Summer solstice 2025

In a few hours here on the East coast it will be the summer solstice. The solstice moment is universal, happening at the same instant worldwide. This week my family and I traveled to the East Coast. It is not very often that you can see such a beautiful sunset from a small plane window. Thought I would share in part of my observance of this years summer solstice. 

 

First Father's Day without my father.

Today was my first fathers' Day without my father. It has almost been a year since he passed away. Hard to believe it has been that long. Remember like it was yesterday when we had him over to our home for Father's Day dinner last year. Like always, he came over to dinner that Sunday with his suit and tie on. I miss him. I went hiking this weekend as part of my tribute to him for Father's Day. He was an extremely difficult hike. Camped at the Timpanogos trailhead up Provo Canyon and woke up early in the morning in an attempt to make it as close to the summit as possible. Mount Timpanogos was one of my dad's favorite mountains. Here are some photos from the hike. 

Didn't quite make it to the summit because of the danger of climbing across the snow, but instead jumped in Emerald lake at the base of the glacier. One of the best polar plunges I've done.

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This morning in Church I heard one of the most beautiful prayers. Here is my best attempta to transcribe the words:

"Our Father in heaven on this day, when fathers are being remembered and honored, we honor you, the Father from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. As you've told us, see what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are. 

Father, we thank you for our fathers, for their sacrifices, for their example, their care, their counsel, their presence in our lives. May we honor them through our words and deeds. 

 
For those who don't have good memories of their fathers, we pray that they would be strengthened with power through your Spirit in their lives. We pray for patience, to understand, particularly to forgive, encourage to stand fast, in the truth of the gospel. 

For those fathers, who are estrange from a child or children, for anyone who is unreconciled with their own father, would you bring to pass this promise you gave us in Malach. "And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers." 

For those who have never known their father, can they be more aware than ever that you are the father of the fatherless, that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from your love. in Jesus Christ's name, our Lord. Amen."

SACRED SITES: Ancient and Modern, Natural and Manmade.

Our Belated 30th Wedding Anniversary Trip:

Last year, we planned a special trip to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, but unforeseen family events delayed our travel. This year, we finally were able to explore the beauty and sacred locations in England, Scotland, and Ireland.  Here’s a glimpse of some of the photos (just 20 of 1000's) I took of the incredible places we visited

Lincoln Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral

Durdle Door Beach

Durdle Door Beach

Durdle Door Beach

Durdle Door Beach

Seven Sisters, South Coast of England

Kilchurn Castle with Highland Cows

Glastonbury Tor

Chalice Well, Glasonbury

Newgrange, Ireland

Fountains Abbey, England

Rosslyn and Chapel, Scotland

Scottish Highlands

Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Stonehenge, England

Peace and Alignment

Expect turbulent waters. APRIL 6 - A significant day.

 

Today is April 6th. Since I wasn't able to hike on the Spring Equinox, today was the best day to make up for it. While never easy to wake up in the middle of night and drive a long distance to a trailhead, reaching a peak in time to see the sunrise is always worth it.  A few photos from this morning. 

Just read this and thought it was important to share today: 

"Expect turbulent waters. But you can still be at peace because of Him. This is the message that Joseph Smith’s restored gospel is trying to get across to us: an immediate, accessible, proximate Lord and Savior who understands and comprehends what you are going through and what you will go through and has the ability to sucor you in your every need. It doesn’t mean your burdens are gonna go away. It means your burdens are gonna be made understandable to you so that what you experience is acceptable and does not harm your soul. Despite turmoil, you can find peace.

 What Christ acquired through His suffering was knowledge and understanding of everything you have or will ever go through or suffer. He understands. But He doesn’t understand that in order for you to simply be the passive recipient of a blessing that He confers as a consequence of what He went through. He went through it so He can guide you to the same end. There is no magic fairy dust. You must rise up. You must overcome sin. You must leave behind you the things that bring about guilt and remorse. He has finished His preparations. And now the Righteous (who has knowledge of how to bring you through that) can guide you, can lead you, can succor you in your affliction so that you too can overcome that portion of the world that you have to contend with.

