A recent question about the good and bad of living in Logan and Cache Valley prompted me to share the following thoughts… We fell in love with Cache Valley when we moved here in 1991 to go to school. We continue every day to fall in love with this beautiful valley and the beautiful people that live here, including those that just moved here from California. We choose to see the beauty and greatness that is here, and do what…
Pioneer Day can be extra complicated. Even 175 years later. Pioneer Day itself is not that complicated. As a day set aside to honor the arrival of the Mormon Pioneers to the Great Salt Lake Valley, it’s an official state holiday in Utah with celebrations that rival and sometimes surpass those of Independence Day. Also like the Fourth of July, Pioneer commemorates a birth of sorts via a revolutionary declaration of independence. The Mormon pioneers, from their humble beginnings in…
#SUNDAYREFLECTIONS: SONGS ABOUT THE PIONEERS Pioneer children sang as they walked… and they probably also cried, laughed, shouted, and talked normally just our children do! Pioneer Day is a commemoration of July 24, 1847, when the Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in what is now known as the State of Utah. History has it that on that day, Brigham Young rose from his sick bed in a wagon and confirmed this was the place he had…
Hyde Park and Cache Valley are the place I call home. My home, perhaps like your home, is a place I long to return to after being gone. The journey to find a place to call home has resonated deep inside people throughout generations and across cultures, peoples, and nations. This past Saturday was the Hyde Park Hometown Days, our city celebration, and an opportunity to honor our pioneer heritage. I had the honor of being part of a military…
If you’re feeling stuck, lost, or confused? Are you struggling with a lack of focus and direction? Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the hats you have to wear? Then now is an excellent time to take a fresh look at where you are, where you have been, and where you are going. Start with these 3 questions. ❤️ Now that you are halfway through the year, where are you with your visions, your intentions, your goals? ❤️ Do you…
Is what you believe so important that other people would willingly sacrifice their tomorrows for your beliefs? On this Day of Independence, that is the powerful question asked of each of us by Army Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia, our Nation’s first living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions that occurred during the Iraq War. The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest medal for valor in combat awarded to members of the Armed Forces. His official citation, reads,…
Thoughts, words, and stories are synonymous for me. Each influences the other. And each influences our behavior and actions. The more intentional we are about each, the more intentional we will be about where we put our energy, and the more intentional the results we will create in every area of life. That’s why I use words like Greatness, Empowering, Success, Service, Intentional, Consistency, etc. Each word means something significant. And this is why I intentionally and consistently use the…
Can a broken dad still be a great dad? This is a valid question, and one without an easy answer. Here’s my simple answer… You are a great dad even if part of you is broken. You are a great dad even if you’re not a great dad every day. You are a great dad even if you make mistakes and fall down. The greatness comes with the mending and the fixing, with trying to better tomorrow, with getting back…
This week Lawrence Gallaher took his “final ride” on the first vehicle he ever “drove”… a B-17 bomber… at the Logan Cache Airport, the same place he first stepped into the pilot’s seat seven decades earlier. We learned of Lawrence’s story (I hope I’m spelling his name correctly) from his son Richard (in the picture with Elisa and me) at an exhibit of the “Flying Legends of Victory Tour” featuring restored B-25 and B-17 bombers. Richard was one of the…
As the sun gently disappeared over the desert horizon, a group of soldiers soon headed to war gathered to pray. Though we came from different faiths, including those with no faith traditions, we felt united in brotherhood. It was my duty as the Ministry Team Leader for our unit to lead and arrange these times we could gather in worship and prayer. That night it was also my honor to share a few words. Though I have long since forgotten…