Dear Family, Friends, and the Undecided

Dear Family, Friends, and the Undecided,

A few of you have inquired why I include the undecided in my greeting, and here is the answer: some that receive this may not know me very well, or are just getting a handle on who I am (as I am); hence a decision has not yet been made on what exactly to classify me as. Some may have a few categories of there own such as: Crazy Loon, Crank or my personal favorite of Space Cadet. (Don’t ask me the difference between Crazy Loon and Space Cadet; it is a very fine line.) With that out of the way, how are all of you? I must say, it has been wonderful how many of you I have heard from this week. I love each of you for different reasons, and some I have not seen face to face in a very long time, so to have an opportunity to share a glimpse into your life is something I treasure. There is so much each and everyday that I see, observe or come in contact with that I desire to share with each of you. In that vein, I created a blog in which to share. Consider this as my own version of product placement: PLEASE VIEW MY BLOG. (By the way, this letter is also posted there weekly) There is tons of cool stuff that you will enjoy, besides my blathering on. As a favor to me, tell me what you think. Also, I purchased a digital camera awhile ago so all of you would have a chance to view some of the things I make reference to on occasion. (HINT: This is another plug) Links to both can be found under the signature of my email.

I enjoy vegetable gardening very much, and this is my favorite part of the year, the harvest. It is a culmination of a summer of hard work and tender loving care. It helps the scriptures to come alive and strikes a practical and far reaching note that remains with an individual. It has shown me the importance nourishing one another and protecting against life’s storms. Most rewarding is partaking of the fruit that is blessed to flourish due to these efforts. Nothing tastes better than fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden. This weekend we made Salsa, a tradition of sorts. I also had a chance to roast some peppers. Debra, my sister, usually leads the charge in terms of bottling and managing our bounty but as he is in New Mexico, we have soldiered on without her. She is still crying about not having access to fresh tomatoes. (The sacrifices we are called to make in life.) There are pictures of the garden included with my photos if any of you are interested.

Note that I am not a parent, but is there anything better than children? During sacrament today, Brett Lyman’s son would sneak up on me while I wasn’t paying attention and then giggle when I would catch him. Brother Adam’s youngest and I were having a gay old time making faces at one another and playing peek-a-boo. It is the smiles and enthusiasm of those young ones that breathe new life and hope into my life. As they partake of the sacrament, it becomes quite the event. I think sacrament cups were designed for the pure entertainment of three year olds.

School is going well. I am immersing myself this semester; I am so taken with the material I am studying this semester. So many exciting things are happening in the world of information. It fills me with a desire to further continue my education, especially in terms of history. I love to study the lives of individuals and societies and how they have shaped each of our lives. I am spending part of my time as of late seeking out a job, preparing for life after school. I would love to stay in Colorado, but am open to positions throughout the West. My future is filled with new adventures that I am looking forward to. Who knows where I will end up, but I will most definitely be glad to be there.

In closing, any of you that have written me who I have not yet replied to, don’t worry, I will write you as soon as I can. If you could do me a favor, feel free to pass this along to anyone who knows me that you feel might enjoy knowing what’s going on in my life. As always, my love and prayers go out to each of you, and I miss you dearly. Take care.


Love,

Steve

P.S. I read the following in a biography of President Joseph Fielding Smith that I feel expresses with succinctness how I feel about the importance of the written word:

Let a person hear a sermon or lecture or lesson, and no matter how good it is or how impressed he may be with it at the moment, a day or two later he is hard pressed to remember even what the subject of it was. Not so with words in print, and particularly a book. A book is there today, tomorrow and forever. It can be kept, handled, read and referred to as often as a person has need. It is lasting. If it is of value to begin with, then it is of lasting value, an influence for good through the years. Jobs, positions come and go, no matter how well or poorly filled, and who has occupied them the yesterday is forgotten tomorrow. But the book, the Word continues on.

Joseph Fielding Smith Jr.
The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith, page 210