 He's gonna wipe away every tear, and He's gonna defeat the grave. But that can't make us individually worthy. The only way that we can become individually worthy is if we do as He instructs us to do, acknowledge our own many shortcomings, and then turn around to face God and leave behind us all the things that are unworthy, unacceptable, disobedient; all of our jarrings; all of our contentions; all of our pride; all of our efforts to raise ourselves at the expense of others; all of our ambition, our desire for control and compulsion and dominion, our desire to be profiting at the expense of others. In many respects, it requires Zion for us to fully repent, and yet Zion requires us to be something very different than what we are."

 excerpts from the Preface of the Volume 8 - 2022-2023 of the Teaching of DS 

The 2025 Spring Equinox Hike that never happened. (Viewer Discretion advised.)

Dedicated to my wife and my mom—the two Wisdoms in my life.

The Spring Equinox has always held deep significance for me, not only because it symbolizes life and renewal but also because it marks my mother’s birthday. Observing the equinoxes and solstices—four pivotal days in the year—is something I have always enjoyed. For over a decade, I have observed the Spring Equinox by going on a sunrise hike in the mountains. I usually share photos from my experience, and this year, a few people asked if I had gone on my hike and, if so, why I hadn’t posted any pictures.

The truth is, I wasn’t able to go this year. I hadn’t planned on sharing this, but after some thought, I decided to do so.

A few weeks before the equinox, I woke up with a sharp pain in my left leg, just below the knee. When I looked down, I saw a large bite mark. The area around it was swollen, inflamed, and discolored.

At first, I didn’t mention it to my wife. I assumed it would heal on its own. But as the days passed, the inflammation worsened. The swelling spread down my leg, affecting my ankle and foot, making it painful to wear shoes.

Following the advice of the Wisdoms in my life, I went to an urgent care clinic. The doctors asked if I had seen what bit me. I am not sure what did..but it was something. Unfortunately, I hadn’t found it.

I received several shots to treat the infection, but a few days later, my leg wasn’t improving. I had to return to the doctor, who ordered an ultrasound to check for a potential blood clot. Thankfully, there was no clot, but I was warned to monitor it closely. If my condition didn’t improve, I was to go to the hospital immediately.

Little by little, with the help of anti-inflammatory medication and additional treatments, the swelling began to subside. It took nearly three weeks for my leg to return to normal.

Lately I have thought a lot about this experience.

What should someone do if they find something potentially harmful in their home? Bites with severe reactions like mine are rare. Many would simply kill whatever it was on the spot. 

My daughter, however, has a heart of gold. She won’t even harm a fly.  Time and again, I’ve seen her carefully scoop up insects and release them outside, returning them to the earth where they belong.

This made me think hypothetically: 

What if there were a structured, fair process for safely removing something from a home? Imagine if, after following that process, someone still felt it hadn’t been done correctly. What if they insisted on bringing whatever it was back inside, claiming the process that was followed was flawed? Would those living in the home feel safe?

Would it be righteous to prioritize the procedure over the well-being of the household? Or what if we  say, “They will do what they will do,” and allow the it stay in our home. Just don't get to close to it or aggravate it. 

What kind of a father or husband am I if I didn't do anything, and just let that thing stay in my home. What if it attacked again and bit my wife and daughter.

Sidenote: 

My wife and I recently watched the movie Braveheart. This is the 30 year anniversary release of this historical movie epic directed by and starring Mel Gibson. It tells the story of William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who leads a rebellion against England’s oppressive rule in the late 13th century. After the brutal murder of his wife by English soldiers, Wallace unites the Scottish clans in a fight for freedom against King Edward I ("Longshanks"). I was inspired to see the sacrifice that William Wallace made in the defence of his wife and his people.  If only there were more men like William Wallace today. 

REMEMBER YOUR VOCATION

Morning sunrise over the Wasatch Mountains.

A vocation is a calling or a sense of purpose that drives someone toward a specific path in life. The term comes from the Latin word "vocatio," meaning "a call" or "summons," and it traditionally carries a sense of being drawn to work that aligns with one’s values, talents, or passions. Too often, we forget our vocation and get distracted on other things. 

