We read about John Adams last week, who was our second President. Benjamin Franklin was another Founding Father in the United States. In 1726 at the age of 20, he determined 13 character traits or virtues that he wanted to model his life after. He set about creating a daily and weekly system in order … Continue reading Improving His Character
Character Strengths
Historically, Character Mattered
John Adams Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ruled Rome as an Emperor from 161 to 180 BC and is a philosopher of Stoicism. There were Five Good Emperors and he was the last one. Ryan Holiday wrote a book about the Stoics and here is what he said about Marcus Aurelius’s character and his teachings: “Marcus Aurelius … Continue reading Historically, Character Mattered
The Book of Mormon Teaches Character
In the Book of Mormon we read how 2060 stripling [young like a new stripling tree] warriors were strengthened spiritually and emotionally for years on the inside of themselves, before they went into physical battle: "They were exceedingly valiant for courage and also for strength and activity but behold this is not all, they were … Continue reading The Book of Mormon Teaches Character
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Dr. John Gottman and his wife, Dr. Julie Gottman, have formed the Gottman Institute. They are famous for predicting the probability that a marriage will last or not with a 90 % success rate by spending an hour with the couple whose marriage is floundering. How do they do this? The Gottman Institute uses a … Continue reading Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Learning Packets: Relationships Part 1
We know water is a big issue in the Western United States. The story of Hoover Dam situated outside of Las Vegas is a remarkable tale of vision and compromise between seven of these states sharing the water from the Colorado River. We have driven over this engineering marvel many times, when we lived in … Continue reading Learning Packets: Relationships Part 1
The Collapse of Parenting
This is a repost from Feb. 2020: This week we were getting on a chair lift to ski and the young skier in front of us brushed by the attendant who was checking everyone's ski passes with an electronic gun. The attendant yelled something at him like, "If you do that again---" and I didn't … Continue reading The Collapse of Parenting
Long And Short Suffering
This is a repost from 2017. I have had this scripture below posted in my office for over a year. The two reasons it speaks to me is the actual idea of fruits of the Spirit and a powerful list of Christ's attributes I want to develop in myself. The other reason is my puzzlement … Continue reading Long And Short Suffering
Teaching Admirable Character Traits Through Books
Other than being an authentic example , books and stories can teach our children valuable character traits. It was April 2020. Four of our adult six children had returned to our house for the Covid quarantine. We went from empty nesters to having every bedroom full. At one breakfast I started telling everyone part of … Continue reading Teaching Admirable Character Traits Through Books
Wake Up and Take Responsibility With Our Money.
In The Atlantic Magazine, Neal Gabler wrote an article about his struggle with financial woes with startling vulnerability. Titled The Secret Shame of Middle Class Americans, Gabler shone a light on the hardship of almost half of America! He wrote: “The Fed (took a survey) and asked respondents how they would pay for a $400 … Continue reading Wake Up and Take Responsibility With Our Money.
Remember Todd Beamer of United 93
By Mene Ukueberuwa (Unless you subscribe to the Wall Street Journal you can't read the article so I copied it and put it here.) My hometown is on the edge of the New York City area, where dense development ends and soybean farms begin. The 9/11 memorials around here are a reminder of our proximity … Continue reading Remember Todd Beamer of United 93
"Peace Like A River…" 