Skateboarding

   Recently, with all the beautiful weather and melted snow, I've been thinking of some of my past time hobbies. Now, it may not seem like it with a nametag, glasses, and part in my hair, but I used to skateboard! Ya, I know sounds like I'm just making stuff up, but its true I actually did...   There were a lot of things I learned from skateboarding. Such as it takes a lot of time and practice before you actually improve. It took me over a month of constantly trying a kickflip, one of the most basic tricks in skateboarding, before I could even land it. Even then I couldn't just do it on demand. Another thing I learned is that when I finally got to a certain point in my skateboarding ability I could rely on that to be something to keep me going when the world seemed to be falling apart.

Professional Skateboarder
Rodney Mullen
Doing a Darkslide

  

 When I felt so stressed and overwhelmed about school, work, my family, or my friends I would just go skate for a bit and all the stress I had would just melt away. It didn't matter what people thought about me or if I wasn't all that "skilled" anyway. It was something that could bring a peaceful calm feeling into my life.

When the gospel of Jesus Christ came into my life I had that same feeling. No matter what people thought or how much I was lacking I could still feel the peace the gospel brought into my life. No matter how hard life got I always had something to rely on and trust in.

It took a lot of time though, and a lot of effort, but the gospel and church became the thing that made me who I am. Just like the effort I put into skateboarding to have it be a part of my life, there is also an effort in living the gospel and receiving the rewards of doing so. Just like how after a lot of time and practice I was able to do some pretty awesome things with my skateboard, there is also a lot of amazing things we can do with the gospel as we continue to work at building our faith and testimonies.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

   Well, Mother's Day is tomorrow and I feel like there are quite a few mothers I need to say "Happy Mother's Day!" to. I'm way excited to get to call my family tomorrow and talk to them, but there's a lot of extended families and moms that I adopted that I don't get to tell them how much I love and appreciate them tomorrow. So, here's a little blog post, a tribute to all my loving "mamas".
   The Good Lord blessed me with lots of moms looking over me as I grew up because he knew I would need a lot more than just one to keep me in line. "All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother", a quote from Abraham Lincoln that I very much agree with. Without my mom I would be nothing.

   One quick thought from the Book of Mormon to go along with our celebration of mothers. So, does anyone remember the Stripling Warriors? I sure do. Just imagine two thousand of these super buff and stalwart young men and ask yourself, "Hmm, how did they become so super buff and stalwart?" Well, there's a scripture in the book of Alma chapter fifty-seven when Helaman, the captain of the Stripling Warriors, reflects on what it is they had told him, "...they said unto me that their mothers had taught them".

   The stripling warriors of the Book of Mormon owed everything they were to their mothers. They had faith, they trusted in God, they fought bravely, they stood together, and miraculously none of them died from their many battles. Most of all they knew who the credit went to...their mothers. Happy Mother's Day!!!



  

My Eternal Family

   Right now I would like to share something a little personal. It is something that comes deep in my soul. It is one of the desires I have had since I was a young child. It is hard for me to share this because it is so personal, and taking something so close to you and sharing it to the whole world--or at least on my blog--is a really big challenge. However, I've learned that you kind of have to put yourself out there and let yourself be heard and let others do what they will with what you've shared.
   What I want to share is not just the truth and reality of eternal families, but my own personal desire for an eternal family. I remember going to church when I was young and singing the primary song Families Can Be Together Forever and just getting this feeling like, "I really want that and I'll do whatever I need to to have that." That feeling has been with me since then. I don't know why, but that has been a major driving force behind all the decisions I've made.

   This photo (above) is just a glimpse of the happiness that can be felt in an eternal family. It's a picture of my sister Brooke, the one in the pretty white dress, and her husband Adam, the stud-man right beside her accompanied by the George and Crook families. (In case you were wondering I'm the big tall guy on the left.) This picture is really special because it was taken just hours after the two newlyweds were sealed together in the temple for all time and eternity.
   There is a sense of happiness that cannot be described or measured when two people, or better yet two families, that are sealed to one another. It is a happiness that continues from that point on, if we remain faithful. See, in the temple there are a lot of promises, or covenants, that are made with our Heavenly Father and we have to do all we can to keep those promises and remain faithful to them in order to be with our families for all eternity.
   That's something we should all want, an eternal family. I hope from reading this that you get that same desire to do all you can to have your own eternal family. Its such a wonderful blessing that should be sought after with all energy and effort to receive that special blessing of a "forever family".
   This special message I leave with you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.