Mormon moment in sports

Talk about “Mormon Moments.”  There is a young Latter-day saints athlete who is absolutely the top prospect in their sport  in each of the sports of baseball, football, and basketball:

Baseball: Bryce Harper,
20 years old, from Los Vegas, NV
6'3", 215 lbs.
Outfielder for the Washington Nationals of the American League, 2012 American League All-star (youngest player ever selected), 2012 AL rookie of the year, 22 home runs, batted .270.

While many young Mormons take two years in their early 20s to perform a mission trip for the church, the author of a Harper biography writes that Harper chose baseball as his mission.
“I feel I can be a walking Book of Mormon and help people on the baseball field and off it,” Harper told Miech.  In college, Harper inscribed his bat and the tape around his wrists with Scripture verses, including 2 Samuel 22:33-34, which encompasses a song from the Jewish hero David after an epic battle with King Saul. “God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect,” the song says. “He makes my feet like the feet of a deer and sets me on high places.”
The verse is fitting for a rocket-armed rookie who is one of the fastest runners on his team.
(Dan Gilgoff - CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor)

Football: Manti Te’o, senior linebacker for Notre Dame
21 years old, from Laie, Hawaii,  6'2", 255 lbs.
Was the most highly recruited athlete for any sport, in the history of the state of Hawaii.  Awarded the HS Butkus award as best Prep linebacker in the US.
In college, 2009 Freshman All-American, 2010 Second Team All-American (as a sophmore), 2011 Second Team All-American and 2011 Second Team Academic All-American (as a junior).
Projected top NFL draft pick, but turned down NFL offers to complete his senior college year. Emotional leader for team and top tackler with interceptions and fumble recoveries
Heisman trophy candidate

Te'o is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2009, when Te'o was being recruited by 29 college football teams, it was his belief in prayer that led him to ultimately chose Notre Dame.  Recently, his Mormon faith has helped him overcome the tragedy of losing both his grandmother and girlfriend within a matter of hours.  On Sept. 12, Te'o received two phone calls. The first came from his parents telling him his grandmother had died of an extended illness. The second, just six hours later, came from his brother. Te'o's girlfriend had died after a battle with leukemia.  In this video from ESPN, Te'o talks about the recent losses and how tragedy hasn't kept him from playing, and succeeding, in his football games.  After Notre Dame's win the following weekend, Te'o said, "They were with me. I couldn't have done it without them. ... I miss them, but I know I'll see them again.
(Katie Harmer, Deseret News)

Basketball: Jabari Parker, Senior at Simeon High School, Chicago, IL
6' 8" 225 lbs
As a junior, he was named  Gaterade HS basketball player of the year.  Led his tam to state HS championship.  Top ranked prospect by various rating services.
Father, Sonny Parker, played in the NBA.  Mother of Tongan ancestry and reurned LDS missionary.
Active Priest in his ward.  Attends early morning seminary, carries a Book of Mormon in his backpack.
Earlier this year Jabari Parker told Sports Illustrated that he "talked a lot about" missionary service when his elder brother, Christian, came home from his full-time mission.
"I want to go (on a mission)," Jabari said. "But I have doubts. The NBA is the biggest dream of basketball players, and I'm no different."

Third cousin of grandchildren is chess champ

According to a Deseret News article on 23 Nov 2012, at age 14 a young relative has become an international chess celebrity.  He is Kayden Troff of West Jordan, UT.  He just won won the World Youth Chess Championship Held in Slovenia, making him the highest ranking 14-year-old chess player in the world.

Undoubtedly he is a grandson of Patricia Johnson who married Arno Troff.  Pat was a cousin of Grandma JoAnn.  Her mother was LaVern Gourley Johnson and her grandmother was Bessie Gourley

You can find the article at http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567404/Utah-chess-prodigy-wins-world-title-shares-his-Mormon-beliefs.html, which also contains interesting blogspot, facebook, and twitter links for Kayden.

I'm proud of Jeremy

     Jeremy asked if I would write a letter of recommendation for his Eagle application.  Its a pretty save bet that I would recommend him highly.  Here is my letter:

     "I believe that Jeremy is sincerely trying to implement the Scout Oath and Law in his life.  He is a conscientious young man who tries very hard to be obedient to leaders, family, etc, and to do what is right.  He takes responsibility for himself.  He is motivated to accomplish good things in school, in scouting, and in other aspects of his life.  He is uniformly kind and protective of his younger siblings and others.  He is respectful to adults and to sacred and patriotic things.  His attitude toward life and people is positive and he brings a quiet happy influence with him to everything that he does.  I believe he will be a credit to Scouting and to everything with which he becomes associated."

About noon Saturday I got a call telling me that Britain’s dad had briefly come to town and they had decided to bless the baby.  So I got dressed and participated in the blessing of Arthur William Soderquist, age 2 weeks, born 27 Oct 2012, by his dad.  I got this picture of the blessee and blesser.

Big storm

As I started to wake up Saturday at about 8 am but then to roll over and try to sleep some more, I suddenly remembered that it was supposed to have snowed during the night.  I had the thought that it might be timely to break out the snow blower that I got for Christmas a year ago and never used.  I opened the curtain, and what to my wondering eye should appear but 12 inches of fresh white stuff.

I got dressed in warm clothes, put on the snow boots that I also got last year for ice fishing but never used, and went to the garage to dig out the snowblower which was in the back of the storage side of the garage.  With some difficulty I got it past the car and pointed ready to attach the snow.  I checked and found it still had gasoline from when I tested it last year.  I strung an extension cord and plugged it in the snow blower socket (it has an electric start option).  I managed to find the starting instructions plate on the machine.  Going down the list, I set the throttle on high-choke as required, then depressed the choke button for step two.  Step three called for me to insert the key in the key slot.

I wondered, where did I leave the key, after I had tested it almost a year ago?  Wendy might remember, I thought.  But she is in Newport Beach with her girl-friends and would certainly still be asleep (it would be only about 7:15 am there).  So I started my search of the house, the key box, the cabinet file where the guarantee should be (it wasn’t), various kitchen and office drawers.  No sign of the key.  After 30 minutes I find it.  It was on my bedroom dresser, under receipts that had been accumulating for a year.  Someday I need to get organized.

Anyway, I was then able to start  the machine.  I did our driveway and sidewalks and also did the sidewalks around the corner to the east to Howard Peterson’s property and then to the west and up 820 east for 5 houses clear to the vacant lot past Young’s.  That part was easy and the machine handle the deep snow without a problem.

(Pictured: the snow blower in position this morning to go to work again, the foot of snow on Wendy’s flower pot on the patio and on the truck (this morning), and the top of a pine tree in Howard’s back yard with the top branches still weighed down with snow and a cute little top-knot sticking up.)