A Tribute

This was a post that I wanted to do last week, but, due to the craziness that life sometimes is, I never managed to get it done. I want to make up for that today.

I have been under the influence of some amazing people throughout my life. I have wonderful parents that raised and taught me the best they could. I have had wonderful school teachers that drove me and inspired me to achieve. I have had great sports coaches that taught me the fundamentals and instilled in me the drive to win (although my dad still claims full credit for everything I know on the basketball court). I have had incredible Christ-like examples in the church that taught me the meaning of faith, charity and service. I have had mentors and teachers in the areas of business and personal development that have inspired me to dream big and to go for the things that I want in life. I have had loving girlfriends (before I was married, of course), loyal friends, great coworkers and a number of acquaintances throughout my life. And all of these have made an incredible impact on my life and helped make me the man that I am today. But none of these, individually or collectively, have had near the impact and influence in my life than the incredible woman that I am proud to call my wife.

I met my wife at the end of August in 1996 at the church were a group of young single adults had gathered to play volleyball. I was usually one of the first to show up, but I came late that night for some reason. I was speaking to a friend of mine in the doorway to the gym when I noticed her out on the volleyball court. It wasn't because she was an incredible volleyball player (she is the first to admit that she is much more adept at dodging the ball than she is hitting it), but there was something about her that caught my attention. She wasn't the drop-dead gorgeous type, but she was adorable. I could see she loved to laugh and have fun and had the dazzling smile to prove it. Unfortunately, it was also apparent that she was not there alone.

I soon joined in the games and was having a good time, but after a while I needed some time alone to deal with some thoughts that were weighing on me. I slipped off into one of the rooms where there was a piano and "practiced" playing for a while (meaning plunking out the notes to the only three songs I ever taught myself). What I did not know at the time was that she had noticed me, too, and, after a while, noticed my absence. Under the guise of needing a drink of water, she went looking for me. She heard my feeble attempts at playing and peeked in the door wondering if I was the one at the keys when she promptly embarrassed the both of us - me by my finding out that someone was watching me play and her by my catching her watching me.

Surprisingly, she didn't run away (don't the beauties always run from the beasts at first?). She boldly walked in and introduced herself and we met for the first time. I quickly embarrassed myself for the second time that evening by forgetting her name (I swear it wasn't because I wasn't paying attention - I was just stunned by the fact that such a lovely young lady was speaking to me), but she happened to forget mine as well (which is okay because I am really not the memorable).

Nobody has ever accused me of moving too fast, so I didn't ask her out on a first date for a good week and a half (that is a great Law of Attraction story if you ever want to hear it). From that point on, we were nearly inseparable as we saw each other pretty much every day. A month and three days after our first date, I asked her to be my wife and amazingly she said, "Yes!" Then, on December 14, 1996, 3 months and 18 days from the day that I first set my eyes on this incredible woman, I married her in the Portland, Oregon temple for time and all eternity!

I couldn't have asked for a better wife than her. She is my best friend and partner in all things. She is a wonderful mother who has gone to death's door three times to bring three wonderful children into this world and nearly stepped through that door due to a pregnancy that would never come to fruition. She is one of the hardest working women that I know and is building an incredibly successful business that allows her to be home with her children through her efforts (most people don't realize how hard she works because she has so much fun doing it).

She is a loving and caring friend who attracts wonderful women to her (Yes, M.L., M.E., A.J., L.F. and K.W. - this means you). I have seen her shed tears over the loss of friends over what I believe to be petty jealousy and unfairly judgmental attitudes. My wife has a strong desire to do those things that are right, no matter how appealing the alternative may be. This has put her at odds unfortunately with those who get uncomfortable around her because they prefer to do what is easy or popular. It hurts her deeply; particularly when some of these women have ruined other relationships my wife has had with other women and even the possibility of a relationship through their mean-spirited gossip and ridicule. But I am extremely proud of my wife and how she has born these difficulties. It has never been easy for her, but she valiantly strives to emulate the Savior and show genuine Christ-like love to even those who have abused her in this way.

My wife loves to serve others. She is not an early riser, but she will drag herself out of bed to make me breakfast and pack me a lunch before I head off to work. When there is a friend or family member in need, she always puts herself forward to help when she is able and feels terrible when she is not able to do so. She sometimes volunteers to the point of overextending herself, but that is simply more evidence of her love for other people.

She also has somewhat of a daring and adventurous spirit. She recently took me on a vacation to a bed & breakfast (something she loves) in Hayden, ID which is right next to Silverwood (something I love). The whole trip was incredible! She consented to taking one trip on the Tremors roller coaster with me when roller coasters are REALLY NOT HER THING. She has a little bit of a fear of heights and sudden death by a car derailing at high speeds. But she went on it with me when I asked her to.

She later confessed that when she looked at the picture of the ride, she didn't realize how big it was because she didn't recognize over 50% of the track as being part of the ride. They take a picture about halfway through the ride and while everyone else looks like they are laughing and having a good time, she is the only one that looks genuinely terrified. She said it took everything in her to keep from breaking down and bawling when it was over and her legs were all weak and rubbery when she got off. She swears she will never step foot on a roller coaster like that again, but I am proud of her facing her fear like that and some of the other risks she took with me that day.

