Reading List

January 30, 2011

Divine Signatures by Gerald N. Lund

Mar gave me this book for Christmas. It was a splendid gift. I loved the book. Everyone shourd readit. It has some doctrine in it, but a lot of it is just stories of what Elder Lund calls "Devine Signatures". He says that Heavenly Father always wants to bless us, and he does bless us whenever he can. However, there are times when he wants us to really get it – to really know that he has blessed us. There are times when we can see whith great gratitude that he is watching over us. In this book, you want to keep reading to see all of the stories of times that God has put his signature into people's lives. It made me think, and I'm sure you would also think of times when you can definitely see His hand, not just as a simple blessing, but as a signature saying "I am here".

This is a story from my life of a Devine Signature:

It was a bleak time in my life. The company I was working for was failing and I was looking at possible unemployment in a hard market. Still, I had held on to my job longer than many in the company. So it was that I was sent to another city to teach a class. This class had good and bad aspects. First, it was in Phoenix, Arizona. At the time, my parents and two brothers lived in Mesa, which was about 60 minutes from where I was working. However, the class was going over two weeks , so I was to spend a weekend in the Valley of the Sun. With family there that didn't seem too bad initially, but the depression I felt was heavy, and I decided not to spend every moment with family. In fact, the Sunday I was staying over I made an excuse to not go down to see them or go to church with them. The excuse was, "I am planning on going up to Prescott on Sunday."

Our family had spent two years living in Prescott. We had good friends there. I had served in a bishopric there. At the time I made the excuse, it seemed like a really good excuse. I thought I really did want to go and see Prescott. But as Sunday morning broke, I missed my family and I worried about work and I got more and more depressed. I just laid in the motel room and did nothing. I have to say it was really one of the lowest points of my life.

Then the signature happened. It was not an instant signature. It took the next four hours. But it started with a real prompting. I almost heard a voice in my head that said, "Well, if you are going to Prescott, get up and go NOW." It wasn't a still small voice. It was emphatic. So I did. I got dressed for Sunday and drove the 1 ½ hours up to Prescott. It was pretty late when I got to the church building. I decided I would just go in and see what was happening, and if it was convenient, I would stay for a while.

I found out that it was a ward conference – for the ward I used to be in. The bishop whom I served with was no longer bishop, he was the stake president. They were having Priesthood Meeting first and it was just starting, so I took a seat in the back. Now here is the signature (beyond the voice in the motel that got me there at just the right time to have this experience). When opening exercises for Priesthood Meeting were over, the stake president, my old bishop and old friend made his way straight to me. He had so much to do that day, but he came to me, and this is what he said. "Larry, I am so glad to see you. I was just thinking about you the other day. I thought, I wonder how the Stones's are doing. They were such good people."

Right then at that point of my life, Heavenly Father put me in a spot where he could have one of the most influential people in my life give me a message of encouragement and peace. It was a message I really needed. It was a message that got me through the next couple of months.

How does a divine signature work? Heavenly Father just makes things happen his way to deliver his message. And that message for me was, "I am here. And I am helping. And you are a good person." It was not just a message – it was a message just for me.

Travels with Lar

January 30 – February 5
Kansas City, Missouri

This was a work trip – the fourth in a row. I was teaching at a site I have taught in many times before – Honeywell FM&T in South Kansas City. It was destined to be an uneventful week. It was a class I have taught many times before to people I have taught many times before. I was looking at no stress.
No stress was not to be.

Tuesday afternoon it started to snow. By the time it was over it would be known as the killer blizzard of 2011. On the way home from the plant on Tuesday night I got stuck, in the middle of the road. There was just too much snow. I finally got to the motel and hunckered down. I got to huncker longer than I expected because Wednesday morning, Honeywell closed the plant until noon. So we started the class at noon – and by that time the sun was out and it was beautiful day – but the wind was blowing at 35 MPH and the temperature never got above 5.

So the class became somewhat more of an adventure, but by Saturday morning, all was well and I few back home. Just another week on the road.

I think I'll stay home for a while.

The Power of an old habit

Or . . .

Brain Imprints and Moving.

At our old house, I slept on the left hand side of the bed and Mar slept on the right.  That gave me the alarm clock and all that was needed for the evenings endeavours of cuddling, smooching and sleeping - yes sleeping - so the clock was kept on the night stand on the left hand side of the bed.  It was a good arrangement and had worked for nigh onto 20 years.

