Just a couple of things

Sam is at a fun age. He is really starting to pick up on words. When I lay him down in his crib for the night he often says, "Good night. I love you," which warms my heart. Sometimes when I go to pick him up after he wakes up he starts jumping up and down when he sees me. He just smiles and jumps and jumps and jumps and then finally jumps into my outreached arms. It's moments like those that make being a dad extra special.

Here's one of my favorite pictures of Sam.

We're getting ready to move this weekend. Moving is never fun. Fortunately this should be our last move in graduate school. We're also fortunate that we're not moving far. It will still take a lot of work and we're in the middle of packing things up. We'll be pretty busy, so I'm not sure if they'll be any time to post anything for the next little while, but we'll see. Kirsten says that after the move she'll start posting too. I'm sure that will be more interesting than my blabbing.

One final note, one of my former mission companions had a pretty funny post about Russia. "You know you've been in Russia too long when" If you've been to Russia and know the culture you'll find it's right on the mark. I keep chuckling each time I look at it as I recall specific memories linked to each point. If you've never been there, well, you just won't get it. Let me know if you want to go and I'd be happy to be your tour guide.

A few thoughts on recent tragedies

The recent string of violent events in schools across the country over the past week has weighed heavily on my mind. Many students have lost their lives in a middle school, high school, college, and university over the span of just a week in four separate events across the country. Other similar tragedies have also occurred outside of schools. The frequency and magnitude of these events is disturbing and saddening. As a university student it is difficult to think of such an occurrence on campus, and yet it has become a reality for too many. While I have had no direct connection to anyone involved, as far as I know, I have been deeply saddened by these tragedies and want to try to express love and empathy.

I do not pretend to understand the pain that comes from such an experience, but I do understand the pain of losing an innocent loved one. My sister Beth Anne was just 9 years old when she passed away from complications arising from an aggressive brain tumor. It was a disease she fought courageously for 7 of her 9 precious years. From the day she was born she brought a special spirit to our family. She was full of love and life. She was a peacemaker. She not only touched our hearts, but changed our hearts making each of us a little better. She was happy and made us happy. She was everyone's favorite. She still is. She was always close to heaven and I believe she was continually lifted up by angels. I think of her often and feel her near. I love her dearly and I look forward to seeing her again.

This week, in preparation for the Priesthood lesson in church on Sunday, I read chapter 3 from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith entitled "Jesus Christ, the Divine Redeemer of the World." The entire text can be found at Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. I would like to share a few pertinent passages from this chapter to express my understanding of Jesus Christ, His Resurrection, our resurrection, and the hope and comfort I gain from it. It is during these critical times in our lives that we must place our complete faith and trust in the foundation of our religion, who is Jesus Christ. It is during these times that the true principles of the Gospel become clearer to our earthly understanding and the picture of eternity becomes even more beautiful to our earthly eyes.

The following passages, in quotations, come from the teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

“The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.

“ ‘As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive;’ all shall be raised from the dead [1 Corinthians 15:22]. The Lamb of God hath brought to pass the resurrection, so that all shall rise from the dead.

“Christ Himself has assuredly risen from the dead; and if He has risen from the dead, He will, by His power, bring all men to stand before Him: for if He has risen from the dead the bands of the temporal death are broken that the grave has no victory. If then, the grave has no victory, those who keep the sayings of Jesus and obey His teachings have not only a promise of a resurrection from the dead, but an assurance of being admitted into His glorious kingdom; for, He Himself says, ‘Where I am there also shall my servant be’ [John 12:26].

