Peaceful lives will not deliver freedom fighting we know

For many years, I have enjoyed the leadership books that explore an individual’s life and discuss leadership lessons that can be learned from him or her. Books have been written about everyone from Abraham Lincoln to Walt Disney and Michael Jordan, discussing how we can lead just as they did. It is no surprise, then, that I would be attracted to Geoff Loftus’ new book, “Lead Like Ike.”
Loftus tells the story of what is arguably the greatest military leadership feat in recent history, the retaking of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany, Interspersed among the details of plans for battle, invasions, fighting, and overcoming challenges are lessons in business leadership that can be used today.
I enjoyed this book for several reasons. First, it is a quick read. Loftus was thorough, but didn’t get bogged down in details that are best left to history books. Second, I am a history buff, and I learned some things while reading the book. Third, Loftus explored the interpersonal relations between the principals among Allied leaders. This, after all, was where Eisenhower truly showed his leadership skills. Fourth, Loftus made effective use of sidebars to give modern business illustrations that correspond to what Eisenhower dealt with. This was a very effective teaching tool. Finally, at the end of each chapter, he summarized the main learning points. This will make it easy to return to the book and find significant points of interest to me. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in historical leadership.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

Forgiveness, even if you don't love me

Andy Andrews is a phenomenal storyteller. I have heard him in person and have read several of his books, so I already had high expectations when I picked up this book. The Heart Mender exceeded my expectations. Andy said that this book is his favorite and I understand why.
The Heart Mender is a story within a story. It begins when Andy unearths a can with Nazi military mementos and tries to discover why they would be buried on the coast of Alabama. His investigation segues into a heart wrenching story of a young war widow who is angry with the world. As she walks along the beach late one night, she discovers the body of a nearly drowned German sailor. Something he says touches her heart and she decides to take him in and care for him. As the sailor's physical wounds heal, the woman and the sailor both begin the psychic and spiritual healing process as well, with the insightful help of a man with Down's syndrome.
I thought that the jacket notes gave away the ending, but I was wrong. There are some plot twists that left me breathless.
I enjoyed this book on several levels. First, Andy revealed a part of American history that was new to me. I was not aware that u-boats had patrolled our waters and sunk our merchant ships. I had thought of the war as something more distant.
Second, I found the book hard to put down. Andy Andrews is a master storyteller. He explores human emotions without becoming obscene or lurid, and that is all too rare in the literary world today. I was drawn in to the story and felt the anger and heartaches of the protagonists.
Third, I appreciated the reader's guide at the end. The discussion questions gave an added insight into the author's purposes.
Fourth, the Where Are They Now? section was a great addition, since the book is based on actual events.
Fifth, there is an element of romance to the book, but not enough to turn off most male readers.
Finally, and most important, the book teaches the principle of forgiveness in a unique and powerful way. Andy did this in a very genuine way: it did not seem contrived or preachy.
I highly recommend The Heart Mender.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

There is an hour of peace and rest

We were richly blessed by our attendance at Stake Conference today, where we received wise counsel from President Poulsen. First, he counseled the young women of the stake to be a light to the young men and to push them to greater righteousness.
The adults were counseled to purchase “two extra cans of corn” every time they shop. These extra cans (don’t have to be just corn) are to be kept for a rainy day, for a time of need. President Poulsen also counseled us to be ready for the potential impact of the H1N1 flu this winter. If we were quarantined for three weeks, could we survive on what we have in our homes?
Finally, he counseled us to participate in General Conference from our homes or from the chapel. He said that if we do so, we will be blessed with the guidance we need in our lives.
President Poulsen also put forth a challenge to all members of the stake. He asked us, beginning tomorrow morning, to have a daily personal early-morning devotional. He said to find somewhere quiet where we can spend a few minutes each day to pray, read from the scriptures, and ponder. If we do this, he promised us added spiritual strength as we face our various trials. We might also remember previous challenges, and during our devotionals, pray for the strength to resist temptation that day, and pray for an increased capacity to love those within our stewardships.

Speak to me, teach me, magnify the truth you are

This week, I joined the faculty of the newest dental school in the country, Western University College of Dental Medicine in Pomona. I am a Clinical Managing Partner and an Assistant Professor. I'll be running a group practice within the dental clinic, teaching and role modeling for the students, and teaching classes as well. I'm excited for the change.
On Saturday, August 8, we held our convocation, followed by a white coat ceremony. Above, you see our Dean Dr. James Koelbl, addressing us. I'm the farthest right in the picture, not that you can tell. We heard many inspiring messages to kick off the new school year.
Following the convocation, we had our white coat ceremony for the new dental students. This is an exciting moment, where we welcomed our 74 new students as colleagues and healers.

I had the opportunity as President of Tri-County Dental Society, to welcome the students into organized dentistry. I got a new white coat, too!














