Deficits, Debt, and Unfunded Liabilities....

I think we have a problem.

I see that the estimated deficit for 2011 is projected at $1,500,000,000,000 (one point five trillion dollars). That’s just for the federal government.

The deficit is not the same thing as the debt. If we were talking about personal finance, we would equate the deficit with the amount of money we borrow, over and above our personal income, in order to subsidize our standard of living each month or year.

The debt would be the outstanding balance on our credit cards, student and car loans, and mortgage obligations. The national debt is somewhere around $14 trillion. This year Congress and the president want to increase our debt by the amount of our deficit - just put it on the card, so to speak.

In addition to debt, the federal government has a number of what financial regulators would call “unfunded obligations”. That is, financial commitments the government has made for which there is no money set aside. Among those unfunded obligations are social security payments for generations of Americans, pension payments for retiring federal employees, and other perpetual entitlement programs. Some estimates of the amount of unfunded obligations are around $100 trillion.

But if you take the current population of the US estimated at 300,000,000 and put that against the current true debt of roughly $100,000,000,000,000 then we see that each American living today must be responsible for providing more than $300,000 toward the debt. Bear in mind that this $300,000 individual liability does not account for funding the current operating budget of the federal government of an additional $3.5 trillion in 2011. That annual subscription price comes to almost $12,000 per person.

So, my little family (of 7) must make a one-time payment today of $2.3 million, and an ongoing payment of $81,000 per year.

And that doesn’t even START to pay for my state, county and local government.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If every person in America got a bill for the cost of their government benefits, I am confident that we would be at least figuratively “up in arms” about the spending.

A Thought On "The Last Mountain Top"....

While I was eating my grilled buffalo chicken spinach wrap for lunch today, CNN was running its characteristically insipid fare of what someone thinks is "news".

The leading story - the one they spent my entire 8-minute lunch telling me about - was that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. had helped make a film that was being shown at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is called "The Last Mountain Top" (or something like that) and documents a waitress in a small community and her struggle to stop open-pit coal mining in West Virginia.

One thing that RFK Jr. said stood out. In the same breath, he said that West Virginia is a poor state because the influence of organized labor decreased over time; and that his father, RFK, always said that West Virginia should be one of the wealthiest states because of its natural resources. If I'm not wrong, RFK was killed in early June of 1968. Union influence in American labor was near its all-time peak.

I wonder why West Virginia wasn't "one of the wealthiest" states in 1968. If RFK Jr. is right, and strong union presence in coal mining leads to prosperity for coal miners, then Loretta Lynn's song "Coal Miner's Daughter" should have sounded more like Madonna's "Material Girl" than a memoir of growing up poor, but happy.

If his dad is right, and having a vast wealth of natural resources properly extracted leads to prosperity, we have to ask what is pulling cash out of the hands of the good people of West Virginia.

Could it be that organized labor actually puts a drain on the wealth of its constituents? Could it be that organized labor actually puts an inordinate amount of financial strain on corporations?

I don't hate mountain tops or clean water. I don't hate coal miners or their daughters. I don't hate waitresses who get involved in their community. And I don't hate filmmakers who go to Sundance.

I really like clarity and intellectual honesty, though. And I really like seeing hard-working people keep the money they earn by an honest day's work.

To A Happy New Year!

Even after reading this, I have no clue as to its meaning - except that it's definitely a drinking song. Come to think of it, maybe that's why I don't get it.

But what I do get is the feeling of nostalgia and hope and sadness and excitement that come when I hear the tune.

I hope that you and all you love have a wonderful, happy, peaceful and joyful new year. May this coming year be all you hope it will be.

Auld Lang Syne
By Robert Burns

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp,
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pu'd the gowans fine;
But we've wandered mony a weary fit
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidled i' the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roared
Sin' auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my trusty fiere,
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught
For auld lang syne.

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

Christmas Physics...

This is a physical analysis of Santa Claus. You may have seen it before, but I enjoy it so completely that I thought I'd put it here.

I disagree with the author's original conclusion, so I have put my own at the end of this piece.

1) No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not COMPLETELY rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.

2) There are 2 billion children (persons under 18) in the world. BUT since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle most Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist children, that reduces the workload to 15% of the total - 378 million according to Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there's at least one good child in each.

3) Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house.

Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false but for the purposes of our calculations we will accept), we are now talking about .78 miles [between each] household, a total trip of 75-1/2 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us must do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding...etc.

This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 times the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man- made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second [and] a conventional reindeer can run, tops, 15 miles per hour.

