Friday, December 27, 2013

PUTTING OUR HOUSE INTO ORDER




Putting Our House into Order
Each leaf represents a memory, tradition, insight or friendship

There was such a dash to get all the important projects ready for the holidays. This year we even had a shorter time to accomplish these tasks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So much to do in such a short time to get it done.  On Christmas Eve for the most part, we felt it was well worth it.  We had the gifts all wrapped and under the tree.  Cookies bakes, neighbors gifts delivered, kids entertained because they were living on another planet traveling at warp speed. Parties attended. Finally the big night was ready, kids in bed trying to sleep, mom and dad scurrying to get Santa taken care of, some of us hid the presents so well can’t seem to find them, panic sets in. Ahhhh we take a sigh of relief, we made it, and we are ready.  Morning arrives, the clock has barely moved, way to early a time, send kids back to bed, toooo early, sorry. 
  The right time has arrived, all in sync now, Mom, Dad, kids and a few dogs. Excitement fills the air as gifts are passed and unwrapped. I liken it to cooking a wonderful meal that took all day to cook and 30 minutes to engulf it.  What a mess, the front room looks like a war zone; wrapping paper, Christmas stocking half full and toys fill the room.  It is a wonderful ending to this greatly anticipated event.
We try to straighten the room to a semblance of order.  Naps are anticipated after our afternoon snack.  We give ourselves a few days before we decide we get the house back into shape, can’t stand the mess anymore. Finding a place for all the new stuff, throwing some of the old stuff out or into the garage. New Year’s Eve is almost here.   A beginning of a New Year and also the making of New Year’s resolutions.  These are goals we make to achieve changes to our life.  Lose weight, exercise more, change jobs, spend more time with family, etc. A different attitude is needed to put our “house into order. Our personal house. Being truthful with ourselves is the first step, what we can do to bring more happiness into our lives, living in peace with others, improving our spiritual life, serving others these are admiral goals, but are they enough? Asking these questions take total truth within ourselves. Do we have ghosts that haunt us from the past? Have we taken stock of how we can overcome them? Can we forgive others of their having offended us? 
Growing is painful at times, but we are told it is like a double edged sword, it can be healed. We all need to take stock of our hurt that continues to plague us. Let the healing begin! Look not to be offended, let your spirit soar like an eagle, become who you truly are, a unique individual who is truly special with talents and gifts to offer others to lift them up. Know you are loved and being loveable.  Putting away things and people who make you feel guilty, only to please them and wanting their own way.  Sucking the life out of you until you have nothing left. Making a choice to rid yourself of self-absorbed individuals who offer you very little in return. Happiness is a choice we must make if we want to achieve that goal; Joy is a blessing from God. By setting goals we will achieve our objectives.

“And now a commandment I give unto you … you shall set in order your own house, for there are many things that are not right in your house. … First set in order thy house.  These priceless blessings can be ours if we set our houses in order now and faithfully cling to the words of Jesus Christ. He was our example and he wants to bless us.”

Definition of ORDER:

Means to put persons or things into their proper places in relations to each other, ORDER suggests a straightening out so as to eliminate confusion, a setting in sequence, relationship: the state of peace, freedom from confusion or unruly behavior, and respect for law proper authority. Disruption: or upset: disconnection




Honor your father and your mother, that your
days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

