Up in Flames...but not the Memories!

Well, our houseboat went up in flames this week. This post is remembering all the fun memories we've had over the past 10 years with this houseboat.

"I've been Thinking a lot about Things."

Have you ever heard the expression, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

Well, this old dog, is trying to learn some new tricks. I reckon with old age comes the regrets of not paying better attention in school. Classes that I really didn’t like back then, such as History and English, I now love. Go figure. Now that I’m older, and hopefully wiser, my desire to learn has increased. I love studying about the world in which we live. There are so many fascinating places to explore and histories to learn.

My cross-country trip this past summer opened my eyes to the wealth of information available to each of us, if we just stop and take the time to look, ponder and listen. Since this trip, I’ve been thinking a lot about things. Essentially, taking the time to think and learn about things above the earth, and things below, of principalities and kingdoms, of processes and formulas, and of governments and peoples is now important to me.

This whole discussion reminds me of a story I once heard of a man who desired to know all that there was to know concerning everything in the world. Therefore, he set out on his journey to find the wisest man in the world, figuring that this wise man could teach him all that there was to know.

In his search for this wise man, he was led to a seashore, where he found this wise man sitting on the beach, gazing out into the expansive ocean. As the man approached the wise man he told him that he had traveled a long distance to learn every thing that he knew. The wise man arose and bade the man follow him out into the ocean. When they were about chest-deep in the water, the wise man took the man’s head and held it under water until the man just about pasted out for lack of air. The wise man then let him go, and walked back to the shore and sat down. Well, the man who had traveled such a long distance was totally perplexed as to why the wise man would try to drown him.

As the man, still coughing and choking from the lack of air, approached the wise man again, he asked him why he would do such a thing. The wise man turned to him and said, “When your desire for knowledge is as great as your desire is for air, come back, and I will teach you all that I know.”

Isn’t life like that? We tend to do the things that we have great desires for. Those desires change from time to time. But if we take a step back and look at the grand scheme of things, it is our duty to learn all things.

Well, this old dog is going to start “thinking a lot more about things.”

"Today is a Present"

The other day I watch the movie "Kung Fu Panda" with some of my family members.

I was impressed with a quote from Master Oogway, the Galapagos Tortoise, as he counseled Po, the Giant Panda, about living in the present, when he said,

"Yesterday is history; Tomorrow is a mystery; But today is a gift, because it is a present."

It is important for us all to live in the present. Be the best you can be today, not tomorrow, and don't worry about the past, there is nothing you can do about it, but today, you can.

Today, be the kind of person you should be.

Be that friend.
Be that servant.
Be that leader.
Be that worker.
Be that thinker.
Be that student.
Be that example.

...be what you should be today.

One of the special features on the DVD, are the "Secrets of the Furious Five."

The Secrets are:

Patience
Courage
Confidence
Discipline
Compassion

Reminds me of an inspiring lesson once taught by an ancient American prophet named Moroni--"And charity suffereth long, and is kind and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things hopeth all things, endureth all things." (Moroni 7:45)

As the years go by, I hope I can learn and be the type of person I should be.

Twas the night before Christmas...

When all through the house...

Not a creature was stirring...

Not even a mouse...

The Stockings were all hung on the chimney with care...

In hopes that St Nicholas would soon be there.

The Children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads;

And ma ma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

To be continued...

Christmas Memories

Ah, it's Christmas!

The Meaning of Life

The Meaning of Life. Have you ever deeply pondered that question, stopped and really thought about it? What is truly the meaning of life?

Throughout history many have attempted to answer that question. The answers are as numerous as the sands of the sea. To mention a few:

• Hinduism - The meaning of life is tied up in the concepts of Karma (causal action), Samsara (cycle of birth and rebirth) and Moksha (Liberation). Basically the meaning of life is eternal and we progress across numerous lifetimes, with the ultimate goal of being liberated.
• Judaism - Is to serve God and to prepare for the world to come, elevating oneself spiritually.
• Zoroastrianism - Belief in a universe that will undergo a cosmic renovation and then time will end.
• Buddhism - Is to end suffering through detaching oneself from cravings and conceptual attachments.
• Islam - To seek the pleasure of Allah (God) by abiding by the Divine guidelines revealed in the Qur'an and the Tradition of the prophet Muhammad.

There are literally thousands of philosophies and religions which are built around different meanings of life. These differences have been fought over, killed for and profited by. Millions have lost their lives, both physically and spiritually, in pursuit of it.

A young Adolf Hitler sought to enforce his belief of the meaning of life, believing that the German people were the greatest people on the earth, and that all other people were inferior, especially Jews, Gypsies, retarded, Slavs, and that as such should not exist, and that the German people should spread out so that the population of German people would grow. And we know how that ended.

Another young man, at the age of fourteen, sought an answer to the meaning of life in a completely different place-a quiet grove of trees, and received his answer from the greatest of all, even the Father of Heaven and Earth. And we know how that ended.

Having stood where Joseph stood, I too can say that I know the true meaning of life, thanks to a young man who sought the right answer at the right time, in the right place from the right source.

So, as you ponder this question, what is the true meaning of life for you?

I have found my answer in many forms, actions and ideals.

It is having a daily conversation with deity.
It is a kiss and a hug from an eternal companion.
It is a still small voice whispering to me that the verse I just read is true.
It is stopping and listening to a beautiful melody of a bird.
It is the sweet smells of Christmas.
It is the smiles from the faces of my grandchildren.
It is a beautiful sunset.
It is standing in the presence of my Savior.
It is a backpacking trip with family.
It is a visit, all dressed in white, to the House of the Lord.
It is a house full of beautiful children and their families.
It is taking the time to smell the roses.
It is exploring the creations of God.
It is attending the funeral of a saint.
It is viewing an American flag and knowing the price that was paid for my freedoms.
It is a handcart and a bonnet.
It is witnessing the birth of a baby.

It is because "All things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me." (Moses 6:63)

So, I guess my meaning of life is in many things. And you know, if I don't stop and pay attention, look, smell, observe, I end up missing a lot of really good meanings.

In our fast-paced lives, it is important to take the time to enjoy the good things of live, for they bear witness of Him.