Special Olympics 2004
Dear Paul and Kate, Melanie and Jared, Bridget and Justin, Sara, Ben and Sarah, Heather, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt via hardcopy,
cc: file, Andrea, Tony Hafen, Sara and Des Penny,
& Maxine Shirts
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.
"My first involvement with the Special Olympics was in 1993.
I still have a T-Shirt labeled UGOTAWANA with the names of all
of the youth that participated. The names on the T-shirt include
Melissa Grua, Stephen Jones, Brandon Peterson, Linda Burgerner,
Tyler Burgerner, Aaron Peterson, Ben Nelson, William J. Deford,
Joel Dunlop, Rob Harris, Josh Holleman, Paul Nelson, Sarah Songster,
Matt DeFord, Clayton Law, D. James Bingham, Tiffany Burgener,
Jake Hendrix, A. J. Swope, Alma M. Law, Roice Nelson, Jennifer Sump,
Marie Duffin, Amy Boyce, Michael Romig, Donnette Jones, Sarah Watson,
Denise Allen, Nicole Sump, Wendy Lunt, Bethany Reid, David Johnson,
Wendy Harris, Rachel Boyce, Lee Prince, Sarah Keller, Michelle
Turner, Stephanie Holleman, John Turner, Wendy Gebauer, Steve Swope,
Ed Martin, Emilie Feil, Scott Bingham, and 136 other names. I could
write a thoughtlet about each of the names I've listed.
The shirt is dirty and worn out. I have probably worn that T-shirt
when I jog in the morning more than any other T-shirt I have. And
every time I put it on, I remember how hard that Special Olympics
was for me. Teenagers who didn't want to participate and who bailed
out at the last minute. Being too involved as a leader and being
corrected for doing things that made the Special Olympian's feel
`less than.' I remember the second year sitting in the stands
and spending several hours talking to a member of the Stake
Presidency about how my marriage was unraveling. Only to find
out later he was going through similar issues. He called our
family as missionaries to Columbus as a result of that conversation.
I saw him and his wife for the first time in years at the latest
Know Your Religion. The bottom line is that there are a lot of
still unresolved negative emotions tied up with Special Olympics.
Every year since then, when Special Olympics have come up, these
feelings resurface and it has been very hard for me. Oh well!
Hopefully each of you will do better emotionally than I have with
this specific memory.
However, the Special Olympics this year were very nice. It was
Matt's biggest church leadership responsibility yet. He was the
youth representative for Nottingham Country Ward, and was
responsible for the opening ceremonies. There were about 8
groups of Special Olympians. He organized them into groups,
and then started each group as they marched down the track to
the sound of music. The ceremony started a bit late, there
was a bit of rain, and it was kind of cold. However, the
opening ceremonies were some of the best I've seen. Matt did
his assignment perfectly and was ready to go home and get warmed
up as soon as he was finished. I told him we needed to wait for
the first event, and he ended up talking to a cute girl for quite
a while.
President and Sister Pickerd came and sat by me. We were sitting
on the blanket Melanie gave me, which I carry in my car for times
like this. The recent merger is changing Chase Bank a lot, and
Mike is finding his job turned upside down again. They are
probably going to take a job working with large companies based
in Houston. He was offered a job in Chicago, and does not want
to move there. They are going to Nauvoo over Spring Break to
consider what the best thing to do is. I told him he needs to
look across the river, where Zarahemla is prophesied as being
located, and see if the land is available as a place to do my
3-D city thing (../0249.html). He laughed. A former member
of the ward has just moved back. His name is Vince. They spent
four years in Norway and then seven years in Egypt with Amoco,
now BP. He is a geophysicist. He is working very close to
things I'm doing at GDC, and GDC might get a big contract out
of our discussion at the Special Olympics. One never knows
what is going to happen.
As far as the rest of my week, it was dominated by the commute,
eating Girl Scout Cookies at lunch, finishing up the posters
for the CPS/SEG Convention in Beijing, and presenting my first
SpotFire prototype to Mike Dunn, my boss, to David Johnson, the
President of Geokinetics, and to Ken Butler, a former Unocal
Vice-President and a consultant Dave has hired. There are too
many politics at GDC, and Mike tells me this is going to be
resolved this next week. We'll see.
A highlight of the week was talking to Sara on Tuesday morning.
She sounds good. Sara, you even sound a little home sick.
