I Love Being a Mentor

I love being a mentor

September 30, 2013

I have been blessed to be a mentor to many amazing young men!

In my lifetime, I have had some very good experiences of working with young men. Quite often, times would arise when I needed to hire someone. I always liked to give those opportunities to young boys just out of high school . It was usually their first major employment. Oft times they were shy, inexperienced, and yet wanted to do their very best. I enjoyed showing them the ropes…so to speak.

Some of these young men were very capable, having lived on a farm and had learned how to work. Others seemed to be totally without any experience and had never encountered any form of responsibility. Some had become involved in troublesome ways.

My first experience with them was met with varying degrees of optimism. It usually took much time and patience to get everyone lined out to the point that we were all pulling in the same direction. However, in time, most all of them became a good experience for me and for them.

One evening I was traveling home from a job in Idaho. During the trip, my thoughts had been on my friend and his family. I felt bad for them because of the problems they were having with their son. They were having a hard time dealing with his troublesome life. I had known this young man since he was a baby and I was feeling bad that he had chosen to take the low road.

During the trip, the thought came to me to check on them and see if he would like to come and work for me. I took my phone from my pocket and called them. My friend answered the phone. I asked him how things were going with his boy. I felt sorry for him as he informed me that his son had moved out with some friends. I then asked my friend if he thought his son would like to come and work with me. He said he wasn’t sure but he gave me his phone number. I extended an invitation to the young man to come and work with me. He seemed happy to find a job.

Time moved on and the attitude of that young man changed. He had always been a good boy..He just lost his way for a time. Good things happened and he became one of my most valued employees. It was such a pleasure to work with him.

Years later as I was visiting with his father, he expressed his gratitude for my part in his son’s success. I felt it a privilege to have had that opportunity. My friend told me that he would like to fill me in on the circumstances surrounding the event of my phone call that night.

He explained to me that that evening he and his wife had been so worried about their son’s activities that they had gone to their bedside and had enlisted their Lord into their peril. He said that as they finished their quest, the phone rang…it was me. After our conversation, he turned to his wife and said, “Our prayers have been answered.”

All of these boys have become men and they continue to bless my life every day. My wife has always been there to spoil them, always sending extra food to make sure they had plenty to eat.

These stories are true and I hope you find the joy in hearing them as I did in experiencing them.

Devastating Effects of Debt

Devastating Effects of Debt

September 26, 2013

I learned that pressure from debt can be devastating !

A lot of good lessons came from the school of hard knocks. I have always, since I can remember, possessed an entrepreneurial mind. I found pleasure in creating business ideas in my mind. Most of my ideas came from avoiding hard labor. Sometimes I accused myself of being lazy.

My parents saw that interest in me when I was small and had Santa Claus bring me a set of tinker toys for Christmas one year. I spent hours with those tinker toys spread all over the floor. I created every kind of contraption you can imagine. That mindset and desire pushed me all my life. Sometimes that notion served me well and other times I may have reached too far. In all cases, I learned lessons which have served me throughout my life.

From the days of using a shovel and wheelbarrow, came ideas of inventing something to excavate the earth with. I was saved from failure by someone who first invented the backhoe. I was good with that and was glad it came along. Now my quest became to do whatever it took to get one of those machines. What a great idea!…two or three scoops with that bucket would remove more soil than digging with a shovel all day long.

My primary purpose for living became my need to own a new backhoe. You know, whatever you set your mind to do, will happen…so be careful!

Years later, I could see how my backhoe business would fit very well in the oil and gas production business. Before too long, I was the proud owner of my own roustabout company, serving the oil field industry. Everything went well. Work came knocking at our door. Tremendous expansion became our lot. We needed more backhoes, more trucks, more employees. High costs and expenses skyrocketed. A business which seemed to be the answer to all of my dreams soon became a curse of major proportions. At this station, the train stopped, the boom was over and the bust had arrived. I became a regular student at the school of hard knocks.

Life became hard and tedious. I had many bills to pay and very little work to provide a cash flow. I found that my business plan was incomplete. In my excitement to succeed, I had thrown all caution to the wind.

