Eleven Years...

    

 Where were you eleven years ago today?  I still remember where I was and exactly what I was doing.  That memory is emblazoned in my heart and I shall never forget!

     America has changed over the last eleven years and so have its people.  On September 12, 2001, all the world came together to mourn an earth shattering event.  It was reassuring that so many could forget their differences, hook arms and pull together to begin to heal
   
 Unfortunately, many have forgotten the pain and the insult and the loss inflicted by a foreign regeime upon American soil.  Many are ready to embrace the enemies and give in to their hatred toward us, thus creating a climate for a "win" for the enemy.  I do not share that view.

     Today, I don't recognize the America of eleven years ago.  We seem to be on a slippery slope to the worst division in our country since the Civil War.

     But, there is hope for America.  Every day I see some of her citizens coming together again, seeking a unity that will bring our trampled Constitution out of the dust and back to the hearts of Americans everywhere.  I see the beginnings with that group of Americans uniting to tell Big Government that we have had enough and are willing to fight to restore our values constructed so painfully by our forefathers.  I want to be a member of that group!

     While we remember on this day our pains and healing wounds, let us resolve anew to never allow such an act to tear into the fiber of what is our strength.  I pledge anew this day to guard our precious land and stand for her sovereignty.  May God continue to bless this great land of America and all of her righteous people.

     I have been saying it for eleven years, and I will say it one more time...I shall never forget.

My Dad...

 

My dad was my heroe!  My dad was my role model!  My dad was on the top of the list of my very best friends!  Today, September 5, 2012, my dad would have been 98 years young!

When I woke up this morning, I told my dad how very much I loved him, and then I got out one of his favorite plaid shirts and put it on!  It felt so warm and comfortable...like my dad wrapping his arms around me and telling me, like he did so many times in his life, that everything will be all right if I just follow the teachings of my Savior and stay close to His gospel plan.

My dad was my teacher!  So many times in my life, I reflect on the things he taught me...either by example or by the things he taught me to be true.  For example, he taught me by his example to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy when, under real financial stress he decided to close his restaurant on Sunday in order to attend church with his family.  His concern was that he would lose a huge chunk of his income by taking such extreme measures.  But, a wise Bishop promised him that if he would take this step, he would make as much in six days as he had been making for many years in seven. 

So, with his new found faith, he took that leap and closed his restaurant on Sunday, took his family to church and, as promised, he kept his loyal customers and gained a few more, therefore surpassing in six days the income he had been making in seven.  That leap of faith, was a huge turning point in my dad's life.  Within a year, he and my mom entered the Holy House of the Lord in Los Angeles, California and were sealed for not only time, but all eternity.  My sister, Chris and I were sealed to them on that beautiful December day in 1956.

Another example my dad set for me and my brother was giving up one of his bad habits that he had been struggling with for many years.  Many people don't know this about my dad, but he was a heavy smoker for over 20 years of his life.  He struggled trying to give up this habit and was unsuccessful on many occasions.  And then, as he would tell the story, I told him I wanted to have a fireside at our home for the youth of our Ward, but was hesitant to do so, because of the smell of smoke in our house.  Within a week, both my mom and I realized that something had changed.  We didn't smell the odor of smoke in the house any more and didn't see dad smoking.  It took my mom only a couple of days to notice he had quit, but it took me a little longer.  He said he did it for me and for his son, who was serving a mission in Switzerland.  He owed us his good example.

I love my dad for his courage and example.  He was a good father, he was a good son, and he was a good American.  He loved his country and followed politics religiously.  He was raised in a Democratic home in the 20's and 30's, when the Democratic Party followed honorable policies.  When the party changed in the 50's, he went with the Republican Party and voted for Eisenhower.  I listened to his views, as I was an active participant at school in a "mock campaign" and proudly wore the "I Like Ike" button and "voted" for the next President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower.  That was my beginning of my studying party politics.

My dad was an honest man and he viewed honesty as a very crucial part of one's character.  I love that I could trust whatever my dad said, because I knew he would be fair and honest with me.

I am so grateful for my dad, and as I remember him on this 98th Anniversary of his birth, I commit once again to live my life the best I can and going forward to emulate his amazing example.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!