How would you like to remember Christmas? The family of one New York man will remember it as the time they lost a family member. I can't imagine anything in a store that would be worth injuring or killing someone.
After reading about this story earlier in the day it made me wonder what the Christmas spirit is these days? Have we become so materialistic that we value an Xbox more than a person? I sure hope not.
I remember being young and barely being able to contain myself waiting to open presents and how important that seemed at the time. Looking back, I realize now that I was totally missing what Christmas was supposed to represent. Charity.
Not charity as in we don't have any food and need charity sense but charity in the sense of giving without any expectation of reciprocation. The Savior gave us the recipe in Moroni 7:45
" 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."
I think being kind and not envying others is a great way to spend the Holidays, especially Christmas. With they way things are today with so many people out of work and worrying about the future we should take this time to decide how we want to remember Christmas and what we want it to represent. Things of this world or truly celebrating the Savior and what he taught.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Journals: Why do we keep them?
We have been told many times by leaders in the Church to keep a journal of our lives. We are to include spiritual experiences and daily events. But why?
I have started and stopped many times in my journal keeping attempts. When I go back and read it I realize how much I have not recorded in my life. The last time I reviewed my journal I was disappointed to realize I had not written anything after two of my children had been born. As important of an event as that it I had missed it and can never regain the chance to record my experiences of those days.
I have been reading a book lately that is about the Willie and Martin handcart companies called "The Price We Paid". It is a very good book and gives some great details about what people in those handcart companies endured. The author has done a great job collecting information but one thing is very clear, without the journals kept on that trip we would not have as much information about their trials. It is amazing to me that so many of the people on that journey who were struggling just to survive were so diligent in keeping a daily journal. It has really impressed me and I have been trying harder to write more often, even though this blog does not reflect that.
With all of the resources we enjoy today to keep a record of our lives for future generations it should be easy to find a medium you like. I have really enjoyed the family blogs that have been started. Jenn and Jeanne do a great job of recording events that are happening in their families. The AZ Bunkers have never met little Emrie but get to see her growing up digitally. Hopefully someday soon that will change but at least we have a way to keep up with her and the rest of the Idaho Miller clan.
As great as this seems know just think of how much of what is happening now our children will be able to look back upon and show their children in the future.
Friday, October 17, 2008
A Flock of Turkeys
Oh, the times you don't have a camera with you. Tonight would have been a great night to have one with me. I went for a ride after work and rode over to Ramsey Canyon.
I was just getting to the trees as I rode up the canyon and happened to look to the right along the edge of the trees. There at the edge of the trees about 20 yards away was a flock of wild turkeys. I just had to stop and watch them for about 5 minutes as they snuck into the trees. It was very cool because wild turkeys are not something you see a lot of when riding.
About 1.5 miles farther up the canyon there was a small spike buck standing 10 - 15 feet off the road. I stopped as he was doing his best statue imitation. He did the stiff legged nervous walk into the trees where another deer was feeding. I watched them for a few minutes as they feed and then rode on.
It was very cool to see some wildlife and enjoy a beautiful ride up the canyon. My only regret? The last 3 miles of my ride up the canyon I had not ridden before and it was the most beautiful part of the ride. It is definitely a ride I will be doing again.
I was just getting to the trees as I rode up the canyon and happened to look to the right along the edge of the trees. There at the edge of the trees about 20 yards away was a flock of wild turkeys. I just had to stop and watch them for about 5 minutes as they snuck into the trees. It was very cool because wild turkeys are not something you see a lot of when riding.
About 1.5 miles farther up the canyon there was a small spike buck standing 10 - 15 feet off the road. I stopped as he was doing his best statue imitation. He did the stiff legged nervous walk into the trees where another deer was feeding. I watched them for a few minutes as they feed and then rode on.
It was very cool to see some wildlife and enjoy a beautiful ride up the canyon. My only regret? The last 3 miles of my ride up the canyon I had not ridden before and it was the most beautiful part of the ride. It is definitely a ride I will be doing again.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Almost Time to Ride
It has been along time coming but it is almost here. Next Wednesday I will be on my way with 21 other riders to Oceanside, California. It seems like I have spent alot of time riding but then I worry if I am ready to go or not. I guess when you have not ridden 400 miles in 4 days before you have your doubts as the time grows near. When I look back at some of the rides I have done and how far my ability to ride long distances has come I really think I will make it without to much trouble.
I have spent a considerable time thinking lately, it is funny how you can do that when you are sitting alone in a studio apartment bidding your time until you get home. One of the things I have been thinking about is service to others. We seem to have government programs to help in so many areas and politicians who want to create more. In many cases they are truly needed programs that do great things.
When we have so many programs it becomes easy to think " the government will help them out so I don't have to worry". Does this attitude rob us of opportunities to serve others and the blessings that come with it?
I have always supported the Military and appreciated the sacrifices they make to serve this country. I have been amazed at how much more personal their sacrifice seems since I joined the Ride. The chance to serve those who serve us has become a special part of my life for the last few months, memories I will remember the rest of my life.
Now I am not trying to say everyone should get on a bike and ride to California but I do think that if we have an opportunity to serve others in our communities and maybe even people we don't know, that we should take it. If we pass up the chance to serve the people who need service, they will probably get it somewhere else, but where will we gain the blessings we would have gained by our service?
If we delegate our opportunities to serve to the government or other people we will be the ones who are poorer in the end.
I have spent a considerable time thinking lately, it is funny how you can do that when you are sitting alone in a studio apartment bidding your time until you get home. One of the things I have been thinking about is service to others. We seem to have government programs to help in so many areas and politicians who want to create more. In many cases they are truly needed programs that do great things.
When we have so many programs it becomes easy to think " the government will help them out so I don't have to worry". Does this attitude rob us of opportunities to serve others and the blessings that come with it?
I have always supported the Military and appreciated the sacrifices they make to serve this country. I have been amazed at how much more personal their sacrifice seems since I joined the Ride. The chance to serve those who serve us has become a special part of my life for the last few months, memories I will remember the rest of my life.
Now I am not trying to say everyone should get on a bike and ride to California but I do think that if we have an opportunity to serve others in our communities and maybe even people we don't know, that we should take it. If we pass up the chance to serve the people who need service, they will probably get it somewhere else, but where will we gain the blessings we would have gained by our service?
If we delegate our opportunities to serve to the government or other people we will be the ones who are poorer in the end.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Semper Fi Update
I have decided I need to blog a bit about my preparation for the Semper Fi ride. With about 11 weeks left to train it is more important than ever to get in some good ride to be ready for the big event. I have been riding in the mornings over Usery Pass and back home, about 33 miles, for my regular rides. This morning, a beautiful Saturday for a ride, I decided to ride out to Canyon Lake and back, about 55 miles with lots of climbing. I know this does not sound like a fun thing to do at 4:30 AM on a Saturday for most people but I am demented that way :-).
I got up and had my quick breakfast and filled my water bottles, checked the air in my tires and was off on schedule. I was really feeling good this morning and was excited to tackle the hills to see how well I could climb them. I am not a born climber and at 6' 2" and 200+ pounds gravity and me get along a lot better going down than up. But it was not my morning after all.
As I was turning onto the road that leads to Canyon Lake I went to clip into my peddle and heard something metal hit the road. It was my peddle! Well, it is hard to ride with only one peddle so I had to call Jenn to rescue me after only 15 miles of riding. Needless to say, getting up early on a Saturday to rescue your demented husband is not Jenn's idea of fun. The things you learn!
I got up and had my quick breakfast and filled my water bottles, checked the air in my tires and was off on schedule. I was really feeling good this morning and was excited to tackle the hills to see how well I could climb them. I am not a born climber and at 6' 2" and 200+ pounds gravity and me get along a lot better going down than up. But it was not my morning after all.
As I was turning onto the road that leads to Canyon Lake I went to clip into my peddle and heard something metal hit the road. It was my peddle! Well, it is hard to ride with only one peddle so I had to call Jenn to rescue me after only 15 miles of riding. Needless to say, getting up early on a Saturday to rescue your demented husband is not Jenn's idea of fun. The things you learn!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Ride for Semper Fi
With the economy slowing, gas prices rising and an important election coming soon it is easy to go into self preservation mode. Summer activities for the kids and trying to escape the heat of summer and excitement for the upcoming vacation or remembering the one you just completed. So many things and so little time.
What about those who make it all possible? I know what you are thinking, Moms. They seem to keep the world running. I am thinking Marines (not a normal thing for a Navy guy!).
The Marines, and all of the Armed Forces, are the ones who are there to make sure the freedom we enjoy in this country is still there and will be for our children and grandchildren. They volunteer to go to dangerous places and do the dirty work so we can lay down at night free from oppression and tyranny. Many have paid the ultimate sacrifice for us and many more will carry the wounds and tell tale signs of their service for the rest of their lives.
I am not trying to turn this post into pity party or soapbox rant but these are things we don't think of everyday.
It is for this reason and so many more that I will never be able to adequately express that I have decided to ride in a fund raiser for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. The IMSFF is a 501 (c) 3 organization that has provided over $21 million dollars in grants to help injured Marines and their families get through the transition to their new lives. Whether it is providing money to help make ends meet, purchase a wheelchair or whatever the IMSFF has been there to help them out.
We will be riding from Mesa, Arizona to Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California to raise funds and awareness for the IMSFF. Our goal is to raise at least $50,000 to give to the fund when we arrive. This is over 400 miles and will take 4 days to complete. It will not be easy but will be nothing compared to what the Marines have done for me. If you would like to donate to the ride go to The Ride for Semper Fi
and go the the Meet the Team page and click on my name. If you would like more information about the IMSFF go to Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
Your donations will go to help Marines and will be greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Biofuels - Feast of Famine?
I have been having mixed feelings about bio fuels for some time now. Some look to them to save the future and reduce dependence on foreign oil (isn't all oil, foreign and domestic sold on the world market?). I read today (6/11/2008) that 30% of US corn will be used for bio fuels by 2010. Last year in the US one bio fuel producer turned out 1.5 billion gallons for ethanol. It takes 60 pounds of corn ( 1 bushel) to produce 3 gallons for ethanol. If my math is correct that is 500,000,000 pounds of corn.
Some say the corn that is used for ethanol is not grown for people and is a lower grade than the corn you will find at the supermarket. I imagine that is 100% true. But the farmland used to grow that corn could be used to grow corn for the table, not the tank. I can't see how we can subsidize farmers to grow corn to turn into fuel when people are starving to death. If we are going to subsidize farmers let's sell the subsidized crops at a discount to countries who desperately need it.
Corn is one of the main staple crops for the worlds food supply. Lets use it wisely.
Some say the corn that is used for ethanol is not grown for people and is a lower grade than the corn you will find at the supermarket. I imagine that is 100% true. But the farmland used to grow that corn could be used to grow corn for the table, not the tank. I can't see how we can subsidize farmers to grow corn to turn into fuel when people are starving to death. If we are going to subsidize farmers let's sell the subsidized crops at a discount to countries who desperately need it.
Corn is one of the main staple crops for the worlds food supply. Lets use it wisely.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Getting Started
This is my first post on the blog. I have been thinking about what I would like to blog about and decided that I would have a mix of things, gardening, politics, world events. This mostly for my benefit but I may put it out on the web someday.
As I watch the happenings in the world today it gives me cause for concern about the future and the world my children will inherit, and I am not talking about Global Warming. I have been reading an ongoing series on the BBC website dealing with food and how shortages are effecting poor people the world over. I know it is easy to say "get a job" but some of the countries these people are from have little to no opportunity for the people to change their station in life. You read about people starving to death and it is very sad to think the world still has so many problems.
This is one of the reasons I think gardening needs to be expanded. To many people depend on the supermarket to supply their every need. If there is some delay or crisis then they have no where to turn. In other parts of the world it could help people supply food they desperately need for their families. I found this article on BBC that I really liked:
The article is about Keyhole gardens in Lesotho and how they have helped people survive during food shortages. Link
Anyway, this will be mostly about my garden and how I think gardens can help people live better. And it is fun!!!
As I watch the happenings in the world today it gives me cause for concern about the future and the world my children will inherit, and I am not talking about Global Warming. I have been reading an ongoing series on the BBC website dealing with food and how shortages are effecting poor people the world over. I know it is easy to say "get a job" but some of the countries these people are from have little to no opportunity for the people to change their station in life. You read about people starving to death and it is very sad to think the world still has so many problems.
This is one of the reasons I think gardening needs to be expanded. To many people depend on the supermarket to supply their every need. If there is some delay or crisis then they have no where to turn. In other parts of the world it could help people supply food they desperately need for their families. I found this article on BBC that I really liked:
The article is about Keyhole gardens in Lesotho and how they have helped people survive during food shortages. LinkAnyway, this will be mostly about my garden and how I think gardens can help people live better. And it is fun!!!
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