My new business plan called for me to sell all of my acquired equipment and pay off as much debt as possible. The deficit was staggering. I learned that pressure from debt can be devastating! I kept one backhoe, a pickup truck and I went to work. My new motivation was at least ten years away.

My next lesson was a good one and I learned it well. With an everyday reminder, I went to work and I worked from sun-up to after dark. After years of hard labor, I was able to free myself of those huge debts. Years later I look back and I remember the hurt and the hardship my family went through. In many ways it was hard and it was tough but in the end, that experience tempered my understanding and gave me the pleasure of being able to honor my commitment. It was a good day when I was able to feel free at last. That experience ended years ago, however my memory sorely remembers those struggles.

Many of those hard times prepared me for the future. My fears have vanished and I have a greater belief in my own abilities. Good things are born from our difficulties.

I enjoy writing these blogs because they help me remember and look at the map of my journey and provide me with the yardstick of my growth. The knowledge that I have acquired provide stability for my future endeavors.

How I was Inspired with the Love of a Dog

How I was Inspired with the Love of a Dog.

September 24, 2013

God must love animals

Some of my dearest friends have four legs. Horses, donkeys, dogs and cats have been a big part of my life and have found refuge at our farm. 

A few years ago a small puppy came to our home. He had been left as an orphan by a neighbor who had moved away. He chose our home as his new residence. In his puppy ways, he was such a pest.

Each morning as I left the house for work, I experienced shock at the amount of garbage he had left all over the lawn. My expression of alarm was always, “You Potlicker! I’m gonna tan your hide!”

One morning in disgust, I chased him around the yard, throwing his trash at him. He must have thought I had gone crazy. This tactic certainly made an impression on him because from that day on, he ceased to drag stuff all over.

I fell in love with that darn dog. He became a loyal, close, friend and he loved to ride on my four wheeler with me. I asked my wife, “What do you think I should name him?” She said, “Name him Potlicker. That’s what you’ve always called him anyway.” So, Potlicker it was. His name brought smiles to many faces.

  

One cold, snowy, winter day, Potlicker came up missing. I looked everywhere for him to no avail. For over a week I searched for him, and called every neighbor in the community. No one had seen him. I felt devastated.

I sure missed my lovable ole dog. One night as I slept, I had a dream. In my dream, I saw Potlicker. It seemed he was caught in a fence about a quarter of a mile east of our house. I quickly woke up being excited that this dream might be true.

My excitement kept me from sleeping and I could hardly wait until daylight when I could hop on my four wheeler and check it out.

Morning finally came and I took off through the deep snow traveling to the place I had seen in my dream. Upon my arrival there, I was so disappointed. Potlicker was not there….”Why?  The dream was so real.”

I knelt down in the snow and expressed my disappointment to my Lord and felt His comfort. Having lost my resolve, I got back on my four wheeler and turned north along the fence line to return home.

There in the fence stood ole Potlicker, so happy to see me! I rushed to him with great speed. As I approached him, he jumped into my arms and we were so happy to be together again! Around his neck hung a steel cable snare that had been set by someone. I freed him from the snare and he jumped upon the four wheeler, anxious to go home.

When I returned home with Potlicker, my father met me at the door. I said “God must love Potlicker.” He replied, “God loves you.”

I am a blessed man.

Reliving Life's Experiences through Pondering

Reliving Life’s Experiences through Pondering

September 16, 2013                       

Pondering  is an Exciting Avenue to Remembering Life’s Experiences

It’s really interesting where your thoughts can go when you release them from the regiment of everyday activities. I try to set aside a little ponder time as often as possible. This morning my thoughts went back to a day in my past that has become quite significant in my life. That particular day was a very cold day in the winter season. My father and I were busy doing our morning chores.

I would rather have found a warm place to spend my time. The cold was just plain miserable. Any good farmer knows that you feed the animals before you feed yourself and so that’s what we were doing. When we had completed that morning routine, my dad was driving the tractor and I was standing behind him. I was using his body as a windbreak from the cold.

