Dear Paul, Melanie, Rob, Roice, and Ben,
cc: file, Diane Cluff, Darrell and Nancy Krueger, Sara and Des Penny, Grandma Hafen via Tony Hafen, Claude and Katherine Warner, and Lloyd and Luana 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.
"I got four really nice e-mails from cousins this week relative to last
week's Thoughtlet. If you go to the web page for these Thoughtlets
(http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets), you will see that I have taken
the Responselets off of the index. I still think it is a good idea, and
yet it seemed cluttered. I wasn't sure other's wanted their comments
made as public as I make these Thoughtlets (in fact in some cases I know
you don't want your responses broadcast), so I stopped that part of this
project. I will attempt to include some of the better comments made in
what I write, so you will be able to read some of the comments I get back.
For instance, I sent all of you kids a copy of Paul's latest letter, and
I will include a few comments for others who read to this channel:
<![CDATA[ `I got another companion. ... Elder Smith from Bay Town, Texas, just the
other side of Houston (East Side). We got some new good news for Tomsk.
2 days ago I went with Elder Olson (my old companion, now the Zone Leader)
to talk to the head director of a local children's hospital. President
Galbraith got some humanitarian aid from the church. Next Wednesday we
will be giving 6,000 dollars to that hospital. Also, Elder Hancock of
the 70 will be here at the Presentation. We already talked to the Mayor
and he is helping us to get television, radio, and newspapers there to
help us out. It's pretty cool. The Branch is growing. Bringing a lot
of good people into Tolmsk. ...
I had a dream come true the other day. We went to a discussion and a
grandma let us in. Nobody else was there. She said wait a second, I'll
run and get all of my friends. She comes back with all her old friends.
There are old ladies everywhere here and they all look like that classic
Russian picture of an old lady. You know what I mean. With the head-cloth
on. Well they get there and we get introduced. There is Boba, Katya - 80
no teeth, Masha - 97 years old, Anna - 58 years, and Dina - 70. ... They
asked us to tell them something interesting. And here is where my dream
came true. I stood up with the Book of Mormon opened and preached the
good word to the old-Russian women. I said `Harken ye to the words of
King Benjamin, when ye serve one another you only serve your God.' They
kept saying Amen. It was great. My companion was just laughing. I guess
you have to know old Russian women to get it. All they talk about is how
they served in the war. ...
It was only 5 degrees Celsius below yesterday. ... Warmest I've felt
since last October. ... I love reading my scriptures in the morning.
You could say I have reached Alma 32:28 (end of the verse). They are
even tasty to me. I look forward to reading them. I feel bad I took
them for granted for so long. But the Lord forgives, and we grow.']]>
As an exampe of email received, one cousin wrote: `I could fill volumes
on how the people in my life made choices that hurt me. I also thought
that by making these choices they were rejecting me and all I stood for.
I have had a lot of painful times, living in misery that I created,
because of this type of thinking.' Another wrote: `Just recieved your
"thoughlet" and the words to your song. It must have been a very
unburdening process to be able to put those feelings down to see and hear
and I'm sure took quite a bit of courage and a feeling of total inner
being. If your inside is not in harmony nothing else really matters.'
Another quote: `Don't you just love it when the Holy Ghost gives you an
answer through someone else? Or something happens and you know it was
just for your benefit because you asked for it? I often wonder how people
who don't have that gift get along in life. It is nice to know we do not
waltz alone.' I am really busy for the next few days. I want to respond
with some thought to each of them and to each of you that write, including
cousins. Anyway it will be the weekend before I catch up on responding to
outstanding e-mails.
Sara went to Mardi Gras with a group of her close friends. I must admit
it has me quite worried. I have never been to Mardi Gras, and yet I
remember the night I walked down Burbon Street when I was teaching a
course in New Orleans, and a man with large silicon breasts came up to
me, and it made me sick to my stomach. I guess I continue to need to
learn about free agency and choice, and not to fear the future, not to
regret the past, and to enjoy the day. Just after Sara told me she would
not be visiting with me this weekend, I received the following e-mail
from a friend, my good friend Blaine Taylor's wife, Judith. I choose to
share it with you.
