A New Month

    A new month, a new snow storm, a new beginning! Every day is a new beginning, but somehow a new year and each new month seems like more important beginnings. I LOVE new beginnings because I am always wanting to do things a little better, a little more and a little different. A new month seems the perfect time to determine what I need to do better, more or differently.
    I have learned that life is not static--it is constantly changing and I need to constantly change, as well. If I let a new month make me aware of what I need to do differently or better, I can move forward in my quest to become the person God wants me to be.
    February is the month of love, so this month I want to do better at showing my love by my actions. First, to my husband by being more patient, more kind and understanding. I will remind myself when I start feeling critical or irritated, that this is the person I love, this is the person who I am spending my life and hopefully eternity with. I will ask Heavenly Father for the ability to see him as He sees him and  I will ask to be able to look at his little idiosyncrasies as endearing, not irritating.

    Next, I am aching to find ways to show more love to my family, who I am feeling more and more distant from because of lack of contact. Everyone is so busy with their own families, their own concerns, their own lives, and it is a great challenge for them to find time to even call or e-mail us. I understand completely because I've been there. When my parents were elderly, I remember how hard it was to find time to visit them or call them because the demands on my time were so constant with children still at  home, with married children and grandchildren to enjoy and all the regular demands of family life, and activity in our church. My children all  have those same demands. All of the older ones have grandchildren and they are all active in their church, they all have busy, active lives .
     My husband and I are busy, too. Being in your eighties in this society, and in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, does not exempt you in any way from full activity! We still have all the normal everyday activities to take care of--our home, our yard, and our health. Then, we are fully active in our church, and we also spend two days a week serving as Service Missionaries at the Employment Center using our life experience and expertise as job coaches... helping and counseling people on how to find jobs.
   It is no wonder we all find so little time to be together! I've been thinking about what I could do, and this month I will look for ways I can reach out to each of my children and their spouses, and as many grandchildren as possible.  I will express my love in word and simply by reaching out to them in some way.  One idea I had that I wanted to do at Christmas but there was simply no time to carry it out, was to send them vintage pictures of their family or their ancestors to help them feel closer as a family. I love pictures, so this may be a project for Valentine's Day. Yes! That is what I can do instead of sending valentines!
    So there I have it--new goals, new ideas and new beginnings!

  THIS WAS LAST YEAR IN FEBRUARY--this year not as much snow, but more cold weather.