Author: Chuck Lucas

‘Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.’  ―John Wooden

“I’m going to tell you the most important secret of human life. The most critical need of the human soul is to be kind.” ― David O. McKay

Early = Respect for others. Late = Disrespect. You might as well wear a sign on your chest. ―Tom Peters

Make decisions from the strong part of you, not the weak. ― Laura C. Schlessinger

‘The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.’ ―Randy Pausch

“We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality.” ―Ayn Rand

“There is an immeasurable distance between late and too late.” ― Og Mandino

“Don’t savor temptations . . . The more you think about a particular temptation, the more enticing it becomes.” – Billy Graham

“The devil flatters us that we are very righteous, while we are feeding on the faults of others…if you would have God have mercy on you, have mercy on one another.”   – Joseph Smith Jr.

1. Less than $2000 total home repairs after termite & home inspection on Margate home that was over 40 years old

2.  Saved over $9000 in Real Estate commissions because we sold with RedFin (referred by Josh)

3.  Sold Margate for $29,000 over previous street all-time record

4.   Margate sold & was in escrow within 5 days (asking price sale)

5.   No glitches during escrow, closed in 30 days on time & before escrow closed on Moon Lake.

6.   Toyota Van Brake Master Cylinder failed in St. George Utah. Brakes were still working when Master Cylinder brake reservoir contained no fluid. Repaired by Toyota dealer in St. George.

7.   Found new home in Meridian on Moon Lake & signed sales contract in two days.

8.   Moon Lake house came on the market about 10pm the night we arrived in Meridian.  Justin saw it on line & put it on the list of houses we were going to look at the next day.

9.   We got all out stuff into 3 convenient large POD containers. 40+ years of stuff.

10.  The Moon Lake house closed on time no glitches.

11.   While all this was going on Aunt Marilyn quit her job, packed up her house, & moved to Meridian after 70+ years in La Habra. (only 2 convenient PODs & one U-Haul truck)

12.   Justin & I drove the U-Haul truck up to Meridian. We stopped In SLC for the night & Justin noticed one of the inside dual tires on the back of the truck was flat. The next morning, we stopped at a tire shop, they repaired the flat, and we were on our way in less than an hour.  (repair done for no charge on a fully loaded truck)

13.  Justin & Beth found a house & moved into it before Aunt Marilyn arrived as she purchased their home here in Meridian.

14.  We all live within 3 miles of each other in the same zip code & same temple district. (“gather to the temple”)

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2008/12/gather-to-the-temple?lang=eng

15.   All cars at each of the houses in Meridian sleep in the garage every night. None of us are renting storage units. (not guaranteed)

16.   So far, we are all happy & there has been no contention.

17.   The new Meridian Temple open house Open house: October 21–November 11. The Temple will be dedicated Sunday November 19.

One Quote:

“At times you may not know quite what to do or what to say—just move forward.” —D. Todd Christofferson

(all 5 brothers had been encouraging & supporting this Miracle Margate Middleton Move for over 5 years)

• We were made to act, not to be acted upon.     Stephen R. Covey
• “Good intentions are not enough. We must do.” —Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• Understanding plus doing equals internalizing.    Stephen R. Covey
• “Welcome the task that makes you go beyond yourself, and you will grow.”                 Julie B. Beck
• “Let your hearts rejoice.” 2N 9:52
• Divine laws are discoverable, predictable, dependable & repeatable.    Russell M. Nelson
• “You can change. You can be helped. You can be made whole—whatever the problem.” —Jeffrey R. Holland
• “Filled with His love, we can endure pain, quell fear, forgive freely, avoid contention, renew strength, and bless and help others.”   John H. Groberg
• Believe in Him . . . Believe in Him.     2 N 6:14
• Life is like a marathon of patience, forgiveness, perseverance and consistency.
• “At times you may not know quite what to do or what to say—just move forward.”         —D. Todd Christofferson
• The greatest form of charity may be to withhold judgment.    Jean B Bingham
• As hard as it is to understand, stumbling blocks are essential to our progression.          Janet G. Lee
• Let love conquer pride.    Dieter F. Uchtdorf
• We’re all in this together.”    Russell M. Nelson
• “Life is often defined by the unexpected. So it’s essential, to be prepared.”                   Russell M. Nelson
• You are a child of God. You can’t ever become more child of God by your merits, and you can’t ever become less child of God by your imperfections.    Celeste Davis
• It takes exactly as long to repent as it takes you to say, ‘I’ll change’—and mean it.”  Jeffrey R Holland
• Be where you should be when you should be there.
• Sometimes our redemption is deferred “for a little season.”
• We can put things right and move on and try again.   Adam S. Miller
• In conflict, bring water not gasoline to the fire.
• The immediate influence of behavior is always more effective than that of words.       Victor Frankl
• We often take for granted the very people who most deserve our gratitude.               Thomas S. Monson
• “Hope is a virtue for all seasons and all adversities.”   Chieko N. Okazaki
• Without knowing everything, we can know the truth.    David F. Evans
• “Things that now are stumbling blocks may, one day soon, be stepping-stones for you.”   Boyd K. Packer
• “It is mentally rigorous to strive to look unto Him in every thought. But, when we do, our doubts and fears flee.”  Russell M. Nelson
• “What is deferred is not avoided.” ― Thomas More

