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Love That Holds Without Holding On

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There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think of them. Some of the clearest, warmest memories I have are from those early days—small kids with big eyes, tiny hands clumsily scooping rice and scattering tortilla chips like confetti, completely enamored with their balloon animals. We were in Midway, eating at Tarahumara, and afterward, they each took turns getting their faces painted by the local clown. I can still picture how still they sat, completely mesmerized, proud of their designs when it was done. Those moments are etched in my mind—not because it was dramatic, but because it was real. Joyful. Pure. They were so little—maybe two, maybe four—but even then, they carried a kind of quiet magic. Just being near them made me feel like I had a purpose. That love didn’t vanish with time. It didn’t fade with silence. It’s still here—steady and stubborn. A lot went wrong. Maybe from the outside, it looks like I moved on. But the truth is, I just learned to carry the weight dif...
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When Conviction Becomes a Captivity

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I’ve been carrying a weight in my heart lately. Between headlines and personal wounds, I feel the tension in our world pressing in. And more than ever, it seems we’re confronted by a chilling truth: some people are so sure they’re right—so convinced their version of reality is the only one—that they’ll destroy anyone they see as an obstacle. “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd.” — Voltaire Voltaire’s words remind us that doubt may feel uncomfortable, but it’s essential. The moment we trade doubt for absolute certainty, we step onto dangerous ground—where our “rightness” becomes a weapon instead of a guide. Look at the Michigan church attack. A gunman entered a house of worship, opened fire, and set it ablaze. His reasoning was grimly simple: the people inside weren’t just wrong; they were enemies. I’ve felt that same spirit closer to home. I’ve been attacked, my loved ones threatened, my business dragged through the mud—not because of what I’ve done, but bec...
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Location: Springville, UT 84663, USA
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Why I Run Toward Hard Things

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Most people avoid hard things. I run toward them. That’s not because I enjoy pain or frustration — I don’t. Challenges exhaust me, frustrate me, and sometimes leave me wondering why I put myself through them. But they also help define me. Every time I face something that could break me — whether it’s hate, lies, or negativity — I refuse to give in. I won’t let someone else’s darkness dictate who I am. It reminds me of a passage from Theodore Roosevelt that Brené Brown often shares, words that have stayed with me: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; wh...
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Location: Springville, UT, USA
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Why I Chose to Build Instead of Break | Jason Pedersen

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In loving memory of my father.   Nothing triggered this decision for me—it’s how I was raised. As a toddler, I was weak and sick. Chronic asthma put me in the hospital more times than I can count. My parents could have coddled me, but they didn’t. They taught me to fight for my life. They made me believe that I am not defined by my illnesses, my past, or even my mistakes. Me—and only me—determines who I am. My life is worth fighting for, no matter the challenges, the hate, or the attacks. And I’ve had plenty of those. Lies, negativity, people trying to pull me down—it happens. But I refuse to let that define me. I refuse to give up. As a sick kid, I learned that strength doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built. That’s why I spent my summers in the backcountry with my dad, riding horses, living among grizzly bears, and sleeping in a tent for three months out of the year. That’s why I became the captain of my high school swim team—not because it was easy, but because I knew swimmin...
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Location: Springville, UT, USA
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Built from the Ashes

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Not every battle leaves visible scars. Some are stitched into your story. This is mine.   By Jason Pedersen I wasn’t made in comfort. I was forged. Bent. Burned. In the kind of fire that doesn't just scar you—it reshapes you. People think steel is strong. But they don’t know the strength it takes to keep getting up when you’ve got no one to call. I’ve learned the hard way— that not everyone who shakes your hand would catch you if you fell. Some build ladders to climb with you. Others wait for the moment they can kick yours out. I’ve carried weight most men won’t talk about. Loss that still echoes in my bones. Lies told about me that spread like wildfire, while truth smoldered in silence, unheard. I’ve built things with my hands while my heart broke quietly in the background. Kept promises I made to ghosts. And kept going long after the fuel ran out— because quitting’s never been in my blood, even if pain has. You want to know what loneliness is? It’s finishi...
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How I Got Into Fabrication (and Why I Never Left)

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Jason Pedersen welding at Titan Forge fabrication shop in Utah  I didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a metal fabricator. I didn’t plan on welding for a living, or designing parts in AutoCAD, or running a quarter-million-dollar laser CNC machine. My background was in building and running tech companies — everything from healthcare IT to internet marketing, drone sales, and service. But life doesn’t care about your résumé. It hands you opportunities. And if you’re lucky (or desperate), you take them. My first real step into fabrication was working for a friend’s startup. We were building high-end tech for the oil industry — prototypes, enclosures, custom tools — stuff that had to function under pressure and look like it belonged in a NASA lab. It wasn’t glamorous. It was long hours, tight tolerances, and constant problem-solving. But I loved it. I loved watching a design I drew in AutoCAD become something I could touch, test, and improve. I loved solving problems with metal, with ge...
Location: Springville, UT, USA
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PRESS RELEASE: Titan Forge LLC Builds Momentum in Utah Metal Fabrication Market

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“Originally published on UtahWelder.com . Reposted here for reach and transparency.” Springville, Utah – July 2025 – From a small garage startup to a fully equipped fabrication shop, Titan Forge LLC is forging a name for itself in Utah’s steel fabrication industry. Founded by Jason Pedersen, the Springville-based business has already completed dozens of projects for local residents and companies — including custom spiral staircases, commercial stairwells, shop tables, handrails, and architectural window awnings. “I started welding in my garage just over a year ago,” says Pedersen. “I had no investors, no team — just a passion for building and the drive to create something real. Every day at the shop now brings a new opportunity, and I’m grateful for all of it.” Launching Titan Forge meant more than learning how to run a fabrication business — it meant doing so under public scrutiny, targeted online harassment, and the constant pressure to prove his worth. Pedersen didn’t just push thr...
Location: Springville, UT, USA
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