1997 was a tough year. It started in January with a blanket replacement of every shuttle valve in the field when we realized that old designs were not holding up. We also made some mistakes in our decisions on marketing our product. Our direct marketing approach was not working. Sales were low and costs were high; we knew we had to make some changes.
My heart was breaking when one week after Semicon West 1997 I walked into the sales office and fired one of my best friends and the other salesman.
The next month was a frenzy of airports, hotels and meetings as I flew around the United States setting up stocking distributors.
I was physically and emotionally exhausted at 10:30 p.m. when I arrived at the hotel in Phoenix, my last stop before going home. As the desk agent scanned my credit card he handed me a note, "Call your wife Amy at home any hour. Extremely urgent." My blood ran chill. Amy never paged me on the road. I remember shaking as I dialed the phone which she picked up on the first ring. "What’s wrong?," I gasped. Amy’s voice was soft and quiet. "Your brother Rod was welding on an oil tanker at work today. There was an explosion, Rod didn’t make it." I did not know what to say. I thanked her for being the one to tell me and hung up the phone saying "I’ll meet you in Utah Sunday."
Rod was three years younger than me. There were times in my life when Rod and I had been extremely close, but the last several years we had not spent much time together. All I could think about was what a great phone visit we had had three weeks before when he called me for my birthday. I was so thankful for that opportunity that I was given to clear up some hurt feelings I had caused and to hear the last words he ever spoke to me, "I love you man."
Rod left a wife and two little girls ages 9 and 11. At first all I could think was of the tragedy. But the more I thought the more I was comforted by the teachings that I had learned from my childhood. It was not that I had visions of Rod with a perfect halo above his head, wings on his back, harp in hand, floating around for eternity on a big fluffy cloud. I guess you would have had to known Rod to see the humor in a picture like that.
The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints, more commonly known as Mormons, teaches that marriage and family relationships do not have to end at death. In the New Testament in the Book of Matthew, Christ gave Peter power and authority so that "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven (Matthew 16:19)." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches that even as there was Peter in His day, there are men in our day who have been given power and authority that whatever they bind in earth is also bound in heaven. Members of the church are taught that those who are married by these men in holy temples are sealed together with their children "for time and for all eternity," if they live worthy by obeying God’s commandments and remaining true to holy covenants.
These thoughts bore me up as I laid sleepless in my bed in that Phoenix hotel. Never had I felt so alone. I wanted to be with my family during this time of difficulty. I could not imagine heaven being anything if I did not have my family. I knew my happiness would not be complete without them.
I did not believe these things just because they sounded nice in a Sunday School class, or because they were taught to me by loving parents. Moroni, an ancient American prophet, is quoted in the Book Of Mormon saying "and when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things (Moroni 10:4-5)."
Years before, I had put Moroni’s promise to the test. I had asked God in Christ’s name if these teachings I had received were true. By the feelings I received in my heart I knew them to be true as well as I knew the sun would rise in the morning. It was this knowledge that meant more to me that anything else. Suddenly, it did not matter how many companies I presided over, how many patents I held, or how much money I made. International awards meant nothing, nor did praise or respect from any man. What mattered was my family.
As I got to Utah and was met by loving parents and family, I felt love as I had never felt it before. I knew that I was experiencing a piece of heaven, just as I’m sure that Rod did as he was met by excited and happy ancestors and family members when he left this life to continue on to the next.
If you would like more information about the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, visit their web site at
www.mormon.org or feel free to contact myself or other family members by clicking on the following link.
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Sincerely,
John Simmons, President
A Proclamation to the World
The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.
All human beings--male and female--are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.
In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.
The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.
We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God's eternal plan.
Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. "Children are an heritage of the Lord" (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives--mothers and fathers--will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.
The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.
We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.
We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.
This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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