In the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Have a Happy Thanksgiving...and just remember all that you have to be thankful for.

Brad

Wise Counsel from a Wise Man.

So What is Life all About?

I love the outdoors and the beauty of a sunset. It seems to bring calm and peace when I'm experiencing them. This picture on the left was taken when I was reverently strolling through a sacred grove in Upper State New York. I felt gratitude, love and humility for the event that took place there. Walking through this sacred grove takes me back to the foundation of my beliefs and always inspires me to be a better person.

This is another grove up Provo Canyon in Utah. It has a beauty and peace that somehow seems to calm the nerves.

As I witness the national and global disasters, wars and economic challenges we live with, it causes me grave concern sometimes. In my own personal life, trials and challenges seem to be the norm. I could allow all these outside influences to bring fear and depression-at times it is hard to avoid-or I can find my place of refuge from the storm, my personal sacred grove, where I can find peace, happiness and calm.

For me, I have several places I turn to for my escape from the challenges of life-

My personal time with my sweetheart. We spend every Friday night on as our date night.

Playing with my grandchildren. Their child-like innocence helps me to look at life as if it were a playground, where sometimes you fall down and scrape your knee, but there always seems to be someone there to kiss it better.

I have found pondering as a powerful exercise. In our hurried lives and fast-paced society, we lose opportunities to ponder. Taking time to ponder about what life is all about, will bring flashes of hope and understanding. My wife knows and understands how much I cherish my solitude. Not that I don't like being around her and other people, but I do value the personal time I can spend just thinking and wondering.

Reading and studying. When my mind is occupied with a lot of stuff, a good book helps to sweep me away into another realm. Believe it or not, I really enjoy reading and studying the encyclopedia. It is full of short and to the point bits of interesting information.

Prayer. I can always find a listening ear and an understanding heart from someone who knows me and will nudge me in the right direction.

So what is life all about? You'll have to answer that for yourself as you seek answers from your own sacred groves.

But to me, life is best put by this quote from Jenkins Lloyd Jones:

Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed.

Most putts don’t drop. Most beef is tough. Most children grow up to be just people. Most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration.

Most jobs are more often dull than otherwise… Life is like an old-time rail journey — delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed.

The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.


So, as you journey through life's challenges, keep a smile on your face and enjoy the ride.

Touched by Heaven

Our daughter Teresa, and her husband Quin, were blessed with a Down's Syndrome baby girl, by the name of Sienna. She was delivered early and was stillborn. It has been an emotional several months, no knowing if this little girl was going to make it. She was a fighter, hanging on longer than the doctors thought.

This morning she was born, but not alive. She had fought the good fight but returned early to her Heavenly Father. We were able to hold her.

Her memorial graveside services will be held this Friday.

Thanks Sienna for giving us hope and faith. We'll see you in the next life.

Love, Grandpa Stone

What's in a Village?

I've had the rare opportunity to travel to third-world countries and visit many rural villages in places like Bolivia, Mexico and Nepal. Recently I've been involved with an orphanage in Haiti.

No matter what part of the world I've been in, I've witnessed the same basic needs: Clean drinking water, fuel for heating and cooking, medical care, and education. Whether it is in the Himalayan villages of Nepal, the high Altiplano Plateau of Bolivia, the dusty desert villages of Mexico, or the Tropical island of Haiti, these rural villages struggle for the basics of sustainable life.

In rural villages on Bolivia's Altiplano, it was rare to see a tree for miles. For generations the countryside had been striped of its trees and used for cooking and heating fuel. After the trees were gone, dried livestock dung was used in its place. These cooking fires were typically used inside the home, thus contributing to lung and respiratory deceases. Mexico had similar challenges.

Clean drinking water is a worldwide challenge. In remote villages in Nepal, it was typical for a women to spend four to six hours per day hauling water from muddy rivers and streams to prepare meals and drinking water for their families. This unclean water is the cause of high rates of infant deaths and high mortality rates.

In Haiti, a twin-country island surrounded by water, struggle with providing clean drinking water for its eight million plus citizens, and recently compounded with the 7.0 earthquake in January of this year. It was heartwarming to see the outpouring of support from their global friends, to offer assistance during their time of crisis.

