Personal Journal — October 2026
October 2, 2026: What a red letter day! We received word from our great son, James, that he PASSED HIS JOURNEYMAN ELECTRICIAN EXAM!! He has been laboring for this day for several years! We are so happy for him. This will mean a pay increase, great on-site responsibilities, and increased benefits. He also told us that he has recently been promoted to shop and warehouse foreman at his work, with the responsibility of keeping supplies and stocks of all the needed electrical equipment. We couldn’t be happier for him. What a great time for James and Cheyenne, with this great news, and the incredible move from their apartment in southeast St. George to their own home in LaVerkin, near Hurricane. They will be able to have animals, a huge garden, and a wonderful backyard for Hazer and subsequent children.
October 4, 2026: The oldest daughter of our neighbors, the Kaynes, received a full-time mission call several weeks ago. She will be serving in Nagoya, Japan, and she is so excited. She is a sweet, faithful young woman and has been such a wonderful example to her siblings and those in our ward. She is an angel. Susan and I have done several things to encourage her in her preparations to serve, and she sent this sweet email to us soon after she entered the MTC: “Thank you!! That is so kind. I actually was going to email you separately this last week brother Taylor- but things were crazy and I may have forgotten. We were asked to think about someone who has been an example of Christ’s virtue of charity in our lives, and I immediately thought of you! You’re always showing kindness to me and my family, and everyone in our ward. It’s been a really good example to me– you’re really someone I look up to and want to be like. I love your wife too – you’re both amazing people. Thank you for everything you do! — Sister Kayne”
October 4, 2026 — Words cannot express what a joy it is to bask in the spirit of General Conference every 6 months. This weekend has been full of the Spirit, listening to our prophetic leaders invite us to come unto the Savior, through words and action. What a blessing it is to be part of this glorious work. We heard talks on the evils of gambling, how to deal with the sadness of having family members and loved ones step away from the Gospel, and how to deal with the challenges and sorrows that are part of mortality.
October 15, 2026 — I can hardly type the following words due to indescribable sorrow. I have chosen not to elucidate on the very sad events that we became aware of in the past few days, but it is amazing how past events and actions in people’s lives can come back to haunt and ruin current situations. We can only rely on prayer, faith, setting a good example, and patience at this point.
October 17, 2026 — This was the weekend of our semi-annual stake conference. We held the priesthood leadership session on this Saturday morning. I had been asked to play the piano for this meeting and I was grateful for the opportunity. The highlight of the meeting was a talk by the wonderful 2nd counselor in our Stake Presidency, President Taiseni Lesa. President Lesa is of Samoan descent. He related an amazing story from his father’s life. I have included the story in my Uplifting Stories section of my website. It is under the title, ‘Samoan Miracle’ and can be viewed by clicking here. Here are some inspiring thoughts from our Sunday morning session of conference: 1) Regarding family members who have strayed from or left the Church — ‘We may not be able to change their minds or their lives, but God can!’ 2) Invite family members who have strayed to come back, but do so without pressure or coercion. 3) Trust the Savior to bless those we love. 4) BEHOLD your little ones – see them as the Savior sees them. 5) President Gagon, the current President of the Orem Utah Temple related the fact that a few months before he was called to serve as the temple president, he was walking in the temple and he received the distinct impression and spiritual message that he would be called to serve as the next president of the Orem. He dismissed that thought as quickly as it came, but he soon received the same message a second time. 6) “You are the sky – everything else is just weather.” 7) “If something is worth doing, it is worth doing imperfectly.” 8) Be quick to help and slow to judge. 9) President Miles challenged us to discard from our lives the unneeded and even improper things that might be slowing us down spiritually, similar to throwing old or rotten food out of a refrigerator.
October 21, 2026 — Steven and Emily welcomed a new little baby girl into their lives on this day. They are going to name her Cora Novi Taylor, and she is a beautiful little angel. Everything went smoothly with the labor and delivery. Cora was born early in the morning. We went to see the new little one later that day, and she is very precious. We are praying that Steven, Emily, and Cora can find happiness, unity, and love as a family.
October 24, 2026 — We had a beautiful experience today. My wonderful friend from my anesthesia days, Gina Taylor, invited us to come to the baptismal service of her sweet grandson, Kai. It was held in Santaquin and it was a joy to be there. I had the privilege of watching Gina and her husband, Nate Taylor, come into and embrace the gospel. We were able to attend their sealing in the temple several years ago, and now here we were at the baptism of one of their grandsons. I sent the following text to Gina after the services: “Sweet friend Gina, What an honor and a delight to be with you, Kai, and your family today. I cannot tell you how my heart swelled with gratitude and love as I watched your family members participate in this very important event. All of you radiate the gospel and the light of the Savior in your eyes and countenances. To have witnessed the tender mercies of the Lord in your life, in Nate’s life, and in your family members’ lives has been one of the great blessings of my life. Thank you so much for who you are, and for your incredible righteous and uplifting influence in my life. I will be expecting an invitation to a missionary farewell in about 10 years! Much love, dear friend. From Dr. Taylor.” Gina’s response: “Thank you! I am so glad you were there. You have been an influence in my life more than you will ever know. You can count on an invitation. Love you guys.”
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