cc: file, Andrea, Tony Hafen, Sara and Des Penny, & Maxine Shirts
"Roget's College Thesaurus, of which I have a very worn 1962 edition, and have used it extensively through High School, College, and since, states that synonyms for compassion are:
As I get older, it seems that I cry at more subtle things. I'm not sure this is compassion, and hopefully it is related to more of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. I do know that I was very touched by an e-mail Steve Joseph sent me, and specifically by the photo to the right:
http://www.washingtondispatch.com/opinion/article_9293.shtml
On a more humorous note, and a closer in demonstrating my normal level of compassion, there was an e-mail from Hayden Hudson which I thought I'd pass on this week:
So how was my week? OK. How was your week? Isn't this the
normal greeting. Last Sunday was Father's Day. I received
1 nice card (thank you very much), and by the end of the week
had 7 out of 10 of you wish me a Happy Father's Day. I
guess 70% is a `C' grade, which I remind myself, when I
strive to treat myself with compassion, this is passing, at
least in some circles. The rest of my week was another week.
Monday I slipped off and went to the POPS luncheon (Pioneer Oil Producers Society). The talk was by a former Mexican who fought at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. He talked about his first teacher, who gave him 3 hours of homework every night, and how today this would be called abuse. He pointed out that once someone is exposed to true democracy, they can not accept anything else. He has a Ph.D. and is a retired linguist professor. Coming from a small town on the Yucatan Peninsula he had a very exciting life. Not only in Europe during WWII, but he went back to Mexico and organized the first Mexican air corps, he trained Chinese infantry men in Taiwan, and he obtained a PhD and taught for many years at the university level. Alf Klaviness was not there, and I couldn't help but think that Alf needs to describe his background to this group. I sat by Scott Sechrist, and it was good to catch up.
I got back to GDC just in time for a meeting with the new interpretation salesperson, Pamela West, and John Dinning of SpotFire. It went well, and hopefully the SpotFire data mining capabilities will become a component of GDC's product offering. GDC is going through changes with all of the new people that have been hired.
Tuesday morning I forgot to call Sara. I sent a note of apology (http://www.walden3d.com/benin/letters/040623b.html) and, Sara, I was pleased with your nice note saying, "Next Tuesday works well." However, I was surprised to learn from your Mom that you forgot, and were not there on Tuesday, even if I would have remembered. Guess that if I really had compassion, I wouldn't tell this to all of your siblings in this forum. Oh well!
Later on Tuesday there was a nice note from Bridget, which all of you received, and which I'm repeating for the record:
Wednesday I went to Renosa via Harlingon via Southwest out of
Hobby with John Walker. I gave a 4 hour presentation to
a group of Mexican interpreters. GDC's representatives Luis
and John said they had never seen a group of Mexican's so
interested in a presentation before. We got back to Houston
at 5:00 Wednesday evening, and I drove straight to the Stake
Center and the Genealogy library. Andrea came in from Utah
early, and so I did not need to drive up to Intercontinental
to pick her up.
I had spent some time at the Genealogy Library on Tuesday evening attempting to do Temple Ready for my Mom's endowment and sealings. It was a real hassle. So I went back Wednesday night to finish it up. Alan Peterson was there, and we were not able to get it to work. However, he called the temple and we were told I just needed to bring a Family Group Sheet. Andrea came down to the Stake Center and looked up some stuff on her genealogy for the reunion next month in Coeur d'Alene. It was the first time she had seen my new glasses. Looks like Matt, Andrea, and I are going to Spokane on Monday the 12th of July and will return on Thursday the 15th of July.
Thursday it rained hard on the way in to work. I figured this was just for me, sort of like the snow storms or thunderstorms I have described in the past (../9834.html, ../0006.html, and ../0208.html), which were `just for me.' I was very busy at work, and had to leave a meeting with Fred Hilterman, Dave Johnson, Ken Butler, Pamela West, Richard Verm, and Lee Bell, which I had called to make it to the Houston Temple by 5:00. But I made it at 4:45, and went up and did what was necessary with the Family Group Sheet, came back downstairs and met Andrea, and we both wondered if Melanie would come. I hadn't heard anything since she called me from Utah on Monday. Melanie, it was very good to see you, and you looked really good. I'm sure Grandma Nelson was very pleased to have someone so beautiful acting in proxy for her.
