Miscellaneous

Jean-Henri Fabre (1823-1915) was a French Naturalist and considered the father of modern of entomology (study of insects and their relationship with humans), and he was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize in literature for his works on insect life. One of his most famous experiments was with pine processionary caterpillars.​These caterpillars are named for…

Confidence isn’t some magical trait kids either have or don’t—it’s something they build over time, like a callus or a muscle. And just like muscles, confidence grows stronger with good stress, repetition, and recovery. As a parent, you’re in the unique position of being your child’s first coach, their safest critic, and the home base…

One of the saddest yet most gratifying memories I have of my first wife, Carol, occurred on a family vacation in the summer of 2000. Our son Paul was home on military leave, the entire family was gathered together, and we decided to take a series of day trips rather than a longer vacation.​One of…

This story has been published several times including in the Ensign (magazine published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day-Saints). It is a particularly powerful lesson in teaching honesty and perhaps an even more important lesson may be recognizing that adults can learn a powerful message from children even as young as four…

When I was nearly seven years old my family moved from the rural farming community of Afton, Wyoming, to the big city (at least for me it was big) of Salt Lake. I remember that we moved into a small six-plex with one bedroom, a front room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. My parents used…

You could count on it. Every summer the Ambrose Call family would come for a visit with Grandpa and Grandma Call. In my recollection these visits always created excitement among my mother’s brothers and sisters who liked to talk about politics and then when the grandkids got old enough to offer their opinions the excitement…

The summer of 1974 was one of the most scary, traumatic, memorable, and miraculous times in my family history with Carol and Paul. Let me try to summarize that summer: while living in Knoxville, Tennessee Carol was diagnosed with ovarian cancer which led to a complete hysterectomy including the loss of her uterus, ovaries and…