As we were nearing home and the comfort of a warm fire, we came upon a stranger struggling to walk through the blowing snow. This was very unusual that someone we didn’t know would be walking down that road. Dad stopped the tractor to inquire of his needs. He explained that the blinding snow had caused him to drive off the road and into a snowdrift. He had walked quite a way to meet us. My father invited him to hop upon the tractor and sit on the fender and we would take him to where his car was stuck in the snowbank.

So much for the thought of getting back to the warm stove in our home. Off we went to our new destination. My father was that way…it seemed he was always looking for an opportunity to help someone. My thoughts as a young, cold boy was…”Why not take me home first?”

We eventually found the stranded vehicle. Dad quickly backed the tractor up to the back of the car and said, “Son, hook the chain on”, and in about two minutes, the car was freed from the snowdrift.

The stranger was thankful and happy. His joy warmed my heart as I felt good about being able to participate in this good turn. After all I was an active boy scout, and their motto is to “do a good turn daily”.

The man was so grateful and he took his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to my dad. That was the first time I had ever seen a $100 bill. I became excited and thought, “We are rich!” However the excitement was short lived as my father handed the bill back and said, “We can’t take that.” Disappointment filled my soul and as we turned the tractor towards home, I asked Dad , “Why? he’s a wealthy man. He can afford it!”

As we drove home, I got the lesson of my life. He explained about good turns; a good turn isn’t a good turn if you get paid for doing it. He introduced me to the warm feeling in my heart. He taught me that you can build a fire in your heart on the coldest of days when you’re in the service of someone else. I’m so glad that Dad took me along with him that cold winter day. This lesson of service has been a staple of my life.

As I have embarked on this new journey with Empower Network, I feel with every person I spread the good word to, I am allowing them to reach a place of potential in their lives that they had never felt possible before. All you have to do it look into it. If you do it with the intent of becoming the best version of you, you will find the value in it that I have found.

God's Plan... We Can Choose to Participate

God’s Plan… We Can Choose to Participate

September 16, 2013

God uses ordinary people to carry out His extraordinary plan

I feel the most centered and stabilizing factor in my life has been my faith in God. I’m sure my faith was born from my parents. I’ve always felt that God is aware of me. I know that many times he has placed good people in my path to encourage me and to help me through life’s tests. I feel that sometimes we get the opportunity to be God’s helper in the lives of someone else.

One such experience that has impressed me and strengthened my faith is that God knows all of us and is aware of all of our needs. This event happened as I was nearing the completion of one of our fiber optic jobs. An employee and I were busy putting the final cleanup touches on a 400 mile cable job.

About 11:00 a.m. a huge rainstorm came upon us. We jumped into our truck to keep from getting wet. As we sat there watching the rain pour down, I noticed that it was getting close to lunch time. I asked my partner if he would like to accompany me into town for lunch. He thought that would be a great idea. We hadn’t had a prepared lunch for quite some time, so we drove about 10 miles into town and stopped at a Denny’s restaurant. They were very busy and the place was filled with happy, laughing, and talking people.

The only place left to be seated was at a table next to a window. As we waited for our food to be served, my eyes were drawn to a car parked outside the window. As I lazily stared at the car, I noticed a slight puff of smoke came out from under the hood. I wasn’t quite sure that I saw what I saw, so I called my partner’s attention to it. He watched with me and concluded that I had seen only steam from the rain, and then went back to his own thoughts.

I couldn’t comfort my feelings that I had seen smoke and sure enough, a large puff of smoke came out from under the hood. I jumped to my feet and hurried to the nearest waitress. I asked her to let the customers know that there was a car on fire. She tried to get their attention, but no one would listen. I caught myself shouting above the noise of the crowd. “Could I have your attention please? There is a car on fire in the parking lot!”

Immediately the noise ceased and I explained that a dark blue car outside of the window was on fire. All was silent and then a small voice spoke up, “It’s my car.” I looked toward the voice and saw an aged, frail, little lady sitting next to a middle age man. I said, “Will you come with me? We’ll have to unlock your car hood.”

I grabbed a fire extinguisher from my truck and she unlocked her car. As I lifted the hood of her car, flames exploded into the air. I quickly put the fire out with the fire extinguisher.

