Stories and other stuff

I've done a lot of things in my life.  I've been blessed to have opportunities that most only dream about.  For a very long time, I had opportunities to travel to places with my job that some people scrimp and save for years to be able to go.  For some, these places, like France, Italy, and the Greek isle of Crete will remain as dreams and pictures in books and on postcards.  I got to live in these places, albeit for a very short time, and got paid to do that.  Through those experiences I've built quite the resume'. Under what heading on my resume' does this title fit, though?:  Lion chaser OK, I just finished (finally) a book called "In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day". Took me six months to read the first six chapters and about three hours to read the last of the book.  At the end, I discovered that I'd been for the last 16 months, I'd been doing what the guy that wrote the book advocated, in a round-about way.  I'd been chasing a lion. ...

Ever had one of those really weird dreams that just seem to be full of all kinds of symbolisms and you're kind of stuck trying to figure out what it means?  Let me share this with you. What do two cars, three quarters, chasing lions,  a red light, a Bible verse, and "Running to Win" have in common? I can explain some of it. First off, chasing lions is about a book I've been trying to finish now for a while.  I like the book, but I've come to understand that some days I just get overwhelmed with things and forget what I'm doing.  The nice thing was that I picked up the book again yesterday and read something I really needed to read that would help me make sense of the rest of this. The two cars are just two cars that could have been from anywhere.  They weren't of course.  One was from Delaware.  The other from Colorado.  The cars themselves have no significance.  Let's face it though, it's not everyday you see a car in Utah from Delawar...

Today's blog is about the real war on Christmas.  It's not that little made-up one that right-wing talking heads like to grouse about.  It's a very small part of a real war on Christmas that continues day after day.  It doesn't stop when the tree comes down.  And, sadly, it's a lot more than just telling someone with a bit of defiance, "Merry Christmas". This happened to me at a store.  A lady defiantly told the customers in her line "merry Christmas".  I figured it must've been her last day, because the way she said it it wasn't sincere; it was defiance of the MAN!   The war on Christmas started over 2,000 years ago with the murder of innocent children.  The plan was to catch Jesus in the slaughter, but to be sure, Herod decided to kill all of the male children in the region where Jesus was born who were under the age of two years.   I'd say that made the war on Christmas very tangible.  Fast forward about three decades, and you...

I trust everyone had a nice Christmas.  We did here at Lark Circle.  It wasn't the affair it's been in years past but we had an unusual guest join us for dinner.  My mom's uncle, who passed away before she was born in 1943, had a daughter my mother didn't know.  She's LDS and serving a mission in Salt Lake City for a while and looked my mother up.  We were very blessed to meet this lady yesterday and to share Christmas dinner with her. The after-Christmas focus I think becomes over the course of the next few days, about putting things away until next year.  I got thinking about that earlier tonight.  June asked to leave the decorations up until New Year's Day and I agreed.  The tree is hanging in there, so a few more days won't kill us.  Then, the Santa figurines will go into boxes and be hidden until next year.  So will the nativity set.  It's a Christmas decoration to be sure, but among the most treasured of the ones I have. T...

Merry Christmas, everyone!  I hope you're enjoying a beautiful, peaceful Christmas day and hope you'll make time in the day to remember why we celebrate and remember to thank God for sending us His son, and thank Jesus for paying the ultimate price so our sins might be forgiven before our Heavenly Father. We're having a simple Christmas here at Lark Circle.  June and I exchanged gifts this morning and later on, we're having my family and a member of my family I've never met before to Christmas dinner.  We're all born-again Christians and my mother's cousin is LDS and here in Utah serving a mission for her church.  It ought to be an interesting afternoon.  I'm looking forward to sharing the meal we're preparing.  Rib roast has become our Christmas tradition and it's in the oven now.  It smells really good. I was hoping to see some of my friends at church.  Then again, I'm always hoping that.  I am happy to say that there was quite a large ...

Today's blog post is mostly for my friends that live in the Ogden area. I'd like to invite you to Christmas Eve candlelight service at Ogden FBC/NBCC on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. If you're looking for a place to celebrate the reason for the season this year, we'd be pleased to have you join us for this special service. The church is on the corner of 25th & Jefferson.  I hope you can join us.

I heard the dogs barking but figured they were just playing.  Shortly thereafter, I walked outside to get something out of the truck.  That's when I saw what the dogs were barking at. At the bottom of my neighbor's driveway, there was a herd of mule deer.  Not just one or two, but an entire herd.  I watched them as they formed up and started walking down the other end of the circle. The largest one went first, followed closely in single file by the second.  Then there were three sets of two, in perfect formation, side by side, looking like they were lined up to pull the sleigh.  They were just does, and I didn't see Rudolph anywhere. I kind of stood there for a few minutes, I think with my mouth hanging open.  I just couldn't believe how they lined themselves up and in my mind's eye, I could see Santa, his reindeer, and the sleigh.  But it's only December 19.  I just stood there and watched them walk down the middle of the street and ar...