I have heard members of my religion exclaim that “God is in the details” and “God micromanages our lives” and “we should turn it all over to God.” I start almost every day ready to turn it all over to God and go back to bed, but I suppose that’s not how it works. TheContinue reading “For Better or Worse, God is in the Details”
Author Archives: Gordon Laws
Another Jewel in my Crown: Bowie
Latter-Day Saints are big into family history and into how their actions may affect future generations. The legend in the Laws family is that a General Authority relative used to encourage all his kids to have more children and used to celebrate the births of his grandchildren by exclaiming, “Another jewel in my crown!” Well,Continue reading “Another Jewel in my Crown: Bowie”
Lessons from the Plane
I’ve been on a number of planes lately—to and from Salt Lake City twice and to and from Hawaii. As you probably know, the planes are all jammed, the space between seats is small, there’s almost no way to sleep sitting up, the food is criminal, and people’s behavior is wildly divergent—some realize we’re allContinue reading “Lessons from the Plane”
Let Us Now Praise Track Athletes
Graham had a dual meet on Tuesday against nearby track rival Marshfield. His buddy Jack, a sophomore on his team, had been promising to beat him in the eight hundred, and finally they squared off. With three hundred meters to go, Graham passed Jack, but on the final curve, Jack ran Graham down. I wasContinue reading “Let Us Now Praise Track Athletes”
How to Know the Lesson Is Not Boring
This past Sunday, the local Church leadership asked me to teach the young men ages 12 to 18. I got about one day’s notice but I was a seminary teacher for four years, so whatever, I agreed. For the Latter-Day Saints out there, the lesson was about King Benjamin’s address. Most teachers focus on hisContinue reading “How to Know the Lesson Is Not Boring”
When the Gods Walk Among Us
On Saturday evening, the great Lionel Messi visited Gillette Stadium with Inter Miami to face off against the New England Revolution. We have been Revs season ticket holders for a few years now. The Patriots’ game day experience is a nightmare—parking costs a limb even two miles from the stadium, everyone is drunk, and trafficContinue reading “When the Gods Walk Among Us”
The Venn Diagram of Marriage
Nothing says twenty-five years of marriage like taking a red-eye home from an event for your children, so naturally, that’s what we did on our special day. Lucia’s college graduation was this past week, so we made the trek to Hawaii for the occasion. We watched her walk across the stage and so forth, andContinue reading “The Venn Diagram of Marriage”
A Day of Surprise
Lauren is still refusing to get me any lunch food, though she managed to get some cheese because no cheese hurts her too. So for today’s lunch, I was reduced to generic chunk chicken breast from a can—mix with mayo, add to quesadilla, and it’s okay. Dobby loves this lunch because he gets the canContinue reading “A Day of Surprise”
A Gentler Form of Haunting
This is part of the Dreams and Nightmares Series and not part of the family stories. We were inside a ten-story red-brick building in the middle of the city with traffic whizzing by below us. It was cool and cloudy out, which was probably for the best since the building only had window a/c’s. WeContinue reading “A Gentler Form of Haunting”
Sad Easter
When Lauren was with Lindsay at Lock Haven after the surgery, she realized she had to tend to some Easter matters or she would miss the date. Specifically, she needed to order Mrs. Cavanaugh’s mindy mint Easter eggs for all the kids. Inasmuch as she was in Lindsay’s dorm room and Lindsay was present, LaurenContinue reading “Sad Easter”
His Smile Lit Up a Room and Other Things to Say at My Funeral 