4) The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting that "flying reindeer" (see point #1) could pull TEN TIMES the normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine. We need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload - not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. Again, for comparison, this is four times the weight of the cruise ship Queen Elizabeth II.

5) 353,000 tons traveling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this will heat the reindeer up in the same fashion as a spacecraft reentering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Per second. Each. In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to acceleration forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force.

My conclusion: Santa is MAGICAL!

Merry Christmas!

President Bush's Christmas Address - 2003

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:14

As families and friends gather to celebrate Christmas, we remember all the blessings that fill our lives, beginning with the great blessing that came on a holy night in Bethlehem. For Christians around the world, the birth of Jesus is a central religious event; an example of God's profound love for humanity; and the pathway to hope and to new life. Today, the Christmas story still speaks to every generation.

This holiday season, as we share in the spirit of giving and enjoy familiar Christmas traditions, we give thanks for the wonder of God's love and rededicate ourselves to helping those in need. We also pray for our brave men and women in uniform, many of whom will spend the holidays far from home. Their courage and dedication is helping keep us safe and extending freedom and peace. We are grateful for their service to our country, and for the support and sacrifice of their families.

Laura joins me in wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the peace and goodwill of the season fill every heart and warm every home.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Miracle on 34th Street...

Remember Mr. Shellhammer's line from "Miracle on 34th Street"?

He doesn't want to believe that Kris Kringle is Santa Claus, but doesn't want to believe he's a pure fraud, either.

"But... but maybe he's only a little crazy like painters or composers or... or some of those men in Washington."

From "Mr. Krueger's Christmas"....

This is a scene from my favorite Christmas movie, starring Jimmy Stewart.

Please enjoy it as much as I do, and feel free to find the whole movie on YouTube.

President Reagan's First Christmas Address....

"Breath of Heaven"...

For Unto Us A Son Is Born....

From the New York Sun, 1897....

As Only James Taylor Can...

Linus Tells Us What Christmas Is About...

Christ's Nativity...

Christ's Nativity
By Henry Vaughan

Awake, glad heart! get up and sing!
It is the birth-day of thy King.
Awake! awake!
The Sun doth shake
Light from his locks, and all the way
Breathing perfumes, doth spice the day.

Awake, awake! hark how th' wood rings;
Winds whisper, and the busy springs
A concert make;
Awake! awake!
Man is their high-priest, and should rise
To offer up the sacrifice.

I would I were some bird, or star,
Flutt'ring in woods, or lifted far
Above this inn
And road of sin!
Then either star or bird should be
Shining or singing still to thee.

I would I had in my best part
Fit rooms for thee! or that my heart
Were so clean as
Thy manger was!
But I am all filth, and obscene;
Yet, if thou wilt, thou canst make clean.

Sweet Jesu! will then. Let no more
This leper haunt and soil thy door!
Cure him, ease him,
O release him!
And let once more, by mystic birth,
The Lord of life be born in earth.

Christmas 1941 - David McCullough

Il est né le Divin Enfant...

Ave Maria...

An Old Ukranian Christmas Carol...

Christmas Eve 1914 - Part II

Christmas Eve 1914 - Part I

Recommended Reading...

If you have been wondering what it might be that drives President Obama's focus, attention, and decisions I recommend the unfortunately-titled "The Roots of Obama's Rage" by Dinesh D'Souza, president of King's College in New York.

It explores the President's own writings in "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope" searching for his psychological drivers.

Far from an anti-Obama rant, I found the book to be a quick read that succinctly examines the President's personal history and his policy decisions, as well as some of the previously inexplicable behaviors such as returning the bust of Winston Churchill that was in the Oval Office.

As Ayn Rand repeatedly asserted in "Atlas Shrugged", when we see a contradiction we need to re-examine our assumptions because there are no contradictions. 

This book was an interesting and enlightening read that will help conservatives and liberals alike understand the roots of their frustrations with President Obama. 

Sexism or Ideology....

Okay, anyone who voted for a candidate other than Barack Obama in November of 2008 had to at least hear the broad accusation of racism. 

In my case, the accusation came directly from members of my own family.  They would not accept that my sole reason for opposing then-candidate Obama's bid for the presidencey of the United States was my diametrically opposed political and economic views. 

Mr. Obama was also virtually beyond criticism in the press.  Any mention of his middle name was taboo.  And on, and on, and on.

But did anyone notice the fact that the high-profile women who were closely aligned with the Tea Party movement were treated very differently?

It was alright to caricature them as bimbos; to point at their quirkiness; to mock their appearance; to question their intelligence, integrity, or intellect.

