Raptors Baseball Game

Dad's company had a Century Link night at the Raptor's baseball game. The rest of the family was out of town so Me, Dad, Kyle, and Don (Kyle's Dad) went to the game. It was a beautiful night and we had a fun time. The Raptor's even won the game. It was a fun way to the spend the night with my favorite guys.

How Do You Treat Others?

There are two people I work with who have vastly different personalities and ways of going about things. It seems they are currently not seeing eye to eye on anything and things are fraught with tension. They have met to work things out, but it has only seemed to brew more dissension. I hate to see someone who I see as a really nice person be hurt by another person's sense of self importance. I'm hoping is doesn't do lasting damage or cause them to leave their position here because I think they do a lot of good here.

I am currently reading the book "Time Untime" by Sherrilyn Kenyon. As I've mentioned before she is one of my favorite authors and I've quoted from her in the past. So far found I have found this book to be somewhat hard to follow. I rarely if ever don't finish a book I start, but I have been known to move into a mode where I read, but somewhat dissengage from the book. A lot like I did back in the day when I would be required to read something really boring in college. Despite being in that mode the following passages reached out and grabbed me the other night. Maybe because I have been hurt and betrayed by someone I totally trusted and felt was my friend. It is a hard thing to get over. Also, because there are things I have done that I have later regretted or felt I could have handled better. I guess it all comes down to the way we treat others and my desire for us to be aware of how our actions affect the world around us.

Maybe this doesn't make sense to anyone else, but I thought I would share this in case it strikes a cord with anyone besides me. If not, that's okay because I keep this blog mostly for myself anyway.

"Life is messy. It's not easy and it's definitely not for the timid. Everyone has a past. Regrets... Betrayals... Life isn't about learning to forgive those who have hurt you or forgetting your past. It's about learning to forgive yourself for being human and making mistakes. Yes, people disappoint us all the time. But the harshest lessons come when we disappoint ourselves. When we put our trust and our hearts into the hands of the wrong person and they do us wrong. And while we may hate them what they did, the one we hate the most is ourself for allowing them into our private circle. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have let them deceive me? We all go through that."

"If we're lucky, we find the one person who will hold our trust and keep it sacred and safe against all attackers. That one soul who will restore our belief that people are decent and kind, and that life, while messy, is still the most wonderful gift anyone can know. But until that day comes, we have to try and remember that (our faith) is something we carry inside ourselves. That touch of the divine that lights a fire inside us that burns out the past and consumes the pain until nothing is left but a warmth that allows us to love others more than ourselves. A warmth that only grows when we do right even while others seek to do us wrong. Peace is knowing that one life, no matter how trivial it seems, touches thousands of others, and learning to respect that about all people. While you may not mean much to the world, to those who really know and love you, you are their entire world. And is the knowledge that no one can hurt you unless you allow them to. The only power they have isn't something they've taken or demanded. It's what we give them by choice. And while it is imperative that we value the lives of others, it is equally important to value our own.

"The truth is always simple, but the path to it is overgrown with thorns and lined with traps. Our fears and our emotions cloud even the brightest day and the clearest truth. You can't replant the garden until you've overturned the soil. And nothing new can grow until the old dies. We can't change what we've done, but we can always change what we're going to do."   -Sherrilyn Kenyon

Relay For Life

The Relay for Life was quite eventful this year. We started off with a major wind and rain storm. We were able to get the canopies lowered fast enough to escape major damage. We all huddled down and held them from blowing away.

Later that night Dad and I were pulling Gracie and Ella back to the trailer in the dark and the path dropped off and the wagon tipped over sending them both flying. They were covered in dirt and both obviously very upset. I couldn't tell how badly they were injured in the dark so we just scooped them up and headed for the trailer. I called Kyle and told him to get Emily over to the trailer ASAP. Once we got all the dirt off it turns out they were more scared than injured. Of course by that time the trailer was full of pretty much our whole team. I think Dad and I were as traumatized as they were. It was awful.

 

Despite all the drama we had a fun time raising money for the American Cancer Society. It is such a good cause and one that is close to my heart.

 

Today I found out my cousin Shane has stage 4 cancer in his stomach, appendix, and colon. It was so devestating to hear this. He is only in his early 40's and has so much to live for. It is such a helpless feeling to know you can't do anything about it other than pray.

 

Each of us has our own reasons for caring about the fight against cancer, but it seems that we all know someone who has personally battled this disease. In the last few months Tish Reynolds, Janet Hawkes, and Patty Jones have all lost their battle with this disease.

 

My family originally started participating after the Petersen's lost Vone and then Claude to cancer. Since that time my sister Janalee and best friend Britney have both become survivors of thyroid cancer and my Grandpa Farrell suffered from prostate cancer which contributed to his death. My friend Karen is a survivor and my friend Alayna is currently battling brain cancer and just had a 2nd tumor removed. Kyle's aunt Peggy and Grandma Willis were also victims of this horrible disease. Craig's brother Bruce is currently fighting against cancer. Unfortunately these are just a few of our friends and family who are winning or have lost the fight to this disease.



Miss Cache Valley pulled the girls around the track
and then let them all try on her crown.

 

Our team name stands for Anderson, Bunn, Comish, and Petersen.
The last names of our cancer survivors.



Dad relaxing while holding down the canopy.

The girls with Miss Cache Valley

Everyone got quite involved with the chicken dance.

Dad modeling the baby towel

Staying out of the rain.

Gracie with her treasures.