Work
I continue to work as a salesman/consultant at A&A Wiping Cloth. I've been there since 2004 and I continue to experience financial success in maintaining most of my customers, but I find it challenging to find new customers that will buy at reasonable prices and that will buy what we have available to supply. I do enjoy working with Jeremy, the owner, who is very supportive and kind.
My therapy work continues to be challenging and fulfilling. I feel quite comfortable and competent, and I perceive that I am doing good work with most of my clients. We just opened a new office in Valencia and will be moving to a new location in Van Nuys. The office in Pasadena is still my favorite with my pictures, plants, rocks, and stuff. It feels very comfortable.
Schooling
As I posted earlier this year, I failed the MFT licensing exam. It took many months for the BBS in Sacramento to give me permission to take another stab at it but they finally did. I have committed myself to study a minimum of two hours a day except Sundays for the next 5-6 weeks, after which I will take the exam again. I have successfully been accomplishing my goal for the past couple of weeks. I would appreciate any warm thoughts or prayers on my behalf. I certainly need them! There is an urgency I feel to take this test (and there is another 75 question vignette test) before the end of 2015.
Family
My wife is spending many hours a week at home either making tests, correcting those tests, or correcting homework, above and beyond the teaching and work at her school. We are able to spend about 30 minutes together in the morning over breakfast, and sometimes an hour just before bedtime, and that is about the extent of our face-to-face interaction. I am trying to support her the very best I can during this challenging semester.
Emily and my wonderful son-in-law Adam are going away on a dream vacation, and they are driving their minivan from Northern California to our home next Saturday, dropping off their daughter Elizabeth and the triplets here, flying back to San Francisco, going on their trip for a week, returning to San Francisco the next Saturday where we will meet them with our grandchildren in their minivan. We will fly home the following day to recuperate from the whirlwind! It'll be a blast to have the kids here, and we're appreciative of BJ and Douglas and others that will help us with the kids while Ann and I work.
Church
I am yet functioning in my role as a 2nd assistant in the High Priest Group leadership, a presidency with no president or 1st assistant! I found out over the weekend that the High Priest leadership (ME!) is responsible for the Ward Halloween Party on the 30th. Imagine my surprise! With some help from a thoughtful, full of ideas ward member and with my power of delegation, I will endeavor to pull this off.
Lest you believe that I don't have enough on my plate, I will be leading the Sunland Ward Choir (I am the Choir Director as of a month or so ago) next Sunday in singing "God So Loved the World." I do enjoy leading the Choir. I only wish I had some more men who could really sing! The Christmas program is on the horizon, and I am looking forward to beginning on that program in earnest after we perform next week. I am very much enjoying singing in the Southern California Mormon Choir, and I will enjoy singing Christmas music with them.
By the way, I just finished reading the Book of Mormon again. This time, I marked meaningful scriptures digitally on my phone. The physical scriptures that I have had for so long lay gathering dust on a shelf.
I enjoyed watching General Conference, for the most part. I asked for and received spiritual confirmation about the calling of the three new apostles. Church leadership seems to be aware of the need for non-Utah leaders to take other leadership roles other than apostolic ones, and I am pleased to see the brethren they have called. My hope is that they continue to call both men and women leaders from around the world to better reflect the growing diversity of world membership.
Miscellaneous
My views on the US and world economies are fairly negative right now. And with retirement on the ever approaching horizon, Ann and I feel that we need to take some money and invest in other than stocks and bonds. As such, we have decided to purchase an investment property. Real estate is a pretty secure investment in these times, in my opinion, and so we will be earnestly looking to purchase. There are multiple factors involved in this decision, but I hope that we will be blessed to find the right property,
Our children and grandchildren seem to be doing fairly well. We love them dearly and love interacting with them. We are proud of them and their attempts to be the best they can be. I am truly blessed to have them in my life.
For that matter, I continue to feel so abundantly blessed. I have good health. I have sufficient for my needs. I have friends and family who care for me. I am doing what I really enjoy. I have contentment in my spiritual place. I feel great serenity in my life, in spite of its current hectic pace!
