A SMILE

SMILE

I have come to the conclusion that a smile is very good therapy both for the one smiling and the one receiving the smile.

When I was a young man (perhaps in my early to mid 20’s) I got my first real job. I had spent four years in the U.S. Air Force. I got a job and I was now gainfully employed and I could go out and make my mark on the world.

I had been employed by a company that sold hospital and laboratory supplies and my job was to take orders on the phone. The lady that called for one of our largest customers was the most pleasant person I had ever met. She called every Wednesday morning at 8:05 to place her order. I think I even looked forward to her call just to hear the pleasant tone of her voice. Is it possible to have a smile, in your voice?

So what does this have to do with a smile? Well I just bet she had a smile, as we used to say, (A mile wide).

So what is a smile? It is easy to point to someone who is smiling and say, “Now that is a smile.” However how do you explain it and its feeling if you just use words? Maybe the actual smile is just a small part of the explanation and the feelings and emotions involved are just as important as the smile itself.

Have you ever met someone who you have not seen for a long time? If so you do not have to say I better smile now, it just happens spontaneously and it gives you a good feeling all over. So is a smile the trigger to making you and those around you feel happy?

 Is a smile just an expression on your face, with the corners of your mouth turned up, your teeth showing and your eyes twinkling? (That is if you can control your eyes?) And if this is the case can it go too far and turn into a sneer, with too many teeth showing and your head cocked to far too one side. I don’t know the answer---just asking?

I copied this off of the internet the other day. I am not sure what its purpose was but if it was to make me want MORE, it did not work. I actually smiled when I finished reading it and realized how fortunate I really am. So is this satire --that makes me smile?? Or is it being thankful for what I have?

Dear God,
I did not sleep well last night,
but I did wake up.
My muscles are sore,
but they work.
My wallet is not full,
but my belly is.
I may not have all I want,
but I have all I need.
My life is not perfect,
but my life is good. 
I am sure there are many besides myself that have several friends or acquaintances that seem to always have a smile for everyone (including me) and if you are like me you enjoy talking to them. It seems if you feel “down” they cheer you up and if you are already feeling good they just make it that much better.

As I sit here pondering I have thought of a couple of “WHAT IF'S or WHYS.?"

What if they had ask these relatives?? To smile? Would it be a better picture?

            Why when I am at a family gathering, sitting over in my corner smiling, grinning and just watching, does someone always come over and ask me “what is wrong?”

            There is nothing like a smile and laugh of a newborn baby, unless it is a mischievous smile of a toddler. Oh yes, I know about those—I have grandkids and greats.

            Does a dog really smile when he has done something wrong, or is just a facial thing to get attention?

            What if a lady, who has just spent three hours getting dressed and painting on her smile—really knew she had lipstick on her teeth??

            I cannot recall who said it but I had a friend (many years ago) who liked to say “no matter how good looking, or how homely you are—you will look better if you smile.”

            IS THE MONA LISA REALLY SMILING? ????

KEEP SMILING EVERYONE

Touche

CARL LIKES HIS WINGTIPS

If I wanted flip flops or
Slip on's that is what I
would have bought.

You know I love my
Wingtips!!

OLDEST to YOUNGEST

Oldest to

      Youngest

As I looked at this picture as I often do,

I saw members of our Baldwin Clan, at least one or two.

The oldest, born at his home, in a very small town,

The youngest in a city hospital and she wore a crown.

82 years is a large difference in age.

She was an innocent Babe and I an old “sage.”

I hope we stay together for quite a while,

I talking “goo-goo” talk and she with her smile.

We have children, grand children and great grand children now,

Which we did not even think about at our wedding vow.

We moved to the city and gave up our blue sky,

Where we began OUR Clan of Baldwin’s, just she and I.

Between the oldest and youngest there were adventures you see.

Sometimes with Children or Grand Children and sometimes just me.

Sometimes as I got older, my legs would not work, and my breath was a gasp.

But I kept telling myself, “This too will pass.”

Now I am older, I just sit in my rocker and rock, laugh and grin,

I never thought of a bunch like this when our Clan did begin.

I love them all, but differently I would say.

But I will love them all to my dying day.

So I am the oldest and still hobbling along.

And Baylee is the youngest, but really not for long?

Whether Out-laws or In-laws, it does not matter to me.

I only hope we are together in Eternity.

