A 500,000 visitor milestone

I couldn't let this day go by without acknowledging all the readers who have clicked on The Goates Notes over the years. Sometime overnight the total visitors to this site turned over 500,000 - amazing!

I pause here to talk a little bit about how I began blogging. Daughter Melanie thought I should start a blog way back when, to which I responded, "What's a blog?" I found that Google sponsored something called "Blogspot" and that's the platform I went with. I had lots of advice in those early years about how to increase readership, and I heard about algorithms and how to attract advertisers, and SEO, but clueless as I was I ignored most of it. This blog has grown organically, and it has touched readers in 26 countries that I know about based on the feedback I've received from Google. 

Along the way advertisers came along, and I started earning small dividends from it with each click on one of the ads that were installed on the site. I am still somewhat surprised at how the number of visitors has kept climbing through the years. To all of you I extend my thanks and best wishes for a very Merry Christmas season.

This has been a momentous month for our family. We had a traditional Thanksgiving feast and gingerbread house building on the next Saturday. Always a big day around here. Then we bade farewell to grandson Alex Goates, who is now in the Peru MTC, and last night a granddaughter, Molly Bayles, opened her mission call to St. Louis, Missouri, reporting March 14, 2022. That's the same mission where daughter-in-law Shauna served, and where daughter Merilee and her family are living until graduation from dental school next spring. 

We also barely returned last night from a little road trip over the weekend to hear all five Sharp grandchildren perform in a choral concert in Broomfield, CO. I'm not sure where the three girls and two boys will go with their Sharp Family Singers career from here, but they sing like angels and I can always say that I knew them when. I don't imagine there will ever be a time again when we might hear them all singing together, and it was so fun to hear a holiday choral concert to put us in the mood for the holidays. Some of Patsy's and my favorite high school memories involve singing in Lorraine Bowman's A'cappella choir and Madrigals groups at East High School. Music and Christmas are so synonymous for us. 

Equally thrilling was listening in on Sunday night to the First Presidency Christmas program featuring the full Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. Instead of its traditional Christmas concert, the Choir released an album as a compilation of fifteen years of past performances of the Choir's Christmas concerts. Once again in 2021 the concert was curtailed because of the pandemic. I noted today that their new Christmas album just hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard listings. It's a sign that things on the pandemic front are slowly returning to normal and it's so heartening to have that blessing in our lives again.

We drove back home through the mountains of Colorado, stopping in Steamboat Springs along the way. Our favorite shop in Steamboat was "Cowboys and Indians" - check it out when you go through there or online by clicking their link. Like Utah, Colorado has gone a record number of days without measurable snow accumulation. I was excited to see that a big snowstorm is headed our way this week.

I can't leave this entry without acknowledging the outstanding achievements of all “Big Three" football programs this year. Utah won the PAC-12 and a berth against Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. 

Utah State won the Mountain West after a dismal one-win season last year, and BYU finished 10-2 for a berth in the Independence Bowl and garnered an invite to join the Big 12 in 2023. It's been by far the biggest year in Utah football for 100 years. When you come from a football crazed state like Ohio or Texas this just doesn't seem like that big a deal, but when you're talking Utah it's about as good as winning the Super Bowl.

All three coaches are in the final round of being nominated for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honors nationally, but that award will likely go to Cincinnati's head coach, Luke Fickell, for their outstanding season finishing in the top six at the end of the year and a berth in a New Year's Day bowl. (update: Jim Harbaugh at Michigan won it). Whittingham led the way for PAC-12 honors with two of his players in year-end announcements.

My year in review would have to include successful brain tumor surgery, and managing somehow to avoid contracting the COVID-19 virus. I am perpetually grateful for our family who continue to inspire us with their faithfulness and their continued love and support of us as we inevitably deteriorate over time. 

We are concluding our study of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history at the end of this year. I am continually and perpetually impressed with the achievements of Joseph Smith. His diligence and faithfulness in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against him are astounding. Next year we take up the Old Testament study. Already people are asking where they can get their hands on a good commentary on the Old Testament. My answer is to rely upon the impressions of the Holy Ghost. There is nothing intimidating about the Old Testament. It's 4,000 years of history of God's dealings with His children, and the story lines are as real as today's headlines. 

Let's look ahead with gratitude for a Happy New Year in 2022. 

And thanks for 500,000 clicks into The Goates Notes! My love to all of you.

