Gratitude

I was reading Megann's blog and really liked her idea of spending this month showing some gratitude. For me, I am grateful for my Temple recommend. We went to the temple last week and they turned me away.....Ok, I guess that wouldn't surprise you, but it isn't what you think. My recommend had expired. I am still not the world's most religious guy, but I do love the temple. I saw the Bishop today, and I am close to being admitted again. So let's all check our wallets and the dates, and spend a little time thinking about how lucky we are to have a nearby temple, and the permission to visit it.

Lessons from the Temple

I have a new appreciation for the temple, lately, but I rather doubt that my experience of the temple mirrors the experiences of others. Many go to the temple to do a service. Others, like me, go to be "serviced". I am a selfish temple attender. I seldom focus my thoughts on the individual whose work is being done, although when he does cross my mind it feels companionable. However, I feel that I have been receiving much more from the visit than just the experience of the endowment.

I have also concluded that, for me at least, there really are things to learn every time I attend. However, I can't say I usually have new insights about the endowment itself. I worry a bit about being misunderstood, (Wow! Dad finally got religion!), but I sense that I probably ought to share a couple of the "lessons" I feel I have been given.

1. I am the creator of my life experience and I am completely responsible for everything that happens in my life.

I know...very trite and new age, but let me explain. I arrived at the temple one afternoon when I had done a lot of mental blaming of others during the day. You know what they say.....before you get mad there is always an angel on your shoulder asking, "Do you want to be right, or do you want to be happy"? I had done a lot of being right that day. As I sat there, trying to find the spirit, it hit me forcefully just how completely responsible I was for everything I had experienced that day. I could visualize, clearly, how different actions and reactions on my part could have changed everything. I came away with a new perspective on the fact that I am a powerful creative being. I am always responsible for my life experience. A promise was made by me, that day, that I would spend more time focusing on my actions, and significantly less time judging (blaming) others.

2. Music can help to access the spirit.

In this case, I am speaking about music you hear internally...in your mind. The first two visits to the temple this month had been wonderful, but on this particular day I couldn't seem to find the thread. It was almost as if I was experiencing a dullness of thought, a lack of communion. About an hour in, however, a happy old pop song called "Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows" began running through my head. I know that the story would sound better if it had been Tabernacle Choir music, but I had to take what I could get. We are not discussing some holy person. My mood picked up as I began to change the words. "Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, everything that's wonderful is what I feel here in the temple. Brighter than a lucky penny, when I'm here the rain goes, disappears, and I feel so fine! Ok, embarrassing, but you get the drift. Before the end of the session, everything had changed, and I was having a powerful, joyful experience. It struck me at the end that music, all joyful music, was a gift of God to help us access a greater portion of the spirit. I strongly feel that this is true.

I couldn't seem to leave the temple last month without a strong sense of having been taught. To my surprise, for the first time, I have had the experience of the temple as a truly joyful place. In fact, I have a very strong impression that one purpose of the temple is to help us expand our ability to experience joy. Considering the fact that I have never really enjoyed the temple in the past, and have often gone to great lengths to avoid it, this is a surprising time for me.

Looking back at the last couple of posts, I have let this blog get very dull and even preachy, which is not my usual style. I suppose, in some ways, I am treating it more like a journal, so any of you who are reading this will just have to bear with me. But I do feel, even at my advanced age, that I am learning something new, and that is exciting!

An ode to Joy

So many things have been good about this month, and this blog gives me a chance to do a rampage of appreciation.

The force has been with me this month. The force is known by many names: Divine love, the Source, the Holy Spirit, or Universal energy. It is a feeling of spiritual power that is precious and hard to hang-on to. It is stimulated by positive thought, although thought is probably not the origin. It includes a sense of being led by an intelligence beyond your own, and its prerequisite would seem to be a willingness to listen and follow. It includes a consciousness of personal power; the power one has to deliberately create ones' own environment and to positively influence events in the world.

There is a sense of good things coming toward you. There is the reward of seemingly unrelated and coincidental events, (Sychronicity), regularly working in your favor. You begin to develop an expectation of small, and perhaps even large, miracles occurring in your life. You visualize things happening, and watch them begin to take shape in reality. You are more effective at your job and more giving in your relationships. You have a taste of the actual reason for our existence: Joy!