Did anyone fear being called a sexist?  No.

What is that all about? 

It seems that, just as it was in junior high school, the loudest, most assertive ones - regardless of the validity of their view or the level of their ignorance - are heard and not questioned.  Some people, just as they did then, put their heads down, look away, and pretend not to hear what they are hearing.  Other people, the weak-minded or insecure, allow their opinion to be swayed by the brash bully and quietly repress any urge to think critically or to consider the "universe of information" regarding that person.

How is it that people of integrity and sincerity are defamed, while double-speakers and deviants are excused and glorified?

To Christine O'Donnell, Sharon Angle, Meg Whitman and all the others who were denied the full support of the Republican Party while being subjected to the crudest and most degrading treatment by the Democrat Party and its minions, I say, "Do not give up the fight! 

"Your voices were heard because they were the voices of the quiet, hardworking, traditional and conservative majority of Americans.  Your loss in this election was only a battle.  It came because the process of unveiling the eyes and enlightening the minds of Americans dulled by generations of teachers who preached the gospel of mediocrity is a slow and laborious process. 

"Do not give up the fight!  Your voices, carrying our voices, were the first note of a chorus that can, will, must swell to fill the continent.  We say with you and through you, 'Leave us alone!  Let us try, succeed, fail or excel on our own!  We are Americans; our tradition is one of exceptionalism!  Allow it to be so and step out of our way!' 

"With you, we reject mediocrity.  With you, we reject dependency.  With you, we reject oppression.  With you, we reject the iron hand of soft tyranny.

"And with you, we embrace liberty in all its senses, with all of its individual responsibility and accountability, with all of its risks and rewards.  It is a heavy burden, but one we eagerly and willingly seek to bear."

You see, it is the ideology of that sacred and powerful principle of personal liberty that we seek, we Americans. 

This election of 2010 was more a cry for liberty than it was a rejection of Democrat ideas or an embracing of Republican promises.  It was a cry.  A deep, angry, primal cry.  One uttered by mankind since stone ages.  It is determined, demanding, and dangerous to any who will openly oppose it. 

My Dad...

On Sunday, 17 October 2010, my father passed away.

This has been a hard month!

Here's the talk I gave at his funeral.  The tone and content are different from my brother's funeral.  I wanted to explain to people why my dad was so hopeful and cheerful right up to the end.

First, on behalf of my family, I want to thank each of you for being here today. And I want you to know that my dad would remember and recognize each of you and be able to tell you exactly what impact you had on his life. He was a person who loved readily and who enjoyed so much about the people who came into his life. Thank you for taking this time to remember him.

Shortly after my dad was diagnosed with cancer for the third time, a writer with the local newspaper contacted my mom and dad. She was writing a feature on couples who were dealing with terminal illness, and wondered if Jim and Mary would be willing to tell their story. They were, and the article was published. I remember seeing the article and being struck by the photos of the couples who participated. Some were obviously torn with pain and anticipatory grief; Jim and Mary were smiling and obviously in love. The comments of the couples were also interesting. While some were despondent, Jim and Mary’s comments were cheerful. They were not deluded. They were hopeful. But their hope was not that somehow Jim would escape cancer’s devastating grasp. It was something else.

And that brought to mind Peter’s advice to Christ’s early church as he wrote in the New Testament book of 1 Peter, chapter 3, verse 15: “…and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you….”

Jim was a person whose “hope” was firmly rooted in his faith in Jesus Christ.

That faith began with the idea that God was his Heavenly Father and that, as such, God had a plan for Jim’s life – just as he has a plan for the lives of all his children. As Jim understood it, God’s plan involved three things: 1) gain experience; 2) gain knowledge; and, 3) prepare to return to God when this mortal life is over.

Jim also believed firmly that happiness was the main goal of God’s plan for his children. In fact, one of his favorite quotes came from Joseph Smith, who taught that, “happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof if we pursue the path that leads to it.”

That happiness is peace, and it comes in right living. It does not equate to life without troubles or worries. Rather it is an assurance and a reassurance.

Those who knew Jim would certainly say that he was a cheerful, happy person. He was the kind of person who always met you with a smile and when he asked you how you were doing, you knew he really wanted to know. He tried to live the “Golden Rule” and to treat others as he would want to be treated.

Jim was eternally curious. He wanted to know about everything and wanted to experience as much as he could. There is so much to experience and to learn that is wonderful and pleasurable and enjoyable and, as long as it didn’t cost very much money, my dad was up for the experience. From raising sheep to flying gliders, Jim was ready to try.