When we met in the Chapel, before the endowment, Melanie asked me what I thought Grandma Nelson was thinking now. I replied that I didn't think it was something I could repeat where we were sitting. Melanie, your laugh was infectious. There were only 5 people in the Endowment Session, including Melanie, Andrea, and me. There was a good spirit, and particularly when we went in the sealing room. Don and Kathleen Keller, and Jeff and Paula Jurinak were in the room, along with President Steward, who is a sealer, two witnesses, and a lady I did not know. Melanie was proxy for my Mom. I was proxy for my Dad when they were sealed, and Don Keller was proxy for my Dad when I was sealed to them. Most of us in the room had tears as and after the sealings were done. There was a good spirit, a spirit of compassion, and even though I know it is up to Mom and Dad to accept or reject the ordinances done in their behalf on their own free will, I have done what I can, and I feel good about it.
Andrea followed me to Pappasitos, where we had the first chance to talk with each other in over a week. Marti had been watching Taylor for Melanie at a motel near the temple. Melanie, Taylor, and Marti joined us for dinner. It was a nice evening. I felt uncomfortable, but Marti and Andrea seemed quite at home with each other. I picked up the bill and made the mistake of saying, `Well, you did babysit so Melanie could be at the temple.' Marti responded, `So now I get paid for babysitting!' The food was good. Taylor is old enough to smile real nice. She was fun to hold and she didn't like it when I fed her a taste of lime. All in all it was a very nice evening.
Friday afternoon at GDC we continued the meeting I had to leave Thursday afternoon, without Dave and Pamela, and with Mike Dunn. Lac Ngyuen brought in his first pass example of the VR Model for the GDC Tiles(TM). I didn't get out of the office until almost 6:00. I got home in time to go to a movie with Andrea. We went to see `The Terminal,' staring Tom Hanks. I think compassion is a good theme word for this movie. I really liked it. The stewardess was almost as pretty as Audrey, and brought up the same concerns I've expressed to Audrey about working as a stewardess. However, the compassion showed by the main characters was well done.
Saturday morning Andrea and I went back to the temple to work in the kitchen. It is always interesting working as a laborer someplace like the temple. This was my first time in the kitchen. I like it better than the laundry. The biggest job I had was to grind a 5 gallon bucket of wheat. Then I helped Andrea with washing dishes. We also had a free lunch, and a chance to sit and talk for a while. Doing something with my hands is certainly a good way for me to demonstrate compassion. We got back home at 3:30, and went to see the movie `Around The World in 80 Days' at 4:35. Definitely a slapstick fantasy movie. It is a lot of fun. I told Andrea it is the kind of movie I would like to have for when Grandkids come to stay with us. Another couple of years and I hope to see Ethan, Grant, and Colby coming to stay with us for a week while you all go on a vacation. I intend to spoil them rotten, and to attempt to teach them how to ride a horse and hike and fly a kite and throw rocks off of the road and play pinochle and other important things I probably didn't do such a good job of teaching you. Maybe this is my attempt to learn compassion.
Church today was nice. Brett Allen returned from his mission to Chile. Sarah Salt gave a particularly good talk in Sacrament Meeting. Brett's talk was one of the best I've heard in a long time. The discussion in Gospel Doctrine was interesting. I wrote the following possible stanza for Prime Words based on the discussion:
Lastly, I understand that Ethan is having a Spiderman
and Batman birthday party on the 7th of August. The
festivities will begin at 10:00, with presents being
opened at about 2:00. We received the Bat Mitzvah
invitation for Yarden Kessler. It is Friday night,
August 6th at 7:00 PM and continues Saturday morning
at 10:30 through a Kiddush luncheon, with a dining
and dance celebration Saturday evening at 7:00 at the
Westside Tennis Club. If any of you are available
and interested in going with us to any of these activities
let us know. It will be a very busy and fun Friday
and Saturday (0432.html). And maybe by the time it is
all over I will realize I actually do, after all, know
something about compassion."