I never knew, did you?

That is why this blog is called "Lost and Found." I like to think of myself as a sponge... an old sponge, but a sponge. I like to learn. I would like to think that I have capacity to learn new languages. I barely get by with English though. So, currently I am in school trying to finish my bachelor's degree. It is exciting and fun. I have also realized I have wasted much time watching TV. Not much knowledge gleaned from "American Idol" or "Roseanne."

I have decided to spend that down time in a quest. In a quest of knowledge. I watch documentaries. I try to read books on economics, the constitution, and biographies of noted individuals. I try to study the scriptures and learn from the teachings of the Savior. It is time better suited.

So my point? I didn't know there was a difference between the "Founding Fathers" and the "Framers." Did you?

On this post are the pictures of our first three presidents- do you know which ones are a "Founding Father", a "Framer", or both?

I didn't know...now I know...jsf

Is ignorance bliss?

Where in heavens did that phrase originate from?



Thomas GrayOde on a Distant Prospect of Eton College
".Yet ah! why should they know their fate? Since sorrow never comes too late, And happiness too swiftly flies. Thought would destroy their paradise. No more; where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise." (http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/20/messages/1361.html)

Is that the case today?

Let me give quote from something that I have on my computer desktop- This is found on page 29-
"(B)- APPLICABLE LEVEL- The applicable level specified in this subparagraph for Y1 is $5,000 for an individual and $10,000 for a family. Such levels shall be increased (rounded to the nearest $100) for each subsequent year by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (United States city average) applicable to such year."

I finally found the Health Care bill. It is now sitting on my desktop and in a flash drive. The above paragraph- I believe- applies to the out of pocket expenses one would pay with this bill. The sad thing is there is no ceiling. Each year it will go up...what is different then from what we are doing now?


I highly recommend all to read what may be found in this bill- in this case--Ignorance is not bliss!!! jsf

Everything we want?

It is amazing the challenges that families have today. Compared with the hardships that our ancesters had one would think that we should be living a life of leisure. Well...let's review.

Recalling how are children were raised I am amazed that they turned out as well as they did. We were so brutal with them. I am surprised we don't have the police at our front door with warrants for our arrest because of our "neglect."

Case in point: our oldest son was the proud owner of a Nintendo. Not a lot of games, a few to get by. One evening had someone sleepover. During the course of the evening he came sheepishly up stairs to ask a very important question- "Dad, can we hook the Nintendo to the family T.V.? My friend doesn't know how to play Nintendo on a black and white T.V." I was shocked. I was concerned that my son's friend may return to his family and report us to the authorities. I stiffened my spine, though, and said- trying not to laugh too hard- "You got to be kidding me. Tell him to suck it up!"

Truly my wife and I should have been hung by our thumbs for such an atrocity!! If not that time surely we should have been a few Christmases later. Our youngest son was excited when he opened his present that particular Christmas...Santa came through!! It was an awsome thing.

Then my son looked up at us- us with grins from ear to ear, he with questioning face, "There are no games with this X-Box." Perhaps it wasn't my youngest favorite Christmas, but it was definitly a memorable one. For some reason I remember a sore tongue...who new Santa had a sense of humor. I still look at my rear view mirror expecting to see Dog, the Bounty Hunter.

I still don't sleep well at night because of that.

So where is this going? As I meander around I recall discussions with my bride about our children not being able to communicate well at school because they wouldn't have a base of discussion with there classmates because we didn't allow them to watch T.V. during the week. They would be ignorant in the happenings of the T.V.s fodder of the day. Yes...we were brutal parents.

So...would I allow my children to have a cell phone before they can drive? Nope. Would I let them have a facebook account? Nope. Would I let them watch T.V. during the week when school is in session?Nope. Yep...we were brutal parents.

It is titled lost and found

Ok- its been months since I posted last. Perhaps it was because I was lost...

What fun...families!

Wow!




Nothing ages a person more than seeing the children they raised as adults. Not only as adults but as responsible adults.




Wow!




Is it self serving in saying we did a great job in raising them? Ok- I was present during the course of those years. I did have some input...but the credit goes to their mother. So when I state that "we" did a great job raising them I am inferring that I was riding the coattails of my wife and stood back- and try not to screw anything up. There were moments when I almost failed in that task...but thank-heavens my bride had the strength to overcome my weaknesses.

This past week Mar and I spent 5 wonderful days with our children. The occasion- there shouldn't have to be occasions to visit your children but I digress (it is a topic to discuss at a future time)- was our youngest daughters graduation from BYU with her Bachelor's in Science in Nursing. It was a wonderful.

Since leaving high school Bri has been very productive. She has gone to college, served a mission for our church, and been to Ecuador for a month to apply her skills. What a busy life. Pictures will follow.

Random thoughts

This morning, in the elevator at our hotel, I had an opportunity to meet a gentleman who was staying at the University Hotel. In our short trip from the 8th floor to the lobby and then from the lobby to the parking garage I was able to glean a nugget from this man.

In the course of 3-5 minutes a lesson was learned.

