Hahahaha

I got a kick out of this little e-mail circulating the office today. I thought it was pretty telling of the times we live in:

I'm so depressed. Over five thousand years ago, Moses said to the children of Israel, "Pick up your shovel, mount your asses and camels, and I will lead you to the Promised Land." Nearly 75 years ago, Roosevelt said, "Lay down your shovels, sit on your asses, and light up a camel, this is the Promised Land." Now Obama has stolen your shovel, taxed your asses, raised the price of camels and mortgaged the Promised Land!

I was so depressed last night thinking about Health Care Plans, the economy, the wars, lost jobs, savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc . . . I called Lifeline. Got a call center in Pakistan. I told them I was suicidal. They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck....

Spring Break

Ian got his Patriarchal Blessing.

Jared got his Driver's Permit.

I walked a bunch of miles. And watched a bunch of movies.

Didn't see too much of the girls. Tara dropped by one afternoon, but I had a Relief Society meeting, so we couldn't visit long. She helped me make dinner, which stressed her a little, but I was grateful. She was busy this week finishing moving in to her new condo, organizing and decorating. I should go visit her today.

Kudi was up north doing clinicals and ride alongs with the Provo fire department and Primary Children's pediatric unit. She stayed with her friend Kaitlyn, and as usual, called and asked if she could keep the car one more day. She always stays longer than planned when she visits Kaitlyn. I guess that's a good thing.

Scotty didn't get a Spring Break. His ESL class for Southwest Adult Ed met on both Monday and Wednesday night and he had a project to complete for Dixie College while computers were down for everyone else's spring break. And University of Phoenix never takes a day off. Never. Ever. (And I am sure for Scotty it feels like FOREVER and EVER.) Poor guy. I pray for him all the time, for the Lord to help him learn what he needs to, and to help him accomplish what he needs to, and to help him succeed and get the grades he wants. And that his burden will be lightened and lifted, and he won't be stressed. I'm so proud of him now, and I'll be so proud of him when he earns this Masters Degree. I think he should go on, too. "Dr. Ford." Doesn't that sound nice?

This is a keeper

Broken clouds give rain.
Broken soil grows grain.
Broken bread feeds man for one more day.
Broken storms yield light.
Break of day heals night.
Broken pride turns blindness into sight.
Broken souls that need His mending.
Broken hearts for offering.
Could it be that God loves broken things?
---Kenneth Cope

Just a really stupid week

Ian broke his hand on Monday. It has been a learning experience for me. Mostly, I've learned that the medical profession places broken bones on the absolute bottom of the priority list. I just didn't realize they were no big deal.

Monday afternoon when he broke his hand, I didn't know where to take him. I thought I should take him to the InstaCare, but I didn't want to go there and have them tell me to go to the Emergency Room. So I called. They said I could bring him there, but they would just put a temporary cast on him and refer us to an orthopedic guy. I thought, why would I want to do it twice? Can I just go to our regular doctor and get a cast? They transferred me to my regular doctor and his assistant said that, yes, they could put a cast on him if he needed it. Bring him in in the morning and they'll x-ray it. I paused. In the morning? So what you are telling me is, don't panic, it is okay to come in tomorrow. She said yes, just ice it really good and give him some ibuprofen.

So we go to the doctor. He looks at the x-rays and says we need to go to an orthopedic guy. He writes us a referral and when he hands it to me he says, just call them within the week. Within the week? Really?

So I call the orthopedic guy and get an appointment for Thursday. He looks at Ian's x-rays and says - - "I need to reset the bones in his hand before we cast it, and I have to do it in the Emergency Room." Are you kidding me?

Apparently the Emergency Room has an x-ray machine, and the doctor does not. Somehow this does not make sense to me, but there is no point in arguing. So the orthopedic guy says, "I will call you tomorrow, after my day of surgery and you can meet me at the hospital."

Seems like it is always tomorrow with broken bones.

Thoughts on Prayer

I learned something the other day, a spiritual truth, and I want to try and write it down. I hope I can explain it in a way that will be clear. Sometimes things are “lost in translation.”

Jared, who is very bright, had parent teacher conferences the other day. When I got home I was going over his scores with him and noticed that he had a poor grade on an essay test. I said, “You write well, why did you get such a poor grade?” He said, “I write well, but I don’t write fast. It took me 20 minutes just to think of what to write about.”