We stood there looking at the damage that was done to her car. The wiring was completely destroyed. The sweet lady began to cry and her son tried to comfort her with the words, “Don’t cry Mommy, it will be alright. Don’t cry Mommy, it will be alright.”

The only ones who came to help were two of the waitresses who came with their fire extinguishers. No one else seemed to care. I told the lady that I would take care of everything after we had finished eating, and she was okay with that.

When I arrived back to my table, my lunch wasn’t there. My partner told me that the waitress had picked it up to exchange it for a hot one. As I waited for my lunch, the lady had been trying to make a phone call from the phone booth. Just as my hot lunch arrived, she came to my table crying. She couldn’t get the phone to work. I went with her and we tried to call several of her relatives and everyone she could think of…but there was no answer.

I assured her that I would see to it that she got home and asked her to wait until I had finished my lunch. She agreed and we went back into the dining area. I returned to my table to find I had no food again. My partner informed me again that the waitress had taken it. The waitress soon returned with a new, hot meal. I proceeded again to eat.

Then an elderly gentleman came to my table and said, “I’ve been observing what’s been going on here today and I’m sure you need to get back to your work. My wife and I would like to offer to drive this lady safely home.” She lived about 60 miles away. We loaded her groceries into his car and I thanked him for his kind service.

When I returned to pay for my meal, the attendant informed me that my meal was on the house. She shared her appreciation for the effort that I had made and said, “If my mother should ever be caught in a similar situation, I hope you would be the one there to help her.”

As my partner and I drove back to our job, I was overwhelmed with the thoughts of God’s love for all of his children. I felt that my circumstances had been altered to meet the needs of that sweet lady and her challenged son. My heart and my soul was happy that I had had the opportunity to help in God’s plan.

Sensing that my partner hadn’t experienced the significance of it all as I had, I asked him, “What are the chances that we would be forced from our work by the rain? What would cause us to drive to town for lunch?” We hadn’t gone to town to eat lunch for over a year.

“Why did we stop at that busy restaurant? Why was there only one table available by a window, next to a car that was simmering and getting ready to burst into flames? Can you imagine what would have happened if we had not decided to go to lunch?” He replied, “Her car would have burned up and her insurance company would have purchased her a new one.”  Nevertheless, all turned out well and the privilege of helping someone in need brought me much joy.

I hope that you will take time to recognize how you may be a part of blessing the lives of others along your way. Everything happens for a reason, there are no coincidences.

In fact, it is no coincidence you read my story. Think about it.

My Mentor, My Moral Strength, My Mother

My Mentor, My Moral Strength,

My Mother

September 13, 2013

Mother has provided everything in my life that has to do with tender. I have my mother’s conscience and at times I’ve wished that it wasn’t so. Any offence I may have committed, no matter how big or how small, harrowed up my soul. My most often used lament was, “Why Mother, are you doing this to me?”

She had such a commitment to living a good, honorable, and pursuit of right over wrong life. She instilled those values into her children’s souls. We knew when we were treading on dangerous ground. Our hearts and consciences told us so. I never wanted to act in a way that she wouldn’t approve of. If for some reason I got out of line and she was forced to scold me, my heart would ache until I slept that night. By the next morning, everything was good again and I went about life happy once more.

When I was a teenager, I felt that my mother had cursed me with that tender feeling of conscience. As I grew older and more mature, I understood that those feelings were a blessing to me. I found that I could use those feelings as a compass to guide my life for good. I learned that if I, without thinking, offended someone, those feelings would tap on my soul and reminded me that maybe an apology was in order. What a great blessing from my mom!

My mother had so many great values that I admired. Her life was filled with hardships and sorrow. Many sad, heartbreaking events tried to bring her down, but she fought back and became stronger each time.

Three of my sisters died in tragic deaths. The first died of food poisoning. On this occasion, several others in the family became very ill. The second died in a car accident along with three children. The third died at the hands of a gunman after she was abducted from a store where she worked.

These tragedies along with many other heart rendering experiences should have shook her from her foundation. Her strong faith and her never ending campaign for good kept bringing her back from heartache and despair. The example of my parents hanging on together strengthened my resolve to be like them.

