My Simple Daybook-July 9, 2016*

Our lives pass swiftly by!

Remembering and recording the everyday

 moments is a great gift to leave behind.

The big things are important, but it is in the details

that our story is born.

The telling of the ordinary moments

are the Threads from 

which the bigger stories emerge.

These things are important links to the 

outcome of what our posterity will inherit from us.

These Daybook posts are my attempt at it.

Just for today~July 9 2016

Outside My Window...it's nearly 4:00 pm and I have been needing to write all day.  Getting a late start is better than not starting at all.

The breeze has power behind it today as I look out my window I see that that force has twisted our American Flag around and around its poll several times.  What would normally be a warm and lazy summer afternoon somehow feels different this week.  There's tension in the air and it's as though the twisted Flag ironically seems aware of it.  

I just opened my window to see if I could hear the usual sounds of summer.  I don't.  Not a dog barking or kids playing in the pool next door.  It is just quiet. Not even a car has driven by. America is troubled.  

This week it seems to have reached new heights.  Too much hate, too much discord, too much violence, too much killing. Seriously what is happening is abhorrent. 

All lives matter, all people matter and we cannot continue to judge whole groups of people in our narrow minded ways. The sound bites and slogans that lump everyone together and pronounce sweeping judgements about everyone in the group, promote prejudice on every level.  It has to stop.

I Am Thankful For...having what I believe is a good foundation in my chosen lifestyle.  I am a Follower of Jesus Christ and a Mormon. I believe in Jesus Christ, and his love. I try to emulate him in my words and deeds.  Am I perfect at it?

Of course not, far from it! Unconditional love like the Savior gives to us is a lifelong pursuit for us as humans.  But I am striving to be the best person I can be.  I believe in repentance.  I believe in love. I believe it is a powerful force  for good in a broken life and a broken world.  I definitely  believe that Jesus loves all of us in the same way.  That is Completely. We are each one.  No more than one no less than one.  I am not more important than you and you are not more special than me.  God is our Father.  Complete love is unconditional love.  I have an inkling of an understanding of this kind of love because I am a parent.  And I know that his love for each one of us transcends anything I can ever feel as a mere mortal.  What this teaches me is this:  I may not support or even like your religious or personal or political views but I do respect your rights to choose your own path.  If I don't agree with you I am not going to get in your face about it.  And I'm certainly not going to be violent in anyway to hurt you because of what you think.

Why?  Because I respect you as a human being.  I respect you because you are a child of God.  You have your agency to choose for yourself. I am an adult and you don't get to choose for me and I don't get to choose for you.  Other adults are not my stewardship and neither are anyone else's children. Even God let's us choose for ourselves. The other side of that coin is there are natural consequences for the choices we make.  I am thankful for the peace and hope that living a good life based on the teachings of Christ have given us.  It give us joy and that is a good thing.  That is my hope for everyone no matter what they think about any of the current day issues.

From The Learning Room...The media has a tremendous ability to over exaggerate and sensationalize everything to the point that it can make us feel the whole world is crazy.  In some ways it truly is and the atrocities of this past week are a perfect example of that. Talk about terrorizing people! They also want to sell stories so they rehash and rehash and rehash everything.  That seems to embed these terrible things deep within our souls.  That leads to fear that depletes faith.

But we have to keep in mind that the majority of people are good people that just want to live and let live. They are people that have respect for others and want to exercise their agency and have their liberties protected.   All is not lost.   

The changes we need to  see in the world have to start first and foremost with the individual. The idea that one person can only do so much is a cop out. Each of us can lift where we are standing.  We can indeed make this world a better place by exercising kindness, respect and consideration for all those we come in contact with every day.  I've lived long enough now to know this is true.

We can ask ourselves have I made anyone's day better today?  We should do that every single day.  Think of the people who lift you up everyday.  Be a lifter!

The worst thing we can do is continually ruminate about the state of the world and do nothing personally to make it different.  Complaining without acting is a mute point. One person can do so much!

