2010 almost over...
9 days til Christmas and 15 days til 2010 is over. Its been a tough year. I've been trying to focus on all the good this year dreadful has produced. You know, the things I'm grateful for, and there are many. Like running water and 2 hands to serve others.
Jonathan served an honorable mission and returned home safely.. Stan, Joe and Jonathan have good jobs. John's job at the Bank is thriving. Haley's had a great testimony building year, youth conference was her highlight. Nick's soccer team won the Championship. Nate got the job he wanted at Sundance. Mandy and Nate got a much better place to live. My Smoochy knows who I am and will talk to me on ichat.
Technology...I'm ever so grateful for technology.
I was talking to a close friend the other night. She has a lot of pioneer heritage (as do I, I'm just not as familiar as she, with it) none the less, we often talk about how challenging it must have been especially for the exodus west with the Martin Willie Handcart company.
How did they do it? The cold and snow and having babies on the trail then burying babies and husbands on that same trail, we can't even image the grief, heavy hearts mixed with hope they must have felt. I wondered out loud while we were chatting, about what the pioneers in heaven must be thinking or saying 'up there' looking down on us, about our day. Do they shake their heads like they can't image the pain of addictions over coming so many good members, men of God even and so many broken homes, and evils of technology sitting right in our homes. Do they image that they could never have gone through these last, very last days? Do they say burying a baby that will go straight to heaven was nothing compared to sending your child to drug rehab unsure if he would fully recover and come back to Christ. Afterwards, with thoughts still floating in my head, it has made me more grateful for the good in my life. I believe, as Joseph Smith taught, that ingratitude is the greatest sin of this generation- I will always be grateful. Maybe 2011 will be the year of Gratitude expressed, passed on, paid forward for our family. The goal of remembering the who, the why and what we are to do to be like Him. Yep Daily Gratitude-2011... that's the goal.
How did they do it? The cold and snow and having babies on the trail then burying babies and husbands on that same trail, we can't even image the grief, heavy hearts mixed with hope they must have felt. I wondered out loud while we were chatting, about what the pioneers in heaven must be thinking or saying 'up there' looking down on us, about our day. Do they shake their heads like they can't image the pain of addictions over coming so many good members, men of God even and so many broken homes, and evils of technology sitting right in our homes. Do they image that they could never have gone through these last, very last days? Do they say burying a baby that will go straight to heaven was nothing compared to sending your child to drug rehab unsure if he would fully recover and come back to Christ. Afterwards, with thoughts still floating in my head, it has made me more grateful for the good in my life. I believe, as Joseph Smith taught, that ingratitude is the greatest sin of this generation- I will always be grateful. Maybe 2011 will be the year of Gratitude expressed, passed on, paid forward for our family. The goal of remembering the who, the why and what we are to do to be like Him. Yep Daily Gratitude-2011... that's the goal.