So now we move to a new house and this inspires a new arrangement, where I am sleeping on the right hand side of the bed with Mar on the left.  Just 180 degrees different as you can imagine because a bed only has two real directions, unless you want to sleep crosswise, which may be fine for a parcel of younguns, but younguns we are not, so we sleep lengthwise - but I digress.  Now the night stand, with the alarm clock and all of the of the needed things is on the right hand side - mainly because that is the location of the most suitable plug.  This arrangements has worked well until the other night - or the other morning.

I had to arise at the unseemly hour of 5:00 AM.  I set the alarm and we retires and slept quite well until that pesky alarm went off.  Then twenty years of habit kicked it.  The alarm rang, and I instantly reached over to where the alarm clock was - I mean was not any longer - and smacked Mar right in the head.  Needless to say on that morning the alarm woke Mar a lot better than it woke me. It took me a second or two to even realize where that stupid alarm clock was - but to my own credit, I only smacked Mar in the head once.

I did say I was sorry - about a hundred times before we went to bed.  The next evening, we just left the alarm off.

Movie Review

January 26, 2011

Night at the Museum Two

I am in a motel room in Tempe, AZ.  It is quite tired out.  My plan was that I would watch a movie tonight.  I even brought one from home, but alas, there is no DVD viewer on my new computer (I will rectify that, let me tell you.)  So the evening plan is blown - wasted - shot in the head,  So i turn on the TV.  I go to HBO (scary - you never know what might be on HBO).  Lookee here.  I got there just at the start of a movie I have never seen - and I sort of wanted to see it.

Night at the Museum Two is just fun.  It is a total sequel and pretty much totally the same but in a different museum.  Acting was okay.  Story was a little bit weak.  But as I said, it was fun.

Not for real little kids, but starting at five or six, okay.  And even okay for adults - if you don't expect too much.  We will put it dead center on the scale at 2.5 - okay maybe not that great - just a 2.

Movie Review

January 22, 2011

Two movies in one night - unheard of:

Inception

A movie with a twist.  Ben and Brea brought this over because they wanted to "watch it with Dad".  A story about dreamscapes.  Interesting twists.  Very interesting cinematography.  Really interesting effects.  Extremely hard story to follow, but it did have a twist. At the end, Ben and I were at odds about if it was or if it wasn't real.  I said no.  Ben said yes.  It is all in the minds of the beholder on this one because the story doesn't say.

I liked it more that Mar, so it only gets a 2.5 on the scale.  Not for kids because they wouldn't get it.  Not for casual watching by adults, or they wouldn't get it either.

Salt

Mar and her Mom went into a Blockbuster that was going out of business to see if they could buy some cheap movies.  They found some that looked promising and when they went to check them out they got a deal they couldn't refuse.  Take the movies for free if you just sign up for a free month of the Blockbuster movie subscription service (like Netflix - only Blockbuster).  So they did.

Salt was the first movie they rented.  A CIA - secret agent movie.  What man wouldn't want to see Angelina Jolie kicking and shooting her way out of a lot of tight spots - especially after she covers a surveillance camera in the first ten minutes by using her underwear (its all just for fantasy purposes).  Well it wasn't exactly like that - I mean just kicking and shooting, how be it there was a goodly share of that.  It was a far fetched plot, full of cold war left over angst and the fact that the good guys and the bad guys are changing from good guys to bad guys or bad guys to good guys so much it is a little bit hard to know where you are going or who you are going home with.  In the end she either does or doesn't get caught, depending on which good guy or which bad guy you are following or liking at that specific time.  Not a bad action movie, but that is all.  Nothing great on the all time list.

Not high on my recommend list.  Definitely not for kids, just because.

Reading List

January 24, 2011

You're Gonna Make It by John Bytheway

Mar bought this book, maybe for Michael - yes for Michael but not our Michael, for Andrea's Michael - and Jasen.  John Bytheway does a light hearted look at the problems of youth in high school, speaking from his own experiences.  The premise of the book is that, yes there are hard times through high school.  But there are ways to make it through unscathed by the world, which really seems now a days to be at its worst in the pressure cooker of adolescent school drama.  The solution is - are you ready for this - be string.  This book offers encouragement and - encouragement - and encouragement - and a few suggestions.

The essence of the message - you are okay and you will make it.

The book is written in a lighthearted, way appropriate for teenagers, and it assumes you are a member of the church.  It is  short enough to not turn youth away.  I mean, it was meant to entice them to read it - entice in the way only John Bytheway could do.

He does quote other authors - in particular, I like the story about Brad Wilcox and hating your parents.  Now that is a story that sheds valuable light for teenagers.

Keep strong y'all.  You are gonna make it.

(Maybe that was meant for parents also).

