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I’m heading to Dover and Calais tomorrow. A bus followed by a ferry across the English Channel. My life is pretty rough these days.

Distractions . . .

Last week I did something I haven’t done in several years. I saw a rated R movie in the theater.  While I didn’t feel bad about seeing it, something else happened that I wasn’t expecting.  I got distracted from the things that are the most important.

Ebony Magazine and the Facebook Generation

Sometime in the early part of 2007, I was waiting in line at a neighborhood grocery store when something strange managed to get my attention.  It was a copy of Ebony magazine.  Usually I wouldn’t look or think twice about something like this but this time I couldn’t help but stare.  The cover had a picture of Barack and Michelle Obama and a caption that said something to the effect of, “The Next President and First Lady of the United States of America.”  My first thoughts were questions like, “what?” and, “are they serious?”  The primary season was several months away from even starting and the path to the White House was strewn with all sorts of difficulties for Senator Obama, not the least of which was the infamous Clinton machine.  Still though, Ebony made its prediction and put it in writing for the whole world to see.

I wondered about Ebony’s bold statement for some time and kept it in the back of my mind.  In the following months, that front cover came to memory especially as I started talking to a number of friends who had genuine hopes of seeing Barack Obama elected.  When discussion would turn to politics, and especially Senator Obama, I listened to what they had to say.  After all, my friends are generally intelligent people and I value their opinions.  At some point I was almost converted and probably would have been had it not been for my conservative roots.  Through the course of time, Senator Obama and his staff worked hard, he emerged as the victor, and Ebony was right!

As strange as Ebony’s prophecy may seem, it really shouldn’t seem that strange, given all of the other weird factors of this election.  Never before have we had a campaign season that was as long as this one.  Never before has this much money been spent.  For the first time in 80 years, neither the president nor the vice president ran.  For the first time in recent memory the president-elect has come from the senate.  What’s more is how many people have been involved in this election, both in campaigning for their candidate of choice or even just voting when they would have otherwise stayed home.  What’s most striking to me though, and what set him apart from his rivals, was Senator Obama’s approach to campaigning.  He seized new tools unavailable or unused in previous elections.  He found a way to reach out to the Facebook Generation and did so effectively by doing things unheard of like sending text messages and organizing Internet groups to garner support.  By speaking to such a mass of people in ways that really resonated with them, he made himself out to be someone you could trust, someone you’d want to hang out with, if you had the chance.  But that was part of his approach—he made you feel that that sort of interaction with him was possible.  Now comes the real test.  Will the Facebook Generation still want to hang out with him in four years?  Let’s hope.

Gimps United!!

I went down to Provo last weekend to visit some friends.  It was Homecoming week at BYU and we wanted to go to the pancake breakfast that was being held in conjunction with the Homecoming parade.  All was well and good until we woke up on Saturday morning only to find that it was cold and a little snowy.  I was staying at Brad’s house (an old friend of mine) and we were going to meet up with Emily, a mutual friend of ours.  When we realized that certain climatic conditions would make being outside less than idyllic, we called Emily and suggested that we just make breakfast at her house.  Emily agreed and Brad and I drove to her house, after picking up a few necessities from the store such as bacon, milk, and strawberries.  As we pulled up, Emily was walking down the steps of her porch to discard some old magazines when she tripped on a garden hose twisting her ankle and tearing some ligaments in her foot.  Ouch.  Brad and I ran to her and Brad helped to carry her inside where she was able to call another friend who had access to some crutches for her to use.  It made for an interesting day but still, we were able to hang out and have a good time in the process (and even sneak a nap in).  I just wonder what other people were thinking when we went to the mall that night to see a movie.  It’s rare enough to see one person on crutches but to see two broken people hanging out together must have been a little strange.

