Following Jesus

Dear family,

I sure love you all. Tonight's email runs a little long and is a bit more introspective than usual. But this is what is important to me. Thank you for helping me be the best me I can. You're the best!

Love,

Dad

Wednesday, April 7, 2021
11:22 pm

I've had the last two days off for spring break, taking tomorrow off too.  Yesterday I wanted to use some very old bananas to make banana muffins, but Emma wanted banana bread.  I ended up using my muffin recipe for bread, and it worked great. In the afternoon we went to the BYU Museum of Art and made up a scavenger hunt for each other.  Divided into three teams. I worked with Isaac; that was just fun. He's such a good boy. Nathaniel and I spent time climbing stairs once he was done riding in the stroller. It was a nice break after spending much of the morning folding laundry. In the evening I had an interview at Church, made a visit to the Robinsons, and had bishopric meeting.

Today I tried to make a quick trip to Costco. There's no such thing. Started when I got in line to fill Bertha with gas. The old gentleman in front of me was having trouble figuring out the cards to turn the pump on. I was done filling my 30 gallon tank before he started filling his. Fortunately that was the extent of my problems today.

We had a hot dog roast for lunch today. I got pineapple, strawberries, and raspberries at Costco and they were delicious. I put Nathaniel down for a nap while Julie and Grandma took the kids on a scooter excursion. While Nathaniel slept I plowed through 100+ emails so I won't have to face them all when I go back to the office on Friday.

Jessie was released as a missionary tonight. The entire family joined her with Pres. Brinkerhoff at the stake center. It was a little chaotic, but was so nice to be there. I am so grateful for her service. It did not look like we expected, but has been a blessing to her. I am in awe of how God can use our experiences – the good ones, the hard ones, the planned ones, and the unexpected – and use them to teach and mold us. Jessie's art talent has blossomed and her vision for college and career has changed. Although she would have been a fine chemist, I think her artistic focus will tap into her passion and allow her to make a much bigger contribution in the world.

Jessie isn't the only one who has grown and been changed by her mission. My eyes have been opened and my heart has been softened in ways I never would have imagined because of what I have experienced. I hope I am a better man, more gentle husband and father, and compassionate bishop.

Speaking of such things, I have really been thinking since General Conference this past weekend – I'm ready for a change. I'm done doing things my way. For roughly three decades I have served in Jesus Christ's church the way I thought I should. And I think I've made a positive impact and blessed lives. But too much of it has been me doing things for Jesus. I want to move to a higher, holier way of service.  I want to intentionally do things with Jesus for my brothers and sisters. I really want to be guided by Him and do whatever he says to do. That's not worded quite right, but it's close enough. I think the next step is getting better at hearing his voice through the Holy Ghost and acting promptly.

Where does he want me to start this practice? I think at home with my family. They are the most important to me, and fortunately they love me and are patient with me and can help me figure this out.

More later…

Quick note

Sorry this doesn't have much of interest in it. But I'm sure interested in making sure you know how much I love you!

Love,

Dad

Monday, April 5, 2021
10:07 pm

Today was a blur. My two newest tellers started today, and I spent time working to get them the info they need to begin learning their responsibilities. Suzanne was off and the office was busy much of the day. Phones were ringing, people in the lobby and at the drive-thru, and I was trying to get enough done to take the next three days off while the kids have spring break. I think I got there, but I'm worried about how the next few days will go. I hope things are not chaotic.

Tonight we had FHE, and I sat on guard duty for far too long. Now I'm going to sleep.

More later…

Spencer helped someone (Nathaniel?) write names on the porch yesterday.

Twenty new temples

Dear family,

It was wonderful to spend this weekend with you.  Mark, I enjoyed our brief visit tonight and look forward to visiting again tomorrow.

Love to all,

Dad

Sunday, April 4, 2021
9:35 pm

Happy Easter!  This has been a very pleasant weekend.  General Conference was wonderful.  We ate good food.  We enjoyed visits with family and friends.  I feel challenged, humbled, and meekly optimistic that with the Lord's help, I can do the things God wants me to do.  Pres. Nelson talked about removing the debris from our lives as we become more like the Savior.  Elder Cook talked about and to Bishops; I've listened to the talk once and need to study it several more times.

A highlight from yesterday was having the Young family over for dinner after the second session of Conference.  Cheyenne is Abbie's age and they are good friends.  They have younger children who line up very well with the ages of our younger kids.  Next school year we will be moving the kids back to Sage Creek Elementary, which is the school we are supposed to attend.  They have been nervous about making this change since they've been at Maple Ridge for so long and don't know anyone in Sage Creek.  It took almost no time for friendships to be made; hopefully this will help ease that transition.  They stayed for several hours and we enjoyed it very much.

