How can we take it in?

Feb 1, 2015        

Today I am almost giddy with joy and appreciation for all that surrounds me. The examples of Christ like love witnessed this week have been beyond my grasp of understanding. I watched as grand children worked tirelessly and together to rig a sort of train out of a bicycle, a couple of kiddie cars, and some twine. They toiled, unaware of the freezing weather for the sheer joy of being together and living life. What joy! I went inside to see “dad and mom” working side-by-side to address issues of family activity now and in the future. I looked down and saw this little angle crawling around spreading humungous amounts of love and heavenly joy. My thoughts went immediately to St Matthew where Jesus tells us what our job is – to love God, to love others, and to love ourselves.

Today I went, resisting all the way, to a baptism. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be in such a place of peace and tranquility; rather, that some circumstance in the past might cause distress for those associated with the family. Perish the thought. As soon as we entered the chapel the light of Christ eradicated all negative opportunities for Satan to do his dastardly deeds of doubt and destruction and the whole thing became bright and beautiful. Beyond comprehension the little girl with the same name as two of my Aunts went to the podium and sang an angels carol. Her beautiful sweet notes were only surpassed by her bright and knowing countenance. You see, she knows that God lives; that he loves us and is so very pleased when we can see through the din and continue to follow the Iron Rod toward the loving arms of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Smiles, hugs, and promises to continue and enhance a family history and an even more important testament of God the Eternal Father, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.

Today when we got home from the baptism, I open my email to find a letter from our latest missionary in the family. Elder Wright is one who has fought like a caged tiger for the opportunity to serve as a missionary. Health questions with no answers plagued him for over a year as he picked and poked at the medical system and slowly but surely worked his way through to find the sweet service he so wished and deserved to provide. The letter is very sacred and precious so I shall not divulge the nature of even the gist of his message. I will simply share that in the short week he has been on his mission he has grown into a man of God. In this world of difficulties, doubts, unanswerable questions, economic impending doom, liars, cheats, and unworthy desires; my heart takes courage and hope as I watch the future leaders of the world. These beautiful people working, loving, sharing, praying, doing the will of Our Father in Heaven.

I believe that the answer to the rhetorical question, “How can we take it in?” is right in front of us. Our job is to join in the feast of love and understanding right in front of us. Jesus told us that we needed to become as little children. I take this literally and ask myself; self, can I turn back the clock of my mind and think happy and sweet thoughts and share them with those around me? Can I get right down on the floor with that angelic one-year old and smile and laugh right back. Can I look around; see those who are having some of life’s trials and bring joy and encouragement to them? Forever I have been intrigued with the world of the autistic, with the epileptic, with the mentally deficient. What are they thinking? What are they going to report to our Savior about how we shared (or ignored) them? The young man plagued with bursts of loud noises; the child that looks just like yours that can only sit and stare at a notepad screen looking at random colors and designs is a child of God, placed here for purposes which are more than we can take in. Our job is to use our talents to bless those around us by loving, caring, actions.

God has formed for us, a beautiful world with all the challenges necessary for us to prove ourselves to ourselves. God bless us all that we can obtain to the challenge.

Duane Jacobs, husband, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, brother, and friend

Push me; pull me!!!!

January 24, 2015

Several years ago I noticed a familiar character on many of Jean’s baptism quilts she gives to each child at they turn eight and are baptized. The push me; pull me looks exactly as you might imagine. It has two heads and a partial body stuck together so one is pulling and the other is pushing.  Someone will know where this mythical creature comes from. I think Jean said it was from some fiction story that the children all like. I began thinking about how my life is organized. How many times I feel like there are two ways to go and I simply do not have the knowledge, the understanding of the future, or the spiritual guidance to lead me in the way that would bless the lives of my family. Granted, many times the decision is one that can go either way and no long-term affect will be felt; however, there are those critical times in which a single decision can make our lives a heaven on earth, or a long spiraling slide down to the dark side.

About a thousand years ago in 1981, we started thinking about moving away from Holbrook, Arizona. We liked it just fine but the opportunities for professional growth and for the future lives of our children were limited. We build our “forever” house there on Spurlock hill overlooking the valley and thought we would teach at Holbrook High School until I retired and play in real estate, buying, remodeling, and building a retirement inventory; however, shortly after we completed our house and moved in, we found that my job had been cut due to “financial constraints”. We fought for and won an alternate job – teaching in special education – which I eagerly accepted. I began taking special education classes at Northern Arizona University and got very serious, once again, about making Holbrook High School my place in the sun. That lasted until about the first of November when it became absolutely apparent to me that the job wasn’t about teaching these beautiful children at all. My role was to keep these children in a closet sized classroom with minimal opportunities for the children to grow and learn. I am sure the district was doing all they could to accommodate them; but, to me the job I had was to deny them the respect and appreciation they should be able to garner from life.

This is when the push me; pull me syndrome began. One day we would determine that moving was our only viable course of action. The next day we would decide that we needed to stick it out, enjoying the blessings of a good home, a very rewarding (albeit, discouraging) job, a wonderful community, an active and delightful LDS church atmosphere, and close proximity to my mother and brother. It was like a fever. Some days it would rage and blister our minds with a desire to make lemonade out of the lemon we had purchased. Other days the fever would cool and we would look ‘objectively” at the life in front of us and of our children and very creatively work ourselves into the decision to make the move now that we were relatively young and could find opportunities elsewhere. Our friends Bob and Jean Lewis would go to dinner with us and when we left we would have the for sale sign up on our house. When we came back, we would take the sign down. If it hadn’t been so complicated and serious, it would have been hilarious. Finally, we reached the point of no return; boxed everything us and trucked it to Orem, Utah where our lives has been centered ever since.

Was it a good decision or a bad decision? Did it make any difference? Would we have had an excellent life with all our children blossoming as they have here? Regardless of the possible alternative outcomes we will never know. We left the pull me; push me behind and have gone on to do the very best we could, calling on God to give us guidance, courage, and conviction as to the things we should and need to do in our temporal sphere.

Take time to reach out to your children, your family, your friends, and your enemies. God loves us all and wants nothing buy the joy of eternal life for us all.

Duane Jacobs, husband, grandfather, father, uncle, brother, cousin, and friend

The ironies of life

January 17, 2015

This writing or anything else I might have written should never be construed as a condemnation of any person. My glass house would never withstand the blows. Virtually all the things I write are primarily for my benefit. If, through experiencing vicariously, the rock head things I have done, or the opportunities I have to be blessed by the spirit, you are able to benefit, it warms my heart.

My wife Jean and I have gone through just about every conceivable experience known to man. We have seen highs and lows that equal the tallest mountains and the lowest valleys in the darkest oceans. We have had very serious discussions (code for knock down drag out verbal battles; had some of the most spiritual, angelic moments of eternal bliss; had more than our share of temporal blessings including the blessing of having sufficient for our needs in our retirement years; and times when we were forced into bankruptcy because of decisions we made (well, mostly me) dealing with how to use our lives to assist others. During every moment of these past fifty years, we have been guided by the Spirit of God through absolute interventions of personal revelation by the Holy Ghost. We all have our personal cross to bear. A new friend, having questions about her marriage, asked our secret to marriage survival. My beautiful sweetheart gave her the best answer I have ever heard. She replied that ours wasn’t a secret at all. It was given to us by her loving parents and the Temple when we married. Our marriage was eternal. It was going to be difficult. It was going to be full of ups and downs, children, and jobs. It would take daily prayer and understanding and would require much concession; something about each being responsible for 90 percent of the things that happen. A few years into our marriage I made the huge mistake of grousing to my mother about jean. She stood up way past her four foot eleven and three quarters, put one hand on her hip and the other rather bony finger in my chest and said as clearly as the Clarion bells at BYU, “buddy, you made your bed, now sleep in it”. I got lots of messages that day; all of them for my very best welfare.