I said, “Well, Jared, if you went to you teacher and said, ‘I didn’t have time to finish – can I come back during lunch, or after school, and work on it some more?’ I am sure your teacher would let you. Your teachers know you can do well, and they want you to succeed. Sometimes you just have to ask for help.” And then I felt a little light go on in my head and I said, “It’s just like prayer.”

As the truth of that sunk in, I realized that it was very much like prayer. Heavenly Father wants us to succeed. He knows we can do it. He is willing to bless us. If we would rather say “no, I don’t want to ask… no, I’m embarrassed to ask… no, I’ll just take care of it myself,” then Heavenly Father will let us take care of it ourselves. Agency is so important that He will never force any thing on us, including blessings. If we are willing to trust in the arm of the flesh and muscle it out ourselves, he will let us have what we want.

But if we ask, we can be sure our petition will be considered as much as any concerned parent/teacher who wants us to learn, who wants us to succeed.

Senior Prom 2010

Here's a picture of Scotty and me at our Junior Prom in 1980.


Our ward has sponsored a "Senior" prom for the last three Valentine Day celebrations. Here's the latest.

Proud of My Guy

I am pretty proud of Scotty and the impression he has made on the students and the administrator in his English as a Second Language class.

Steve Christensen is the administrator of Southwest High School's ESL program. Scotty had to interview him for a paper he's writing for his Master's class. Here is a quote that is just a really nice compliment for Scotty:

"Steve's level assessments assist in determining just how much ESL benefit the classes are providing. But he said, "The big picture of how well the program is running is by how many smiles I see...and this year, I see lots of smiles!" Student level gains and retention rates are unprecedentedly high this year (2009-2010) according to Steve."

And the students have made an impression on Scotty as well. He says, "I teach one of these ESL classes and know that my students cannot be cowards. I ponder their strength from what is often a wrenching decision to move to America, learning of a new world, living with constant challenges, humbling themselves to sit in class where they may embarrass themselves with their speaking ability. None of this is kid stuff. The ESL class is for the strong and gutsy. I suggest each of my students learn, remember and sincerely consider the last for words of our American National Anthem. I can testify that they, too, are part of what makes this a "Home of the Brave."

She'll Always be My Little Girl

Tara is sick. She sounds just awful. But she doesn't have a fever. And she doesn't have insurance. Her lungs are tight and achy, so I told her to boil some water on the stove to put some humidity in the air. She said, "How do I do that?"

She meant, "Is that gonna work?" Remember, she's sick.

So I decided to get her a humidifier so she can have it in her bedroom. I went to Target and bought this cute little Elephant shaped humidifier. She was tickled. I was amused she liked it so much. I guess my little girl will always be: My Little Girl.

The Best of Men

My cousin wrote this on her Facebook account about her father, but I thought of Scotty when I read it. He really is the best of men.

"How beautiful is that home where lives a man of godly manner, who loves those for whose nurture he is responsible, who stands before them as an example of integrity and goodness, who teaches industry and loyalty, not spoiling his children by indulging their every wish, but rather setting before them a pattern of work and service which will underpin their lives forever." ~Gordon B. Hinckley

WE'RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE, TOTO

Okay, so maybe we live sheltered lives, but some of the stuff we saw was pretty weird.

First was the "biohazard disposal" box in the restroom somewhere in Nevada. I guess it's okay to USE needles, as long as we dispose of them responsibly.

The boys wondered what was going on when we had to stop at the California border for the fruit fly inspector. I'm sure the rest of the world has experienced the huge toll gate system they've got going, and the guards who ask you if you have any fruit. That was a first for my boys and they wondered what country they had just entered.

I should probably not share this one, but oh, well. There was a woman in the bathroom at the San Diego Zoo who obviously had some paranoia problems. Or at least some big phobias. She was apparently afraid to sit on the toilet seat, which I know alot of women don't care for. But she was also, apparently, claustrophobic, so she didn't close the stall door. Weird. Really weird.

The last one is a fun one. Also from the zoo. In the parking lot as we arrived a fellow hollered at us from across the way, hey, congratulations Utah! Did you come to watch the Bowl Game? Hey you know that quarterback, Jordan Wynn? I was his Spanish teacher for three years!

I missed an opportunity there. I should have gotten my picture taken with him and posted it on Facebook!