Gratitude is Happiness Doubled by Wonder

  On this day of memory and memorials, we should all #GiveThanks for the blessings of liberty that influence our lives every day. I have felt that blessing in many countries around the world. I am grateful that in my native country we continue to strive for principles of justice, equality, and opportunity. We don't always do very well, collectively, in our striving; but I continue to hope that we don't give up. The first quote in the attached compilation, from Ronald Reagan, makes a great point: we don't just "inherit" freedom as a natural gift. We must fight for it and protect it, in order to pass it on to the next generation. Many have given their lives in that cause. All of us should remember the cause, understand the principles, and do our part to make sure the legacy lives on.

  Memorial Day began in the years following the US Civil War, and was declared an official federal holiday in 1971 as a time to honor those who died serving in the US Military. Traditions have expanded to include honoring all departed ancestors with decorations in cemeteries and family gatherings. I am so grateful to have been born to these two wonderful people. My father and I shared only a few years together, but his influence has been subtle and lasting. My mother raised me, put up with me, directed and guided me for more than 50 years, and taught me so much about life and what truly matters. I #GiveThanks for both of them, who came together from dramatically different backgrounds to set five children on life's path. I'm grateful this weekend for the privilege of honoring and remembering them! I hope to continue to make them proud of their only son.

  Often when we're on the road to somewhere, I notice the old remains of a home, a barn, a corral. What's left is clearly empty and deserted, weeds grown all around, in disrepair, big gaps in roofs and walls, even starting to decay and fall over. Or it may be an entire "ghost town" empty and deserted. Or an apparently failed business. Or sometimes a mine site high in the mountains. There are a number of kinds of similar "abandoned" sites we see from time to time. Whenever I see ruins like this, I always wonder about the history of the site. Once upon a time, someone had a dream. They spent a lot of time, effort, and energy into creating what they hoped was going to be a livelihood or a contribution to society or a happy family setting. But something ended the dream. Someone died or was injured; economic conditions changed; a natural disaster influenced the possibilities; a greater opportunity presented other options. Who knows?? But there is a story behind e

  Where do you go from 40 to a hundred in just a few hours? The Grand Canyon of course! You typically start out cold and end up roasting. These three wonderful humans accompanied me today as we started on the South Rim at 5 a.m. and endured a very hot afternoon to finish on the North Rim, 24 miles and many hours later. Along the way, another experience of almost constant wonder at the grandeur of God's creation. I've now done variations of this crossing 8 times and continue to be amazed. I #GiveThanks for something as incredibly beautiful as the Grand Canyon; for friends to join in grand adventures, and for a body which, in spite of aging, is still capable of this kind of demanding activity.

  This is what happens when I let Bonnie take the lead on hikes.... Actually, in this photo, we are walking a short section of hikers' trail next to a road leading to an overflow parking area for a trailhead. The sign is for the cars, not the hikers! It's nice to have frequent indicators to help us find our way in the world. For the cars, this kind of very bold, visible traffic direction is so helpful. As long as we are paying attention, we can avoid getting into trouble - at least in this matter. And there are countless similar examples in all kinds of areas - food labels, hazardous chemicals, dangerous machinery, medicines, entertainment, even hiking trails. And then we have more abstract warnings related to choices and consequences in our lives. Those with more experience or insight can point out to us areas of risk or danger, consequences we may not readily see ourselves. Those directions and warnings, if we listen and heed, can protect us from many problems that could impa

  This billboard cracks me up each time I see it on I-15 near my home. A local solar compay thought it might attract attention, and it apparently worked for me. I thought it was a Utah-specific reference, but Wikipedia informs me that "Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam" is an old Christian children's hymn in the public domain, dating to at least 1905. But I have to #GiveThanks for not just clever advertising, but also for the sunbeam itself. The delicate balance of sunlight striking our planet facilitates life as we know it. It's a trill to see what the sun does to my peaches and my garden vegetables, bringing life and nutrients with their warming rays. Those sunbeams, the literal ones, are remarkable things. As we've seen suggestions of global warming impacting that delicate balance of light and warmth, we quickly realize how crucial the equilibrium is - we can very easily pass above or below the threshold in which life is comfortably sustained. I appreciate the awar

