cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, Maxine Shirts, and Sherri Nelson.
"I'm tired today, and so this will probably be a short Thoughtlet. Kate, maybe it is sympathetic child birth. Sounds like you went through the ringer. Starting with 18 hours of labor, then forceps, and 9 pounds 3 ounces 22.5 inches long Grant Matthew Nelson at 7:00 AM MST on the winter solstice, Friday, December 21st, 2001. Paul said it was hard, and since he grew up as `The Young Indiana Jones' it makes me tired just to think of how your body must be feeling right now. And other than the trauma and cutting and tearing and stitches associated with all of this, it is good to hear that Mom and baby are OK and came home Saturday evening.
For everyone else, Grant Matthew Nelson, was up all last night. He is a little yellow and Paul and Kate took him in for a test today. They don't have the results back yet. Kate is doing good, and is tired. Grant has gas and has cried until the gas escapes, and it is hard for Kate to hear a baby cry. We know. Paul is a good Dad. Sounds like he hasn't slept since Thursday night. For what it is worth, all of you have taken your turn at turning our hearts inside out and back again.
This week was not nearly as busy as last week. I went to a POP (Pioneer Oil Producer's) Christmas Luncheon with Alf Klaveness on Monday. It was an interesting experience. Most of the folks are retired. The couple we sat next to retired from Exxon. She is a very striking woman, 75, who reminds me of Grandma Hafen. She taught at UH for 37 years, and she still models. It was an interesting conversation. I was sorry Andrea wasn't there, for I think Elsie would be a neat lady to bring to a Laurel's activity some Wednesday night. I ended up joining POPs. Alf and I stopped and saw his friend Joe Watson afterwards, and opened discussion on Dynamic taking over his gas gathering system in Colorado County. Interesting how the circle keeps turning, after all of the work we did in Colorado County back in 1992-1994. From here, I went and picked up the SpotFire computer on Telge Road, then went to Landmark and met Gary Jones and Brad Macurda to decide what to do with some old poster boards from some of our presentations. It was good to see Brad again. He has several ideas for Prospects Dynamic can add to our portfolio.
Tuesday started with a 9:30 presentation with Jim Hurn to Jim Lee, a potential investor/partner. It went really well. Although no one is making up their mind on anything until after the new year. We went from here to The Houston Country Club, where we had lunch with Ted Broun, another potential investor. We did not show him any images, just talked. Again, it went very well, and it will be interesting to see what comes of all of this effort. Afterwards Jim and I talked out in front of the Country Club for quite a while about his role in Dynamic if he arranges the funding. Interesting conversation. Needless to say, I am careful of entering into partnerships, after my experiences with Bob Limbaugh, Gene Ennis, Bill Rollwitz, Jeff Hume, and others. My 3:30 presentation to Paul Hufman was postponed unitil the 11th of January (or maybe the 4th if I/we don't go to Utah to see Grant Matthew Nelson). Andrea had Young Women's Presidency Meeting at the house in the evening. For the first time in a long time, I spent a couple of hours reading from the book Roice gave me: The Age of Spiritual Machines. It is very interesting.
Wednesday morning I returned the computer at 8:00 AM, went to SEI (Seismic Exchange Incorporated), and went by Continuum. Mr. Finstad changed all of the rules again, and I got there just in time to have Dave Ridyard vent his feelings to me, and have me watch him sign his resignation letter. This means about $40,000. we are owed will not be seen for possibly 6-9 months, after it goes through bankrupcy courts. AUGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I was counting on that money for tuition, taxes, and salary for the next few months, and have a letter telling me we would be paid by the 8th of January. I expect they will still come through with the $10,000 due by the 8th for stock, and the other will be held up in the courts. Oh well! Andrea and I spent a couple of hours at the Houston Temple after lunch, as a way to get our bearing back on track after this disappointment. I expect you will each experience similar disappointments over the years, and I hope you have an iron rod to hold onto when the fogs of life and midsts of darkness surround you.