Ten years ago one of my friends would sit quietly – too quietly – in his office right next to mine. I would pound on the door and declare that we needed to go get some lunch. He would begrudgingly open up and we would go over to the student center, order some lunch and then he would go over and get way too close and uncomfortable sensual with some of our young lady students. This was not a fleeting, one-time experience, but one that occurred at least once a week for months on end. I pulled him aside and warned him of the consequences of living too near the flame; to which he fanned innocence and questioned my thoughts about his intents. One day, right after the Christmas break, we received a note on campus Email from the Vice President of Academics, telling that Mr. Blank had left the college by way of resignation and had cleared out his office and would no longer be an employee. Of course the grapevine was ripe with the vicious fruit of gossip giving all kinds of possible accounts. To this day the mystery is in the detail; in the hearts of those with whom he worked to sever his cords to the college. I still miss him and wish him well. He was a fine professor, friend, and addition to the college. He simply made decisions that disallowed his further association.

I believe each of us on the face of the earth take mental and actual steps that make us vulnerable to the constant darts, innuendos, subtle notions of the devil and his legions; calling us to the dark side and encouraging us to let loose of the Iron Rod (The Spirit of God) and just sin a little here and a little there and slowly, just like a swirling toilet let ourselves be dragged down to the other side. I have been amazed in recent years with a very distinct split between those who determine that spirituality is for sissies and losers; and those who study, learn, pray, observe within their “faith”, and actively seek the blessings of heaven. Watch for yourself. Those who find illicit passions and desires over holding the iron rod are constantly looking for ways to enhance their gods of lust, money, and greed, never to be satisfied; while those who have faith hope and charity find greater joy in all their experiences.

Life is that we might have joy and joy comes from loving and sharing with others. God bless each of us that we can have lives of personal peace and joy.

Duane Jacobs, friend, uncle, cousin, brother, husband, father, and grandfather

If I were a rich man

January 11 2015

A clever story: One day a Mormon Bishop, a banker, and a rancher were standing outside the bank in their small town chatting about the ways of the world. The banker looked up at the sign on the bank and asked, in amusement, what the others would do if they had a million dollars. Each answered. The banker declared that he would wisely invest the full million dollars and reap the rewards by quadrupling his investment in short order. The Bishop look longingly at the poorer section of town and without a blink marveled at how much good he could provide for those in need. The rancher (my father used to tell this story and put him in this place) thought for a few moments and said he would just ranch until it was all gone.” Each had a passion. Each knew how to satisfy his personal itch.

Most people in history have survived on very little in the way of temporal goods. In my youth I would visit friends and come in to very neat homes with manicured dirt floors, a pot of beans on the wood stove, and a stack of tortillas on the sideboard.  I would visit Charles McCullough out near Hunt, Arizona where we would play, hike, and dream while his mother worked tirelessly to aide her six year old Johnnie who had a debilitating birth defect which rendered him unable to do more than breathe and swallow when aided by his angel mother. Mrs. Padilla would have upgraded her family’s status and had more of the “wants” in life. Mrs. McCullough would have given every penny and thrown I her life to boot to bless the life of her sweet, innocent child.

One of the incredible songs in “Fiddler on the Roof”, “If I were a Rich Man” has intrigued me most of my life. What would we do if money and the things of this earth were perfectly within our grasp and we could have anything we wanted? If we take a mental hike back in history and visit those who have had wealth and power our lust for such trinkets should be quickly erased. History repeats itself with marvelous precision. Current events show the Bear pawing at the flowering portions of the old USSR, inviting them to come home to riches. All they need to do is renounce whatever freedom they have and worship Putin. In the Old Testament Hezekiah, as king, works tirelessly to keep people out of bondage while those around him work their charms to get gain, worship Idols, and ignore God. Jon Huntsman, Sr. says he has given away over one billion dollars and he has another billion, or so he intends to share with others. His goal is to die broke. In fact, he recently wrote a book titled “Barefoot to Billionaire” in which he shares his love of family, God, and country.

What is my itch? What do I want to do with my temporal wealth?  I have more than “sufficient for my needs”, so I want to share. I want to share through helping others learn and grow into independent, God loving, family members and friends with the knowledge, wisdom, and insights to build their temporal mansions around love, hope, faith, and a burning desire to give back to those whom he serves. I have learned a few things in my seven decades on the third rock from the sun, and anything I can share that will help anyone find internal peace and good family living is my desire.

What a miracle it is for me each week, to sit down and have thoughts come into my mind that help me grow a little. Sharing these thoughts with others is an added blessing that may assist others as they contemplate their future.  I make no claim to wisdom or special intercession with God. I do declare, solemnly that all I have is from God and my desire is to serve Him all my days, listening and understanding the promptings and nudging I receive from the Holy Ghost and ministering angels.

May we humbly reach out to others, asking God for the desire and means with which to give love and charity to those in our circle of influence.

Duane Jacobs, husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend

How to be nice

January 3, 2015

The Christmas song about being naughty or nice makes me cringe. My new year’s resolution is to take back the thousands of times over the years when I have made people sad by my comments; made people look at what I had done as some kind of act of deceit or disloyalty; or had people just turn off the Duane switch and no longer accept me as their friend, colleague, or loved one. In this mortal sphere there is no take backs; only pleas for forgiveness and hopes of a better tomorrow.

For those who have, like me, been less than perfect may I recommend one way of taking a little of the sting out of those moments in our lives which limit our ability to be free of past discretions? I am going to do everything in my human frailty to ask those who have been hurt by my bad judgments to forgive me. I am going to work really, really hard on forgiving those who I feel have done things to dishonor me. Then, I am going to plead with my Savior to forgive me so that I can reach forward and rid myself of all ungodliness.

My father Charles Glenn Jacobs was a man of many seasons. In his youth he was an unholy terror, drinking, carousing, chasing women, making and selling bootleg liquor, and anything else that might fit in those categories. He was abusive to his first wife and moved from Texas to Arizona, where his next season began. Like the Children of Israel it took him a long time – ten years instead of forty – to find peace in his life. He and grandfather (Gramps) batched, ran cattle, built Glenn’s Trading Post in Concho at the junction that scattered  people in three directions; to St Johns, Holbrook, and Sholow. Those were wild days with lots more of the same. He met and married my mother and she became the moving force in his life for the next 32 years until he died in 1973. My mother was the strongest (spiritually, and mentally) of the two and gradually, through example and much, much forgiveness moved him forward to the next seasons. His introduction of mother to Gramps went something like this. He came in the store and went over by the wood stove where Gramps sat and said, dad, this is my new wife, Lucy to which Gramps retorted, “Well, S**t, if you can’t succeed at first, then try, try again.” She went downstairs, bawled for several hours; then, went about the business of taming the “beast”. On numerous occasions he would make comments about those d***n Mexicans, then immediately see the look of sadness on her face, apologize and say, “Moma, I am so sorry; I was fed hatred and bigotry with my mother’s milk.” Forgiving and asking forgiveness were the keys to their success.