“Those who have died in Jesus Christ may expect to enter into all that fruition of joy when they come forth, which they possessed or anticipated here. … I am glad I have the privilege of communicating to you some things which, if grasped closely, will be a help to you when earthquakes bellow, the clouds gather, the lightnings flash, and the storms are ready to burst upon you like peals of thunder. Lay hold of these things and let not your knees or joints tremble, nor your hearts faint; and then what can earthquakes, wars and tornadoes do? Nothing. All your losses will be made up to you in the resurrection, provided you continue faithful. By the vision of the Almighty I have seen it. …

“God has revealed His Son from the heavens and the doctrine of the resurrection also; and we have a knowledge that those we bury here God will bring up again, clothed upon and quickened by the Spirit of the great God; and what mattereth it whether we lay them down, or we lay down with them, when we can keep them no longer? Let these truths sink down in our hearts, that we may even here begin to enjoy that which shall be in full hereafter.

“The scripture says those who will obey the commandments shall be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. … ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, if so be that we suffer with him in the flesh that we may be also glorified together.’ [See Romans 8:16–17.]

“How consoling to the mourners when they are called to part with a husband, wife, father, mother, child, or dear relative, to know that, although the earthly tabernacle is laid down and dissolved, they shall rise again to dwell in everlasting burnings in immortal glory, not to sorrow, suffer, or die any more, but they shall be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ."

I believe these teachings to be true. I believe in the resurrection of all of us and that, eternally the grave has no victory. It is difficult now, but "all our losses will be made up" in the resurrection. Though we suffer now, we can be glorified eternally through Christ. In this I find comfort, peace, and hope.

I would also like to mention the ever increasing need to strengthen and protect our families. The law cannot protect against all injustice. The protection of society--physically, spiritually, and morally--begins and ends in the home. In the Church's The Family: A Proclamation to the World, we read:

"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.

"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."

Adhering to these principles does indeed bring happiness. The attack on and disintegration of the family is perhaps the greatest problem of our world today. Many of the difficulties we face are an extension of this attack. We are accountable for the sacred responsibility of teaching and raising our children. I do not mean to imply that every choice a child makes into adulthood is a direct reflection of his or her upbringing. We all have our freedom to choose, but I do believe that many of the problems of society could be greatly reduced by strengthening the relationships within our families. It is within these eternal relationships that we find our greatest joy and happiness.

Am I smarter than a four-year old?

I'm sure know one really wants to read about me that much, so I thought I shared a little something about Eden. Eden recently had her 4th birthday and I'm convinced that there's something a little different about her now. I mean, she's always been bright and clever, but suddenly she seems even brighter and cleverer. Let me share two recent experiences to illustrate my point.

Eden has an amazing imagination and especially loves to pretend to be different animals. For the past two years our mornings frequently begin as follows:
Me: "Good morning Eden. How did you sleep?"
Eden: "Great dad. Hey, what do you want to be?"
Me: "I don't know, I was thinking about being a giraffe or an elephant."
Eden: "Well, I was thinking about being a tiger. I'm going to be a tiger."
Of course, it could be just about any animal. Sometimes Kirsten and I are the Mommy and Daddy animals and sometimes we're the zookeepers. Sam is always the baby brother animal.

Frequently at some point in the day, usually after we ask Eden to do something, we'll hear the following question, "Do baby tigers listen to their parents?" Of course, I always assure her that the baby animals do indeed listen to their parents perfectly without exception. A few days ago Eden was a shark. I asked her to come to the table to eat her shark food. She replied, "Dad, I'm a super shark. Super sharks get to do what they want." I quickly answered, "Well Eden, that's almost right. Super sharks are super not because they do what they want, but because they do what's right. Super sharks always do what's right and eating dinner is the right thing to do." Eden quickly came to eat her shark food with her octopus spoon and I was satisfied with my cleverness.

Later that evening Eden and Sam were taking baths in the "shark pool." When it was time to get out I said, "Super shark, it's time to get out of the shark pool." Without missing a beat or even looking up Eden answered in full confidence, "Dad, I'm not a super shark now. I'm just a shark." Her message was clear and she continued to play with her bath toys. Realizing I had just been outwitted, I did the only thing I could do: I let her play. She deserved it.


