Give Thanks...For Continued Traditions

 Every year, life seems to get in the way of things, renewing the car's license tags before they expire, not throwing away all those credit card applications so they just sit on the counter, forgetting to buy dishwashing detergent before the old stuff runs out. 

And making home-baked treats for our neighbors at Christmas time.

Thank goodness my wife's on top of things.

She baked yesterday and today we frosted, put on plates, and delivered them to the neighbors. It's one of those traditions I'm glad we keep alive. Another tradition, today we participated in our annual ward Christmas program at church. It's something that's become as much of the holiday as enjoying Christmas lights or singing along with your favorite holiday songs.

I'm thankful for those traditions. Even though my wife did most of the work on the treats, it was fun walking to each door in a light rain to offer small tokens of appreciation for them and wishing them a Merry Christmas. I'm thankful for our neighbors and friends, for our little community, for the ward Christmas program (and our choir...). I'm thankful to have made it another year.

I'm thankful for continued traditions.

Give Thanks...Back In The Musical Saddle

 Tonight, I stood with several other tenors, basses, altos, and sopranos, as well as a conductor and orchestra and we performed selections from G.F. Handel's The Messiah. 

It felt good.

Of course, my voice is thrashed.

Back in the day, at this time of year, I was singing several hours every day. In college, our a'cappella choir sang daily, and at several times as fundraisers for trips. Later, when I got involved in community theater, several months of rehearsals culminated in performing every day for a month, and sometimes, twice on Saturdays.

It's been years since I did a Christmas show, seven or eight, I think. I miss it in some ways, but boy...doing a show at Christmas is tough.

The last time I sang Handel's The Messiah was around thirty years ago. My wife and I sang with the Utah Symphony Chorus...incredible experience. For the past couple of weeks, I dusted off my music-reading skills and jumped into the project at our local church.

I miss performing, and because it's performing, I think I can somehow return to those days and start performing again, but that's impossible, just as it's impossible to return to my youth when I had few responsibilities...just going to school, performing, and hanging out with my friends.

With age comes wisdom, at least, I hope so. Tonight, I think I enjoyed the music more than I ever had. The musicians were not world-class like the last time I sang the notes (I do NOT include my self in the "world class" category...). It was imperfect, but beautiful.

I'm thankful for the many opportunities I've had in my life to perform, for the life-long friendships I made from those days. Singing changed my life...literally. I had fun tonight.

It felt good to be back in the musical saddle.

Give Thanks...For A Good Deal, Even If They Never Get Used

 Hard to pass up a good deal.

It's probably been half a decade since I last went skiing. If my 59-year old self told my 17-year old self that I rarely go skiing during ski season, my younger self would not believe it. It would seem so strange. Then again, I doubt my 17-year old self would understand that things would change...

Namely, the cost of the sport.

Back in the day, you could go to almost any Northern Utah resort and ski all area/all day for under $12. If you wanted to spend more, you could go to Snowbird or Park City of Deer Valley. When we had a little extra cash, we'd go to Snowbird and ski all area w/o the tram for $16. That's mind-blowing now. The most expensive part of skiing back then was the equipment.

That's why when I go to our local thrift store and I see practically new(ish...), unused skis for $12, I buy them, even if I don't need them or even if I may never actually use them. 

At my age, people don't do things they used to do. I know a lot of people my age or older who ski and good for them. I'd like to think I'd still be able to successfully navigate from the top of the mountain to the lodge. But, you never know. Plus, there's the ever-increasing costs. That's not going to change.

I'm thankful for a good deal. I'm thankful for my childhood memories of skiing with my family and friends. I'm thankful that others enjoy the sport so much. I don't know how good the Rossignols are that I bought, but I know the underside are almost pristine...not a lot of rock skiing were done. This year's ski season has just begun. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to take these babies out and give them a run or two. 

Time will tell.

Give Thanks...Knowing How The Other Side Feels

 For my team, the season is over. It ended Friday night in Florida. To call the U of U's 2024 football season a disappointment doesn't come close to reality.

It was much worse than that.

And our disappointment is mostly our fault. We thought it would be so much better. For years...heck, even decades, we've had it good, and this year was supposed to be the best yet. It started strong and then it went downhill, and by downhill, seven losses in a row. As a fan base, we went enjoying a Top 10 team, then we watched out ream fall out of the college football playoff picture, then it kept going down, and down...

And down.

Until, the team saw a winning record vanish and a shot at a bowl game--any bowl game--disappear.

Even thought it's been more than thirty years since I attended the University of Utah, I know something about how Utah fans think--not all fans, mind you--but many. They're fixated and fascinated on their rivals, the Brigham Young University Cougars. And even though I'm not a fan of that school (for the most part...), many of their fans are as fixated and fascinated on the U as well. They had to watch as their most-hated rivals built a national brand, a team talked about on the sports shows and podcasts. Man, that must have sucked. 

Now we, as Utah fans, know how that feels. We've watched as the men in blue win game after game and took the place on the sport shows and podcasts. When projections of the college football playoff were discussed, the big red U became a big blue Y. BYU was were having the season Utah fans felt like they deserved. For years, BYU played hard and battled week after week, having big wins, but not having the seasons Utah had.

Now, we know how they feel.

Now, they know how we feel.

I'm old enough to remember the dominant BYU teams of the 70s and 80s. As a Utah fan, it was brutal. Younger fans can't understand seeing the roles reversed, seeing Utah being (and winning...) BCS games, having undefeated seasons, a constant place in the Top 25. Utah will probably never reach the level BYU did because I believe the sport is rigged that no one but the Blue Bloods will ever win another national championship, but hey...that's just me.

