Sketchbook: It's a tie

I don't remember how I came up with that number. Math was involved.

My dad would never untie his ties. Once a neckties of them was tied just right, he'd loosen it and slip it over his head to take if off or put it on. Anyone else do that?
 

The tie's the thing

Neckwear has a certain cachet amongst missionaries. Some ties have great meaning and hold a lot of sentimental (or sartorial) value. I have ties from my mission that I would never want to part with. Yet there are other ties that are practically disposable. I've got a few of those, too. That's why it's so sad to lose the ones you love.
 

Dressing for the position

Truth be told, there are very few boys in Primary who are concerned about their wardrobes.
 

Same same

I'm sure that's something most guys can relate to — those days when your tie just won't tie right. Last Sunday I tried three times to get my tie to be the right length. Then I gave up and decided to wear a sweater so it wouldn't matter.
 

Personalities

I guess you can use your socks, too. 
 

Sketchbook: These tieing times

Every time I visit Primary, there's that one kid who insists on wearing one of his dad's ties.
 

Light the World: Gifts from God

Today is about reflecting on the gifts God has given us, and giving thanks.

I couldn't help but revisit an old cartoon of mine and give it an appropriate update for 2020.
 

Sketchbook: It's a tie!

Missionaries often go to great lengths to protect their neckwear when dining. We've had several in our home who tuck the tie into their shirt, some who wear napkins like a bib, and one who slides his tie around to the back of his shirt. And upon more than one occasion, we've had to remind him to move it around to the front before he left our home.

Supply and demand

It's amazing how much meaning a simple piece of cloth can take on.

Personally, I have three ties that I brought home from my mission. Each holds a special place in my personal pantheon of neckwear. One was a gift from a member in my first area; another I bought at the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival; and the third is about the ugliest tie I've ever seen. It's been officially retired from the office Father's Day ugly tie contest. It's that good.

One of my sons left with a dozen ties and came home with nearly 100. And one of our local missions has banned a certain style of tie (the skinny pastel floral print) because among the missionaries it became like the Sneetches and their stars.

Missionaries form a close, personal attachment to some of their ties. Not only do they help recall people, places or events, they help recall how it felt to be a missionary. Maybe that's why we hold them so dear — they're the ties that bind.

That's gonna take a foot or two

Book of remembrance, ties of remembrance. It's a thing.

I've heard that there are some missionaries who collect signatures of their companions on the back of a tie, thus making it a tie of remembrance!

Smells of the season

Actually, I think scented ties could behind of a cool thing!

It's a tie!

There's a special bond between a missionary and his tie. It's one of the few expressions of individuality they get to have for two years.

A spot of gravy is a joy forever

One last look at Thanksgiving before we wander off into December.

Dress for the season

Halloween wasn't such a big thing where I served, but they did have a lot of interesting patterns for neckwear.  Therefore, I wore my scariest looking tie for Halloween. How scary is it? Well, it's won a couple of ugly tie contests since then, and it has its own secret hiding place so my wife won't throw it away when I'm not looking!

Ties that bind

There's no feeling like the one you get when your kids ties his own tie for the first time.

There's also no feeling like trying to untie said tie, because they probably did it wrong!

Fashion cycles

Every missionary faces some sort of challenges! 

The Legacy

There aren't a lot of ways for missionaries to express their individuality and their personality -- outside of neckwear. While there are guidelines, sometimes the interpretation of those guidelines can get pretty broad.

One of my sons came home from his mission with a big garbage bag full of ugly ties that he'd collected over his two years. I don't know if he wanted to keep them, or just couldn't get rid of them.

I've also heard of districts or zones that have ugly tie contests. Some of them, while still within the guidelines, were awfully awful!

Next time you meet a missionary -- the elders, that is -- check out his tie. It will tell you a lot about who he is.

Family ties, or thanks, Dad!

When my son was little (like maybe two years old), he wanted to wear a "real" tie, not one of those clip-on things. And not just any tie; it had to be the Looney Toons tie. I tied it as small as I could. The knot was as wide as his neck, the tip almost as wide as his tummy. But, hey, he was a big boy now, wearing a big tie like his dad and his brothers!

My dad always kept his ties tied. Tie 'em once and you're done was his motto. At the end of the day he'd loosen his tie, slip it over his head and hang it on his tie rack. Now I see a couple of my boys doing the same thing. But even now, my youngest will come in to borrow one of my ties, even though he's got a decent collection of his own. He just wants to be a big boy.

Thanks to all of my sons who allow me to be their dad! Happy Father's Day!