I have been here before; perhaps most strongly during the month we visited South America, and through much of that subsequent summer. I thought I had it figured out back then, but it slipped away from me. Happily, I am in the midst of another opportunity.

As far as the actual events of the month, I can't list anything that sounds earthshaking or miraculous. We have attended concerts, visited our wonderful grandchildren, been to work daily and enjoyed each-others' company. Still, I have the sense that, amid the gloom and doom we read and hear about every day, wonderful and unknown possibilies are emerging. I am glad I was born and I love being alive.

It became apparent to me this week that, strange as it sounds, my classes have already progressed farther this year than they did all of last year. This has been my most effective year as a teacher. I am excited to see what I will be teaching for the rest of the year, since I have already covered most of what I actually know.

We received a call from Nibia, the Uruguayan sister we took to the temple. She is visiting her son, Ernesto, in Florida, and they are hoping to make a trip out here to see us, and my old companion Neil Hansen, during the next month. How terrific would that be? If it happens, we hope to find the opportunity for you all to meet her.

Anyway, I have the feeling that maintaining these good feelings is possible, and perhaps not all that complicated. It has to do with worrying a lot less, laughing a lot more, criticizing never and praising always. Not at all easy, but I suspect that to the extent we develop these patterns, we will find ourselves flowing along in harmony with the source of the power.

I would be interested in your comments and suggestions.

Lovely Sunday!

1. Mom was up before 6 this morning. I asked her why so early and she said she had to practice the organ. She also noted that she reads her scriptures every other morning of the week, and always seems to miss on Sunday. I told her not to worry....that we had it covered. I only read mine on Sunday. She may be contributing 6/7 of what is needed to get into "The Kingdom", but I do contribute my small part.

It is tough being married to a saint!


2. I was detained in the office, early last week, and wandered into one of my classes a little bit late. They were behaving well, but nothing productive was happening. We discussed the need for them to take some responsibility for their own education, and talked about all of the things they might have started to do, while waiting for me.

At the beginning of the next class that day, I simply sat there until they all quieted down and looked at me. I then asked what should be happening. It was interesting to see who took leadership roles in getting the class underway.

Over the course of the week, I discussed my new expectations with all of the classes. My modus operandi has been to wander in and out a bit during the first moments of class, and watch what they do to get things underway. The results have been exciting. Naturally, I need to present the new material, but they are very good at setting up review exercises, running some of our drills, and starting the oral book reports. Joseph Smith once said, "I teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves". That seems to work well, even with 13 year olds.

3. Betty's brother Lloyd and his wife Judy left at the end of this week. They had been living in our back yard, in their motor home, for the last 7 weeks. They stayed with us last year also, as it is a chance for Lloyd to work for our neighbor, Raymond Parks, to put away some extra money before they head down to Arizona for the winter.

It is interesting how my opinion of Lloyd has changed over the past couple of years. He was Annes' first child, born when she was very young. She lost custody of him to the parents of her irresponsible first husband, and thereafter saw very little of him. Her other children really knew nothing about him until they were in their teens, and then found his existence hard to accept.

He grew up as something of a roughneck...hard drinking and hard living...taking all of the toughest jobs. He is famous in the family as the eccentric who went out into the woods outside Kalispell, Montana, and lived without running water or other amenities for years. We all concluded that he was (is) a bit crazy, and perhaps that is (was) true.

Just the same, as I have come to know him, I have found a great deal to admire. He gave up drinking, cold turkey, about 15 years ago, and has never come back to it. He knows how to do anything mechanical in a near expert fashion. His work ethic is above reproach. Ray Parks absolutely swears by him, and feels that he is one of the best temporary workers he has ever hired over the years. Although he is very blue- collar and does not have the vocabulary of an educated man, he keeps himself well informed about the world around him.

Betty's brothers and sisters seem to want little to do with him, and, although he won't acknowledge it, this hurts him. He feels a bit like the black sheep of the clan. I once shared their point of view, and have come to realize that I was wrong. He is in many ways a true eccentric, but he is a good man.

