I am often reminded that the Lord is conscious of, and cares about, even the small things in our lives. Today, I was given another of those reminders.
Before I left to come to DC, I felt impressed to tell Liz that she would be working with the youth of our church. Given the fact that she would be managing the household alone, coupled with other long-standing challenges, this sounded and felt like a rather unusual piece of counsel. She has never worked extensively with the youth, and telling her she would be involved with them while I was gone … Read the rest
It’s amazing to me how much confidence can be contained in a young, inexperienced male. I was once afflicted by this malady (okay… maybe I still am). In general, that confidence has enabled me to take on large projects I was probably unqualified for and manage to grow and learn enough in the process to succeed while building new skills and converting what was once unwarranted confidence into surety justified by knowledge. Occasionally, however, that confidence has a way of getting the practitioner of it into trouble.
As long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by machinery and vehicles. … Read the rest
A while ago I decided to cash in a few of my hotel rewards points, secure a room somewhere near Gettysburg, PA, and make the sort drive north to go see the battlefield.
Now, I’m no civil war historian, so I’ll not bore anyone with a detailed description of the battle. However, for those who need a quick refresher, with the strong caveat that anything I write is subject to fact-checking and errors… The battle of Gettysburg was fought when the Army of Northern Virginia ventured north out of confederate territory. Virginia was suffering from the effects of the previous … Read the rest
My wife will tell you I have issues — one of which is keeping a hold on my wedding ring. In some marriages, this could be a sign of infidelity or weak commitment, but thankfully for me, Liz understands me well enough to know that rings and I just don’t get along. One ring disappeared while I was riding my motorcycle and the cold air caused my fingers to shrink enough that the ring fell off while I was waiving at a biker in the oncoming lane. It disappeared along the freeway. Another disappeared when I shook cold water off … Read the rest
One of the consequences of my career choice is that I tend to spend a lot of time away from home. Many of my co-workers who suffer from the same condition like to spend their free time and money while they are on the road on alcohol and public buffoonery. There is an all too common mentality among them that holds the rules don’t apply when away from home, and that it’s okay to indulge as long as word doesn’t get back home. I’ve never subscribed to this form of thinking, and as a result I tend … Read the rest
Two days ago, I flew home from a week-long business trip to Belgium. Today, it’s 2:00 AM, and I’m wide awake listening to a thunderstorm pass by and eating a piece of chocolate I purchased while on the other side of the Atlantic. Jet Lag sucks!
While I was in Belgium to work, we did have a few opportunities to see the sights, including on the 30 minute drive from where we were staying out in the country to where the meetings were being held . The Belgian countryside is beautiful. Even though it was February and below freezing most … Read the rest
As with any of my stories, this is true and accurate only to the extent that my memory is correct. This is an account of things as I remember them.
Lightning Strikes and Skinny Dipping
From as far back as I can remember, I have loved opportunities to escape civilization and make my way into the wilderness. Growing up in Utah, there were plenty of opportunities to do so, ranging from the High Uintah wilderness area a few hours east to some of the emptiest high desert on the continent to the west and south. As a kid, my mother’s … Read the rest
Earlier this week I had the misfortune to have a meeting in the Washington D.C. area that required me to be physically present. There was a blizzard in the forecast, but travel arrangements were made that should have allowed our small party to escape the region before the storm hit. Unfortunately, our return flights connected through a city that was affected by the storm almost a full day before the D.C. area, and our morning flight was canceled. Attempts to re-route my travel through another city before the storm arrived were only partially successful. My travel companions got out before … Read the rest
This story is true to the best of my ability to remember it. It’s possible that some of the memories have been contaminated or that my role in them has been exaggerated, but any of these types of artifacts are purely unintentional. Unfortunately, some of the names are gone from me forever, so if I leave one out, it’s either out of respect or simply because I can’t remember anymore.
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Many moons ago my older sister handed me a note written on plain white paper that had been folded several times into a nondescript rectangle. In fact, on initial … Read the rest
