Irony ;)

As discovered anew these past few days, lessons from irony can be both a marvelous work and a wonder.
The previous "Power & Liberty" entry was and is a statement of a Providential principle regarding not only our God given gift of liberty, but also of our need to respect and preserve others' freedom of choice.
It was sent out and shared with a host of my family, friends, associates, others of my faith, and various interest communities throughout the United States and elsewhere.
Put another way: To those who divined personal umbrage from that entry, what each of us see when we look in the mirror mostly is between us and the glass.

Power & Liberty

I suppose that it is the innate nature of many, especially those who are in positions of authority (or who aspire to authority), to confuse the wielding of power with the preservation of liberty.
"...We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion..." - Joseph Smith.
(Reference Source: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Doctrine & Covenants, Section 121, Verse 39. Telephone 1-800-438-7557 or visit http://www.lds.org/ , click on "Gospel Library", and then click on "Scriptures" for more information.)

The Last Teardrop

David & Sarah,
A great many years ago, the parting from your Mother almost destroyed me.
That loss was deeply intimate, and it seemed to me that it was the end of my world.
In the years that followed, there have been many other challenges and life lessons.
I discovered since then, over and over again throughout those years, that what I thought was the last teardrop wasn't even close to the end.
What I did learn is that the only thing that really matters and makes any difference is being true to yourself and what you know is true, getting up each time you stumble and doing the best you can with who you are.
Throughout all of this, I have been both fey and fortunate (blessed). God has reached out and lifted me up, over and over again, and He still continues to stretch out His arm to me.
Love,
Dad