What is important to us who live in the comforts of a home with clean drinking water, piped in cooking fuel and a healthy environment, is that there are people in the world who do not have these luxuries, and can be helped by us through our generous giving, even if it is only a dollar or two per month.

Fifteen dollars can provide enough food for one Haitian orphan for a full month. Fifty two dollars can educate a Nepali child for a full year.

Where we have been given much...we too must give.

I invite you to visit these two websites, and consider donating: www.hithumanitarian.org; www.choicehumanitarian.org.

What's in a Name?

I've recently been doing a lot of Family History work (I caught the bug), and have been amazed with how wide and deep family lines go. It's kind of like an hour glass with our present self at the narrow neck connecting the two larger glass tubes, with our ancestor lines coming deep and wide from the top, filtering down through us, to our posterity through the bottom, going deep and wide.

It is sobering to consider the importance our personal current-day link plays in linking our past family with our future family. Hopefully we are not the "weakest link," but doing much to leave a legacy our progenitors, as well as our ancestors, would be proud of.

Another thought to consider -- just what ancestral genes and DNA do we have flowing through our veins. We know that we are all related back to Adam and Eve, but who in between are we related to, and what hereditive characteristics have been handed down to us from our ancestors. The thoughts of being tied to important historical individuals, makes one think about how well we are doing with what has been given to us, and what we will be passing on to the generations after us.

For me, I'm still working on it...

Our Friends in Haiti

Just over a year ago, my company decided to adopt an orphanage in Haiti. My business partner and his wife, Dave and Candice Aitken, were in the process of adopting two Haitian orphans from "The Hope for Little Angels of Haiti" Orphanage, and asked if the company would be interested in financially supporting this orphanage. Prior to this time, this orphanage was experiencing one to two deaths a week due to starvation and malnutrition. They barely had enough food to provide one meal a day to 60 young kids.

Well of course we were excited with the opportunity to support these children who had be taken off the streets, who were either parentless or abandoned by their parents. They were barely getting by eating a small mixture of rice and protein and drinking unclean water.

We went to our employees and solicited their help, asking them to donate what they could from each paycheck to the orphanage, and we, as a company, would match their donation. We have been donating about $4,000 per month to pay for food, medical aid and water filtration devices.

Since our 12 month involvement not one child has died. We have literally been saving lives.

When we heard of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti, we were heart-broken. Were our kids okay? What about Dave and Candice's adoptive children? (They were still waiting through all the government red tape to bring them home. Now the paperwork surely is under rubble.) Were they still alive? Many questions, with not many answers.

We finally received word that most of the orphans, with the exception of 6, have been accounted for and were fine, and Dave and Candice's adoptive kids were safe. They are currently being cared for by Harry, the LDS Bishop in the area. Prayers have been answered.

But, there remains a lot of challenges ahead, that of getting food, water and medical supplies to them, among other things. The Orphanage will need to be rebuilt.

We are in the process of organizing funding efforts to help them rebuild. If you are interested in helping, please go to the Orphanage website and make a donation: http://www.hopeforlittleangelsofhaiti.org

Haiti will take a long time to rebuild, and needs the help of the world to do so. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Welcome 2010!

I always look forward to a new year. For some reason it gives me hope and excitement for the future. Putting the past behind us in cured cement, so to speak, the future is moldable and workable, making it whatever we set our mind to.

A year ago, as we entered 2009, the world was frightened and scared with the future, given the dismal economic conditions then. But somehow we pulled through this year, even though the monetary stimulus funds that the US government pumped into the economy were a "robbed Peter to pay Paul" scenario, it still gave us hope to move forward. Time will tell how it plays out in the long run.

I think I relearned an eternal principal this past year--no matter how devalued everything around you becomes, I can still find great value in my family. I have the greatest family in the world.

From a wonderful wife who is totally unselfish and knows the true meaning of Christ-like love, to children who uphold high standards of honesty and decency.

Although they each had their own challenges this year, they all came through it with a high degree of integrity. When I grow up, I want to be just like them.

