also helping to raise the quality of life of the poor and downtrodden in England. After reading this book, I think I would have liked to have had William Wilberforce as a friend. I could say much more about William Wilberforce but would rather leave it up to you to let him "come" into your life through reading this wonderful book.

The relationship we have with those who come into our lives is the source of much of our happiness both in mortality and in eternity. I learned how true this is while lying in a hospital bed with a neurosurgeon looking down at me and giving me his prognosis about my life from that time forward. I knew in that moment that the only thing that mattered at all in my life up to that moment were the relationships I had with people who had "come into my life" and brought me much happiness because of it.

I think the reason that death is so anguishing and frightening to many is because they may feel that a priceless relationship is being severed for good. That thought is almost more than any of us can bear. Without the "Great Plan of Happiness", life truly would be senseless and death a black abyss waiting to eventually swallow every human being into a state of nothingness.

There are some people that come into our lives that we never want to go away. I feel that way about my wife and children and grandchildren, as you do about yours. My father passed away while undergoing open-heart surgery at the age of 62. I walked beside the gurney talking to him as he was wheeled down the corridor of the St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City to the operating room. Little did I know I would never see him again or talk to him again in this life. He passed away in April, 1970. I still miss him and wished he hadn't gone away. He was the first person that was really close to me that died. I thought my heart would break when I realized he was gone for good. However, within days of his passing I had confirmed within my soul by the Spirit that life is eternal and that one day I would be reunited with my dad once again. Hopefully we all know this about ourselves and our loved ones; otherwise life would truly be empty, scary, and meaningless.

One of my favorite scenes from the Book of Mormon is when the Savior is leaving those to whom he had appeared and taught as a resurrected being. He spent many hours with them. They had touched the nail prints in his hands and feet and the wound in his side and they knew it was He of "whom the prophets had testified should come into the world," even the Christ, the Messiah. As he was about to leave them, Mormon recorded the following, which I think we can all identify with: "And it came to pass that when Jesus had thus spoken, he cast his eyes round about again on the multitude, and beheld they were in tears, and did look steadfastly upon him as if they would ask him to tarry a little longer with them." [3 Nephi 17:5, emphasis added]. Had we been there that day I'm sure we too would have been in tears with the thought of him leaving us. I never want to forget what happened next. Sensing how he was loved by these faithful and trusting souls and how they never wanted him to leave them, he "... said unto them: Behold, my bowels are filled with compassion towards you." [3 Nephi 17:6] He then had them bring forth their lame, paralyzed, blind, leprous, deaf, or withered family members and friends. "... and he did heal them every one as they were brought forth unto him... And... [He] wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and when he had done this he wept again..." [3 Nephi 17:21-22, emphasis added]

Of all the friends we have or of all the people that have come into our lives, none has brought us the happiness Christ has. How grateful we are for Mormon's account of the Savior's love for all of us and of his great tenderness and compassion.

Though temporarily separated from him, we have the same promise he gave to his beloved apostles that Thursday night before going from them. Sensing their sorrow at his parting, much as the Nephites had, he said to them (and to us), "I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you." [John 14:18] There is an important footnote to the word "comfortless." Apparently a better translation from the original Greek text would have been "orphans." Though gone for a while he would never leave us "orphans." He has not ,nor would he ever, abandon us. Until he comes to us again, the Holy Ghost has been given as a supernal gift to comfort us and constantly remind us of his great and eternal love for each one of us.
Of all the people we invite to come into our lives, lets make sure that Christ is the first.

Dad/Grandpa/Jack
www.observationsbyjack.blogspot.com