1st New Year Goal Accomplished

I am proud to say I accomplished my 1st goal for the new year. I know many of you set lofty goals like running marathons, but I set my goals very low so that I am more likely to obtain them. My goal this year was take down the Christmas tree. It took me five weeks of looking at it with disgust to finally get the physical strength, mental capacity and time allotted to do it. For 27 mornings now I have walked down the stairs looked at the bushy artificial limbs of that 10 foot green giant in my living room corner and grumbled, "Not today. I don't want to bother with you and your plastic needles, just reaching for me to take you down."

I found some comfort when I looked out my living room window and saw my neighbors still had theirs up too. But last week they got the will power to take theirs down. So I resorted to just keeping the lights turned off on the tree and trying to ignore the green giant in the corner. And hoping everyone would do the same.
See, this tree is truly a labor of love for me. The day after Thanksgiving every year since I was 15 I would spend literally the whole day putting this tree up. It is not one of those new fancy artificial trees that are pre-lit and up in 10 minutes or less. This tree is much more mentally and physically challenging than that. It is like a puzzle with color coded branches. This tree is 10 feet tall and since it is so large and my living room is not, I play the game of balancing the branches just right so not all the weight is in the front and not in the almost bare back, which is tucked in the corner of the room. After all, nothing spoils Christmas morning than a Christmas tree falling on your 3 year-old.

On a good year it takes me about 4 hours to put up and another hour to decorate. I am pretty particular in how I light the tree. Apparently one year I wrapped my aunt's tree so tight with strands of lights that she has never invited me back to help or see her tree. Sorry Aunt Mitzi, but that is the way I think it should be done. A lot of white lights wound tightly around each branch so as not to see the cords, but only the glimmering illuminating lights.

A labor of love, no it's more than that. I nearly died one year putting it up. While standing on a metal ladder putting up the last stands of lights I was electrocuted. All I remembered was a zap, lights flashing off and my plastic slipper bottoms being cracked and fried. Now can you see the possibility for brain damage, thus explaining my insanity over this tree.

Although there are purist out there (Jeremy Eagar) that insist upon a real pine Christmas tree, I contest this tree is just as beautiful and worth the time, scratches, energy and electricity to put it up and take it down each year. It truly is an accomplishment for me to do it year after year.

I would like to thank my dear husband for duct taping the beat-up old box the tree goes into and Mally for helping dad carry the bundles of tree branches so that he could throw them in that beat-up old box. Oh, and I would like to thank my mother, for without her the tree would not be ours to labor over year after year. See, when I got married she gave it to me and bought herself a new fancy pre-lit-put-it-up-in-10-minutes-tree. What a sell out!

My husband shared this article with me. I enjoyed it so I thought I would share it with you. It was written by Joan Borysenko, Ph.D.

Happiness Habit: Steal thes routines to make your life richer and more productive.

...Whether it's a onetime event to celebrate a rite of passage or a monthly gathering where your friends meet in a circle and speak from the heart, rituals can help you live a more fulfilling life. They can even expand your sense of time—lifting you out of the mad rush of errands and demands and setting you down in a seemingly endless moment of deep connection to your loved ones. You can draw on those special experiences for strength, wisdom, and good feelings whenever you're in need. This year, improve your life by creating a few simple traditions that honor your heart and help you connect with people you care about. Here are five to inspire you.

Team up for chores

In early America, barn raisings were feats of incredible productivity but also wonderful social occasions. Sue Merriman, 54, a landscape designer and full-time mom, has given the idea a modern twist. Every Wednesday she gets together with her friend Devra Laner, 47; sometimes another friend joins them.

The women alternate houses, and the host picks a task that's time-consuming, difficult to pull off alone, or just no fun—and therefore never gets done. Any project is allowed, although as Sue says, "At first, nobody thinks they can invite friends over to clean the grease out from under the stove."

The women have done a lot of cleaning, organizing, and gardening in the past three years, but the work's been companionable instead of onerous—full of laughter and talk. "We wanted to be able to see each other and we had to get things done," Sue says. "So we decided to do both."

Hold a swap meet

At the end of every winter, Laura Gilbert, 30, and several friends do an annual closet purge. But before taking the castoffs to charity, they make them an excuse for a party. One by one, the closet gleanings are inspected and tried on by the women, who range from a size 2 to a 12.