When my book of life is opened before the Lord, I will see the little things done in the spirit of the moment that hurt people. I will see the time I was sitting as a guest at a dinner table when one of the ladies began commenting about the “fact” that there had been more than one person a day killed in the making of the Glen Canyon dam; to which I retorted that since the dam was at least ten years in the making, more than 3,650 people would have been killed. She was embarrassed; her husband was embarrassed; and all around just sat quietly allowing the ugliness of the moment to pass. One of those feathers I will never be able to retrieve. Recently, I have been hounding my daughter, Diane, asking for research on certain products. I brought her to tears and it was only then that I recognized that she was doing what she does out of love and concern for her very over-weight father. On another occasion I my beloved wife, Jean, feel bad because of our “discussions” regarding when and if we would spend time in Southern Utah. My mother had an answer to all the above when she addressed the issue of her success in staying the course of marriage with my father until his departure from this life. She declared that nothing in this life is worth arguing about. Even though my father loved to argue and challenge, she remained above that.

I pray that I can during this season of my life the nature, the caring, the opportunity, the privilege, and honor of being a child of Heavenly Father will prevail on me and bless me with tender understanding for those around me.

God bless us all that we may cherish those we love, remembering to ask for and receive forgiveness.

Duane Jacobs, father, grandfather, husband, uncle, brother, cousin, and friend

 

 

 

Onward and upward we go

December 27, 2014

The world is filled with amazing people. Amazing people do amazing things. Most of the things we do as mortals are necessary to take care of our basic physiological needs, ie food, water, air, and the like.Life is spent almost entirely in average, ordinary activity, interlaced with a few moments of sheer happiness; and a few more with absolute terror.  As I have thought of this idea over the years, I am convinced the idea belongs to someone, someplace in time; I just have no idea who it was. Choosing not to belabor the stark terror moments these are ones that I treasure and consider to have steered my life to a peaceful understanding of why we are here in this probationary point in eternity.

I truly shudder to think what my life would have been without these truly inspiring moments that have blessed my life.I had a dream when I was twenty and in that dream I saw a piece of my life go slowly across the screen. In my dream I saw my future wife and two of my future children. The first nineteen years of my life had been basic, average, and ordinary. I had been studying, praying and looking for direction for two years and this dream, directly from the Holy Ghost, gave me understanding and hope for a positive, meaningful life. The Holy Ghost and ministering angels determined that I needed to get my life together at the beginning of the two years preceding my dream. I was on hospital stay in Yokosuka, Japan and had just been released and sent to Hokkaido, Japan to wait for about a week and rejoin the USS Hornet CVS 12 when it came in to dock. I was doing some things Satan’s tools that were not becoming of anyone, especially one who had a glimpse of God and eternal things. God, working through the Holy Ghost, interceded in my life and gave me one of my moments of sheer happiness and terror at the same time. The prompting was very real and very pointed; declaring that I had my agency to good or evil and this was the time I needed to determine which road I would travel.

What joy! Every joyful thing in my life has been predicated on those two experiences. My next joyous moment was a natural extension and came when I was TAD (Temporary Assignment of Duty) in San Diego going to Class C school in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. I had then been on the USS Hornet through two WESPAC six month tours of duty in the Western Pacific and spent three years in the sharks den of iniquity that flows in and around the environment in military towns and minds. I received a wedding invitation from a good Navy friend and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints inviting me to come to his reception at the Long Beach First Ward building. This was a wonderful opportunity to see Howard Shaffer and his new bride Cathy once again and visit my old Long Beach ward at the same time. I had dated and been very interested in a young lady who attended that ward and wanted to see what might happen in the future with her; however, when I walked into that church auditorium all wrapped in nice wedding paper and happy people another moment of great joy jumped right out at me. Her name was Viola Jean Scott and one of our mutual friends from the ward, A Linda something, gave Jean a good sized nudge and shoved her towards me telling her that she knew he was single. For Jean there was a great deal of uncertainty but for me it was another of those moments when my ministering angels told me in no uncertain terms that Jean would be my eternal mate.

They were right because we were married a little less than a year later on May 1, 1965. We will celebrate our 50^th anniversary with our six children, twenty seven grandchildren, and the blessings of eternity on our team if we will but endure to the end, live righteously, give all that we have and are to those in need of temporal and spiritual nourishment, and work through all the wrinkles any two people face as they move though life together.

God bless each of us as we work to accomplish those things that will bless our lives and the lives of all those in which we come in contact.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend

 

Stop and think

December 22, 2014

Some of the most outstanding people in the world are making the most irreverent comments about each other and their fellow citizens of earth. It matters very little to me what you believe in, who you vote for, or how you share your lives. What does matter is when the references to others are made in such a manner as to create dissonance, disrespect, and general bad feelings.

Today one of my all-time heroes , Jon Huntsman Sr,  shared some terrifyingly guttural personal thoughts about Senator Mike Lee. The tragic part

Bless others with your service

December 21, 2014

The December Ensign (an LDS Church Magazine) has an article by a person that felt very relieved after he went to his ecclesiastical leaders and took care of some things he had done years earlier, but had kept hidden from his family, his leaders, and  the world. He kept telling himself that they would just die with him and he could take care of them on the other side, but these matters were in his mind as he pondered new activities and they kept him from moving forward with his life mission. As I thought about this person I began to think back on some of the absolutely “dumb as a rock things” I did when I was a younger. I couldn’t sleep that night wondering if I had done enough to set my record straight with God. The answer came instantaneously, and unequivocally. I was told that we are never on the plus side of things with God. Our job is to ever move forward in our lives, asking God for forgiveness of our sins and misadventures, partake of the sacrament as a token of our willingness to be clean from the sins of the world and do all we can to rid ourselves of ungodliness. Obviously, if there are things that still cause us grief we should go to our priest, bishop, or other clergy and ask for assistance and forgiveness.

Jesus Christ atoned for our sins and received all the pain of the world on his shoulders so that we could get past a very sticky point. Without the Grace of God we cannot get to that point which we all want to be in passing through the veil. Can we ever be as God has asks us to be, “spotless before the world” and free from all sin and sorrow we have heaped on ourselves and others over our live times. This was my answer. We live our lives one day at a time. We make mistakes; sometimes huge ones; sometimes small things; however, each day and sometimes every few minutes, we stop and ask ourselves what we are doing. We assess our mental state; we address the issues of the moment and put them in our book of life to be reviewed over and over again. I just received a letter from a fellow that says he has no hope and no future. He is convinced that nothing he does will help him get on the road to happiness and fulfillment. 

