A yearly landmark event!

I just completed the last undecorating of Christmas. My children will be be surprised to hear this because it is not quite Easter. But, since Tyler is coming home in just 13 days, I have taken down the Christmas tins from above my cupboards and put up the usual decor with an additional Easter tin. You may now all applaud.

Change

Why is change so difficult and frightening. Even the smallest thing can throw me for a loop sometimes.

I just got off of the phone with the cable company. I am getting rid of Qwest and going all Cox. I am bundling the cable TV, changing from DSL to cable computer, and getting the Cox telephone service. It should save us quite a bit of money and they are making all of the changes free of charge. I will have to pay for the cable modem. But, overall, there should be a big savings. Not just a few dollars, but close to $50! And still I feel apprehensive about the change and hope that everything turns out the way I hope.

I don't think this fear has anything to do with a voice of warning or anything, it is just my own fears popping up. I work really hard to try not to be a worryer, but I have not been able to conquer this horrible trait that I have always had. Even when I received a new cell phone when my two year contract allowed it, I felt badly about not using my old phone which still worked perfectly well.

I worry about my children and I have to battle not making them feel less confident because of my own insecurities. It is rediculous and I feel like all of my worrying is manifesting a lack of faith. I want to be full of faith. If I were full of faith, I wouldn't be so concerned over the small and trivial things of life. For Pete's sake, if the Cox thing doesn't work out, I can always change things again, right? Philip. 4:12 for Pete's sake!

Lessons from Sunday School

These were actually quotes form Joel Osteen. (I am not sure how to spell his name, he is a radio personality.)

"Don't let anything steal your joy." and "Expect something good to happen everyday."

The first quote reminds me of a talk from Elder Bednar who spoke once about how we shouldn't choose to be offended and to get angry over small things. When we do, who are we really hurting besides ourselves? We allow those feelings to overcome the joy we should be feeling in our lives that comes through loving the Lord and knowing that he loves us. The joy that comes because of the hope that we have in the redemption and resurrection. If we will fill our lives with charity, the pure love of Christ, we will be filled with joy and nothing will be able to take it away.

The second quote reminds me of the Secret. If you have looked into that school of thought you may be able to see that the real Secret is to be filled with faith in God's promises that can be found in the scriptures. If we expect something good to happen everyday, it reminds us that our prayers are answered and our Heavenly Father is mindful of us constantly. This reminds me of Brother Stevenson's joke of the week:

He attended a religous parochial school as a child. One day in the lunch line, there was a basket of apples that had a sign which read, "take 1, remember, God is watching!" So he took one and as he went down the line farther, there was a basket of chocolate chip cookies. His friend turned to him and said, "take as many of these as you want because God is watching the apples!"

Valentine's Day was not created by card companies

This morning my single, adult son woke up and greeted me with, "Happy Singles Awareness Day." I thought that was pretty funny. Reflecting back on my single life, I remember how awkward Valentine's Day was when I had no one to share the love with. On the radio this morning, as I drove the kids to school, I heard the story behind Valentines's Day.

I didn't catch where this happened, somewhere in Europe during some past early century, there was a ruler who didn't believe that young men should marry because they would not be as good of soldiers. So, marriage for young men was outlawed. Valentine was a priest who would secretly marry these young men with their true loves before they were sent off to war. He was eventually found out and imprisoned. One part of the story that I don't understand says that he was in love with the ruler's daughter. I thought he was a priest. I am too lazy to look up the story myself, but perhaps you may want to on your own today. But since I am a proponent of true love, I thought it was a nice story.

However, one of the morning DJs wasn't buying the story and still believes that the holiday was created by women as a means of putting their men into bondage. That could be true as well, especially if these same women own the card companies!

Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day!

Things I learned in California.....

Lindsey and I drove to California this weekend. She is trying to make a move to Sacramento. She had a job interview there. So, we left on Saturday morning. I was to fly out on Sunday. We are letting Lindsey use the Durango for a little while until she can get settled and find a car of her own. Here is what I learned:

1. I have only been married for 28 years and not 29. I don't know when or how I lost count, but now I have to wait another year to go to Hawaii.

2. I am not very good at making plane reservations. When I went to print off my boarding pass for Sunday, I found out that I had made the reservation for Monday.

3. I don't enjoy traveling as much without Glen.

4. Kids are much more stressful to deal with when they are older than when they were young.

(I kind of already knew the last two, but they were re-emphasized this weekend.)