Shared Strength

The supervisor of the crew operated the large compactor with a degree of control that can only be obtained with much practice.  Dressed in uniforms reminiscent of long ago, their dark green pants and light green shirts made me think of how Grandpa probably looked when he was a young man working a shovel in San Diego.  The crew worked and operated in a sense of reverent efficiency that would have made my Aunt proud.  As I stood there watching the operator compacting this dirt I could not help but think of my Aunt standing in this same spot as a 34 year old mother of four watching this same dirt be placed over her first love.  Staring at the beautifully etched stone chosen with the image of the Los Angeles Temple where they made promises to live eternally together.  The pain that she must have experienced as she looked at the blank side of that stone. Returning alone to the life they had built together, to a pillow that once held his head and to step forward as a single on a path planned

I wrote this in honor of my Aunt, on Wednesday, on a flight down to San Jose.  I will miss her forever and hope that her life can be remember for what it was, a great success story.  Further proof of the power of the human spirit. --- Wednesday I awoke at 3:30am to catch a flight to San Jose to meet a customer.  As I sat in the airport waiting for my flight I learned that my Aunt Eva had passed away earlier that morning.  She had heart issues yesterday and was rushed to the hospital after her heart suddenly stopped on a trip to take my Grandmother to a Doctors appointment.  On Tuesday they said she should be fine and that it was fortunate that it happened at a medical office, but shortly after midnight her beautiful heart beat one last beat.  One last brush stroke on one of Heavenly Father's great masterpieces.  My Aunt Eva was a special woman, with a heart and mind turned towards kindness and compassion.  She was pregnant very young and was left to be a single Mom.  But eve

My Dad sent this to me today and I love it and wanted to share it.  Harvey Mackay is one of my favorite leadership writers.  In my life, I have really grown to appreciate my parents way of helping me grow as a person.   I was just thinking about this just yesterday when Owen stopped his bike on a hill and could not get back going again.  I gave him a gentle push and slowly let go and he was off.  I have never felt more pride than I did in watching him climb the rest of the way by himself.  I could care less that I helped him get going, or that he shouldn't have stopped in the first place.  What I care about is that he has the internal drive to keep charging ahead in spite of prior adversity or failure.  My Mom and Dad have always been there to straighten me out, dust me off and give me a gentle push in the right direction.  The rest then becomes up to me.  So my wish is that we may each have something to do that makes us better, someone that we love without condition and with

I like most have not been looking forward to turning 30. Sure, it is just another age and they say all the best stuff happens in your 30s. But it is hard to say goodbye to an entire decade worth of living. But now that it is here and is not going anywhere, I welcome you with open arms all years between 30-39. I look forward to them being the culmination of seeds planted in my twenties. But before I close the door on my 20's I thought it best to take an account of the important things that happened each year. 20: College at WSU, the Cougs went to the Rose Bowl. What a great year to be in a college town! 21: Graduated from college and moved to Bangkok, Thailand for an internship. Worked for an oil refinery and learned a new language completely out of necessity. It was the year that I learned that a person is capable, if willing, of accomplishing, Hard things. 22: First real job as a manager at a FedEx facility in Burlington, WA. Learned what hard physical work is all a