Thanksgiving

This week my parents visited for Thanksgiving.  It is always great to spend time with my parents, but this visit was exceptionally great because of my son.  It was beautiful to see him interact with his grandparents, but perhaps even more beautiful to see my father interact with his first grandson.  My childhood memories are fogged by time, but I have several precious memories of time spent with my father.  Time with my father was a rarity for my siblings and I.  My father often spent nearly every waking hour working to provide for our impoverished family.  Regardless, he always made time to bond and create memories.  Not a year passed that we did not visit the annual city parade, camp together, or walk along the river enjoying the summer carnival.  As an adult I have come to a better understanding of my father's lack of presence in my childhood.  Seeing him with my son further testified of the love my father has for his children and family.  This thanksgiving I am grateful for my father, my son, and the financial blessings that allow me to spend time with my family.

Wholesome Recreational Activities

My wife and I consider ourselves mountain people. Which is interesting since neither of us really grew up in the mountains. But nonetheless, the mountains are home for our family. They are where all of our favorites converge - where our interests intersect. Hiking, mountain biking, dirt biking, climbing, hunting, snowboarding, snow shoeing, yurting, cabining. Life is in the mountains.

"We need to do this more often," I find myself saying EVERY time we go to the mountains. And we do. We really really do need to do it more. Because a family that spends time in the mountains is a happy family, that's what I say.

My hope is we raise a bunch of little kids who grow up to be nature lovers, just like their mom and dad. That way we can be a mountain family for life.

Perspective

Recently the internet has been flooded with pictures and stories of the Syrian refugee crisis. It is incredibly heart wrenching. I've been especially touched by several stories featured on the Facebook page People of New York.  The stories of families forced to leave their homes, jobs, and lives behind as they flee a war torn country fill me with sadness.  Some families do not make it out together, and some do not make it out at all.  This has stoked the fire of gratitude in my heart for the blessings and comforts I enjoy in my life.  Often I can be stressed about the minutia of work, school, church callings, and family duties.  Reading stories and seeing photos of people who are in much worse situations helps me put things into perspective.  I am especially grateful for the eternal perspective offered through an understanding of the plan of salvation.

Equally yoked

This week in my religion class, we discussed the importance of equal partnership in marriage.  I am lucky to have married such a competent and intelligent woman. I often tell friends that marrying my wife was the best decision I ever made. I am sure that any couple can learn to have an equal partnership, but I know that it is so much easier for me because of the way I view my wife.  Of the many traits my wife possesses that attracted me to her, near the top of the list is her competence. Since I view my wife as competent, talented, intelligent, and capable, it is very easy to establish an equally yoked relationship.  I appreciate the fact that I can lean on my wife for support, and I suspect she feels the same way. This is what an equal partnership in marriage means to me: a marriage in which both partners contribute to a greater whole, the family.