"...we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments. And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." ~2 Nephi 25:25-26 (Book of Mormon)

We are God's children living in a fallen mortal state where we are tested that we might prove worthy to return and live with him. But we all fall short. We are not perfect as we must be to live with God. In His infinite wisdom God provided a plan whereby we might overcome our imperfections. This great plan of happiness requires a saviour to step forward and pay the price for our sins. God's firstborn in the spirit stepped forward and said, "Here am I. Send me."

It is through the grace of his atoning sacrifice that we may be made clean and worthy to enter into God's kingdom. I am so grateful for this blessing in our lives. Let us embrace our Saviour Jesus Christ and follow him in every way we can.

As you work your way through life, what serves as your boot, heel and stirrup to keep you balanced and in the saddle? What tools do you use to do your job?

Life can be a bit rough and tumble. It can throw us on the ground, flat on our back, but if we get up and move forward, dust ourselves off and climb back in the saddle, put out boots in the stirrups and kick our heels in just a little, the horse we're on will get us through the day.

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." ~Matthew 11:29

"Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me." ~D&C 19:23

"Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint...

"The Christlike quality of meekness often is misunderstood in our contemporary world. Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others." ~Elder David A Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Learning to be meek is a worthy daily endeavor

I want to share with you how my efforts to perfect my semi-commercial hobby of photography help me be a better software architect.

My first camera was a Kodak Pony 135. I had no idea what I was doing, but I learned a lot by experimenting with that camera. My first computer was a Commodore 64. I was only slightly more informed about computing, having learned BASIC on a Commodore PET over two years prior. Again through experimentation and reading every Creative Computing magazine that I could get my hands on, I learned much more about computing and programming.

So now you know that I've been doing photography and computing for longer than many of my colleagues in this business have been alive. Let's see if my insights are of any use to you.

Patterns in Composition

In photography one must always be aware of the composition of the shot. How do the elements of the shot work together to draw the eye to the subject, to the story you want to tell? Learning the rule of thirds can be quite useful in understanding that, as in photography, so too in software we must look for patterns of composition to focus the user experience on the desired outcome. These patterns are often not visible to the untrained eye, just as in photography our audience may not really know why they like the photo, but they do. Software users will know they love or hate the software, but only you will know they love it because you composed it using patterns that make the magic happen.

Following a Process

We rarely get something right the very first time we try it. We're more likely to get something right when we follow a process that has led to success in the past. In photography I have learned that I must follow a process of preparation, analysis, exploration, decision taking and execution. A well thought out process in software development is equally crucial to success.

Breaking the Rules Sometimes

Once you know the rules of your process and craft, you can begin to take some risks in breaking the rules to achieve a desired effect. Only after understanding the rule of thirds in photography and knowing how and why this rule will help you compose your shot in a way that will present your subject well can you begin to experiment with breaking that rule to tell a slightly different story. The same is true in software architecture. Knowing how the rules of SOLID and design patterns will help you achieve the best outcome is crucial. Only then can you begin to experiment with small deviations to the rules to find new an innovative ways to achieve your goals.

Knowing Your Subject

In photography one must know something about the subject of the photograph. The more you know about the subject, whether this is a person, a landscape, a flower or a bug, the better you will understand how to draw out the character of your subject in your photograph. Being a software architect means knowing your subject, your users, stakeholders, the data and systems and the processes needed to make things work. The more you know about that, the better your architecture and design will be and the happier your customer will be.

Best Tools Don't Always Make the Best Work

Some photographers believe they must have the best, most expensive equipment to achieve the greatest possible result. This just is not true. I once shot with a full frame camera and now shoot with a Micro Four Thirds. Some day I'll move to medium format for other reasons, so don't discount having great tools, but don't assume that without the best you cannot produce great work. The same is true in software. We do not always need the best IDE or the most powerful laptop or the biggest amount of RAM to achieve the best result. Indeed if one focuses only on the tools, one might overlook the fact that one's work is to produce something great with the tools you have. Focus on the finished product and whine less about the tools you have been given.

Always Something Beyond Your Control

In photography you cannot control the weather or an unruly portrait subject. You cannot decide when your SD card will fail. You cannot guarantee that every shot will be perfect. There are always elements of the work that are out of your control. To succeed one must embrace the unknown and unexpected. In software architecture this is also true. There are many aspects of a project which you will have the ability to control. Time and business demands are not among them. Resource availability or team skills are not always within your control. You must learn to embrace the things that are not under your control and work as well as you're able to achieve your goals in spite of these.

