Pray For Buster

This is Buster. He is not only our pet, but he is a part of our family. He is the best dog in the whole world, and we love him so much. He hasn't been acting very well for the past few days so this morning he went to the doctor. It wasn't good news - he is very sick, and we might lose him. We will know in 24 hours what will happen. If we lose this good dog I will lose a piece of my heart, and my good friend. So sweet Buster will be in my prayers today, and hopefully the Lord will allow him to remain with us.

We love you Buster.

I am Thankful For..........

Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow. so I have been thinking about my blessings and what I am truly thankful for in my life. I could never begin to list everything I am thankful for, but I would like to mention some of the things that are near and tender to my heart.

First of all I am thankful for my sweet husband who has a special place in Heaven for putting up with me, and all my baggage for the past 21 years. He raised my boys, and became the best thing in our lives. We are not only husband and wife, but we are best friends. He is the calm in my storm.

I am thankful for the two most treasured gifts given to me by Heavenly Father – my two sons. I am thankful for the memory of their childhood. I am thankful for Josh’s kind, compassionate, generous heart. I am thankful for his loyalty and his love for his family. I am thankful for the laughter he brings me every day. He has the gift of humor that keeps the laughter in our home. I am thankful he is my friend.

I have always been thankful for Jesse’s calm, quiet demeanor, and for his sweetness. He has a lot of Billy’s qualities – a calm in a storm. I am thankful for the memories I have of the million Scrabble games he played with me, for the baseball games where I was his biggest fan. I am thankful for his character, and the conviction he has to his values. I am thankful he is my friend.

I am thankful for my daughter-in-law Stephanie. I am thankful for the love she has for my son. I am thankful she has become a part of our family, and I am thankful she, also, is my friend.

I am thankful for two sweet twin grand girls who are a gift from Heaven. I love them so much, and am thankful to finally be a grandma.

I am thankful for my mom – for the one person I can always call and never worry if I am bothering her. I am thankful she married John who has been one of the biggest blessing we all have ever been given. I am thankful that I know there is one place I can go to feel safe – Mom and John’s house – no matter where that may be. (I do miss the old couch though)

I am thankful for my faith. I am thankful that I know I am a daughter of my Heavenly Father, and that He is aware of me and my challenges. I am thankful that this faith surrounds me with people who are instruments in the hands of God, and that no matter what I always have a friend to turn to in time of need. I am thankful that this faith has helped charter my course in life by providing me with good values and morals to live by.

This is only a part of my “thankful for” list, but it is the most important part.
I am very blessed.

Garage Sale Day / First Day of Freedom

Goofing Around At The Garage Sale

Today was my first day of my one week vacation from school. Yesterday ended my third semester. I only have two more and I'm done. The end is near, so to speak. Anyway, I have been planning this garage sale for a long time now, and was very eager to get it done. I have decided to live lighter and get rid of all the unused items I have collected over the years. I had been accumulating crap to sell for over a month now, and my living room was piling high. For those of you who really know me living in a messy chaotic house might just push me into insanity, so I was ready to get back to normal. Last night was the ultimate challenge for me. I got home from school which ended a week of intense cramming for finals to find two days of dishes in the sink, Josh and Nicole watching a movie sitting in between piles of clean laundry strewn all over the couches, my garage sale stuff filing my living room, my school books all over the kitchen table, the dog running all over begging someone to play with him - oh it just wasn't good.

I started to sort all the garage sale items. I had purchased prestamped stickers with various prices on them so that would make the pricing job go quicker and easier. It still took forever. I finally got to a point where I was about to go nuts so I stopped the garage sale pricing and attacked the house - then I could concentrate and relax with some sense of order around me. All the while I worked around Josh and Nicole who were into their movie and oblivious to my insanity.

I ended up in the garage sorting through boxes for more stuff to sell. I finally got everything done about 11:00 pm and went to bed. I was up at 5:00 a.m. in order to get everything set up outside. The people started coming at 6:00 a.m. My sister-in-law, Karen, and her friend, Lisa came with a car full of their own crap. My front yard was filled and by 11:30 a.m. there was barely anything left. People will buy anything. It was great. We had a blast meeting so many people and making a little bit of money too. I don't think I will do it again anytime soon, but I did have a good time. I loved being outside talking to people without one worry about studying for some stupid test. Ahhhh it was great!

Getting Older

Today after school I opened up my email to the following messages.