Spiritual Thoughts...a person needs to find some balance in dealing with life as it is today. There are many injustices and there are many incredibly good things that bless us every day. We have to be aware of what is happening and at the same time find peace in whatever brings that to us.  Our faith, our hope or whatever you want to call it in your own life.  
To be constantly steeped in the negativity and injustices of the of world will eventually bring us to despair.  To be a Pollyanna and ignore what is happening will not help either. We have to raise our consciousness while keeping our faith in God.  Scripture has prophesied of these troubled times and we are seeing more and more of the evidence of their fulfillment all the time.  As individuals we can make a difference in the lives of the one. The one whose life touches ours.  That's where the love can heal and help create a better world.  As Jim says, "Think globally but act locally."

Goodness and kindness are infectious.  What we give we can receive back.  But we should give for giving's sake.That being said, sometimes terribly bad things happen and the outcomes are extremely tragic.  That is because someone misused their agency and hurt others deeply in the process. That is what happened in Florida, Minneapolis and Dallas to name a few.

Praying For...all of us to arm ourselves with good things, with God, family, loyal friends, kindness, service and love. Hatred and violence have never solved anything and never will.  Seek the best friends, seek good thoughts, seek positivity and find happiness in the things you can and do appreciate and celebrate.  May we fill our minds and hearts with light rather than continual darkness. It is the light that does nourishes us, unlike the darkness that never ever does.

Quoting Pinterest...

We are not the only country that is in trouble.

Listening to...An airplane flying overhead and Kate Davis singing her smooth jazz.  Love her voice.

Watching...This week we watched Big with Tom Hanks and it is still funny and refreshing.  We also watched Independence Day our tradition around the 4th of July.  Both moldy oldies but enjoyable.

Thinking About...Our family reunion coming up fairly soon now.  Really looking forward to being with our family again.  It has been too long.  We miss them.  Something is always missing when they are not around us. Two of our grandchildren will be seniors in high school in the fall.  The two youngest will be nine by September.  Time waits for no man.  We have to see them more.

In the kitchen...still losing weight but it has gotten slower now.  At 73 and have two more to go to meet my Family Reunion goal.  It could happen.  We'll see.  What I have learned is to be patient.  Keep going.  Don't ever give up on your dreams until you own them. Stay away from all junk food and refined sugar. Also watch those bad carbs. Drink a lot of water every day.  No soda.  

I'm Happy About...having a garden this year.  It is our first attempt in many years and Jim is really enjoying it and already envisioning something bigger and better next year.  Our flowers are beautiful this year.  We are so happy about the rain we have received and the land is so grateful and producing like crazy.

Family News...the big family news for this time is that Hazie is having a big and complicated bladder augmentation on August 17th.  The pre-op paperwork looked like someone's thesis.  A lot of reading for Jen and Lowell.  This is going to be major and a long recovery.  Hopefully the revisions will make her life much easier in the long run. God bless those surgeons with exceptional knowledge and skills that day is our prayer for our littlest angel.

Favorite things...Cherries, watermelon, fresh vegetables from the Farmer's Market, being at home where peace and contentment dwell.  My eternal companion and all the wonderful things he does for me and everyone else. The frogs that serenade us nightly in the summer when the sun goes down.

Pet Peeves...people who are in your face about everything all the time regarding race, religion, politics and the like. These people are mostly media, or social media online like Facebook, etc.  I don't entertain that sort of thing in my real life.  It takes two to disagree.  I won't go there.  Not because I don't have an opinion but because I don't like arguing or contending.  It is not a happy maker for anyone and the outcome is basically both parties that just dig their heels further into their own paradigms.  Arguing rarely ever changes anything but your blood pressure.  At 69 I'm past all that.

Loves and Passions...our family, my dearest friends, sharing thoughts on paper/screen with them, Family History and Interior Design.  I love spending time with people one-on-one.  The foundation of our lives, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  The joy of learning and the challenges to become a better person through intentional living and goal setting.  Reading and music.

Around the Cottage...we had a really lovely gathering last week of dear friends and adopted family for Barbara Leal's retirement.  We love being able to host events like this.  I think this is our 4th retirement party over the years.  They are always fun.  It was on my birthday so that made it extra fun. The party was catered and very nicely put together by Barbara's kids. They had a little help from Uncle Jim, Aunt Bonnie and Tia Michelle. The Garden Goddess of our ward.

Photos I'm sharing...From the party.

Us capturing Barb so we could 

spend a little time with her!

Michelle our great friend and flower whisperer!

Some of her guests

Barbara, Alex, Mandy and Andrew and John in front.  

Back 40 Catering

Relaxing together!

Well that's a wrap for this time!