THE ULTIMATE GIFT



Each leaf represents a memory, experience, value or friendship

As we have been hustling and bustling about looking in all the stores for that special gift for our loved ones, trying to make sure it will be one they will feel satisfied with. We spend hours thinking and pondering what that special gift will be, not wanting any one to feel left out, then wrapping it to perfection. But,   WILL THEY LIKE IT? At times worrying and feeling stressed out wanting it to be all over.  Phew!
I have heard in the past few days some comments that have been said about gifts that have been given in the past to loved ones, mostly children.  One comment was “oh just another pair of pajamas” and throws them into a chair.  Another, I am going to give my daughter a gift card, because she cries every Christmas day because she never receives the kind of pajamas she likes. How much are you spending on me for Christmas this year, I have my eye on this special item in this particular store, or better yet, I don’t get as much as anyone else.
The wise old owl
I again this season have watched a movie Titled “THE ULTIMATE GIFT” Starring James Garner”. If you haven’t viewed it, you should. It is about a wealthy man who dies (James Garner) and he has video a series of request to his spoiled and entitled grandson. He puts his grandson through all these tests to see how he will handle himself. In the beginning the grandson is arrogant, willful and full of anger, as most selfish children are.  The grandson has a strong tendency to quit before finishing any of the tasks lacking maturity and work ethics, feeling awfully picked on. He meet a little girl who has cancer and is dying…this little girl teaches him about what it means to be kind and unselfish even though you can be sick and have only a few days left to live.  After each series of tasks he needs to go back and report to the lawyer who is the executor of his grandfather estate.  The lawyer will determine how well he passed the tests. Surprising the grandson ended feeling he had accomplished them to the satisfaction of the lawyer. The executor decided to give him a large amount of money to spend, wanting to learn how wisely he would spend the money. The grandson had wisely chosen to spend it building a hospital for cancer patients who could not afford one with high specialized quality care.
The grandson soon became aware through hardships and trials he had experienced what kind of dangers there may be performing these tasks, in some cases his very life was in danger.  Upon reporting where he spent the large sum of money that was given to him, the executor was pleased to find he had spent it with wisdom and maturity wanting to make other lives happy and comfortable. The grandson believing he had spent his entire grandfather’s estate, was about to leave the room, when the executor begins to read the last will and testament of his beloved grandfather.  To his amazement the grandson had proven himself a 100 times over, therefore was left with the Ultimate Gift.  Full ownership of the entire estate worth billions of dollars.                                                                                                     

In the past few days we have had powdery white snow in our community, then cold temperatures with fog. The fog leaves the trees branches and everything it touches with glimmering sparkly flecks of beauty. With this beauty comes danger, because the fog is so dense your visibility is only a few feet in front of you.  You needed to be totally aware of where you are while traveling the freeways, trying to drive with caution I could barely see if I was in my lane or other vehicles and exit signs until I was upon them. While encountering these dangers when shopping the past few days, I was very grateful to have made it home safe and sound.  As with the grandson, it took wisdom to realize beautiful scenes with those awesome sparkly flecks of grandeur of snow and frost are gorgeous to observe,  can also be a danger to inhibit us from reaching the goals we have set for ourselves.
            “THE ULTIMATE GIFT”

The Lord could have called on legions of angels to take Him down from the cross, but He faithfully endured to the end and completed the very purpose for which He had been sent to earth, thus granting eternal blessings to all who will ever experience mortality. If we are patient in our afflictions, endure them well, and wait upon the Lord to learn the lessons of mortality, the Lord will be with us to strengthen us unto the end of our days: “He that shall [faithfully] endure unto the end, the same shall be saved” (Mark 13:13) and return with honor and safety to live with our Heavenly Father. 

Monday, December 9, 2013

THE MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS PAST





THE MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS PAST

Each leaf represents a memory, experience, insight or friendship

The holidays are like a magnifying glass. They make the good things in your life seem even better, but they can also make the difficult things in your life seem even harder. Be thankful for your blessings and don't let your worries rob you of joy and peace this Christmas. God is with you and He is bigger than anything that's stressing you out!

One memory that was my most favorite was a group of us going Christmas Caroling at night, freezing on the cold snowy  winter nights; with our voices singing the favorite Christmas songs. People leaving there warm living rooms to stand out on their porches to listen, then offering us a hot chocolate, a wave and a Merry Christmas. No humbug then!
                                                                                   

Some memories that I cherished, I chose to make these traditions for my own family. My most cherished were of Couse centered on the Christmas holidays. In speaking to my daughter about some of her fondest memories, she remembers the decorations on the Christmas tree. When the children were younger we mostly decorated our trees with the theme our children would enjoy. For example, elves sleigh riding on candy canes, little stuffed bears with red ribbons around there necks.  She vividly remembers the tree sitting in front of the window with these huge lights in all glowing colors. They would all sit on the couch just in awe because it was not an everyday occurrence to have a decorated tree in one’s house, especially with big huge lights. One special event that was created especially for the family was a Christmas parade the day after Thanksgiving to officially start the beginning of the Christmas season. After the parade we all bundled up to visit Santa Village. It was a wonderful winter land, a magical place. The cold weather was a part of the experience, cold to the point of seeing your breath while you went from one display to another.  Every year the village grew even larger and larger.  When my children became older with families of their own and living out of our town, they would travel for miles with their young families to make the trek through Santa Village. The next generation of children running in delight at what they found, breathless yelling at us to come and see, just as mine had done years before. We no longer live in that community, but the fond memories still linger.

