Inspirational thoughts

"Stresses in our lives come regardless of our circumstances. We must deal with them the best we can. But we should not let them get in the way of what is most important—and what is most important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they must know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know. Wrote William Shakespeare, “They do not love that do not show their love.”3 We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.

"Send that note to the friend you’ve been neglecting; give your child a hug; give your parents a hug; say “I love you” more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. Friends move away, children grow up, loved ones pass on. It’s so easy to take others for granted, until that day when they’re gone from our lives and we are left with feelings of “what if” and “if only.” Said author Harriet Beecher Stowe, “The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.”4

“Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend . . . when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present—love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]—the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth.”6

The ancient Roman philosopher Horace admonished, “Whatever hour God has blessed you with, take it with grateful hand, nor postpone your joys from year to year, so that in whatever place you have been, you may say that you have lived happily.”

These are quotes from President Monson's conference talk last month. They helped me today so I thought I would share them with you. The whole talk is worth reading, and you can find it here. I love President Monson, and am always inspired and lifted by the messages he shares. I know he is a true prophet and there is safety in following his counsel, and I will continue to do so, the very best I can. We live in challenging times, and I am so grateful to have the guidance of a prophet, along with the guidance of the Holy Ghost, as I try to navigate the path of life.

Thankful Sundays

Today marks five weeks until we'll be back in Arizona. With that, and the turmoil in the country and world at the moment, I thought it would be good to express more frequently what I am thankful for and show appreciation for the blessings I have. So each Sunday for the rest of our time here in Rexburg, I'll be listing a week's worth of blessings (7, that is). Maybe it will help me to remember how blessed I really am. So here you go, week 1:

1. FAMILY. My family (at Jake and Nikki's wedding, 2007; Tyler was far, far away, so we missed him, but he is certainly included in this):

They have constantly offered love and support, even from afar, for John and me and our little family. We love them and miss them tremendously.

John's family (at ABCDEFG, in Pine, Summer 2008):

I am truly blessed to have such wonderful in-laws. I love them dearly, and am so glad to be part of them. And I love having sisters, especially such nice ones.

And our family (also summer 2008):

Our little family isn't perfect, but we have peace in our home and we love each other, and that is a treasure to me. I love my gentle husband and our sweet boys!

2. Cell phones. Hurray for free evenings and weekends! (So we can talk to the above-mentioned wonderful families without trying to keep the calls short to save money.)

3. Inspired prophets. Can I tell you how grateful I am for the continued counsel of our prophets, past and present, to stay out of debt, to set our homes in order financially and otherwise, to prepare for the future? We are not as prepared as we would like to be, with John being a full-time student for the past almost three years, but it could be much worse, if we hadn't been trying to heed the counsel of our prophet. I love that even with the warnings and counsel, their messages are hopeful, and they remind me that while what really matters is eternal, we have the help of the Savior in our temporal lives too. We are not alone, and there is great reason for hope. For the latest examples, click here. And here. And here.

4. Nursery. Those kids are so sweet! I'm excited to move back to Arizona, but I am going to miss serving in the nursery. We love it.

5. Target. We went to look for a new white Sunday shirt for Adam on Friday, in Idaho Falls (his old white shirt now has a pink pocket and sleeve, thanks to the red paper I forgot was in his pocket when I washed it). We went to the mall, and in the first store I looked in, something whispered to me that I would find a shirt for him at Target. Well, several stores later, we went to Target, and lo and behold! there it was, the perfect shirt, right price, right size.

6. Enough food to eat. I love this poem, given to me by a friend at my bridal shower:

"Thank God for dirty dishes! They have a tale to tell...

While other folks go hungry, we're eating very well.

With home and health and happiness, I shouldn't want to fuss,

For by this stack of evidence, God's very good to us!"

-author unknown

7. A warm home. Especially in Rex"burrrrrr"g. :-)

Four more Sundays to go!

Anna

PS-Thanks to my good friend Marily for the idea!

Dear Carl,

I've been thinking about you today. Tomorrow is your 22nd birthday. It's hard to believe that you're nearly 22! You've always been my "little" brother, and I don't think I've told you often enough how much it has meant to me to be your sister. Thank you for always being my friend, for talking to me (talking my ear off sometimes) on the phone and being glad to talk to me, for putting up with your big sister's mothering instincts when we were growing up and probably still sometimes, for being so good to Mom and Pa, for always being kind to everyone. You're a great friend to all of us. I love you, and I'm glad to be your sister. I hope you have a wonderful birthday.

Love, Anna

Carl with Mom

High School Graduation, Mesa High 2005

Congrats Barack Obama

I was thinking last night, after being disappointed at McCain's loss, about how blessed we are even to be able to vote for our country's leader. So, so many nations in this world do not get that opportunity and are stuck with whoever was next in line or whoever happened to conquer their nation. This is truly a blessed nation, even with all the quirks and imperfections, and I'm proud to be an American. I'm not upset that Obama won. Every four years about half of all Americans experience their candidate losing the presidential race. I guess it's just my turn. And so, as John McCain said last night,

"These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

"I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

"Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that."
cited from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/11/john-mccain.html

God Bless America!

-John

Happy Fifth Anniversary, My Love!

Five years have come and gone, my love,

And here we are, together still...

I loved you then, when we began;

I love you now, and always will!

I love you!

Anna