<![CDATA[>> ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING
>> By Francie Baltazar-Schwartz
>> This is NOT humor, but I like it.
>>
>> Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good
>> mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask
>> him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would
>> be twins!"
>>
>> He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had
>> followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the
>> waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural
>> motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there
>> telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the
>> situation.
>>
>> Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to
>> Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person
>> all of the time. How do you do it?"
>>
>> Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you
>> have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can
>> choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time
>> something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to
>> learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to
>> complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can
>> me point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of
>> life."
>>
>> "Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
>>
>> "Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut
>> away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you
>> react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You
>> choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your
>> choice how you live life."
>>
>> I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant
>> industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought
>> bout him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
>>
>> Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never
>> supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open
>> one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While
>> trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped
>> off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry
>> was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center.
>>
>> After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was
>> released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his
>> body.
>>
>> I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how
>> he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my
>> scars?"
>>
>> I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his
>> mind as the robbery took place. "The first thing that went through my
>> mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied.
>> "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I
>> could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
>>
>> "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.
>>
>> Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I
>> was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room
>> and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I
>> got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.'
>>
>> "I knew I needed to take action."
>>
>> "What did you do?" I asked.
>>
>> "Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said
>> Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The
>> doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took
>> a deep breathe and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told
>> them. 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not
>> dead."
>>
>> Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of
>> his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the
>> choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.
>>
>> You have 2 choices now:
>>
>> 1. save or delete this mail from your mail box.
>> 2. forward it to anyone you care about.
>>
>> * Hope you will choose choice 2.
>>
>> Copyright Permission is given as long as this e-mail remains
>> unchanged]]>
I remember a choice that will always stand out in my mind. It was on
the White River Canoe Race I went to with Paul and company. There was
a team from Louisiana who always beats every year. They train many
hours each week on the rivers and buyous near their home. I remember
they called themselves `The Rebels,' with their own Confederate Flags,
etc. They also were known to `always' win the talent show. I was
disgusted with their `talent.' They had a canoe full of Mardi Gras beads
and they put one of team members in it and carried him through the
attendees throwing beads to the sounds of very loud music. They did
have good participation by their whole team. However, there was no
talent, whatsoever. Our guys had been on the same river race the year
before and seemed to feel the judging was rigged. Anyway, one of our
guys, Jay Deford, decided to perform a talent. With no microphones and
a simple acoustic guitar, Jay stood in front of this obnoxious crowd and
sang `The Battle Hymn of The Republic.' I don't think the other team was
smart enough to put together what was behind Jay's choice. He was scared
to death, he did very good, and he won the talent show. It was a wonderful
experience, watching a David choose to stand up to his Goliath.
I hope someday my choice to steadfastly write these Thoughtlets to you
kids is seen in a similar light. Maybe if I live to Grandma Hafen's age
this dream will come true (she is 93 this Thursday 801.673.2383).
I loved what one cousin wrote to me: `See what your thoughtlets do to me?
They are not only for your kids, they get me thinking as well. I am at
that stage in life where I have earned a little wisdom by virtue of my
experiences. From what I know of and hear about your children you have
a bunch of the best.' I agree! Another wrote: `I will leave you with my
own translation of a thought by Thoreau "Live your life to it's fullest,
work always going uphill, then quietly get your hat and exit." I suppose
the quandry is or quandries are when to realize you are truely going uphill
and knowing when to exit.' And another quote: `Hang in there, we have
these life experiences for a reason. I believe it is part of the Eternal
Plan of our Heavenly Father. Sometimes I find myself saying, "Darn that
Eternal Plan" and wish I didn't have as many choices or experiences. The
times I step out on Faith, or shut up when I want to scream at someone,
seem to be more frequent. For this I am grateful. As a result I seem to be
gaining more of that wisdom stuff, or at least my life seems to be getting
easier than when I gave in to those passions.' And in closing, `I have
rammbled on long enough. Please don't take this like I am preaching to you.
I am not. I just wanted to let you know you are not alone out there. When
we say our prayers we always pray for the missionaries and mention Paul
by name along with our other cousins who are serving.'
Me to. And I pray for each of you by name and, as well as I know, for
your wants and needs to be met."
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.)