MUSIC AND ALZHEIMERS:

Betty and I went to see Kathy Mattea perform tonight. She is a country/folk singer who was well known in the 90's for songs like "Where've You Been" and "18 wheels and a dozen roses".

She told a story about visiting her mother, who had Alzheimers. She said she took out her guitar to tune it one day, struck a chord, and her mother launched right into the first verse of one of Kathy's songs. The amazing thing was that her mother had never sung in front of Kathy before. She had always been tone-deaf and too embarrassed to sing. Now, however, she had forgotten that she couldn't sing, and it came out perfectly on pitch. Kathy said that long after her mother had ceased to recognize her, they could still sing "You are my sunshine" together. It was their last real connection.

How deep and powerful music must be, that when all else is forgotten we may still remember a simple tune. How wonderful that all of my grandchildren are growing up with parents who value music.

CONFERENCE RATING SYSTEM?

Betty was showing me today how any conference talk is now available on the internet for immediate viewing. We enjoyed watching the reaction when Thomas Monson announced a new temple for Rome. How fun!

It occurred to me that since the talks are available in this format, we now have a desperate need for a rating service that could tell us which conference talks would be most beneficial and entertaining to watch. A highly inspirational talk would receive a rating of 10. If you found your mind wandering, the talk might be a 5. If you fell asleep, well.......

I would sort of like to put together a team of experts to rate the next conference, and I thought my own beloved family might be the right place to start. Please contact me to reserve your spot on the team.

OK! Ok! I'm kidding!!.......sort of.


CHAD AND DILBERT:

Chad's rather amazing story of how the use of written affirmations has had such a tremendous effect on his business has been a great inspiration to me. It is his story to tell, not mine, but I recommend you talk to him sometime soon.

"According to your faith, so be it unto you". "If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believeth". These biblical quotes may not be exact, (they are off the top of my lightly religious head), but they are only two among a great many that teach us that we are responsible for creating our own reality.

That which we give thought to, we begin to attract. That which we give thought to that brings forth strong emotion, we attract more quickly.

Chad success is a result of tapping into natural laws. All of us are capable of amazing things.

Now, if I could only figure out what I really want.

FAVORITE RECENT GRANDCHILD QUOTES:

Alexis: "Grandpa, tell me the truth!

Lainie: "'ell no, mommy"

So what am I supposed to write?

1. Vacationing with Jared and Courtney was fun, but we learned a sad truth. We are olllllllldddd!! We would come back after a full day, have some dinner, and Courtney would say, " Ok, we are off to Wonderworks! It's open until midnight!" Off we would go, and we would stay until, (you guessed it), midnight. Then we would be up bright and early for the morning events of the next day. I had to spend three days back at work before I felt that I had recovered.



2. No, I did no get up to go to the 7AM session at the temple on my VACATION!! Do I look crazy to you? I will sign up to be a temple worker when they finally set up 8PM to midnight sessions for those of us, (normal people), not disposed to watch the sunrise.

Also, the actual story of our Sunday drive to church involved Courtney yelling "This is your turn!!!", me obeying her and turning, and then me calmly saving our lives with some spectacular, skillful driving. Actually, the last part is exaggerated. We were never in any danger. (Love you darling Courtney!)



3. Ok, I am voting for McCain, but I have to express my reservations. He is not the same man who I supported in 2000, as he has opted to change many of his core principals to satisfy the Republican base. He has also made an irresponsible decision by chosing a completely unqualified running mate. Nevertheless, I fear what an overwhelmingly Democratic congress could do with no president willing to cast a veto. I think we proved between 2001 and 2006, that it is bad for the country to have both the presidency and the congress controlled by the same party. Nevertheless, I know that many in our family will probably vote for Mr. Obama, and I don't blame them. Something does need to change.



4. Mom and I are down significantly in our 403-B, (401-K for teachers), plans over the last year. Who wants to let us live in their basement? Actually, we are not too concerned. We are going to leave our money in the market, since we don't think we will need it immediately, even after we retire. If history is any indicator, the market will come back. If it doesn't, we will be a little thriftier. Unless things become significantly more dire, we plan to retire in June of 2010.

5. My grandchildren absolutely rock!!