TOMORROW? 2010 WILL BE LEFT

This is the last day of 2010. (You're welcome.) I don't think I've ever arrived at the end of a year and said, "Meh. No big deal". Don't we all get to the end of a year and think, "Whew! Watta year!!!" We SHOULD think that. It's been a year of growth. Time has passed, and that translates to LIFE EXPERIENCE. Am I right or am I right? Who is SHOCKED at the end of the year? Seriously? Stuff happens. People are born. People die. People get betrayed. People get married. Peoples' marriages end. I'm sounding like an Old Testament passage. It doesn't mean we don't grieve or get angry. It doesn't mean we skip merrily along and not process what has happened to us. We're allowed to be angry or cry. We're also allowed to rejoice friendships that are made stronger...we're allowed to rejoice US when we are made stronger. We allowed to recognize that reality is exactly THAT...reality. We breathe through the horrible stuff. We can't change jerks. We can only breathe through their jerkiness and commit to never being a jerk, ourselves. (This is difficult for me...often, even.) We can't bring back a dearly departed. I sat in a funeral yesterday. A friend from high school lost her sweet mother on Christmas day. This same friend lost her brother in October. Rough year. She's breathing. She's putting one foot in front of the other. And she's recognized the love in her life.

I had another friend whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I'll never forget her reaction to the news. Many people would say, "Why me? Why? Why?". Her response? "Why not me? The statistics are what they are. Someone's going to get it, why shouldn't I be the one?" The cancer was in her right breast. She went to bed in the hospital that night knowing that in the morning, the surgeon was going to remove her right breast. She composed a poem about it...something else I'll never forget. It was this:

My right is my right. It has always been my right.
My left is my left, and tomorrow? It will be left.

Tomorrow? 2010 will be left.

God love you all. Tomorrow we move on.

PICTURES FROM THE MTC

Elijah at the Missionary Training Center with his companions and instructors. Below is the Provo Temple. He's happy...and adorable...well, okay...the last picture is a little weird. :)

STOP RUINING YOUR SISTER'S WHOLE LIFE.

Today I was on the phone with my daughter. She was out with her kids. This is what I overhead while we were talking on the phone.

Daughter to 3 year old son: "Stop 'ruining' your sister's 'whole life'. It makes her sad."

NOTE: His sister is 6 years old.

Such is the life of a busy mother.

AND THE BOY IS OUTTA HERE......

The boy wrote us from the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. He's preparing to serve a two-year compassionate service mission for our church. He'll be leaving for the midwest in early January. We won't see him, which is good. He'll focus on serving others. He's growing up fast and learning how to be a man. This is an excellent "right-of-passage" that is sorely lacking in today's society. He will not be allowed to self-indulge in his own wants. He won't feel entitled to anything. He'll have to devote his time and talents to the building up of others. Good for him. Bravo, in fact.

And bravo to those who enabled to get to that point. His father worked tirelessly to help him earn his Eagle Scout award in Boy Scouts and to get him ready-the whole time while working six days a week, several hours a day (sometimes up to 14 or more hours a day) to prepare financially. The church doesn't pay for these missions; the missionary and/or the missionary's family is first and foremost responsible. Also, the missionary has to have all of their dental work completed (wisdom teeth out, fillings/root canals done, etc.), all immunities and flu shots performed, etc. Clothing, luggage, all of that has to be done in advance....FOR TWO YEARS!

It's no easy task. I sent two children on a mission previously in my last marriage and it's a huge deal. Their late father and I were totally unprepared for what was involved. Even my daughter got involved, purchasing a camera and cold-weather gear for her step-brother. She was fabulous.
A family in the ward (congregation) gave my husband and the boy a beautiful hotel room to stay in by the missionary training center...there was so much love to his send off....

I guess we'll see him in the early winter of 2012, just in time for the destruction of the earth, according to the Mayan calendar. OOOHhhhh.....do you think the Mayan's knew about this kid?.....mmmmmmm.......

Hugs to the boy....good luck and God's speed....