I heard a noise in the background and thought it was a dog.
She says there are very few dogs in Save'. Then I recognized
the sound of some ladies yelling at kids, and she confirmed
this. Then I heard a rooster. I asked if she caught and cooked
any chickens. She said, `No, Dad, they belong to people.' Then
she said, `But I buy them, boil them, pluck them, clean them,
and cook the ones I buy.' I told her how Grandma Nelson used to
do this when I was growing up, and how much I hated to pluck
chickens. We laughed.
We also got our first letter from Sara. It includes a photo of
what looks like what I've called a batholith, although she used
the word granite. She is very, very, very small on top of the
mountain. Several of you have asked how she is doing, and so
I am going to type out her letter for those interested:
<![CDATA[ `Dad, Andrea, & Matt-
Here's a picture of the Collines (hills) in Save'. Oh and me
at the very top! There are four major hills that give a pretty
decent hike. My postmate (Matt, the English prof here in Save'
... he actually reminds me a lot of you, Matt!), Felicia (a
volunteer in Bonicon) and I went hiking for the 1st of 2004.
Its breathtaking. Well, once you get to the top.
We started at the base of steep granite where we spotted some
kids playing (they turned a slippery part of the rock into a
slide). Or should I say they spotted us with screams "Oyebo,
cadeau!" over and over until we got close enough to talk to them.
But we couldn't even get that far without passing through the
public toilet - on the base of the hills. Instead of building
latrines or using the public latrines, they defecate on the
rocks. It's terrible.
Anyway, we met up with our future tour guides, a group of 10 or
so energetic kids. One little girl walked alongside me, hand
in hand. They led us up the steep rock until we mounted the
first hill. We stopped on top of what (literally) looks like
Pride Rock in the Lion King and took a breath to turn around
and see the entire city of Save' on one side and a fertile valley
appearing between the hills on the other.
Continuing on, the kids didn't make it much farther. They
gradually slowed down, waiting for one of us to go ahead and
make sure it was safe and following in step. We finally got to
the point where they refused to go any further, swearing on the
animal of the Collines (hills) that will cut off our heads! So
if I'm going to go, it might as well be by an animal like that!
Now on our own, we split up at times, finding the best route
through the trees, the burnt brush, no trails (next time we're
bringing a machete to ease the forcing through dried brush/trees).
We kept climbing, not exactly sure where we were until we came
into a clearing. We had made it to the backside of the hills.
The north side of Save' All you can see is the hospital, a
winding paved road, smaller dirt roads leading to nowhere and
endless land with palm trees, huge mango trees, and much, much
more green.
At this point it was time to start rock-climbing. So Matt tried
and said it was too steep at one point. I didn't believe him,
so he spotted me and I headed up (thanks to some practice I've
had in the past with Kurt Williams in Austin!). Grabbing onto
brush and tree roots that sporadically appeared from cracks in
the rock, I made it past the hard part, belly to the rock,
carefully placing my hands and feet and using my legs to push
myself to the next bush. One root and one foot at a time, I
reached the top of the largest hill (the `Mamalles') BEAUTIFUL!
It was so peaceful with a breeze that sweeps across the town,
reaching the top of the hills and continuing on north out of town.
I could clearly hear the blaring music from a tiny, wood shack
that sells cassettes and CDs. I could see the one colored
building - a red bar that was a Coca Cola advertisement.
My house in the marche' way off in the distance. The countless
cement buildings, all with tin roofs and earth tones. Granite.
Light brown dusty dirt roads.
Life moving the inverse of a million miles a minute. For that
moment, I could relax and be in this easy going world. I let
go of the Type A and could just be.
Our walk home was funny - explaining how I had become Beninoise
because I was covered in soot. And after being up on top, I
discovered a flag pole (random) so I'm making a huge Beninois
flag to post at the top. :) I'll be sure to take pictures!
Hope you enjoy taking a hike with me - this will have to do
until our next campout (which I'm looking forward to!!).
I love you and miss you a lot.
Always,
Sara Ellyn
Here's a random sample of my life - cold drinks are my savior and
with only a couple of choices, this way too sugary grapefruit
juice is often my pick! Top left: `Tunisia 2004 - Together with
the squirrels! Our mascot for soccer - a squirrel!?! We lost in
the Africa Cup, but it was the 1st time to make ti so that's
pretty good!']]>
In fact, we got a lot of mail this week. We got the CD of Ethan's
adventures at Halloween. Absolutely marvelous. Makes the Nelson
Superhero's Movies look pretty lame. Oh well! Thanks Ben and Sarah
and Ethan! We really enjoyed the movies. The Sea Lion was
especially entertaining. And it was nice to see what your house
looks like. I recognized paintings and things.
