Sunday, November 27, 2011

MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE

I suspect if there is any validity to the cliché, ‘we learn from our mistakes’, there have been some periods of my life when the learning curve was exceedingly steep, filled with intense educational moments.

For some months I had been laboring in my ‘spare time’ to build a second bathroom in our home. The eight of us had lived in our ‘getto’ home (I left the H out of the word because I was knocking the ‘H’ out of this 5000 sq. ft. monster) for seven years, making do with one bathroom. Having only one bath with all those bodies was quite an education also, but that will be a story which will have to be told in its own time.

I was very pleased that I had finally completed the second bath and all that was lacking was the laying of the linoleum. It was at that stage of the project that I finally got around to hooking up the water into the bathroom. When I turned on the faucet I was greeted with a miserly flow of water dripping from the tap. To my horror I soon discovered that I had plenty of water collecting in various locations within the finished walls. The next four days were spent in a maddening vicious cycle of discovering leaks, fixing leaks and repairing the walls and flooring in our now twice built bathroom. I hope some of you are able to appreciate the remarkable dedication I was demonstrating in the pursuit of learning.

I don’t believe it requires a very vivid imagination to conjure in your minds the numerous ‘you should haves’ which were freely expressed by family and friends who appointed themselves as sidewalk superintendents…

Having personally suffered through the frustrations and anxieties of building the ‘twice built bathroom’, I don’t feel it essential to further expose my ignorance by detailing the many places I went astray. I am sure it will be sufficient to mention that as I was driving in the last nail while replacing the floorboard, rejoicing in the fact that I had finally found and fixed the last leak, that the nail found the PVC pipe and the floorboard had to be ripped up and replaced for the third time. For some unknown reason, decades later, whenever that bathroom is spoken of by anyone in our family it is referred to as the ‘damn’ bathroom. Personally, I will continue to call it the ‘twice built bathroom’ or the ‘blue bathroom’.

Many Centuries ago a wise and righteous king in a long forgotten land in the Americas by the name of Benjamin admonished his people “that all things should be done in wisdom and in order.” (Mosiah 4:27) Hopefully, having built one bathroom twice will be enough ‘education through hard knocks’ to give me the understanding that it is wise to connect, and test a plumbing system before sealing all the pipes inside of walls and floors.

Oh, that the proper order of all of life’s lessons were so easily learned and could be repaired with only a few minor adjustments!

Oh, that we might be wise enough to glean the wisdom of the ages, so that the pangs of discovering and fixing a disordered life might not be needed to be suffered personally by all!

Oh, that we might be wise enough to stay within the bounds of the order which has been tested and proven to be true!

Oh, that the joy of the orderliness of our Father’s House might not be extinguished by unwise decisions made hastily!
I strongly feel that as it is with twice built bathrooms, so it is with life:

Pre-learning the purposes of life will give understanding as to how we should order our progressive steps.

Orderliness in life’s phases will help eliminate frustrations and anxiety and will lead us to fulfilling our appointed purposes in life.

By orderly, sequential moving though the experiences of life we can grow ever closer to our Heavenly Parents and thereby fulfill life’s main purpose which is that we might have joy.

15 comments:

  1. Billy Boy, that is a quilting phrase, "MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE". I do remember your famous bathroom but I didn't know all of the trauma associated with it. :D

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  2. Bishop (you'll always be Bishop to me) , Hi my friend, I appreciate getting your THOUGHTS! I would love to get them in Spanish as well. My son is on a mission in LA, Spanish speaking, so he could benefit from reading it as well. Thanks for your weekly words of wisdom! Tell Kathy hi, and have a great week!!

    Nikki Warren Olsen

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  3. Built one of those bathrooms myself!

    Larry Proffit

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  4. Bill,
    This is a story of personal experience, bitter at the time. I count it an experience that we all can profit by; if we care to learn from another's woes we can greatly reduce our suffering in life.
    So here is the question that occurs to me: suppose I were to learn, or even to suspect, that Bill Riley never actually had this experience. That this was merely a story told, as if true, to teach a lesson. Upon learning or suspecting that, how much has the value of this lesson been reduced? Has it's value been destroyed? What about the virtue of Bill? Has his star dimmed? Been extinguished?
    How capable are we really of separating the value of eternal truths from the virtue of the truth tellers?
    I see what I see in others, but cannot really, as a subject, see objectively. So perhaps U can tell me.

    Be Skeptical but Open, Paul Maddox

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  5. Then again, how capable are we, two old men, of determining what is absolutely true :) :)
    But I assume you meant that you agree, or sympathize or something.

    Be Skeptical but Open, Paul Maddox

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  6. Bill, O' what memories this conjures up. I hve experienced this same learning experience sooooooooo many times...

    D. Thomas Borgquist

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  7. This wonderfully wise counsel! Thanks!

    Jay Lawrence

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  8. Hi Brother Riley--thanks for sending these. I have a random question for you: do you take requests? By that I'm wondering if I'm studying a particular scripture and am having a tough time making heads or tails of it, could I shoot you a quick question? I know you're busy, but I thought I'd ask as my wife and I have had a question come up as we've done our study together. I know you're busy, however, so if this isn't something you customarily do then I certainly understand. Thanks!

    Dave Hada

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  9. I love this. Gave me a smile and good things to think about.

    Thanks-joyce woolf

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  10. Hi Brother Riley--thanks for sending these. I have a random question for you: do you take requests? By that I'm wondering if I'm studying a particular scripture and am having a tough time making heads or tails of it, could I shoot you a quick question? I know you're busy, but I thought I'd ask as my wife and I have had a question come up as we've done our study together. I know you're busy, however, so if this isn't something you customarily do then I certainly understand. Thanks!

    Dave Hada

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  11. MI PRESIDENTE ESTUBO INCRIBLE ESTA HISTORIA GRACIAS Y GRACIAS POR LAS ANTERIORES Y GRACIAS POR SUS EJEMPLOS Y SUS CONCEJOS EN LA MISION ESOS CONCEJOS QUEDARON EN MI COMO TINTA IDELEBLE

    Manuel Angel Carvajal Tomala

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  12. Muchas Gracias,

    Gracias a la dedicación y el servicio que Ustedes brindaron, yo pude encontrar el camino para reparar muchas goteras y fugas que posía mi vida y lo mejor, haber cambiado el curso y el orden de las cosas. Hoy puedo decir que aprendo cada vez menos de mis errores porque el evangelio es la mejor vitácora para seguir el orden adecuado y evitar tener que "construír dos veces la vida".

    Atte.,

    Cristian De la Hoz,

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  13. gracias presidente

    julio escandon julio

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  14. Thanks, Bill. Some of my fondest memories revolve around full and open sharing--bilaterally--of beliefs with those not of our faith on subjects that are of eternal consequence and beauty. You're right--we learn much about ourselves and our own beliefs, as well as creating wonderful kinship with others in the process. Your reminder is appreciated--

    Merry Christmas to you and yours--

    Douglas F. Higham Sr.

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  15. Gracias por el mensaje ; así es la vida hacer las cosas con prudencia y orden ..... Saludos

    Justo Sanchez

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