Happy New Year! As each year ends, I am finally trying to embrace the excitement of new things to come instead of trying hold onto the time that is so rapidly slipping away. I am trying to resist mourning the passage of each year and look for the positives ahead. It is hard, but I am catching the spirit of it. I actually feel excitement bubbling up inside and it is starting to drown out my feelings of wariness about things to come. I want to make plans and do great things-even if the great things are only as a result of small acts.
Keeping this in mind, I want to move forward; steadily so. The time I was so blessed to spend with family and loved ones during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons fuel my desire to move forward and continue good, worthwhile and valuable things; not just busy-ness. There are times that the things of the world chill me to the core. Building the good and focusing on the positives helps to dull the edginess of the scary things in the world.
Christmas Eve tradition at the Summers-sky lanterns
Ever the darling couple
Love this daddy of mine!
Hi Merdie!
This year was extra special-a tribute to my grandmother who left us this summer to be with her true love in heaven.
Among other fun, well spent, uplifting, heart-touching activities, our family got to watch the Disney movie Tomorrowland again. This came out in theaters in the summer and we loved it then, so we bought it for Christmas. I love the whole sense of adventure, dreaming, creating, and problem solving in the movie. There were some political moments but overall the theme is to keep dreaming and figuring out solutions instead of focusing on all the problems in the world. It suggested that Humans have an apocalyptic nature anymore-the more horrifying and sensational it is, the more we move toward it. And instead of looking for solutions, we just jump onto the next big tragedy and inject ourselves into it by our relationship to it-no matter how far removed. This movie was about DREAMING. It was about overcoming tragedy and working toward fixing things TOGETHER as best we can with hope and ideas. I loved it. It inspired me. I'm energized by it. BONUS: George Clooney is in it!
Figuring out how to do great things and keep the momentum is the query I am faced with. I believe in random acts of kindness, words with filled with meaning, simple moments of courage, and paying it forward. I believe in hope and that maybe once in a great while I can give it to someone. I believe one person can make a difference and sometimes even change the future. Those are my options, those are my plans. Paying it forward should give the momentum and hopefully will inspire others to do the same. Bring it New Year! I'm excited. And grateful.
What is Christmas? What is it to you? What brings you Christmas joy? Me? Just to name a few things...
Temple Square Tabernacle after my wonderful brother-in-law's Christmas recital.
My beautiful Buddy the Elf-spreading Christmas cheer
A gift from one of my kindergarteners-"it's a candy cane...all you have to do is add red stripes!"
My little Christmas gazebo
I love this time of year. I'm sure anyone who knows me knows this is true. I revel in every single aspect of it. But I acknowledge that sometimes this most wonderful time of the year brings stress, fatigue, loneliness and even dread to some. It actually brings out the bah-humbug in some of the best of otherwise happy, light-giving people. While I understand that there is true loneliness around the holidays, I have a hard time wrapping my head around the less desirable feelings about Christmastime...the dread-ism, bah-humbug-ism, stress-ism, and most of all the perceived "commercialism". That one I just do not get.
I'm not trying to be insensitive. I think commercialism is a word that somebody made up to express frustration about companies wanting the consumer's money. Then the consumer glommed onto it and made it an issue. It doesn't have to be. Commercialism, like so, so many other things in life, is a choice. Your choice.
There are so many things we think Christmas needs to be; a time filled with activities, gifts, people, shopping, treats, programs, events, and...dare I say it...perfection. These things can be good, wonderful, joy rendering things...until we get carried away with these expectations and soon the stress of having to produce this kind of perfection gets to be a little much. Add to that the idea of "commercialism" and you have a wonderful time of the year gone bad. But you can fix this. You can be joyful.
I don't buy into the idea of commercialism. Yes, companies want your money. No, you don't have to give it to them, even under the guise of needing the "perfect gift." I choose time with loved ones, I choose thought over price, I choose heart over expectations, and I even choose thoughtfulness over perfection. It lends me much more time to enjoy the season. And I can assure you I do enjoy it!
May I suggest that when you see the lights, revel in the magic. When you see the displays, marvel at the time that went into creating a visual statement of happiness. When you hear the songs, be tickled by the charm of a happy tune, or the reverence of a tribute to baby Jesus. When you see the jolly man in a red suit, be grateful he teaches not about presents, but about giving and loving. The true meaning of Christmas. Giving, sharing, loving with the light that came with you as part of your package. Letting God's light shine through you.