Try Again Tomorrow

When I'm shooting landscapes, I often think that I've nailed it only to learn in post processing my RAW images that I failed to capture what it was I thought that I had seen when I was in the moment. These failures fall to the digital cutting room floor and push me to go back out and try again. There is a reason we have iterative processes in software development. We don't always get it right. We must continue to hone our craft and work and rework until we do get it right. Even then there is always more we can do. Sometimes the most important aspect of courage is simply to say to oneself, "I'll try again tomorrow." (Taken from a favorite saying borrowed from a friend of mine who passed away recently.)

People and Love Are The Most Important Ingredients

In photography and software architecture and development, I have learned that the most important aspect and ingredient to success is people. The people we work with will come from many different backgrounds. They will have different needs and desires. We must learn to love them and work with them. Only when we do this can we achieve our greatest success because our success depends on their success. When you love the people with whom you work, you will want to see them succeed. You will be kind but honest. You will be patient but urge them to do their best work. You will put their needs ahead of your own. Miraculously you will produce your very best work and so will they.

This Christmas has been a particularly joyful one. Despite one late evening lapse of patience, I can truly say this has been one of the most memorable celebrations of Christ's birth in my entire life. We were so pleased to have all of our children and two of our very good friends from India with us. Because of work schedules and other plans, we arranged to be visited by Santa Claus on the 24th and so today has become a quiet and peaceful reflective time. Of all the wonderful gifts I received this year, I want to share with you the one that touched me and my wife beyond any other.

Our children spent a day together on a recent weekend which they called "Sibling Day." It was not the first time this has happened. We are blessed with children who love each other and enjoy one another's company even now as adults. So Lorri and I suspected nothing. As we opened presents, going around taking turns as is our tradition, our children insisted that Lorri open one particular present last. I prevailed in having her open my gift last, but it paled in comparison to this one. It was a book and I've gathered their permission to share it here. I hope you'll indulge me then as I share with you a rather "social media" style personal post.

Tyler and Lorri

We have been married for thirty years. In that time we've seen a few ups and downs. I'm so grateful to have such a good wife by my side. She has been the anchor in my life against the tides and currents of changing and challenging times.

This photo of Lorri and me was taken a few years ago by my sister Rebecca. She's a natural shutter bug.

This one is the title page and was taken very recently. Both of us have lost a few pounds since the cover photo was taken. Lorri still looks younger and better than me. I'm the luckiest man alive.

The Kids Together

Jaelise, Johanna, John and Josh are four great kids. These re-enactment photos make us smile from ear to ear.

Josh

Our youngest and still living at home, Josh rarely had to be told to go to bed. Whenever he was upset with us, he would cover his head with a blanket or something and say, "You don't see me."

John

Our children were always fond of running around with no clothes. John was no exception. At four he learned to ride a bike and defied the rule of wearing a helmet, so he occasionally wore some road rash and once crashed hard enough to cause a severe concussion which had us in the ER for a while. Thankfully his skull was sufficiently strong and the damage was temporary. We think. (Just kidding, John.)

Johanna

The cutest messy eater in our house, Johanna was always perplexed when Lorri knew she had been sneaking some treat or another because the evidence was always on her face.

Jaelise

A ham for the camera then and now, Jaelise always loved to dress up and her bunny was a favorite. Her kayak has taken its place and goes nearly everywhere with her now.

Jenessa

Reading the book and laughing at each page, when Lorri came to this page that laughter turned to tears for both of us as we remembered our oldest and most perfect child. Jenessa lived just nine days and as we remembered the birth of Christ, these pages reminded us poignantly of our first child's birth. The elephant named Ernie was a small stuffed rainbow colored elephant who was buried with Jenessa in 1988. While we miss her so much, she is and always will be a very important part of our family.

My Kids Are The Best

When they say, "It's the thought that counts," I believe it. My children are thoughtful, loving and kind. I love them so very much. They have made this Christmas one of the very best of my life!

Special thanks goes to Johanna who made all this happen. What an amazing gift!

I once thought it strange that the British say, "Happy Christmas," when I grew up in America saying, "Merry Christmas!" But after some reflection, I think the Brits have it right.

2 Nephi 28:7
"Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us."

The merry making we do at Christmas time has little to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Parties, food, music, drink and all the trimmings hide the real purpose of Christmas and provide no lasting happiness.

I do not mean to say that having a party and making merry is necessarily bad. Simply that it is not the best way we can celebrate the Christ child and make others happy and be happy. Indeed some of my most happy memories of Christmas are of cold wintery mornings driving the tractor to plow the neighbor's long driveway or doing some other act of kindness for a neighbor or friend.

Perhaps my warmest memory of such a time was a particularly cold and wintry Christmas morning when my brother and I got up very early on Christmas morning and snuck out of the house to milk the cow, feed the animals and bring in buckets of coal to keep the house warm. These chores were normally done by our dad who allowed us to play with our gifts while he did all of our chores on Christmas morning. I still remember his smile and the look of surprise and love on his face when we told him he did not need to go out that morning.

