Welcome to My World: August 2008

Saturday, August 30, 2008

And We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun...'til we have to make the drive away

I just finished up my active duty military family medicine rotation at Madigan Army Medical Center in Ft. Lewis, WA. It was an amazing experience!!! I loved it. I loved it even more because I was able to take my sweetheart and my two mini-me's along for the trip. It really felt like a vacation for the most part- even during the actual rotation. It didn't feel like work most of the time. I was doing something I really enjoyed and finally in a favorable position with the Army. It's been a long-haul getting the Army to accept me into the scholarship program, and it was such a sweet feeling being on active duty status (even if temporarily) with the military and training at one of their best facilities in the specialty field I've come to love and adore- family medicine. The staff physicians and residents had fantastic, upbeat, genuinely friendly personalities which made the rotation such a fun and non-pressured environment to learn.

Now, I have to travel back home, and it's sad because no matter how much I want to train at this facility and no matter how much the staff want me there, it is ultimately up to the Army to fill all of their programs as proportionately as possible meaning that getting to train in family medicine won't be a issue, but getting to go to the location I would like the most (Madigan) for residency could be.

Michelle and I are currently in Boise, ID again, but now on the way back to Missouri. We plan on stopping in Cheyenne, WY tomorrow night, and then Monday will finish the last leg of the trip. As sad as I am to leave Madigan, and my extended family in WA, it will be nice to sleep in my own bed and no longer fishing for clothes out of the suitcase (instead I look forward to fishing for them from the hamper and floor like old-times ;-P)

Friday, August 1, 2008

I'm Going to Boise, Idaho!!!!!!!

Well, actually, we got into Boise last night on our way to Washington. We had a fairly uneventful trip. As expected, Jacob is STILL not a fan of being in the car for hours. Lizzy did better than Jacob. She slept quite a bit and was happily playing with the tag attached to Jacob's travel tray the rest of the time. Jacob, on the other hand, fussed for over an hour before finally falling asleep in the car towards the end of the trip, then he woke up after 45 minutes only to fuss the rest of the way to Boise. The kid's a turkey! He did get some wrestling time in with Dad last night. I think it helped wear out some of the pent-up energy in the boy. He slept well last night.

But hey, gotta run. We gotta checkout and get on the road to Washington today. I'll leave you with a picture that Michelle took at one of the rest stops yesterday:

Spiritual Thought

The Lord’s prophets have always called for UNITY. There are principles we are following as a people which are leading to greater unity.

One of those principles is revelation. Revelation is the only way we can know how to follow the will of the Lord together. It requires light from above.

A second principle to guide our progress to become one is to be humble. Pride is the great enemy of unity. You have seen and felt its terrible effects. Just days ago I watched as two people—good people—began with a mild disagreement. It started as a discussion of what was true but became a contest about who was right. Voices become gradually louder. Faces became a little more flushed. Instead of talking about the issue, people began talking about themselves, giving evidence why their view, given their great ability and background, was more likely to be right.

Happily I am seeing more and more skillful peacemakers who calm troubled waters before harm is done. You could be one of those peacemakers, whether you are in the conflict or an observer. One way I have seen it done is to search for anything on which we agree. The great peacemaker, the restorer of unity, is the one who finds a way to help people see the truth they share. That truth they share is always greater and more important to them than their differences. That same principle applies as we build unity with people who are from vastly different backgrounds. The children of God have more in common than they have differences. And even the differences can be seen as an opportunity. God will help us see a difference in someone else not as a source of irritation but as a contribution. The Lord can help you see and value what another person brings which you lack.

That leads to another principle of unity. It is to speak well of each other. Think of the last time you were asked what you thought about how someone else was doing in your family or in the Church. For instance, suppose someone asks you what you think of the new bishop. As we get better and better at forging unity, we will think of a scripture when we hear that question: “And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.” Realizing that you see others in an imperfect light will make you likely to be a little more generous in what you say. In addition to that scripture, you might remember your mother saying ”If you can’t say anything good about a person, don’t say anything at all.”

That will help you look for what is best in the bishop’s performance and character. The Savior, as your loving judge, will surely do that as He judges your performance and mine. The scripture and what you heard from your mother may well lead you to describe what is best in the bishop’s performance and his good intent. I can promise you a feeling of peace and joy when you speak generously of others in the Light of Christ. You will feel, for instance, unity with that bishop and with the person who asked your opinion, not because the bishop is perfect or because the person asking you shares your generous evaluation. It will be because the Lord will let you feel His appreciation for choosing to step away from the possibility of sowing seeds of disunity.
-President Henry B. Eyring, Oct 2008 General Conference

Welcome to My World

Saturday, August 30, 2008

And We'll Have Fun, Fun, Fun...'til we have to make the drive away

Friday, August 1, 2008

I'm Going to Boise, Idaho!!!!!!!

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