Thoughts and stories, by Pal

 On July 4th, 1955 , which was 67 years ago today, my pen pal, Wayne D Eckman, to whom I had been writing while he was in the army -- came home from the United States Army, having been there with his identical twin brother, Blaine D Eckman for 21 months.  They both were on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from December 1950 to July 4th, 1953 .   We met on a blind date in August 1953, set up by a friend of mine from St. George who had married one of Wayne's friends in Murray, Utah.  We began writing the next May in 1954, when I had graduated from Dixie Junior College, with an Associate Degree.  We were married September 24, 1955, in the St. George Utah Temple.      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blogs 881, 1050, and 1146, 1244 and 1318  are all the same, with a few additions each year! --------------------------------------- I FIRST POSTED THIS July 4th, 2018,...

  This is one of the best articles I've read for quite a while! The Best Way to Motivate the Rebellious is to Get Out of God’s Way  By  Joseph Grenny  · June 29, 2022 The following is part 5 of a 5-part series. To read the previous part,  CLICK HERE . It was a cold and snowy December night in Utah. Seth was over eighteen at this point and had been living on his own for some time. This particular night he was staying with us. Three days before, he had begged for help to get off drugs. He had promised to do anything so he could. I told him—as we always did—that we would only help if we believed what we were doing would truly help. We were unwilling to rob him of the consequences of his choices. I explained we did not believe it was loving to keep someone from learning. But I added—as we always did—that if he was asking for help to turn his life around, there was nothing we would withhold. He assured me that turning his life around was the goal. I explained it woul...

  Latter-day Saint therapist: 7 principles amazing fathers practice By  Jonathan Decker, LMFT   June 14, 2019 01:28 PM MDT Twitter Pinterest Email Pr For daily gospel-based relationship insights, join Jonathan’s  Facebook group . To submit a question,  click here  or schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation  here . The lasting effects of a great father cannot be underestimated. I should know, because my dad is amazing. I say this neither to boast nor to gush, but rather because, in both my personal and professional opinion, he's got this dad thing pretty much figured out. Allow me to share seven fatherhood lessons that I learned from him (along with a few of my own thoughts). 7 Things Amazing Dads Do 1. Be a good man. Recognize the importance of your example. Your kids will do what you do, not what you say. If you want honest kids, be honest. If you want polite, gracious, patient, and forgiving kids, be polite, gracious, patient, and forgiving. ...

  Dealing with the Collateral Damage of Divorce   By  Jeff Teichert  · May 31, 2022 As you may know by now, we released our long-awaited book, “Intentional Courtship: a Mid-Singles Guide to Peace, Progress, and Pairing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” on November 5 th  2021, just over six months ago. Intentional Courtship contains a lot of counsel and information about coping with loss and recovery from pain and trauma through the power of intention. One of the most unanticipated and difficult consequences of divorce is the impact it has on our relationships with in-laws and mutual friends. Some families and friends handle this well, but most do not. In the church, we have such a dim view of divorce that we tend to subconsciously believe that giving compassion or support to someone getting divorced is condoning divorce. Often this motivates people to stay away or to try to determine who was at fault in the divorce and then take the ot...

 I have loved how Wilford Woodruff wrote "I went on my way rejoicing!" “And He Went on His Way Rejoicing”: Mental Health and the Spirit of God  By  Roger Connors  · June 3, 2022 As a mission president, you are constantly looking for ways to help missionaries cope with the anxiety and stress of life on a mission. While it can be incredibly rewarding, missionary work isn’t easy—particularly when life provides a surprise like a worldwide pandemic that literally increases the difficulty of missionary life in an instant. Add to that the normal challenges of mental and physical health that manifest at this age and the need becomes even clearer: mental health isn’t something you can just assume, it’s something you have to develop and maintain. [1] I remember being quite amazed at the missionary life of Wilford Woodruff. He participated in the difficult march with Zion’s camp, then chose to stay in Missouri to do missionary work. He was an amazing missionary, serving several...