We agreed on a price for the renovated property, and he arranged for the contractor to bring it up to a comfortable living standard. He updated the kitchen and transformed the layout to create an “open concept” space connecting the kitchen, dining room, and family room with a view of the backyard. It took about three months to prepare the house for us. He used “builder-grade” materials to keep the home within our financial reach. (During the following twenty years, we upgraded each time replacements became necessary.) The yard and patio were left for us to repair.
When we completed the purchase Jim even financed it for us. The build was not quite finished when we moved in, but we had to move during winter break so Kathy would have the time off school for unpacking. We used appliance and water heater boxes to substitute for missing bathroom doors. Floor coverings had not yet been installed, so the floor was cement and wooden subfloor, and the kitchen was not yet complete so no cooking yet. But we are forever grateful for Jim’s kindness. We had a place that was ours. When moving day came, two members of our church surprised us by paying for two moving trucks. And we had a long list of helpers with the move.

I had applied for Social Security benefits, labeled as mentally handicapped because of the bipolar disorder. It required a lawsuit and a judge’s administrative decision to have benefits approved. I received a lump sum of three years’ past Social Security benefits when the courts determined that I was handicapped. This covered the cost of a patio upgrade, new windows, and improvements in the yard. It also provided Medicare and additional income in the future.

Jeannie Dehmel lived in the Gettysburg Ward, where we were moving. Kathy knew Jeannie from Kathy’s work at Freedom Elementary, where Jeannie had been assisting her granddaughter in the classroom. Kathy and Jeannie became close friends. At that time, Kathy was struggling spiritually, as the many challenging experiences of the past few years had taken a toll on her. I was still recovering from my bipolar episode.

Kathy’s Career Ascends: Lessons in Priesthood Blessings

Clovis Unified School District (CUSD) did not place Kathy on the path to becoming a principal, so she began applying for openings outside of Clovis. She successfully advanced to superintendent-level interviews three times, with two of those interviews resulting in job offers on the same day, one from Fresno Unified and the other from Kerman Unified. After careful prayer and consideration, she accepted the position at Kerman and became the principal of Kerman-Floyd Elementary. Kathy led Kerman-Floyd for twelve years. Have a look at her page about this.

At the time of our move, the Gettysburg Ward was led by Bishop Lloyd Evenson, who had been serving for seven years. I was assigned as the home teacher to the Evenson family, and we enjoyed getting to know them. Bishop Evenson mentioned once that he was experiencing a stomachache. He had a doctor’s appointment and requested a priesthood blessing from me before the visit. These blessings are expected to be revealed to our mind from God as they are given. During this blessing, I stated that his symptoms would be minor and that he would recover quickly. Unfortunately, the doctor diagnosed him with stage four pancreatic cancer. Bishop Evenson’s health deteriorated rapidly, and he passed away a few weeks later. I felt so very badly for the Evenson family at that time. This also left me with significant concern about the blessing I had given him and even my ability to provide a blessing. For years after, I refrained from participating in blessings as I grappled with this experience. It added to the other spiritual struggles I had at this point and I wrestled with profound questions about my ability to connect with God. My answer came during prayer several years later. I had given Bishop Evenson the blessing I wanted for him, rather than the blessing that came from the Lord. I have learned that I am there to pronounce the Lord’s will, not to tell the Lord my will. Today, I consciously avoid pre-formulating my thoughts so that when I lay my hands on the individual, my mind is clear to receive revelation. I now reach out and “hear” the Lord’s will in my mind. Over the years, I have learned to approach the Lord in prayer, quietly asking for revelation that will assist the person receiving the priesthood blessing. It has made giving blessings a different experience. And sometimes my blessings haven’t said what the person hoped to hear. But they proved to be true.