We also got a nice photo of Colby and Taylor from Melanie and
Jared. And we received a set of photos of Grant from Kate and
Paul. We might have to add on to the house, just to be able
to figure out a way to display all of the photos we are now
collecting. Thanks! As you all know I'm very visual, and I
really enjoy receiving the photos.
Friday night Matt had the Taylor High Athletic Banquet. He
received a nice commendation for being a Team Manager. He
had a ticket, and we didn't. He was about the only kid there
without parents. Oh well! I don't think Matt minded, and
Andrea did. Andrea and I went to see the movie Hidalgo while
Matt was at his banquet. This is a first class movie. I
encourage all of you older than 12 to go see it.
The following was received from David Devor this week. It reminds
me of what can come from little things like regularly helping with
the Special Olympics. I like the article and think it is worthwhile
for each of you to read:
<![CDATA[ `-------------------------------------------------------------------
HeroicStories #494: 8 March 2004
www.HeroicStories.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------
He Taught Us to Fly Story Editor:
by David Wethington Clayton Bennett
Hawaii, USA
During World War II, Jimmy Maris was an American bomber pilot based
in England. He encountered horrors and fears beyond imagination. By
flying and surviving his required number of missions, he joined what
was called 'The Lucky Bastard Club'. Jimmy was especially lucky, as
the plane he flew -- the "Bad Penny" -- was lost on the very next
mission, and everyone in the new crew was killed.
Rotated back to the United States, he spent the rest of the war as
an instructor, and then earned a college degree under the GI Bill.
Because he loved both flying and teaching, he went to work for
Purdue University in its aviation department. Within a few years,
Professor James Maris was head of the department of Aviation
Technology at Purdue.
From the 1950s until his retirement in the 1980s, he often walked
around campus, asked students if they had ever flown, and offered
them a flight. This motivated many students to major in aviation.
Professor Maris shared his enthusiasm for flying, but he couldn't
have known what an effect he would have on his students.
In the early 1990s, two professional aviators from Purdue started
working together, and soon realized that Professor Maris had
introduced them both to aviation. They went to their supervisor,
who went to his supervisor, and arranged a surprise.
A few months later, Professor Maris received a phone call, asking
him to pack for a warm-weather trip. On the appointed day, Professor
Maris and his wife went to the Purdue airport to board a jet from
NASA and fly to Cape Kennedy. The next day, he watched two of his
former students lift off -- as pilot and co-pilot of the space
shuttle.
About a year after that, a major airline was preparing to take one
of its older 727 jets out of service. One vice president of the
airline suggested donating the airplane to an educational
institution. This vice president, like many others, started his
aviation career because of Professor Maris. He suggested that
Purdue's Aviation Technology department might use the plane for
educational purposes. Purdue's president accepted the offer.
A crowd gathered at the Purdue airport a few weeks later. The Purdue
band, the press, and dignitaries of all kinds were there. So was the
president of the university, waiting to receive the 'keys to the
plane' and give a speech. Professor Maris was there, too.
The 727 appeared in the skies, entered a flight pattern and landed.
The plane taxied up to the crowd with the band playing and cameras
rolling. The pilot was supposed to give the keys to the president
of Purdue. Instead, he gave them to Professor Maris and thanked him
for introducing him to aviation. The pilot's name was Neil
Armstrong.
James Maris, who missed death by one flight in World War II, had
created astronauts! I was so very fortunate to study under him in
college: it was an honor and a privilege I will cherish forever.`]]>
My cousin Diane Cluff sent me an e-mail that sums up my feelings
about the recently granted marriages in San Francisco and Boston:
<![CDATA[ `A scene at City Hall in San Francisco:
"Next."
"Good morning. We want to apply for a marriage license."
"Names?"
"Tim and Jim Jones."
"Jones? Are you related? I see a resemblance."
"Yes, we're brothers."
"Brothers? You can't get married."
"Why not? Aren't you giving marriage licenses to same gender
couples?"
"Yes, thousands. But we haven't had any siblings. That's incest!"
