Pappa Hardy’s Musings on Life.

I have been approached a while back by some individuals to run for City Council here in Payson. Now, the time is upon me to decide whether I am going to make the plunge or not. Filing deadlines open on July 1 and extend to July 16. I now have to decide whether I go through the effort, the campaign, and then if I win, the responsibility of being a member of the City Council. I still don’t know what I want to do. That seems to be life. There are just tons of decisions that you face and have to resolve. This is one too.

Back to work today. There is never enough time in this profession to get it all done. What makes it worse is three fold

1-Staffing models that say we can get by with less than what it takes to do a deal
2-Working in a branch, where interruption is the norm rather than the exception
3-The fact that there is a labor shortage has also made it harder to get additional help

I have so much to get done, and just don’t seem to have the time to get it all done and taken care of. From talking to other lenders, I don’t think I am the exception, but rather the norm. I hope it gets better.

This week has been full for me. I have had my wonderful family here. While Bonnie is the mother hen of this group and loves them here all of the time, I manage to hide my feelings better than her and therefore I don’t voice them as often. However, I loved having all of my children here, save one who could not make it. We wish he could have been here with us.

Today was special. We had the whole gang in the house this morning, and we ran off to church for a double header. We had the blessing of Braxton Bennett Hardy, and then we had the opportunity to hear Elder Michael Hardy report on his mission.

He did good. He took 30 minutes or more and taught the gospel. That was special. I was so glad that he was such a good missionary. I am so proud of my boys. I am proud of that new grandson, and I am proud of my sons. They have done us good, each and every one.

We had lots of family there, and friends too. We were doubly and triply, and more blessed today. It was a wonderful day.

It was a wonderful morning, full of more and more blessings.

Today was one of those days when you measure another passage in this journey called life. I stood in the baggage claim area of the Salt Lake City International airport as my youngest son, my namesake, Elder Michael S. Hardy, returned from his two year mission to the people of North Carolina.

It was a real site to see him come down the escalator and rejoin the family. I loved seeing him come home, and it was one of those special moments in my life. My last missionary son, or daughter, was home, and from now on we don’t have the blessing of one of my children serving a mission for the Lord. I felt sad, yet glad, that we had reached this milestone. Sad that I wouldn’t be receiving any of those special blessings, and glad that he was home.

We march through life, wondering how it is all going to come out. I pray that ours ends up as a happy ending, but regardless of how the long story ends, this chapter in the story was a special time for my family. I am so proud to be a witness of young boys turning into men, of spiritual youth becoming spiritual giants, of my children besting their parents. I am so proud that all of my children are mine, not only now, but for all eternity.

I saw the neatest thing the other night. I had been watching the 10 o’clock news on TV and they indicated that the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station would be coming overhead in just a few minutes. I ran outside and looked to the west. That site was in and of itself quite breathtaking, because the moon, a new moon, was low in the west, just a sliver, and not far away was the bright planet Venus.

Well, I went out and checked, and then checked again, and at 10:56pm I went out and there it was, a bright light moving across the sky. I love watching it, because it moves at a steady speed and it was moving fast across the sky. I love things like this, and the only thing that would have been better would have been if I could have been on that space station myself.

I called to Bonnie, wanting her to see this site that was so special to me. She came out, I pointed to the northwest and we watched it pass further across the sky. Then, all of a sudden it started to get dimmer, and in the space of about 5 seconds went from a dimmer white, to a red, and then it disappeared. My breath was taken in. I just had seen an orbital sunset of the space station complex. My heart ached because I wanted so bad to be on that station, watching many such sunrises and sunsets each day from space. Once again, I ached because I have missed my calling in life. Somehow, I must make it into space. Somehow it must happen. It was one of those minutes in my life that I shall remember forever.

We had a neighborhood party Thursday. Man, I have great neighbors. It is so fun to sit down and visit with your neighbors. For the most part, that is what I have in this area. I like living with this group of people much more than anywhere else I have lived. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I also go to church with most of them, so I know them in multiple settings.

This is the type of event that makes life worth it. I love a good party.

Ah, here we are, at the end of the weekend. It has been a good weekend. The kids have been and gone, we have been to church, and we have enjoyed the lazy Sunday afternoon with the hot weather and the beginning of summer. It has been a lazy day, a nice day, a wonderful Sunday, the end of the weekend.

Well, another weekend is upon us. However, this one is special because we get to have some of our children with us. As we get older, we come to realize just how precious our families are to us. This is the real payoff, knowing your adult children as not only family but as friends. This is what makes this more than just another weekend, because we have our friends with us and get to enjoy their company and friendship.