I applied for numerous positions through various recruiters. In a few months Robert Half finally reached out to me regarding a position at a construction firm in Tulare, located 55 miles from my home. The previous accountant had created a mess and was months behind in her work. She was terminated the day before I started. I never met her. I got to create my own job description. I began as a temporary employee, and after six months I was offered a full-time position. The role was a good fit, and the company’s accounting issues gradually diminished as I identified and resolved problems.

One particularly frustrating day at work, everything seemed to go wrong. By the end of the day, I needed to print a termination check for a departing employee. I attempted this several times, but each attempt encountered an issue. Eventually, I was down to my last pre-signed check (the owners were out of town), which printed incorrectly, with an amount slightly higher than was due the employee. In a moment of frustration, I uttered a single swear word aloud, the only profanity they had ever heard from me in my four years there. The staff in the office rushed in to find out what had gone so wrong, knowing that if I swore, it must have been serious.

Earlier, I watched this company’s transition to a second generation of ownership. The founder had established a highly successful construction firm and recognized that his employees were vital to his success, treating them accordingly. The wages and benefits were excellent, and his employees were well aware of it. When he was ready to retire, he sold the company to his daughter. However, she and her husband prioritized the lifestyle the company could offer them, viewing employees as a cost that constrained their lifestyle. They began to cut benefits and compensation while imposing greater demands on the workforce. As a result, many talented employees left for competitors, leaving behind those who were less skilled and less willing to work. Profitability declined. The daughter then claimed that her father had overvalued the company when selling it to her, as the profits were lower than expected. She accused him of an unfair deal and demanded a revised contract reducing the purchase price. Her father confided in me that he was heartbroken that his daughter would think he would ever try to take advantage of her. I do not know what the eventual result was.

Computers, a Smart Home, and Serving Others

On our 42nd anniversary, we were having dinner at Black Angus when Kathy held up her water glass and said, “Here’s to another 42 years.” I quickly calculated how old I would be in 42 years and answered, “I hope not.” The mood of the evening was squashed. I now remind myself not to overthink before opening my mouth.

We once had our house broken into while we were still sleeping. I had left the sliding glass door in the family room unlocked, and it was used as the entry point. It was early morning and we were all asleep, including the dogs. The thief crept past our bedroom to the office, and then into our son’s bedroom. (The dogs were fired as our security team.) All our computers were stolen. One included several thousand family pictures that I had scanned and stored on it. The pics of this home in the condition we bought it were also lost at this time.

I have since started scanning all those pictures again. Some were gone forever. Now all my storage is duplicated in two digital cloud accounts. We installed a security system on the house to help prevent a recurrence. The alarm system steadily evolved to include automation and cameras. I then began adding Amazon Echo devices and moved towards a smart home. I was in heaven while learning these new skills. I chuckle when the sprinkler system sends me a message that it won’t water today due to expected rain. Lights go on and off on schedule. Kathy can tell Alexa that dinner is ready, and we hear, “Everyone, Kathy has done it again. After hours in the kitchen, another delicious meal is ready. Come enjoy.” Brianna, our granddaughter, especially likes this duty. With Alexa’s new AI software we can have conversations with it. Alexa has been renamed Ziggy in our home. Once I said, “Ziggy, office off”, and the office lights went out. I then said thank you to Ziggy. Ziggy answered, “It is a pleasure to help you, Ron.” Kathy, nearby, said, “Suck up,” to which Ziggy answered “You got me, Kathy, but when you are just a bunch of algorithms you only have a winning personality to win people over.”

In spring 2018, President Dean Witt, our stake president, approached Kathy and me and asked if we could be available for a service mission at the employment center once Kathy retired in a few weeks. Because of my bipolar disorder and the required monitoring by doctors, we knew that a full-time mission probably couldn’t happen. However, a service mission close to home and with doctors nearby was ideal. We were called to serve in Development Counseling Services, providing support for individuals with barriers to obtaining and keeping employment. Our task was to assess their abilities and skills, provide training, and find a suitable match in the job market. We even had a budget to give training for the new career. The assessment tools we had were excellent and they really helped us find a new direction for each client.