The answer is always in front of us. We need to reach out to others in ways we would never think of on our own. I always recommend to anyone that will listen that the answers lie in the quiet of our heart. Yes, yes, I know that some think I am preaching to them and they have sworn off God and especially anything that has to do with organized religion. So, go to whatever “quiet spot” you have and listen, think, and consider. The little secret is that the answers all come from God, but just pretend they don’t and go through the process. Ask these questions:

1.       Who can I help?

2.       What can I do to help them?

3.       Who are others not on my radar that I can help and what can I do for them?

In other words let the past go for right now. It will take care of itself. Stop obsessing on yourself and look beyond the “you” image we all seem to spawn and find the good in yourself and in others. Just think of the last thing you did for someone. The person you cheered up, gave encouragement, listened to her tales of woe, or just befriended. In my long teaching career I can scarcely remember the run of the mill individuals that seemed to have no problems. The ones that bless my mind now are the ones that needed that little something that would encourage them and help them move to the next stepping stone in their lives. Don’t be afraid to call on God. He won’t hurt you one little bit. You will be amazed at how soon you start getting little nudges that lead you to help others. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. We work really hard to think we are unworthy of any blessings and tell the world by our actions and demeanor that we are way past the notion of caring.

Especially during this Christmas season, people are wound up tight as a rope. It will take you about one second to see someone that needs your assistance.   You and God can take care of your sins and foibles later. Right now just accept that you have a purpose in life and that you are lovable, capable, and worthy of all the blessings God has shared with us as mortals.

May God bless each of us as we move forward in our lives, warts and all.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, husband, brother, father, uncle, cousin, and friend

 

More joy for Christmas

December 14, 2014.

Lots of kids, lots of grandkids, no kids, no grandkids, Single, married, divorced, widowed, old, young, educated, degreed, blue collar worker, female, male, or other; we can all exude happiness and share the joy of living with others. We are each unique and individual. We are all different sizes, shapes, and minds. Recently Mitt Romney gave an address in which he acknowledged some of the individuals in his life that had made life special for him. He identified his wife Ann, and other family members; then, he went to share his appreciation for individuals most of us had never heard of including a fellow who had driven forty thousand miles in Iowa during Mr. Romney’s presidential campaign going to almost 150 different events with his pickup dressed out with every imaginable campaign sticker and billboard for Romney for President. He talked about other individuals who had made a difference in his thinking and in his joy in life. A campaign on television featuring Mother Teresa talks about the joy one person can give by sharing what-so-ever we have with those in need.

It occurs to me regularly that I have a solemn obligation to share with others. As the Christmas season approaches my greatest desire is to be directed to those in need; then, to take specific and courageous action by getting off my duff and offering charity – the pure love of Christ. We thank the myriad of people from across our life’s span who have brought joy into our lives. They are many and they are dear. We are all vested with a life to live. No regrets. No looking back and wishing this or that. We start with today; commit to go forward finding joy and opportunities to help others find the same kind of life experiences

One of the greatest joys we have in life is seeing others as their lives are blessed through the birth of babies, the miraculous growth babies make, and the steps they take in finding out what they are and who they will become. Jean and I have watched our children grow into their shoes since our first, Scott Emmett, was born February 15, 1996. Scott was followed quickly by Diane Marie on August 4, 1968. We watched as Scott and Diane grew in knowledge, size, and personality while we ran around chasing education and employment. Like a flash of lightning Kaye Lynn on April 22, 1970 joined our troop as we moved from Tempe, Arizona to Logan, Utah, back to Arizona via Tucson, then back to Utah like a whirling pizza shell. We did all this moving, going to school, and raising a family because it was fun. We think back now and wonder what in the world we were thinking. Very few things in life are constants; however, we were blessed by three indisputable blessings as constants that we feel made our lives worthwhile and full of joy.

Moving on in life we had more experiences that built our life as we brought Daniel Glenn into the family on December 15, 1969 and soon after moved back to Utah again to complete my Doctorate at BYU. We could have waited to have our family after all the moving, the job changing, and the other gymnastics we enjoyed, but we didn’t. We attempted to enjoy every minute of every day and have never regretted a minute of life. Another move and we left Holbrook, Arizona and another job at Utah Technical College at Provo. Then there was Andrew Duane, born December 3, 1973 born in Provo, UT and David Matthew born in Holbrook December 3, 1980 while we worked on my dissertation and degree.

Wow! All that moving makes me dizzy. Now we sit and enjoy all the fruits of our wonderful marriage. These six children – Scott, Diane, Kaye, Daniel, Andrew, and David have all married way above themselves and given us marvelous grandchildren which give us more joy than can be imagined. Each is unique, capable, lovable, and worthy of a great shot at life.

• Scott and Amy brought Starlee, Skyler, Aspen, and Brighton into our lives
• Richard and Diane brighten our days each day as we visit with and hear of the wonderful exploits of their five children Shanna, Elena, Michelle, Jacob (Jake), and James.
• Jamie and Kaye delight us with the very presence or remembering Taylor, Lindsay, Shannon, and Macy.
• Daniel and Teresa live the a long way away but they have given the extra mile in ensuring that we have regular contact through phone and visits. April, Timothy, Lucy, Emma, and Thomas are growing magnificently.
• Andrew and Cammie bless our lives by sharing birthdays, frequent calls, and visits with Sidney, Mya, Cameron, and Ty.
• David and Susan our youngest and live close enough so we watch with awe as Hailey, Ashley, Cason, Olivia, and Kennedy blow our minds with their wonderful adventures.

Are they perfect? Absolutely not! Our children are a giant step up from us and by extension our grandchildren are even closer to all that is good and honorable in the world. Yes, the still fight and quarrel, fuss about their food, and disobey their parents but they are an absolute joy to us and for this we are eternally grateful.

God bless us all as we look for opportunities to share and help those around us find joy.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend

Our role in bringing joy

December 7, 2014

Over the years many people have commented on the level of spirituality, the veracity of presenters in spiritual congregations, the lack of reverence, the poorly presented lessons and the sad state of affairs related to presentations of biblical/scriptural items in general. There is a perfect answer to these questions that perhaps can best be answered through a story told in cartoon by the author of “POGO”.

This cartoon was in the Sunday “funnies” (I chose to call it my philosophy page) and went on for many weeks. Pogo had been deprived of something he dearly needed. The process of searching for this item became so intense that he actually forgot what it was he was searching for but continued anyway. He began to call the dastardly beast that had deprived him of his possession the “enemy”. One fruitless search after led nowhere, but before he gave up he determined to give his search one more chance. He went back to each of the places he had previously search, then went home in total disillusionment and sat down on his throne (that would be toilet in his vernacular). He looked up and was aghast to see the perpetrator right in front of him. Looking straight in the mirror, he exclaimed, “I have met the enemy and the enemy is ME.” Actually, he said the enemy is US, but here I take literary license because it makes more sense in my rewriting.

Our job as administrators of our soul is to reach up, reach out, look around, for those who are in need of the blessings of God; then, share those things which are most precious to you regarding how you find joy in a crazy world. The next time you are at church, at a picnic, at school, at work, at the store, or at home look long and hard within your soul for the Spirit of Christ. Watch what happens when you come up to someone longing for a little friendship, a little milk of human kindness. Don’t be preachy. Just talk to them with a heart that cares.

I have seen many become disillusioned with life, with themselves, with their family, and everything else – then blame all the wrongs on Church, God, and whatever they might conjure except themselves. Like POGO, we often lose ourselves because we misunderstand our earthly mission. We go to church to share our needs and talents with others.  We participate in the Sacrament because we wish to cleanse ourselves of the misdeeds we have enjoyed; then strive to do ungodly things again.

