Blessings

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Dear Roice, Ben, Paul, Melanie, Sara, and Rob,

cc: file, Marti, Sara and Des, Diane Cluff, Tony Hafen, Darrell and Nancy Krueger, Eric and Annette Krueger, Eric and Renee Miner, Claude and Katherine Warner, Forest and Amy Warner, and Ivan and Chell Warner.

Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea, belief, thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit to you, my children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended family members. Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail box at any time.

What an exciting week! What a wonderful time we live in! What big challenges we face! What wonderful blessings we have!

Since Saturday the 9th, the following has happened:

As I contemplate the Hafen Family Reunion there are two things that stand out. First was the words my sister Sara said about kindness. There were too many unkind, hurtful, mean words spoken at the reunion. Any is too many, and they were excessive. I certainly recognized how I have let myself get caught up in this unhealthy family tradition and see the fruits of an unrecognized sin in my own life. I hope we can all learn to see the positive and to only speak the positive about others. There were times when there were wonderful things said. Grandma Hafen sat outside all day Saturday and just enjoyed her posterity. She looked at me and said `Arn't all of these people the most beautiful people you have ever seen in your life.' I agree! She later asked me to take a picture of Dan Cluff, with his long hair and beard, so she could brag to her friends in St. George. I won't try to call out all of the kind things which were said, partly for fear of missing someone and causing an unintended offense, but largely because I have already written way more than some of you have time to read and more than I have time to write.

The second thing that stands out for me about the Hafen Family Reunion of 1997 happened Friday night and was confirmed Sunday morning. I had just got to sleep in my little tent, and Roice was asleep on the cement by the table at Campsite 17 in the Wasatch State Park Campground, when Diane Cluff came and knocked on the tent and asked if I could come and help her brother Anthony (Muggy) give her daugher Michelle a blessing. Michelle had an asthma attack and couldn't sleep. I had oil. I explained how a blessing worked, annointed, Muggy sealed the blessing, and I asked Michelle to give us each a hug and to go to sleep. She didn't sleep very well. However, on Sunday morning as we were saying good bye to everyone this beautiful young lady came up and put her arm around me and wouldn't let go. It was absolutely wonderful. What blessings we have, if we can only remember to count them."

I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of daily life. If you ever want to download any of these thoughtlets, they are posted at http://www.walden3d.com/hrnmen or you can e-mail me at rnelson@walden3d.com.

With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)

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Copyright © 1997 H. Roice Nelson, Jr.