No More Chicken!

I lived in a small town for nine years, and at least once a week I stopped in to the gas station to chat with Stan, the owner. He is a really nice guy. And he makes the best chicken I have ever had, really.

So, I am up in Morgan and I stop by to see Stan and wait until the first batch of chicken comes out of the oven.

No Stan. No cars. No trucks. No gas pumps. NO CHICKEN.

My heart sunk. I was so sad. So I went to the gas station across the street to get a drink. It didn't smell like Chicken Hut, it didn't have Stan standing there. It just wasn't the same.

Things change in life, and we need to be prepared for them. Kids move away, you change careers, you die.

Something inside me died today! But I know I will see Stan driving down the road, smiling and waving. And I will always have the memory of the chicken, the chicken strips and the conversations.

Amazing Author Site

Every now and then I meet someone that really sticks out. Some for the good, some for the bad. Recently at the LDStorymakers Conference I met Michele Ashman Bell. She is one that sticks out for the best. Not only was she very friendly, but is a friend of mine on an online group.

At the conference she gave me a copy of the book, A Modest Proposal. What a great book.

Now there is a problem loving this book. The problem is Michele is the author of almost 20 books. So, for Father's Day, Christmas, Birthday's etc., I am going to put her books on my want list.

Please read her books, they are great. Also, check out her blog at ttp://micheleabell.blogspot.com

Well, Glee had its moments, a few

I am not a t.v. critic and I never have been, but PLEASE. Glee, I have been waiting, Facebooking about it, and even blogged here about it, and there were some great moments, but....

Why did you have to have all of the hazing episodes that nothing ever happens to the responsible parties. The in the dumpster, putting the boy in the wheelchair in the porta potty. The paintball etc. In today's world, they would have been taken out of school.

Next, why did they have to show the words that kids wrote on the paper. They showed the words for a mans body part, a rear end and I didn't catch the others.

I have a nine year old that I set my DVR to record the show, but will not let her see that part.

Other than that, they set up a good show. I will watch the show, but I will not for much longer if this keeps up.

The music is good.

Glee

I first heard about the new t.v. show Glee a few months ago. It was talked about in a trade journal that I was reading on an airplane. I though, was a great idea for a show. But the trade journal didn't think a high school show that gets the misfits and the wannabes together to sing and dance could make a good show.

Then a few weeks ago the Fox Network started advertising it during American Idol and I thought they really had a good shot at a great show.

Tonight they are having the pilot episode shown right after the final of American Idol. This is a very huge move for Fox and for Glee. And a risky one. Risky because the new season is a couple of months away. Unless the pilot is VERY GOOD, people will quit talking about it and the show may go away before it starts.

I have read a lot of the reviews from t.v. critics from newspapers, magazines and online and almost everyone of them say Fox has a huge hit on their hands.

I am hoping, waiting and wanting this show to be a success. I have acted in musicals, co-wrote one, and love them. I hope others will like this show also.

Check out Glee's webpage at http://www.fox.com/glee/

Toe will heal

I was moving a couch by myself this last weekend. And I dropped the couch on my foot. I also didn't have any shoes on and it hurt, A LOT! I bent over in pain, and looked down. It broke my toenail and was already turning blue.

I will recover from this, and next time I am sure that I will do two things next time. Wear shoes and get help.

Sometimes in life we try to do to much, and we don't ask for help. There is always someone that is willing to help when we ask.

My toe will recover, and it will be fine. Life is like that. It hurts sometimes almost more than we can stand, but with help from friends, family and God we can put one foot in front of the other and get better.

A dear friend of mine just about gave up many years ago. Today, he is happy, successful, and loving life.

Quiet Time

As I am writing this, the only thing I hear in the room is my hands hitting the keyboard. I can't hear a t.v. or radio, or people walking or talking. It is nice to have quiet time from time to time.

Usually I write with a lot of things happening. The t.v. or the radio, or kids running around or people walking upstairs. I am glad those things happen, but not always.

When I am done, I am going to get on my knees and say my prayers. And I am going to listen. And I am going to listen some more. Sometimes I don't listen enough to the answers, or sometimes i don't listen at all.

I know that I get answers to my prayers, but either I think I am too busy to say them or too busy to hear the answers.

