September 13, 2015
Re: Letter 41 of 3
Dear Riley,
Two more Sundays and we’re through September! The apples are starting to turn red on the tree, the grapes are ready to harvest, the mountains are clearly on their way to fall colors, there is a cool crispness in the air, and the days are noticeably shorter. The weather has been beautiful and I just love the season. If there were a downside to all of this it would be the hay fever which hasn’t been this bad for upwards of twenty years. Your Mom has tandemania really bad and wants to spend every spare minute on the tandem bike. It really is a blast and we’ve seen a lot of beautiful places, some of which I never knew existed, but I’ve been so afflicted by hay fever when I come back from biking that it’s taken some of the fun out of it. Rather than back off even a little, your mother pumps me full of allergy remedies, most of which work only slightly better than placebo, and we go out again.
Just last evening we rode 22 miles on the Murdock canal trail. I had never been on it before but the scenery was spectacular. We cruised along around 15 mph and before long found ourselves past the AF temple. I’m not sure what it is about the tandem bike but we really move along at a good clip and I noticed several times we were going over 20 mph without even breaking a sweat or feeling spent. If we had a few more gears I know we could easily go faster. Maybe it’s a combination of the long wheel base and the fact that you have two riders providing power with less weight than two bicycles. At any rate, we seem to pass a good number of serious looking bikers. One of the last ones we passed seemed insulted that he was passed by a tandem bike and immediately switched into the higher gears as if he intended to keep up with us, but we quickly left him behind. It was kind of funny. The trip was so exhilarating that we both concluded we needed get rid of the junkers and get nice bikes for the entire family. Certainly this would constitute a wholesome recreational activity and it’s considerably more beneficial than some of the other pastimes. We’re setting out to make it happen and just want you to know that you’re bike will eventually be replaced with a nicer one, though we’ll wait for you to come home before giving it the ax.
Church today was a two hour regional broadcast which was really good. I know your mother filled you in on the details so I won’t rehash, but it was direct and clear counsel. As I listened I couldn’t help but marvel at the fact that even as I was being uplifted by the word and resolving to do better, there were others who would take offence. One portion of Elder Ballard’s address covered the small and simple things which nourish testimony and invite the spirit of revelation onto our lives. He stressed the value of asking questions with a warning against false prophets and internet sites which are not intellectually honest which seek to lead people astray. Without spending time in the word of God, or on our knees in prayer, we can more easily be swept away by the philosophies of men and the wiles of the devil.
I see so many ways that God is involved in my life and the richness seems so tangible, It’s hard to understand how even some former faithful members can become so hardened so as to not only cease believing, but to begin actively warring against the Church. These individuals would have me believe that what I feel, and the happiness and richness that fills my life, is all a figment of my imagination. It’s almost as if someone on the top of a high mountain peak is inviting others to climb up to his vantage point so they can see what he can see, but those below refuse to believe that his perspective is in any way enhanced by the effort he invested to reach the summit, and so remain below doubting, questioning, even mocking his claims of the breathtaking vistas and the exhilaration of his experience. What seems lost on those below is the fact that in order to reach the summit, one had to start at the lower elevation so the person on the summit has the advantage of two perspectives while those who never climb to the summit have the disadvantage of only one perspective.
We just got back from the family gathering birthday bash over at grandma and grandpa’s home. It had been a few months since we gathered, so we covered three months of birthdays. It was really nice and comfortable and we stayed a good while. Aunt J and her kids were there but Uncle T is in India on business for a few more days. Would you believe it? He’s having a miserable time and quite sick. I don’t think there’s a trip he’s been on that hasn’t resulted in gastro intestinal catastrophe. I believe he was throwing up by the second day and has been exhausted and battered the entire trip.
Well, it’s 10:30. I spent a little more time over at grandma’s so didn’t leave a lot of time to write more. Things at home are good and we’ve been abundantly blessed. Reading your letters and receiving you pictures brings your mission alive and I know you’re doing God’s work. Don’t ever forget what you’re witnessing in the lives of the individuals you teach, especially the ones who accept the gospel with gladness. Don’t ever forget the miracles and tender mercies you’ve received. Always remember the happiness and success that obedience brings and you will never wander far from the path. It’s not that I believe you ever would, but I see how some are able to explain it all away and so literally forget that which they once knew. Stay the course and keep the faith!
Love,
Dad
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