It's been a tough year for local football teams. The U saw that college playoff as a real possibility. After a couple of losses, that dream died. Then, the Y became as close as a team can come to reaching the playoffs, before losing two key games. Like the U, the Y's dream came to an end.

In nine months, the teams will again don their uniforms and try and win as many games as possible. Changes on both sides will create interesting storylines and fodder for sports shows, podcasts, and banter around the water cooler. All I know is both sides--both teams--want their players to advance, to have a better season than the one that just ended. I'm thankful to be a fan. I've toned things down in my own life so the games don't affect me as much as they once did. I'm thankful that, as a fan, I can see how happy our rivals are. Their team had a great season, one they should be proud of. I'm thankful I got to enjoy so many successful Utah Utes years, and hopefully, they can return to their winning ways in 2025.

Funny, how things work out sometimes.

Give Thanks...For Thanksgiving

 Because of scheduling issues, our family gathered yesterday to laugh, share stories, and food. It was your typical Thanksgiving celebration. The only downside is not everyone could make it, that and the dog...

Still, it was a wonderful time.

I sometimes can't believe just how blessed I am.

Without doing any research, I still believe Thanksgiving to be an American holiday. I know other countries have adopted other American holidays and cultural events (many, America adopted from other countries to begin with...), but I think Thanksgiving remains ours.

Over the years, the gatherings have changed. As a child, it was our immediate family and sometimes others would come from out-of-state or we'd go there. Eventually, my siblings and I got married and moved away, starting our own families, our own traditions, but we'd always check to see what we were doing for Thanksgiving.

Family.

Now, years later, our own children are marrying and having children of their own. Now, they must check with their other families to see when they're gathering to see if they can make it to their celebrations. Life is a circle, or as some would say, the circle of life.

Yesterday, I spent six hours in the car. Thankfully, the weather and traveling companions were good. It was worth every minute. Helping move the biggest treadmill I've ever seen upstairs was not something I thought I'd be doing but, many hands made light work. Not only was it our Thanksgiving celebration, but also my son's birthday. I hope it was a good one.

For the past several years, I've blogged on Sundays and included the hashtag #GiveThanks. Truth be told, I could use that hashtag every time I blog...sometimes it's just hard to see all those blessings. Today, this week, this year I'm thankful for my health, my employment, the physical things we have, but most of all, my family, and since last Thanksgiving, I include my "other family" as well. 

Sometimes, I can't believe just how blessed I am.

Give Thanks...For Ward Choirs

 Last year (at least, I think it was last year...), I was asked to serve as a choir leader for our local LDS congregation. I believe you don't have to be a member of my religion to understand what this calling entails. Choirs in local congregations are often times the butt of jokes in music circles...and in other circles, too. They're an easy target. We invite anyone wishing to sing to join. Heck, I'm sure I've made jokes about these choirs over the years.

I don't think I'll ever do that again.

Our ward choir sang in church today. We had one rehearsal two weeks ago and went through the song one and one-half times this morning before our services began. They sounded wonderful. I'm not saying they were "world-class" in their presentation of the hymn, but boy, they sounded great--just ordinary church goers who enjoy singing.

When I was called, I felt inadequate, even though I've been singing in choirs--amateur and professional--for the past forty years. I've sung in regular choirs and I've sung with talent that's second to none. I was afraid I would be expected to get the singers to sound like a choir that blew people away. I quickly realized that's not my job...not my calling. I'm there to help the singers and the congregation feel something, to bring a spirit to the meeting.

I'm far from doing the best job with this calling. I have a long way to go--there's so much more I can do for the ward. That's the thing about callings. They're not not given to those who have mastered the skill...more like given to those who need to learn something.

I'm thankful for my neighbors who stay late and rehearse, who come early--small kids in tow--to support me and the program. I'm thankful I can stand before them and hear the music we create before anyone else. I'm thankful for ward choirs.

Give Thanks...The Land That I Love

 I took this picture of our flag on October 14th of this year. Tomorrow, I'll fly it again--both times to honor those who made it possible for me to be born, grow up, and live in this incredible country. This is the month where many of my fellow countrymen find things for which the are thankful and they share those thoughts with others.

Today, I'm thankful for where I live.

Having lived almost sixty years on this planet, I've seen some history. Had I properly studied history I would have known more, but between my grandparents and my self, our lives cover the years of 1885 to the present day. In those three generations, the world has forever changed. Very few living today could even comprehend what life was like in the 1800s. Tonight, I'm sitting in a climate-controlled room communicating on a device that can send these words to literally billions of people. We have food in our house that I did not have to hunt, water we did not have to dredge up from the ground, vehicles in the garage that can take us around the world. Even the most vivid imaginations of my grandparent's generation could ever have dreamed how we would live today.

We live in the age of miracles.

And the United States of America stands apart. The experiment allowing humans guaranteed rights, rights that should not be taken away by men with guns (governments or criminals...) was so novel, so radical, so important for humanity, that once implemented, the world would never be the same.

November is only ten-days old and the month has left its mark on history. I've watched with fascination the highest and lowest of emotions, and yet, the life I live cannot compare with the highs and lows of the people who came before, who sacrificed all. We sometimes (many times...) forget that history did not start the day we were born. That's a shame, and not only that, but forgetting history--true history--can doom a society.

Tonight I walked to the end of a dead end street where homes will one day line a new road. I looked up. The sky was aflame with reds and oranges and blues and colors that took my breath away. I get to live on that street. I get to live in a country where, because of good people obeying laws, me and my family can live in relative peace. Because I've not studied history, I know of few other people who have been so blessed.

Events of the past week have caused millions to flood social media with their opinions, their griefs, their joys. I add my voice to theirs to say I'm thankful where I live. I'm thankful to have never wanted for food, for shelter, for love. I'm thankful for this land that I love.