It is early Tuesday and I just heard a radio report that made me very sad and very grateful. The reporter said that there were two fatalities this weekend of people traveling home from Idaho through Oregon. In one car a man on his way home to Portland died from his injuries while four others in the same car survived their injuries. Another man died when his car slid off the ice and rolled several times. I am so very sad for all the family and friends of these to men!
This tragic event makes me realize even more the great blessing it was to have three of my children travel back to their homes safely this past holiday weekend. We had a wonderful visit and that memory will live on unclouded by troubles during the return trip home. Other than the fresh reminder of just how far away we live from each other.
I love having them here with us! Thank you, thank you, thank you for making the journey East! I know that their safe passage was an answer to the prayers offered in their behalf!!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Garlands
Christmas garlands became a tradition in my home when my children were young. At the age of two or so my nephew had bitten a glass ornament from off their Christmas tree and a piece of glass caught in his throat which had to be removed by the doctor. Well that scared me so I took all of my breakable ornaments off the tree. Then one year while living in Snohomish I found some beautiful pine cone laden garlands in Costco that I could put up in my window 
and hang the breakable ornaments once again. Nowadays with the downsizing of my Christmas tree I have put my favorite and special handmade ornaments on the garlands. The red glittered strawberries were a gift from my mother when we lived in Marysville, the strawberry capital of Washington. The spindle was made by my Dad. The painted wooden tree is from a paint by number set I did when Catherine was little. My friend, Heather, would make an ornament each year for me. Mr & Mrs Santa Pig are from her, of course. The rope of wooden beads came from an after Christmas sale at The Bon. Megan made the origami star and the blue rocking horse is part of the paint by number set I mentioned earlier. I love how each ornament brings with it special memories. They bring fond memories of friends and family, special times and places. The ornaments may seem ordinary or even plain to the casual observer. However, to the one who holds those memories dear they are more than beautiful and their value is far greater than the material it is made with for they were each made and or given with love. And each year they are enjoyed increases their value and their treasured memories.
When I moved here there were more windows, doorways, and thresholds which of course necessitated the addition of more garlands. Each new garland has a theme of its own.
So much fun!
Prepare for Christmas
Coming home on Wednesday the 10th, after being away from home for 5 weeks helping family, my first thought was to just relax for a bit, however, I had a strong feeling that I should get my Christmas decorations up before I started anything else. I had no idea why but it seemed like a good idea to be prepared and then be able to relax. So we started decorating Friday morning. Then that evening I received a call from my oldest son that he needed help with tending his 3 year old son, Mason, and could I take care of him for 2-3 weeks. So we made arrangements to meet in the middle of the long road trip between our homes on Monday. Withe the decorations up we were able to spend our time playing with Mason and he really enjoyed the pretty lights too. Was I ever grateful for "the feeling" to get the decorations up.Isn't it wonderful that Holy Ghost would help me to make our preparations for Christmas earlier than usual this year. It is our tradition to put them up for Thanksgiving each year but never this early. I am so grateful for that prompting and have enjoyed the beauty of the Christmas lights every night since then.
Live in Thanksgiving Daily
Think for a moment, if you will, of someone you know who is truly happy. We've all met those who seem to radiate happiness. They seem to smile more than others; they laugh more than others -- just being around them makes us happier as well.
Now think of someone you know who isn't happy at all. Perhaps they seem 10 years older than they are, drained of energy -- perhaps they are angry or bitter or depressed.
What is the difference between them? What are the characteristics that differentiate the happy from the miserable? Is there something that unhappy people can do to be happier? I believe there is.
Let me tell you a story to illustrate this observation.
A long time ago in a faraway village lived a man who everyone did their very best to avoid. He was the type of person who believed that there was only one competent person in the world, and that one person was himself. Consequently, he was never satisfied with anything. His shoes never fit right. His shirt never felt comfortable. When his food wasn't too cold, it was too salty, and when it wasn't too hot, it was too bland. If a field wasn't sowed by himself, it was not sowed well. If he didn't close the door, the door was not closed properly. In short, he made a career of frowning, lecturing, criticizing, and mumbling about the incompetencies of every other person in the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, the man was married, which made matters all the worse. No matter what his wife did, in his eyes it was wrong. No matter what the unfortunate woman cooked, sewed, or cleaned -- or even when she milked the cow -- it was never satisfactory, and he let her know it. She tried very hard to be a good wife, but it seemed the harder she tried, the less she pleased him. Finally, one evening she could take no more. "I'll tell you what we'll do," she told him. "Tomorrow I will do your chores and you will do mine." "But you can't do my chores," the man replied. "You don't know the first thing about sowing, hoeing, and irrigating." But the woman was adamant. And on top of that, she was filled with a righteous anger that frankly astonished and frightened the man to the point where he didn't dare disagree.