CHRISTMAS MAGIC AT CVS

Something wonderful happened about midnight on Christmas Eve. To back up, I just did NOT have the Christmas spirit this season. I was happy for the little kids in the family, because let's face it, their joy is just so fun to watch. But, other than that, I was just really rolling along and trying to remember the actual reason for the season.

So....the morning of the 24th, I prayed that I could somehow just feel the spirit of the season, which is love and compassion and charity. I went through the day not particularly "spiritual". That night, I made sure Mom had dinner and then went over to my youngest son's house to be with him, his sweet wife and the twins. That was fun and all kinds of cute. My oldest son came over so I got some time with him as well. While I was at their house however, Eli and his wife needed batteries and asked me to go through their stockings hanging over the fireplace to see if Abby's mom had put any batteries in their (just by chance). Abby's mom was so cute, she had stuffed stockings for Eli and Abby (the BIG kids) so they would have something to open in the morning. As I looked through their stockings, I was just charmed by what I found in there and I thought, "I want my Mom to experience this". It was a very strong impression so, on my way home that night, I found a CVS drugstore opened at midnight on Christmas Eve and into the parking lot I drove.

I walked through their front doors expecting an empty wasteland and imagine my surprise when the front of the store was PACKED with people. I walked into the front doors, stopped dead in my tracks, I pointed at them and just laughed and then THEY returned the laughter towards me! It was hysterical. It's like we shared some kind of common shame or something. Anyway, it was a pretty festive group that was in there. There was lots of laughter and kindness and camaraderie. We helped each other in the aisle, we moved out of each other's way with smiles on our faces, it was so nice in there!

Anyway, I found a great big stocking for Mom and packed it full of cookies and treats that she loves to eat. I also found some other cool gifts that she would like. There was a tray of rice krispie treats (which she has been asking for). I put the turkey in the night before so she could wake up to that wonderful roasty smell. I got some presents that I had to wrap and I placed everything on the table so she would see it when she got up.

SHE LOVED IT!!!! She had the best time opening her gifts and pulling her things out of the stocking. It was absolutely charming. After brunch at my nieces house (which was stupendous), we came home to a cooked turkey and side dishes that she and I wanted to eat....broccoli casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, green bean casserole, cheeses, it was heaven and heavenly.

It's been 2 days later and she's still talking about it.

Next post, I'll tell you the other-side-of-the-coin on what happened on Christmas day.Yikes!!!

xoxo

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010...

Merry Christmas to my family and friends. I wish for you the joy that this season intended. I pray that we all have peace in our hearts, which then radiates to the world.

My God bless each of us with increased love for those around us, increased tolerance, increased desire for knowledge, and the ability to know how to use it....

And oh yea, I pray that we always know how to laugh...

APPLE VERSUS NUGGET: APPLE WINS

Last night, my 90 y.o. mother was sitting across from me at the kitchen table. There was a bowl of apples in the middle of the table. The apples are as large as Buicks. I was on the phone with my youngest son, Eli. I was laying my head down on the table as I was speaking to Eli when I felt a BAM! against the top of my head.

Now...I don't know quite how to explain this but since childhood, if I get beaned on the nugget, I typically come up swinging...or cussing. I can't explain this, nor do I encourage it. It just happens.

So...I'm laying my head on the table, speaking to my very righteous son, and I get beaned. I sat up straight while grabbing my head, look at my Mother who eyes are lit up! I yell, "What the f*, Mom?" Now remember, I have my son on the phone and I'm typically not one who swears. So now, I've dropped the "f" bomb AT my mother and in the ear of my SON! Nice....

My mother was laughing and I don't think I've seen that much gleam in her eyes for quite some time. She said, "I bowled that apple like my bowling bowl and struck you right in the middle of that little, round, blond head of yours. I saw it there and it just begged me to hit it with an apple".

Seriously, Mom? My nugget begged you to bean it?

It's the only time after a beaning that my cuss words were followed by laughter.

Way to go Mom...way to go....