An interesting discussion occurred because of the unexpected delay in receiving these monies. Rachel, Audrey, and Heather, I will use this media to explain a couple of facts to the three of you. My goal is that all ten, or at least the eight who get a copy of the Thoughtlets and through you Roice and Rob, will have an equal opportunity to be aware of my perception of the facts related to the conversation I learned about. When Audrey and Heather started school, right after Andrea and I got married, I approached Marti about using some of the trust monies to pay for their college. This made sense to me for a number of reasons, and was the "fair" thing to do. Specifically, since my intention in setting up the trust was to provide an opportunity for 6 kids to go on a mission, which I consider more important than college or than graduate school, and to date it appears only one is taking advantage of this opportunity, it seemed the money set aside for these missions could go to my stepkids education. Marti refused to consider this request, which is her right as a joint Grantor. The trust was very specifically set up for our six kids and her brother, Chuck Sharp's, daughter. The money is no longer mine to control, except on termination of the trust. As a sideline, I have not had an accounting of how the trust money has been used for over five years, even though I have asked for it on numerous times, and I could go to court and force this to happen. I have no interest in doing that, specifically because I think it would just create more problems than solutions.
For what it is worth, I have come to consider forming the Trust a mistake. Roice, Ben, Paul, Melanie, and Sara, I am very proud of your accomplishments at college. And I'm glad you had the opportunity to go to college and that the trust helped. It is probably unrealistic to expect more from those who have graduated and benefited from the trust: Roice, Ben and Sarah, or Melanie and Jared, as you kids are almost perfect, each in your own way. The same goes for those who are still in the midst of schooling and are being funded at least partially by the trust: Paul and Kate and their new son Grant Matthew Nelson, and Sara. However, as a specific instance, I looked at a dozen families at church today, each of whom have kids married and/or in college, and in most cases the kids come home, they have testimonies, they come to church together as a family, and they are striving to be together as eternal families. Most served missions. Sure they struggle like we all do, and they are balanced intellectually, spiritually, socially, mentally, physically, and emotionally. And none of them had a trust to help them go on a mission or get through school. I didn't want you kids to struggle as I had to, and yet the struggle I kept you from was probably what gives me those characteristics in myself which I cherish and that some of us don't share. Oh well!
Heather, Audrey, and Rachel, I do consider it fixed-pie unheathly thinking to waste any time saying `Why do they get trust money and I don't get trust money?' I encourage those who have these feelings to talk about it with each other, with me, with Andrea, or with Marti. For reference, I will type out the termination clause of the Trust, since it does refer to all of you, but not until Rob is 28, i.e. 2010. Note that Grantors' children is defined in Article VI, Section 6.4 of the document as Roice, Ben, Paul, Melanie, Sara, Rob, and Rachel Lorraine Sharp. Any of you who would like to review the Trust document are welcome to. I do think you know my intent, without needing to review it.
So translating: Heather, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt, the only place
the trust has any effect on you is after Rob turns 28, and then
you, as additional heirs at law of myself, you are entitled to
your portion of one-half of what is left in the trust. I do not
expect there to be one penny left. And I have come to recognize
I should not expect one word of thanks for putting the Trust
together in the first place. So in summary, I am sorry it has
become a source of conversation, and I hope this clarifies legal
status so it is no longer a source of conversation. If I make a
bunch of money again, and if I decide to put another trust
together, specifically for the likes of Ethan Evans Nelson, Grant
Matthew Nelson, and other grandkids, I will do a much better job
than I did on August 1st, 1990, in the midst of what Joe Roberts
calls my pride and my arrogance.
Thursday Joe Roberts came by and brought us a box of Christmas chocolates. He got caught up on where Dynamic Resources is, and he liked what I showed him so much he decided he wants to raise some money for Dynamic. Friday we worked out a non-circumvent agreement, so he gets a commission if he raises money from specific individuals. He also agreed to pay me $5,000. for the right to represent Dynamic to these individuals. Andrea was pleased (she used the word miracle). As I said a couple of weeks ago, I really do trust and believe finances will work out just fine.
