THE MAN BEHIND THE NAME

In July 1996, the 14-year-old daughter of Robert Gay, (partner of Mitt Romney) had disappeared. She had attended a party in New York City and gotten high on ecstasy. Three days later, her distraught father had no idea where she was or why she had disappeared. Mitt Romney took immediate action. “Our children are what life is all about.” Said Romeny. “Everything else takes a back seat.” 

Mitt closed down the entire firm and asked all 30 partners and employees to fly to New York to help find Gay’s daughter. Romney set up a command center at the LaGuardia Marriott and hired a private detective firm to assist with the search. He established a toll-free number for tips, coordinating the effort with the NYPD, and then went through his Rolodex calling everyone that Bain did business with in New York and asked them to help find his friend’s missing daughter. 

Romney’s accountants at Price Waterhouse Cooper put up posters on street poles, while cashiers at a pharmacy owned by Bain, put fliers in the bag of every shopper. Romney and the other Bain employees scoured New York and talked with every encounter, including prostitutes, drug addicts and the general public.

That day, their hunt made the evening news, which featured photos of the girl and the intense search by the Bain employees.  As a result, a teenage boy phoned in and asked if there was a reward, but then hung up abruptly. The NYPD traced the call to a home in New Jersey, where they found the girl in the basement, shivering and experiencing withdrawal symptoms from a massive ecstasy dose. Doctors later said the girl might not have survived another day. 

Romney’s former partner credits Mitt Romney with saving his daughter’s life, saying, “It was the most amazing thing, and I’ll never forget this to the day I die.” Written by Robert Kessler

Mitt Romney sees a problem and he creates a solution. He doesn’t do this for self-aggrandizement or for personal gain. He does it because that is the integrity and true grit behind the man we call Mitt.

Many people are unaware that when Romney was asked by his old employer, Bill Bain, to come back to Bain & Company as CEO to rescue the firm from bankruptcy, Romney left Bain Capital to work at Bain & Company for an annual salary of one dollar. When Romney went to the rescue of the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, he did not accept a salary for three years, nor would he accept reimbursment for his expenses. He also accepted no salary as Governor of Massachusetts.

Snopes verifies the events are accurate:  http://www.snopes.com/politics/romney/search.asp

Please copy and share this information!  People deserve to know the level of integrity that drives this great man to success.  Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day.

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

My college professor once asked the students in our english class, "If you had one message to put inside a bottle and send it out to sea, what would the message say?"  Many years have passed since this assignment, but I have thought about that bottle floating out to sea on many occasions. I believe today my message would read something like this:

“I am humbled at the wonderful experiences I have encountered on this amazing journey. I marvel at the magnificent inventions throughout the centuries that continue to improved our lives, and amazed at the wisdom handed down from generation to generation. When I was younger, I believed that everyone had a grave responsibility to save our planet, but as I got older, I realized to do that successfully, we must earnestly strive to save each other.”  Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day

DON'T BE A SCRUB

My favorite quotes from Gordon B. Hinckley

“Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way.” 

“Love is of the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is more than the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arches across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the desire of youth, the cement that binds marriage, and the smoothing oil that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death. How rich are those who enjoy it in their associations with family, friends, church, and neighbors.”

“You can be excellent in every way. You can be first class. There is no need for you to be a scrub. Respect yourself. Do not feel sorry for yourself. Do not dwell on unkind things others may say about you. Polish and refine whatever talents the Lord has given you. Go forward in life with a twinkle in your eye and a smile on your face, but with great and strong purpose in your heart. Love life and look for its opportunities.”

“I come to you tonight with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we try to "accentuate the positive." I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort.”

“I would like to suggest to you that you ‘grab life by the horns’ and do not let life grab you by the horns. You take control of your lives. … Do not let life control you. … Take charge. Rise to the divinity that is within you.”

“My children and I were at her bedside as she slipped peacefully into eternity (his wife). As I held her hand and saw mortal life drain from her fingers, I confess I was overcome. Before I married her, she had been the girl of my dreams, to use the words of a song then popular. She was my dear companion for more than two-thirds of a century, my equal before the Lord, really my superior. And now in my old age, she has again become the girl of my dreams.”