She is also a wonderful example of gratitude and appreciation. She just had a birthday on the 6th of this month (I know I am not supposed to reveal a woman's age so I will simply say that she is older than 20 and younger than ... 33) and the boys and I only bought her two simple gifts - a DVD and an IPod. I can't tell you how many times in the last four days that she has thanked us and expressed how much she loves her gifts, particularly the IPod (I learned through the examples of my parents the importance of listening when a woman expresses an interest in something - she mentioned the IPod months ago and she totally was not expecting it when her birthday came around. Surprise!).

She has become an amazing example of achievement and what is possible if you dedicate yourself to a goal and stick with it no matter how difficult or frustrating it may get. In the past year, she has lost over 60 pounds, something she has been struggling with for ten years now. It has done wonders for her self-esteem and her self-confidence to achieve such a major goal and that victory has translated into other areas of her life.

I could go on and on and on about how remarkable she is. But let me just finish this by saying that I love her dearly. In the past twelve years that I have known her and the nearly twelve years that I have been married to her, I have had the pleasure of watching her grow and develop from the wonderful woman she was back then to the marvelous woman she is today. And, in turn, she has helped me grow and develop as well. As amazing as it is and as impossible as it may seem, I love her more and more each and every day. She is much, much more than I ever would have dreamed of in a wife.


My friends, if you have read this post, I ask you to do me one simple favor. I want her to receive "Happy Birthday" wishes from all over the world. Wherever you are, near or far, please take a moment to click on her blog and on her last post (yes, I know she hasn't posted in two months now) leave her a comment. Wish her "Happy Birthday", remind her that her husband loves her very much and tell her what an amazing woman she is. She would love it and I would very much appreciate you doing this small kindness!

My Memory Bank

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn' t have anything to do with it," he replied.

"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged .. it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it.

"It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

"Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

"Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Balancing Dreams and Priorities

[In response to Ray Kinsella's asking him what his dream is...]
Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham: Well, you know I... I never got to bat in the major leagues. I would have liked to have had that chance. Just once. To stare down a big league pitcher. To stare him down, and just as he goes into his windup, wink. Make him think you know something he doesn't. That's what I wish for. Chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases - stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That's my wish, Ray Kinsella. That's my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?

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[When Dr. Graham rejects Ray's offer to go back with him...]
Ray Kinsella: Fifty years ago, for five minutes you came within... y-you came this close. It would KILL some men to get so close to their dream and not touch it. God, they'd consider it a tragedy.
Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham: Son, if I'd only gotten to be a doctor for five minutes... now that would have been a tragedy.

Field of Dreams


A lot of people like to relive the "glory days" in their mind. Former athletes remember the big plays and women remember when they had a more enviable figure. But would you really give up all that you have earned through your blood, sweat and toil to go back to those days? As enviable as those days seem sometimes, I know I wouldn't. The things I have now are far better than anything I had back then. I have a loving wife, amazing kids, knowledge and experience, increased faith and a trust in God that I never dreamed of having in my younger years. Like Dr. Graham, if I had only five minutes of that in my life, that would have been a great tragedy.

Feeling blue...

No. I am not depressed. But I am feeling a little blue today because I HAD TO TAKE A FREEZING-COLD SHOWER TODAY!!! Some would say that isn't so bad, but I vehemently disagree with you. Being a child of the 80's, I saw plenty of sitcoms with references to cold showers. I just never saw the attraction. In fact, while I was growing up, I would turn the cold water all the way off and see how long I could stand in the stream before I felt like I was burning.


Not today, though. There was no hot water; no warm water; not even just cool water. Only ICE-COLD water! It may not have been so bad except for the fact that I had just come home from playing basketball and I was really hot and sweaty. The minute that water hit me, I felt like someone took a hammer to my chest. I could just picture my heart happily and easily pumping nice, warm, quick-flowing blood and then ... WHAM! ... it is suddenly thrown into low gear by the presence of fast-cooled, congealing blood that requires much more effort to pump the now toothpaste-like substance. I know that is a little dramatic, but, for the first time in memory, I couldn't wait to turn off the water and step out into the cool morning air blowing in through the window so that I could warm up!

My reason for becoming a human popsicle this morning is that our poor, sad little water heater (well, I guess 66 gallons isn't so little) finally gave up the ghost yesterday. It has been slowly leaking for a long time now and every time we fixed the leak in one spot another would pop up. It is just one more piece of evidence that the last person who lived here really had no clue what they were doing when they made updates to the place. The leaks started out as slow and seeped down the pipes and underneath the outer shell of the water heater, soaked into the insulation and, eventually, started dripping out the bottom. We made plans to replace it in the near future, but, when the water fried the power supply, the future become very near and urgent.

So we started the tank draining last night and we froze our butts off this morning (and when I say "we", I mean "me" since I was the only one that had to shower). We bought a new tank today and, for once, it went in without a hitch - which is a novel and completely unfamiliar experience when it comes to Jensen family home repairs.

I will say, however, that this experience has made me extremely grateful for one more luxury that I take for granted. I think about people in the past who never knew what water heaters were and either boiled water over a fire for warmth or bathed with freezing cold water. I am sure that there are even people today who do not have a water heater and would very much like one. I am grateful to have had one these past few years, even though it did not work very well. I am grateful for the financial blessings that made replacing it relatively painless. And, most of all, I am grateful for our wonderful friends and amazing family members who are always willing to give us their time, their knowledge and wisdom and their strength when these unexpected challenges arise. It is all rock-solid evidence of how blessed I truly am.