Déjà Vu All Over Again
🌀 Déjà Vu All Over Again
When I was a kid, we had one TV channel.
And every Saturday, that channel showed the New York Yankees.
That’s how I came to know my boyhood heroes — Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Elston Howard… and the great Yogi Berra.
Yogi had a way with words. Most of them didn’t quite make sense — until they did.
One of his best?
“It’s déjà vu all over again.”
And that’s how I felt last night, and again this morning.
🌄 Temple Mornings
It was quiet. We were winding down for the night.
Then my sweet wife turned to me and said:
“Can we go to the temple tomorrow morning?”
She’s in week three of radiation, recovering from recent cancer surgery. Her body is worn out — but her heart?
Still going strong.
She loves the Church. Loves the Savior. And somehow, in her mind, the two have always been twined together.
💗 Her Story, Her Strength
She’s walked a long, hard road.
Her first husband cheated — not once, not twice, but three times.
By the time she had her fourth child in six years, she was done.
Eighteen years as a single mother.
And who stepped in to lift her up?
The Church.
Faithful saints. Relief Society sisters. Meals. Priesthood blessings. Babysitting help. Love.
She’s never forgotten that.
And now she gives it back — every chance she gets.
She’s been Relief Society President a few times.
We feed the missionaries almost twice a week, and have for years.
She’s always the first to say yes.
Even now — tired, hurting — she says:
“Let’s go to the temple.”
She doesn’t read my blog.
She just says,
“Don’t get in trouble.”
But I love her.
For her heart.
For her loyalty.
For walking with God in her own steady way.
🪶 “Take Care of the Lord…”
My old dad used to say:
“You take care of the Lord, and He’ll take care of you.”
I believed it. Tried to live by it.
But if I’m being honest — I didn’t always know how.
I thought “taking care of the Lord” meant checking spiritual boxes — doing what the Church taught us to do.
But over the years, and especially since giving up a few things I held dear — like golf — I’ve started to understand:
Taking care of the Lord means listening to Him.
Really listening.
He doesn’t need more checklists.
He wants companionship.
He wants to walk with someone — you and me.
He wants a buddy.
✝️ The Simple Doctrine
That’s the whole purpose of this life — not to build a religious résumé, but to follow the doctrine of Christ, in its simplest form:
Repent.
Be baptized.
Receive the Holy Ghost.
And then — listen to the voice of Jesus.
That’s the part most people skip.
That’s the part most people were never taught to expect.
But I’ve come to know it firsthand:
If we get close to Him, and listen to His voice, and actually do what He says… He can do miracles through us.
We become His instruments.
We become His friends.
And through that — He brings forth Zion.
Not by force. Not through programs. But through love, listening, and quiet obedience.
🕊️ Walking With Her
The Lord once told me:
“I walk with you — and I want you to walk with her.”
So I do.
Even when it means missing something dear to me — like our Sunday Nemenhah Zoom, where the remnant gathers to study and share.
Those are my people — the ones who’ve woken up.
But so is she.
Because love walks.
It doesn’t just talk.
It walks.
⛳ Shooting My Age… Then Letting Go
A few months back, I gave up the game of golf.
That was no small thing.
There’s an honor in golf — shooting your age. I managed it a few times. And I loved the walk, the rhythm, the peace.
Some guys joke,
“I shoot my age every round — usually by the 10th hole!”
But when you finish all 18 and still beat your number?
That’s something special.
Still — this new walk?
It means more.
Since setting down the clubs, my walk with the Lord has gone deeper.
Quieter.
Closer.
🙏 Déjà Vu… With New Eyes
So here we are again.
Saturday morning. Suit and tie. Temple trip.
Same story… but not quite.
Because this time, my eyes are different.
My heart’s softer.
And the walk means more than it ever has before.
I love Him so and my dear saintly wife.
It’s déjà vu all over again — but now I know what I’m looking at.
✨ Walking It Out in Scripture
Here are a few scriptures that have been walking with me lately — ones that help me see her strength, His love, and our journey in a deeper way:
👣 Walking With the Lord
“I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few… Yet they were upon all the face of the earth.”
— 1 Nephi 14:12
“The good shepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you…”
— Alma 5:38
“And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”
— Genesis 5:24
SEE THE POST SCRIPT DOWN BELOW..... FOR THE REST OF THE STORY!!!!
💗 Standing by Her
“Whither thou goest, I will go… Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.”
— Ruth 1:16
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church.”
— Ephesians 5:25
🌿 The Quiet Remnant
“The remnant... shall be brought to the knowledge of the Lord their God.”
— 3 Nephi 20:13
“Be ye not dismayed, O remnant of My People… I shall bring you forth again in the due time of the Lord.”
— Nemenhah 13:18
🔥 True Worship vs. Outward Duty
“This people draw near me with their mouth, but their heart is far from me.”
— Isaiah 29:13 / 2 Nephi 27:25
“Adorn ye first the temple of the heart…”
— Nemenhah 4:23
📝 Postscript – The Rest of the Story
I wrote the blog above early this morning, just before sunrise.
But life kept going… and so did the story.
My wife actually slept in a little longer than usual. But then — boom — she popped up and said:
“We’ve got to hurry!”
So I threw on my white shirt and tie, barely combed my hair, and we jumped in the car.
In the rush, I forgot my glasses — and yes, my license says I’m supposed to wear them while driving.
I told her,
“Just help me watch the road.”
Well, between hurrying and not seeing too well, I ended up pulling right up next to a cop car… and he pulled me over.
Not my favorite moment of the day.
He wasn’t amused.
And now I get to find out whether the ticket is $200, $300, or $400. Can’t wait.
So we made it to the temple — but missed our session.
Only option?
Spanish session.
So we joined in. The Spirit was still there, of course — but I couldn’t understand a word of it. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the name I’d brought:
A man from England.
Lived in New York.
Died a long time ago.
And right there in the Spanish session, the thought hit me:
“Man, I hope this guy speaks Spanish… or he’s going to be really confused right now.”
I say that with love — and a little tongue-in-cheek.
The Lord has His ways. I’m sure He’s got it covered.
What’s the lesson in all of this?
Honestly, I’m still figuring it out.
Maybe it’s about supporting my wife.
Maybe it’s about being humbled.
Maybe it’s about laughing when the Lord teaches you something through a ticket and a language barrier.
But just when I thought the day couldn’t get more full-circle, I got a text from my son:
He took two of his kids to Yankee Stadium.
Now, when I was young, that was my holy place.
And there he was — sitting in the stadium, surrounded by statues of Yogi, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and the rest.
I told him:
“Bow your head, son. Pay your respects.”
And then it hit me…
Maybe I ought to send him this blog.
Maybe that’s the whole point of it all.
Because — just like Yogi said:
“It’s déjà vu all over again.”
And somehow, through temples, tickets, Spanish ordinances, and Yankee Stadium…
God is still walking with us.
Even when we forget our glasses. Another good bounce.... the cop could of got me for not having my glasses on!!!
DAMN TICKET!
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