Suddenly Saturday

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

It was a long week, but the weekend seems to sneak up on me. 

One thing I tried this week, was a new Weight Watchers points program...I know, I know.  I should have been doing this for years, but I am generally lazy, I like to eat, and I hate to think what I eat when I am not conscious of it all.

I began on Thursday.  I ate once all day...I was busy!  I used 9 of my 27ish points.  I felt AWESOME!  At this rate, I could loose weight like no body's business.   I thought to myself, "Why have I not done this before?"

Then, Friday came along.

Still, I was busy.  But I quit counting the "points" when I had to start to figure them with algebraic equations.  You know, like exponents?!  Yeah.  That was the kind of day I had yesterday.

Today, I didn't bother at all.

And you know what?  My jeans still fit. I was still able to jump off and on the stage at church for the Young Women's volleyball games this morning.  I was able to quickly walk up and down the stairs this morning at the temple as I attended with my darling Trek boy, Jake.  I still shared the popcorn and lemonade at the movies with The Girl and Genius Golfer, and tried a few of The Boy's Red Vines.  And I will still eat some pie with my cousins and their kids as we head to Springville to celebrate Miss Addison's baptism with them.

I guess I just don't care enough about to see the "points".  At least today.

Monday, I may have another go at it. 

Finally, Friday

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today is Friday.  Last night The Boy had his first playoff football game.  They won.  The Boy came home with a swollen left hand.  This morning I have already had him in to the doctor's office for an ex-ray.  It was not broken.   For that I am very grateful.  Now, we have another week, at least, of football.  Hang on to your hats.

I'm Thinkin' It's Thursday

"Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognise our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God's love." --Thomas S. Monson.

I would agree with that.  Do you ever find yourself suddenly grateful for something, and that humility gives you pause and opens your eyes to other blessings in your life?   Perhaps if we took the opportunity to stop and recognize our blessings, we would discover that we have so much already that we cannot begin to receive them all.  And just think how that would shift our thinking.  Our world would be filled with bounty, with people grateful for what they have, and then it would be likely, I think, that we would be more apt to help others around us.  ♫ What a wonderful world that would be....♫

Wonderful Wednesday

With this being November, the month of gratitude, I have committed to sharing daily something I am thankful for on my Facebook posts.  With all of that, I thought I would share some thoughts on gratitude, hoping they might inspire all of you to ponder what you are grateful for too.

"One of the most esteemed spiritual attributes we can acquire in life is sincere gratitude. It enriches our lives as we, through this attribute, enrich the lives of others. If we have a thankful heart we will have the blessings that come from constant appreciation for the things done for us and the Lord's goodness. How can we really pay the debt of gratitude we owe to our parents, brothers and sisters, teachers, and those who have served us in so many ways? How can we show appreciation for good homes, husbands and wives who are true and faithful, and children who have the desire to live righteously and serve the Lord? How do we express thankfulness for our baptisms, for the privilege of partaking of the sacrament and renewing our covenants, for the priesthood we bear, for the light of the restored gospel, and for the program of the Church devised to help us make progress toward exaltation and eternal life?


"We pay our debt of gratitude by living in such a way as to bring credit to our parents and the name we bear, by doing good to others, by being of service, by being willing to share the light and knowledge we have received so that others will also have joy and happiness, and by living the principles of the gospel in their fulness."   --Howard W. Hunter "Ensign," Oct. 1974, p. 87

That really sums up the thoughts I have when I dwell on what I am grateful for.  How can I ever show my gratitude?  Live my life in such a way that I only bring honor to those I love, comfort to those I serve and honor to our loving Heavenly Father who has given me all of it.

Today It Finally Ends

Yes, it is election day.  It is about dang time.  I haven't listened to the preprogrammed day time talk radio guy for a couple of weeks because it has been so politically charged.  I have turned off theTV more than a few times when the negative ads come on and make me want to scream.  And my mail has been especially overloaded with mailers encouraging me to vote for candidate A over candidate B for whatever their reasons.

I just want it over.

The campaign season ought to be a set, defined limited time only kind of offer.  Like, three weeks prior to election day for state and local elections.  Maybe six weeks for national elections.  It feels like I have been hearing about these candidates for months!  I know several locals around here were in the Strawberry Days parade, and that was in June, so it has been months! No wonder I am so weary of it all.

This is not to say I dread elections themselves.  It is, in fact, one of the greatest rights we have been given as Americans.  And I am headed out here in a minute to vote at our junior high school.  But campaigns are a totally other feeling for me.

Let's just hope people show up to vote.  For all the campaigning these candidates do, I'm always discouraged--and a little embarrassed--at the pathetically low voter turnout that is reported after the elections.  That is even more disheartening than the negative smear ads I hear on the TV and radio.

Mismatched

Miss Elizabeth Bennett meets Robin Hood.  It works for us.

The designated Party Pooper was whisked off by her Fairy Godmother, shown here on the left, and dressed for the ball, as seen on the right.  She ended up enjoying herself, in spite of herself.

"The Boy?" you ask.    Well he was "working" the spook alley and was unavailable for photos.  He had a BLAST!

Video Sunday