He Is Risen!

It is Easter Sunday.  From the words of Matthew, one of the Savior's apostles:

He is not here; for he is risen, as he said. - Matthew 28:6

I know He lives and in that knowledge, we have peace.  I am humbled and grateful.  May your Easter be a blessed one.

And he's down!

After a very sour introduction to how things are going to be with the newly-merged United Airlines last night (more on that drama in another post), I'm home again and hanging with my family. It's good to slide right back into the routine of things.  That routine includes the visit every eight weeks to the local blood donation center to give a pint or two of whole blood.  I did that this morning and The Boy joined me.  I want to make it clear, and this is important, that he volunteered and wanted to donate for the first time today.

I was proud of him for doing so.  I was too chicken to give blood until I was 35, which is just stupid.  Anyway, my 16 year old son stepped up this morning and went for it.  His first donation!  The staff at the center were totally on their A-game this morning and made him feel totally at ease.  He did great!  We were enjoying our post-donation snackage of highly-processed sugars and carbs, throwing back the sodas, when The Boy announced he needed to go to the bathroom.  He jumped up, made his way to the can, and soon was back at the table in his chair, ready for some more snackage.  And then this happened:

He looked at me and said, 'Dad, I don't feel right.' He got a little pale so I made my way over to him and no sooner did I do that, his head slumps back and he's out.  I said, in my best "ER" voice, "He's down!" and the staff was there at his side, STAT!  (Again, thank you years of TV medical dramas for that!) They got him out of his chair and in about three seconds, had him awake. On went the cold compresses and the blood pressure cuff.  Pretty quickly his color was back.  They kept him on the ground for awhile and then sat him up.  He quickly headed for the floor again.  It was clear his body was just a little freaked and was compensating.  So after awhile he felt good enough to try standing.  He did well.  Then he wanted to walk.  He didn't do so well and it was back on the ground.  At this point, it had been an hour and one of the staff said, 'That's it.  We have to call 9-1-1.  It's a requirement."  So they dialed away and soon the paramedics were there.  Now, I've got to say this could not have been good advertising for the blood bank to have the paramedics show up, gurney and all, storming the bank.  Again, the staff could not have been more gracious.  It was the arrival of the paramedics that seemed to do the trick.  They gave him the once over and declared him fine and that it was up to me if I wanted him transported to the hospital.  I didn't.  At that point, he gets up and he really was fine.  With our gift of blood center pajama pants in hand and thanks to the staff, we headed for home.

On the way home, The Boy announced that the sensation of passing out was awesome.  Nice.  And he'd donate again too.  I'm proud of him.  I'm even prouder that he decided to do this the day after our new insurance kicked in.  Well-timed, man, well-timed.

Separate

With wins in Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington DC this week for Mitt "I'm running as a serious conservative" Romney, it seems his nomination as the 2012 Republican presidential nominee is assured.

A couple of things: A) his statement above suggests that his track record of flipping will continue.  He said "...as a serious conservative."  That statement is slippery from a usage perspective.  It suggests that now he's the serious conservative, whereas before or even later, not so much.

B) Much has been made of Mitt's membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  Far too much.  Far too much was made of John F. Kennedy's Catholicism.  Kennedy wasn't taking orders from the Pope while in the White House, as so many feared.  They should have feared the orders from Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack but that's another issue all together.  Likewise, Mitt will not be taking orders from the Prophet.  Mitt understands the separation of church and state and I appreciate that he knows that. While it's no secret that I am an anti-Mittite, which is a fun position to hold when you are a member of the same faith as said candidate, I do appreciate his understanding of this principle.

Mitt, and I'll say it again, to his credit, has never claimed that his run for the presidency is a calling from on high. Because it's not. It's something he's doing on his own.  He's got the cash to burn, so let him go for it. But his run for the presidency is not a mission from God. Typically when someone claims that what they are doing in the name of God on a political level, it doesn't end well.  Look no further than the Crusades, most of the drama in the Middle East, or the shenanigans of Al Qaeda.  It did work for the Blues Brothers though.  Sure, their mission from God led to all manner of explosions and destruction in Chicago but Cook County got their taxes and the Penguin kept her orphanage.  That mission worked out well, as well it should have.

Stop the foolishness. Step up!

It's April Fool's Day, which means there will be levels of inanity heaped upon unsuspecting people.  I've never really understood this day and what I really don't get is how or why someone would fall for a prank on the first of April every year, knowing that it's April Fool's Day.  It's not like you haven't been warned. You know the old saying, 'Burn me once, shame on you.  Burn me twice, shame on me.'  If you're falling for pranks year after year on this day, it's time to rethink things.

This weekend has been an opportunity for resetting and rethinking, so it puts the 'fool' on this day in a different light.  It just so happens that the annual worldwide general conference of my Church falls on this weekend and it's been good to take part in it, listening to the counsel, guidance, and instruction on offer.  A key tenet of our faith is the belief that the family is central to God's plan.  Fathers, then, play a key role in the family and far too many of us are not taking that responsibility as seriously as we (editorial aside - I say 'we' and 'us' because I know I'm not a perfect father and husband) should.  We are not stepping up.  It's time that we did.

"Brethren, step up." - Elder Jeffrey S. Holland

Elder Holland's counsel is powerful and it struck a chord with me.  As fathers and husbands, we have to step up.  We cannot sit idly by and allow the world to dictate how our children are to be raised and what is and isn't acceptable.  We can no longer shirk our responsibilities to our families and then complain about the choices are children make.  As men, we have to step up.  We can't expect our wives to carry the load of raising our children.  It's not right.  We must be a part of  that sacred responsibility, each and every day.

It is time to recommit ourselves fully to our wives and children.  It is time to be better - better fathers, better husbands, better friends, better men.  It really is time to step up.  God expects more us.  One thing I know, because I've seen it time and again in my own life, is that if we will do the things that God expects of us, we will be blessed, rewarded, edified - whatever you want to call it - the reward is there.  So, it's time.  Time to step up.  Just do me a favor - don't think that watching the movie 'Step Up' will provide a Cliff's Notes version of how to be better.  It won't.  Instead it will cause you to wonder how it is that Channing Tatum has a career and then it will inspire you to wish for the sweet relief of death because you'll never ever get that time you wasted watching it back.  Ever.