cc: file, Diane Cluff, Darrell and Nancy Krueger, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Grandma Hafen via Tony Hafen, Claude and Katherine Warner, and Lloyd and Luana Warner.
"Today was Robert Snideman's missionary farewell. He is going to be serving in Cleveland, Ohio. I remember helping his father and siblings move into Nottingham Country Ward about a year ago. I have only once briefly talked to Robert. He is 25. Based on his comments in sacrament meeting, he has not always been as committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ as he now is. Robert is not mediocre in life. His sacrament meeting talk reminded me of the following scripture:
Following sacrament meeting, I was asked to stand in the circle as two young men were ordained to be Elders. Matthew Salt was ordained by his father. Then Bill Corning's father invited me to join with him and several others. Then David Grua asked all Melchizedek priesthood holders in the room, including Matt and Bill, to join in his ordination. It was Brother Grua's 50th birthday today. He was so proud of David's choices to not be mediocre, and specifically his choice to serve a mission (David just received his call to the California Los Angeles Spanish Mission). As I watched these three young men, I thought of the couplet I wrote in Sacrament Meeting a few mintutes earlier:
Then I thought of you kids. And I realized how glad I am you are not mediocre. Sure, there are lessons I wished you didn't need to learn by yourselves. Yet, this is why we voted for the Savior's plan to provide us all free agency. We fought so we would learn lessons, and hopefully choose to prepare ourselves to return to live with him again.
Roice sent me an e-mail this week. It included the following:
Roice, at least you are not mediocre. My mind went back to the days I was helping my Dad at Nelson Meat Packing Plant. I remember unloading a truck full of cattle one day, the truck pulling away from the loading chute, forgetting to close the gate at the bottom of the ramp, and watching a mean Brahma Bull look me in the eyes, and head up the chute after me. I jumped off the chute, and ran for the nearest fence, which was a 10 foot tall holding corral. I cleared the entire 10 feet with inches between me and a set of horns. I went over the top so fast I landed on a 2-by-4 brace, which broke under my weight, and softened my fall to the ground inside the holding corral. So why should I worry if my kids choose to not be mediocre in your approach to life? Guess it is part of being a Dad, and not wanting to see you repeat my mistakes.
I have a history of reacting strongly to R-Rated movies. Yet when I was a junior in high school and went to the annual national convention of the Junior Hereford Association in Kansas City, I went along with several of the guys to an X-Rated movie house. It was my only experience in that kind of an environment, and it made me sick to my stomach. Mediocre? No.
Paul, I sent you a letter last week encouraging you to not get trunky at the end of your mission. Why? Because I remember when I moved from Harlow New Town to Islington, and how I started to think about what it would be like when I returned home. If we forget what we are doing and why, living in the future or the past, we quickly descend to the mediocre.
As I think about the various jobs I have had, I have always shown up on time, and put in a good days work for a fair wage. However, as I think back to when I was a kid, working on the farm and in Nelson Meat Packing Plant, I remember spending a lot of time day dreaming, playing in Darrel's barn clubhouse, climbing around the grainary, and doing things which are comparable to hanging out with my friends. I guess we all need some mediocre recovery time. It is important not to let the mediocre dominate our lives.
It is lying to say we didn't take something when we actually did, even if it is only something small and worth $10. There can be a lot of angry words and emotions develop when we make these white lie choices. I do not remember any of the things my sister and I used to fight about. I do know she remembers me hitting her until her arm was black and blue. I am certianly not proud of my choices in those days, and I recognize they were not mediocre.
It is very embarrassing to have the police pick you up for breaking curfew. I remember one year at the Southern Utah Livestock Show in Cedar City talking to Marnie Sorenson until maybe 1:00, and as I drove out to the farm having the police stop me for breaking curfew and having a temporary and a regular license plate on the Red Apple (a 1957 red Crysler New Yorker with a black roof). This was the same car I later rolled coming down Right Hand Canyon, totalling it out because I was driving too fast on a dirt road with a little rain on the road, with one arm around the girl that was with me, and talking to the couple in the back of seat. As Roice's friend Rick said to my sister at Ben's wedding, `Has your brother always been so intense?' I.E. non-mediocre.
I guess, when choices seem to be cold or negative, rather than hot or positive, it is normal for a parent to worry. Maybe that's why my mind has taken me back to some of the mistakes I made as a youth. Trouble is I find myself still making mistakes. For instance, I took Rob up to scout camp on Sunday, after getting back from Aberdeen with Melanie Saturday evening. I stayed Sunday and Monday evening. By Tuesday morning I was just sitting around playing my guitar and singing to myself. The Scout Master came up to me and said `If you have time, you ought to go down to the main table and see the tripod Rob made for holding a garbage bag.' I felt about two feet small. That is what happens, both when we choose the negative and the mediocre.
I had a great dinner with potential clients from StatOil on Tuesday evening in Houston. There was a quick trip back to Scout Camp Wednesday morning, and meetings with lawyers on Wednesday afternoon. I was wiped out and enjoyed watching the two Star Trek shows on Wednesday evening. Thursday included an important interview, a long conversation with the accountant, and demonstrations at the VETL VR-Geo Consortium Meeting in the afternoon. I also got to spend a little time with Todd Staheli, who stopped to see me. That evening I went to a VETL dinner at Los Alamedes, the restaurant where we had the first Landmark Christmas party, where I gave a lecture to and played the guitar for Conoco Information Specialists, and where John Mouton had his Landmark Retirement Party. Friday started with a meeting with the Energy Innovations Business Manager, a wonderful lunch with Todd Staheli, then to the VETL. I gave a strong presentation in response to some negative stuff being said about MuSE at the dinner on Thursday evening and upset my friend Bowen. It is never comfortable for everyone when one chooses not to be mediocre.
I left the lab about 4:30 and decided to treat myself to a movie. Melanie, you asked if I had seen `Armagedon,' and said you cried for a half hour in the movie. So I decided to go see it. When I heard the young dark haired girl say `Dad, I don't blame you for Mom leaving you. She left me too.' I also cried. This is a noisy, emotionally intensive movie. Although I don't know much about drilling, I certainly associated with the hero. As I left the movie theater I noticed `Gone With The Wind' was just about to start. So I bought a ticket and went back inside. Although very different, neither of these movies are mediocre. There is so much of `Gone With The Wind' that is like my life, I wonder if it has been a script for some of what has happened. Melanie, you know you were named for the Melanie in that movie, don't you? You have the same good kind of spirit she has. I could barely keep my eyes open as I drove home about midnight.
I drove back up to scout camp to help bring the troop home first thing Saturday morning. I brought two boys and we stopped to see Ken Turner. I committed to another set of synergistic paintings, based around the same theme as your paintings and the Prime Words sections. The difference is each painting will be based on one of the New Testament names for the Savior. The first painting will be based on `The Word' (you will recall this is the last section of `Prime Words'), specifically as defined in Revelations 19:11-16, which says:
I defined this set of paintings one evening while Melanie and I were in Aberdeen together (Melanie, you didn't know that happened, did you?). Ken is very excited. I am pleased to be able to continue making a difference, specifically by fighting the mediocre."