Of course, mortality has a down side, too. As part of God’s plan, our mortal existence has pain, struggles, disappointments and sorrow. Jim knew his share of these with mortal frailties, professional disappointments, physical sickness and pain, and the loss of a child. So, why and how did he have the “hope” Peter talked of?

Sometimes the burdens of this life can seem too great to bear by ourselves.

As prophets have taught through the ages, Jesus Christ came to take upon himself our sorrows, our sufferings, the pain of our mistakes and lapses in judgment, as well as to suffer the consequences for our sins. IF WE WILL LET HIM, he will take our pain from us. IF WE WILL LET HIM, he will replace the weight of our burden with his peace.

Perhaps the most generous and loving invitation in all scripture is found in Matthew, chapter 11, verses 28 through 30, where the Savior pleads with us, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

When life gave Jim something that was just too heavy for him to carry, he often turned to the Savior, Jesus Christ, and traded his burden for “light”.

Another thing that is part of this life, and a part that separates us from God’s presence, is the death of our physical bodies. That’s really the reason we’re here today, isn’t it? We want to celebrate the life of someone we loved and to comfort each other in our loss. But what is the outcome of this death?

Paul taught the Corinthians, in his first letter to them, the 15th chapter and 22nd verse, that, “as in Adam all shall die, even so, in Christ shall all be made alive.” In other words, while none of us will make it out of this life alive, all of us will enjoy the free gift of resurrection because of Jesus Christ. That means that regardless of what we have done or not done; what we believed or disbelieved; all of us will have our spirit reunited with our perfected bodies and that we will live forever.

Amulek, an ancient prophet taught that, “There is a death which is called temporal death, and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this … death, that all shall be raised from … death. The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame … and we shall be brought to stand before God …. Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame …. This mortal body is raised to an immortal body … that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided….”

And so, the short answer to the question that came to my mind after reading the newspaper article years ago is, “My mom and dad enjoyed peace of mind because of the hope that they had – and have – in the power of Jesus Christ to reclaim them from death, to comfort them in their sorrows, and to redeem them from sin.”

I have that same hope. I feel it deeply and know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world; and that he has power to take our burdens and make them light. And I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Election Law Violation...?

Many of us have heard about the US Department of Justice's decision not to prosecute voter intimidation cases when the victims are white.

That is a sad fact, but a fact just the same.

Now we have another instance of election law violation.  It was probably inadvertent and almost certainly (greater than 85% probability) did not change the voter's preference.  However, it was wrong.  And the fact of who violated the law makes it that much more concerning. 

According to the Drudge Report, Mrs. Obama engaged in a brief political discussion inside a polling place while voting early in Illinois.

I would normally link to an article, but in this case, I have just copied it from http://www.drudgereport.com/.

FIRST LADY CAMPAIGNS INSIDE POLLING PLACE

Thu Oct 14 2010 16:19:25 ET

First lady Michelle Obama appears to have violated Illinois law -- when she engaged in political discussion at a polling place!

The drama began after Mrs. Obama stopped off at the Martin Luther King Center on the south side of Chicago to cast an early vote.

After finishing at the machine, Obama went back to the desk and handed in her voting key.

She let voters including electrician Dennis Campbell, 56, take some photos.

"She was telling me how important it was to vote to keep her husband's agenda going," Campbell said.

According to a pool reporter from the CHICAGO SUN-TIMES at the scene, the conversation took place INSIDE the voting center, not far from the booths.

Illinois state law -- Sec. 17-29 (a) -- states: "No judge of election, pollwatcher, or other person shall, at any primary or election, do any electioneering or soliciting of votes or engage in any political discussion within any polling place [or] within 100 feet of any polling place."

A top Ilinois State Board of Elections official tells the DRUDGE REPORT that Mrs. Obama -- a Harvard-educated lawyer -- may have simply been ignorant of the law and thus violated it unintentionally.

"You kind of have to drop the standard for the first lady, right?" the official explained late Thursday. "I mean, she's pretty well liked and probably doesn't know what she's doing."

WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS ELECTIONEERING

When questioned about the brazen nature of Mrs. Obama's campaigning, press secretary Robert Gibbs defended the action.

"I don't think it would be much to imagine, the First Lady might support her husband's agenda," Gibbs smiled.

Developing...

Paul...

On Friday, September 24th, my youngest brother, Paul killed himself.

I'm going to miss him for the rest of my life.