The Light

Have you ever struggled with things and then you figure out the answer much later. Like how the heck does bread end up in the bag. I know the answer, I watch How It's Made.

I have had questions about things my whole life. I think it is because I have ADD and I think about 100 things at a time.

Why did my mom and my dad have to both die from cancer? Why did I end up divorced? Why is there so much abuse, so much unhappiness, war. The list could go on for hours.

I have struggled with reasons that things happen and why they happen. Why someone does something and it hurts others instead of them.

Life does not seem fair sometimes, and I don't have the answers why.

But I do believe that things happen for a reason. All things. But I don't know why and someday I will have many questions that will be answered.

So, today I was at a meeting, and the light went on. A conversation from over 15 years ago finally made me realize what the person was trying to tell me.

Something that happened over four years ago, was not my fault, and I realize that.

Something that happened last week, happened for a reason, and the meeting I had today HAD to happen for me to realize things.

And the rock that I talked about before. It is starting to make perfect sense.

So, if you are having problems, pray! If you want the answers, start listening, and if all else fails, start believing.

The light will turn on, even if you think it is burnt out.

Be Happy Signs

I posted a note on my Facebook status today asking people to help me hold up signs that say, BE HAPPY. Guess how many people have said they would do it. NONE. How many people asked me if it would make them happy, more than zero.

I will make you happy. It will give you joy, and you will give others joy. How many times have you been down and low and you have seen something that made you smile. The kid playing at the park, the rain, the walk, the here it is, the smiling people holding signs that say, BE HAPPY.

If you don't believe that it works, make a cheap sign that says BE HAPPY and hold it up in front of your family, friends, church friends, take a photo of it and put it on your Facebook Status and it will make you smile, and them.

What do you have to lose, a smile.

It is a great day to be alive.

I was in my old hometown today. I ran two different newspapers there for nine years. I had to take this photo. It is at Steph's Drive in on main Street.

It says, It's a great day to be alive. It is.

People see positive, they act positive. People act positive, they live positive.

I wonder how many people were happy today because they saw that sign.

Thanks J.R. for running such a great place. GO LIVE!

Someday

Everything happens for a reason,
Different days, different seasons.

We don't always know why,
and we may never know.

People come and people go,
but memories stay.

The funny, the sad,
the mourning, the glad.

When I get to Heaven,
I have so many questions.

And the main one will be,
Why?

Why do we hurt,
Why do we grow.

Why can't we have everything
We want and we need.

The answers will come,
and it will become clear,

Someday,
but not today!

The Rock

Sometime in my life I had a very special rock. It looks like it is shaped something like a boat. A little background is needed for this story.
When I was nine years old, we moved to Spain for four years. And then after that we moved to Mississippi for two years. When we were moving to Spain my mom and step dad decided that we would store some things in the top of our house that we were renting out. Since they have both passed away since then, I can't ask them why. I don't know why they didn't think the attic would ruin these things.
Then last year when my mom died, I remodeled the entire house and put it up for sale. As the sale was ready to close there was an inspection done on the house and that is when I found out that all of this stuff was up there, and was told it all had to come down before the closing of the house.
So, as I was throwing out old magazines, warped books, t.v. trays, jars, etc, I came across THE ROCK. This rock I do not remember. But the note that was attached to it, I recognized as my moms handwriting. My mom had passes away only a few months before this, so I started to cry when I saw the note with her handwriting.
It said. "No matter what, do not throw this rock out. It is Doug's and it is very important to him." Joan, 1974. In 1974 I was nine. that was 35 years ago.
I didn't remember the rock or why it was so important. But I had a mission on my hands to try to figure out why it was so important. I called my sister and told her about the note and the rock, and she pretty much told me that I was crazy trying to figure it out. She then told me, "It is just a rock."
Then I went to our next door neighbors and asked them. They had been my family friends since I was five, and they just looked at me funny too. So then I got online and found a geologist for the state and sent him a note and a photo and asked him what kind of rock it was with once again the story of the note and the rock. He wrote back and told me it was a river rock. And told me that it could have been found in any river in America... Wow I was close to solving it now...
So, on my desk sits, THE ROCK. I look at it every day, and wonder, and wonder and wonder. Why was it so important to me in my life! I am not sure if I will ever know why I needed that rock, and why it was so important, but I do know I have it, and will for many more years.