Our life mission boils down to our doing everything we can to be ministering angels through listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, then following with urgent assistance to all around us. We need to bring the Spirit of Christ to our meetings and share it with those around us. I have two young friends in prison because they got lost in the traffic and trappings of life. So busy looking for the perfect mate, the perfect ideology, the best job, and the most beneficial social presence, they – actually WE – go through life like a roman candle lighted at both ends. In our attempt to find perfection we find ourselves at eternity’s door wondering what happened during our few seconds of temporal life.

I am the very first to admit to my mortality, to my weaknesses, to my utter lack of purpose on many occasions as I spend a day. This is for me as I try to carry out my earthly mission. I am not going to let a moment go by when I am not watching, listening, and praying for opportunities to share with others. Jean and I have been blessed way beyond our understanding. We have not lived a charmed life; nor do we think we are anywhere close to ready to report to our maker; however, we are committed to trying to do a little better each day. We will look in Pogo’s mirror soon enough and hopefully be ready to tell our savior that we have done our best to life a life representative of our capabilities.

God bless us all during this exciting Christmas season as we ponder the beauties of life and the opportunities we have to assist in bringing blessings to His children.

Duane Jacobs, Grandfather, father, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend

The role of a believer

December 2, 2014

Over the years many people have commented on the level of spirituality, the veracity of presenters in spiritual congregations, the lack of reverence, the poorly presented lessons and the sad state of affairs related to presentations of biblical/scriptural items in general. There is a perfect answer to these questions that perhaps can best be answered through a story told in cartoon by the author of “POGO”.

This cartoon was in the Sunday “funnies” (I chose to call it my philosophy page) and went on for many weeks. Pogo had been deprived of something he dearly needed. The process of searching for this item became so intense that he actually forgot what it was he was searching for but continued anyway. He began to call the dastardly beast that had deprived him of his possession the “enemy”. One fruitless search after led nowhere, but before he gave up he determined to give his search one more chance. He went back to each of the places he had previously search, then went home in total disillusionment and sat down on his throne (that would be toilet in his vernacular). He looked up and was aghast to see the perpetrator right in front of him. Looking straight in the mirror, he exclaimed, “I have met the enemy and the enemy is ME.” Actually, he said the enemy is US, but here I take literary license because it makes more sense in my rewriting.

Our job as administrators of our soul is to reach up, reach out, look around for those who are in need of the blessings of God; then, share those things which are most precious to you regarding how you find joy in a crazy world. The next time you are at church, at a picnic, at school, at work, at the store, or at home look long and hard within your soul for the Spirit of Christ. Watch what happens when you come up to someone longing for a little friendship, a little milk of human kindness. Don’t be preachy. Just talk to them with a heart that cares.

I have seen many become disillusioned with life, with themselves, with their family, and everything else – then blame all the wrongs on Church, God, and everything else except themselves. Like POGO, we often lose ourselves because we misunderstand our earthly mission. We go to church to share our needs and talents with others.  We participate in the Sacrament because we wish to cleanse ourselves of the misdeeds we have enjoyed; then strive to do ungodly things again.

Anna, it all boils down to our doing everything we can to be ministering angels through listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, then following with urgent assistance to all around us. We need to bring the Spirit of Christ to our meetings and share it with those around us.

We love you guys and hope you will continue to bless the lives of those around you.

Duane

Tradition lost

November 30, 2014

We bounced on the scene fifty years ago with energy, youth, and great expectations. We had a firm handle on addresses of friends, neighbors, and relatives we would eagerly send Christmas greetings each year as a token of friendship and remembrance of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We sent them in early December and eagerly await the glistening cards and messages of hope. The personal messages we carefully placed inside the cards became a “one size fits all” cheery message about our family and how they had grown and progressed in life. About twenty years ago, the messages we sent and received slowed down to a trickle, but we still enjoyed them and continued corresponding; in many cases only on the occasion of Christmas. In the beginning we had a list that we groomed and improved each year, but time has a way of withering our enthusiasm and dimming our memories. Addresses got lost, people died, divorced, forgot about us, and the list dwindled to a relative small size. Three years ago we stopped sending cards and letters and went with the thrill of the day – E MAIL. We talked recently about many of the people we have enjoyed as friends and found that we had no idea of where they were or what they were doing. We fared equally as well with relatives, noting that we that we had lost track of many cousins and others.

Jean has reconnected with one cousin in the last year and found great reciprocal joy in sharing notes about family circumstances. We met with friends from my high school days in Scottsdale for lunch and solved all the problems on earth. Thursday and Friday of this week we celebrated Thanksgiving and shared beautiful experiences, watched our children and grandchildren learn about and play with each other. We talked about their college, high school, and elementary school activities and found the cycle of life to be working well. We observed that some have brilliant minds and other are more like Jean and me. We both floundered through school, through social and athletic experiences, and consider ourselves extremely blessed to have survived those experiences; then grown together as a team through good times and bad.

My dear cousin Clara Jo Fitch (Candelaria) recently made what she called her last pilgrimage to New Mexico to see family and experience – once again – the land of enchantment. She was not able to get to Utah so she called me and we had a delightful visit. Several months before my mother, Lucy Baca Jacobs Livermore, passed away Jo made a special trip to Utah to visit with mother regarding her spiritual health. Jo is a life-long Catholic and mother converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints when she was in her mid thirties. Mother was always one that wanted to please her family and Jo was on a mission to return mother to the Catholic Church. Mother always had warm feelings for the Catholic Church because of her heritage and the beautiful message of Christ which both her childhood church and the Church of Jesus Christ hold as the centerpiece of spirituality.  In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, a list of thirteen Articles of Faith set the stage for understanding how mother could be an active, temple attending member of the LDS Church and still hold these beautiful feelings for the people, the heritage, and the spiritual message of the Catholic faith. The thirteenth article shares the admonition of Paul in which he declares that all truth is from God.  “ . . . we believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report, or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.” Capped with the first article of faith, “We believe in God the Father, and in his Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost” mother found great strength in her faith in God, in her hope for an eternal reunion with her family, and with a desire to understand and embrace Charity – the pure love of Jesus Christ.

All humanity must hold close to the truths provided in God’s law. We must unite together in understanding and love of family and country under God. May we share our blessings with our family, friends, and countrymen through understanding and love.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, husband, brother, cousin, uncle and friend

The honor in sharing

November 23, 2014

We just spent some heavy capital. Every single one of us used up one entire week of our life doing something. The real question is what did we do that goes in the positive column? We can’t get the time back; we can’t store it for a later date; we simply go on to the next day, week, month, and year spending until it is all gone. Friday we attended a grave-side funeral for Howard Shaffer’s sister. The beautiful part of this experience was the life stories and testimonies shared by family and friends. They told how Ellen had touched their lives as she used her capital. One cousin and one niece shared a special name she had given them which made them feel special and wanted. Others talked about her pension for teddy bears and movies and how those elements in her life had blessed them. I was particularly moved as a supervisor while she was on an LDS mission as an adult talked about the dedication and determination with which she carried out her responsibilities. The most touching part of the service was the dignified and honorable manner in which my friend Howard organized and led the service. He spoke with sincerity, deep emotion, and understanding of the eternal plan of happiness.