#GiveThanks for Blessings

Helen and L. Brent Goates

It's that blessed season of the year when we can step aside from the demands of the world and #givethanks for the many blessings we enjoy. This is Thanksgiving week. I begin by giving thanks for the life of my father, L. Brent Goates, who passed to the other side this week five years ago. I love my Dad, and I still miss him every day since his passing. I find myself still reaching for the phone to check in on him, only to realize he won't be picking up the phone. Even the house he lived in has been demolished and replaced by a new home with new owners. What is left behind is a lifetime of memories of him and Mom. Giving thanks for them is a cherished part of this week's celebration.

Mom had this picture taken of them for no special reason, simply because it captured them in their "prime." They were a great example to all of us, and we still miss them when we gather as a family. 

Dad was a Utah fan for most of his adult life until he defected to the "dark side" and turned himself into a BYU fan. Some things in life are simply and emphatically inexplicable. But this week, he would be exulting in both football teams being nationally ranked. 

Whether red or blue, there has been plenty to cheer about this week, and I especially give thanks that on the eve of his 62nd birthday Kyle Whittingham officially became the winningest coach in Utah football history with 142. His team toppled No. 3 Oregon before a record crowd at Rice-Eccles stadium by a score of 38-7. Seriously, who can't be thankful for that? 

So, consistent with its history, the PAC-12 teams have once again beat up on each other this year to knock all the teams out of consideration for a national championship berth in the BCS bowls. I know it's just whimsical in comparison to all the more meaningful things in life for which I am grateful, but I will allow a little whimsy now and then. 

Utah will now contend for the PAC-12 championship in Las Vegas in December, then if they win out will likely get the Rose Bowl bid, a long-sought goal for Coach Whittingham.

This last few weeks we have been celebrating a new missionary in our family, Elder Alexander James Goates. On Sunday we gathered at their ward to hear him give his farewell talk prior to his departure for Peru. He is a great young man, excelling in areas where he has put his focus, including starting his own outfitting business and giving guided tours for fishermen in the Uintas, being a nationally recognized spikeball champ, and of course an outstanding scholar. He will be here for Thanksgiving dinner, then he will be headed out to Peru to take up his labors as a full-time missionary for the Church. We #givethanks for Alex. What a powerful example of goodness and humility!

General Ulysses S. Grant

I have been reading the complete memoirs of President Ulysses S. Grant recently. He was a contemporary of Joseph Smith, and it was his leadership during the darkest days of the Civil War that ultimately produced the victory for the Union troops over the Confederates. We often lament how divided we are today in our politics. You might want to consider reading Grant's memoirs for a little bit of perspective. He rose through the ranks as a somewhat reluctant though willing participant because he believed so ardently in the cause of holding the nation together despite the divisiveness of the country over the slavery issue. Like so many of his predecessors and successors as leaders of armies, he viewed war with absolute disdain and abhorrence because of the waste of men and material. Stories are told of battlefields so littered with dead bodies that one could scarcely walk across and find ground upon which to walk. He is a pivotal figure in our history as a nation and his words in his autobiography are inspiring. He was known in the end of the war as "Lincoln's General," and President Lincoln turned over the conduct of the war without interference from him. He would later be elected as the 18th President of the United States, and was still working on holding the fragile coalition of the states together. Grant might easily have been with the Lincolns at Ford's Theatre that fateful night, but Mrs. Grant was eager to return to their home to visit their children. Grant often lamented the fact that he had been absent, thinking he might have prevented the assassination if he had gone to the theatre that night. Booth also had Grant on his target list. So I #givethanks for heroes proved in liberating strife in our nation's history who filled such a vital role in our destiny as a free nation.

Donald Trump is NOT my President

It's time to finally turn the page into a New Year.

L. Brent Goates

Since my last entry much has transpired. Chief among the events in my life was the passing of my father, L. Brent Goates, on November 20th. It was surprising how many of his contemporaries and others seemed to pass during this holiday season. On the way to the cemetery in the mortuary limo, Patsy observed that it seemed so many people were dying, and she asserted most people seemed to die over the holidays. I challenged that statement, observing that people die every day. A brother-in-law, quick on the draw with Siri, queried, "What day do most people die?" The immediate response was a graph showing that Christmas Day, December 25th, is the number one day of the year on which people die. Who knew?

Dad lived a long and productive life. It seemed so appropriate that he died the week of Thanksgiving. We planned the funeral events for the Saturday following Thanksgiving, and providentially all our children and grandchildren except one family were in attendance. The night before the funeral, November 25th, we had a visitation for friends and family on what would have been my Mother's 91st birthday were she still living. Our missing family was sending a missionary off to Mexico and simply couldn't be in two places at once.

