A few days ago, I realized that I forgot my anniversary. No, not THAT anniversary. That is unthinkable. You know the old trope, the scatterbrained husband comes home to his wife, who is all dressed up and has a fancy dinner on the table. He panics as the realization hits him that he forgot his wedding anniversary. What a dope. My empathy towards him instantly goes out the window. What a moron.
I truly hope this doesn’t happen often in real life. (If it does, you doofuses need to up your game.)
Our 39th wedding anniversary is coming up in July. I don’t need reminding about the significance of July 18.
But that is not the anniversary that I forgot. December 6th was the 14th anniversary of my blog. Yep, 14 years ago, I sat in the glow of our Christmas tree and pounded out my first anonymous blog post. I had no idea how that event would affect my life – mostly for the better.
In the Middle-aged Mormon Man days, I was more prolific, definitely more irreverent, and sadly, quite a bit funnier. I was also more intrigued by “getting into it,” with commenters and detractors. As the years have passed, I feel far less combative, mainly for two reasons. One, you are never going to change someone’s mind by arguing with them on social media. Two, it is exhausting. There is an old saying that I found to be very true, “When you wrestle with a pig, you both get dirty – but the pig loves it.” Sure, there is an adrenaline surge when you battle, but it comes at a cost that is not worthy of the time and effort behind it.
Amid the blog “glory years,” some unexpected, wonderful things happened. I found a bunch of new friends who share similar values, beliefs, and oddball senses of humor. How great is that? And that community of friends has widened and entered the “real life” arena. Some of my dearest friends came from this little blogging adventure.
Blogging has led me into new arenas. When I began, I sure didn’t think I’d be doing this 14 years later. I definitely didn’t foresee that writing would become such a part of my life. Beyond the blog, I’ve published collections, novellas, articles, and a novel. (I appreciate your support in these adventures.)
That has led to opportunities to teach and participate in writing conferences, where I’ve met more wonderful people and learned from them. In 2025 I am actually the co-chair of the ANWA writing conference in Mesa, AZ. In 2026 I am actually in charge. (Mwah-ha-ha.) It’s going to be a blast.
I’ve also had some wonderful experiences sitting in as a gues on podcasts, maiinly discussing gospel topics. In fact, just this weekend, a new episode of ConferenceTalk dropped. In it, Matthew Watkins and I discuss Elder Christofferson’s recent talk, “Burying Our Weapons of Rebellion.” It was fun and insightful for me, as Matthew is a smart dude. I am old enough to be his father, but I am always impressed by his gospel chops. I hope you give it a listen (30 minutes) Here is the link:
As I sit here, yet again, basking in the light of our Christmas tree, banging away on my keyboard. I feel a tremendous sense of gratitidue for this old blog. It has served a dual purpose that has blessed my life:
- Inward. It keeps my reflecting on what is happening in my life, and how my experiences tie into gospel principles. It keeps me in the scriptures and studying the words of the living prophets. I listen to General Conference with a fixation that surprises even me. This is good for me.
- Outward. In a world where it is easy to “hole up,” this provides a way for me to reach out to others, and to share what things are most important to me. Never would I have dreamed that people would care what I think and believe, and stick around for so many years. I consider it an open-ended calling.
This is also my annual opportunity to reflect on how much I appreciate you. Yes, you. You make my life better by reading and participating in our little communty of like-minded friends. We are all attempting to navigate this crazy thing we call mortality with faith, hope, charity and some laughs along the way.
Thank you for being a part of it!
Podcast Link: Conference Talk
Book links: Papa Range. The Year We Stole Christmas. Up On the Housetop.
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I cannot adequately express how comforting and confidence building it has been to read your thoughts. I feel like we are gospel brothers. Thanks for being willing to put yourself “out there”.
You’re the BEST!
I’m on my 4th (and final) round of teaching your ‘trust jar’ concept to my sons as they enter pre-teen years. That post continues to bless both me and my children’s lives and relationships for the better. There are oh-so-many more, but that’s what top of mind for me today. Thanks for giving me a tool that makes me look forward to every ‘teenage season’🙌
How sweet! I love the Trust Jar.
Every week (except on those rare occasions when something else has impeded you) when I see another Thus We See post drop in my inbox, I savor the upcoming feast. Whether humorous, insightful, dramatic, ponderful (ok, a made up word but I think you get the gist), uplifting or all of the above, I have enjoyed each and the glimpse they give me into who you are. I feel a relationship with you that enriches my life, all without ever having met you in person or even communicated with you other then through a comment here and there. I’m so glad I found you years ago. Your prose has become a marvelous gift and I thank you!
I’m gonna ride with “ponderful.” Thanks!
Wow! That’s awesome! Good for you! And good for me…for sticking around and learning so many things from a rando living out there…who has been a valuable tool in my life learnings. I’m sorry I’m mostly silent, but I hope you know that your testimony, insight, and perspective is a beautiful and needed “voice in the choir”.
Happy Anniversary!! And thank you so much!!
You are the one who has made our community better. Your thoughts have given me many ideas for talks, journal entries, and conversation starters, I appreciate you giving your time and talents to edify my life. May you have the strength to continue.
I am grateful for your years of dedication. I read every blogpost, listen to all the podcasts, etc. I don’t comment every time, but I’m out there listening and paying attention. You are my kindred spirit in that you put my thoughts on paper, a gift I only have a little bit of. I am pretty good with words, I do love them (and paper, pens…) but you are great at it. Thank you!
Thank you. <3