“None of us will become perfect in a day or a month or a year. We will not accomplish it in a lifetime, but we can begin now, starting with our more obvious weaknesses and gradually converting them to strengths as we go forward with our lives. This quest may be a long one; in fact, it will be lifelong. It may be fraught with many mistakes, with falling down and getting back up again. And it will take much effort. But we must not sell ourselves short. We must make a little extra effort. We would be wise to kneel before our God in supplication. He will help us. He will bless us. He will comfort and sustain us. He will help us to do more, and be more, than we can ever accomplish or be on our own.”

“Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty.”

“Try a little harder to be a little better.”  GBH

FINISHING THE RACE

I remember in1967, Kathrine Switzer, was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon. The race organizer, Jock Semple, went after her when he saw Switzer in the race and began yelling, “Get the hell out of my race and give me those numbers.”  Switzer’s boyfriend and several other male runners created a human shield surrounding Kathrine during the entire marathon.

The photographs that were taken of the incident made headlines around the world. Kathrine went on to win the NYC Marathon with a record time of 3:07:29 and became an advocate for women's rights.

Over four decades later, this incident continues to capture the public’s attention. There were people who told her it couldn’t be done, warning her of the negative consequences, but Kathrine knew in her heart there were many races to be won!

I admire those who refuse to squander their innate abilities on statistics or the opinions of others; rather, they are determined to chart a course that is paralleled to none. By Linda Sumner Urza, One fine day.

BECOMING THE MASTER OF DESTINY

In the very face of peril, there are those incredible individuals who conquer all the odds despite their tremendous adversities. Those mortal souls who rise above that which seemed to be impossible and then become an inspiration to the millions of people who admire and respect their courage. Elizabeth Smart is one of these remarkable individuals who, when all seemed lost, showed us how to conquer the unimaginable with ultimate dignity!  

Elizabeth was abducted from her bedroom on June 5, 2002, at age 14. She endured a living hell with her abductors and was recovered nine months later on March 12, 2003, in Sandy, Utah, 18 miles from her home.  Her story and recovery was widely publicized around the world, but what has happened to her life since this tragedy is even more remarkable. 

Elizabeth finished high school with honors and went on to graduate from Brigham Young University.  On November 11, 2009, she left her home to serve a church mission in Paris. In March of 2011, she was one of four women awarded the Diller-von Furstenberg Award, including a $50,000 prize, which she announced she will use to start The Elizabeth Smart Foundation (aimed in helping young people avoid or recover from violent events). In February 18, 2012, she married Matthew Gilmour and is now working as a commentator for ABC News.  

I have always admired those who face their trials with courage, refusing to surrender to the buffetings of life, for they are the masters of their own destiny. By Linda Sumer Urza, One fine day

OH, THE STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES

Occasionally, I've heard statements condemning religion for being the evil contributor in the destruction of the world; what foolish stories we tell ourselves.

Most people are familiar with the Ten Commandments and understand that they were given to assist mankind in promoting righteous endeavors.  It has been said that if everyone obeyed only half the commandments, the world would become a better place in which to live. It is not the practice of religion that kills the innocent and plunders the earth with evil intent, it is the lack there of.

Since the beginning of time, people have rationalized their behavior by not taking responsibility for their actions.  Some have even blamed religion collectively for the adversities of life. This is like blaming the automobile industry ever time a person is killed in a car accident.  I've been around long enough to see the cause and effect of my own actions and understand how my decisions affect others.  This life is all about personal choice and accountability: good begets good, ignorance begets ignorance, and evil begets evil.

There are those who believe that they "don't need to go to church to draw closer to God," which is much like saying that they don't need nourishment to sustain life.  How can one profess to be on "the team" when they never show up for practice?

Christ left behind His perfect example for all to follow; an example free from guile, hatred, and bigotry.  He did not force anyone to adhere to his teachings, quite the contrary, he invited them to "come follow Him" and taught the principles of loving without boundaries and forgiving without conditions.  I shudder to think what would become of this world without the collective majority of christians, who constantly strive to live God's laws.

Easter is the celebration of the Savior's resurrection and is considered one of the most important moments in earthly history. The announcement of "He is risen" signaled that death had been conquered and the Atonement accomplished.  Jesus' resurrection is the marvelous witness that eternal life proceeds the pain of death... a truthful story worth sharing with others.  Written by Linda Sumer Urza, One fine day.