W.R. Baldwin

26 July 2014

       

FRIENDS

                                            

                            



         FRIENDS

I have been thinking about friends quite a bit for the last few months. A lot of things have caused that. When you get my age a lot of friends have passed on and a lot more are waiting patiently or impatiently.

Just an example is that several years ago a group of friends from my old home town decided to get together and have breakfast and talk and reminisce. When we started there were typically 14 to 20 that were there twice a month. Now there are 4 or 5. So are those 4 or 5 still GOOD friends, or acquaintances, or just like to get together and talk about “the good old days.”                                 

Another example is what happens when I meet a few of my real old friends. We shake hand, bear hug and pat each other on the back—and then we start talking about things ,just where we left off talking last time we met, even if it was months or years ago. I have to ask myself, “Is that because we don’t have anything else to talk about or is it just that OLD FRIENDS love old memories?”

I am sure many people like myself, have become friends with people because of different circumstances. Obviously some of those would be the people you grew up with, some you went to school with, some because they were friends of your wife when you got married and maybe some just because of a quirky experience you had together. Some of these people have some of the same interests I do but also some have interests that I have no interest in at all. For example I think of one person, who like myself loves to do genealogy (or as I say-look for dead people), but they also love to go to the opera, and I have absolutely no, none. zero interests what so ever in Opera.

I think any person who has best friends is very fortunate. In many cases that is a person or persons who have been through a crisis or a wonderful experience with you. I don’t know how it works but my best friend has always been my wife. I also have best friends who I have known most of my life, some who I have met through Church activities and some who it just seemed we had a bond the first time we met.

I cannot remember where I saw them but here are a couple of signs that give us a message about friends: ---1.The strongest drug that exists for a human is another human being. 2. (sign in greenhouse)   It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

A couple of exercises that I have been keeping track of, or doing for a few months have been interesting. One was to think of things you have done in your life that you have REALLY enjoyed. The other is what would you do for a friend if they ask you for help, and what might you ask a friend to help you with?

Of course I am pretty sure that everyone has heard the saying that. “A dog is man’s best friend.” Now that may or may not be true, but I find it interesting that some of the friends throughout my life have loved dogs and some did not want anything to do with them. I guess the conclusion is that a friend does not have to be a person or a “people” but perhaps some would prefer a dog or a cat.  

The last thing I was thinking about as far as friends go was if it is so enjoyable to be with them why do we seem to split up over the years. Of course there are many reasons. We move to another part of a city (and that seems like the other party may have fell off the edge of the earth, instead of from one part of the city to another.) We may relocate a long way away. We may have a change of interests, for many reasons. Some friend relationships break up because of change in social status. Some get married and the new spouse is not comfortable with the other spouse’s old friends.

Sometimes all or part of these reasons are not real at all but just imagined. However I have friends that this has happened to in almost all the cases. And yes, some were real and some we imagined.

I think that anyone, who has friends, whether they are new friends or they have associated with them for many, many years, is very fortunate.  I also think friendship is a two way street. It would be very difficult to try and have a good friend who did not also consider you their friend.

I am fortunate to have friends. I thank all of you who have been a friend whether it be for a few months, days, years or a lifetime. Also my wife’s friends who have taken me under their wing and tried to keep me on the straight and narrow, since she passed away. I truly thank you for your friendship.

Well enough musing about Friends. That’s one more thing (Out of my bucket list) that I have been urged to comment on.

WALLY

MY GRANDMA

MY GRANDMA
A couple of weeks after Donnie's funeral one of her grand daughters wrote this and gave it for me to keep.
I decided it would be better off on my blog than it would be just sitting on the hard drive of my computer, with no one ever feeling the spirit of it as I did when I first read it.  Wally





My Grandma

Miss my Grandma. Love my Grandma.

When thinking of grandma these past couple weeks, this poem kept coming to mind:

A woman was waiting at the airport one night,

With several long hours before her flight.

She hunted for a book in the airport shop,

Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.

She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,

That the man beside her, as bold as could be,

Grabbed s cookie or two from the bag between,

Which she tried to ignore to avoid a scene.

She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,

As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock.

She was getting more irritated as the minutes tick by,

Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blacken his eye!”

With each cookie she took, he took one too.

When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.

With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,

He took the last cookie and broke it in half.

He offered her half, and he ate the other,

She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,

This guy has some nerve, and he’s also so rude,

Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”

She had never known when she had been so galled.

And sighed with relief when her flight was called.

She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,

Refusing to look at the “thieving ingrate.”

She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,

Then sought her book, which was almost complete.

