In the Rough - The Blog of Joel McDonald Jr.

This week the airwaves of television and radio have been filled with the life and death of former President Ronald Reagan. Those who knew very little about the man and the president are only beginning to get a glimpse into the past and connect with it. I must admit that I am indeed one of those people who are just scratching the surface of history and starting to tie who Reagan was, and what he did, to the events and people of my world.

Ronald Reagan is perhaps the most awe inspiring president our nation has ever been lead by since Franklin Roosevelt. Reagan was a man of character and values. Both of these characteristics would have meant nothing if he did not at all times stand unwavering in his determination not to allow himself to step from what he believed, to appease those who appeared “in the know.” He held himself with dignity at all times. He understood the concept of being opponents on issues without being enemies in life. Perhaps at no time was this more illustrated than the image of former soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev paying his final respects to Reagan in the rotunda of the US Capital building. I do not think I will ever forget the image of him leaning to place his hand on the president’s coffin and saying something silently. Perhaps it was a word of prayer. Perhaps it was even a farewell to a friend.

Reagan not only was an overall successful president. He was a successful husband. It is clear that even though her husband has passed, Nancy’s love for him lives on. Reagan had his life in order. I believe our leaders should have their lives in order. What good is a man as a leader if he cannot lead his own personal affairs successfully? The leaders and hopeful leaders of today can learn a great lesson from the life that Reagan lived.

We need leaders like Reagan to guide the world today. One can only imagine how he might have responded to the attacks on September 11th. I only wonder how he would have influenced many of our issues today. We need leaders who will stand for what is right. What is “right” is not defined by political ideology of formal parties. What is right is defined by the Almighty. We need leaders who will pray before making decisions, seek the inspiration of the Spirit, and accept responsibility for all of their actions. I do not know how much Reagan relied on God, but if anyone can learn from him and then seek God’s guidance, that person will be one of the world’s greatest leaders.

This week we say farewell to one of our greatest presidents. The following week we will enter again into the political battle over many issues leading to elections in November. I hope our nation will awake and realize that we can do so much better. Let us press on with the same determination that Reagan showed. Let us stand for what is right.

Farewell Mr. President. God be with you till we meet again.

I hope I can describe this…

I am called to serve in the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission (CCSM). Through Mission.net I hooked up with a recent Returned Missionary (RM) from the CCSM named Josh. He now lives in Tracy, California. In my wards sister ward (the other ward in our building) a guy named Mike, whom I’ve only met a few times before, has been called to serve in Brazil. Get this…Mike knows Josh (the RM from CCSM) and was directed by him to my website! He signed my guestbook. What are the odds that a guy from another ward in my stake would know the same RM from CCSM that I hooked up with earlier this week? Small world? Coincidence? Divine Intervention? Or perhaps just sheer craziness.

Last night was fun. Had a “crash party” at my house. Well, it was only me and Ben, who is leaving at the end of the month to the MTC. He’s been called to serve in the California Sacramento Mission. We watched “Paycheck” which was a little confusing at first, but overall was a really good movie. We spent most of the night playing a downhill biking game on PS II. I hadn’t played a PS II in so long. It rocked. We advanced through about half of the races, which took many hours. It rocked. I was like, “Hey…we could count this as mission prep…I mean…they are on bikes!” Good times, good times.

Anyway, I gotta jet. Getting a hair cut and then heading out to the camp/resort to do some swimming.

Laterz!

At this very moment my floor and my bed (and practically any flat sturdy surface available) is covered with stuff. I say “stuff” because it is impossible to name every object that has been extracted from its resting place. Yes folks, I’m cleaning. Cleaning is a simple way to phrase the process. What I’m doing is actually attempting to consolidate everything in the room that is mine into the closet where (hopefully) it will remain undisturbed and out of the way for the next two years. Like many who have had to clear out their dorm rooms after this school year…I will utter the same words, “How the heck did I accumulate all this stuff?”

Now for the optimism part.

Our high councilman at church spoke a few weeks ago, and he told a story about being optimistic and looking at the positive side of things.

There once lived a young prince, and a young commoner who at an early age became inseparable friends. When this prince became a king, his friend became his top advisor. Never were the two seen apart, the friend was right there by his side. The king’s advisor had an uncanny way of seeing the positive side of just about anything.

One day the kind, being an avid hunter, decided that he wanted to go duck hunting. As always his friend and advisor was close behind him. At the first sight of a duck, the king picked up his rifle and pulled the trigger causing the gun to backfire. The king’s thumb was blown off. Upon seeing what had happened, the king’s friend and advisor said, “Well…that’s a good thing!” The king was furious at what his friend had said and he had him locked in the tower!

About a year later the king was again hunting, this time with a few other dignitaries in a far off jungle. Somehow the king lost sight of his hunting party, and while trying to find his way back, was captured by a tribe of cannibals. While the tribe was preparing the king as an offering they noticed his thumb was missing. Apparently only those who are whole can be offered as a sacrifice. The tribe released the king.

Upon returning to his kingdom, the king remembered his old friend and advisor whom he had thrown in jail. He felt sorrow for him, as he had been correct in that the king loosing his thumb was indeed a good thing. It saved his life. The king summoned that his friend be brought to him.

Smiling, the king’s friend came before him and bowed. The king related what had happened in the jungle. He then proceeded to plead for forgiveness for throwing him in prison. To this his friend replied, “Well…you throwing me in prison was a good thing.” The king was confused and asked, “I took a year from your life by throwing you in prison…how could that possibly be a good thing.” To this the king’s friend replied, “It is a good thing, for if you had not thrown me in prison, I would have been with you in the jungle and would not have been spared by the tribe.”

Even that which seems horrible, could possibly be good. Stay on the positive side of life.

A man was walking through the park one day when he passed a young boy standing on a park bench, holding a Bible in his hand and yelling “Hallelujah, Hallelujah”. The man looked at the boy and asked, “What are you so excited about?” The little boy replied, “I’m just so amazed at how our Lord could part the Red Sea so that they Isrealites could cross.” The man started away from the boy, then thought, ‘No, I must set this young boy strait’. He turned back and said to the boy, “You know, it has been proven that parts of the Red Sea were only 10 inches deep. The Isrealite nation could have easily waded through it.” The boy sat down on the bench looking dismayed. The man turned to continue on his way glad that he had set the young child strait. In just a minute he heard again, “Hallelujah, Hallelujah”. The boy was again on the bench holding his Bible. The man returned to the boy and said, “Now what?” The boy replied, “Oh, I was just thinking how miraculus it was that our Lord could drown all those Egyptians in just 10 inches of water.” Oh, to have the excitement of a child in all our hearts about the Gospel. How much good would it do each of us.

Unfortunantly my mind has yet to process everything I need to do before embarking on my mission. I’m still not 100% ready for my trip to Seattle in 14 days.

::sigh:: My grandmother keeps saying that I can’t go on my mission because there would be nobody to keep her sane. It sort of makes me feel bad, but I have to go. Even if I was not serving a mission, I would be moving out (or wouldhave already moved out). Distance not being relative to this thought process of course. I’ll just need to take extra measures to write her a good deal.

I created an account on the mission.net website for my mission. Got hooked up with a recently RM who’s been sharing information, advice, tips, etc. about the Colorado Colorado Springs Mission.

Perhaps I should write down and have a plan for everything I must do. That might be smart. LOL.

Hey! My dad just IM’d me saying that he and the tribe down in Florida are coming up for a visit, moved their trip up to see me. They’ll be here the day before I leave. Spiffiness.

I hope all is wonderful for everyone out in LJ Land! Take Care & God Bless.