Thoughts and stories, by Pal

For those of you who aren't aware -- later tonight, and also Feb. 25, 26, and 27th will be the online Family History -- www.rootstech.org! You will get the most out of it if you sign up -- for     FREE !  There are many helps, and ways you can watch great key-note speakers, etc. etc.  Go to the home page, and check it out!   I went about 3 years ago, and had to pay quite a  bit to attend, at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, and it wasn't easy to find a parking place, go up and down stairs between classes, and perhaps not get a seat in the class you were hurrying to attend! The videos etc., will be on the internet for 1 year!  I hope many of you will do this.  There are over 500,000 people signed up, all over the world, and the classes will be in 39 languages!  My friend, Donald Snow, who was a BYU Math teacher, and now teaches a lot of online classes, will be giving a fascinating lecture on Timelines. You will be able to check and see who of your relatives may also be there !

Today is a day to remember, and honor, as it is 5 years today that my dear eternal companion, Wayne D Eckman, passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning, without pain! He had been through open heart surgery, hip surgery, 10 months of dialysis, and radiation for esophageal cancer. His last 3 weeks were completely from a feeding tube, and oh how he loved to eat! Pictures are from a lot of phases of his life. Each one has a story to it. He loved life, sports, his family, the Gospel, etc. etc. and was so cheerful, congenial, loveable, and missionary minded! One thing many didn't know about him was his absolute love of Grand Opera. When he was on his first mission in Sweden 1950-1953, his Mission Pres. once said they were all going to the Swedish Grand Opera that night. Wayne said "All that screeching!" But that night he got hooked, and in Sweden alone he saw Madame Butterfly, Rigoletto, Aida, and Carmen, and perhaps others. Whenever an opera