I get to work with a great group of people. Here you see most of our faculty. There are 10 of us so far. The students are a very diverse group, coming from places like Armenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Tunisia, The Philippines, El Salvador, and Texas. I have been very impressed with the quality of these young people. We also have 4 LDS students.
Heidi and I are standing with Dr. Koelbl before the white coat ceremony. This all started for us in December of 2007 when we were invited to the groundbreaking of the dental school. As we became acquainted with Dr. Koelbl and others associated with the school, we were impressed with the caliber of people there. Heidi encouraged me to ask about the requirements, and when I asked, Dr. Koelbl said "We're looking for people like you." He let me know when an opening came up, and I interviewed in February and was hired in March. My practice is now in escrow, and scheduled to close on August 24th if all goes well. I'll work part-time until the practice sells, then go full time. This is an exciting change for us, and I see the Lord's hand in it.

You say it's your birthday? It's my birthday, too, yeah!

It seems that we often become so busy living our lives, that we don't have time to chronicle them. I apologize for that. I wish there were an easy way to share all my talks, presentations, and newsletter articles so you can see that I'm actually doing things. Until I discover that, please take my word for it.
However, a once-in-a-lifetime moment came along last weekend, one that I won't forget. I had another meeting of the CDA Foundation in Sacramento last Friday (no, that isn't the once-in-a-lifetime moment). Because of the timing, I decided to expand the trip this time. I flew up to Sacramento on Thursday, and played tourist for a little bit. I went to the State Railroad Museum, and to Old Sacramento, doing my best to steer clear of the dangers of the Capitol. In the afternoon, I attended a session in the Sacramento Temple. I really enjoyed that.
It is a very beautiful temple. Of course, they all are. Aunt Donna says that her temple (this one) is the most beautiful of all. This is the fountain at the entrance to the temple. I also got to participate in a 20-minute sealing session after my session. They do that after each session.
I stayed with Aunt Donna in her nice big house in Folsom. We enjoyed visiting, and I enjoyed just relaxing. On Friday, I went my Foundation meeting in Sacramento, and Aunt Donna went to work in the temple. I always enjoy our meetings there. It has been a blessing for me to associate with some of the best of my profession.
Dad and Mom drove up on Friday, and we had a good time visiting with them, too. Now Saturday was the never to be forgotten event, Grandma Stevenson's 100th birthday!
Here are Dad and Aunt Donna with Grandma. We spent a little over an hour with her (and probably wore her out). Her faithful home teacher and visiting teacher were there with us, too.
Here is Jared Duval, me, Mom, Tim Duval, Sue Duval and Jenni Duval. In front is Grandma's roommate Evelyn, Aunt Donna, and Grandma. Note the roses in the balloons. A sister in Aunt Donna's ward made them.
Grandma was pretty sleepy, but had moments of alertness. I did not sense recognition of us, but she was comfortable and happy with us. One of the things that will stick with me is that every time any of us said "We love you Grandma," she just lit up, and would say something like "Oh, isn't that wonderful!" (Typical Grandma expressions.) There is great power in love, and particularly in expressing love. It sure made a difference to Grandma that day! And I will try not to put off expressing love to those around me while they can appreciate it.
Dad made the balloons. He learned how the night before at a dinner group that Aunt Donna goes to. He and Mom went and had fun. That's a purple dog on Grandma's hat.
Here's the cousin picture. That's Sondra, me, Sue, and Tim with Grandma. It was fun to go and renew family ties with all who were there. It is a good reminder that families are forever. My goodness, Grandma's mortal life is almost forever.
After the celebration died down, Dad and I and Grandma's home teacher gave Grandma a priesthood blessing. We felt that was probably the best gift we could give a centenarian. It was a very special experience to lay my hands on my Grandma's head and exercise the priesthood in her behalf. It was a delightful day. When we visited Grandma four years ago, I determined that would not miss this birthday, and I'm glad I made it! I can report that Grandma is in a good facility, and that they are taking good care of her, and the staff loves her. We can't ask for better than that, unless we ask for her to rejoin Grandpa and all her family.
We left Grandma to have her lunch, and we went to eat at Scott's, a favorite of Dad and Mom's as well as Aunt Donna's (and Uncle Lloyd's, when he was with us). We had some awesome seafood for lunch. That held me until I got home that evening, tired, but happy to be back with my family.
I hope we will all treasure our family relationships, especially our immediate families, but also across the generations, for these are the people that helped make us who we are.

Our House is a very, very, very fine House

We just finished our annual California Dental Association House of Delegates today, and it was an enjoyable meeting. This year it was held in the Beverly Hilton. Heidi came with me this year, and we had a good weekend.

On Thursday evening, I attended a dinner with the Presidents-Elect of 18 other component dental societies (out of the 32 in California). We had a good dinner, and discussed that challenges that we face in our individual components. It is also nice to network with the others who will be president next year. I sat with the Presidents-Elect from West Los Angeles, Contra Costa, Alameda County, and Santa Clara County Dental Societies. It's a privilege to associate with a group of good people like that. We also met the Executive Committee of California Dental Association and the President of the American Dental Association before we ate.

