Close to Tragedy

There have been some interesting coincidences in my life that have made me wonder. I've been close to national tragedies, but have not been directly affected by them.

April 1993 a tornado ripped through northeast Tulsa and Catoosa Oklahoma. We were living in Broken Arrow which is about 6 miles south of Catoosa. We could see a huge black cloud over the town. But we couldn't actually see the funnel as it was raining. A truck stop was leveled and about 100 homes were damaged or destroyed. Six people lost their lives.

April 19, 1995 my wife and I were driving from Tulsa to Oklahoma City to attend a restaurant show. We were not listening to the radio and paying attention what was going on in the outside world. As we were driving, we had people pass us like we were standing still. We even had emergency vehicles from various communities passing us. I couldn't understand why this was happening. Then I finally turned on the radio and heard that the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City had been bombed. The DJ on the radio said that volunteers were needed. We scraped our plans for the restaurant show and decided to go to a Wal-Mart and buy some work clothes. By the tome we made it to the outskirts of OKC, they were saying on the radio that they had plenty of volunteers and they were turning people away. Intrestingly enough, the convention center where we were going was less than a mile from the Murrah Building.

Three years later we moved from Tulsa to Denver. On a house hunting trip, we looked at a home that was within a mile from a Columbine High School. But for some reason we chose to live elsewhere. On April 20, 1999 with the massacre at Columbine, I marveled that we could have been there and my kids might have been involved. But they were not.

I worked for American Airlines in Tulsa from '86-'98. I then moved to Denver and worked for Galileo, a former company of United Airlines. All the work I did for them was for United. And since 2003 I have for for United Airlines. So I have 25 years of working for the airlines. The airlines are fierce competitiors. But they are also a close-knit family. I know many people who have worked for more than one airline.

When the terrorists attacked our country on September 11, 2001, I once again marveled that the two airlines that I worked for had lost airplanes. I'm not trying to make a big deal out of all of this. But it is ironic how close I've been to some national tragedies, but have not been personally affected by them.

Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. I was on my way to work and listening to the radio and they started talking about how the planes hit the World Trade Center. My eyes teared up. I couldn't believe that those emotions were still within me. I thought they were buried so deep that they would never re-surface. I was wrong. But I had to shake these of and go do my job.

I believe that God only gives us challenges that He knows we can handle. We are shaped by our challenges and how we respond to them. All of the challenges we face are like going through the refiner's fire to remove impurities. Will we melt in the face of adversity or rise to the occasion?

A Gardener, I Am Not

I don't pretend to be a gardener. But this year I wanted to beautify my home and make it look like someone lives here.

Iris's are one of my favorites. It's unfortunate that they don't last very long. But at least they come back every year!


I planted Vinca, yellow and orange Marigold, Dianthus and Lobelia. I gave Kathy an Easter Lily plant. The flowers have wilted away so I planted what is left and I'll see what happens.
More pictures soon.

An excerpt from Chuck Yeager's autobiography entitled "YEAGER"

"When President Truman presented me with the Collier Trophy in 1948 for breaking the sound barrier, my dad attended the White House ceremonies, but refused to shake hands with the President. He glowered at Truman, acting like a revival preacher trapped into meeting the Pope. As far as Dad was concerned, the first good Democrat had yet to be born."

Instantly, I knew I was going to like this book. This book in not about politics, its about a down home kind of guy who learned to fly and then do extraordinary things with an airplane. It's a great read.

What E'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part

Last night I was channel surfing and I ran across a program on BYUTV about David O. McKay, 9th president and prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

When he was on a mission to Scotland, he was not having a particullary good time. He was homesick and there was a lot persecutions towards Mormons. One day he saw a sign that read:

What E'er Thou Art, Act Well Thy Part

I've had a chance to reflect on this for a while. What a powerful statement this is!

Who is your favorite teacher?

Who is your favorite teacher? Mine was Noel Brown at BYU-Idaho, formerly Ricks College.

Mr. Brown was a music instructor at the college. I signed up to be in the Sound Alliance Jazz band, and on the first day he handed me the music for 1st chair tenor sax. This was a big deal to me as I had always played 2nd. You musicians know what I'm talking about.

We had been working hard preparing for a concert. The day before the concert, Mr. Brown called me into his office. He said that the lead Alto sax player was ill and would I play his part in the concert. I said that I have never played his part and I don't have an Alto Sax. I also knew that the alto had a 16 bar solo that scared me. He said that they have an Alto that I can use. Then what he said next has been permanently etched into my mind: "Wayne, if you can't do it, nobody can".
Wow, he had a lot of confidence in me!!!

The concert went fine. To this day I can't remember the music we played. But I'll always remember Mr. Brown for the confidence he showed in me. Thanks Mr. Brown!

Light the Fire Within

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqaLoR2YBxw

On Saturday December 11, I went skiing at Copper Mountain with Scott and Chris. Conditions were cold but beautiful. Copper had gotten about 9 inches of powder overnight.

I wore my Olympic uniform which I only pull it out maybe once a year. While standing in a lift line a man says to me: "I haven't seen one of those uniforms in a while". Come to find out he produced the video of "Light the Fire Within" for the Salt Lake Olympics. His name is J.R. Hildebrand. He told us that he was up there by himself. So I invited him to ski with Scott, Chris and I. We spent most of the day together. I feel like I have a new friend. J.R. skis on old PRE 1200 skis with 80's Solomon clamshell boots. Old school stuff. But his skiing is nearly flawless. My own skiing was marginal that day because I'm not used to skiing in a lot of powder.

When I got home last night, I looked on youtube and found that video I was talking about. It reminded me of the hard work and sacrifice that I put into the Olympics. Now I only had a small role as a course worker in the men's downhill at Snowbasin. But we, all 2,000 of us at that venue, helped create an Olympic moment for all of the people there, racers and spectators alike. I will always have fond memories of the Olympics and Snowbasin.

Thanks J.R. for the great skiing and reminding me that the Olympics were a real high point in my life.

Don't Tread On Me

The Gadsden flag was designed in the late 1700's as a symbol of defiance. This particular version was flown on naval vessels. Of late, this flag has become a symbol of those who feel as if our liberties have been taken away by a government that seems out of touch with its own people.


I've never been a very political person. But reading some of the quotes from the founding fathers has stirred my soul. These men who developed our government and wrote the constitution were truly gifted individuals. They spoke from their hearts. Give me liberty or give me death! One of the more famous quotes from Patrick Henry- What a rallying cry!

The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty – John Adams

A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.

Thomas Jefferson

Okay I think you get the point. We as Americans need to look back and see where we came from. By understanding our past we can determine our future.