So, looking forward to another 365 days in 2010, I am renewed with a certain degree of optimism. There are several goals I would like to accomplish, number one being, becoming a better person to serve my family and mankind. This world is so full of selfish and prideful people, my hope is to do my part to counter-balance the scale with my portion, to the side of decency. My aim is to follow the teachings of Christ, and do unto others as He would do.

My second goal, since I have been given much, is to give back to society, especially to my brothers and sisters who struggle in Third World Countries to survive. Their need for clean water and proper sanitation is a daily challenge. Through the newly formed organization of HIT Humanitarian, and our efforts to raise funds, will be a primary focus to meeting this goal.

I have many other goals, but they all seem to be less important than my top two, so I will not belabor the time of listing them here.

I do want to thank all of you who strive to be good people. Together we can change the current paradigm of today's civility.

Have a great year!

Don't forget 9-11!

Some Fun Family Photos

Just Returned from the Northwest

I just returned from the Northwest this week, had a great time with 7 other bikers from family and friends. You can see my blog here: Northwestern States Trip

Charity Never Faileth

This morning, as I was reading the lesson for Church, I was deeply touched by the subject, Charity. According to the Apostle Paul in the New Testament, Charity is the highest attribute that one can obtain.

1 Corinthians 13:

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not ^acharity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of ^aprophecy, and understand all ^bmysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the ^apoor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

4 ^aCharity ^bsuffereth long, and is ^ckind; charity ^denvieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Doth not behave itself ^aunseemly, seeketh not her ^bown, is not easily ^cprovoked, thinketh no evil;

6 Rejoiceth not in ^ainiquity, but rejoiceth in the ^btruth;

7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

8 Charity never ^afaileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a ^aglass, ^bdarkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth ^afaith, ^bhope, ^ccharity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Charity is the purest form of love that one can possess. It is the pure love of Christ.

To me Charity is doing acts of kindness without requirement for recognition. It is loving your enemies. It is giving fully of yourself unconditionally. I am far from having charity in my life, but I hope to work towards it.

If this world had more charity, can you imagine the better conditions we would live in. Having had a little experience in Third World Countries, I am amazed at the simple needs they have. Things like clean drinking water and safe fuel sources are among the basic needs for almost two thirds of the world's population.

May we all do a little more in being charitable toward our fellow human beings.

My Personal Story about Choice Humanitarian

It's the Little Things that Matter Most!

Remember the movie "City Slickers?"

When Curly, the old cowboy, said "Do you know what the secret of life is?"

Then he held up one finger. "One thing, just one thing."

"You have to find out what that one thing is."

I think that is partly true. However, I think the secret of life, a happy, fun, successful life, is made up of a gillian different little things, not the big--not the major ones. The little, small occurrences in our lives, over time add up to the secret of life.

It is a pleasant smile to someone you pass on the street. It is a small thank you note to a friend or co-worker, it is five minutes of a beautiful sunset, it is holding open a door for a stranger, a beautiful melody of a bird, or adding a little something extra to a company or school project.

A great life, an NBA star, a successful company, a Tiger Woods, all did not happen over night, nor were instant successes. They were built upon an unquenchable thirst for detail, tiny little details. Work out the details, put together all the little pieces of a big puzzle, and you have the secret of whatever your goal is.

So don't anguish over the big gigantic stuff. Concentrate on the little stuff.

For when you add up all the little things, you'll find the big successes.

Families...it's about Time

Take a moment to consider what is most important to the enduring future of our Global Society--It is the proper development and growth of families. The core values of humanity, those that lead nations down honest and forthright paths, are taught in homes where love and kindness are spoken.

As the family goes, so goes a nation. In all nations of the world, we have witnessed the steady decline of the family. Sadly enough, our global community is following similar declines. Broken homes lead to broken relationships and broken ideals. In the United States, children in single-parent families are two to three times likely, as children in two-parent families, to have emotional and behavioral problems.

More than seventy percent of all juveniles in state reform institutions in the United States come from fatherless homes. Half of American children will spend at least some of their childhood growing up without a father in the home, and that in a radical departure from virtually all of human history, responsible fatherhood is declining disastrously in our society.

