Choke to Death

Mrs. Bouck, my fifth-grade teacher, had a profound and positive impact on me, even though many of her teaching techniques would no doubt be unacceptable today. In fact, if she were one of my grandkids’ teacher, I’m certain I would be leery if she was still using some of her same approaches. However, my grandkids…

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Stinky, stinky, stinky!

The following story always ends with me looking like an immature, silly, inconsiderate husband and in fact it is true.   The story begins when our oldest son, Paul, was approximately 3 months old, and I was a student at the University of Utah. It was a holiday, and I was home with Paul, but…

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Friend or Foe?

Several years ago, our little granddaughter, Alicia, spent the night with us. When she awoke the next morning, she looked at me and said, “I had the worst nightmare ever last night!” Alicia was seven years old, so I was very interested in what her “worst nightmare ever” could be.   She dreamed she was…

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What Can I Do?

We spent a few days camping in the mountains as a family – the great outdoors provides many beautiful ways to be together and still keep the social distance we need in our family due to preexisting medical conditions.   Quite understandably, our 3-year-old great-granddaughter, Rebecca, wanted more than anything to pick the lovely wildflowers,…

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Thinking It Through

The sky was just beginning to lighten. In the pre-dawn quiet, we watched storm clouds gathering far down the valley, miles away. We had plenty of time to stick with our plan, hike to the top of the ridge, and watch the sun rise. We were making good progress up the hillside, and the morning…

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It Started Out Perfect

Our daughter Ally, her daughter Alicia, age 4, and I were hiking in Arches National Park. It was one of those perfect spring days in the desert. Not too hot yet, not too cold, the brilliant blue sky a gorgeous contrast to the red sandstone rock. Ally was a bit ahead of Alicia and me,…

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What Kind of Builders Are We?

My dad was a “builder” of many things – his business, his community, his faith, his family. He was a barber by trade and for most of his life he was in his shop six days a week, year in and year out. People came to him to have their hair cut, yes, but just…

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