The way it should be

I had a very special experience tonight as I’m spending time with family.  My aunt Susie was playing piano with my cousin Kat singing along with her.  They went through a number of songs in the primary children’s songbook but when they came to Love is Spoken Here, I remembered that this is the way we’re supposed to be-in families.  The lyrics of this song conjure up images of a home where Jesus Christ is worshipped, His presence is felt, and parents lead the way in teaching the principles of the Gospel to their children.  Although I’ve known this before, it becomes much a much more powerful experience to look around and to behold this ideal in action.  My aunt and uncle have been wonderful examples and for this, I am grateful that love is spoken here.

Today I am grateful for . . .

(In no particular order)

1.  Wonderful family and fantastic friends.
2.  Good health insurance.
3.  The knowledge that my broken leg is not permanent; I will walk again.
4.  A very healthy physical body (other than my leg) that allows me to move reasonably well.
5.  Last night’s CES address by Elder Holland concerning trials.
6.  The opportunity to learn and grow in very different ways.
7.  The light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that teaches me the best perspective possible.

Don’t curse your blessings

At present, I’m in Ashburn, Virginia recuperating at my aunt and uncle’s home.  The last week or so that I’ve been here has involved me sitting around a lot, sleeping, eating, and pondering.  With such a lifestyle, one’s purpose becomes very difficult to see and understand.  Still though, I have to remind myself that this is not a permanent condition; I will walk again and hopefully find a greater depth to my previous standards of usefulness (I’ve taken a certain amount of pride in being the “go to guy” when my friends need something whether it’s driving a moving truck for someone who’s afraid of driving in Manhattan or just being tall enough to change a light bulb, I miss these sorts of activities).  My initial thought though is that there is more to this trial than simply coming away with a greater appreciation for what my mortal body can do.  There’s a more poignant element centered in a personal values realignment.  To illustrate, it seems best to describe my grandpa.

My family lived with my grandparents for several years until both of them passed away. My grandpa had cancer for the last 20 years of his life and even though he was reasonably self-sufficient, he wasn’t able to do what he once could, physically.  He accepted that limitation though and learned to extend himself in other ways.  Whether that was a conscious decision or not, I’m not really sure but what is clear is how he developed himself.  He was known in his ward as being the one who could explain almost any passage of scripture.  Besides that, he was a faithful temple worker who usually spent 2 days or more a week at the Temple.  What’s most memorable though about my grandpa was the love he had and how that love was known.  He lived a hard life and was still soft emotionally.  He cared deeply for everyone around him, especially my grandma.  (No doubt that he was able to love others as easily as he did because of the love which he had developed through his marriage.)  He was never in short supply of love because he gave it so freely.  I believe that the Lord places wonderful people in our lives at least in part for us to learn from their examples.  Such as it is from my grandpa (really both of my grandpas were very loving, I just had more personal interaction with grandpa Carroll).  He left a legacy and example of love which his friends still speak of more than 15 years after his passing.  How can I follow his example?  How can I express my love to others in a way that they see the love of the Lord through my actions?  Although these are deep questions, answeing them seems to be a worthy goal for the next few months.  How have you learned to love more freely?

Inevitability?

For those who don’t know, I was involved in a bicycle accident on August 9th. Of course the idea of me in a bicycle accident is almost like Seattle and rain, New York City and tourists, or a Mormon gathering and Jello. Although these combinations are not always preferred, they happen and we learn to deal with them. (I’m sorry if I offend anyone with my personal dislike of Jello. Blech!) However, this time was different. This time, I spent two weeks in the hospital with the first 10 days or so just waiting for the swelling in my leg to subside enough for the surgeons to operate. Next up was surgery complete with a plate and a bunch of screws. After a another 4 days of recovery, I was released and am now in the DC area recuperating with family. I can’t put any pressure on my left leg for 3 months and am alternating between a walker and crutches for mobility. In addition, I was supposed to be starting school this fall yet again. That, like several other aspects of my life have been put on hold.