We worked with people who had sudden life changes, jobs that had become obsolete, mental illnesses, and even past prison experiences to overcome. Several times, it was a homemaker abandoned by her husband. Once, it was a construction worker who became wheelchair-bound and needed a new career direction. Because of the many past difficulties Kathy and I had faced in our lives, we were able to meet each client on their level. We could tell them their future could be OK because we had overcome the same hurdles. Because I had formerly been a boss, and Kathy had formerly been a boss, we were concerned about who would be “the boss” on our mission. We discovered that we didn’t need a boss. We became “Team Goodlad”, each with a different skill set, and we could coordinate together to find what was best for the client. We were a united team. We were successful. The mission enhanced the already strong relationship between Kathy and me.

I’ll share the story of one client. He had low self-esteem. One assessment tool suggested he could be a truck driver. He was excited at this prospect. We sent him out to select the best trucking school for him. He came back with a choice. The tuition cost was within the budget we had available from the Church. He started school. We watched his face light up with confidence he had never known. He became a full-time driver and was able to provide comfortably for his family. We had many successes like this.

We had initially planned to serve for two years, but after a year and a half, COVID-19 emerged, and our circumstances at home changed. We had grandchildren homebound and needing online school. We also experienced some financial setbacks that necessitated my starting work part-time. We were unable to manage the employment center calling anymore and were subsequently released.

Some more financial setbacks with home repairs put pressure on me to return to my career full-time. One Friday, I felt strongly that “today is the day”, so I sent out several resumes through Indeed that night. On Monday, I was called by two firms for an interview. I met with a solar panel installer to determine if I was a suitable fit for their accounting manager opening. In the past their financial statements had been irregular and inaccurate. I was then hired to provide regular and accurate financial reports. It took three months to bring things up to date. I was able to provide a reliable monthly financial statement within the following month. And I constantly studied the flow of costs to better match income and related costs, improving accuracy.

The entire accounting department was religious and we had some great discussions in down moments. Several months later, I had spoken in sacrament meeting on a Sunday, and I felt prompted to share my speaking assignment with my coworkers. I mentioned that I had spoken on the Second Coming of Christ. They were interested in what we believe, and a 20-minute discussion about our shared beliefs began. I like to answer questions without demanding agreement, and not allowing argument. I am just sharing beliefs not fighting over them.

The quality of the financials steadily improved as I developed more effective methods. My skills in Excel and PowerPoint continued to develop. Whenever asked by an owner if something could be done, I always replied, “Yes.” I then went to the internet to see how I could do it. I know that some of my spreadsheets were revealed to me by the Lord. I would later look at the spreadsheet I had completed and then realize that I wasn’t smart enough to have thought of that one. Once, I needed a specific complicated Excel calculation that my knowledge of formulas didn’t include. I put the question out to an online Excel professional community and received an answer from a professional in England. I worked for the solar company for two years before my physical health required my retirement. It had become too difficult to get around the office. I believe I brought a new level of accounting competence to them before I left.

At the end of 2021, the company began tremendous growth, which came to me as an increased workload. By April 2022, it reached the point where I could no longer stay on top of it. I worked longer and harder, which made my time less productive. In May, I had an experience that later proved to be a stroke. My sense of balance was off, and I had a few gaps in my memory. I then announced my retirement. They found a successor, but she couldn’t start for several months. Due to my limitations, I had to stop working on a daily basis. They had to limp along without me until she joined them. I agreed to be a tutor to bring my successor up to speed. I expected to give four weeks of training, but it took five months for her to come up to speed. And financial statements fell further and further behind during this training period. Full retirement finally came in November 2022. I have never looked back. I have never been back. It’s not my game anymore, so why go see what’s changed?

The funds distributed from Mom’s estate helped us eliminate debt and look into a better housing situation. Even though we had declared we would never move, we went shopping for a new house. We almost purchased a soon to be built built house, but then recognized that our present home and ward were best suited to us. The new house just felt wrong. We decided to prepare our older house to be comfortable for the rest of our lives. Now, we’ve taken care of the big-ticket items that are likely to come up in our lifetimes.