Today our daughter and the four children at home; Elena, Michelle, Jake, and James joined Diane in a work project at our house. They came in like a whirlwind, cleaned, scraped, moved stuff, organized shelving, and painted (the entire bathroom). I believe that they used their capital wisely. As most families, they always have their calendars full to the brim, but they made this special effort to bless Grandmother and me. One of the most difficult things for me to do is to ask for and/or accept help on anything; however, as I generate more and more youth deficiency I find that those things that I used to take for granted are no longer available. The neat thing is that I have found ways to help in other ways. I don’t have to build the house, I just have to share ideas, be a go-between, a gopher running for materials and labor, and generally helping things to happen. In spiritual matters things run pretty well the same way. Because of the time and capital I have put into life, I seem to have a reasonable amount of logic and spiritual testimony to share with those who find themselves wandering off in odd directions.

Thirty years ago I was a home teacher (LDS person who periodically visits a person in their area as a friend) to a young family. The father had an extremely difficult time staying outside of jail. He had a great gift of gab, good looks, and sticky fingers. He would sit, listen, and participate in our discussions in his home; then, go out and do his five finger discount activities, get drunk, and go back to jail. The last time I heard from him was in a letter in which he thanked me for trying to help him and his family. He acknowledged that he only participated to satisfy his wife so she would thing that he was trying. He shared with me that he had wasted virtually all his life to that point in prisons of steel, alcohol, deception, and general disrespect for all he had. He really meant to get out of jail, get back with his wife and children, get a job, and start using his capital correctly. This was a real person with a real wife and family that had real plans for “going straight”. The sad, sad part of this story and 70 to 85 percent of offenders, regardless of their illegal interest is that they will just keep the revolving doors of the penal system oven going in and out until they die. Hopefully he was one of the few who chose to walk along the iron rod and use his capital wisely.

As fathers, as children, as husbands and  wives, as friends, and as people who have an ounce of goodness and a little nudging from the Holy Ghost, I want to try my very best to be observant, to listen to the promptings, and do what I can to give of my time – my capital – to those around me. I know more people than I care to count who have physical, mental, and spiritual challenges too great to manage on their own. I want to use the rest of my time capital in doing what-so-ever I can to be in the Lord’s service and share what I have.

God bless us all as we move forward in our lives helping to help life people up to attain their potential.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, husband, uncle, brother, cousin, and friend

Friends and influences

November 16, 2014

We had a wonderful talk in class today from a man who had been abandoned by his father when he was two, or three years old. He shared his story of an incredible mother who cared for, nurtured, and completely blessed his life giving him hope for the future and great appreciation for his mother, other family, and God. His mother has gone to her reward, but his father still continues son in life. He shared the importance of one’s associations, particularly in early life. He brought the story into the recent past when he lost his son to sickness. His son knew that he was not long for this earth and told his father he wanted to be buried in his jeans in California; however, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we believe in making certain covenants in our Temples (known as the House of the Lord) which act as a protection, both physically and spiritually. Being buried in his jeans meant that he would not have received his “endowment” and would then not have been buried in his temple clothing. At the suggestion of his father he talked to the Bishop and Stake President and soon was ready to receive this special gift. His brother, just returned from a Mission for the Church noted in his home coming address that the brother that had died was now in the midst of those in Paradise – a place of learning – and was able to share his mission working with those who had gone on before without the blessing of knowing and understand God our Father and Jesus Christ our Savior.

Everything tied together nicely for me when I heard this story from the father’s lips as he told of his myriad ancestors who had no understanding of the Love of God. In the LDS Church we believe that ordinances including baptism, the endowment, and others can be performed in the temple by those worthy to enter by proxy. If not, the billions who have lived in times past would not be able to “grow” in their spiritual knowledge and progression in the worlds of eternity to come. Before I understood the principles of forgiveness, repentance, atonement, resurrection and the eternal plan of happiness I could never figure out how God could not be a respecter of persons and still allow those who died as youngsters, or simply never heard of God’s plan to always be on the outside looking in. The more I read in each of the books of scripture, the more I began to understand why the original twelve apostles were such avid missionaries, sharing their testimony constantly. I could never understand why the Psalms are so full of love and promise for all of God’s children. I could never understand why Moses was saved, raised, and given witness to God’s plan to the extent that he was able to work directly with Jehovah which enabled him to free and ultimately bring the Israelites out of bondage, in most instances screaming and kicking.

As incredible as life is we all have a role in this gigantic reunion as it will take place beyond the confines of this itty bitty earth and our earthly knowledge. We are all different because that is part of God’s plan. I have mentioned the schmoes in Little Abner from time to time. They were essentially blobs of protoplasm that could transform into whatever their owner wished. If the owner wanted a plate of fried eggs and bacon, the schmoes would simply jump up in the skillet and magico, presto a wonderful, steaming plate of bacon and eggs would be presented. That was Satan’s plan. He would simply have us be whatever he wanted, with no individuality, no freedom, no agency; however, he would guarantee that we would go to the next phase of our existence as resurrected beings and live forever never changing, never wanting, never thinking for ourselves. We would lose all we came to earth to gain.

We live in a happy, scary, confusing, world full of contradictions and mistrust. My goal is to stay close to God, be sufficiently spiritually strong, and adequately learned, to focus on the joys of my family, my nation, my God, and my life and truly endure to the end.

God bless us all as we grapple with the opportunities for growth we find on our path.

Duane Jacobs, Grandfather, husband, father, uncle, cousin, brother, and friend

 

 

 

Perspective

November 9, 2014

I am not sure I will get my point across so here it is. We have the greatest opportunity of our eternal journey and it is for a brief second in the annals of time. Our job is to use every second of our life looking for positive, meaningful opportunities to bless the lives of those around us. I spent a few minutes reading the words to the hymn, “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” this morning during the Sacrament portion of Church. In a nutshell it shouts from the heavens that our job is to Love God, love Jesus Christ, Love our fellow beings, and love yourself. Anything negative, messy, or uncouth, is simply a ploy by Satan and his minions to make us unhappy, bitter, and cold.

On Friday I was visiting with my son, David as he repaired my computer. I had gone off the reservation and picked up all kinds of nasty viruses, cookies, and other nasty gremlin and managed to make my laptop computer impossible to live with. He taught me all kinds of great and glorious ways to avoid these nasty creatures which I promptly forgot. While we sat I visited with several of the most outstanding children ever to come to earth. (Well, perhaps they just seem that way because they are my grandkids) All was well until Cason started running a little temperature and complaining of a stomach ache. Because we were in a household of believers, Cason consented to a Priesthood blessing and David and gave him that blessing. Words of comfort and love were shared and after some time and appropriate “gas” medication he was right back to his marvelous five-year old self.

A face book comment from David J about how tough it was to having Cason inherit his dad’s bad stomach gene got my mind rushing around looking for things we had in common through either genetics, or culture. Then the thought hit me like a bolt of excitement and I responded to Dave’s post with the thought that Cason may have inherited a bad stomach gene; however, he also inherited a myriad of positive, wonderful genetic traits and will continue to build wonderful new chapters in his life because of the environmental and cultural experiences of which he is surrounded.  

On several occasions my use of words has been challenged and my very honor has come into question; at least from the perspective of one who doesn’t like being on the wrong side of circumstances, no matter the question. Pride and embarrassment have an enormous effect on most mere mortals and I am no exception. Words have vastly divergent meanings and interpretations which change with time and culture.

