A CRASH COURSE

My daughter Christa was 16 years old when she got her drivers license.  One fine day she was backing out of the garage, looked over her right shoulder and stepped on the gas petal. Christa was shocked when the car lunged forward and into the wall (it was in drive, instead of reverse).  It put a few little scratches on the front bumper, but destroyed her father's new personalized license plate!  That didn't go over very well with her dad.   A few months later, she took her friends cruising on the boulevard in Saint George.  It was during spring break (one of the busiest times of the year) and of course, she happened to be driving a new car we had just purchased. She was gone less than an hour when she came through the front door and had that same horrified look on her face! When I asked if she was all right, she burst into tears. I could hardly understand what she was saying, but it sounded a little like this...  "I (sob) wrecked (sniff, sniff) the (sniff, sob, sniff) car!"   "Was anyone hurt?" I inquired.   "Only (sniff, sob, sob) my pride," she replied with tears streaming down her cheeks.  She was drowning in disappointment, but I explained that we needed to be grateful that no one was hurt. Then she asked if I would be the one to tell her dad; we both knew he would not be a happy camper. (I remember walking into the bedroom and feeling a little relieved to see that he was already sitting down.)  I said, "Do you love your children more than things?"   "What kind of a question is that!" He responded.  I reiterated, "I need to know if you value your children more than you value your possessions?"   "Of course I do!" He fired back with conviction in his voice. "Good, because your daughter just wrecked your new car." (At that time in our lives, we had already raised five teenagers and each one had wrecked a car or two; seemed to come with the territory!)  There is a little irony to this story.  Christa's senior year at Pine View High School she was presented with "The Best Driver" award!  We still laugh about that one, for she had two more accidents before graduation (both were the other driver's fault of course)! By, Linda Sumner Urza, One find day.

TAKE A CLOSE LOOK

When I was young, public schools were a safe place to spend the day and the worst thing we had to worry about was getting caught chewing gum!  

Each morning before we started class, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance.  Throughout the year, we studied about our American heritage, we honored the American flag and we understood what it meant to be,"One Nation Under God"!  

Each day we bowed our heads in prayer and the teacher offered a simple message of faith and hope.  In high school, an entire year was dedicated to the study of American history.  We learned about The Constitution, we memorized the Preamble and studied the Bill of Rights.  

It was a blessing to be raised in a country that believed in equal rights and freedom for all, with the complete knowledge that great men and women risked their lives to provide these privileges. Things have change so drastically in the past thirty years, that the world in which we live is hardly recognizable!  

How could we have slipped so far from the principles that lifted our nation out of the dust and into a coveted people?  Maybe it's time to take a closer look at who we have become and what we truly believe.

NEW School Prayer.

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's "inappropriate" to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such "judgments" do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!

Amen  (unknown author)

Once there was a time when honor and respect meant something special, but we have become an apathetic society. "When people refuse to do nothing, eventually they lose the courage and ability to do anything!"  It makes me ill knowing that our children and grandchildren will inherit the mess we tolerate in this country!  We allow our government to do things that our parents taught us were unacceptable (spending money we don't have, making promises that are not kept, hiding behind the real issues, etc.)!  We are becoming shackled, one chain at a time by our lack of responsibility as an American. 

By, Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day.

  

From Afghanistan With Love

Matt Walden was deployed to Afghanistan in the fall of 2010.  He left behind his wife, a daughter in college, one in high school and two young boys in elementary school. Matt would be serving in the military for two years in a third world county and miles away from home.  He also knew there would be experiences lost and precious time that could never be recaptured, and this weighed heavily upon him. 

My son David and Matt had been best friends for years, as well as their sons, Alec, (David's son) and the two Walden boys, Tyler and Connor.  The two men had spent countless hours raising their children together in sports, church and school activities.  They lived a block away from one another and had become more like family than friends.  

Shortly after Matt was deployed to Afghanistan, David's company transferred him to a new location three hundred miles away from their quiet little neighborhood. Distance didn't seem to interfere with the bond of love and friendship that their families had for each other and they continued to keep in close touch.  

Matt learned that his sons had a competition in the scouting program for the Pinewood Derby and he started his strategy.  He ordered the kits for the cars and had them shipped to Afghanistan, where he shaped, sanded and painted them. (The boys are big Pittsburgh Steelers fans, so Matt painted one car black and the other one yellow.)  One of Matt's service buddies offered to take the cars from Afghanistan to New York (while on leave) and there he shipped them on to David in Salt Lake City.  

When David received the cars, he and Alec spent hours prepping the wheels, polishing the axles and adding just the right amount of weight for the cars sail down the runway.  To assure the cars would arrive safely, David and Alec drove 300 miles (one way) and delivered them personally to Tyler and Connor for the competition.  

While a war was being waged on the other side of the world, a father made it possible to be in his son's lives.  The two pinewood cars had flown thousands of miles around the world. They had passed through the hands of three good men who understood the passion in the hearts of two little boys... and an American solder was able to celebrate the sweet taste of victory!  Tyler's car took first place and Connor's car came in a close second!  

We are all in this life together and when someone wins, we all win! What a blessing to know that friends can help you find peace among the broken pieces. 

By Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day.