Luminous white teeth
Have wrinkles?
Weight Loss Pills
Medical Hair Restoration
Prescription Aide

I am totally serious – these were the subjects of the five emails I received today. Why do I get messages like that? There was a theme in these messages, and the only thing missing was the real estate guide for assisted living locations and the “Help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” necklace.
Seriously, I KNOW I AM 50! I do not need a daily reminder from the advertisers in cyber world. Yes, I have the beginnings of wrinkles but I don’t need someone to ask me, “Got Wrinkles”. I also do not need someone to email me to remind me that I need to work a little harder to keep extra pounds off.
I happen to love my age. I’m excited to live in an age where getting older is more of a liberating time in our lives. I found some sayings about old age that I really liked. I’ve listed them below.

I am an old man, but in many senses a very young man. And this is what I want you to be, young, young all your life. -- Pablo Casals (1876 - 1973)

Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. -- Benjamin Franklin

Aging is not "lost youth" but a new stage of opportunity and strength. -- Betty Friedan

Old age is not a disease - it is strength and survivorship, triumph over all kinds of vicissitudes and disappointments, trials and illnesses. -- Maggie Kuhn

These are two of my favorites

"There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age." -- Sophia Loren quotes (Italian film Actress, b.1934)

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. -- Douglas MacArthur

The one I really like I can’t remember where I heard it, but it was said by an old time baseball player. He said, “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you were?”

If I answered that question I’d be in my early thirties or even in my twenties, but I’m glad that I’m fifty. I’m glad to be right where I am.

Roads We Follow

Last weekend I spent engaged in a different kind of studying. I went to the Salt Lake City area and spent some time being taught by a friend a little bit about myself. Her lesson was to help me develop a more positive way of thinking with regards to my self-worth. Her emphasis was on changing the direction of my thoughts from a negative direction to a more positive direction. After my visit I had a long drive home with plenty of time to think about what I had learned. I realized that the directions we choose in our lives will determine our destinations. If I travel down a road where I think negatively about myself then my destination will inevitably be a place where I feel no self-worth or value. That’s really not a road I want to travel, but the path is easily followed because the road is familiar. Now granted, changing mental direction is much easier said than done, but I am hoping with some training, and practice I will be able to create a new road map and travel down a different path.
While I drove I spent some time reviewing the road map of my life, and I became very aware that many of my destinations were a result of bad directions. Maybe the words directions and choices are interchangeable, but regardless of which word I use the result is always a destination.
Most maps show the direction or the road one must follow to arrive at a predetermined destination. When I prepared for my trip to Salt Lake I used map quest to give me specific directions so I would not get lost. It was a simple entry into my computer listing my beginning point and my ending point.
Throughout my life I often chartered my own course, but I wonder if I would have detoured around many of my challenges if I would have heeded more to the spiritual GPS offered to us through scripture and prayer. In an article in the Ensign, Elder Richard G. Scott wrote, “You can ponder and let the Lord establish the direction of your life”. I truly believe that we can find the right direction if we search the scriptures and pray for guidance from the Lord. The road may be rough sometimes, but I know if we continue to follow His directions we will not get lost.

The Glad Game

Sometimes I find myself focusing on the hard part of life, and forgetting that there are so many easy, enjoyable things that bring joy. That was the case this weekend as I felt the weight of all my responsibilities bearing down on me. I feared and worried about the future, which appeared incredibly grim.
This morning I woke up with a renewed feeling of hope, and I suddenly remembered my favorite game. The “Glad Game” – how could I forget? I even have it on my license plates to help me remember. I love this game, and it comes from my favorite Disney movie, Pollyanna. I love the little girl’s bright, positive attitude, and how in any given situation she can always find something to be glad about.
The Glad Game is easy to play, you can play alone or with as many players as you like. The only rule is to make a list of all your blessings or the things you are aware of that make your life happy. We all can make a list. I actually have a “Gratitude Book” that I write in several times a week to record the things I’m grateful for. It’s fun and it doesn’t have to be anything huge. One day I recorded, “Today I am grateful for school”. (I must have been mentally ill that day) :0)
On July 27, 2008 I recorded, “I am so grateful to be sitting on the edge of a body of water with my fishing pole and my family next to me. I am at CJ Strike in Idaho with my mom and John, Billy, and my niece, Gracie. It is a quiet peaceful morning, cool weather, birds are chirping, but the fish aren’t biting. I don’t care though – it’s just nice to be here.”
I read something online, I don’t know the author, but this is the quote, “Positive thinking is a muscle that atrophies. The Glad Game is a mental exercise to bulk up the good attitude and spend some relaxing time thinking positive thoughts. It gives a good calming energy.”
So today I will lighten my spirits a little and play the Glad Game. It is a great game. Everybody wins!!