The word “gay” is a rising star in the evolution of words; coming from songs of happiness, cheerful banter, and generally happy reference to the generally accepted term for homosexual men. Having several friends named Gay and many other friends who are “gay” creates interesting conversations. One fellow who I enjoyed eating lunch with while I was a professor at Salt Lake Community College was “gay”, or homosexual. After being married for many years and raising several children he determined that his role in life should be changed and he changed his world. He was a delightful fellow and we had great conversations regarding building designs, sports, etc. More than one person quietly suggested that I was getting tarred with the same brush by association. My suggestion is that those individuals who look for the wrong meanings will certainly find them.

The word “ethereal” is another that has evolved radically from an adjective representing airy, theoretical, speculative constructs, to one which represents godly, inspired, heavenly parts of reality. On a visit to another congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I used the word in making a classroom comment. The comment and the word were understood as if I were some kind of apostate, declaring that God was a mythical element.  Perspective, again, has a profound impact on what we think we hear and understand. If someone wants to find something tawdry, unwise, sinful, ignorant, or dumb, they will certainly be successful in their quest.

My goal from this day forward is to look at everything as a blessing of happiness for me, my family, and all those around me. I love life and all its inherent challenges. May God bless each of us to live a joyful, meaningful life.

Duane Jacobs, husband, Grandfather, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend

After all we can Do

November 2, 2014

Jean and I were at Wendy’s for our Friday night date and we sat across the aisle from four young ladies. One had a pretty red flower in her hair and after I asked them how they were doing she began motioning and singing. Her “helper” told us that although she couldn’t say much more than she had, the girl was thanking us for talking to her and telling us she was going to a party to dance. The other girl and her “helper” sat quietly, but contented that all was going well with the pleasantries.

Recently a wonderful young man returned from a Genealogy Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, where he spent his days and evenings helping people search out their ancestry. He gave the full measure of his strength, his love, and his testimony in this service. Back home now, he will continue to grow and learn as we all must so we can continue to do all we can do.

Frequently I see individuals like my friend and neighbor Bill who have lived marvelous lives and now find themselves unable to do the things they have so enjoyed over the years. Should they simply stop and let others take over or should they keep moving forward. The answer to this is to do what Bill has done. He continually goes to Church, visits with neighbors, shares his wonderful stories, creates new and exciting electronic gadgets, and everything else he can do to truly express his love for his wife, his family, and God.

Words from the bible and the Book of Mormon keep rolling around in my head. In Matthew, Corinthians, timothy, Hebrews, etc Christ and the apostles and prophets continually encourage us to stay the course; to never give up; to endure to the end. Christ tells us in Matthew 10:22, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” What should we do to ensure we are doing all we can do? We know that man has an incredible ability to forget God and worship the things of the world. History is replete with tragedy after tragedy in which man, thinking his plan is supreme to God’s takes matters into his own hands, becomes rich, arrogant, entangled, intoxicated with the power he esteems himself to possess; then, falls like a dead leaf in October. Our job is to overcome the desire to fall away and follow the people in the great and spacious building in committing war against the Holy Ghost, our Savior Jesus Christ, and God.

I am a slow learner; one of those who take two steps forward and one back. Hopefully, I won’t get to the point where I take one forward and two back as I have seen some of my friends do in recent days. I watch with anguish as wonderful people get caught in the Humanist mode, thinking that they are immune to the consequences of living outside the bounds which God has set. I have seen individuals go from loving, caring, kids; to raging junkies, willing to lie, murder, and steal, for that next fix, that next bit of excitement, or that next opportunity to play Russian roulette with their very lives. Most lose badly and the end is never want they wished.

To those who cast of fears of being despised and scorned for their love of God, I salute you. For those who feel unworthy of God’s love, I give you my solemn understanding that God is not a respecter of persons; that his plan of Eternal happiness is marvelous and is for all of us. Little children, adults, and seniors all are kept carefully his wing. Our job is to reach out to those in need, listen to the promptings we each have; then act by helping to bless the lives of others.

God bless each of us as we reach out in love to those less fortunate.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friends

If I were a rich man

October 26, 2014

It is very intriguing to go back in one’s mind and select out the times and places where we made decisions, intentionally or otherwise which made the path of our existence what it has become, and by extension who we are today. Like so many youth today I was not real excited about who I was. I had fears that people didn’t like me because of my Hispanic looks and genealogy. I had fears that those of my mother’s generation who had remained with the Catholic Church thought we, as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were not Christians. In fact, once when I was about seventeen my Aunt Marian got my mother aside and asked her if she still believed in Jesus Christ after her conversion. They both laughed with relief when my mother was able to restate the name of the Church, showing how we take his name. I was afraid girls wouldn’t like me because I stuttered, because I looked like a hick, and because that is what boys who are shy as I was think girls will think of them. Last week I shared a story about my spilling oil on a girl at a bus stop. Jean, my wife, chided me for thinking I was real cute and being a smarty about the incident. No, I was just being a fourteen year old and experimenting with life’s toys.

Each experience we have in life changes us; even if ever so slightly, as we mature and hopefully gain wisdom. Because I was color blind, dyslectic, a stuttered, was concerned about what people thought about me, and all the other things mortals concern themselves about, I learned over time that those things had absolutely nothing to do with who I was, what I would become, or how others would perceive me. I learned that I had a loving family, an absolutely fabulous country in which to enjoy all the freedoms God has given to man, and most importantly, I had God the Eternal Father, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost on my team to bless me, encourage me, and nudge me back to the Spirit of Christ. I have learned that we have a mission to fulfill while in mortality. One of the most important things we can do is look to the Holy Ghost for inspiration offering us opportunities to share our love, our time, talents, and all that we have in helping to provide assistance for others of God’s children. That is our mission. If we get rich, if we are born good looking, if we have all the talent of the most prominent scientist, or writer and do not following the promptings to find and share with those less fortunate, we have failed our mission.

Fiddler on the roof includes a song talking about what life would be like if he was a rich man. Undoubtedly this thought has spawned thinking by most of mankind and lead to diverse activities necessary to achieve that mythical goal. The Fountain of Youth, the Seven Cities of Cibola and millions of other equally elusive legends have intrigued and beguiled humans over the years. The ironic twist to this never-ending drama is that regardless of the amount of temporal wealth one has, it is never enough. There is always a new challenge, a new horizon, another fountain of youth. The happiness, satisfaction, success, prestige, and acknowledgement is never enough and frustration, disappointment, and losses of family and friends become the only change in life.

Recently Jon Huntsman, Sr. was interviewed by Glenn Beck regarding his new book, “Barefoot to Billionaire”. The most important thing in his life is passing it on; in providing for future generations wishing to eliminate demons like Cancer. He has already given over one billion dollars to cancer research and intends to die broke after having given away all his temporal wealth. Why? His rewards from this life are his wife, his children, his God, and his love for all mankind. He is indeed a man who has reached the pinnacle of success - he has, on Maslow’s hierarchy, achieved complete understanding of the role of self actualization and God’s love for him and all mankind. With everything money can buy, his goal is no different than that of Jesus Christ who told us to Love God, love our fellowmen; and love ourselves.

If we want personal peace, understanding of God, satisfaction that we have achieved our mortal goal, we need to make service, charity, and sharing become one of our highest priorities.

