Pappa Hardy’s Musings on Life.

OK, so I said that it was really hot in Utah.  Well, it doesn’t compare to Taiwan.  Today was hot, like real hot.  We were in Chung Li today and I was passing water through me like the old days.  It was real hot.  I was told it set a record for Taiwan.

We met the new Mission President (President Nielsen) who was a contemporary of mine.  He was really nice and we ended up going to Taipei and having dinner with him, a previous mission President, and an old friend of mine from the missionary days.  All in all, a fascinating day.  I have had fun so far.  Julie and Bonnie are being taken along, whether they like it or not.

Ah Taiwan, you are a changing.  I visited the Chung Li 1st Ward yesterday.  It was in a building that I only dreamed of when I was a missionary here.  That only represents the significant change that has occured here since I was an Elder.

30 years brings a lot of changes.  The city of Chung Li is not recognizable by me.  They have freeways, high rise buildings galore, and the street scape is so different.  The old building where we lived and had our chapel is there, but looks as if it should be condemned and is surrounded by high rise buildings.  I would give good money to see the inside.  The church is different too.  2 thriving wards, with a nice building and lots of members, none of course who know me other than our hosts, the Hos.  They are so special to us and have treated us like kings.  I love that family as my own.

The sun is now rising over the island beautiful.  I have a lot to do and see today.  It is wonderful here in far off Taiwan.

Sitting on the stand in our church meetings has its interesting aspects.  You get to look into the faces of the congregation and get to know them better.  I sit up there and try to figure out who someone may be, if I don’t know them, and their faces are very telling.  You seem to learn a lot about the people from their faces.

However, when it comes to my family, things aren’t so fun.  I truly enjoy sitting with my family if I am in a church meeting.  When you sit on the stand, that opportunity only comes twice a year when you attend Stake Conference.  Otherwise, your wife and the kids are alone down there.

When I was in a Bishopric for the first time, my wife struggled with managing the kids because I wasn’t there to help her with the task.  She coined a phrase which I feel describes the situation exactly.  She indicated that she had become a Bench Widow.  She was without a spouse, who in effect had died to her.  While I felt very sorry for her and wished I could sit with her, I also felt she did a great job in raising the family during those Family visits to church.

I can’t believe how big the Pacific Ocean is, and how long of a plane ride it is to Taiwan.  The ocean went on for hour, after hour, after hour.  It was covered by clouds almost the entire time that we had the sun up.  I was so cramped in the plane.  I can’t believe just how cramped it was.  It was not a pleasant trip.  We made it however.  I think that is the only bad thing about this trip to Taiwan, is the interminable plane ride.  I normally like planes, but on this trip, I could have used a few more stops.  It was such a real big ocean.  It is pretty though, this water planet of ours.  So much water, covering so much area.  It is hard to believe until you experience it, if you are a land lubber.

I am a Taiwan Missionary.  Today I am on my way back to the island of Taiwan, aka Formosa.  I am so excited to go back to the land of my missionary joy.  I faced severe challenges in that land.  It was a strange new land, a different land, one where I knew not the language.  Later on, I grew to know the language but more importantly, I grew to love the people.  I came to love the city of Chung Li, but most importantly, the Chung Li Branch members.  I have long been very fond of my experience there, of my friends, of my Chinese friends.  Ever since then, I have seen myself as a Taiwan Missionary.  I love that land.  I love that people.  I am so excited about going back.

This evening marks a not so special anniversary.  4 years ago tonight, my father in law, but really dad, passed away from Cancer. To say that we all miss him terribly is to put it lightly.  We need his wisdom and guidance as always.  However, we only have his legacy, which is eternal.  We love him, and miss him, our star of the day, dad, Melvin R. Cox.

Well, I attended a bank dinner last night as part of the Ag Conference that I am attending in Idaho Falls.  The really interesting conversation that I heard was as with regard to how long people had been with the bank, and where they had been in their careers before then.  Of all the people I was sitting with, none had been with the bank more than 3 or 4 years.  Most had been with several banks or other types of financial institutions during the last ten years.  No one had experienced a “long term” relationship.  What is sad is that this is not only limited to banking, but is also the norm in most other career fields.  We have become as society of dispossed wanderers, moving from job to job with no real job or life security.  Nearly everyone was nervous about how long they would be at this or any other job in the future.  No wonder this is a nation of paranoid people who don’t know where we are going to be working or living next week.  I think this is a sad commentary on our world today.

I was on a walk this morning along the Snake River in Idaho Falls.  The motel I am staying at is just across the river from the Idaho Falls Temple of the LDS church.  What a wonderful time I spent, contemplating life and deciding whether or not to accept challenges.  We have been challenged to hike in and out of the Grand Canyon next Memorial Day.  I later talked with Bonnie this morning and we are accepting the challenge.  We are going to hike the Grand Canyon next year.  Its sad I am waiting to this point in my life to accept some of these physical challenges, but I am going to do it.  I also challenge my children, my eldest not-son and his younger sibling brother Gordon and Christi and his wife, and Brian and Crystal, and of course, Julie.  The only one that wouldn’t be there, if these children accept, would be Michael who is serving an honorable mission in North Carolina.  We will rise to the challenge.

Ah, no longer the star of the day. My not son not-Chris wrote about a not-conversation that he claims he recently had with his not-dad. Well, I guess he should take the conversation as a compliment. How so, you may ask? Well, I have so much respect for the non-sons computer abilities that the not-technical, not-computer not-dad has no clue whether or not the not-son could use my bandwidth from afar. I guess the not-son should understand that he was complimented in a not-so obvious kind of way.

Gordon is the star of the day.  Gordon is a wonderful son.  He has been a good roommate and now is a good husband and spouse.  Gordon roomed with me in Salt Lake City while I was going through the move from Cheyenne to Utah and we had a lot of fun together.  He is very intelligent and also very compassionate.  He has chosen Pharmacy as his career that he wants to pursue.  I think he will be an excellent Pharmacist and I think he is going to be a wonderful health care provider.  I believe that Gordon is a star for the day.