So the next morning the wife went off to the fields and the man began the domestic chores. After thinking about it, he had actually convinced himself he was looking forward to it. Once and for all, he would demonstrate to his wife how things should be done. Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. In fact, nearly everything the man touched turned into disaster. He spilled the milk, let the pig get into the house, lost the cow, burned the dinner, and ultimately set the house on fire, narrowly escaping with his own life. When his wife returned, she discovered her husband sitting on a pile of ashes, smoke still rising from his clothes. But the woman wasn't the type to rub things in. She helped him up, wiped the soot from his beard, fixed him a little something to eat, and then prepared a bed of straw for them to sleep on. From that day forward, the man never complained about anyone or anything else for as long as he lived.
What do you suppose this story teaches us?
For one thing, it teaches that those who complain make their own and others' lives miserable. The story also teaches humility. It reminds us that "pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). It teaches us not to judge others until we walk in their shoes for a while.
In addition, the story illustrates a quality that the Roman orator Cicero claimed was "not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others" (Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pro Plancio, 54 b.c.). It is a quality I have found in every happy person I know. It is a quality that instantly makes a person more likable and more at peace. Where there is an abundance of this virtue, there is happiness. Where there is an absence of this virtue, there is often sadness, resentment, and futility.
The virtue I am speaking of is gratitude.
In our story, it was the absence of gratitude that made the man miserable. His inability to appreciate others caused him to be critical of their efforts. Not only did he not empathize with them, he could not allow himself to acknowledge their contributions.
The disasters that confronted him surely made him humble, but, more particularly, they made him appreciate and be grateful for his wife. Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable.
You might be surprised to know that gratitude is a commandment of the Father. "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things" (D&C 59:7), the Lord has commanded in these latter days. Even further, He has admonished that "in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments" (D&C 59:21).
In the Book of Mormon we learn that we should "live in thanksgiving daily" (Alma 34:38). Isn't that a wonderful thought to live in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if you lived in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if others did the same? Do you think the world would be a happier place? less stressful? less angry? more spiritual?
President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed: "The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!" (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 263).
Earlier I asked you to think of someone you knew who was truly happy. Think of the person again, if you will, and grade on this principle: Does he or she live in thanksgiving daily? Now think of someone you know who is unhappy or resentful. Does this person live in thanksgiving daily? It is difficult to even imagine a resentful person who is grateful or a grateful person who is resentful. President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: "Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief... "Where there is appreciation, there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without it there is arrogance and evil" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1964, 117).
By Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Sep. 2001, 6
I thought this was such a good article I just had to post it for all to read. I miss Elder Wirthlin!!!
Now think of someone you know who isn't happy at all. Perhaps they seem 10 years older than they are, drained of energy -- perhaps they are angry or bitter or depressed.
What is the difference between them? What are the characteristics that differentiate the happy from the miserable? Is there something that unhappy people can do to be happier? I believe there is.
Let me tell you a story to illustrate this observation.
A long time ago in a faraway village lived a man who everyone did their very best to avoid. He was the type of person who believed that there was only one competent person in the world, and that one person was himself. Consequently, he was never satisfied with anything. His shoes never fit right. His shirt never felt comfortable. When his food wasn't too cold, it was too salty, and when it wasn't too hot, it was too bland. If a field wasn't sowed by himself, it was not sowed well. If he didn't close the door, the door was not closed properly. In short, he made a career of frowning, lecturing, criticizing, and mumbling about the incompetencies of every other person in the rest of the world.
Unfortunately, the man was married, which made matters all the worse. No matter what his wife did, in his eyes it was wrong. No matter what the unfortunate woman cooked, sewed, or cleaned -- or even when she milked the cow -- it was never satisfactory, and he let her know it. She tried very hard to be a good wife, but it seemed the harder she tried, the less she pleased him. Finally, one evening she could take no more. "I'll tell you what we'll do," she told him. "Tomorrow I will do your chores and you will do mine." "But you can't do my chores," the man replied. "You don't know the first thing about sowing, hoeing, and irrigating." But the woman was adamant. And on top of that, she was filled with a righteous anger that frankly astonished and frightened the man to the point where he didn't dare disagree.
So the next morning the wife went off to the fields and the man began the domestic chores. After thinking about it, he had actually convinced himself he was looking forward to it. Once and for all, he would demonstrate to his wife how things should be done. Unfortunately, not everything went according to plan. In fact, nearly everything the man touched turned into disaster. He spilled the milk, let the pig get into the house, lost the cow, burned the dinner, and ultimately set the house on fire, narrowly escaping with his own life. When his wife returned, she discovered her husband sitting on a pile of ashes, smoke still rising from his clothes. But the woman wasn't the type to rub things in. She helped him up, wiped the soot from his beard, fixed him a little something to eat, and then prepared a bed of straw for them to sleep on. From that day forward, the man never complained about anyone or anything else for as long as he lived.
What do you suppose this story teaches us?
For one thing, it teaches that those who complain make their own and others' lives miserable. The story also teaches humility. It reminds us that "pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). It teaches us not to judge others until we walk in their shoes for a while.