Also, a cherished memory is one where we would drive up the canyon to take a sleigh ride with hay and big jingle bells attached to the sleigh.  Thinking in our minds “Oh what fun it is to ride a sleighing ride to night”.  The elk had come down from the higher ground to feed because of the harsh winters. A ranch named “Hardware Ranch” had sponsored the event. You could count on it being cold, warmer coats, hats and gloves were almost required.  It never fails when I see a picture of a hay ride; my mind goes back to that delightful ride with family and friends.

Memories that are also most cherished are involved with Children and school plays. In the grade schools, the classes would demonstrate their singing and acting abilities. It was a delight to watch these children in their sweet innocence sing the “12 Days of Christmas”, acting out the motions. The little angels gliding out on the stage with silver halos pinned to the top of their heads. The Naivety being displayed, wise men and shepherds dressed in bathrobes and scarfs, proclaiming the birth of the Baby Jesus. How proud and pleased these children were, how proud and pleased the parents and teachers were.  These are sacred moments imprinted in our minds and hearts.  Good memories are the glue that binds us together!  Lets have lots and lots of glue this Christmas season..MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

 We have lived the Christmas past, what will the Christmas Present be; can we begin to reclaim Christmas and our traditions again?  With the desire, we can begin in our hearts and home, with the promise of Joy and peace.
I BELIEVE IN CHRISTMAS

Thursday, December 5, 2013

FOLLOWING THE THREE WISEMEN

Each leaf represents a memory, experience, friendship, passion or talent

Little is said about the amazing journey the three wise men made after the birth of the Christ child. They traveled a long way from the Orient bearing gifts, following the beautiful star, to the Christ child.  It wasn’t a short journey; it took years for them to reach their destination, a true labor of love.   
What amazing journey have you been on following the example of the three Wise Men?        


THE FRUITS OF MY LABORS:
As a child I grew up believing more in Old St. Nick, and thinking on the level of myself and the magic of Christmas.  I still believe in the Magic of Christmas, but more as a labor of love.
As an adult and retiring from raising a family, plus working out in the market place, I’ve come to realize that there is a time we need to enjoy the FRUITS OF OUR LABORS!  Breaking down the word enjoy, we see the last three letters are the word JOY.  I labored when I bore my children; learning love. I labored when I raised them and nurtured them; learning patience and understanding. I labored during their teen years; learning forgiveness, developing faith.  Looking through wiser eyes, I can now realize and enjoy the fruits of my labors, I see good children raising my grandchildren, great grandchildren. Enjoying watching my children become grandmothers and grandfathers, the love they have for their children and the sacrifices that they are making. It brings JOY to my soul.   


I have labored to develop my talents; nothing ever came very easy to me. Having a natural love for animals and having a home where we had enough room for them, I was able to realize a dream come true. I had a horse named Blazer.  He was a Thoroughbred and Arabian. I though just having love would be enough to train him, but I  soon learned I had to labor to become one with my horse to bring out the best of his abilities, him learning to trust me, me learning kindness, gentleness, and self-control. It became a labor of love. It was a JOY to feel him willingly perform to my commands without any resistance, you become as one, horse and rider. 

 While in Jr. High school, I read the classic book “The Secret Garden”. I felt inspired in wanting to be able to transfer a back yard into a beautiful garden.  I love nature so thought it would be easy to follow my passion. For some reason plants and flowers do not grow by them, only weeds do that without any encouragement. You spend as much time getting rid of the unwanted weeds to enable the seeds to go.  Once your flower bed have taken shape, they also require labor, constantly digging, fertilizing, planting and watering.  The JOY you feel when those plants become gorgeous buds and blooms then flower beds…. breathtaking!  I feel completely at peace among their beauty.


THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT:
So what are the gifts of the spirit? They are the gifts the Christ child gave to us….they are: …… Joy… Love….Patience…Kindness…Peace… Goodness… Gentleness and Self Control.   When we see the results of the Fruits of our Labors, we now can see we have also obtained the Fruits of the Spirit, amazing isn’t it. ?  Can we not reason within ourselves to follow the example of the Three Wise Men to enjoy the Fruits of the Spirit?   
            
“For behold, I bring you good tidings of great Joy! which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”


LUKE 2:11 KJV

Monday, December 2, 2013

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS
 
The Autumn Leaves of my Journey
Each leave representing a memory, experience or a value
As the Christmas season is approaching, we are all being inundated with the advertising from stores that leads us to believe that there product they are promoting will surely leave our loved ones speechless and full of awe and wonderment. Also the retailers flooding the market with the great deals on Black Friday and even this year Gray Thursday, with the promise of great low priced deals. We see fights over products, even violence.
I think this advertising does give us a better idea of what is out there for that special one we are thinking of........
But going back in time, my time, growing up….we never had television to entice us into gifts we could not afford, we had traditions that were handed down from family to family. Most of our gifts were hand made by our mom or dad.  Our tree was laden with icicles and homemade ornaments, and beautiful lights; it was surely
the most gorgeous tree in the neighborhood.  We used the biggest of our stockings we had for Santa to fill on that wondrous night called Christmas Eve. Usually receiving an orange, nuts and hard candy, or sometimes a banana. We all wrote letters to the North Pole to let the jolly old man know our list of what we wanted.  The local radio station read our letters  over the air waves and we were thrilled to hear our names and our list to Santa, only adding to the excitement.


It was a wonderful time to believe in Santa as a child and I would not change it in any way, I have tied to give my children some of the same experiences,” visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads”.  As an adult I have had other experiences that have brought me pure joy, leaving an imprint on my soul that will never leave me.  One such experience was while my husband and I were on an 18th month mission for our church as a senior couple.  We were living in our motorhome and staying in a RV park in Tucumcari, NM.  A small town along Interstate 40. The owners of the RV Park were amazing people who made us feel completely welcome. We soon became good friends and shared many of the same values;
we have maintained our friendship to this day.  Betty is a person who has great faith in her religion and accepts and offers unconditional love to any who may differ from her view, knowing that we are all God’s children.  Her nephew Steve also helped Betty run the park, and was equally accepting.  While Christmas was fast approaching that first year we were there. My husband and I had gone to celebrate a Christmas dinner with our church members.  While sitting and enjoying the meal and program, I overhead a small boy asking his mom and dad for a “big remote dump truck” for Christmas, and the reply his mother gave.  It went something like this; “Santa has a lot of boys and girls to visit on Christmas Eve and sometimes he doesn’t leave the exact toys the children want” would he be happy if Santa left him something different? The look on the boy’s face told me all I needed to know.  He would be awfully disappointed, but it would be fine. I knew that this family was of meager income.  Upon leaving the dinner and party, I talked with my husband about going shopping and playing Santa’s helper on Christmas Eve.  It was exciting shopping for that little boy and two other of his family members. It seemed like Christmas Eve would never arrive.  We needed some help because this family knew who we were and we wanted them to believe it was only from Santa’s helper. 
Steve agreed to play the role of Santa’s elf, dressing in a green elf hat with a great big grin.  We never breathed a word to the parents about the surprise; we wanted it to be a big surprise to them also. When the big night finally came, we all jumped in the car and headed out of town with our pack loaded with goodies.  In traveling there we laughed,
sang songs, it was very merry and exciting group of people in that vehicle, feeling what was soon going to happen.  Steve got out of the car with his green elf hat and a broad grin plus his pack. Walked to the door and knocked. Upon answering the door, the little boy’s eyes became as wide as a baseball at what he saw. Steve then said that he was Santa helper, heard that this family had some very good children, and had not been naughty, he had come to help Santa deliver some gifts.  The mom and dad’s face was one of total amazement, who could this elf be? Steve then wished them a HO, HO and a Merry Christmas and left.  On the drive back home, none of could speak a word; at first not realizing that we had just been blessed with pure joy and it was
this pure joy that overcame us. We were experiencing the true Magic of Christmas.  It was the most spiritual Christmas I had ever known.  I want to thank my sweet friend Betty and her nephew Steve for helping us to accomplish what Christmas is all about, putting Christ back into Christmas. To this day that family does not have a clue as to who we were, and that is what makes it so awesome.   MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL!