Commercial-ism? How about commercial-ISN'T? Find the joy in that.
And in case you haven't found the joy yet...watch this!
I have been pondering the meaning of patience for quite some time. With each day that passes, the word patience grows in meaning and in my understanding. Talking with my wise child, Meghan has also provided me with some amazing insights. The concept of patience involves so much more than I can even now comprehend. It is huge. It plays a major role in our lives and in our progression.
I was one of those girls who thought I would be married right out of high school. It took a few years past that
to land this treasure of a husband.The wait for this wonderful guy brought me the joys of this family of mine.
Credit for this lettering: http://www.kdelap.com/
http://www.kdelap.com/blog/2014/3/19/airport-delay
I used to think that patience was all about waiting; in a line, for a blessing, to gain something, until temper passes... patience is so much more. Waiting is hard. Our culture has taught us to hate waiting even more than our little human brains already did. We want the driver ahead of us to hurry, for the internet page to open faster, for the person we just texted to respond. Simple, simple things. What about the bigger things? What about a waiting for a diagnosis, and then a prognosis? How about finding a companion when all of your friends are married and having kids? What about watching someone you love suffer and praying for the agony to stop? There are some whoppers we have to wait for.
I think that patience builds faith. I will say right now that I am not a fan of having my faith built through patience, but I am always grateful on the other end of the waiting that I could get something out of it. Part of my problem is that I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES. I have seen so many of them, from the smallest of them right on up to the cancer removing, tumor disappearing, breathing restored doozies. I know miracles happen every single day, and because of them, I kind of expect them. God does grand things with His own power and also through the use of His angels on earth and otherwise. So I look for His miracles often.
While I know that there are instant miracles, I am learning that there really are things we have to wait for. God has to line so many things up. He has to send messages to all the people involved in a miracle, and many of us don't listen as well as we should. There are so many things that humans can learn while waiting for something-anything to happen. That is where the learning part of patience comes in. Patience is waiting for something-but dealing with what comes in the meantime. It is not losing hope and still finding miracles in the every day things. Patience is doing your best no matter what the outcome will be. Patience is accepting that someone else is in charge, that sometimes people don't change, and that many times if they do change, it takes longer than we wish. Patience is making the most of your time, and the best of your situation. It is accepting change. It is enduring to the end. It is understanding that you may not get what you wish, and moving forward anyway. Patience takes a lifetime to learn and put into practice, and I'm not sure we can learn the whole lesson of it in mortality. Part of patience is acceptance that this is how things are, at least for now. That's hard. Knowing things can be fixed or healed or worked out or solved, but then having to accept that maybe that isn't the plan this time...now that is patience. Then realizing you have to put in some effort too...it' all part of this grand thing we call life.
I have a long way to go. I will always look for and ask for the miracle first. But I am trying to trust that good comes out of EVERY situation, and hope that in the midst of my learning patience I can find some joy in doing so.
I am going to admit something. I used to be a person who waited until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas. Listening to Christmas music is another story but I waited to decorate for the first years of my marriage. Two things happened to change that.
The first thing that happened was that my family fell in love with Disneyland at Christmas. We love to go the week after Thanksgiving. The first year we went to Disney I waited until we got home to get Christmas ready. I was behind the rest of the season. It completely overwhelmed me to get ready after a big trip. So now I do a little at a time for a few weeks before Thanksgiving so that after Thanksgiving dinner we are ready to sit back and take in every moment of the Christmas Season without any worry about being ready. We get to live in every moment of Christmas and we love it. It is absolutely wonderful to me that Thanksgiving goes so perfectly with Christmas and that we get to experience joy, gratitude, love, hope, wonder and awe in two holidays that tie so perfectly together. And amazingly enough we never skip Thanksgiving. EVER!
The second thing that happened was 9/11; that horrible, soul-shaking, heart-breaking event that changed our sense of safety and tranquility forever. We went to Disneyland that November. We were scared to go, scared to fly, scared of evil people and what they might do. There was a somber feeling across the nation and a desperate need of hope. We needed some joy. So I started putting some up in my home....along with my turkeys and cornucopias. We put up wreaths, listened to songs of a glorious child being born to the Earth, put up our Nativity and celebrated the hope of good things and good people while we were overwhelmed with absolute gratitude at what we have been blessed with as a family. We celebrated Thanksgiving to the hilt and rode all those feel good moments on into the Christmas season.We found more joy. We loved it, we felt closer as a family and we shared our joy with everyone we could find.