• “Each time we encourage a man to read the Book of Mormon we do him a favor.” Gordon B. Hinckley
• Spend more time where the spirit is present. . . On your Knees, In the Scriptures, In the Temple.     Russell M. Nelson
• “Families go back before the earth was, and they will go forward into eternity.”        L. Tom Perry
• “Dare to Stand Alone” ― Thomas S. Monson
• Don’t get discouraged, things will work out.    Gordon B. Hinckley
• “Obedience brings blessings.”   Thomas S. Monson
• “Blame keeps wounds open, only forgiveness heals.”   Thomas S. Monson
• I take every day at it’s moment, and one day at a time.     Robert D. Hales
• “Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier.”   Thomas S. Monson
• “Never let a problem to be solved become more important that a person to be loved” Thomas S. Monson
• “Write down your attainable goals and work on them according to their importance.”   M. Russell Ballard
• “Don’t mistake courtesy for consent.” ― Jim Rohn
• God’s ultimate purpose is our progress.    D. Todd Christofferson
• “Don’t be yourself. Be someone a little nicer.”            ― Mignon McLaughlin
• Find happiness in ordinary things & keep your sense of humor.   Boyd K. Packer
• God gives us difficulties to bring out the best in us.   Marvin J Ashton
• Some days require “much more than enough.”
• “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13)
• “Be wise and don’t let good things crowd out those that are essential.”                Richard G. Scott
• Personal foundations are usually built slowly. . . .            Quentin Cook
• “Even in the grave, all is not lost.” ― Edgar Allan Poe
• Family & friends can be together forever.     Ether 2:1
• There is an energy that comes from happiness and optimism that doesn’t just bless us—it builds everyone around us.”   Sharon L Eubank
• Morality is not defined by individual choice.   Rush Limbaugh
• We are indebted to “Christ the Mericiful rather than Lucifer the Miserable.”        Jeffrey R. Holland
• “Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven.” —Boyd K. Packer
• Katie Cassidy: My father’s last words were “So much wasted time”.    David Cassidy
• Let us not be content with where we are, but neither let us be discouraged.             Todd D. Christofferson
• “Family is the center of life. It is the key to eternal happiness.” —L. Tom Perry
• I think enduring to the end is the grandest accomplishment.   Robert D. Hales

“Personal pleasure never works as the focus of life and cannot suffice as the purpose of life. This truth underlies the two great commandments: to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and mind; and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.” —Elder D. Todd Christofferson

1970: America Subject to Water Rationing By 1974 and Food Rationing By 1980

2008: Arctic will Be Ice Free by 2018

2008:  Climate Genius Al Gore Predicts Ice-Free Arctic by 2013

1977: Department of Energy Says Oil will Peak in 1990s

1988: World’s Leading Climate Expert Predicts Lower Manhattan Underwater by 2018

1989: UN Warns That Entire Nations Wiped Off the Face of the Earth by 2000 From Global Warming

2012: Maya Apocalypse

1524: Johannes Stöffler, a respected German mathematician and astrologer, predicted that a great flood would cover the world on February 25, 1524, when all of the known planets would be in alignment under Pisces, a water sign.

1967: Jim Jones the founder of the People’s Temple stated he had visions that a nuclear holocaust was to take place in 1967.

1972: Herbert W. Armstrong, The second of three revised dates for the end of the world after his 1936 and 1943 predictions failed to come true.

1966: From 1966 on, Jehovah’s Witnesses published articles which stated that the fall of 1975 would be 6000 years since man’s creation, and suggested that Armageddon could be finished by then.

1991: The leader of the Nation of Islam Louis Farrakhan declared that the Gulf War would be the “War of Armageddon which is the final war.”

2007: In his 1990 book The New Millennium, Pat Robertson suggests this date as the day of Earth’s destruction.

We are all seconds away from getting lost and are prone to falling, failing, and forgetting. It’s kind of what we do best. This is probably one of the reasons why the scriptures compare us to sheep more than 300 times!

I’ve never raised sheep before, but I have had several friends who have, and apparently, raising them can be a major pain in the rear. Let’s start with the fact that my farming friends tell me that sheep are directionless. Like Jack and all of us, they are wanderers and followers, they easily get lost, and they don’t know how to find their way back home. Or they get distracted and forget that they even have a home. They are both needy and absentminded.

That’s precisely why they are famous for walking off, following anything, and getting lost. I have a friend who lost his whole flock of sheep once because one of them found a hole in the fence and the rest of them just followed her out. Luckily there wasn’t a cliff nearby, because they are dumb enough to follow a fellow sheep off of one of those, too. Bless their cotton-ball hearts.

Sheep are also completely defenseless—such an easy target for predators. They are not very agile, are not quick on their hooves, and wool is not exactly great armor. You don’t have to talk to someone who has raised sheep very long to learn how high-maintenance these fluffy farm animals are! They consistently need protection, direction, healing, feeding, and rest. They are an investment—not only to buy them but also to be in charge of them every day. Constant care is required. 24/7. They just cannot make it on their own. Just like us. “All we like sheep have gone astray,” Isaiah said. “We have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Isaiah was right—we are all like sheep. Needy little sheep.

Happily, we are not only needy sheep but also lucky sheep, because we have a shepherd. And not just any shepherd, but the Good Shepherd. The Best Shepherd. This is one of the names of Jesus—a name that shows us how He can and does care for each of the individual wants, needs, hopes, and dreams of us, His sheep. “Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd” (D&C 50:44). —David Butler

As long as I’m prepared, I always expect to win. — Jack Nicklaus