So, it's about time, spending quality time with our families. Even though most of my children are married and raising their own families, I love the time we spend together when everyone comes over to the house.



If you haven't done so today, hug your family, spend time with them. When everything else in the world seems to be crumbling down, it will be your family that will give you the strength and support to keep carrying on.

Thanks to my family...they are the best!

What is in a Family?

After returning home from my recent motorcycle trip through the southern United States, where, during the trip, I visited the graves of my 4th great grandparents, I developed a deep connection with my kindred dead. Since, I have found myself researching, reading and pondering the experiences of my ancestors with greater appreciation for the sacrifices and trials they went through. Through the Internet and the LDS Family Search, I have been able to add an additional 40 names of ancestors to my ancestral lines.

It has been interesting to learn and read about the journeys many of my ancestors made across the Atlantic ocean in ships from England, to settle in America. I have learned about the struggles through the Civil War, and the rebuilding they made of their lives after the War. I have followed them as they loaded everything they could into a covered wagons and journeyed across the rugged America to settle in Utah.

I am proud for the great heritage I have received from my forefathers. This has helped me to understand and appreciate the importance of family, and the importance of keeping my family strong and living good moral principles.

So what is in a family? All the things past, present and future that families do to create meaningful memories and traditions. When the world around you becomes a scarer place to live, you can always turn to your family for stability, warmth and love.

I know, because that is my family.

5,500 Miles in 2 1/2 Weeks--But Home at Last

Well, I pulled into my driveway at home Friday night with my whole family waiting to cheer my arrival.

All in all, it was a good trip, but long, tiring, and boring at times. I met a lot of good people from different parts of the country. Each area was a little different. Basically everyone I met were good hometown folk.

The homeless (street) people seem to be attracted to me. It was like I was their Vietnam Vet buddy from long ago. They all came up and talked to me. I think it was the motorcycle that attracted them.




But in the end, it was good to be in the arms of family. It felt so good to be home. I love my family very much. I guess, in a way, this trip helped me to realize that even more.

I don't have plans for anymore cross-country trips...at least, not this year.

I'm not here...

If you are waiting here for my next blog post, I'm not here during March. I'm on a motorcycle trip across the United States. You can follow my trip here: http://southernstatestrip.blogspot.com/

Young Whppersnapper

As a youth I can remember my grandfather Davis calling me a "young whippersnapper." I never really knew the full meaning of that comparative title until just recently.

Lively young men of the seventeenth-century England developed a great passion for fast driving. With two teams of horses hitched to heavy coaches, they dashed about in style that made the old-timers shake their heads and wonder what the world was coming to.

This newfangled sport required great skill in the use of the whip. No man was considered adept until he could flick a forward animal from below the lead bar without alarming the wheel horses.

In this age of conspiracies, plots, and attempted rebellions, every swaggering bully prided himself on his prowess as a "whipsnapper." Naturally, adolescent youth and small boys tried to imitate their elders. Gangs of rowdies--boys who today would be called juvenile delinquents--made a great commotion by continually snapping and popping their long whips. This practice was so general that by 1700 any upstart youth or presumptuous person was likely to be sneeringly described as a "whippersnapper." (I've Got Goose Pimples, by Marvin Vanoni)

Well, with my Grandfather Davis long gone, I now know what he meant. I must have been doing something really rowdy to receive a title like that.

Why aren't there seatbeats in buses?

Have you ever wondered why buses don't have seat belts? By law they are not required because they are over 10,000 pounds. Also, through numerous experiments and research, they found that passengers simply will not use them.

Experiments with seat belts in school buses have been disastrous. Not only do children refuse to wear them, but they use the seat belt buckle as a lethal weapon.

There are a couple of other reasons:

Twice as many students die each year getting on or off school buses than riding them; seat belts are unlikely to prevent deaths caused by head-on collisions (the cause of most on-the-road bus fatalities); and

Money allocated for seat belts is better spent on training bus drivers and providing better maintenance of the vehicles.

Just thought you'd be interested in a little bit of useless information.

(Source: Imponderables, by David Feldman)