Once upon a time a King took his Queen by the hand and set out upon a Journey. In time they were blessed with the births of five beautiful Boys. Then, miracle of miracles, they were blessed with two beautiful Girls. This is the story of their Journey, and how the Boys became Kings (and the Girls became Queens).
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
I am at home with four out of five of my Princes - the oldest is at Cub Scouts with our Queen.
I like spending time with them - as long as I can keep my cool and just enjoy their silly behavior, I get rewarded with an ample amount of one-on-one time and many moments of kid wisdom. These boys were sent here to teach me a few things...
This is my four-year-old; he sat and visited with me several times during the last 15 minutes. He likes to give gifts and write letters to his young friends, especially the little girl around the block. He did a good job getting ready for bed, so I am letting him stay up a few minutes longer to wind down.
Over on the right here is my two-year-old. While I was getting him ready for bed, I noticed that he sort of smelled bad. So, I suggested a quick bath, and he readily agreed. He is a very happy fellow, quite talkative, and absolutely idolizes his older brothers. There are endless reenactments of various scenes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spiderman, etc, and this one is always willing to accept even the most menial roles. "And the award for best supporting actor goes to..."
I came home from the office early today so that I could take my seven-year-old to the dentist. We had simultaneous appointments for check-up and cleaning, and we both came out with a clean bill of dental health. He was excited because he found a travel chess/checkers set in the box of toys behind the reception counter. After the appointment we stopped of at the library to drop off some things, and he spent a few minutes visiting with the librarian and putting a couple of things on hold. We enjoyed a nice visit about the things that matter most to him on the way to and from. I was especially impressed with his mature understanding about the death of President Hinckley (see the other post below) and what would happen in the coming days to the leadership of the church.
Now we're full-swing into the bedtime routine, and my ten-month-old is resisting the hardest. He thinks he needs to eat hourly. When they're his age, they demand a great deal of attention. He's sitting in front of me in his portable bed, peeking over the top and occasionally fussing in an attempt to convince me to get him out and play. But I'm not falling for the ploy - the Queen says he didn't have a nap today, so he should go to sleep quickly. Perhaps if I stopped clacking away on the keyboard...
I like being a Dad - and these little Princes have me convinced that there is hope in our future, in spite of the crazy world we live in.
I just finished another book, Adams vs. Jefferson, written by John Ferling. Although the author conjectured too much for my taste, he also cited many sources and laid out an excellent picture of the political and cultural climate surrounding the election of 1800. He spent a great deal of time painting an accurate picture of the decade prior to that pivotal election, and even spent a chapter or two at the end letting the reader see how things unfolded until July 4, 1826, the day both men coincidentally died.
I openly side with Thomas Jefferson in the debate that was at stake. He was a Republican, and believed in small federal government and state autonomy. It was important to have a strong check on the federal government by the individual states (a condition that barely exists if at all today.)
John Adams was a Federalist, and believed in stronger government and greater control, a strong monarch-like executive, and stronger ties with Great Britain. His positions were so unfavorable by the election of 1800 that a quarter century of Republican Presidents would follow him.
Of deep interest to me is the amazing coincidence that Jefferson and Adams died on the same day, July 4, 1826. This must have been Divine Providence. Adams and Jefferson had become friends again after about 1812, but in the public eye they were enemies. The dual death on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence erased the image of enmity, and allowed Adams, Jefferson, and Washington to become the "triumvirate" of the founding era, where they have remained for all those who study US History.
The party system emerged quite rapidly after the new government was formed. Politics had many of the same elements and quirks as it does now. The battle for the Presidency in 1800 was very bitter. Adams was so crushed when he lost that he left town on the 4 AM coach the day that Jefferson was sworn in, rather than pass the baton.
All in all, this was an excellent read - I recommend it to any student of US History or politics.
I have thoroughly enjoyed our time under his inspired guidance. I can't begin to imagine the burden of responsibility that he and all others that have occupied his position bore - they certainly must have learned to call on divine help in their calling.
Since I joined the LDS Church in 1991, I have experienced the passing of three Church Presidents - Ezra Taft Benson, Howard W. Hunter, and now Gordon B. Hinckley. I would have to frankly admit that I connected with President Hinckley more than with the other two, probably just because of the length of time that he served and his disarming nature.
President Hinckley, we love you and know that you are having joyful reunions. Thank you for your tireless service!
Don't ask me why, but I always end up playing a game or two of church basketball every year, usually when one of the guys calls me and tells me that they might forfeit if I can't come. I played tonight, and we had to forfeit anyway because we were short by one player. So the other team loaned us three guys and we played anyway. You would think that it would have been just for fun, but somehow there is always at least one poor sport that spoils it for everyone.
In this case it was a big guy that was fairly agile for his rotundity, but constantly pushing his weight around. No problem for me - I'm small and quick and I just stay out of his way. About halfway through the game, he was bringing the ball down the court and I reached in and swiped it from him. He fumbled around with it for a half-second, and then it went out of bounds, clearly with him touching it last. The referee correctly gave my team the ball, but this guy had to argue with the referee, who just ignored him. So he decided to take matters into his own hands. He went out of his way to push me in the back two times in subsequent action, and another player on my team several more times. The referees took some notice (when they were in a position to see it), but it didn't seem to matter to this moron. We discussed it with his teammates who were playing for our team, and they agreed that he was a real downer to play with - a very poor loser and cheapshot.
