#Givethanks

I am grateful for 2020/2021: Saturday,November 21st: A prophet of God living today. this gives me CHAMPION peace in a world of comotion. Sunday, November 22nd: The opportunity to serve my GB and administer the sacrament to her in her home every Sunday.(This wouldn't have happend if there wasn't COVID-19. So There is a silver-lining for me) I told my twin Bro, Matt about how CHAMPION it is to hear her ask my "Pa" questions from her scripture study every week. He responded by asking me if I asked her to send her questions to me early in the week so that I'd have time to study them. I told him that he didn't get it, that I was there to sit and learn from their conversation and not be in the way. Monday, November 23rd: My CHAMPION Sisters because they let me be their kiddos' weird uncle. I went to my Maymers' house to meet my Cole-Cole after school and stayed until bedtime. She fed me and let me read books to her youngest, Kyle. He melted my heart when he'd go to get another book for me to read to him, he'd come back and tell me that he missed me. Tuesday, November 24: A job that I love and allows me to feel like, "I'm saving the world, one book at a time." I didn't love it as much yesterday, when I had to be in at 8:30 Am. My sticky-note-horse-blinder usually says, "If we can do Monday Mornings, we can do anything." I wasn't scheduled to be in until 11AM today and even got her a lttle after 10 and still had time to rife my recumbant bike for 2 miles.

President Russell M. Nelson on the Healing Power of Gratitude​

Summer of Lagoon

 my CHAMPION Wife(Well, ex now(sadness, don’t get me started)) decided to get our CHAMPION Kiddos season passes for the last few years and this year is the first time that I felt up to getting one for myself to be able to go with them. From racing them around on my portable scooter, ‘Golden Bubbles’  to stopping at Pace’s Dairy Anns for ‘Rainbows’ on the way home. Even the Corona Virus couldn’t keep us from enjoying our time together. In fact it even helped by keeping the crowds away. We had to get an appointment to be able to get in. Thanks to my amazing sisters getting on board, we even wore them all out by going so often. They don’t even realize how good they have it, but I didn’t either at their age. Anyone up for a ‘Lazy Summer Day?’ I cant believe that they’re asking me,’when are we going again so that we can go on ‘Canibal’ with you dad?’ Lucky me.

The most CHAMPION part of the whole experience and what made me decide to buy us all passes again as my Christmas present was the fact that our CHAMPION Kiddos took care of me: from helping me get onto rides to fighting over who got to sit next to me.

Paradigm shift

Here's my Mental Health Therapist: Jeffery Robinson: https://www.fairmormon.org/conference/august-2018/thinking-differently-about-same-sex-attraction
This has changed the way that I view myself.I no longer think of myself as broken.

Resilience

This was my President Pa Baugh's topic for ward conference. He outlined 3 things we can do to develop resilience:
1. Remember that I am a BELOVED Child of God.
2. Remember that there's a plan for me.
3. Remember Jesus Christ.
He taught this right after President Taylor shared the new Young Men's theme:

I am a beloved son of God, and He has a work for me to do.

With all my heart, might, mind, and strength, I will love God, keep my covenants, and use His priesthood to serve others, beginning in my own home.

As I strive to serve, exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, I will qualify to receive temple blessings and the enduring joy of the gospel.

I will prepare to become a diligent missionary, loyal husband, and loving father by being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.

I will help prepare the world for the Savior’s return by inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement.

It doesn't get more CHAMPION. My goal is to memorize it with my Maxwell.

I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus – Emily Brown – Music Video

I love this and sing this in the shower every morning to remind me what my goal is for the day. I love seeing the influence that this song has on the relationships in this video. This is my 2020 New Years Goal

Walking now

I had a problem with my ankle brace because, I've gained some weight. My GB will be so happy. She always tells me that I need to. My lateral malleolus was rubbing against it and caused a scab to form, so every time that I'd go to step, it would tare off. It wasn't a pleasant experience. Thankfully, I got it fixed only to find out that my last appointment was over three years ago. I should keep up on it better than that. When I went to PT, I was excited to tell my therapists about my pain-free walking. They are now trying to help me keep it that way by preventing my knee from hyper-extending. that is a long-term goal that I'm excited to be working on prevention and not just survival."Baby Steps."

Relapse

My in-laws are serving a service mission in the women's prison. They shared with us that the Branch President told them that if they saw some of the women that they were teaching return and relapse, that they were there because they "needed to learn something."He counseled them to treat them the same way that we teach our children to walk, we know they will fall as part of the process.What they and all of us need is encouragement. I continue to get so much loving support:
Matt, my brother,  cheers me on when he sees me walking and is sure to point out any progress that I make. Mikey, my therapist at Neuroworx does the same. Lex is ever reassuring me to take the next step, asking me to please put the milk away, when I motion that I have to hold my hiking pole with my good hand she asks me if I am able to walk without it at therapy, and cheers me on when I reproachfully attempt to do so. I love the image of our Heavenly Father treating us with the same compassion in our individualized life's therapy. My in laws have also shared the story of Sister Rogers who was in and out of prison 24 times. She said that the turning point in her life came when she was ordered to rehab and her mother had to drive her everyday from her home to the center within the same city. Her mother always told her that she loved her. That love helped her know that she was worth something and gave her the courage to change. I know that this is a lesson learned in an extreme circumstance, but in our everyday experiences with relapses with our own weaknesses, we need the same reassurance to give us the courage to continue forward.
My assigned friend in the ward, President Myers keeps telling me that I need to believe that I can do it. We just had lunch together and chatted about the last lesson in Elder's Quorum that he gave and my feedback of shutting down and getting defensive if I am feeling like someone is trying to motivate me by guilt. He assured me that, that wasn't his intentions and after thanking me for fulfilling my calling as an instructor in the quorum. I felt that the only real way to influence others for good is to love them.

Seussical

I went and saw Hale Center Theater's production with my Abbers. This was a quote in their program from Dr. Seuss, "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It is a way of looking at life through the wrong end of the telescope. Which is what I do." No wonder He's one of my heroes. I'm grateful that I work in a place that I can display this quote and explain it to everyone. Along with: READ: "This is the way."