You can learn a little about the history of Merry Christmas vs Happy Christmas here:

Perhaps we can all learn something about being happy this Christmas rather than just making merry. Let us try to light the world with His happiness.

I know that true joy, true happiness comes in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Let us remember him by remembering our neighbor this year. In other words, have a Very Happy Christmas!

I grew up on a farm and ranch driving tractors mostly but riding horses to herd cows and to play as often as was possible. It was an idyllic way to grow up. I was more of a farmer than I was a cowboy, but I loved old western movies, especially John Wayne, and idolized the American Cowboy and the cowboy way of life.

This painting by a family friend named Lynn E. Mecham reminds me of all that I love about cowboys.

I encourage you to visit his Facebook page for his gallery. He does amazing work.

As a young boy one of my favorite pastimes was to saddle up the horse and join a few of my friends in a game of tag on horseback in the cedar and sage brush hills above the small farm on which I grew up. Of course we knew nothing really about the politics surrounding the treatment of Native Americans. For us it was just a game.

On one of these occasions, I was riding my brother's mare Toots, a beautiful buckskin that looked very much like this.

I was an Indian. One of my friends was selected to be the Cowboy, the guy who had to catch one of us. I had Toots running through the sage brush and planned to ditch the Cowboy in a barrel turn around a large cedar tree coming up on my left. I pulled left on the reins at just the right moment and she juked left around the tree.

Suddenly I was laying on the sand on my back, pain throbbing in my chest and, for a moment, I was unable to breathe. The tree had a large branch sticking out right at my chest height from the saddle. I was not hurt badly. I found Toots looking back at me as if to say, "What happened to you?" I got back on after a few minutes and we continued playing.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. Even when you're in a hurry, be cautious when rushing into a place you've never before been. You might get knocked off your horse, but you'll probably survive.

Fast forward a few decades to this year. After surviving a health crisis in India, I'm now dressing like a cowboy to remind myself to work hard and take better care of myself. And I'm still "playing" with Indians. But in this case real Indians.

I work with two teams of wonderful developers and testers in the New Delhi area. I have spent a little more than a year working with them. I was enjoying myself so much that I forgot the lesson of my youth and traveled in July to work and have fun with my Indian colleagues.

I nearly died in India after that fun day. I got knocked off my horse. It took several weeks to get back up, but I did. And I may come off my horse again, but like my dad always taught me, I will get back on. I hope you do too.

Last summer I died in India, figuratively if not quite literally. And I'm glad..

I won't bore you with the details. Here's the nutshell. My wife and I traveled to New Delhi for work and fun to be followed a 9 day 30th anniversary celebration in Ireland on our way home. A health crisis intervened. I nearly died twice. I spent ten days in ICU under the care of the very capable physicians and other professionals at Max Hospital in New Delhi.

I lost more than just 25 pounds and 15 more since then. The person I was died there in that hospital bed. I returned with a renewed determination to waste no more time on the irrelevant and the unnecessary. I left behind a man of too much wasted time and too many unproductive habits. I came home with a new lease on life, and I wasn't going to waste it.

First and foremost, thanks go to my dear wife without whom I certainly would have died. Secondly great thanks go to all my Indian coworkers, several of whom participated in my rescue from certain death, and the management team back home who made sure that our every need was very well met.

This photo was taken of me a few weeks after our return to Utah. It's how I dressed as a young kid growing up on a farm and ranch. It's how my dad still dresses. It's my way of reminding myself to be more like him and focus on the important things in life while eliminating things that don't matter and just waste time.

Because my health crisis was in precipitated by my poor personal health habits of the past and a nasty intestinal infection contracted in my first few days in country, I've spent a good deal of time learning how to take better care of myself with a sensible diet and exercise, making good on a commitment to create a lifelong habit and avoid repeating my nightmare in New Delhi.

I stopped watching television. I stopped paying much attention to politics and I never waste time commenting on that topic. I spend more time with my family. I rise early and retire early. I spend time in personal study and devotions every day. And I strive to treat others, especially those with whom I work, as I would wish to be treated, with kindness and patience.

It has been a transformative experience. I grew so much closer to the great people on my teams and all those who took care of my wife while I fought off death in the hospital. I know I'm not the only one to have gone through something like this. There are many who emerge from such a health crisis changed, better, more alive than ever before. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to see from this perspective, though I recommend you take my word for it. And it sure beats looking up from six feet under.

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P.S. It's been nearly a year since I posted my last blog post. You can expect to see me posts more often. Most of my posts in this blog have been about software development. I'm thinking you'll see a mix of technology and personal posts in the future. I hope you don't mind.