  The Parable of the Peach Tree (With sincere apologies to Hugh B. Brown) Earlier today I was in my back yard, inspecting my peach tree. It hasn't produced very well the last few years. It was getting enough attention, water and nourishment - but when harvest time came, there were only a few peaches to bring us joy. So this week, I was particularly delighted to find branches LOADED with tiny fruit - more than I think I've ever seen on any peach tree I ever owned! Joyful day! But having had some experience in peaches, I knew what came next. I got my ladders and went to work on that peach tree, and I thinned and thinned, and thinned some more, until there was nothing left but a fraction of the original peachlets. It's a painful process for me, knowing that each little sphere I pluck is a potentially beautiful, golden orb of deliciousness. But it has to be this way. And as I looked at the remaining fruit, I yielded to an impulse, which I often have, to talk with inanimate thi

    This is probably the longest novel in my library - 1222 pages in the unabridged edition. I consider it one of the greatest ever written. I read the whole thing once many years ago; it's pretty tough to read, with lots of historical sidelines and trivia. Abridged versions are much more accessible for this one. But I'm inspired to give it another go soon. There is one stage in the whole world currently showing the well-known musical version of Les Miz - the Hale Center Theater in SLC. Bonnie and I had the privilege of attending today. It's probably at least the 5th performance we've seen since a first viewing on Broadway in New York; it always satisfies and inspires! The Hale's brilliant staging helps accentuate the beauty and power of the music. I can't think of a story that confronts so many moral and ethical issues and situations in the course of its telling. Here are just a few: - what would you do to support the life of one you love? - legal justification

  Earlier this week in Sedona, Bonnie and I visited the "Seven Sacred Pools" shown in the photos - a series of water-carved depressions in the sandstone, lined up close to each other, that were considered as a sacred site by the Yavapai and Apache Indians who had deep insight into nature's gifts, and especially the importance of water. Unfortunately the seasonal stream that makes the depressions into pools was already dried up, except for some standing water in the lower pools. It was still a beautiful setting. The interesting thing about a sacred site - natural feature, building, even an entire city - is that while it is considered sacred to one group of people, it's generally "just another place" to everyone else. We attribute "sacredness" to the site because of our personal interpretation and associations - perhaps events of significance that occurred on the site, or people we revere who were born there, or the things that we feel the place repr

  While hiking this past week, I noticed how much we appreciated the shade. The temperatures reached the upper 80s on some days, and some of the trails were pretty dry and exposed. I watched Bonnie slow down (often not consciously) when there was a shady stretch. We would always Wait for shade, to stop for breaks under trees. They provided a welcome respite. Interestingly, I have noticed the same behavior in my hiking buddy, Inca. With her thick black coat, she probably feels the heat even more than we do. I often see her run up a bit ahead along the trail, and then wait for me to catch up under some bushes or a dense tree. I've been grateful at times in my life to be symbolically in the shade instead of in the sun. We need respites from the pressures of life. We need breaks in the intensity. We need rest and recreation to help us have strength for the challenging demands we often have to face. I #GiveThanks for the chance to seek the shade in the midst of our sunny journeys.

    The first photo shows a nice peaceful landscape in Sedona, but it also shows a big annoyance. Can you see it? How about in the second photo, zoomed in a bit? It's a helicopter. When you're hiking in a place that is kind of touristy, sometimes your personal peaceful "wandering in the wilderness" is interrupted by noisy choppers that are usually tourist sightseeing flights. In this case, it wasn't terribly close; but the loud noise was still very invasive for about 60 seconds. I had just been thinking how quiet it was and all I could hear was a birdsong, when the mechanical throb invaded, softly at first then noisier, impossible to ignore. I should confess that I have occasionally been the tourist in the chopper - I recall doing that once in Hawaii and once at Foz de Iguaçu in Brazil. So I can't really complain about the validity or appropriateness of that business model! But as usual, there's an analogy that is illustrative. I love the chance for quiet

