Gratitude is Happiness Doubled by Wonder

Food is a wonderful way to link us to memories - to people, to places, to experiences, to cultures. I have a number of such linkages in my life, and I'm grateful for all of them. On Saturday evening, it was a joy for me to experience one of them again. My German grandmother (who had immigrated to Utah after WWII) was an important figure in my childhood. She would visit us frequently, sometimes staying with us for months at a time. (I wrote previously about her remarkable life and faith.) But another aspect I recall so fondly was the food she helped prepare for us - she was a wonderful cook, trained in the specialties of southern Germany. Among the sweet memories I have of her is a dish called spätzle - or spaetzle in anglicized spelling. This specialty of southwest Germany is a kind of homemade noodle made from a thick sticky dough of eggs and flour, squeezed through a hand press to form the noodles, which are dropped into boiling water. Oma usually covered them with a traditional ...

My friends in South America understand why I am excited today! Meus amigos na América do Sul entendem porque estou animado hoje! ¡Mis amigos en Sudamérica entienden por qué estoy emocionado hoy! I love epic encounters! There is one today. Some of my readers will be aware, and others probably couldn't care less. Meanwhile I am beside myself, divided in loyalty, but eager to observe. I fell in love with soccer while I served as a missionary in Brazil when I was 19 years old. You almost HAVE to love soccer in Brazil. It's the national passion, kind of like baseball, basketball, and football in the USA all put together into one. It has been fun in the years since then to follow Brazilian teams in international competition. When Bonnie and I served together in Argentina, we recognized there is a passion in that country as strong as the one in Brazil. They have their one-named national heroes just like Brazil, and the mood of the country can swing up and down dramatically depending o...

It's fascinating to watch various aspects of development of an infant. We easily notice growth in physical size or growing hair or other external aspects; but I especially love to see them start to focus better in their vision, notice and follow movement, acknowledge noise, and then soon start to react to those stimuli around them. Sometimes we might rush to attribute emotions to an infant. The baby seems to be smiling - at least the corners of her mouth are turned up - so clearly she is thinking, "I'm really happy right now! My tummy is full, my diaper is clean, life is good." Or maybe, "What a funny Grandpa I have! It's so easy to manipulate him into making funny faces and silly noises when he looks at me!" I'm never sure how far to push my personal interpretation of the emotions of babies I'm holding. Or, for that matter, of adults I interact with! But I like to believe there is something precious starting to happen there. And regardless, I #G...

I adore fresh, home-grown tomatoes. They rank right up there with Utah peaches and B&J ice cream. Probably the main reason I garden is to enjoy my tomatoes. They are one of nature's finest gifts. I've noticed something about my tomatoes. When I am trimming or caring for them, touching the leaves and branches, the smell of tomatoes gets on my hands. It's a very persistent smell. It can last for hours, even after a good hand-washing. I can be doing some other activity later in the day, and if my hands come close to my nose, I smell my tomatoes. That brings me joy. It's not a joy equal to eating a tomato, but it's the reminder of tomatoes to come - an anticipatory joy, I suppose. No one looking at me sniffing my fingers can share the joy I feel. They would have no idea what is going through my mind. It's a very private and personal thing. Many joys are like that - we probably all have some of them. Many sorrows are like that, too. Many memories, many experience...

I returned today to my favorite local mountain. I enjoy climbing Timpanogos (today was my 73rd time on the summit) because I can be at the trailhead in a half hour, and it's a good climb with lots of variety and several options; and I can push as hard as I want to make it as strenuous as I want. As long as you don't go on Friday or Saturday, the crowds aren't bad. I struggled today, however. I have been dealing with some "long-haul Covid" issues since contracting the disease last November. I just don't have the energy and stamina I used to have. A few years ago I could consistently reach the summit of Timp in 2.5 hours, but today took me almost 4. I was really struggling by the end! My legs just have no energy. One clue I have been tracking is that my blood oxygen saturation drops quickly when I am exerting - instead of the normal 95-99% it was down to 82% today at the summit. That's got to have an effect on how well my muscles function. I am working with ...

One of my personal heroes, Neal A. Maxwell, was born on July 6, 1926 - 95 years ago today. He was one of the most gifted speakers and writers I've ever been exposed to. He had the amazing ability to use practical examples and elegant expression as he shared profound doctrine. He was a master of alliteration and had a wonderfully broad vocabulary. Elder Maxwell grew up in Salt Lake City, saw action as a soldier during WWII, then served a mission, married, and studied political science. Following a career of teaching and administration at the University of Utah, he began full-time Church service in 1974, and was ordained an apostle in 1981. I remember as a young man, sitting on the edge of my seat as he spoke, not wanting to miss a word. But receiving the full impact of his speeches often invited repeated re-reading and pondering. I think his sermons influenced my growing faith more than any leader in my youth. I love to review them now, and they continue to bless me - not just becau...

  PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT Did you know that CHUCK (the Cabinet Hygiene Union for Clean Kitchens), an important and highly respected national watchdog, recommends that you do a thorough upper surface cleaning of kitchen cabinets approximately every 6 years? However, based on my experience today, be warned that you will find many surprises as you climb up to complete the task. Be prepared with appropriate protective equipment to prevent injury, infection, or infestation. Since we have lived in our home for approximately six years, we decided to tackle the task today. It was grueling and exhausting, but we conquered! Happily, no one was injured or infested in the process. (In case you were wondering, yes, I made up that stuff in the first paragraph. But I did clean the dusty, dirty, greasy cabinet tops.) In this home, there is no way anyone would ever see the tops of our cabinets, unless that person was about 9 feet tall, or was climbing up and walking around on the counter for so...