Paul was 12 years old when I joined the Army.  After that, we didn't see much of each other until about 4 years ago, when he met his wife, Justine.  Since then, Paul and I had become close friends.

Justine asked me to speak at his funeral.  Here's what I said.

Years ago I called my mom. One of my brothers and I had gotten into a discussion about which of us four boys was her “favorite” and I was going to settle the issue.


I asked, “Mom, who was your favorite child?”

Without hesitating, her response was quick and frank, “Oh! Paul.”

I think that we all here knew Paul in some pretty diverse ways and circumstances. Some of us played hard with him. Some of us worked hard with him. Some of us grew up with him. Some of us raised him.

All of us loved him.

And all of us knew some common things about Paul.

Paul was a person who did everything with enthusiasm. He put everything he had into whatever was at hand. Enthusiasm was his trademark.

Paul looked like the kind of guy you never wanted to meet in a dark alley, and he was the kind of guy you wanted to have with you in a fight. He was big, powerful, alert and loyal.

Paul had a sense of justice that guided him in almost everything he did.

When Paul was a teenager he was driving across the Bay Bridge in my dad’s Jeep. He accidentally cut a man off at the toll plaza and the man got upset. Paul gestured an apology, but the other driver would not let it go. Finally, after extended verbal abuse, Paul agreed to get through the toll booth and settle the matter on the side of the road. When the other driver got out of his sports car Paul saw that he was no less than six feet, five inches tall and easily fifty pounds heavier than Paul was. Not one to run, but also not foolish, Paul picked an old axe handle out of the back of the Jeep. The fight was short and settled decisively.

Paul never wanted trouble in anything he did, but when it came he faced it head-on and used every resource available to own and resolve the problem.

Paul had his leg amputated and returned to work within two weeks of the operation. He walked on a temporary prosthesis while the swelling went down. Those who know Paul’s work will know that he never had a comfortable office job. At the time he was working on a concrete crew. One afternoon shortly after the operation, dusty, scratched, scraped and bloody, he was driving home and saw a cardboard sign that read “Hungry. God Bless!” His sense of justice was severely offended and he pulled his truck to the side of the road. He got out, walked around the front of the truck, and removed his right leg. Shaking it at the comfortable-looking young man who held the sign he shouted, “Get a job, you bum!” Then, feeling a little better, he got back into his truck and continued home.

Paul was intolerant of laziness, but eternally willing to help the weak and truly needy. I’ve seen that side of him as he has played and interacted with my children. I’ve seen that side of him as he has guided amateurs and tourists through piles of whitewater.

On one trip Paul was leading, a boat guided by another person and belonging to another company than the one Paul was with turned over. The boat, loaded with a group of middle-aged women friends from the Midwest, was ahead of Paul’s boat as it attempted to negotiate an eight-foot waterfall. Despite the guide’s best efforts, the boat capsized and its occupants were thrown into the cold, roiling water. The women panicked. Several of them started having anxiety attacks. Paul steered his boat over the falls, then rowed back up the river to where the women were all floating on their backs in an eddy. He spoke calmly, firmly and reassuringly to them and, despite the fact that every one of them outweighed him he pulled them into his already full boat one at a time and took them to the shore.

I’ve seen that side of him as he has cared continually for my dad in his last and hardest years of cancer. He’s done simple things like making sure my dad gets to watch enough Military Chanel to remember he’s a man, and taking him with him to the hardware store, and sneaking him away to have a steak instead of one more chicken breast for dinner.

Paul had an intensely pure heart. He only wanted good. Good fun. Good work. Good friends. A good life.

And he found that with Justine. In the four or so years that Justine has been in his life, I got to know Paul better than in the twelve years we lived together growing up. Thanks to Justine, Paul became my brother and not just a sibling.

When I heard that Paul was dead, one of my first thoughts was that there was no one there to meet his spirit. No parent, no close grandparent, no one. And then in my mind’s eye I saw Paul. He was walking in a big open space toward another person.

I thought it was weird and wondered who he was walking to. Then I saw that Paul was walking toward Jesus. And Jesus had his arms stretched out to welcome him. They hugged and Jesus started showing Paul around, making sure he was comfortable, and explaining the next steps; what he could expect and what to look out for – a lot like Paul used to give people his river safety briefings before a trip.

And my heart was comforted.

I am certain that all the pain that Paul lived with will be healed through Jesus Christ’s atonement. And I am certain that the pain we feel at the loss of Paul can also be healed through Jesus if we will let it be.

Paul, we say “thank you” for being part of our lives and for letting us be part of yours. We miss you and we love you.