Duckwater: Working with BYU Native American Services

While I lived in Duckwater I had the chance to work with BYU Native American Services.  They help sponsor a tribal dinner for the holidays, which we used to fee the tribe for a funeral.  They also sponsored a dentist to come to the reservation and do dental work for free.  Dr. Max Blackham became our family dentist after we moved to Utah.  I received this letter from Dale Tingey after we relocated.

Sara's Funeral: Song I Sang: Be Still My Soul (I love the Lord)

This is the song I sang at my sister's funeral two years ago.

I Love The Lord (Be Still My Soul)

I love the Lord, in Him my soul delights.
Upon His word, I ponder day and night.
He's heard my cry, brought visions to my sleep,
And kept me safe o'er deserts and the deep.
He's filled my heart with His consuming love,
And borne me high on wings of His great dove.

1. 1. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
   With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
   Leave to thy God to order and provide;
   In ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
   Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav'nly Friend
   Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
2. 2. Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
   To guide the future as he has the past.
   Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
   All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
   Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
   His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
3. 3. Be still, my soul: The hour is hast'ning on
   When we shall be forever with the Lord,
   When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
   Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
   Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
   All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

Stories I like: Trouble At the Inn

This is a Christmas story.  I found it in a compilation of Christmas stories from Deseret Book: Memorable Christmas Stories, Compiled by Leon R. Hartshorn, Deseret Book, Salt lake City, Utah 1974.  However the story indicates it is copyrighted to Guideposts Magazine, 1966.  It was written by Dina Donohue.
For years now whenever Christmas pageants are talked about in a certain town in the Midwest, someone is sure to mention the name of Wallace Purling.  Wally's performance in one annual production of the nativity play has slipped into the realm of legend.  But the old-timers who were in the audience that night never tire of recalling exactly what happened. 
Wall was nine that year and in the second grade, though he should have been in the fourth.  Most people in town knew that he had difficulty in keeping up.  He was big and clumsy, slow in movement and mind.  Still, Wall was well-liked by the other children in his class, all of whom were smaller than he, though the boys had trouble hiding their irritation when Wall would ask to play ball with them or any game, for that matter, in which winning was important. 
Most often they's find a way to keep him out, but Wally would have around anyway--not sulking, just hoping.  He was always a helpful boy, a willing and smiling one, and the natural protector, paradoxically, of the underdog.  If the older boys chased the younger ones away, it would always be Wally who'd say, "Can't the stay?  They're no bother."
Wally fancied the idea of being a shepherd with a flute in the Christmas pageant that year, but the play's director, Miss Lambard, assigned him to a more important role.  After all, she reasoned, the innkeeper did not have too many lines, and Wally's size would make his refusal of lodging to Joseph more forceful. 
So it happened that the usual large, partisan audience gathered for the town's yearly extravaganza of crooks and Crèches, of beards, crowns, and a whole stageful of squeaky voices.  No one on stage or off was more caught up in the magic of the night than Wallace Purling.  They said later that he stood in the wings and watched the performance with such fascination that from time to time Miss Lambard had to make sure he did not wander onstage before his cue.
Then cam the time when Joseph appeared, slowly, tenderly guiding Mary to the door of the inn.  Joseph knocked hard on the wooden door set into the painted backdrop.  Wally the innkeeper was there, waiting.
"What do you want?" Wally said, swinging the door open with a brusque gesture.
"We seek lodging."
"Seek it elsewhere."  Wally looked straight ahead but spoke vigorously.  "The inn is filled."
"Sir, we have asked everywhere in vain.  We have traveled far and are very weary."
"There is no room in this inn for you."  Wally looked properly stern.
"Please good innkeeper, this is my wife, Mary.  She is heavy with child and needs a place to rest.  Surely you must have some small corner for her.  She is so tired."
Now for the first time, the innkeeper relaxed his stiff stance and looked down at Mary.  With that, there was a long pause, long enough to make the audience a bit tense with embarrassment.
"No!  Begone!" the prompter whispered from the wings.
"No1" Wally repeated automatically, "Begone!"
Joseph sadly placed his arm around Mary, and Mary laid her head upon her husband's shoulder, and the two of them started to move away.  The innkeeper did not returned inside the  inn, howe er.  wally stood there in the doorway watching the forlorn couple.  His mouth was open, his brow creased with concern, his eyes filled unmistakably with tears.
And suddently the Christmas pageant became different from all others. 
"Don't go Joseph," Wally called out.  "Bring Mary back."  And Wallace Purling's face grew a bright smile.  "You can have my room."
Some people in town thought that the pageant had been ruined.  Yet there were others--many, many others--who considered it the most Christmas of all Christmas pageants they had ever seen.

My Vocals: Away in a Manger

"Away In a Manger" with the setting of the primary reenactment of The Christmas Story a few years ago.  This is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  In this version I sing many different styles.  I am not sure which I prefer because I like them all.  

White Christmas; Irving Berlin, Cover Billy Wardle Merry Christmas

I recorded this for Christmas 2012.  It is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  I think it really says merry Christmas in a very nice fashion.  

Employee Honors at EMQ (Now Uplift) Crisis Counseling

I actually received a few of these during my almost ten years with EMQ Crisis.  I worked there on-call while I worked for County Mental Health full time.  The best one was when it came with a coupon for two meals at the Elephant Bar.

Mary and Joseph's Lullabye

This is my daughter and I.  We have been singing this song several years.  There is written accompaniment for it, but it works better without.
http://whilhelmsthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/12/chritmas-music-mary-and-josephs-lullabye.html

http://whilhelmsthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-music-christmas-lullabye.html

Wedding Picture Mark and Dianna

Mark and Dianna, my sister, were married May 1986 in the Logan temple.

