WHY DO WE DO IT?

I was reading Tina's blog about a very frustrating FHE and it reminded me of a story from our "Family History", so I thought I would put it in my blog.

I remember a Sunday when I was in the lady's restroom, changing my 3rd dirty diaper of the day, when a friend of mine came in with a screaming toddler. She plopped in the chair by the changing table and said, "Why do we bother, I have not had a single spiritual experience in 3 years." I nodded with great understanding and went back to the chapel to help Jerry with the front line battle, wondering myself, "Why we bother?"

Well we continued to bother for many more years and I was setting on the stand at Bryan's missionary farewell (the fourth of four sons to serve). My attention wandered to a young mother in the audience, who was wrestling with 3 small children and I had a moment of clarity, when I remembered the "Why do we bother?" day and then I looked at Bryan, in his missionary finery and I knew--that is why we bother, so that we can claim the Lord's blessings for Sacrament, Sunday School, Relief Society meetings and Family Home Evenings where not a single spiritual experience happens. I don't know how, but somehow out of these times the seeds of faith are planted and the harvest is another generation who attend these meetings and have these FHE, so that another generation can reap these same blessings. It is true!!

It has occurred to me that non of you have seen my new office. So I am posting a couple of pictures of it so you will see how really nice it is.

I really do love it here. It is so much nicer and roomier than it was.

The Packers are going to the Super Bowl

YEAH!! After a 13 year drought, the Packers are going to the Super Bowl. Since I was a very little girl and Vince Lombardi was their coach I have been a Packer's fan. I went online to see if there was anyway that I could get tickets (the Super Bowl is in Dallas this year so I thought maybe Vicki would let me stay at her house), but after one short glance I realized that this was not going to happen (tickets in the nose bleed section are over $2,000 and you have to buy at least two) and I will be content to watch it at home.

January is here

Hi,

The title must seem odd to most of you, but those of you who know me will know that I am not a fan of winter, so once we get past solstice, I begin to count down the days left in winter. By the end of January, most of the winter is over here in the Northwest, so I am always glad to welcome January in and out. This year I am particularly excited to have January rolling on, because Forrest's basketball schedule makes life here unusually crazy and basketball is finished in early February.

Poor Jerry bears the brunt of the basketball schedule and I will help you understand by describing how his day will go today. He will leave home at 1:00 so that he can drive to Hood River to pick up Christian and Ethan and bring them back to The Dalles for Vision Exam appointments, then he will dash back to Hood River to pick up Forrest, get everyone some food, and take Forrest to basketball practice, then he has to hang out in Hood River with the other two boys until practice is over and then bring them all home, arriving there about 8:30 or 9:00 pm. I wish I could say that today is unusual, but it is just an average day in the life of a really good man who is trying to make a difference in the lives of some troubled young men. You have just got to love a man that is that unselfish.

Happy New Year to everyone and I hope that 2011 is the best year ever for you.