Impacting Utah

Father’s Day is the day to remember, honor and call your Dad.  So, I did that today. Then I remembered how cool my Dad is.  He may not seem very flashy or talkative or charismatic, but when people need help, advice or a loan, he is the one they come to.  I think about how special my Dad is, having grown up in the Depression, served his country overseas in WWII, attended/graduated from USC in 1950, worked with Hughes Aircraft (on contract with NASA) on the Surveyor Program in the 60′s, designed his own house (which he still owns and resides in), raised 3 pretty competent and kind children, served in the life of the local church, developed a pretty consistent prayer life….and most of all, served, provided and loved his wife of nearly 60 years (and counting)…  How in the world could I measure up to that example?  I can’t.  Happy Father’s Day, Dad.  You’re the best.

So I took by Personal Retreat Day (PRD) today.  My organization requires each of its team members get away once a month, to retreat, to quiet ourselves, get our lives in order, hear from God, etc.  Today I went around the Kennicott Smelter Thing south of the Salt Lake, and into a community of Stansbury Park.  I found myself navigating through the entire community, which I would have bet my life that I was driving through a Florida suburb!  It was full of gulf coast condo/house looking things, all sea foam blue (or green).  So I got out of there quickly, looking for some kind of place to unpack for the day.  I had to then drive south to the community of Toole, which was originally called Tuilla, which Mr. Young named all those years ago.  It was windy, rainy, dark, the clouds were grey and magnificent.  I found the library and finally got the password to the internet, in which I had to show my id, sign, initial and swear not to look at bad things (not really).  I found a couple laughing at me at one point, but when I looked straight at them, they both stopped and looked down. That’s how I was sure I was the object of their scorn, sarcasm or just plain Mormon put down fun.  Anyway, after awhile I made it to Applebees to camp out for the afternoon.  After entering the establishment and standing by myself for a couple minutes, with servers making eye contact with me or addressing me in any way (even though they passed by me), I turned around and walked out.  I made it over to Cafe Rio.  Not only was it a good call, but the manager gave me two points on my little frequent visitor card, which will eventually get me a free meal.  It was a good day, even though I couldn’t take my eyes off a 60 something man in a white Rebbok work out top, along with cowboy stirrup things that jingled every time he got a refill.  He looked like Richard Harris in Unforgiven!  It was a good day to try to pursue God.  I got a lot of fun along the way.

My Top Ten Favorite Restaurants/Places to Eat/Places to Drink Coffee in SLC

(NOT IN PARTICULAR ORDER)

Red Iguana

Tres Hombres

Cafe Rio

Pei Wei

Einstein Bros

Starbucks

Pie Pizza

Blue Plate Diner

Blue Iguana

Beans and Brew

Ten things I think might be true today, but I’m not sure….I’m not sure of much these days……

I like the snow, just not today

I need the sun, I need light…at least today

I like building things, as long as they can be less than stellar in someone else’s eyes, I’m not very good at building. It’s fun!

Casino Royale is still in my Top 10 Favorite movies

I like quiet, with my wife sitting next to me, or near me

I like my new Kristine Meuller cd

I’m completely tired, hoping not to keel over soon

Redbox is great

I want to work on my book at length, but there’s not much length to be found

I cry sometimes when I look at or think about my children.  I deserve devil children, but God gave me something I don’t deserve.

A 17-year-old Somali girl who converted to Christianity from Islam was shot to death on November 25 in an apparent “honour killing,” area sources said. Nurta Mohamed Farah, who fled her village of Bardher, Gedo Region, to live with relatives after her parents tortured her for leaving Islam, was shot in the head and chest with a pistol. Area sources said they strongly suspect that the two unidentified men who shot her were relatives or acting on their behest. Farah was killed in Abudwaq District, about 200 metres from where she had taken refuge. Christian sources said Farah’s parents had severely beaten her for leaving Islam and regularly shackled her to a tree at their home. She had been confined to her home since May 10, when her family found out that she had embraced Christianity. (from: persecution.net)