Moments wrapped not in the bows Prompt within my soul A pondering hope in the gift The true Gift of Christmas This Christmas moment, a moment wrapped not in bows, prompts within my soul a pondering hope in the true gift of Christmas. Thus I write. WRAPPED NOT IN BOWS The true gift of Christmas Is not wrapped up in bows Nor found in packages Bought in the stores But inside those stores And the packages wrapped Those neatly with…
The Journey of the Heart continues as I share once again the story of the Christmas I spent in Iraq. My Christmas in Iraq was cold and scary, warm and sacred. Few experiences have touched my heart as deeply as that Christmas. As we remember those serving our country around the world (including our son Cody who is currently deployed) and as you remember your own loved ones who are unable to be home for Christmas, it seems fitting I…
The music of Christmas has always helped our family to better feel the spirit of Christmas. From singing fun carols when we put up the tree to the beautiful connections we feel from sacred hymns. When our children were still around we would generally read a story each night to count down the days to Christmas, along with eating the traditional chocolate from the advent calendar, placing a small ornament on a tree, and helping Santa slowly dropped down the…
Sometimes the holidays are hard. Traditionally the holidays are a time for coming home, gathering with family, celebrating being with those you love most. But for some, the cheerful and fun-filled holidays are not so cheerful and fun-filled. Charlie Brown knows something about the holiday struggles. Sometimes they are hard. Sometimes they are lonely. Sometimes they are difficult. Sometimes coming home is hard. ROB FROM NEW ENGLAND Rob was a good friend from several years ago who came to school…
Why is it that during this beautiful season of Christmas, a season filled with light, there are so many who struggle to see and feel the light? On the surface, it’s easy to cast blame on the standard excuses… the busyness of the season, over-commercialization, the pressure to deliver on Christmas morning, etc. As I have pondered this question over the last few days, I have come to feel focusing on the reasons is far less important than focusing on…
I am feeling all sorts of emotions as I write this Sunday night. Wednesday, November 23rd, will be one year since I woke up after heart surgery. I am remembering the chest pain and shortness of breath that grew in intensity over 7 weeks while incredible medical professionals attempted to figure out what was not working right. While there were many unanswered questions, confusion, and even moments of deep fear, I had faith I would prevail. During this time, I…
In one of his recent daily emails, Seth Godin invites us to consider which problems and situations deserve a second thought. Or a third and fourth. And which thoughts do not deserve our wasted energy. “The art,” Godin writes, “is understanding which sort of problem we’re facing. And devoting the right amount of thought (not less and definitely not more) to the situation we’re in. Spending cycles on categorizing the problem is probably more productive than wasting time on problems…
As American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coasties, we always place the mission first, we never accept defeat, we never quit, and we never leave a fallen comrade. WE LIVE THE WARRIOR CREED As a community, we must also honor this Warrior Creed and not abandon our veteran brothers and sisters, our veteran friends and neighbors, our veterans who live right here among us. They are part of our mission as a community. Let us not accept defeat, let us…
Pondering on the healing of a broken heart… Love is the answer… We love you… Les & Elisa
I had a vision nearly six years ago when I stood in a mostly empty conference room. I was attending a leadership event at the Riverwoods Conference Center in Logan, Utah. This was not the first time to attend an event there but it was the first time for this particular event. The mostly empty room was an unfortunate reality for the event organizer who created this leadership event. This was a daunting reality for a trainer like me who…