Happy Mothers day...

Well, first I would like to say Happy Mothers day! So many holidays are celebrated every year and some of them are “more deserving” than others. Thankfully, I can say this day is a fitting day to recognize the wonderful women in our lives.

Today in Church we had some speakers talk about their mothers, and I felt that I was spared the the “thankamonies,” for the most part. I believe that a proper thanks is always needed, and depending on the deed, some places are more appropriate for a thanks.

For example, I believe that a public thanks is appropriate in some circumstances, to thank some key influences for their dedication and sacrifice. However with public thanks also comes the risk of not acknowledging everyone and the possibility of offending others who were omitted. Another risk that comes with public thanks is the hazard of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy you say, how do you mean?

I mean those who publicly thank their spouses and children, their fathers and mothers- siblings and close associates... without ever uttering a word of personal acknowledgment or recognition- declaring publicly what they casually omit privately. If we are to be come wholesome people, that is to say to become “whole” or “complete” we must be at the task of aligning our personal and most private observances of respect and devotion to our “public personifications”....

I will readily agree that this is one of our greatest challenges we face. to struggle with our “real,” and seek to make it more “ideal.” Elder Neal A Maxwell put it well when he said: “I am the first to acknowledge that we, as Church members, have a tremendous challenge being equal to our theology and our opportunity. We fall short. If we stumble, let us arise and continue the climb...”(The Pathway of Discipleship, Maxwell, Neal A. January 04, 1998.)

It seems that in our quest to become more righteous, if we are not careful and do not look “to the Great Law Giver” we will pursue righteousness "singularly"-by ourselves, and end up more “self righteous” than truly sanctified.

This is my point with mothers day, we can and should thank those who have given and sacrificed so much, and in doing so we ultimately look to the source of all goodness and perfection- our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

In visiting with one of my many surrogate mothers' (today) the story of Christ in the fifteenth chapter of Matthew was mentioned by her Bishop. Christ teaches a multitude for three days and his disciples want to send away his followers- to get their own food. A true predicament is at hand- “seven loaves and a few little fishes” is all that is present and thousands of people of feed. Christ does the “impossible,” He multiplies the needed sustenance and feeds the multitude. So many parallels may be held with our good and generous women- their compassion, practicality, faith and devotion.

Who has not felt of the warmth and love of a mother figure- such love and compassion which seems to have multiplied within her own soul. Who has not sought sanctuary in the understanding eyes of a sanctified woman of God- their ability to: “weep with those who weep, and to comfort those who stand in need of comfort?”

Are these not Christ like attributes? Are we not seeing an extension of the Lords “tender mercies” in our lives? Are we not witnessing the ministration of Angels in our lives- some mortal, some not- all heavenly... is it any wonder that is was a woman- Mary Magdalene who first saw Christ after his resurrection?

I am grateful for the goodness of my Heavenly Father who sent my angel of a mother to minister to my needs. She makes me want to be not only good, but to be my best. She inspires in me the desire to cultivate the nurturing and healing art. It was my mother (and father) who taught me the needed lessons about life- the need to trust in my Heavenly Father's plan with all my heart, who taught me to acknowledge my blessings and allow the Lord to “direct my path.”

God be thanked for the sending of such pure and refined individuals into my life.

Winter semester brings with it a new coat of snow, different classes, new roommates and new opportunities. I am now serving as the Executive Secretary for the 47th ward at BYU Idaho. I must have inherited the calling because my former roommate had served in the same position, and when he returned back to New York for his off track I found myself with it. Truthfully I believe that it was more inspired that simply connivence but it is a bit ironic.
It is not uncommon for me to put in a ten hour day on Sundays(counting the three hour block) and another four to five hours or more during the week. This has been one of the most challenging, and also rewarding callings I have held. The job carries it's challenges- I struggle to shape my hours every week around meetings that I am expected to be at, I have a hard time getting up in the mornings on Sunday, I schedule an individual and forget to write down that they are coming, and the anticipated “five minute meetings” can go for 20-30+.
With the service I have been involved I feel that I have been very blessed. Preconceived notions are seeming to be swept away, and I sense that I am seeing those I serve with a purer perspective. When people ask to talk with the Bishop I do not judge them for anything that may have been done or had done to them, because there are so many reasons for meeting with the Bishop. I see those who come in for counsel and support and feel a greater love for them than I had before.



Wednesday nights appointments start at 6:00pm and and things wrap up around 8:00 or nine of it is a busy night. We go out to eat after the appointments, and talk about what we can do to streamline our efforts, and how we can better serve those in the Ward.
This previous week I convinced my roommates and they talked some girls to go for a little polar dip in the Snake River (Henrys Fork). We had a little grill session with hamburgers, Smores, salsa and and a few other trimmings. The spot that I used last year for my dip was frozen over and extended out fifteen to twenty feet into the river with Fast current, so there was little chance for the same entry spot if we wanted to stay alive. Initially the whole idea was called of, but with a little persistence I found a spot that was not frozen over and the current was reasonably safe. One of the issues that we had to deal with was a walking of two to three hundred yards from our cars to the spot of choice. Another was the Barbed wire fence. That is all I am saying. We had a great time together and all who went came home with no regrets.


