Look forward; never behind. Remember that Faith Builds our Future.
When God was destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, he counseled Lot and his wife: "Escape for thy life," the Lord said. "Look not behind thee...; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed."
Let's take this council and use it to build our future; as the New Year begins let us "look not behind thee" — instead, let's look ahead with faith and build our future!
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:
"As a new year begins and we try to benefit from a proper view of what has gone before, I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives."
Some other guidance he gave which can apply to each of us:
1. Own the morning; never let the morning own you! 2. Be Prayerful. 3. Develop our faith. 4. Develop a fiery testimony of the Book of Mormon!
On to Birthdays for the Month: in case you’d like to be reminded, here they are:
11th Jim Jr.
12th Mary Elizabeth, Rachel Lee Bullinger, Seth Huyett
23rd Sweet Tanner Reagan Oliphant (#2)
30th Robin Burgis (you cousin through your Aunt Mari)
Now to the more mundane...notes of the week past:)
Sunday, January 6th, 2012 First notes since the New Year:)! New Year’s Eve was Monday, our first day back at the office. I felt so rested and ready for everything and had made a lot of new resolutions of things I hope to do in the coming weeks and months. Although everything was fine at the office and others had taken care of most of my work while gone, I ended the day so very tired and almost unable to think.
We had talked of going over to where the YSAs were meeting from all over the state for a New Year’s Eve activity, Willamalane Sports Center (hope that is spelled right). We had been there before a couple of years ago when we were part of the YSA activities and thought it would be fun to stop in and see how many of our Roseburg YSAs were there. It started at 8, but after eating dinner I was so tired that we considered not going; instead I took a short nap and we headed out about 8:30 to do it.
It turned out to be a fun evening. The first twenty minutes or so we just walked around and had fun conversations with those we knew...then I let Dad go off on his own and leave me in the kitchen area helping to serve the refreshments (pizza and sub sandwiches). My shoes were sticking to the rubberized floor (still without my walkaide and had not brought my sticks) so I felt unsafe out in the main area. Dad went off and had a really good time - including climbing the shorter rock wall. He does a great job of remember all the YSAs and communicating with them and encouraging them on to great things! They had a ton of activities and ended up with nearly 400 attending - about double what they had expected or planned for. All turned out well however and everyone seemed to have a good time:).
About 11:30 p.m. the food was mostly consumed, tho not entirely, and I was feeling ready to leave so we said our goodbyes and did. I remember hearing fireworks going off as I climbed into bed...a good way to end the year.
New Year’s Day was beautiful. I decided to call each one of my children-now-adults starting in Georgia and working my way westward; was happy to actually get to talk to most everyone...then called Linda. For those of you who took the time to call or e-mail her after my request, Thank You! ..she didn’t comment directly on it but another comment she made suggested to me that at least some had done so and I appreciate it so very much! Besides phone calls we just puttered around the apartment I think...maybe went out shopping just a little, but since I didn’t start writing this until today I really can’t remember. It was just a nice day of no stress.
Of course Wednesday was back to the office again; I don’t remember if it was Wednesday or Thursday that we got a call that sent Dad out to pick up a missionary and all his stuff and bring him to the President’s home for an interview. We still do not know exactly what inspired that call or what is going to be happening with that Elder, but he has spent time with us in the office since then and has been such a help. Poor Elder Rout, the one who has taken over responsibility for the cars, seems to be drowning in all the car-related stuff despite Dad and Elder Terry’s offers of help to him. He seemed much more open to having the Elder do things for him and considered it a great blessing. Then Friday he (the Elder) came over to Dad’s desk and offered to help him as he was trying to figure out just how to get all the new financial cards organized to go out to the different zones this week...I had suggested a procedure and he had made a small and slow beginning, but with the elder’s help it went quite quickly. Young bodies and brains do help with this work:)! The Church is changing banks - unfortunately to Bank of America - so every missionary has to have a new financial card and the instructions that go with it. To include that BofA charges you a fee if you make a cash withdrawal in the bank. That’s a first for us to hear, but guess it is to force people to only use ATMs. We have loved having our extra elder with us and are hoping that nothing drastic is happening to him as he seems so nice and so capable.
I do remember Thursday evening just going to bed; wasn’t hungry - don’t know or remember what Dad ate - just went to bed and was so very grateful to have one! Friday I got up about 4:15 a.m. and had a wonderful beginning to my day, getting all of my desired routines in and having time to work on the messes that had been accumulating since our return home. Felt so good as we left for the office and actually throughout the day. Just need to make my regular bedtime 9:00 I think:)
I suggested to the others in the office that it would be fun to get together outside the office once a month or more and the others agreed, so we decided to start by meeting together for dinner on Saturday. We invited the couple who manage the church recreation facility at Camp Alpine and they were excited at the thought; they are really isolated out in a “wilderness” setting and not really close to any towns. We all met at Marie Callendar’s for dinner and the food was wonderful...Dad has decided we need to go back there more often:). We are tentatively planning to go to the coast on the second Saturday in February and have lunch all together! I can’t remember now the exact spot - but it has a Mo’s and we will probably go there.
Church started at 9 this morning and we were there on time; seems like a big change from 1 p.m. to 9 a.m. but we did it. I hope all the little ones fared well...seems like it would be a lot better time for them.
I was reading in the blog, back in October, and so very much appreciated Jim Jr.’s beautiful contribution to it. I really do wish each one of our children and/or their family would put a little something in it now and then to help keep us all connected. I thought perhaps it would work for me to put notes in if others just e-mailed me, but don’t feel like I’ve done a very good job of that. Along those lines, in case you don’t know, Michael has moved back to Portland and is working in the Old Navy store in Beaverton...so Mary will be all by herself for this birthday...that doesn’t sound like fun. Hope you’ll all take a moment to e-mail or call her:).
I will close by saying that I have repented of my constant desire to turn the clock back and have all my children close at my side; that is a very selfish and short-sighted wish and I am going to do better. I am so very grateful for the adults you’ve become, for your wonderful families and all you are doing with and for them, and for your continued growth in the gospel, giving and doing for others. What more could a mother ask for? I have been so truly blessed! Keep up that great work!!! We love you:).
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