My life would have surely been different without my mother’s guiding hand. ” Mom, I hope I will always feel that tender, uncomfortable feeling that you planted in my heart. If I should stray from the direction that you taught me…may I receive your tender reminder with thanksgiving. Thanks, Mom, for always being with me.”

Thank you for reading as I go to places in my life through my blog that have shaped and molded me into who I am. It has proven to be therapeutic and life affirming. I truly appreciate all who take the time to read my stories.

Our Challenges and Blessings of Daily Living

Our Challenges and Blessings of Daily Living

September 13, 2013

Both Challenges and Blessings

The summer has been hot and dry. The weather environment has not been kind to farmers and ranchers in our area. Every day hope for rain was met with  dry, hot, wind, causing the grass and crops to wither on the stem.

A lack of snow in the mountains promised a short irrigation season. Worried minds of the farmers and ranchers wondered,”What are we going to do?” The hay is not growing. Irrigation water can’t keep up with the needs of the crops.

Herds of cattle are running low on feed in the pastures. Notices were sent out from the water manager’s office. Water would be shut  out of the canal on the 28th of July. Hope of having a fruitful summer was almost lost.

Humbled by life struggles, all that anyone could do was look Heavenward and call upon a higher power than themselves.

Our water was shut out of the canal on July 28th… the rain came on July 29th. Worry and despair  was replaced with joy and thanksgiving. New hope was born again. Grass and crops shed their yellow, dry look. Lush green filled the country side.

The picture of cattle trailing in dust clouds changed to cattle lazily chewing their cud on green hillsides. Music seemed to be ringing through the air as neighbors smiled and greeted each other with a slap on the back.

I called my farm partner brother on the cell phone and when he answered “hello”,  I said,”Thank you Bro for living good…I think we are going to get a 3rd crop of hay!”

How can things going so bad, turn out so good in one season? I think the change happened the day everyone looked Heavenward. In our journey through life’s struggles, it is so important to look around us.

We need to know and recognize that we are such a small part of the happenings that go on in this big world. We are really quite insignificant when you think about it. We become significant when we humble ourselves and join hands with our fellow travelers. It’s so important to look away from ourselves and out to our neighbors.

Who are our neighbors? It’s everyone that we can reach out to and we can reach out a long way. We become significant when we reach out with a helping hand…with a desire to do good. If enough of us take hold of hands, we become a force and a force for good can change the world.

I’m happy to be with you in this movement. May the power of Heaven be with you until you become the person whose hand I’m holding.

Join hands with me by clicking the button below.

The Night the Entire Universe Worked Together for a Common Goal

The night the entire Universe worked together for a Common Goal

September 6, 2013

In the 1980′s I worked on the Upper Still Water dam project. This dam is located in a high mountainous area. Extreme working conditions were not uncommon. Dangerous , steep mountain terrain resisted our efforts every day.For three years those of us who worked there, faced and fought that unfriendly environment.

Today this huge concrete wall greets it’s visitors as a monument to hundreds of men who struggled to construct it. This massive structure became my schoolroom for life’s lessons.

The first order of business was to remove the trees from the area to make the footprint of the dam. Then came the process of removing all of the rocks and loose material down to sheer bedrock. We excavated high on the steep mountain slopes and the deep mud through the valley bottoms. Every day was a struggle and the struggles were met with human mindset and determination. Eventually, determination won out and progress towards filling the massive excavation with hundreds of thousands of tons of concrete began.

This dam was the first dam in the United States to be constructed with rolled concrete material. The technology of rolled concrete was very unforgiving. The moisture content was very low and the temperature had to be exact. This material was carried from the batch plant to the dam site on conveyor belts. Each batch on the belt had to be exactly one truckload, no more or no less. Every part of the operation had to be perfect. Timed spacing between batches had to be such as to allow the next truck to pull under the belt.

You can see that any deviation in scheduling could cause a big mess, shutting down the entire operation for cleanup. I’m touching on a few of the  troubles that could interfere with the operation. Besides the things I have spoken of, there are many other troublesome  situations that could and did take place.

During this stage of building the dam, I was working as project foreman, overseeing the rock quarry and the crushing of the rock materials. My shift went from 8:00 o’clock p.m. to 6:00 o’clock a.m. I never saw the light of day while on the job. I hope I’ve manifested the improbability of anything ever going all right on the job for any period of time.

