President Faust

We were sad to hear about the passing of President James E. Faust today. Just this week Jimmy started reading his biography. As he read he has shared a lot of stories. This was one I liked written by a friend of James E. Faust:

"We were also great skiers. About a quarter of a mile from Jim's house was a rocky old hill, about 15 feet high. We'd pack the snow down, climb to the top, and then slide down. You couldn't say we skied down -- we slid down. We started out with barrel staves, with a piece of shoe leather tacked on to serve as a binding. Then we'd just kick the snow off our farm boots, stick our feet into the loops, and off we'd go. One day we decided to build a ski jump that was maybe 3 feet high, and that was a disaster. On one of his attempts, Jim fell and broke his collarbone, and after that we just stuck with sliding down the hill."

Can't you just imagine a bunch of young boys coming up that brilliant skiing idea? Last night we were looking at the pictures in the book and it was neat to see him so young and robust as a military man and a newlywed.

President Faust seems like such a humble and good man who lived what he preached. This is a quote I like from him:

"The blessings of discipleship are readily available to all who are willing to pay the price. Discipleship brings purpose to our lives so that rather than wandering aimlessly, we walk steadily on that strait and narrow way that leads us back to our Heavenly Father. Discipleship brings us comfort in times of sorrow, peace of conscience, and joy in service--all of which help us to be more like Jesus." (James E. Faust, Ensign, Nov. 2006)