In 3 weeks I'll be part of this mob of people starting the Myrtle Beach half marathon. I've been traning hard since the start of October and feel ready. The race starts early, which is tough for me since my favorite time to run is the afternoon. The best part, however, is that I should be making the turn on mile 4 just in time so that I'll be running along the ocean during sunrise for over four miles. I expect it to be an unbelievable experience.
Perhaps you've heard the news that President Gordon B. Hinckley, the man that members of my church revered as the Prophet of God on the earth, passed away this evening. He died around 7pm at his home in Salt Lake City with members of his family present. I feel deep emotions of gratitude and appreciation for the life he lived and the influence he had on me. If I had to pick one defining moment in my life when things clicked into place and I caught a vision of my potential, and felt inspired to live the kind of life that would merit eventually meeting someone like Sarah Sacuto, it would be at the dedication of the Boston Temple in October 2000. I was just a few rows away from him, with my freshley shaved head and goatee, as he taught about my eternal potential. The feeling I had was unbelievable and undeniable. In a sense, every good thing that has happened in my life is a result of the feelings and resolutions I had that day.
That was not actually the first time I heard him in person. I saw him in St. Louis in 95 or 96, shortly after he became the prophet. I saw him in 1997 with 21,000 at Madison Square Garden. I actually saw a free Sonic Youth/Busta Ryhmes concert later that day on the main steps of Columbia University's campus. I was 16, so which event of the day do you think I enjoyed most? Even still, I was deeply touched by hearing the prophet.
The next time I saw him in person was the summer of 2004 when he was in NYC to dedicate the Manhattan Temple. He spoke at a fireside the night before at Radio City Music Hall, and then on Sunday morning I serendipitously was the at the "cornerstone" ceremony, and with a group of 40 or so people, got to be with him in that solemn experience. During the Saturday night fireside at Radio City, he challenged us to be better people, to resolve "to make a difference because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He asked us to memorize this phrase and write it in our journals. I'm doing my best.
The final time I saw him was in March 2006. I was moving from Boise, Idaho (where I had worked in the legislature for 3 months), and was on my way home to NYC after having attended my Aunt Brenda's funeral. I happened to know where and when Pres. Hinckley's ward met, so my cousin Michelle and I showed up early and got a seat in the center of the third row. Sure enough, five minutes before the meeting started, he and Pres. Faust walked in and sat on the far right side of the front row, just a few feet from us. It was a beautiful experience to take the sacrament with these great men and consider the impressive lives they have lived. Now that they have both passed away, I hope to live up to their example so that my daughter(s and son(s)?) will someday consider me a similar example for them.
We did it! Sarah is now a permanent resident of the United States! They don't call it a green card anymore, but she now has a resident alien #, and will soon have a social security number, meaning she can work, study, pay taxes and come and go as she pleases! This is an absolute miracle which I honestly sometimes wondered if I would ever see. I'll write more about it later because I have to get ready for class, but this is incredible news and we couldn't be more excited.
A good friend of mine sent me this commercial for Mr. Sub, a sandwich shop in Canada. He said it's a good reminder to feed our missionaries. Pretty amazing that our church and missionaries are so well entrenched in mainstream culture now that it's the commercial for a major food company! Hilarious.
To pass the time during our long drives in Utah/Idaho, I asked Sarah to teach me "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem. We sang it over and over in the car, getting animated and pumped up each time we got to the chorus, "Aux armes citoyens! Formez vos battaillons!" Enjoy the video clip of the french national team before one of the world cup games. Speaking of soccer, France was able to secure themselves a spot in the huge Euro 2008 tournment to be played this June in Austria and Switzerland though they'll have to make it out of the round robin phase from a group that includes Italy, the Netherlands and Romania (the top two teams advance to the 8 team knockout tourney). Can't wait!
It's 4:44am and I'm waiting for Sarah to be ready so I can take her to the airport to catch her flight to Montreal. In case you haven't heard, she has an interview for her permanent resident visa (greencard) on Friday, with a medical exam tomorrow up north. She'll be gone for about two weeks and everything is expected to go smoothly. While I wait, check out the highlight from this great win for UNC against Clemson last night! This was the first test of the season and they ended up surviving and staying at #1 in the country. Honestly, I hope they don't end up going undefeated into the tournment in March, that's too much pressure! At the same time, I can't think of which game I would want them to lose. Go tar heels!