I appreciated the wake up call this weekend to remember my vocation. 

IT IS A GIFT TO EXIST and WITH EXISTENCE COMES SUFFERING

Some photos and thoughts from evening hike up to Guardsman Pass last weekend.

Solace: 

comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness. 

It is a gift to exist. And with existence comes suffering. There is no escaping that. But, if you are grateful for your life - which I think is a positive thing to do, though not everyone feels that way, and I certainly don't always feel it myself-  then you have to be grateful for all of it. You can't pick and choose what your grateful for.

So, what do you gain from loss and suffering? You gain an awareness of other people's losses, which allows you to connect with them. This connection enables you to love more deeply and understand what it’s like to be human. You can then relate to others and love them in a profound way that not only accepts the fact that we all suffer, but also makes you grateful for your own suffering, for it gives you the ability to truly understand others.

It’s about embracing the fullness of your humanity. What’s the point of being here, of being human, if you can’t be the most human you can be? I’m not talking about being the “best” human, but the “most” human. That means acknowledging—and ultimately being grateful for.. EVERYTHING - even the things I wish hadn’t happened, because they gave me a gift.  

(adapted quote by Stephen Colbert)

GLIMMERS OF HOPE vs TRIGGERS OF FEAR

Photo of sunrise over the Wasatch Mountains

I read the following advice this morning that I thought I would share: 

If you want to decrease stress, start paying attention to your "glimmers".

Glimmers are the opposite of triggers. They're those tiny moments of joy, awe and peace that cue our nervous system to feel safe, calm and connected.

Once you start looking for them, you will see them everywhere ...

To combat stress and cultivate inner peace, focus on cultivating and appreciating your "glimmers"—those small moments of joy, wonder, and tranquility that soothe your nervous system.

Unlike stressors that trigger anxiety, glimmers signal safety and connection, fostering a sense of calm. These moments, often overlooked in the rush of daily life, are abundant once you begin actively seeking them out. 

Glimmer to me has always meant slight, minimal, and hardly unrecognizable. We all witness "glimmers" in our life but often times choose to view only the negative "triggers" 

The world we live in often seems fixated on highlighting the "triggers", and it can feel heaving when those consume our thoughts and minds. The recent tragic fires in California have not helped.  Fear, stress, and anxiety are just a few of the many names that reflect "the accuser". But hope, peace and comfort are "glimmers" that reflect the Lord. 

HOLY **** !

 Just when I thought the reconstruction of the Salt Lake Temple could not get worse. We are now going on six years since the beginning of the "Reconstruction" of the Temple. For those of you who are unable to see the current state of the Temple right now, I share the below photos.  High above the Temple between the spires, there are now eight port-a-potties positioned above the temple. (See lower left in the below photo). I have zoomed in so you can see up closer these Honey Buckets)

I had friend email me a photo of the temple and said this when he saw the portable toilets on top of the temple and said the following: 

Those are the only two words to describe this scene. Literally. 

(or maybe two other words -Desecration and Defecation)

 (btw: the large crane was partially photoshopped out of the photo) 

GRATEFUL THAT 2024 IS OVER!

It's been a while since my last post, but I wanted to kick off the New Year by sharing a quote from Orson Ferguson Whitney that perfectly captures the year 2024 for me.

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven.”

Despite the challenges and hardships of the past year, there were also some truly beautiful moments. Below are a few photos I never got around to posting from some hikes and experiences in 2024. The first photo probably best represents what 2024 felt like. My wife took it while hiking behind me.

With all that said, I felt it was important to share this today. This morning, I woke up with a heart full of hope and gratitude. I’m feeling incredibly optimistic for what 2025 has in store

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Sidenote:

Last night, my wife and I watched the movie Mary on Netflix.  I hesitate to recommend it. The creators took GREAT artistic licensing and I found some of the content to be disturbing, especially how they portrayed the angel Gabriel as well as some other scenes. But that being said, I appreciated the contrast between the virgin Mary to the King Herod. Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Herod the Great was incredible. It shows what the  insatiable lust for power can do to a man. 

Here is the trailer to the movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d74vHvsACSs