Dad's passing lifted a burden from my shoulders that was unexpected. He was the last of his generation on both sides of the family to pass on, and I felt all the uncertainty of his situation resolve in an instant upon his death as they rolled the gurney carrying his body down the sidewalk to the waiting mortuary van. It was the end of an era. I was so happy for him I could hardly contain my exuberance. Some people may not understand that emotion, but it arises from my certain faith in a life after death and a reunion with all his loved ones on the other side. Coupled with that I felt the moniker of "Skipper" that had attached to me in my childhood by my Grandfather had finally been erased. The release was tangible and welcomed.

He had reached a point in his existence where living became a burden for him. His body was slowly deteriorating day by day and the dilution of his physical, mental and emotional energy was palpable. Finding the exit door to mortality had seemed so elusive. He kept asking me, "Does everyone have to go through this? Why is it so hard?" Of course, those are rhetorical questions no one can answer except those who pass through the portal, and once they are gone it's impossible for them to tell their tale.

Despite his demise, because he lingered so long we had ample opportunities to discuss everything and to say our farewells until we were fully satisfied. I miss him a lot. I find myself reaching for the phone to talk to him, then realize he isn't here any more. But I rejoice in his escape from his decrepit physical frame. He and we were blessed that he maintained his sense of humor and his quick wit right to the end, an outcome for which he prayed continuously.

Just before his passing the Cubs triumphed in the World Series. Later the Utes would fade to number 21 in the final college football standings after losing to Washington, so in that one case things DID get worse.

And then the improbable election of Donald J. Trump happened. He received no help from me, and neither did Hillary Clinton. I've heard so many say since then, "Donald Trump is NOT my President." However, I am not one of those people. I was as gracious and accepting of Barack Obama when he was first elected and then re-elected as I knew how to be, but surprisingly I have not had such magnanimous feelings for Trump. Why? I guess it's because no one can predict with any accuracy where we're headed from here. On the one hand I believe his agenda more closely resembles mine, but on the other hand at least I knew what we were getting with Obama. After eight long years, the Republic survived, an outcome many doubted when he first took office. That's what leads me to hope we just might survive Donald J. Trump too. America is resilient, if nothing else.

On the day of our 47th wedding anniversary, December 19th, Packsize held its annual Christmas party. We're actually more politically correct than that, so it's now called a "holiday celebration." Because of the conflict in our calendar, I excused myself and took Patsy on a date to celebrate our anniversary. When we returned home later that night I was surprised (shocked, more accurately!) to learn that I had been voted "Person of the Year" at Packsize by my peers. It was a humbling recognition. My first reaction was to wonder if we had somehow lowered our standards as a company.

Donald J. Trump, 45th POTUS

I watched the inaugural in part on Friday, January 20th. "The most important election of our lifetimes" had mercifully come to a conclusion. I was mostly underwhelmed with Trump's inaugural address, seeming as it did a compilation of his campaign stump speeches with little or no substance I could discern in it. I remain convinced that our political system in this country is beyond help. Time will tell if it can be rescued, but don't hold your breath. I plan to look to inspired Church leaders and the scriptures for guidance from here on in. There won't be any political saviors anytime soon, though we all seem to cling to that hope. I'm still turned off by the media coverage, and the harder I seek to avoid political coverage the more pervasive it seems to be.

I can't conclude without a passing tribute to God for the prodigious amounts of snowfall that have landed in our front yard this year. In the thirty years we've lived in Pine Valley at 7333 feet above sea level, we have never seen so much snow so early in the winter as we have experienced this year. It culminated two weeks ago with snow each day and mechanical failures in the equipment owned by the man who plows our road. The snow kept piling up, drifting in, and once I got out one morning I could not get back in for over a week. Patsy remained behind snowbound in the house, and I camped out night after night at my father's home in Salt Lake. Finally, we secured the help of a local excavator with a robust 4x4 front loader who was able to scoop out the road so we could be reunited. This is the first year I have heard the term "atmospheric river," and I can validate it's a "real thing".

Any discussion about snow at our house is always a conversation against self-preservation. If I express gratitude for all the snow, I am expressing hope in the coming summer when we so desperately need the water from the reservoirs so we can drink and water our livestock. On the other hand moving this amount of snow around and navigating through it can be challenging (and expensive).

So those snow events led to the purchase of another gas-guzzling SUV with more clearance, more power and 4x4 muscle than my environmentally friendly Prius. I kept the Prius and now I have a 4Runner to bail me out on the dicey snow days.

We begin 2017 with hearts filled with hope and happiness for what the future may hold this year. For me at least, it is the beginning of a new era as we embark on an exciting and unknown future.

And like it or not if you live in America, Donald J. Trump most certainly is your President.