As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.

There were her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!

“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,

Then the others were his and he tried to share!”

Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,

That she was the rude one, the ingrate, the thief!

I wish I could sit here and say that I wouldn’t be ticked off if somebody was eating my cooks…But I know I’d be WAY ticked especially if they were chocolate. I guess I kept thinking of this poem because I know that grandma would be the one sharing her cookies… with anybody. That’s how I’ll always remember her. Truly loving everybody, unconditionally, Humble, kind and good.

On December 1^st, 2012, my sweet grandma was taken up to heaven. The funeral was beautiful. I hadn’t been to one since I was little. It was truly humbling to see how many people not only cared about grandma, but considered her to be one of their best friends. Tears were shed and memories remembered. What I loved most were all the personal stories everybody had to share of how good grandma was. I don’t think it’s possible to put into words how good of a person grandma is. The speakers did a great job though. The grandkids sang as best they could, but I think Caleb stole the show. I’m so grateful to have grandma as an example in my life. I couldn’t ask for a better grandma, she sure set the bar pretty high, but I love that I get to think “what would grandma do?” when I’m put in difficult situations. I love you grandma.

Here are some grandma memories I never want to forget:

-          Easter egg hunts in the backyard.

-          Spending the day with the cousins and grandma and grandpa. That usually meant McDonalds for lunch.

-          The only time I’ve EVER seen grandma get ticked was when she was babysitting when I was little and I was being a REAL stinker and wouldn’t get ready for dance.

-          Christmas: Sitting on Santa’s lap and playing with grandma’s AMAZING Christmas Village.

-          Her love of the Utah JAZZ and Diet Coke.

-          Cruising around in her JAZZY chair.

-          Visiting her in the care center. She was always concerned more about others.

-          Grandma & Grandpa always had the best Disney movies; they’d even let us borrow them.

-          Grandma’s craft group, always making things for others.

-          Grandma never wanted to miss a party, whether it was Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even just getting together as a family.

TELEPHONE ANSWERING MESSAGES

                        TELEPHONE ANSWERING MESSAGES
   I don't know if there are many people out there in cyberspace that are old enough to remember dialing a number on a telephone and having a "live person" pick up the line and saying "number please." Then the operator would connect you to the person you wanted to talk to---and yes--she may or may-not have listened to your conversation.
   Well that was a joy compared to what we put up with in these "modern times." It seems it is a lot more cost efficient and easier to put in an answering "robot" to sort out your calls than it is to have a "real person." I am sure that is the case but it is not near as customer friendly.
   I have had several sessions the past few weeks literally listening to and sometimes talking to a robot. I also did not find it to be a pleasant experience. I am sure most everyone has had a few of these fun times!
                                        A FEW GOOD EXAMPLES
1."I'm sorry all of our representatives are busy with other customers. Please stay on the line and we will answer your call as soon as possible."
2. We are sorry for the wait. Your call may be monitored for better service and customer satisfaction,
3. All of our lines are busy, please hold and your call will be answered as soon as possible.
4. We are sorry for the wait. Please stay on the line and we will get back to you in a moment.
5.We are extremely busy at the present time, please leave your name & number and we will get right back to you.
6. We are experiencing a large amount of calls at the present time. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it was received.
7. Then this one in very interesting. "Please hold we will be right with you"---then they repeat the message every minute with a different voice, changing back and forth from a man to a woman. I guess they figure that I will think there are 6 or 8 people just "chomping at the bit" to help me.
8. Our lines are all busy at the present time, however your business is very important to us, so please hold the line and we will be with you in a moment.
9. We are experiencing a large amount of calls. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in approximately 12 minutes and 24 seconds.
10. Thank you for calling we really want to help you. Our hours are 8-5, Mon-Fri. Please leave your name and number and we will return your call by 10:00 AM week days or Noon on Mondays. Have a Good Day.

Some Questions-- Why is it that I don't find out that I have to make these important calls until 5:03 on Friday afternoon.
                             Why is it that I know a moment or a few minutes is not really going to be a SHORT TIME.                
                             Why do I know that when they say they will call right back, THAT THEY WILL NOT
Well that is my Monday morning RANT now I can get back to my routine life.
Wally

Cantankerous Carl's Knees

OK so my knee replacement scars show---
SO WHAT? I think about half the people in
the USA have knee replacement scars.