  a   I love flowers - I'm obsessed with taking photos of them, particularly mountain wildflowers. Their variety of design and color, intricacy of detail, subtle texture and form – they are amazing and entrancing creations. But today I looked past the blossoms and noticed leaves. Most of us don’t pay as much attention to leaves as we do to flowers. They don’t seem to be as interesting. But yet – when we take the time to get close, they are magnificent. Just as much variety, all kinds of intricacy, symmetry – just look at those ferns! The leaves are astonishingly beautiful in a way quite different from flowers. All these leaves were ones I saw just today on a single hike. Part of the wonder of flower blooms is their role in the reproduction of the plant, including the pollination (often aided by insects) that contributes to that process. But part of the wonder of leaves is their role in generating food for the plant – leaves are able to absorb carbon dioxide from the air, combine i

  What do you see when you look at this photo? Well, it depends. For many of us, it's just a pretty photo of red cliffs against a pretty blue sky. But a photographer might see an opportunity to adjust aperture, f-stop, and ISO to optimize how he captures the scene. A geologist might see hundreds of millions of years of history, with sedimentary layers of sandstone and limestone and evidence of millenia of erosion. A rock climber might see several 5+ pitches and a number of intriguing potential climbing routes. A traveler might see similarities to formations previously viewed in Zion National Park. A painter might see a challenge to recreate the variety and subtleties of colors and shadows in the scene. A botanist might see a surrounding forest of juniper, pine, manzanita, and Arizona cypress. So many different views of the same scenery! What you see depends on what you know; your perception is based on your understanding. This is a principle that applies to all aspects of our life,

Today I #GiveThanks for the power of remembering and learning, and for sweet ways memories can be pulled into the present. I'm a big fan of a nerdy boy named Lucas Lightbrow. I have been since I was a college student in the 1970s. Recently I was reacquainted with him and his story, and it warmed my soul all over again, as it has many times through the years. For those who have never had the privilege of meeting Lucas, he's the main character in a delightful little music parable called "The Planemaker" by Marvin Payne . Bonnie and I attended an intimate performance, with about 20 people, in Provo last weekend. The story has barely changed in over 40 years since I first heard it. But this time, it touched me more deeply than it ever has before – so I guess *I* have changed a lot over those 40 years. As a boy in elementary school, Lucas struggles with a lot of the kinds of challenges some of us are familiar with from our own lives. He doesn't have many friends. He g

    As we were leaving home early this morning for an 8-hour drive, I snipped a little branch from my lilac tree to provide some pleasure in the truck cab while driving. I didn't take a photo of the fresh sprig, but it was delightfully fragrant, and I picked it up to enjoy the beautiful scent. However, by lunchtime it started to wilt and droop (see first photo) and a few hours later, was a pretty sad sight (second photo). Even worse, the beautiful smell was pretty well gone even by the time I took that first picture; and for the second, it was beginning to be replaced by something less than beautiful. I guess I wasn't surprised to see the bloom dry up fairly quickly when cut off from its source of nourishment, but I *was* surprised that the scent disappeared so quickly. Somehow I thought the blessed smell might linger even when the plant dried (after all, what is potpourri - just dried up flowers, right??). I guess the lesson is that like the flower, we all draw our nourishment

  As I get older, a good snooze now and then is a joy and a blessing. I seem to want to enjoy that blessing more frequently! Not a thing wrong with that, especially in the circumstance shown in the first photo (thanks Matthew for the photo).... As I was in a meeting earlier today, watching those seated in front, I had some flashbacks that involved others, and perhaps myself, who struggled with the particular challenge of staying awake in that setting. I remember thinking in the past, "How rude - not a very good example for a leader to doze off in front of everyone." But later I learned how hard it can be to remain alert, when very early morning meetings and a demanding schedule can wear on your ability to endure. I guess I had to "be there" to fully appreciate the struggle. Years ago I remember reading a delightful essay by BYU English professor Richard Cracroft titled "On the Vicissitudes of Serving in the Bishopric" (such a memorable title!) in which he