"Incest?" No, we are not gay."
"Not gay? Then why do you want to get married?"
"For the financial benefits, of course. And we do love each other.
Besides, we don't have any other prospects."
"But we're issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples
who've been denied equal protection under the law. If you are not
gay, you can get married to a woman."
"Wait a minute. A gay man has the same right to marry a woman as I
have. But just because I'm straight doesn't mean I want to marry a
woman. I want to marry Jim."
"And I want to marry Tim, Are you going to discriminate against us
just because we are not gay?"
"All right, all right. I'll give you your license. Next."
"Hi. We are here to get married."
"Names?"
"John Smith, Jane James, Robert Green, and June Johnson."
"Who wants to marry whom?"
"We all want to marry each other."
"But there are four of you!"
"That's right. You see, we're all bisexual. I love Jane and Robert,
Jane loves me and June, June loves Robert and Jane, and Robert
loves June and me. All of us getting married together is the only
way that we can express our sexual preferences in a marital
relationship."
"But we've only been granting licenses to gay and lesbian couples."
"So you're discriminating against bisexuals!"
"No, it's just that, well, the traditional idea of marriage is that
it's just for couples."
"Since when are you standing on tradition?"
"Well, I mean, you have to draw the line somewhere."
"Who says? There's no logical reason to limit marriage to couples.
The more the better. Besides, we demand our rights! The mayor says
the constitution guarantees equal protection under the law. Give us
a marriage license!"
"All right, all right. Next."
"Hello, I'd like a marriage license."
"In what names?"
"David Deets."
"And the other man?"
"That's all. I want to marry myself."
"Marry yourself? What do you mean?"
"Well, my psychiatrist says I have a dual personality, so I want to
marry the two together. Maybe I can file a joint income-tax return."
"That does it! I quit!! You people are making a mockery of
marriage!!"']]>
There were nice messages from Aunt Sara and Bridget:
<![CDATA[ `Dear Roice,
When I drive longer distances my brain works differently. It's
like looking at those 3-D photos and you have to relax to see the
3-D effect. I read once that driving is one way we access our
creativity because it is more right brained. Maybe you could try
having a blank tape sometimes and talk about projects and ideas
so you can remember them. I think through my projects while
driving and then when I stop I jot down some notes so I can
remember what I decided to do. If I'm feeling overwhelmed a drive
or a walk or playing music helps me focus. I'm really pleased
with the yoga class I'm taking. I'm not so cold all the time and
I'm feeling more energetic.
Uncle Dick and Aunt Elaine stopped by last weekend. They bought
a snowmobile for the cabin so they can check on it in the winter.
The solar frig and electricity is working well so they're pleased.
They said Aunt Mary is getting weaker. When Des was at the library
yesterday Ann Nelson told him that the doctors were thinking only a
month left for Aunt Mary. I'm going to try and visit her tomorrow.
You may want to give her a call. She's pretty much confined to bed
and although her family is good to check on her I'm sure it gets a
little lonely sometimes.
Brian is doing better, but that was pretty scary. Bridget and
Justin come down this weekend for a friend's wedding so we're
excited to see them.
Good luck on the China trip.
Love,
Sara'
`Dear Uncle Roice,
I was just thinking about your trip over General Conference, and
even though you probably know this you're now able to watch and
listen to Conference live over the internet. This would probably be
difficult because of the time difference, I just thought that you
might be interested. When I had to go to South Carolina for work
last Spring Conference I tried to do this, but the speakers on the
computer I was using weren't working. So even though it didn't work
for me I thought you might want to give it a try! Thanks for
keeping us updated about everything. Good luck with your new job!
love,
Bridget']]>
I called Aunt Mary and we had a nice discussion. I described
Sara's cooking chickens, and she told me how much she hated it
when Grandma Nelson would cook chickens and everyone had to come
and help. Then she told me about how Uncle Bud would bring kill
turkeys every Thanksgiving to give to needy families and how it
would stink up her kitchen for a couple of days. She sounded
good, and was quick to point out to me that despite the
chemotherapy and all, she is still alive. It was a good
conversation, and it would be good for me to have this kind
of conversation more often. Sort of like it is good for me
and for each of you to attend, and where possible to participate
in, things like Special Olympics."
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. To download any of these thoughtlets
go to http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets or e-mail me at
rnelson@walden3d.com.
With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)