A FOREVER AVOCATION

With the writing of last week’s Thought, I finished my 100th Thought based on The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ which completed the fifth volume of the series Thoughts for 100 Sabbath Days which I have been self publishing. Several thoughts came to me almost immediately: First, I would be spending significant time during the coming weeks getting that volume ready for publication and second, I wasn’t in a place in The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ which would stimulate thoughts appropriate for the Christmas/New Years season. I immediately came up with two possible solutions: One, I could skip forward in The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ to Third Nephi which would surely fill my mind with thoughts based on the Savior, or, I could take a break from basing my Thoughts being stimulated by The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ and just write thoughts based on the end of year and the beginning of year themes. Since my mind immediately was filled with possible Christmas themed thoughts I chose the latter option.

I am pretty sure that perhaps only some of and maybe none of the decisions I have made about possible life long avocations happened during December or January. I am likewise pretty sure that very few and possibly there never has been a year that has ended or begun without my having pondered about a hobby or activity in which I could be involved for the rest of my mortal life.

Some years ago I wrote a Thought which included my having been gifted a train set by a neighbor when we lived on North Arthur in Pocatello, Idaho, and how I was absolutely certain that being a model train ‘aficionado’ would be something I could do for the rest of my life. When we lived in Reno, Nevada, I made one real serious attempt at building a model train setup. It only took me a few months of trial and error and purchasing of expensive train engines and cars for me to realize that my temperament wasn’t really compatible with model trains. It didn’t take me long to understand that I need to be involved in activities which can be resolved in short time frames and do not involve a lot of failed attempts. These many decades later I still have boxes filled with train sets and tracks which I haven’t seen or touched for years. However, I can attest that a year never ends without me thinking of those train sets and tracks in those boxes.

Another hobby, leather working, which I was sure would be desirable as an activity to fill my leisure years, also had its short lived existence while we were living in Reno, Nevada. Since we were deeply involved in renovating a home at the time and I was probably averaging 60 hours a week at work and fulfilling callings in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I have no idea why I was moved to try to find anything else to do. Never the less, I dove headfirst into acquiring the tools and leather needed to become a leather carver. I did several projects which were instructional in nature and became fairly adept in the processes. I did some projects for family and friends, but it wasn’t long before I came to the understanding that keeping my current proficiency and improving my talent in artistic leather work would only come by sacrificing many other activities which I found enjoyable or necessary. These many decades later I still have a box filled with tools and patterns which I haven’t seen or touched for years.

Since sports have been a pleasure or a plague, depending on who you might ask, I have been on the look out during my life for a sport in which I could be involved for the rest of my life. Basketball was only on the list until because of damaged ankles I had to crawl to the bathroom the morning after a game. Softball enjoyed a run until I pulled an oblique muscle making a play that at one time came very naturally, but now was disabling. Volleyball headed the list for a long time, but lost its elevated position when the pain in my knees and ankles far out weighed any pleasure on the court. Golf had a long and expensive run until spinal stenosis made standing, balancing and swinging a club impossible. The golf clubs still are prominent in the garage along with the remaining golf balls which our son Rynn has as yet not hit into some hollow in Cedar City, Utah. Though the balls involved in those joyful years of being actively involved in sports have now been given to progeny or landfills, I can attest that a year never ends without me thinking of those enjoyable moments which were spent on courts, fields and courses.

After retiring as a professional teacher I continued to stand in front of classes for another five years and then I had the thought that maybe I could have voluntary teaching as an end of life avocation. This dream came to a quick end when I had to have a succession of surgeries; first, to have my bone knee replaced with one of titanium and then, a triple laminectomy to relieve the pressure on the nerves in my spinal column caused by spinal stenosis, ended my standing in front of a classroom filled with students.

It wasn’t long after the computer had become a predominant part of my everyday activity when Kathleen declared that I hadn’t quit teaching, I was just doing it in a different way. It has become abundantly apparent since she opened that vision to me that in the ten years since I wrote my first Thought for a Sabbath day entitled My Littleness, and published it on Sunday, June 21, 2009, in both English and Spanish that my life long avocation would mirror my vocation of teaching. Since I now am about to publish my fifth volume of Thoughts for 100 Sabbath Days and am about to begin to compile a third volume of Life's Lessons Learned and because I feel it best describes what my life has been all about I now think of myself as a publisher. A Publisher of Peace. A Publisher of Joy. A Publisher of Love. A Publisher of Faith. A Publisher of Hope. A Publisher of Charity. Which all adds up to a very good avocation.

A Publisher of Peace.

Wherefore, with the help of these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and the faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land. (Words of Mormon 1: 18)

A Publisher of Joy.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2: 10)

A Publisher of Love.

Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (1 John 4: 7)

A Publisher of Faith.

And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. (Alma 32: 21)

A Publisher of Hope.

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil… (Hebrews 6: 18, 19)

A Publisher of Charity.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. (Moroni 7: 46, 47)

What a wonderful end to my quest to find an avocation which will last till the end of mortality, which will give me glorious ponderings during the endings and beginnings of each year of the remainder of my life and which will endure.


THOUGHTS FOR A SABBATH DAY – WILLIAM L. RILEY

EDITED BY – KATHLEEN W. RILEY

THINK + PLAN + PREPARE + DO + HUGS + PEACE + JOY + LOVE + INTEGRITY + FAITH + HOPE + CHARITY = THE GOOD LIFE