Not every event turns out so nicely though. Last week Kirsten went into the bathroom and found the toilet paper roll was completely unraveled. She called out, "What happened in here?!" Eden entered the bathroom with a look of both surprise and distress and said, "I know Mom, I can't believe it...I forgot I was four years old!"
There she is. Cute and innocent as can be! I find myself increasingly challenged to match her cleverness. I have to ask: am I smarter than a four-year old?

Don't forget to check the forecast

The snow in Ann Arbor continues to fall. And I continue to forget to look at the weather forecasts. Today I found out it looked something like this:

That only really matters because this year I've picked up a new hobby: biking. I've always enjoyed biking, but now I just love it. I bike about 5 miles each way to and from campus every day (and for those of you wondering, yes I do change my clothes when I get to school so I'm not all sweaty). It's fun, it's a good way to work in exercise time, and it's a challenge. It turns out to be a bigger challenge in the snow. Frozen gears, sliding head first across ice patches, uncleared sidewalks, and poor visibility all add to the, um, fun. I admit that sometimes, albeit rarely, if I know the weather will be horrible I'll take a bus, but it hurts my pride, so most days I bundle up and go. I have proven several times now that "Pride cometh before the fall." The morning sun deceived me into believing that today was a perfect day for commuting. After lunch I looked out the window and realized I'd been tricked (again). It looked like a blizzard outside. I couldn't help but recall a classic Bushism, which you may also enjoy by clicking here or on his picture.

Fortunately today I made it home without any hard falls, but several times I had to walk my bike and it took me about twice as long to get home as normal; however, traffic everywhere was at a standstill so I'm pretty sure it was quicker than a bus or car. Who needs four-wheel drive?! Oddly enough, there's something exhilarating about getting on my bike and meeting the challenge head-on. And you know what, I think I'll just keep on doing it.

Here's a picture of what it looked like when I got home, as well as a picture of us after an earlier snow in December.
In the words of a world famous wrestler (yes it is him, Nacho Libre), "My life is good."

And we're blogging...

So the time has come when we must enter the 21st century. Yes, the Gibsons have finally started a blog! I'm not sure why it took us so long, but here we are. Just like everyone else, I think I finally realized that a blog can be a great way to keep in touch and up-to-date with friends, family, and loved ones. In fact, almost every day something happens and I think, "I should put that on our blog. Well, actually, I should start our blog and then put something on it." Of course, I don't mean to imply that I'll post every day; I'm not convinced that would be good for any of us! I've never been very good at keeping in contact with people as I should, so I hope this will help to partially fill that gap. And what a better time to start than when the temperature hits 0F with a wind chill that makes it feel like -25F. As they sing in the Frank Loesser Oscar-winning duet, "Baby it's cold outside." Yes, this is life in Ann Arbor, MI.

I should simply say that I feel we are very blessed, regardless of how cold it's been. I'm in my third year of my graduate studies at the University of Michigan going after my PhD in biomedical engineering and aiming for graduation in 2010. Kirsten is an absolutely amazing wife and mother. Eden just had her 4th birthday and is full of non-stop energy and conversation. Sam is nearly 20 months and is always exploring everything from high how he can climb to what he can find in those never-before-seen-nor-touched nooks and crannies. Life is exciting for all of us.

I have to admit that I feel a bit sheepish about not getting a Christmas letter or card out this year. I did put together a little slide show with photo highlights of 2007 set to some of my favorite music. I love folk Gospel music. I'm convinced that it's in my blood from my West Virginia roots. I've included the video here. It's also currently posted in a directory at UM in higher and lower resolution sizes (www.umich.edu/~mattgib/2007), but I'm not sure I'll keep it there. The video is about five and half minutes. If the saying is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then I've just given everyone the equivalent of over 100,000 words, which is roughly the same as about 400 pages of text. Not bad. The video proceeds chronologically with pictures from family outings, birthdays, our summer in the Philadelphia area for my internship at Merck, holidays, vacations and other fun moments. I realized that I should have made a narrated version or added captions. Maybe I still will. And maybe not.