God bless each of us as we strive to make life just a little better for those around us.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend

Reenactment play

October 19, 2014

One of the most interesting stories about a story I have ever seen is a retake on Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice”. This tale has a young, assertive British girl and Elizabeth B. from the original tale swapping lives, times in history, and historic roles. Lizzie is obviously a figment of Austin’s creative mind and modern “Jane” is real flesh and blood. Never mind the obvious practicalities of this tale, the fiction based on fiction sticks and they permanently reverse roles and live happily ever after. I believe we are here in our earthly bodies for a very specific purpose; that we need to seek out that purpose and enjoy the incredible ride.

One of the great blessings of living in the twentieth century is our freedom; our God given right to explore our potential, our wants, desires, and fortunes. In times past many lives – probably most – were spent in complete servitude to survival. Adults worked endless hours, days, and years providing for the basic needs of life the physiological needs. In modern society when water boarding is used and called torture it is successful because when we are deprived of (or we perceive to be deprived) of air, food, shelter, we go into survival mode and will do and say anything to escape the deprivation. Watch from a mental perch as one of your loved ones is deprived of food or safety. Many stories of bears ravaging children emerge yearly and when the incident is explored, the bear is found to have acted out of just those same needs – protection and preservation of family.

In Brittan during the 1800’s pick pockets and other thieves were using the same primal urges to assist their families in a battle for survival. When individuals were caught and hanged in the public square to show the power of the crown, large crowds gathered to enjoy the spectacle. No secret here; during these hangings which were for the express purpose of suppressing crime, pick pockets roamed and took of their daily needs by lifting the burden of riches from those in the crowd. How like we are to them today as we (society) make those less fortunate pay dearly when they deviate from the social expectations of the day.  Imagine a young man joining the Marines at 18, serving three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, given orders and instructions in becoming a “sniper” and killing many people who he could see clearly through his scope. Five years later he dreads going to sleep at night because each face, each rifle shot, each command to shoot and kill, plays back in his mind and he relives the killing, believing that he has committed the unpardonable sin of killing. No matter the phrase, justifiable shoot and good kill, the mental tapes of agony and loss of his soul continue to play.

Not able to work because he can’t sleep or concentrate, he moves to “just a little” recreational medication, finds many medical practices willing to supply him with legal drugs, and finally goes for the street drugs which he feels will help make the horror go away. Nothing works and he becomes just another statistic in the abyss of medical and social crisis that is soon forgotten.

I don’t want this burden to be simply shunted off to the Government. I want each and every one of us to consciously seek out and bless the lives of those who so suffer. They are not blank faces of unknown persons. They are not fictitious persons like those in “Pride and Prejudice”. They are men and women of every ilk and family. They are, in many instances, your brothers and sisters; your aunts and uncles; your mothers and fathers. They are all children of God. Military, civilian, foreign, domestic, children of color or Lillie whites; male or female; friend or foe; we have a solemn obligation while we are under God’s roof to take care of those who have burdens larger than their capacity to accommodate. As Frank Yoder often says, our job is to help provide a helping hand that will lift and assist those in need as they grow into the demands of their life circumstances.

God bless each of us as we listen to the Spirit, read and understand the great message of Jesus Christ to Love God, Love our fellow man, and love ourselves as his children.

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend

The nature of mortality

October 12, 2014

 

I have been looking at my life all wrong. When I get up in the morning, I look in the mirror and see some old geezer. I have no idea where he came from except that he is in my house with my wife, and our collection of memories all around. When I look out through my eyes, or my memory, I see myself as 25, or thirty, going full tilt, making plans for the next seventy, or so years. When I awaken from my delusion, I see that all that water has passed under the bridge and it is 2014, my father would be 107 and my mother 97 if they were still earthlings so I must be in my seventies. Wow! What a ride we have had. The rest of my mortality is nothing less than a gift of time so that I can get a few things right before I have to face God.

 

I watch with keen intensity as my mind takes me back to various scenarios in which one, or more people in my past have been in the “done me wrong” category. In one incidence I recall my brother Glenn coming home on the bus with a note of reprimand from someone, or other. No, that’s not correct. Actually he got home only to be followed to door by a very irate person who claimed he did such and such. I don’t remember what it was or why the person was so upset. The person, a woman I believe, gave mother a gigantic tongue lashing and I having absolutely no knowledge of the situation found it necessary to step up to the door and protect mother and deny any and all of her assertions. Of course this did nothing to solve the problem, made mother embarrassed, and angry with me for interfering. Looking back it felt like the right thing to do.

 

Another time I was at the bus stop on 12^th north heading to Madison School for seventh grade. Several of us were waiting at the bus stop, when this service truck jumped right out in front of me with a large oil can sitting in plain sight. I had a great desire to make sure everything worked so in my attention to duty I went over to it and smacked the handle real hard. The handle went down and the oil squirted way up in the air. I thought my job of ensuring it operability had been successful. As soon as we got to school we those of us who had been at the bus stop were called into the hall next to the principal’s office where we were grilled and inspected for a few minutes; then, all but me were sent back to their classrooms. It seems like in ensuring the oil can worked properly the oil from that squirt had landed squarely on a young ladies blouse; she had gone home called her mother and the sinful truth came out in spades.

 

The truth would be much more manageable if those were the only incidences in my life in which my judgment had been less than accurate. In fact as I put on my memory glasses and look back I see literally thousands of times when what I  perceived to have happened, compared to how it was perceived by others my mind blurs and becomes murky and I really don’t want to even acknowledge that was me in the making.

 

My job as a father, husband, elder statesman, curmudgeon, and restless seasoned citizen is to “school my feelings” and share what I can of my experience in assisting the next generation and the next in avoiding some of the foolish errors in thinking and doing in my life. One of the significant things I wish to work on in the next few years is assisting our family in having some written memories and current associations with one another. As a first start in this venture I have attached a note I wrote to my cousins on my mother’s side to provide some idea of what the heck I am talking about.

 

 mis primos

 

I have visited with Eugenia, Glenn, Lydia, Orlando, Clara Jo, Marie, and siblings of Lynda over the past few months and one thing is certain - the ageing and completion of our earthly mission. Edwina, Valentine, Roger, Billy, Lynda, to my knowledge have gone home to that God who gave us life. The rest of us are well into our later life and many in not the best of health. So, this is a cheery little note that makes me feel like we may be able to show respect and love to our parents and grandparents by taking a small leaf from their book. Over their lifetimes of diverse, difficult, and dramatic lives they were bonded with a love eternal.

 

My proposal is very simple. If those of you who receive this note with its interesting attachments would be so kind as to pass it on to those whose email addresses I do not know, or who we will need to correspond via snail mail; then, share from time to time with your children and grandchildren, we would be able to form a very, very loose, but living family tree. When Clara Jo visited as mother was passing, and then recently called she was, in essence saying her good byes. This just might be a way of providing an avenue for our decedents to have a knothole view into the lives of others who share their same marvelous history and genealogy. I have attached a note from one of Clara Jo's children, Jamie, which should stir some interest in other descendants and some great writing (both the handwriting and the prose) from Uncle Eleseo.

 

So, I am going to send a very short note every month with the hope that most, or all of you will join in and we can continue the marvelous blessing our parents gave us.

 

Thank you for being my friends and my family. God bless you as you serve others.

 

Duane Jacobs, grandfather, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend