I Say It Best When I Say Nothing At All.....

A few weeks ago, we were able to attend an Air Supply Concert.  Did you know they have been touring every year since 1975?  Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell are the duo to the songs we all know and love.  Most of us have memories of high school and college of playing their songs over and over and cherishing first love.  We even played their songs again through arduous breakups.  I can still sing every word. Graham Russell lives near my hometown of Kamas, Utah.  He is 71 years of age.  Russell Hitchcock lives in Georgia. He is 72. They both struggle to sing the pitches they once did.  They still attempt to stroke the guitar with reckless abandon and dance about the stage and throw hand motions to the crowd with their microphone to engage the crowd.  I couldn't help but think someone needed to be nearby to catch them if they fell.  Have you seen men who are my parents age jump up and down on a stage?  You cannot look away!  I...

Meet Clarence!  He has been such a joy to have.  We picked up a few other mates for him, but they don't have the same affection or fondness of people as Clarence does. Each morning and afternoon as I feed the geese, ducks, horses, chickens and goats Clarence will call to me and demand my attention.  He'll approach me and begin telling me about his day.  I share my stories with him and he follows me around. Geese have been known to imprint on people.  He has an attachment to me and Jenn and occasionally, some of the kids.  Other times, he decides the kids may be a threat. The other three geese have only tolerated me.  You have to keep a close eye on them.  If you look away, even for a second, they will approach with heads' down and hiss at you to let you know you're intruding on their space.  They are particularly vocal, especially at feeding time.  The belches, screeches and honks are an indication I took longer than they would prefer to...

I just returned home from Las Vegas late last night after spending the weekend there for a conference. It has only been two weeks since the horrific events at the Las Vegas Village. My flight to Vegas was very different than the returning flight to Salt Lake City. The atmosphere was a bit rowdy and lighthearted. Flight attendants were joking with passengers about staying "hydrated" in the desert and would inspire the passengers to cheer about the party atmosphere. The lady sitting next to me purchased shots of tequila for her and any of the people around her. She continued to offer the drink to me, but seemed mildly frustrated I wouldn't join in with the fun. She and others were amused that she was entertaining the guy next to her who was "no fun." I just pushed my seat back, pulled my hat over my eyes and feigned sleep. I was reflective about the events that had recently transpired and how many families have been affected by the tragedy. Perhaps the ra...

The other night, my wife and I were walking out of Walmart and saw a father with two young children.  Just before he left the store and went out into the cold night, the children both looked up at their dad and raised their arms above their heads, looking for comfort from the cold and icy conditions.  He bent down and scooped them up and carried them in each of his arms. Watching the man carrying two children, Coralee looked at me and said, "I remember those days." We both reflected on how quickly time has passed since our children were little.  Days seem to pass more quickly now and it is so easy to get caught up in the crazy and hectic routine that is our lives presently.  It isn't often there is time to slow down and reflect on those days of early parenting.  I speak as though the best memories have passed, but memories continue to be made everyday. Watching this father caused me to reflect on tender moments.  Our youngest is nearly eight years old. ...

1. I love horses, but I'm terrified to ride them. Even with the countless times I have ridden, I always petition God for a safe experience before climbing into the saddle. 2. I know I'm supposed to be thankful for all things, but I rarely thank God for adversity. I don't like to step   out of my "comfort zone", and difficult challenges are more than I want to face. I realize challenges are for experience and becoming a stronger/better individual, but I'll pass, thank you. 3. I'm a little obsessive/compulsive. You will sometimes catch me pulling whiskers off of my face or hair from my ears. Things that are out of place create chaos for me. Co-workers used to go into my office and move things around just to see if I would notice and put them back into place. They would turn golf balls in display cases slightly askew, pictures slightly out of alignment or move the pen on my desk. I could walk into the room and immediately notice everything that was out of...

You would think after the abuse I've taken since owning horses for the last few years, I may consider getting out of it and dedicating my time to other things.  Most human relationships wouldn't survive similar circumstances an individual does with his/her horse. Last year, I was riding Ebony and decided to open a gate and pass through without dismounting.  As I reached down to open the latch on the gate and pull the gate open, Ebony decided to go through the gate before it was open completely.  She managed to compress herself between the gate and the fence.  Of course her instinct is to go forward.  Another problem was that my leg was hung up on the latch of the gate.  As she continued to press forward, the latch continued to press into the calf of my leg.  Through the pain, I managed to get her to back up, but when I dismounted, I realized at that moment there was no feeling in my leg.  When I stepped off the stirrup, it felt like my leg was m...

Prologue             Have miracles ceased?  I hope you don’t believe that.  Sometimes, people recognize strange events and chalk it up to a coincidence or even luck.  Some recognize it for what it is; truly a miracle.  Perhaps you remember a recent event.  It made the newspapers.  A 19-year old college student was traveling from her parents’ home to attend church in another town.  The car she was driving collided with another vehicle on the highway.  The accident crushed the teenager’s car into a ball of sheet metal that lay on the driver’s side.  Emergency responders from several jurisdictions arrived on the scene.  They blocked off two miles of road near the accident and began working on removing the twisted metal from around the girl.  They worked for nearly 45 minutes with various pieces of equipment trying to remove the debris and extricate the girl.  Th...