Future

People tell me all of the time that they are not happy. They hate their job, their spouse, their life in general. I always tell them that life is hard, it will get better. I went through a very bad divorce, and I thought at the time that my life was over.
It was not. I am better now for it. But I didn't realize that at the time. I left a job I loved because I wouldn't sign a non compete clause. It killed me to do so at the time, but it was the right thing to do.
If we build for the future, our futures will be bright. If we live with our heads in the sand, then we will always complain about how bad life has been, is, and will be.
I will tell you about the best two friends I have ever had. I will not give their names to protect them from my story telling.
The first one is married. Has been for over 20 years and is HAPPY. Very happy. In fact they can't say nothing but good things about their spouse.
The second friend was married for less than a year and divorced. That friend remarried and has been married for over 20 years now also. What would have happened if that person had given up because the first marriage did not work? That friend could be a sad old person holding grudges and living in the past.
Baseball players strike out and they get back in the batters box. Every quarterback throws interceptions, and every basketball player has sat on the bench.
Every wife has cried over something, and wondered if she has done the right thing.
But those that survive are the ones that get up in the morning, no matter how hard it is, and put their clothes on and take steps, even baby steps to get the day going.
It isn't easy or fair, but it will be worth it in the end.
I promise!

Be Happy

A friend knows that I am always trying to make people happy. After watching the following video, how could you not....

Music in my Life

Each and every day I listen to music. Music is a very important part of my life. When I hear certain songs, it brings up emotion. That is what I believe music is supposed to do.
I have a habit when I am listening to a cd to start songs over, A LOT. I am so into listening to the lyrics that I just have to hear the words again and again.
I also love great song writers. Michael McLean, Cherie Call, and many others. My favorite of all time is Phil Vassar. Phil Vassar sings songs that I can relate to all of the time. If I am in a low mood, and I need a pick me up, Phil Vassar will be on my ipod, my iphone, my cd or in my head.
I write lyrics and some of my lyrics have made it to a musical and a cd, but I can not write the music. And I can't sing. Oh, but I do sing. When I am alone in the car, I really sing. I sing Cherie Call songs, even if she is singing from a woman's point of view.
In my earlier years, I would listen to Michael McLean CD's when ever I was in a car. Everyday on the way to work, everyday coming home. When someone else was with me, I would listen to the radio. Michael McLean knows how to write songs that touch people. I can relate with so many of his songs. I think sometimes, he must know me and wrote that about me.
Music changes lives. If you listen to good music, you will be fulfilled. You will be better people. I hear some songs and cry, some and laugh out loud. Some bring back childhood memories, and some teen memories. One the song I got married to, and one that I had sang at my mom and step fathers funeral.
So, when you are listening to music today, listen to the words, the thoughts that went into the song, and think how the songs make you feel. If you are not feeling good about what they are saying, change the channel.

A B C D, I will figure it out!

I used to remember everything. It was scary how much I could remember. But in the last few years I have lost a lot of the memories for trivial things.
I used to know about every song and every singer, every t.v. show and every actor. Every movie and saying from them.
If I couldn't remember the name, the title, the show or movie etc., I would start a little memory reminder.
Say I was trying to remember who sang the song Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head. I once knew it and now I don't so I start with the letter A and sound out names, if nothing comes to me fast I go to the next letter, B and continue until I remember the name. Sometimes it is the first name, sometimes it is the last name and sometimes it does not come to me right off.
This drives people crazy that I do this, because sometimes I do it out loud. I got to T before I realized the singer for Raindrops. B.J. Thomas. Sometimes I would have caught it on B, sometimes on J, this time I didn't. Then sometimes I have to go through the alphabet a few times, or even more.
So I was just thinking, who cares that I wrote about this. Nothing came on A, B, C, D... hmmm I will keep trying.