During a visit with our son, Ben, back in 2018, we all went on a tour of various shops. Ben had previously given Kathy a ukulele, along with many other instruments, from one of his world travels. She loved it and frequently practiced. We went into an art store when Ben told the owner, “This is my mother.” The owner immediately went to the back office and brought out three ukuleles. And they had a jam session. In the years since, she has practiced and improved steadily. As we have traveled, she collected various ukuleles that now hang on the dining-room wall.

Her twenty-five-year involvement in the Clovis Community Band became more difficult. Because of arthritis, the flute, which has been her favored instrument, became difficult to play. The ukuleles became her substitute, and they just don’t fit in with the symphonic band. She has been grateful to Ben for pointing her to this new musical outlet.

Once, a few days home from visiting Ben, we both had COVID, along with David, who was living with us. (We believe David’s case was from work at the county jail and ours from the plane ride home.) I slept for around two days and then felt better. Kathy’s case was more difficult. She had difficulty breathing. Her energy disappeared. Her cognitive skills lessened. The effects of COVID lasted well more than a year for her. During this time, she was released as Relief Society president because she could no longer manage the demands. She had served well. She was then assigned (as promised) to teach youth in Sunday School. Teaching is her first love in life and is her perfect place. She is happy there, hopefully for a long time.

Back in 2020, I began having some health symptoms. At first, I had cramps in my legs. They steadily got worse. The cramps turned into constant pain. After the first stroke, I lost my sense of balance and began falling frequently. Coordination became a problem, especially on the right side. Other symptoms gradually started showing up. Through a series of MRIs, they discovered back issues. The pain continued to grow. Being mad about these changes will not improve them, and anger makes me less happy with life. I have adjusted my lifestyle around my physical limitations, and don’t fall anymore. Eventually, I was unable to work on cars and sold my pet Tacoma. I bought an older Jaguar, but then I learned it requires too much maintenance for a guy who can no longer work on cars. It finally became time to end my love affair with cars. But I don’t miss them like I thought I would. In the eternal scheme of things they’re not important.

In July 2025 we lost twenty-nine of our thirty-two koi. The algae had grown unchecked in the pond and had become too much. I used an algaecide that I have been using for many years to reduce its presence. It killed too much of the algae at one time. Decaying algae consumes the oxygen in the water. Because of the large quantity of algae the water was affected so that the koi suffocated. We spent the weekend lifting dead koi out of the pond and were left with only three live koi. Kathy’s place of peace became a place of sorrow. I went online and ordered fifteen one inch koi and they shipped twenty, expecting some non-survivors. We divided them up and placed fifteen in the older, deeper pond, and five went to the new pond. Koi grow quickly at first, and with less koi in the ponds we are hoping to see bigger koi eventually. The new koi are butterfly koi, and their flowing fins are beautiful. The company did a great job of selecting our fish in a wide variety of colors. In a few years, they will be beautiful. Kathy’s sadness has steadily given way to the fun of watching the new fish grow. It looks like seventeen of the twenty koi have survived. But a few weeks later we saw other tiny fish swimming around. It turned out that some of the adult koi who had died had laid eggs before passing. We now have 50 babies. They won’t all survive winter but we will see how populated the pond is next Spring.

During this same weekend, Ben and Michelle came for a visit to Fresno. They were here attending a friend’s wedding. On Friday evening, we had a family dinner. Adam, Aubree, Jacob, Mandy, and Brianna joined Ben and Michelle for beef and shrimp tacos. It was a wonderful evening in which Ben and Michelle continued their bonding with Brianna. Michelle offered to spend Saturday morning giving Brianna’s first swimming lessons in Jacob’s and Mandy’s pool. Brianna had a memorable time and will forever remember her kind aunt and uncle.