The last few weeks have been tough for several reasons. I’ve had bouts of intense crying and deep questioning coupled with several reminders from friends and the Lord that I “will rise to the challenge,” that I have the character to take this experience and really grow as a result. Despite the positive encouragement, its tough when so much of your identity is taken away. (When the accident happened, I have already ridden more than 30 miles that day on one bicycle or another and had totaled 19 miles of running that week.)

Once, when I was waxing hypothetically, I decided that if I had to loose either my body or my mind, that I would choose to keep my mind even if I was a physical invalid. Strange how difficult that idea can seem when its actually put to the test. Still though I am optimistic about the future and am learning to cope. Its not the end of the world, its a chance on a new perspective, its a chance to learn more about myself and my relationship with Heavenly Father, and it’s also an opportunity for me to have my weaknesses purged and my faith strengthened.

P.S. Today I had a friend reenter my life at exactly the right time. Her name is Mollie Forbes We were music majors together at BYU. We reconnected on Facebook a few weeks back and when she saw my status message (Marcus is embracing life as an invalid) and read the posts on my Facebook wall, she realized what had happened. Mollie was in a wave runner accident a few weeks back and managed to break her ankle in a few places. She’s on week 10 of crutches and can’t wait to start walking in another week or so. She understands the frustration in a very personal way and is being very supportive of me. I love these sorts of non-coincidences.

Nice truck and a great friend

This post is a shout out to a great friend. I hope he doesn’t mind. If you don’t know Rich Bishop, you should. He’s one of the best people I know. A while back I had the pleasure of meeting Rich for the first time. Within a few minutes of our conversation we started talking about cars and trucks. At that point I told him about the 1967 Ford truck I had for a while in college and that I would love to have one again, at least, when I can afford to buy the gas without a loan. He smiled and nodded in approval. Less than a week later there was a large envelope in my mailbox from Rich which contained this.

It took me a few seconds to really understand what I was looking at. When my brain managed to get over the shock, I started laughing and thinking about how thoughtful Rich had been. In case you can’t tell what it is, its a brochure describing Ford’s trucks from 1967 and was intended to be distributed at dealerships to prospective customers. Very cool.

However, it didn’t stop there. The other night we went to a party for a mutual friend. He knew I was going to be there and brought another gift along. This one was a little bigger though so we walked out to his car to get it as I was leaving to go home. Again, when he handed it to me I had to pause for a few seconds to process what I was now holding.

This is off of the tailgate of a 1967 Ford truck. How cool is that? (Now I need to figure out where to put it. ) Rich told me he’s planning on getting me an entire 1967 Ford truck even if its only a piece at a time. Somehow I don’t doubt it.

Obvious answers

The last week has been a little rough. I’ve been cranky and tired and probably not very nice to be around. What’s going on? Why do I feel like garbage on toast? How can I break out of this slump?

We all go through this but why does this happen? Although there are several different possible reasons, on this particular occasion it was the natural result of a series of poor choices I had made over the last few days, the culmination of which is illustrated in this little story of yours truly.  The other night I had just offered a very half-hearted prayer and climbed into bed when I felt the prompting of the Holy Ghost. It went something like this:

Holy Ghost-Get up and read from the scriptures
Marcus-But I’m tired and cranky!
Holy Ghost-But you didn’t really read at all from the scriptures today
Marcus-But I’m tired and cranky!
Holy Ghost-You know what you need to do
Marcus-But I’m tired and cranky!

This went on for about a minute or so when eventually I ignored the Holy Ghost and went to sleep. Still though, my mind caught hold of a time not too long ago when I gave up sleep to read from the scriptures. On that particular occasion, even though the lack of sleep had made me tired, at least I wasn’t cranky. How could I forget this lesson so soon? Why do I make the same mistakes over and over again? Life is always better when we choose to heed the promptings of the Holy Ghost but why is that lesson always so much more difficult in practice than in theory? It seems easy to justify my actions in given a certain set of circumstances; I was tired and cranky and really just wanted to sleep.  Still though, truth is truth.  There is more to our existence than immediate comforts.  It’s an obvious choice. Following His counsel always makes me happy.