January 23rd 2010- we had our ward tubing activity. We planned on a canyon a that was some distance from us due to the ideal tubing hill that it has, but thanks to an “excessive” amount of snow the roads were impassible. Second choice was to go sledding down the hills at the sand dunes, which we did. I like to think that everyone that went had a wonderful time, and to my knowledge no one was seriously injured. We all took home a few bumps and bruises, but it was worth it.

Yes, it has been some time since I have written in “the blog,” and thanks to some down time over the break and due to an angry right hip I have a bit more time on my hands than I have for the last few months. My most amusing observations about family life have been simple ones, ones that have caused me to think and re think some of my decisions I have made or was planning on executing.

One thing that has caused me to rethink an initial yearning that I had was coming home this Christmas. I was uber excited to leave my quaint apartment (rather nice euphemism), in Rexburg for the change to come home and see the family. I was so excited that I neglected to pack properly and and did not even have time to vacuum my apartment before I left (I plan on getting a ridiculous bill for that)... I made a twelve- thirteen hour car drive and got inside with no welcoming crew. I went to the main floor and gave my mom a hug, father sat in front of the TV said welcome home, and resumed his hypnotic staring at the Tellie. My sisters were scattered all over the place and none of them were around, so I started unpacking my things. Twenty minutes into the process the youngest- (we call her Lizzie) saw me and was rather huffy because I did not come to see her when I got home!


Some other humorous and quirky happenings are in relation to my dog. He is a “Cavalier King Charles Spaniel”, and thinks he is King Charles himself. Strange enough and eccentric enough to be Royalty, he for the most part loves to eat what we are eating and loves to do things that he should not be doing. His breed was raised to be a a lap dog for royalty and the dogs were also used for hunting; as they have superior smell and are small enough to navigate small places and thick brush.

Despite the breeding for hunting, he is utterly useless for this. The things that he should be afraid of he is not and the things that are harmless he is either completely disinterested in or absolutely afraid of. A few examples: the dog hates balls- he runs away from them at almost all costs and at all sizes, but will run up to dogs five times his size and bark and jump up on them. He loves to chase cars and large objects, but will whimper anytime he feels you grab the scruff of his neck. He likes to play around the weedwacker and will chase the plastic string and even lawnmower if allowed, but refuses to go across the prickly grass in the July and August summer months. The desire he has for the fares of the table seem a bit perplexing to me. Aside from liking the usuals such as beef fat, bacon and pretty much any type of meat, be has a great love and loathing for an assorted number of fruits and vegetables.

The list of things he loves: Iceberg Lettuce, Apples- if they are cut up within the proper specifications, Bread- any type, but it seems the sweeter the better. Mountain dew, Coca puffs, Frosted Flakes, Bacon, Eggs, Potatoes- if they are cooked to his liking. Pomegranate, Peeled Grapes- he did not like them at first, and turned his nose up at them but I snuck some in his mouth and he has liked them ever since. Cucumbers- LOVES them! Bacon, Beef scraps, Pork, Cow lactate- “milk”, gravy, Carrots- depending on the day and how much beef fat they have soaked up- he also likes them uncooked. Rice- sometimes. Ice-cream, sorbet, and LOVES to chew on plain ice. Likes strawberries, cantaloupe and watermelon. Hot dogs.

Things he hates: Dark Green leafy veggies- my guess is that they are not sweet enough. Corn.
His dog food. Oranges. Celery, oatmeal.

It is strange to see him get as excited over a piece of lettuce (iceberg of course) as he will a piece of meat. His breed is a strange one, as he loves to have attention. When the family is away during the day or for a bit of time be gets really antsy and will walk all over the main floor of the house. While he is in the kitchen he will sniff around for bits of food, and lick them up if he can find them. When we are home he gets lazy and will only go after obvious bits of food if we point them out, despite his amazing sense of smell. He loves to go out on the back porch, wander out there for a bit, bark at the neighborhood dogs for a spell and then paw on the screen or glass door when this becomes tiring to him. Usually this interests him for five minutes at the most.

My father thinks he is pretty funny, and says that he fits into our family rather well. I sure wonder why......

My parents house

These are just a few pictures of my parents home. They have been working on it for almost four years now, and our home- like our family; is a work in progress.
It was supposed to only be "two stories," tall, with a "daylight basement" but due to the high water table in the area, we have a ginormous house of three stories tall.

Walking though the house I am reminded of the many mistakes we have made on in.
The normal observer cannot tell you where the excessive gaps are in our wood flooring, nor can they tell you where the hinges are loose, or the railing is missing a bracket. But I can. I can tell you why our basement is almost a foot higher than anticipated plans, and how much work it was to help build the house.