Today was delightful.  Julie had several activities planned for the different sessions and talks.  My favorite was bringing my extensive tie collection downstairs and trying to find ties that we thought matched the tie of the speaker.  It was a lot of fun.  Dad, Mom and Randy joined us for the morning session.  It was probably more chaotic than they are used to watching Conference from home.  They came back for dinner after the last session, and David, Lisa and their children joined us too.  Dinner was terrific.  I tried adding a few pinches of fennel seed to the roast, and it certainly didn't hurt anything!

We finished the day with an Easter egg hunt.  The eggs were paper eggs with scriptures written on them, not plastic eggs filled with candy.  The scriptures took us through the Easter story and was a tender and appropriate way to end the day.

Ministering: I hope I was able to minister to my family today and this weekend.  I tried to focus on the needs of my family and be present for them.

Thankful: I am so thankful for prophets, for Jesus Christ, and for my testimony.  I (partly) recognize how very far I am from where I want to be, and I rely on the grace of Jesus Christ to sustain me.  And I am amazed by the fact that Pres. Nelson announced twenty new temples in the concluding session of Conference.  It is inspiring to see the Lord hastening His work, and I pray that I will magnify the role He has given me as a husband, father, and Bishop.

More later…

Someone found her thumb

Five ties!

(Sort of) matching ties!

Prom, Deacons, and new employees

Dear family,

The weather today was wonderful.  I'm glad I was able to get out and do a little yard work in the evening after work.  I love you all!

Love,

Dad

Friday, April 2, 2021
10:19 pm

It's been a couple fast days.  Wednesday I woke up not feeling great – tummy issues and kind of achy.  Abbie got Spencer to seminary and I went back to sleep until 10:00 am.  I checked with the pharmacist and he said as long as I didn't have any specific COVID symptoms I could still get the vaccine.  I worked in the afternoon, but wasn't feeling awesome.  I went to bed early Wednesday night and didn't get up terribly early on Thursday.

Yesterday was a full day at work, then we watched Abbie's orchestra concert via livestream.  Sadly, she jammed a finger at school while playing ultimate Frisbee with friends at lunch.  She didn't break it, but bruised it pretty badly. It's in a splint now. Also on Thursday Abbie was asked to prom. So exciting!

Today was busy.  Suzanne and I interviewed three people for part-time teller positions and extended two offers which were accepted.  I got a preliminary estimate of our income for the month… it looks very good.  Too good in fact.  I need to check the numbers in greater detail on Monday to make sure something didn't get missed.

In the middle of the day I joined Neil at his school for the fifth grade maturation program.  Always an adventure.  The kids handled it well; no silliness.  (Of course, each boy was sitting next to his dad or another adult, so I'm not sure they dared be silly.)

Tonight we started our annual "turn off the lights for Easter" event.  Julie thought of this several years ago, and we really like it.  We turn off the lights on Good Friday and (mostly) leave them off until Resurrection Sunday.  It helps us remember Jesus, the Light of the World, in a different way.

Thankful: I'm really thankful to be feeling better.  Good health is such a wonderful blessing.  And the fact that we have ten children and almost no health problems is truly miraculous.

Ministering: The Deacons have really struggled to pass the sacrament in a way that didn't feel a little chaotic.  They have been doing their best to do it just right, but it's been challenging.  Two weeks ago we had the Deacons all sit on the stand and watch as the more experienced Teachers and Priests took care of passing.  Berkley Clements (my 2^nd Assistant) also reviewed the process with them again.  It made a big difference.  Last week was much better.  Yesterday I mailed a quick note to each of the Deacons who passed the sacrament last Sunday to let them know that I noticed and to thank them.

More later…

Abbie's Prom invite showed up after bedtime,which means everyone had to come downstairs to see!

Vaccine tomorrow

Dear family,

I love you all!

Dad

Tuesday, March 30, 2021
9:31 pm

Yesterday, Scott and I went to lunch with Mike Christensen.  He wanted to go to Ruth's Chris for fancy steaks, but we decided that was too expensive.  Instead we went to Outback.  My salmon was quite good, and Mike loved his ribeye steak.  We enjoyed visiting together.  It was one of our more pleasant times together.  We have decided to celebrate our birthdays each year by going out to lunch once.  That works well since our birthdays are in February, March, and April.  This year was Mike's turn to pay; next year will be Scott's; then mine.  Mike's big plan is to go to Ruth's Chris the year we turn 50.

Today we interviewed two people for PT teller positions. One of the interviews went quite well; we will extend an offer to him tomorrow.  The other interview wasn't bad, but it didn't "wow" us either.  Maybe I'm showing my generational bias, but I think you shouldn't show up for a job interview in jeans and a sweatshirt.

Funny story – I got dressed this morning and was hurrying to try to get out of here on time (fail).  As I got to work I realized that I forgot my tie.  At first I thought I'd just skip a tie today, until I realized that we were doing job interviews.  So I went to the mall during my lunch and picked out two new ties.  Turns out I was overdressed for at least one of the interviews!