Hi Mom

It has been nine months since you left me to go see Heaven. I miss you so much. I wish I could see you in your rocker today. I wish that I could hug you , laugh with you, and take you to the doctor. I wish I could fix your darn remote control everyday like I used to. I miss making your meals, and listening for your alarm to go off.
I miss telling you that you drink way to much Coke and you telling me that you drink way too much water. I am sure I was right on the Coke part.
I have a lot of things to tell you! And because of that I know I will see you again. Oh, do I have a lot to tell you.
Your favorite weather lady is still on the station you love, and they finally got rid of the anchor you couldn't stand. The kids are doing good, and they miss you too.
So, on Mother's Day I was in Arizona, and I thought about you. I cried for you, and I prayed that you were okay.
For the first time in my life, I can honestly tell you that I know you are okay. You are okay because you are with Dad, and you are looking down on me.
I can feel you. I can hear you. Sometimes I wake up in the night, knowing exactly what you are telling me to do.
They say time heals all wounds, but I can never get over you being gone.
So, this year I have tried to smile more, be happier, and finish that darn book that you said the world needed to see. I will finish it, and you will help me along the way with it.
I will always love you mom,
YOUR MOMMAS BOY

You were the best mom to me. You were always there. I know

The Gift

I am sitting here right now and I am supposed to be editing my Christmas book, but I felt I needed to write this blog post.
There have been times in my life when I was close to failure, and there were times in my life when I was close to having huge successes. I personally know that we can have both, and I also believe that most of where we end up is because of how we treated others.
Some say that I have a gift with people. To make them better, to show them that they can do more and that they can succeed. I laugh at that, because I don't have any special talents, or skills. I only have hope.
Hope that I can live long, that I can live happy and that my family and friends will be taken care of. I have had the big house and the fancy car, and that isn't what was most important, and isn't the most important.
I am just as happy wearing $10 jeans, as the $200 jeans.
It isn't going to matter how much money we have when we go to heaven. It isn't going to matter if we drove fancy cars or lived in big houses. I believe that is how you treat others that will get you to the top, here on earth and in Heaven.
I have made some big mistakes in my life and I am a grouch, but I keep trying. One foot in front of the other, one day at a time.
Phil Vassar said it best when he said, Life is a Beautiful Thing. Now lets get out there and make it beautiful!

Helping Others Always Helps You in The End

Lately I have been really trying to make other people happy, even if for just a minute. I try to leave a status on Facebook to tell people to have a nice day, or to smile or be happy. I have got to the point that it drives my wife crazy.
We were at a restaurant in Salt Lake City the other day that her aunt owns. After lunch, they were chatting and chatting so I said I was going to go out on the patio and watch people. That is my favorite thing to do by the way.
So after sitting out there for a few minutes a homeless person asked me for a quarter and I gave him a dollar. I know it will probably be used for alcohol but that is not my issue.
Then I saw a man park his car and I walked up to the parking meter and met him with money in my hand. I told him today's parking was on me. He looked at me funny and I smiled. Then I asked him how long he would be and he said thirty minutes, so I put enough in the meter for thirty minutes. Then he said he may be 45 minutes, so I put more in. Then he thanked me and put out his hand. We shook hands and then he looked at me and just said, "why?"
I looked at him and told him, that I was doing a good deed because I knew that he would turn around and do the same for someone else someday. He shook my hand again and said that he would do it again and again.
Then he went into a bail bonds company. He probably had a problem he was going to take care of and I was there to help him have a better day.
Every time I help others, it comes back to me in so many ways. I truly think we could change the world, being kind to others, one person at a time.
How do you help others, I would love to hear them?

Validation

If you watch this 16 minute film it just may change your life...

Biggest Loser

I love the Biggest Loser. I love that people can change their lives by changing how they live. Most people have faults. Some have weight problems, others it may be drinking, drugs, yelling, being depressed etc. and the list goes on and on.
What I love about the Biggest Loser is that although it is a game, these peoples lives change for the better as the weeks go.
I promise I won't eat treats while watching the final tonight.
I also struggle with weight. It hasn't always been that way. I was 140 pounds when I got married the first time in 1985. Then I weighed 275 pounds when I got married two and a half years ago.
Since then I have lost 25 pounds but it is the hardest thing I have ever done, well almost.
So, if you are depressed because of something, there will be better days. If you think there will be no tomorrow, you are wrong.
Get out of the bed, and take one breath at a time. I know, it has happened to me many times in my life. One breath at a time. Then it will be one minute at a time, and then maybe one hour at a time. Eventually you will be back to normal.
Everyone has bad days, everyone.
But God wants everyone to have good days, no GREAT days also.
So go have a great day. Today and tomorrow.