In spite of our organized chaos, our kitchen is beautiful, is is graced with granite counter tops, a recessed sink and two ovens and a gorgeous range. It is one of my favorite places.

To the outside observer, we may appear to have a home that is whole and complete; yet we are still working on it. I think I know why I have decided to stay in school year-round for the last two years, and why I will be in classes again this spring/summer. :)

My Chacos

I got myself some new "shoes," In anticipation of my trip to Hawaii, I thought I would get the appropriate footwear. It also helps that the shoes are sanctioned by BYU Idaho (in attempts to avoid sloppy and slouchy dress, flip flops are forbidden on campus). I spent hours trying to find a sale on them, and finally found some that were marked down around 20 percent off. Even at that, they cost me 75 bones.

Trip cancelation...

Yes, it is true; the Nauvoo tour for March 2009 has been canceled. As we have watched the weather patterns and this storm as it is moving across the United States, we would have been in the storm all the way. That would mean snow packed, icy roads across Wyoming, (we talked this evening to the two relief drivers that are already in Cheyenne and they got into two ground blizzards getting there and they were on the front end of the storm) It is expected to have snow throughout most of Missouri and at least 2" of rain in Independence and the surrounding area on Friday, and as the weather forecasters indicated it will snow all day Saturday in Nauvoo. I talked to one of the missionary couple sisters at the Nauvoo Temple this evening and they indicated that on Saturday they were expecting it to snowing all day. Not the kind of experience you want to have in Nauvoo. Also we were really concerned about the safely of our travel in such cold, snowy weather. Many of the roads we would have been on in Missouri and Illinois are small two lanes, up and down, windy roads and if snow packed we would never meet any of our deadlines (also the possibility of a slide off). Also visiting most of the sites require us to be out in the open for extended periods of time. For that reason we decided to postpone the trip until May. I hope you will be able to join us then. I'm sorry that it is canceled, but having been there a number of times and knowing the timetable we must keep and the need NOT to be hindered by weather, it made the trip practically impossible. A poor experience for you, a waste of money for you, and we would never want, but certainly aware of a possible bus accident, that would not have been fun for any of us.

I wouldn’t mind pulling a hand cart back to SLC in good weather, but I certainly do not want to experience firsthand what my Great-great grandfather, William Openshaw and family experienced in the Martin Handcart Company. Call me a wuss, but I need my microwave!!



Love

Bro. O



Richard L. Openshaw Ph.D.

Brigham Young University Idaho



My trip is canceled primarily to snow in Wyoming. Never mind that it is almost April, and snow traditionally should be gone or melting in my memory. However, it all works out for the best. No longer can my teachers penalize me for missing their classes, and I can catch up on the large projects that are due at the end of this semester. Perhaps next semesters trip is a possibility.

You done it now....

So i did it. I was not planning on it, “it,” was a spur of the moment thing. So far I don't regret it though. I was skimming through my daily university email with all the usual stuff like : the Polynesian cultural association welcomes all people(even if you are not from the Islands), or come to the pre-law society so you can have a resume builder, or join the academic society for their weekly meeting while they talk about the theory of relativity.

Anywho, I saw an add for a trip sponsored by the continuing education department of BYU Idaho for a 4 day trip to historical LDS church sites including: Nauvoo, Liberty, Independence, Martins Cove with a few other stops along the way.

I saw a nice little notice that said there were only forty seats for the whole trip. On a whim, I decided that I would give myself a little more motivation to work all my scheduled hours for my campus job, and shelled out the 330 dollars for the trip.

In five minutes I was signing up- filling out the health insurance verification, waiver of liability and and giving my billing information. Ten minutes into the process I was getting a confirmation email thanking me for my registration.

I am rather excited for this trip. it is taking place on the 26th through the 30th of march. The itinerary is rather busy, and I am stoked. I have never been to the relative “midwest,” and it should prove to be a good time. One of my favorite religion teachers will be heading up the trip, and it should prove to be a stellar time.

My next few tasks will include the use of my diplomatic skills as I tell some professors that I will be missing two of their classes, and.... “how can I make up for time before I am gone?”

It should prove to be fun. If I have learned anything at college, it is that the world is for those who choose to act, and sometimes it is not what you know, but who you know. If I am correct, I should be able to make some arrangements and not miss too much.

My reasoning behind the whole idea, is that as a single student with no familial responsibilities, besides calling home weekly, and making sure my sister has a chance to stay current with social work theories by helping me with my homework when I get stuck (weekly) I should be able to have a great experience that I can use to positively impact the lives of others in the future. I have found that it is one thing to say: “yes, I have read about that many times” as opposed to saying: “I knew a man that went there- that man was me.”

I hope to prepare properly, so as to store up grand memories so that when I am old and broken, I can remember the the amazing road trip I made to the LDS Church sites, and tell faith promoting stories of what I saw and felt and came to be because of my experiences there. I especially like the quote by James M. Barrie: “God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” It has been enriching moments like these to come, that have kept me in remembrance of God's love for me, and the amazing beauty that surrounds us all.