I've said before that I don't care when you decide to celebrate, or decorate, or enjoy your own Christmas traditions. I feel that is such a personal thing. But I am amazed at the anger that is unleashed over people who embrace the whole holiday season and don't feel there has to be a grace period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want EVERYONE to enjoy their own holiday season however they see -or should I say FEEL fit. Worrying about whether others are skipping Thanksgiving because they find joy in the whole experience only takes away from your Thanksgiving-your feelings of joy and contentment. That's something I don't want to give away to anyone. The stores are going to put out their decorations, people are going to do their shopping and when you think about it there really aren't Thanksgiving carols to play over the pa systems...I don't see that changing. So I let the wonders and marvels of every song, decoration, sentiment and feeling into my soul. I let the magic of kindness, giving, gratitude, love for mankind and the miracle of a Savior give me peace. Then celebrate every single happy moment I can instead of letting "commercialism" eat away at my heart. It brings me a sense of respite, it gives me calm, it feeds my need for joy and BONUS: I am ALWAYS prepared for Christmas. Let the joy in. It's wonderful-I promise!
I spent 2-1/2 hours at Instacare today. Then I spent an hour and a half at the pharmacy. Good thing I took the whole day off work, huh?
Every year around this time I get sick. My body usually decides around the end of October that its walls of defense have crumbled against all the little viruses I get exposed to in my school of 600 cute but potential carriers. This year I felt I was doing quite well. I have had a cold for about 16 days running now. I lose my voice about every 3rd day but other than that it has been pretty mild and bearable. But I can't get well. So after a sleepless night I buckled under and headed into the doctor. They were swamped and then some. But I was extremely grateful for the time my doctor took with me once I got in there. He was kind and thorough and as I was leaving he thanked me for working with children. He apologized for the fact that I haven't been well but told me how much it meant to parents to have good people looking after their children every day. I was so honored to be able to be the recipient of his thanks, and so grateful he took the time to talk to me.
Turns out that this lingering cold has damaged my vocal cords and that is why I am in pain and constantly losing my voice. And I am supposed to limit the use of my voice while the steroids kick in-until Monday. Did I mention I work at an elementary school? I have a barrage of prescriptions and a multitude of thanks for the goodness I experience regularly. It helps offset the less enjoyable moments in life. As I sat there waiting for my prescriptions I reflected on a few instances filled with goodness that I've seen in the last 24 hours. I offer them as a little mush to soak into your heart, to make it warm and happy.
Just over the counter I listened to a pharmacist make a phone call. He was on the phone for a good half hour with a customer. He was kind and patient, and trying to help her find any way he could to help her afford her medications. He went through plans, prescription programs and rewards with her and had them printed for her if she wanted to come look them over more thoroughly. I am sure he didn't have that kind of time with the amount of traffic that was coming in, but I was impressed and touched by his efforts and kindness.
Yesterday on the playground a sweet boy whom I have mentioned in my blog before came running up to me. When we see kids doing good things we give them a little paper that says they were "caught being good". When they have collected several, they can trade them in for a prize, or just pay money to get the prize. This boy had saved up 10 caught being goods for 3 weeks and had enough to "buy" a little eraser. He was so excited and so proud of it. Not a minute later a little girl came to me in a panic because she had lost the last quarter she needed to buy her eraser. She was teary and sad. I watched this boy walk up to her, put an arm around her and hug her tears away. He took his brand new eraser that he had worked so hard for and gave it to her without a second thought to what he was losing. He told her, "It's okay. This is yours now. No need to be sad anymore. I have made it okay." It was all I could do not to cry. I told this boy how wonderful it was that he had been so generous. He said, "Well, she was sad. I am a good boy. I needed to make her happy again."
Little miracles created from big hearts. Oh how I love it. Ooey gooey mush. It makes the world right and it makes me so grateful.
*PS-I have to admit that I took it upon myself to make things right for this boy. I gave him enough more caught being goods to get himself an eraser. His generosity deserved much more than that.