We entered the elevator at the same time. It was about 6:30 am. It was still dark outside. I was carrying my backpack, my suitcase, my college computer bag and my binder that had my brand new, special tie (another story at another time). He entered the elevator empty handed. Indianapolis is hosting the NCAA Midwest Regional Final and my assumption was that he was here for the occasion. I asked if that may be the occasion of his being at the hotel. His words were kind, perhaps a little wistful. He let me know that he would love to attend the games. He had been a teacher and coached basketball for 25 years. He wasn't there at that time for that reason.



A lesson learned.

This gentleman then told me the reason why he was there. His wife has been through a lot in

their years of marriage. She had struggled and lived through breast cancer, had a heart attack and survived, and also had a stroke and continued on. Now she had a new challenge to battle. She had been diagnosed with a frontal lobe dementia of some type. It was a disease that was causing her frontal lobe to shrink, causing dementia. They were at the University Place Hotel because IU Med School had her in a study. The school was footing the bill for them to stay there. Here was a man who has seen his best friend's health diminish over time and was still, on that early Friday morning, cheerful and willing to share with a complete stranger.

I was amazed at the courage of not only him but also his wife. Some could say that they are grasping at straws- hoping, by being part of the study, that additional time could be squeezed out allowing them to be together- "till death do us part."I saw a man, probably, who had seen his wife go through labor pains in bringing forth children and in doing so standing by, wringing his hands knowing all he could do was give support. Here he was, again, in a similar situation, wishing, perhaps, it was he going through the pain. Hoping to understand, if just a little, what his wife was going through. I didn't see a man desperate- I saw a man with hope, grateful that his best friend was courageous enough to share her condition with the medical community with the hope that by learning from her others may not have to suffer the same as what they were suffering. Here was a man who had hope.

3-5 minutes. A lesson learned. A man who was still a teacher in an elevator in Indianapolis...jsf

The difference of one letter

We live in some exciting times.

For the better part of this week I have been absorbed in thought, pondering the events that have occurred. I have been trying to determine how to phrase the thoughts that are racing through my mind. Harnessing those thoughts and placing them here in a logical, non-confrontational format is my challenge.

The difference is the letter "e". A vowel which stands in position 5 in the English alphabet. It doesn't stand out as some of the other letters- like z or w. It isn't even a "sometimes" like in "...a,e,i,o,u and sometimes y". None threatening just "e".

Vigilant. Dictionary.com defines it as thus: 1) keenly watchful to detect danger; wary or 2) ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.

Over the past month or so our congress has passed a bill that was pushed through congress with little thought as to what was in the final version. It was a bill that was over a 1,000 pages long. No one read through it completely. The people that we elected to be vigilant, those that we hire every two and six years, failed in being vigilant. They did not do there jobs. So what did they do?

One letter- the letter "e".

Vigilante- noun- 1) a member of a vigilance committee or 2) any person who takes the law into his or her own hands, as by avenging a crime. Adjective- 3) done violently and summarily, without recourse to lawful procedures. (Dictionary.com)

Knowing that our representatives are not watching out for our best interest what are they doing? At the beginning of this week the headlines have been blaring about AIG and bonuses that were going to be given or already given. Congress, the media, the White House, everyone was jumping on the bandwagon.

Legal contracts were in place and congress, in their vigilante mentality, were trying in some manner to get that money back.... but they do so with the possibility of violating the constitutions that they swore to uphold. For those of us who may have forgotten what that is just a small reminder. Article 1 Section 9 of the United States Constitution states "No bill of Attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed." In other words laws can not be passed specifically to attack something that has already occurred. These are contracts that are legal and binding. It is a precedent that should not be set.



A bandwagon that could become extremely large as they create a net that could bring in many others as well...for example....(end of part 1)jsf

Realizing the blessings we have...

Yesterdays announcement of the tragic accident of Natasha Richardson and her current status struck home yesterday...struck home hard. For those who may have not heard Natasha Richardson is an actress who was in the remake of "Parent Trap" with Lindsay Lohan back in the late '90s. She was well known in New York for her stage work and won a Tony for her work in Caberet.

What happened? She was learning how to ski in Canada. During the course of the lesson she had an accident of some type and appeared ok. An hour later she started to complain about not feeling well. Her conditioned worsened, tragically.

Why do I bring this up? Last Novemeber my bride was involved in a serious car accident. She was at a traffic light, completely stopped, when a car slammed into the back of her car. The driver of the other car had been distracted and because of that did not attempt to slow down. It is estimated that the person who hit Marcia was doing 50-60 mph. Since she didn't use her brakes the car behind her then hit her and Marcia's car was hit again.

My bride doesn't remember that night. Fortunately angels watch over her and a dear friend called her as she was driving home. He was able to recognize that something wasn't right and stayed on the phone until she made it home. Marcia doesn't remember much of the next few months...Christmas came and went, children home for the holidays- it was a blur.

Months lost... but not my wife. For that I thank God...

For Natasha Richardson's family...remember her and them in your prayers...jsf

(The announcement of Natasha Richardson's passing away happened after my initial post- may the family realize that it is only a moment- there are opportunities for reunion- http://mormon.org/mormonorg/eng/ remember them in your prayers...jsf)

It is St. Patrick's Day

It is a celebration of who you are...it is nice to celebrate that with out the worry of others judging who you are might be.

It is the one day where every one has found a bit o' the Irish in them... it is only a day.

Today I have promised myself to be upbeat and remember that it is a joyous day--- so with that I will...jsf