Happy Daddy's Day

 

Today is Daddy's 60th Father's Day.  I know because I have been around for every one of them.  I have spent most of my life working along side my Daddy.  Here is proof.  I learned the auto body trade very young.



Through the years some of the things that I have learned from my Daddy are the importance of having God in your life, and how to work.  Here are some photos of Daddy working through the years.

Happy Daddy's day.  Some people have fathers, but I have always had a Daddy.

40th Wedding Anniversary

June 15th will be a special day. 40 years ago on June 15, I said "I Do" to my very best friend. The best decision I ever made was to marry the girl who stole my heart when she walked into Mr Brost's History class the beginning of my senior year of high school. I know that high school romances are not supposed to be forever and that when kids get married when they are in their teens the marriages aren't supposed to last, but we have proven those things wrong. It is still awesome to go through each day with my best friend.



This is the girl that took my breath away when she walked into class that morning. I was too shy to talk to girls, so it was almost a year before she had any idea that I was interested. I think that the good Lord knew that I needed all of the help I could get so he made it so that our paths crossed in a number of ways that year. Mr. Brost selected five students to work together each week producing learning packets for History class. Gina and I were both in the group. We both worked at the Harris Pine furniture factory. I worked on the dresser jig, and she made drawers. I would spend my breaks back with the drawer makers, but she still didn't catch on.

It came time for our High School graduation and I still had never gotten up the nerve to ask her out. Finally I mustered up every ounce of courage I could find and asked her if she would march with me when we graduated. She told me that she would like to but she had already told Russell she would march with him. If I would talk to Russell she would march with me. Once again summoning up every bit of courage I had I talked to Russell. He was very gracious and bowed out. I was on cloud nine.

The rest is history. After a year of a long distance relationship, five hundred miles, we were finally in the same place at the same time. I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this girl. On June 15, 1975 we were married in the Denver First Seventh-day Adventist Church. The last 40 years have been an interesting and very fulfilling time. I'm looking forward to the next 40 years together.



To celebrate our anniversary we are taking a trip to Nauvoo, Illinois. While we are there we have planned to take a handcart trek.  We are interested in doing so because of the life story of my wife's great great grandmother, Sophie Peterson.  She was born August 17, 1824 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Sophie married Peter Peterson. When her children were small her husband died of cholera at the age of 39.

In 1855 Sophie was baptized into the Mormon Church.  She sold her homestead and left Denmark on May 4, 1856 with the promise of reaching Salt Lake City.  The voyage by ship took forty-one days and she arrived at New York City on June 14, 1856. She traveled by rail from there to Florence, Iowa.  There Sophie and her children became part of one of the most famous journeys across the United States, the journey of the Willie Hand Cart Company.

Sophie joined the Willie Handcart Company and with her children pulled the handcart across the plains. She had plenty of money to get her to Salt Lake, but she trusted two Elders with her money and they betrayed her trust. Sophie had plenty of clothes for herself and her children, but because each person was only allowed 17 pounds of possessions, she had to leave most of the clothes behind when she joined the handcart company.  Even with all of the hardships she faced, she was determined to go to Zion.

The Willie Company was one of ten groups of pioneers from England and Scandinavia that made the journey from Iowa to Utah by pulling handcarts. The trek was disastrous for two of the companies,  the Willie Company and the Martin Company.  These two companies started their journey dangerously late and were caught by heavy snow and severe temperatures in central Wyoming. Despite a dramatic rescue effort, more than 210 of the 980 pioneers in these two companies died along the way. Fortunately for me, Sophie, my wife's great great grandmother, and her son Otto, my wife's great grandfather, survived the journey.

I can't imagine what it would have been like for a single woman with 4 children aged 1 through 10 to pull a handcart west across nearly impassable terrain and with only a few ounces of flour for food each day.  There are journals of the trip that can be read online at The Travels of the Willie Handcart Company.

In 2011, the story of the Willie Handcart Company was made into a movie, titled 17 Miracles.  The movie is based on the actual experiences of members of the Willie Handcart Company of Mormon Pioneers following their late-season start and subsequent winter journey to Salt Lake City in 1856. It is a very interesting movie and can be rented from Netflix or purchased from Amazon.

We are looking forward to understanding  more about Great Great Grandma Sophie's experience.

I'm Sorry

I remember as a child being told to tell my sister that I was sorry.  I’m sure that every parent has used this technique.  Tell your sister you’re sorry.  “I’m sorry".

Did that make me sorry? Did it bring about repentance? No, it was more likely to make me plan my revenge. Being sorry seldom brings about change. We are usually just sorry we got caught.

In 1970 the highest grossing movie in the U.S. was “Love Story”.  The movie is the love story of Oliver and Jenny.  Oliver comes from an American upper class family and is heir to a fortune. At college he meets Jenny, a working-class student. They quickly fall in love.

Jenny reveals her plans for the future, which include studying in Paris. Oliver is upset that he does not figure in the plans. He wants to marry Jenny and proposes. She accepts, and Oliver reassures her that their class differences will not matter.  His parents are clearly unimpressed and judgmental.  Oliver's father tells him that he will cut him off financially if he marries Jenny.  Upon graduation from college, Jenny and Oliver decide to get married against the wishes of Oliver's father, who severs ties with his son.

Without his father's financial support, the couple struggle to pay Oliver's way through Law School. Jenny goes to work as a school teacher. Oliver graduates third in his class and takes a position at a respectable New York law firm. The 24-year-olds are ready to start a family, but when they fail to conceive they consult a medical specialist. After many tests they find out that Jenny is terminally ill.