Maybe my faith is like a report from London in the paper, Friday morning. After months of serious study and much merriment, 100,000 people have voted on the world's funniest joke:
One thing is for sure: it is only a matter of time before all
things are revealed and we all know everything which some now
keep hidden as secrets. It may be at the judgement bar of God,
or it may be across the Internet, and which ever it is there
are no secrets. So it is a good idea to just be honest with
ourselves and with everyone else we come in contact with in
everything we do.
Friday Sara came by the house to pick up Christmas presents to take to Dallas for her, Roice, Rob, Ben, and Sarah. Sara, it was good to see you, and I'm sorry your friend's Dad died. Friday night Rachel had a party at the house with about 50 kids over. It was so nice to see the house being used like this. Good kids. They even cleaned up the house before they went home at midnight. Matt and I went to Jimmy Neutron during the first part of the party. Saturday morning I went for a run around Crescent Green for the 4th time this week. I have let myself gain too much weight after I stopped running during allergy season this year, and so I've got a lot of work to get back in some kind of reasonable shape. Oh well! At choir practice Brother Williams asked if I had all of my Christmas shopping done. I responded all but Andrea, and since she doesn't like credit card presents, I guess she will get a nice letter. After practice he came up and put a wad of money in my hand and told me to go buy her a nice present. At home the four of us talked about it, and we gave 2/3rds to some families who need it more than us, and I will go get Andrea a nice present with the other 1/3rd tomorrow. When we got home from practice and from going to the Post Office, we all went to see `Lord of the Rings.' I really enjoyed it, even if there was a lot of scary masks on different mythical creatures. It has been years since I read the books, and yet the movie seems to do a very good job of recreating what I have written in my memory. I encourage all of you to go see it, to read the books. Paul and Kate, I think I would wait for about twelve years before I let Grant Matthew Nelson see it. And I doubt if this will be possible to follow this advice because of all of his friends who will have all three of the movies in their video library by the time he is in kindergarten. Oh well! In the evening Andrea and I went to the Eagle Court of Honor for Jeff Pickerd and Preston Jurinak. It was nice, and very well done.
Today was a nice day. It was so nice to see all of the kids who are home for Christmas or home from school. I forget at times how many kids I have worked with over the years in the Young Men's program and other Chruch callings. The Choir sang for Sacrament meeting. Rachel sang a solo. Her solo was absolutely beautiful, as was she. She wore her bridesmade dress from Heather's wedding, and it was the first time I had seen her in this dress. I cried. Then after church I was able to exercise my Priesthood and stand in the circle as Rachel was set apart as President of the Laurel Class. Rachel, my heart melted as you threw your arms around me and gave me a real hug. Thanks! The Moores are home for Christmas from Indonesia and BYU. Matt and I Home Taught them this afternoon. We also went to the Hollemans, Riches, and to Haden Hudson's, taking everyone rice puff balls Rachel and Andrea made. The Stake Choir sang at a fireside tonight. Second Counselor in our Stake President, President Gillespie's Father, who is a General Authority and member of the 2nd Quorum of 70 spoke. The Stake Choir sang, and it was a very nice meeting. I didn't start this Thoughtlet until we got home at 8:45, and it is already 11:05 and I forgot to call my Mom. Oh well! I will call her on Christmas Eve, and make sure she knows about Grant Matthew Nelson. I ended up thinking about sending this overnight, and reworking it again and again.
I hope each of you have a wonderful Christmas this year. I do wish we could all be together all the time, and we can't, and sadly, my perception is that most of you are probably glad about that. Oh well! Andrea and I were talking about next year, and we are hopeing to work it out so we can pay for plane tickets, for everyone who wants to, to be together for Christmas in 2002. We have had great times together at Christmas in the past. Just think, Ethan Evans, Melanie and Jared's baby, and all the rest of us watching the first steps of Grant Matthew Nelson."