Dedication of the LDS Chapel in Othello.

As I check the date, it appears this dedication took place shortly after we left; however the building had been used before the dedication.  Gordon B. Hinckley, then an apostle, dedicating the building.  A picture of dad was included as a clerk in the first bishopric.  For the history of the church in Othello included in the program check here.

Thanksgiving 1986

This is the house in Hyrum.  However at this time it is the Buff home. 
The first picture is all the men.  Mark is in the picture, so back from his mission, and I assume married by this time.  Joey is on his dad's lap, then Buffy, Mark, Charlie, Aaron and Kelly.  Front row is Dustin with Weldon, I am holding Matt and then Jed.
the second picture has Linsey at Sara's lap, Amber on Connie's lap, Mom, Katherine behind, Sheri, Natalia on Sue's lap,  In the front is Geneve, Diane, Krista and Connie.

Thanksgiving: 1983

This is my mom and grand babies.  I can't place where this picture was taken.  That orange couch should be a give away.  This was the first year Sheri and I were married.  The grandkids are all there with the exception of Jed.  I can't seem to find him.  Linsey is the baby Buffy is holding.  Krista is holding Joey, Katherine is holding Amber.  Grandma has Matt on her lap.  He does not look happy.  Aaron and Dustin are on the left.

Ileen Wardle Family Reunion: Tulock Lake, Ca

This was a fun time.  We had a trampoline and boat provided by the Normans, and had a great time playing in the water and eating and playing games. I am not sure of the year, but probably early 2000's.

Thanksgiving: 1993

The celebration this year was at the Buff home again.  This time they were living in Tremonton.

The family has grown significantly.  I think is shortly after this we moved to Mom's church.

Thanksgiving 1984

This was a large family thanksgiving.  We continued to have these through the years, and eventually had to move to grandma's church they were so large.  This is an early year.  Sheri is pregnant with Billy Boy in this picture. 

Halloween 2009: Trevor's Funeral

Halloween 2013 was very unusual.  I had almost forgotten about it as we traveled to Utah for trevor's funeral.  He is Weldon's youngest and had passed away in a car accident.  However the evening after the funeral, we remembered halloween, although we had forgotten our costumes.  Amber and Shelly did take Tony out, even without a costume.  Some of Sara's grandkids also went; but they remembered their costumes.

Tony with the dogs

Dillon

Caleb, Charity and Miranda

Amber and Jared and Sue

Tony is on the left

Cover of "Fill the World with Love" from Goodbye Mr. Chips

This is a song I learned sophomore year at Sky View High School in Men's Chorus.  Stratford Loosli was the teacher, and all members of the chorus learned this song, and had the chance to sing it solo to the rest of the chorus.  It has stuck with me, and is now one of the songs I often sing when I am in the car alone.  It has kept me awake many nights driving across the Nevada desert. 
This song was vocalized by Petula Clark in the movie version of Goodbye Mr. Chips. 

Hush Little Baby Don't Say a Word

This is one of those songs I learned as a youth.  However I have always sung it wrong.  I use lyrics for this version, so it is definitely correct.  These are the Mother Goose lyrics. 

Halloween Tricking

The only time I really remember Halloween tricking was my Junior High Years in Hyrum.  We would go out together Halloweening, a group of four or five boy, with no parental supervision.  (One year my cousin tammy went with ur.)  Sometimes the group was larger, and sometimes smaller.  The evening would begin with an inventory of our resources.  What did you score?  Some would have a used piece of soap with which they could mark windows.  Then there was invariably a few rolls of toilet paper for "TPing."  And then there was the person who had a small amount of gas in a bottle stuffed down his pants, which he had snuck out of his garage.  Then we were in business.  With those resources we could have great fun. 
I grew up in a rural town.  It wasn't like nobody was out, but there was space between people that you could do things without being seen.  It wasn't one group after another, and all with adult supervision, like today.  So we would find a tree to TP and a window or two to soap.  Although sometimes this was disappointed as the soap wouldn't always stick well.  And then there was the gas.  It lead itself to all kinds of imagination; none of it good.  Perhaps a bottle bomb, or just getting something to burn. 
I must admit, our age was pretty lame compared to what older groups had done.  There was a year with lots of leaves in the gutters and lots of flame.  One year there were flaming tires rolling down main street.  But we pretty much fizzled out.  Our fire, even with the gas didn't last very long and quickly went out with only ourselves to see our handiwork.  We lit it on a back street where no one would catch us, an no one noticed.  No great glory in that.

My Life in Theater: Brigadoon

This production was produced by the Utah State University Extension in Roosevelt and Vernal.  We performed at both Union and Uintah High Schools.  This would have been 1986.  Natalia was a baby.  I portrayed the part of Andrew McClaren, the father of Jeannie, who is getting married, and Fiona, who during the course of the production falls in love with Tommy Allbright, who with his companion are two weary hunters who have lost there way in Scotland, and come upon a 200 year old village in the high land mist.  This village is frozen in time, but only if everyone stays.  Tension is created as Harry Beaton also loves Fiona.  He is determined to leave, which will destroy everyone. 

Kathy Tucker director

Doug Barlow as Charlie who is marrying Jeannie

Tommy's side kick

town leader

Jeannie

Meg, Uintah high school drama teacher

Harry Beaton

Taunia Wheeler as Fiona

Russell Griffin as Tommy

Nels Carlson: producer