She begins costly cancer therapy, and soon Oliver is desperate enough over the mounting expenses to seek financial relief from his father. Jenny's last wish is made when she asks Oliver to embrace her tightly before she dies.

The catch phrase from the film is "Love means never having to say you're sorry".  The line is spoken twice in the film: once in the middle of the film, by Jenny, when Oliver is about to apologize to her for his anger; and as the last line of the film, by Oliver, when his father says "I'm sorry" after learning of Jennifer's death.

The line proved memorable, and has been repeated in various contexts since. It seems to imply that when you "really-truly" love someone you always behave so that you'll never hurt their feelings and thus you'll never have to apologize.  I think that we are all smart enough here to know that in real life true love means that we must say I’m sorry.

What is there about a loving relationship that makes us want to say I’m sorry when we have hurt the other person?  What about our relationship with God?  Do we say I’m sorry because we are afraid of what God will do to us?

God doesn’t want us to say I’m sorry because we are afraid of the consequences.  He wants us to say that we are sorry because we love him.

In Romans 2:4 the Bible says, “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”

What leads us to repentance? Is it anger? Is it fear? Is it God’s law? Is it your Pastor? No, the Bible says it is the kindness of God. Paul puts in another way in 2 Corinthians 7:10. “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation.” I like the way God inspired Paul to put that. Not just sorrow, but godly sorrow.

True godly sorrow brings about repentance, and true repentance brings about change.  God's love for us and His kindness towards us is what leads us to tell God, I'm sorry!

Psalms 17:7 tells us,  "show Your marvelous loving kindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You.

What is loving kindness?  I want to give you a young boy’s definition of loving kindness. A teacher asked the pupils to tell the meaning of "loving kindness." A little boy jumped up and said, "Well, if I was hungry and someone gave me a piece of bread; that would be kindness; but if they put some peanut butter and jelly on it, that would be loving kindness." Loving kindness is going that extra measure. At least, that’s one boy’s definition of it.

If we look in the New Testament we will find very similar descriptions of God’s kindness.  Ephesians 2:7 says,  “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus”.

My favorite verse of scripture is 1 John 1:9.  It says,  "if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

What does it mean to confess?  The dictionary says – to admit or state that one has committed a crime or is at fault in some way.  The first step is to admit that we have done something wrong.  To truly say I’m sorry we have to admit we are wrong.

If we confess our sins God will forgive us.  The term repent or repentance takes this idea a step further.  The dictionary says that to repent is to feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one's wrongdoing or sin.

What leads us to repentance?  What leads us to confess?  Is it fear?  Is it to avoid hell?  Is it to gain the rewards of heaven?  None of those are good reasons to say I’m sorry.

We are led to repentance in the Bible sense by the kindness of God. When we experience God’s kindness, and feel his love, grace, mercy and forgiveness it makes us want to love him.  When we love God we want to please him; we want Him to live in us and work through us.

Seeing his kindness towards us makes us sorry for the things we have done to hurt him.  It leads us to repentance.  Seeing God’s kindness towards us makes us want to be like him and show kindness to our fellow human beings.

Spend some time each day reflecting on the kindness that God has shown you and tell Him that you are sorry for the things you have done to hurt Him.  If we tell God that we are sorry, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.

Because Cancer Never Sleeps, Neither Do Relayers

My article as published in the June 4, 2015 issue of The Mena Star

What more could you want than raising money for a wonderful cause at an all-night party with plenty of love, support and entertainment while fighting cancer?  Cancer touches everyone: there is no one in Polk County that has not either had cancer or had loved ones, coworkers, or friends suffer from the disease.

Relay For Life of Polk County is an annual, local event that is part of the nationwide American Cancer Society Relay For Life.   Relay is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember love ones lost, and fight back against the disease.

The 2015 Relay For Life of Polk County was record breaking in spite of the weather.  Because of the rain the Relay was held in the Christian Motorcycle Association Iron Mountain Pavilion.  Even though Polk County was under a tornado watch and a flash flood warning, the community came out and supported Relay.  Sixteen teams raised over 7,100.00 during the all night event; a new record for Relay For Life in its nine year history here in Mena.  So far this year over 87,000 dollars have been raised in Polk County to  enable the American Cancer Society to help people stay well, help people get well, find cures, and fight back against cancer.

Relay For Life is more important than ever as we are seeing cuts in the amount the U.S. government is spending on cancer research.  Privately funded research is going to have to take up the slack.  The American Cancer Society is the largest private funder of cancer research, and Relay For Life is their largest fundraiser.

Relay For Life gives those who have claimed victory against cancer a chance to showcase they are a survivor, as well as recognize the importance of the caregivers who are so crucial in the battle as well.
At Relay, our motto is Cancer never sleeps, and one night a year neither do we. Relay symbolizes the experience of a cancer patient, beginning at 6 P.M. our survivors circle the track with lots of support.

As the night goes on there are fewer and fewer people there.  The Relay goes on for twelve hours. We do one walk by candle light which represents the patient's darkest hour. By early morning the participants are worn and tired and the public has left.  Cancer patients experience that weariness in their cancer struggle.  When the morning light shines over the trees just before 6 A.M. and those Relay volunteers who have stayed all night take a final victory lap as Relay comes to an end, the symbolism is of a cancer patients cancer free diagnosis.

This year as Relay came to an end eight teams were still circling the track.  Because cancer never sleeps, neither do Relayers.