Today I thought about the COVID vaccines that are now available.  I did some checking online and found that nearly every provider is booked out for months before they have available appointments.  By chance I found one appointment tomorrow at 1:00 pm at a pharmacy a mile from my office that is administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is the one-shot version I was hoping for.  So, I jumped on it.  By this time tomorrow I will have been vaccinated, and in two week's I'll be "protected."  I guess someone cancelled their appointment.  I'm looking forward to receiving the vaccine, and hope any side effects are mild.

Ministering: Tonight I met with several ward members for interviews.  Some got callings, others were to follow up on prior counseling sessions. 

Thankful: I'm grateful for an excellent talk I read this morning from Elder Bednar on the enabling power of the atonement.  It was very uplifting.

More later…

Yesterday's lunch selfie

Isaac got several amazing books for his birthday...

Happy birthday-eve to Isaac

Dear family,

I love you all and am heading to bed!

Love,

Dad

PS - Mark, I thought of you today when walking near the apricot tree and hearing it buzz with honeybees.

Sunday, March 28, 2021
10:15 pm

My eyes feel like sandpaper and my head really hurts, but my heart is content.  Quick recap of the last few days:

Friday was a day off for the kids, so I took the day off too.  Julie and Addie planned a bunch of activities to do together.  We got to their house shortly before lunch.  We ate a tasty lunch, then my job was to put Nathaniel down for a nap.  I was successful at putting both of us to sleep.  Three hours later we came up in time for dinner.  I think I really needed that nap.

The big news from Friday is that Abbie received her ACT score and rocked it with a 35 on her first try.  What an amazing accomplishment.  We are all so proud of her.

Yesterday was laundry day.  I think I cycled ten loads through the washer and dryer.  They were literally running all day.  I participated in folding some of them, and other family folded others while I was doing… something else useful.  (Can't remember exactly what now.)

Today had high points and low points.  I delayed bishopric meeting by 30 minutes because Nathaniel woke up (for the second time) just before my alarm.  I knew it was going to a while to get him back to sleep.  Bishopric and Ward Council were both good.  Sacrament meeting was really good; I felt good about the testimony I shared today.  I focused on Jesus' love for us.  I recently heard the phrase, "Love the sinner, hate the sin" in relation to a social media post. Jessie expressed her distaste for that phrase, and it got me thinking too.  I decided we can simply stop after the first part of the phrase – love the sinner.  That's really the extent of our responsibility.

For the second hour today we held a special combined meeting with all adults and youth to discuss mental and emotional health.  Sis. Buck and Bro. Heiss each shared experiences, and it was really good.  Then the Mounts led a discussion concerning how we can support each other as we deal all with these challenges.  It was an open, safe place to share, and it went really well.  I am very grateful for the experience.  I concluded with some thoughts:

1.       We are not alone in our suffering.  Depression and anxiety will probably touch every one of us in some way during our lives.

2.       We don't need to judge others, and we don't need to judge ourselves.  We can simply love.  At one point during the meeting someone mentioned that as Bishop, I am a judge in Israel.  I referred to that and shared my experience that in my service as Bishop, my inclinations to judgment have generally been, "I judge that person needs help.  I judge that the Lord loves that person.  I judge that person wants to feel joy."  Pretty non-judgmental judgment.

3.       We should have a plan to protect our mental and emotional health.  This should include daily "maintenance" plans as well as "emergency response" plans.

4.       Ministering brothers and sisters can and should play a significant role in supporting the emotional health of our ward members, friends, and neighbors.

Some low points were meetings that didn't feel very well participated in, and an interview that fell through.  Bummer.

Tonight we had lots of family over to celebrate Isaac's birthday tomorrow.  It was fun to be together, and the cake and ice cream were delicious.  David and Lisa and family brought Abbie back after she babysat for them this weekend.  Jennie brought her boyfriend Mitch; he was very likeable and seems like a solid young man.

Thankful and Ministering: See above.

More later…

Salza anyone?

Dear family,

The kids have the day off from school tomorrow, so I am taking the day off too.  Because of that, today felt like Friday all day long.  Two Saturdays this week!  Hooray!

I hope you know how much I love you!

Love, 

Dad

Thursday, March 25, 2021
9:26 pm

Nice day.  Work was busy in good ways, which was nice.  I joined two webinars, and both of them were valuable.  That's always a nice feeling.  Tonight, Julie and I went to dinner at Casa Salza with Dad and Mom then to their house to play a game.  It was simple and very nice.  Food was good, company was fun, and the kids were good at home while we were gone.

Thankful: I'm grateful that we had a nice date night.  I need to make this a more consistent practice.

Ministering: Today at work I met with three different ward members (okay, two current ward members and one from our last ward) and was able to help each of them with their financial objectives.  It felt nice.

More later…

Views of date night