The old fisherman delves into the positive side of dying!

Who is this man? Read on!

We are all dying, but when you have been told you are on the fast track measurable in months or if you are lucky a few years it does focus the mind. In some ways this is helpful because it allows you to start putting your affairs in order. There are the practical things like making sure your wife knows the cost of running the house and what needs to be paid when and how. Then there are the things that worry your conscience, people you might have upset or offended years ago to whom you would like to apologize. So far I have apologized to two people and both have been very magnanimous in their response and have helped me feel better and I can mentally tick them off the list (it's a short list).

Being religious I do believe in miracles but I also believe in a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for all of us and sometimes either because we don't have enough faith or because it's not part of our plan a miracle is not an option.  However, I do believe it is possible to have a miracle especially with people all over the world mentioning me in their prayers and my medical team trying their hardest.




I find the discomfort and pain can wear one down a bit so it is important to regularly top up the attitude batteries. Receiving support and encouragement from family and friends is a great help. One of the great blessings in my life is the support I get from my church and religious beliefs. When at the age of 16 I moved on from the Church of England and was baptised into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I had no idea of the positive impact it would have on my life. Not only has it helped me "stay on the straight and narrow" but it has given me a wonderful life, wonderful wife and a wonderful family. I have also had some amazing experiences and adventures such as running a Scout Group, managing a Church farm, starting a branch of the Church in Gibraltar, taking sixty young adults from London and Paris camping on the beach in Normandy (lots of marriages came about from that). Also being a lay minister in the Church and also a school governor for twenty three years kept me out of mischief! My former employers will be asking "How did he ever find time to go to work?"




When I feel a bit low because of the pain and the inability to do things, I visit one of the Church's web sites and listen to or read a talk given by one of the Church leaders. The video link below is to a talk given by Jeffrey R Holland one of our Church leaders (pictured above) who I have met and talked to and who is an interesting and inspirational speaker. I recommend the talk to you. Please try the link and share your thoughts with me it certainly gave me a boost..

http://media2.ldscdn.org/assets/general-conference/april-2013-general-conference/2013-04-5010-elder-jeffrey-r-holland-720p-eng.mp4?download=true

If you have trouble with the video link you could always try https://www.lds.org/?lang=eng and have a look at the Church's main web site. For information on what we believe try www.mormon.org

Fly Fisherman gets distracted helping job seekers!

I am feeling guilty for not having posted recently, especially to those of you who follow my posts and who have driven the views to over 29,000. Two years ago when I started I was amazed when I registered 100 views.  Well it is true that I was distracted a bit by Christmas and I have been replacing some fencing in the garden, but the main reason is my new (honorary, that means I do it for free) assignment in the church which involves helping people (church members and non members) find work, improve their employment or decide what career path to follow.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an excellent web site for job and career seekers.  The rather long name of the church is often abbreviated to LDS so the web site is called ldsjobs. So if you are interested and would like to take a look here is what to do:-

1      Use your internet browser to find ldsjobs.org

If    If you are a member of the LDS Church and registered on the church's web system press “Sign In” in the top right hand corner or register.  If you are not a member go straight to the Complete Your Profile box and click on it. You will be able to register as a Friend.  When you have completed the above you will be able to explore the site and take advantage of its resources. There is information and helpful advice for job seekers, students and those wanting to be self employed. The section on writing CVs lists four different types of CV and discusses their various merits.

MOST JOBS ARE FOUND BY NETWORKING

Networking is a fancy term that just means you tell everyone you know (well, nearly everyone, maybe not your current boss and work colleagues) that you are looking for a job as a “such and such” and do they know of any openings or (and this is equally important) do they know of anyone else who might know of job openings!  Doing this you can build a large “network” of people looking for you.  However, it is no good just asking them once.  You have to gently remind them on a regular basis that you are still looking.  Go to ldsjobs.org click on Article Index and then click on Successful Networking.

PERFORMING AT YOUR BEST DURING AN INTERVIEW

When you get the chance of an interview you must not spoil it by being poorly prepared.  Feel free to ask a friend for a “practice interview”, it can give you a realistic experience which can improve your performance at a real interview.  Running practice interviews is one of my roles in the church's programme. For further information and certainly prior to a mock or real interview go to ldsjobs.org click on Article Index and then click on Interviewing and read the articles.

On the employment web site you can find where the church has Employment Centres.  My wife Rosalind and I help out at the centre in the Hyde Park Chapel, Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London on Tuesdays.

If you know of employment opportunities please let us know?