The House began in earnest on Friday. After the first session, we held three reference committee hearings, which were very productive. In reference committee, we discuss the individual resolutions (we ended up with 58 this year), then the reference committees met in closed session to revise resolutions for later presentation to the house. We go by Sturgis' rules of order because they are less cumbersome than Roberts'. We had box lunches so we could work through midday. Following the reference committee hearings, we heard presentations by the two candidates for Secretary of CDA. This was the first contested election in 15 years. I know both candidates, but I know Phil Maldonado, the eventual winner, quite well. We did some behind the scenes work with some of the other caucuses to help his candidacy. As our new Secretary, he will "move through the chairs," and will be CDA President in 2012. I think he'll be excellent. Following the second session, we had a reception for our new CDA President, Carol Summerhays.

Now while I engaged in all the politicking, Heidi went (safely) to the Los Angeles Temple and did two endowment sessions. On Saturday she went again and did initiatories. The temple is just two miles down the street from the hotel. What she did was more important than what I did.

Friday evening, Tri-County Dental Society and spouses went to dinner at McCormick and Schmick's on Rodeo Drive. We had good dinners and enjoyed getting to know each other better. It was good that we had to walk almost a mile to get there. I needed that!

On Saturday morning, we had our individual caucuses to discuss our positions on the resolutions. There were no contentious issues on the agenda this year, although there were some that will prove important to the future of our profession. I led the first part of the discussion, because the President got up late. Next year, I'm the official head of our delegation. In the afternoon, we met for the third session of the house, and it was very productive. I am very appreciative of consent agendas. They help to move things along quickly. We made it through 52 resolutions and two special presentations between 1 and 5. When we adjourned for the day, we had just three resolutions left (three more were added on Sunday), and we felt pretty good about our progress.

Saturday night is the traditional President's Party. In years gone by, it was a formal ball, but our generation doesn't do that sort of thing. The theme was rock and roll, and we were encouraged to dress up as our favorite rock and roll star. Tri-County began a tradition of wearing matching t-shirts, and that impresses everyone else. I dressed up as Bob Dylan, complete with a messy wig, a Levi's jacket, and a harmonica in a neck holder. Everybody loved it.

We're kind of a wild-looking bunch, but we know how to have fun. The buffet was really good. We also had an awesome band to dance to, and Heidi and I danced to the very end.

Another highlight of the night was the auctions for the CDA Foundation (see a previous blog). We had a silent auction and a live auction. I was the winning bidder for the burger special (In-N-Out, Tommy's and Carls Jr.), because I walked by just before the bidding ended. In the live auction, they bid for vacation packages and things like that, which are way out of our league. All told, we raised $158,000 and counting for the Foundation last night! That was a great success!

On Sunday morning, we reconvened for the final session of the house. Heidi went to sacrament meeting in Westwood 2nd Ward. Our new President and new officers were installed by my friend Gordon Christensen (see my San Antonio blog), and it was fun. Always the good missionary, Dr. Christensen mentioned the importance of family a dozen times, and reminded the officers not to neglect their families. He said that eventually, all this (dentistry and the organization) will be gone, but we will still have our families. I'm glad that we were given a message like that.

After the ceremonies, we wrapped up our business, then said goodbye to the Speaker of the House, who is stepping down after six years. We will miss him. Then we adjourned until next year. I enjoyed this house more than the three I had previously attended. I think that is mainly because Heidi was with me, even though we didn't spend a lot of time together. But it is also because I am getting to know more people throughout CDA, and it's fun to have a group of friends like that.

It really is a privilege to serve my profession like this. I would not have imagined the opportunities for growth, learning, and fun that I have had since I began serving. And Heidi keeps telling me she's amazed at the respect people have for me. (No, she isn't amazed that people respect me.) It looks like I will have the opportunity to serve on a CDA Committee in 2010. That should provide for even more fun.

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends

After the American College of Dentists meetings ended, Heidi and I attended the American Dental Association Scientific Sessions (Convention). We have been attending conventions for many years, beginning with Texas Dental Association in 1987, and also 20 years of California Dental Association Sessions, plus Academy of General Dentistry once. This was our first ADA Convention, and we enjoyed it.

On Friday morning, we walked to the Alamodome (not actually a dome, but the name sounds good), and heard Tom Brokaw speak. He gave an excellent talk, and we were impressed with what he had to say. Then we went back to the convention center for classes. Heidi took two classes on family and personal health and fitness, which she really enjoyed. I took a class on practice management and one on ethics in the dental practice. My classes were very good, too. After classes we went to a reception for the UT Dental School. I didn't see any classmates, but we did talk to some of the faculty. I was glad that they remembered me.

On Saturday, I took a class on implant prosthetics from Gordon Christenson. He and his wife run a research facility in Provo, and they speak very authoritatively on dental products and techniques. I always enjoy hearing him. He served as President of the Los Angeles Temple Visitors' Center with his wife about six years ago. In the afternoon, I met up with Heidi and we walked the convention floor (trade show) and enjoyed seeing what's new in dentistry.

It was a very busy week (as expected) but it was nice to get away with my sweetheart and spend some time together away from the pressures of work. I was disappointed that I didn't cross paths with any of my friends from dental school, but I did meet some new friends.