I'm not big into competitive athletics - I played ball when I was 10 or 11 for a couple of years in an organized league, and it just didn't come easily for me. Part of it was that my Dad was so intense - not like the obnoxious parents that scream at coaches and refs, but he was pretty hard on me. He probably didn't understand that it wasn't my thing. Of course, I had been the one to ask if I could play, because I had some neighbor friends who were going to play. Dad had played a lot of baseball and basketball when he was younger, and I get the picture that he understood the fundamentals pretty well.
I enjoyed playing yard hockey or scrimmage football in the yard or the field with friends, and I really enjoyed playing basketball in the neighbor's backyard, but that was entirely different than playing in an organized league where the stakes and emotions seem a little higher. It was just for fun in those settings, and I wanted it to be the same in the league play, but it just wasn't. You know, we got pretty competitive in field hockey, and got pretty bruised up sometimes, but we never went out for blood, and we respected each other.
Later on in high school, I went out for cross-country and track, preferring to push my endurance rather than bump and bruise with other egotistic numskulls in contact sports on the court or field. I used the time running to think about what mattered to me and organize my thoughts. I became fairly good, reaching a personal best of a 5:00 mile. I was competing against myself, and it was very good for my health and self-esteem. I have continued to enjoy the health benefits of this type of activity. I have run seven marathons, many half-marathons, and other races of lesser length. I have climbed many high mountains, and I love to hike and camp.
One of my favorite recent books, An Education For Our Time, by Josiah Bunting, stresses the value of contact sports. And truly, there must be something to what he is saying. For him, contact sports allow us to simulate something akin to combat in a non-life-threatening environment. Greek and Roman statesmen believed the same to be true. So did the chivalric orders of the middle ages. And almost any formal classical education contains the physical study of warfare and team sports in the curriculum.
So why does the church ball experience, or the NBA, the NFL, etc, etc, not seem to measure up to what Josiah Bunting has to say? Why does it seem like such a negative experience for me whenever the stakes are raised? And why did my dad like his own sports experiences when he was younger?
I believe that the experience that Josiah Bunting and my dad value is more difficult to find in organized athletics today. There are several elements necessary for the experience to have the same educational power that it once did.
The game must focus on the fundamentals. Every sport has a certain set of basic guidelines as to how it is played.
Players must be willing to respect the rules of the game. If a rule is broken, or a foul is committed, all agree that there are consequences.
The team must employ strategy and stick to their gameplan.
It's about teamwork, and not about the individual. Players shouldn't seek personal glory, but team success.
It's not all about winning. In a contest of two teams, one team comes out on top. But the other team needs to take defeat with honor. You learn as much from losing, maybe even more than winning.
You need to seek physical excellence from the game. It is a great opportunity to be physically agile and strong.
There must be integrity on the part of every participant, the players, the coaches, and the officials.
In the end, each participant needs to remember that it is just a game. They should be able to shake hands and congratulate each other and then return to the activities of normal life better for the experiences they have had.
I think that these types of sports can have value, but I've met many men who feel the same way I do about them - they have little or no value to their lives. And that is truly unfortunate.
As for me, I think I will avoid these experiences, for the most part, and stick to my running. For the warfare study, I'll keep paintball and shooting as a big part of my personal field of focus. And of course I will occasionally enjoy a backyard game, just like the old days.
I arrived home in time to share dinner with the family and then The Queen and my oldest Prince shipped off to the church for different activities. I remained behind to shepherd the other four through dinner, some playtime, and finally bedtime. They are all in bed. The Queen and Prince aren't home yet.
The youngest sat in his chair and ate peas and carrots while I finished a book.
Today I read an amazing little book called The Jackrabbit Factor, by Leslie Householder. I was already familiar with The Secret, having purchased a copy of the DVD about a year ago. They both expound on a concept known as the Law of Attraction. The nice thing about The Jackrabbit Factor is that it is written from the perspective of a Christian. A lot of people who saw The Secret express concern that it takes God out of the equation (I don't agree with that perspective - I liked it) and so The Jackrabbit Factor can help them to understand the ideas, if they will listen.
For anybody interested, I will just refer to Leslie's website: www.thoughtsalive.com.
This is my four-year-old; he sat and visited with me several times during the last 15 minutes. He likes to give gifts and write letters to his young friends, especially the little girl around the block. He did a good job getting ready for bed, so I am letting him stay up a few minutes longer to wind down.
Over on the right here is my two-year-old. While I was getting him ready for bed, I noticed that he sort of smelled bad. So, I suggested a quick bath, and he readily agreed. He is a very happy fellow, quite talkative, and absolutely idolizes his older brothers. There are endless reenactments of various scenes from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Spiderman, etc, and this one is always willing to accept even the most menial roles. "And the award for best supporting actor goes to..."
I came home from the office early today so that I could take my seven-year-old to the dentist. We had simultaneous appointments for check-up and cleaning, and we both came out with a clean bill of dental health. He was excited because he found a travel chess/checkers set in the box of toys behind the reception counter. After the appointment we stopped of at the library to drop off some things, and he spent a few minutes visiting with the librarian and putting a couple of things on hold. We enjoyed a nice visit about the things that matter most to him on the way to and from. I was especially impressed with his mature understanding about the death of President Hinckley (see the other post below) and what would happen in the coming days to the leadership of the church.
Now we're full-swing into the bedtime routine, and my ten-month-old is resisting the hardest. He thinks he needs to eat hourly. When they're his age, they demand a great deal of attention. He's sitting in front of me in his portable bed, peeking over the top and occasionally fussing in an attempt to convince me to get him out and play. But I'm not falling for the ploy - the Queen says he didn't have a nap today, so he should go to sleep quickly. Perhaps if I stopped clacking away on the keyboard...