POLITICS

POLITICS

   I have never really been into politics very much. It always seemed to me that both parties were saying things that were almost diametrically opposed so one of them must be lying, or at least not telling the whole truth. I have always voted, I have perused the platforms read about the candidates to see if they felt like I did on the important subjects. Then I went and voted.

   During the last couple of years things have changed. Politics has become harsh. (Maybe it has always been that way and I did not notice it?)

   When I first started doing my (Wally’s Musings) blog I said there would be very little said about politics and religion. Oh- I am willing to talk about them but I see too many people in public screaming, swearing and becoming emotionally involved for my taste. It seems political times have become very harsh.

   Perhaps there are many of you that have become afraid to voice your opinion because you do not like confrontation or dissension? Perhaps if that is true, we should voice our opinion honestly and firmly. Then if the person or persons we are talking to just wants to argue, our answer might be, “I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on that subject.”

   Perhaps the time has come where we have to be strong in our convictions and stand fast for the things we believe in. Our adversarial opponents seem to feel they have a right to scream their views at us and to the world so don’t we have a right to bear witness to what we believe? Of course we do!

   We have our right to stand and proclaim our beliefs and our doctrine; however some of our politicians are trying to take that right away from us. I am not an expert on Scripture but I do recall that somewhere the Apostle Paul advised us, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, behave like men, and be strong.”

   In a discussion recently I was asked, “Do you really think that you, as one person, can make a difference in politics?” Yes of course I can, but to do so I need to start by convincing YOU of that.   

   Any one person can make a difference, but that person has to at least have some idea of what they are talking about. We all need to be better informed. I am not suggesting we go out and look for a person to try to change. I am saying we need to be informed to discuss it if the person comes along. If we become aware of the truths and the good people in politics (Yes there are a lot of them), we will be drawn toward them and they will be drawn toward us.

   Dieter F. Uchtdorf, A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints First Presidency made several comments in a talk he gave in May 2013. He talked about the diversity in the Church, not only in politics, but in cultural and social preferences as well--- This strengthens the Church and helps us be a strength to those who we work with and associate with, and even the everyday conversations we have together.

   He also made the comment that he did not believe that there is a God who would set up rules and commandments, only to have us fail so he could punish us. I agree completely with him on these points.

   As Disciples of Christ we are urged to speak up for what we think is right. When we do speak up we should be informed about what we are speaking on. We should discuss with kindness and we should remember we not only have the right to voice our opinions but we have the responsibility to do so.

   Our vocal opponents would like nothing better than to have us just sit back and be quiet and they in great groups of people profess their beliefs to the world.

   As bad as we think our problems are, not only politically but many others, I hope we do not forget we live in the greatest country in the world. Let us all get involved so we may keep it that way.

   WELL I NOW HAVE MY SOAP-BOX DIATRIBE FINISHED –I HOPE AT LEAST FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

W.R. Baldwin

7 July 2014 

AN OQUIRRH LAKE TALE

                   AN OQUIRRH LAKE TALE

Everyone knew there was something strange about Oquirrh Lake from the first time they saw it up until the present day. I am not talking about the name, which is strange in itself. I am talking about some of the happenings that have come to light recently! Of course everyone did not become acquainted with Oquirrh Lake at the same time but it seems many people have a story to tell?

When people get together in the community of Daybreak it just seems like Oquirrh Lake seems to become one of the topics of conversation?

No matter how many people get together just to talk they all seem to have a story or a tale about the big lake at Daybreak.

I guess first of all the question needs to be asked, “who ever heard of a lake with a plastic bottom?”

Well John J.___ knows why it was built that way and he does not think it is the reason that they tell us? They tell us it was built that way to keep the water from seeping out, but John knows different! When they were first digging the big hole, even before they put the plastic down and started to fill it with water John had an experience he does not like to talk about and even tries not to remember.

He was walking his dog one night and as he looked over toward the big hole in the ground that was soon to become Oquirrh Lake he saw a strange sight. There was smoke coming out of the cracks in the ground. It looked like smoke but John says it also looked like steam and it seemed to give off a vapor. In fact it looked moist and it had a horrid smell.

John decided to walk over and have a look to see if he could tell what was going on. When he took his first step into the hole he heard a blood curdling noise that did not sound human but it also did not sound like an animal?

Needless to say the dog walking was over for the night and John almost ran all the way home dragging his dog behind him. The dog kept stopping and turning back toward the hole and barking and yelping then putting his tail down and running right along with John.

Of course John thinks the plastic it to keep whatever is under the lake there forever. He has told me he hopes he never sees it or hears it again!