Monday, November 25, 2013

AUTUMN LEAVES OF MY JOURNEY

FRIENDSHIP:
My friend Barbara was not perfect, but she was the perfect friend:
I chose my theme of "AUTUMN LEAVES ON MY JOURNEY" because when you become older and more mature, each leaf represents a memory, value, insight, miracle or a magical moment.
We met while our children were still very young.  It was one of those instant friendships. We were able to communicate very easily on a variety of subjects, mostly about our children.  Barbara’s husband while growing up came from a ranching environment. After they were married, she became responsible to cook for all the ranch hands at the age of 18.  My husband was working for a military base and was a mechanic, we were both stay at home moms. She was a great listener and her passion was cooking, neither one of those was my great strengths…  She was always ready to give you a compliment, about how nice you looked or what pretty hair my girls had.etc.  My love on the hand was horses and animals, and gardening was my passion. She was a tall lanky woman and I was short, so we were kinda like Mutt and Jeff.  (Cartoon characters). Opposites in every way accept our values.   Because she loved cooking, I naturally loved eating her delicious cooking. At times we would go out and eat some yummy food she had discovered at a nice restaurant. Being such a good cook, it only seemed natural for her to be drawn into cooking in a nice restaurant, immensely enjoying her work.   Beside my home, I was involved in my church, involved as member of a horse riding club that competed in rodeos and State competitions plus being involved in PTA with my children.   Life was good to both of us, had the world by the tail as they used to say.  As time went on, our kids were growing up, and life became a little more difficult.  She had moved to another town not too far away and so we mostly communicated via telephone.  Rarely seeing each other except for times during the summer or holidays.  She h
ad obtained a job cooking at a rest facility for the elderly, loving the ladies and cooking special food for them.  Barbara was a hard worker and it was obvious she had been given the gift for loving, taking care of her patients with such care. What a great example she was to me.  I had gotten divorced and needed to get a job to provide for my kids, so for a short period of time our journeys were on different trails. Out of the blue, one day she called me, asked me come over, we picked up our friendship just like we had never gone through a period of drought, sharing what had transpired for all  those years. My oldest daughter was getting married and Barbara wanted the privilege to make her wedding cake.  It was a beautiful cake, almost too beautiful to eat.  She also made my youngest daughter’s wedding cake, which was just as beautiful. Upon reflecting about those cakes and why she wanted to made them, it became clear to me that those cakes were made with the same thought and love she gave to those she cared about, that was the reason why they were so beautiful. She wanted them to be just perfect for the perfect occasion; again she taught me by example the gift of serving others, her gift to others. How grateful I am for her friendship and mentoring.

After all of our children were married, and 22 years later, I retired from my job at the military base. She had obtained a job caring for elderly women in their homes, cooking, cleaning, and meeting their needs, with the same kind of love and kindness as though they were family, using that same gift of love and compassion. She was devoted to her job, making them feel special and giving them the security of her devotion.  I often wondered how she managed to hold up emotionally when they passed on, as most of them were of that stage in life. During this period of time, her husband of many years passed, 2 years later, her oldest daughter died very suddenly without warning.  For the next few years, all her family except a brother and sister were gone.  Last week, her sister passed. I called her to let her know of my sorrow for her grief, and she said to me, you are all I have left and I feel so lonely that they have all left me, I need to talk. I assured her that I would be there for her whenever and not to worry, we were friends and felt that a good enough reason for me.  I love my friend for her kindness and compassion she shows to all that comes into her life. With a friend like Barbara one would never have a feeling of loneliness; she is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.  Thank you Barbara for being a blessing and example throughout our life journeys together. “A SINGLE ROSE CAN BE A GARDEN…A SINGLE FRIEND, A WORLD.” “Leo Buscaglia”