Travle with Lar

January 23 - 28, 2011

Tempe, Arizona

This was a work trip - another trip to teach for Intel.  The class went well.  It was 14 people, when we only expected 8 participants, but still all was handled in a professional manner and I think they were satisfied.

On Monday I went to visit Ed and Sandy and took them out to dinner.  It was nice to see them.  Michelle had a class and Jonathan, well he was sick and had to stay home and catch up on homework - and he had broken his hand - by punching a wall - a padded wall, but a wall none the less.  It is so nice to have such an easy thing to tease him about.

Tuesday I went to the temple.

Travel for this trip, Sunday evening and Friday evening were totally uneventful - except that I was upgraded to first class on the way to Phoenix.  And, oh yes, I got a Mustang as my car.  I didn't drive fast, but it was nice knowing I could.  Vroooooom.

Mar and School

January 18, 2011

School Starts Again

Mar has had a good, relaxing time over the last month because she didn't have class - but alas that time is over.  School, her last semester, started again today. 

That is scary and refreshing at the same time.  Scary because, well it is school.  Scary because it is the last semester and that means hard work.  Scary because she has clinicals, a real test for her nursing skills and her people skill.  Scary because she worries and doesn't sleep well.

Refreshing, because it is the last semester,  Refreshing because it is not as many credits as last semester.  Refreshing because her clinicals are at the beginning of the semester so she can get them done quickly.

And scary because after this she has a month "cap stones" project, working in a nursing environment.  And then really scary because at the very end there is the . . . (duh, duh, duh) the NCLEX RN test.

She is wonderful, but it is soooooo stressful.  I would recommend, suggest, and even plead for support and encouragement.

How proud I am of her I can t say.  I try often but it always comes out less than I mean.  Others can sure tell her how great she is.  That will help.

Reading List

January 21, 2011

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski

A delightful little book about how the influence of the Savior in conjunction with a little human kindness changes a man's outlook.

No, before anyone claims "unfair" - I will say it is a short, children's book - with a lot of pictures.  Still I am going to count it because of the richness of the story.

I recommend it.  Get it and read it.  It could be another yearly, must read for Christmas book.

Reading List

January 20, 2011

The Mansion by Henry van Dyke

President Thomas S. Monson mentioned in his Christmas address this year that every Christmas season he reads A Christmas Carol and The Mansion.  Well, I have read The Christmas Carol many times, but never The Mansion.  And so as a surprise to me, Mar bought it.  I am so glad she did. 

It is really a short story, a little less that 50 pages, and easy reading.  It is about a rich man who discovers that even though he is a philanthropist, his "good works" on earth may not be counting for much.  Enough said.  I don't want to ruin it for potential audiences.

I would highly recommend it.  Yep, I would highly recommend it once a year.

Afton - Video

This is a short video of little Afton.

See the travels blog prceding this for more details.



Travels with Lar

January 16 - 22, 2011

Portland / Hillsboro, OR

This was a work trip to again teach at Intel.  The class was supposed to be 8 people.  It ended up with 9.  This class wasn't too bad because we were actually at an Intel site and they didn't let me in until 9:00 and I had to leave at 5:00.  The class was still hard.  It was a harder group of people, but I did have good support from Mentor personnel.

On Monday I went to Beaverton to visit Terry and Hallie.  That was a nice and fun visit.

On Tuesday I went to the Portland Temple.

On Wednesday afternoon I went to the Mentor offices in Wilsonville, just to say hi - after all, I was in the area.

On Thursday I went to see Jon and Erin and their baby Afton in Aloha.  By the end of the evening, Afton and I were good friends.  It helps the bonding when you share your ice cream.

Friday it was move down by the airport for a fast get away on Saturday morning.

I was upgraded to first class on the way home - yes that was nice.

Reading List

January 14, 2011

The Great Short Works of Mark Twain by Samuel Clemens

This book was a birthday present from Brea and Ben.  I can not tell you how much I really enjoyed reading it.  I like reading books that are really well written, and Mark Twain was a master word smith.  In a compilation like this, I also got to see the development of him, meaning his philosophy.  In his early carrer he was quite a humorist, but as he aged he got more philosophical and downright mystical. 

I just have to say thank you to my kids for such a great gift.  It put a smile on my face.  I alway recommend Mark Twain.

Travels with Lar

January 9 - 14, 2011

Phoenix / Tempe, Arizona

This was a business trip.  I taught a group of Intel people.  There wsere supposed to be 12 in the class.  There ended up being 14.  It was hard work.  I spent 10 to 12 hours a day working.  Not a fun week, but the class went well.

On Tuesday I did get to go to the temple.

Travel was easy going and coming - so that was a good part of the trip.