John would probably never thought about it again if he had not been talking to Cory B.__ down by the elementary school one day and he casually mentioned the story to Cory.

Cory then told him his story-----. I was coming home from the airport one night and it was late. Actually a little after midnight and as I passed the lake I thought I thought I heard a siren so I pulled over to the side of the road and stopped as I had been taught to do. However no one passed me and I could not see an emergency vehicle anywhere but I could still hear the wailing.

I opened the door to see if I could determine where the noise was coming from. Not only was the screeching, siren type noise still there I also saw a vile green mist rising out of the lake and moving toward the road where I was parked. I rushed back to the car and opened the door and jumped in but then I realized the green mist had already started to seep into the car. I slammed the door. As I did there was a shrieking scream like I have never heard before and never hope to hear again. The only thing I can imagine was that when I slammed the door it must have caught whatever the green mist was and that was what set off the scream.

Of course Cory had never mentioned to anyone because he did not think they would believe him. However he knows the thing is still there because he has seen that green vapor-like mist from an airplane as he has flown into Salt Lake on late night flights. He says, “No I do not know what it is, but I hope I never see or hear it up close again.”

In 1938 there was a miner by the name of Ralph Jones who worked at Kennecott. He lived down by the Jordan River. He did not have a car so he rode his horse to work at the mine. He rode it up and back every day, winter and summer.

Ralph stayed to himself and never bothered anybody and he was a good conscientious worker. Everyone liked Ralph and his boss at the mine always said he could do the work of two men.

That is why it was so strange to everyone when one day Ralph did not show up to work. After he did not show up for three days a couple of the guys decided they would follow his horse tracks to his old home and see if they could find out what had happened to him.

It was early spring, March I think, and the ground was moist so it was easy to follow the tracks of Ralph and his horse. He and his horse had been coming and going on this same trail for several years but because of the moist ground it would be easy for the men to tell which were, the new hoof prints.

Well just as planned after work that night a couple of the guys left the mine and followed Ralph’s tracks until they were almost to his house. They went up a little hill and down into a small ravine and in the bottom the tracks just ended? No more tracks, no more Ralph and no more clues.

That is there were no more clues for years until a couple of months ago? Nancy M.__ and Jan C.___ were out jogging around the lake and they noticed some bubbles coming up in the water out near the middle by the bridge. They also noticed that all the seagulls flew off and none would go back to that spot on the lake. They kept flying around and around and squawking at each other but they would not land on the water.

Well Nancy was the adventurous type and she told Jan they should go down by the lake and see if they could tell what was causing the bubbles? Jan was not so sure she wanted to go. All the squawking of the gulls had made her a little uneasy. However she did not want Nancy to think she was a “wimp” so she said. “OK let’s go.”

As they took a few steps toward the lake Jan stopped in her tracks and yelled to Nancy, “did you hear a horse noise that sounded like he was in pain or something?” Nancy told her she thought she had heard something but she was sure it was just the wind. Jan thought to herself, “what wind?” Then they both thought to themselves, “How could a horse be in the lake?”

Since they had started toward the lake they decided they might as well try and find out what was causing the bubbles coming up out of Oquirrh Lake? They got close to the edge and the water started to boil, it turned a murky green color, steam come to the surface and the putrid smell almost made them sick. Then they heard the horse noise again and the voice of a man that was almost not human. It was a scream and a bellow and a yell all at the same time. It sounded like someone or something caught in a trap. “LET ME OUT, I CANNOT STAND IT FOR ANOTHER MINUTE. I HAVE BEEN PUNISHED ENOUGH! I AM RALPH JONES AND I HAVE LIVED IN THIS HELL HOLE WAY TO LONG! HELP ME OUT NOW OR BOTH OF YOU WILL REGRET IT!”

Of course no one knew why Nancy and Jan’s families moved to Cedar Hills so quickly? I suppose no one would ever have known their story if someone from Daybreak had not met them in the mall one day and heard their story. They said they finally decided to move for several reasons? They never could understand why, after that night only their windows would shake and rattle when there was no wind blowing. They also wondered why the mist would come out along their sidewalks and not near anyone else’s?

I suppose Ralph and his horse are still under Oquirrh Lake and on a breezy summer night the smell sifts through Daybreak. Of course everyone says it is the compost operation out to the south west but Nancy and Jan swear it smells just like the lake did on THAT NIGHT.

W.R. Baldwin