I Never Get Tired Of “Her!”

April 10th, 2026 Scott
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

It’s her birthday! Another year that I have spent with “The Ultimate Woman.” The other day, she did something that made me laugh out loud. She does that a lot for me! I remember back on one of our early dates when we were in college. I had just received our drinks and tacos from the drive-in. I took the first drink of my soda when she said something so funny that I spit out my drink all over the windshield. Like typical young lovers, we laughed and laughed together. Shortly after we were married, I was driving along in the car with her seated in the passenger side. We were both chewing gum. I rolled the window down and spit my gum out of the moving vehicle. The sound I made while so doing was exaggerated. I looked over at her and she gave me a “look.” Suddenly, she rolled her window down, spat her gum out with the same exaggerated sound, and then looked back at me with a smile. I don’t know what it is about her, but the look made me bust out laughing, and I couldn’t stop. I laughed and laughed. She just looked straight ahead with a smile. A great partnership is so often about the little things.

I don’t know when the laughter ended for some married couples, but mine never has! She is that kinda girl! And even though we have been together 48 years, she can still send me to the moon with her moves, laugh, or voice. Even with a look, she can make my heart skip a beat! I could go on and on about ‘my girl,’ but I won’t bore you with endless stories. But what I will say is that if you are lucky enough to meet someone who makes you laugh and makes you feel important and respected in their presence, don’t ever let a day go by that you don’t tell them how much they mean to you because they will never tire of hearing it. Just like I never get tired of “her!”

Should We Be Judged On The One Bad Inning Of Our Life?

April 9th, 2026 Scott

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

TheDiscipleMD

I was having lunch a few months ago with an old teammate of mine from high school days. He continues to be a good friend. We played on the same baseball team for many years. During the summer of my junior year he and I led our team to a championship. He was one of the leagues best pitchers. He was looking forward to a great senior year in high school and then on to college where he hoped to continue pitching.  But a funny thing happened on his way to that college baseball career; it got derailed. Its interesting how one inning of baseball can stay so clear in your mind. Both he and I rehashed “the inning” the other day at lunch.

“The inning” was the only one he ended up pitching in our senior year. It went like this. In the third game of the year he started the baseball game for us. I was playing third base that game. He and I both remember every batter he faced in “the inning”, which was five.  He walked one batter and then three errors were committed by teammates. The last batter he faced hit a ball so far they were still running it down when he crossed home plate. Five batters up, five batters home. The coach took him out and my friend only pitched a few innings in mop up for the rest of the season. We never lost a game after that till the championship.  Others were called upon to pitch and they did well. All the while my friend sat on the bench as there seemed to be no need of his services. After the season was over he and I tried out for the local American Legion Baseball Team, which was the best in the area. He didn’t make it. I’m sure it was because he had nothing to show for his senior year. He ended up playing for the local community college but he never got the chance to really prove how good of a pitcher he really was. Years later my friend told me that he saw our old coach and that he had apologized to him, and regretted not having given him another opportunity to pitch. It seemed his whole baseball career had been judged by “the inning”.

Far too often a man’s life gets judged by “the inning” in his life. Over the years, I have read or heard people be critical of others lives.  They pick “the inning” of his/her life that is the worst, then, magnify that “inning” so that it overshadows all the good that he ever did. Many a man or woman has had their life picked apart by others who are looking for the worst “inning” of their lives. All of us have an “inning” in our lives that we are not proud of. I am sure all of us wish we hadn’t said or done something in our past. Many years ago a famous news anchor put undue focus on a past mistake of a presidential candidate who he was interviewing. Finally, the candidate, exasperated by the seeming obsession of the reporter on the “inning” of his life, shot back ” How would you like it if I judged your career by those seven minutes when you walked off the set in New York?” (This was in reference to an embarrassing incident that had happened to the reporter years before).

People make mistakes, we make mistakes! We would be wise to hold judgement on the lives of others due to an “inning” of weakness. A lifetime of good works and service should not be erased and judged by the worst “inning” in a career. If we discounted all such people, we wouldn’t have a soul left who would be worthy of any honor. My friend, the pitcher, paid a heavy price for “the inning.”  If his pitching had been judged by our coach on the total, he would have been given greater respect, and I might add, we might have won the championship instead of losing it. We will never know, because, judgment was rendered on one “inning.” We need to be careful in how harshly we judge others. We need to be benevolent and kind and understanding of others weaknesses. The Savior said:

“…forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

Forgiveness is a wonderful virtue. My fear is that, if we are not merciful in how we judge others, perhaps others will judge us by our one bad “inning”, and frankly, the thought of that is pretty frightening.

The Faithful Widowed Mother

April 6th, 2026 Scott

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

TheDiscipleMD

“The faithful widowed mother who raised us had no confusion about the eternal nature of the family. She always honored the position of our deceased father. She made him a presence in our home. She spoke of the eternal duration of their temple marriage. She often reminded us of what our father would like us to do so we could realize the Savior’s promise that we could be a family forever.

I recall an experience that shows the effect of her teachings. Just before Christmas one year, our bishop asked me, as a deacon, to help him deliver Christmas baskets to the widows of the ward. I carried a basket to each door with his greetings. When he drove me home, there was one basket remaining. He handed it to me and said it was for my mother. As he drove away, I stood in the falling snow wondering why there was a basket for my mother. She never referred to herself as a widow, and it had never occurred to me that she was. To a 12-year-old boy, she wasn’t a widow. She had a husband, and we had a father. He was just away for a while.

I anticipate that glorious future day when the separated will be reunited and all of us will be made complete as the Lord has promised. I testify of Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father, whose priesthood authority and whose Atonement and Resurrection make it all possible…”(“Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church”, Dallin Oaks, Oct 2005)

He Sang With All His “Mite!”

April 5th, 2026 Scott

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

TheDiscipleMD

A few years ago, in a church meeting, the congregation was treated to one of the most beautiful vocal solos I have heard. The brother singing was a professional, and I was inspired by the song he sang. While listening, I was taken back thirty-plus years to another solo that inspired me. As a family, we were attending a baptismal service, where an older gentleman gave a solo performance that was unforgettable because he sang so off-key.

But something happened between the beginning of his performance and the end. He sang all the verses badly. At first, I was taken aback and couldn’t resist smiling. I watched this brother sing with the greatest of enthusiasm. He was singing loud and with a smile on his face.  As he headed into the second verse, I noticed that he showed no shame for his bad singing voice. Soon, the mood changed in my heart. I could see this brother giving all he could to render his “gift.”  I have heard a lot of musical numbers in church services. And althought many have been beautiful, almost all of them I have forgotten. Their effect on my life was short lived. But this musical number has stayed with me through the years. I don’t remember the name of the brother who sang that day nor do I remember the hymn he sang. But I do remember the spirit in which he sang it. By the end of the number my eyes were moist and I came to understand that it wasn’t the beauty of the melody that moved me, it was the beauty of the giver.

Sometimes, we must be reminded, that the “heart” is the key to saintly service. So, perhaps the gifts given by us, or others, are not always the most beautifully packaged. But it’s the “heart” behind the gift that matters most.

“And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their adundance but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mark 12:41-44)

As it turned out, the worst solo performance I had ever heard had the most significant impact for good on my soul and taught me one of the most important lessons in life.

« Older Entries