During the summertime of the last year of construction, I was called into the office. I was given the responsibility of filling in for the project manager during his vacation time. My job was to keep things together until he returned. As I went about getting to know some of my new responsibilities, I became impressed by the knowledge and abilities of the different division foremen. We quickly became friends and worked very well together.

Someone came up with the idea of putting together a perfect shift. The question arose, “What could we accomplish if we had a perfect shift?” I said, “Let’s see if we can make it happen in the next two weeks.” The challenge was on and the planning began.

First we got all the maintenance on the equipment caught up. Then we stockpiled plenty of sand and gravel close to the hoppers. We filled the huge bins with ice to cool the concrete. We made sure all the computers were working properly. We planned a new rotating system for the haul trucks and shortened the spaces between the batches on the conveyor belt.

Finely came the night when everything was ready.I announced over the radios, “Gentlemen, start your engines!”….and the movement was on its way. Everyone was focused and manning their posts. Our planned organization was carried out to a tee. The night  shift finished without a flaw. Records were smashed as hundreds of tons of concrete was placed on the dam. We were so pumped that we went for it again the 2nd night and even exceeded our previous night’s tally.

Yes, the moon gave us light and the stars in the Heavens watched as men’s minds and efforts excelled to greatness. The lessons I learned that night were, if you give men an opportunity and unite them with a common goal and then set them free, there’s no end to what they can accomplish.

We have all the tools we need, as well as great leaders who have already been there. We have no excuses.

We Are Born to be Free

We Are Born to be Free

September 4, 2013

In my mind there have never been more inspiring words, ‘we are born to be free‘. So much of life’s experiences tend to hold men back. The monotony of every day living deadens our senses. A very real example of hum drum rhythm that beats the drums of boredom, are means of acquiring money to provide for our well being.

I have seen and experienced in my life as well as my parents’ and grandparents’ lives this effect. We were poor people, poor in having any money and limited means to obtain it. I watched my father try day after day to find any kind of work to earn a meager amount of money to supply for out needs.

Many days he returned home with his head down unsuccessful at finding employment. It’s no wonder after many years he may have become resentful and somewhat negative in mind. However, he plodded on day after day and year after year doing what he could, never quitting.

Eventually he found a job in Colorado and moved our family there. His example has been inspiring to me and his never quit attitude became legendary.

My father was born to be free

Can you just imagine what happened when a man with this background came in touch with Amway? He read the books as well as attended all of the rallies. His attitude changed from a negative zombie to a positive working machine.

What a wonderful transformation! That’s when we fell in love with network marketing. This business set him free. He learned how to dream and his dreams put air under his wings. In just a short time he was making friends all over the country. He became a servant to everyone in need.

One cold winter day as he was driving down the highway, he came across a stranger trying to catch a ride. My father stopped and picked him up. As they were traveling and visiting, a sad story unfolded.

The stranger, who’s appearance was very unkempt, had his car broken down and his family was stranded in a motel. He had no money and was really down on his luck. He had no one that could help him through this situation. At this time in my father’s life, he knew just what to do. He drove the stranger to the motel and picked up his family, paid the required bill at the motel and carried the family home with him. My mother welcomed them with open arms. She provided them with a nice hot meal and a warm bed to sleep in.

Charlie and his family were born to be free

The following day, my father being a good mechanic, took Charlie (his new friend) back to his broken down car and repaired it. You can probably guess Charlie became my father’s new Amway distributor. This opportunity changed Charlie and his family’s lives, good things came to them. They learned how to dream. They became successful in their own right. My father and Charlie became life long friends. Charlie and his wife stayed in close contact even though they moved far away.

We are born to be free!

Freedom comes from being able to make your own decisions. That’s why I like network marketing. There is no greater vehicle to work on personal development, it provides the opportunity to dream and the ability to work towards those dreams. I am a witness to the success that comes in multiple ways through network marketing.

If you have hopes and dreams in your life, if you would like to step up to a higher peak, come hitch your wagon to mine, that’s my destination as well.