In addition, the story illustrates a quality that the Roman orator Cicero claimed was "not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others" (Marcus Tullius Cicero, Pro Plancio, 54 b.c.). It is a quality I have found in every happy person I know. It is a quality that instantly makes a person more likable and more at peace. Where there is an abundance of this virtue, there is happiness. Where there is an absence of this virtue, there is often sadness, resentment, and futility.
The virtue I am speaking of is gratitude.
In our story, it was the absence of gratitude that made the man miserable. His inability to appreciate others caused him to be critical of their efforts. Not only did he not empathize with them, he could not allow himself to acknowledge their contributions.
The disasters that confronted him surely made him humble, but, more particularly, they made him appreciate and be grateful for his wife. Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable.
You might be surprised to know that gratitude is a commandment of the Father. "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things" (D&C 59:7), the Lord has commanded in these latter days. Even further, He has admonished that "in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments" (D&C 59:21).
In the Book of Mormon we learn that we should "live in thanksgiving daily" (Alma 34:38). Isn't that a wonderful thought to live in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if you lived in thanksgiving daily? Can you imagine how your life would improve if others did the same? Do you think the world would be a happier place? less stressful? less angry? more spiritual?
President Joseph F. Smith proclaimed: "The grateful man sees so much in the world to be thankful for, and with him the good outweighs the evil. Love overpowers jealousy, and light drives darkness out of his life. Pride destroys our gratitude and sets up selfishness in its place. How much happier we are in the presence of a grateful and loving soul, and how careful we should be to cultivate, through the medium of a prayerful life, a thankful attitude toward God and man!" (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 263).
Earlier I asked you to think of someone you knew who was truly happy. Think of the person again, if you will, and grade on this principle: Does he or she live in thanksgiving daily? Now think of someone you know who is unhappy or resentful. Does this person live in thanksgiving daily? It is difficult to even imagine a resentful person who is grateful or a grateful person who is resentful. President Gordon B. Hinckley has said: "Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief... "Where there is appreciation, there is courtesy, there is concern for the rights and property of others. Without it there is arrogance and evil" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1964, 117).
By Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Sep. 2001, 6
I thought this was such a good article I just had to post it for all to read. I miss Elder Wirthlin!!!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thankful for family!
Isn't it wonderful to be a member of a family? I am so grateful for my family; my parents, my sisters, my children, with all their many gifts and talents! It is so wonderful that some talents we can share and some we just admire and enjoy as an observer. Thank you for all of your many gifts and talents that you have shared with me!!! I have learned so much from each of you!!!
The Best of Times
I found this quote in a Mary Engelbreit book "Believe, Christmas Treasury" and it spoke to me. I hope it speaks to you as well.
"I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Chrismas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift along into the holidays -- let them overtake me unexpectedly -- waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myslf: 'Why, this is Christmas Day!'" By David Grayson
Christmas IS the best of times! There is such a special spirit upon the earth at Christmas time. I read somewhere that the Christmas season is celebrated in the spirit world along with us in the physical world. Maybe that is why there is such a different feeling at Christmas. I wish that we could enjoy that special spirit as a world all year long!
It has become a tradition in my house to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving so Emily can enjoy the decorations when she and Jared come to our house for Thanksgiving. And then Rudy and I can enjoy the specialness of the holidays longer as we enjoy looking at the lights and all the pretty ornaments each night. This year was no exception. I came home from helping Ed and Leslie in Georgia for 5 weeks and had a very strong impression that I should get my decorating before I start something else. I didn't realize that something else would be another grandchild. This time at my house! I have had Jamie's son, Mason, since Monday. It truly is the best of times!!! To spend so much time with my dear little ones!!! And Benjamin will be here for Thanksgiving! That will be all of them!!! What a lucky Granny I am!!!
"I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Chrismas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift along into the holidays -- let them overtake me unexpectedly -- waking up some fine morning and suddenly saying to myslf: 'Why, this is Christmas Day!'" By David Grayson
Christmas IS the best of times! There is such a special spirit upon the earth at Christmas time. I read somewhere that the Christmas season is celebrated in the spirit world along with us in the physical world. Maybe that is why there is such a different feeling at Christmas. I wish that we could enjoy that special spirit as a world all year long!
It has become a tradition in my house to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving so Emily can enjoy the decorations when she and Jared come to our house for Thanksgiving. And then Rudy and I can enjoy the specialness of the holidays longer as we enjoy looking at the lights and all the pretty ornaments each night. This year was no exception. I came home from helping Ed and Leslie in Georgia for 5 weeks and had a very strong impression that I should get my decorating before I start something else. I didn't realize that something else would be another grandchild. This time at my house! I have had Jamie's son, Mason, since Monday. It truly is the best of times!!! To spend so much time with my dear little ones!!! And Benjamin will be here for Thanksgiving! That will be all of them!!! What a lucky Granny I am!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)