"You see four different bodies in the same dress, and you realize, wow, stuff doesn't always look best on the one who's the skinniest," Laura says. "You start to appreciate what does look good on you instead of beating yourself up because something doesn't."

And it's like having a roomful of personal shoppers. "There's a piece of clothing you'd never look at twice, but your friends say, 'No, you must try it on'—and when you do, bam! It's wonderful."

Have a dinner exchange

When Suzanne Beyer's children were in grade school, life was a perpetual sprint. One day, she and neighbor Karen Johns came up with a solution: "We thought, Why not exchange dinners once a week? That way, we'd each have one night when we could get caught up and be served dinner in gourmet fashion."

So Suzanne and Karen would check their schedules for the day most jam-packed with sports practices and music lessons; that evening, a meal would arrive from across the street. "We never told each other what we were preparing—it was always a surprise," says Suzanne, now 62. "It didn't take any extra money or effort, and it gave us each an hour and a half extra that day. We both loved it, but I got the better end of the deal—she's a fantastic cook."

Share a journal

Writer Melissa Walker, 29, and her mother have a beautiful way to stay in touch: They connect by writing letters in a journal, which they send back and forth. Melissa got the idea when she was 23 and far from home.

"My dad and I would talk on the phone—Mom would say hi but was often rushing around to get dinner. I thought it would be a great way to hear some of her inner thoughts." Since Melissa's dad died a few years ago, their routine has become even more special.

"Now we often write memories—little 'thought of Dad today because?' stories," Melissa says. "And it makes me feel connected to both my mom and my dad on some level."

Retreat once a year

A decade ago, Sandy Shapiro and three friends from junior high celebrated their 35th birthdays by going to a dude ranch in Arizona. They ate lots of steak and potatoes, talked nonstop, and decided they'd do it again in 5 years.

"A few months later, one of my friends [was diagnosed with] stage 3 uterine cancer," Sandy says. "There were marital issues and babies born, and it became clear that life was too short—we needed to meet every year." So each winter, they get together for three or four days. "These women are like family. The loyalty and love is really intense," Sandy says. "It's so nice to come back to that on a regular basis."

Daily habits to lift you up

Instead of flicking on the news when you wake up, start with five minutes of your favorite music. It's a wonderful way to move more smoothly from your dreams into a creative, productive day.

Every evening, empty your pocket change into a jar; when the jar gets full, give the money to a favorite charity. You'll declutter your nightstand and purse while keeping in touch with the things you value.

After a day at work or doing errands, pause for a transition as you enter the house. Keep a pair of comfy slippers in the entryway so you can shed your business shoes and persona, or light a scented candle in the living room and take a minute to enjoy the fragrance.

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Honor the Priesthood and Your Wife

I was very touched by this talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott in the Priesthood Session this past October 2008 General Conference. Since I am a woman and did not go to Priesthood Session and there is a good chance you are a woman and did not go either, I thought I would share this talk with you. Below are excerpts I enjoyed. You can read the talk in its entirety from the link above.

Brethren, I now speak of how the priesthood should be used to bless the lives of others, especially the daughters of Father in Heaven....

If you are married, are you faithful to your wife mentally as well as physically? Are you loyal to your marriage covenants by never engaging in conversation with another woman that you wouldn’t want your wife to overhear? Are you kind and supportive of your own wife and children? Do you assist your wife by doing some of the household chores? Do you lead out in family activities such as scripture study, family prayer, and family home evening, or does your wife fill in the gap your lack of attention leaves in the home? Do you tell her you love her?

The family proclamation states that a husband and wife should be equal partners. I feel assured that every wife in the Church would welcome that opportunity and support it. Whether it occurs or not depends upon the husband. Many husbands practice equal partnership with their companion to the benefit of both and the blessing of their children. However, many do not. I encourage any man who is reluctant to develop an equal partnership with his wife to obey the counsel inspired by the Lord and do it. Equal partnership yields its greatest benefit when both husband and wife seek the will of the Lord in making important decisions for themselves and for their family...

The scriptures confirm that Father in Heaven saved His greatest, most splendid, supreme creation, woman, to the end. Only after all else was completed was woman created. Only then was the work pronounced complete and good.

Of our wives, mothers, grandmothers, and sisters and other important women in our lives, President Hinckley declared: “Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth.”

By divine design a woman is fundamentally different from a man in many ways. She is compassionate and seeks the interests of others around her. However, that compassionate nature can become overwhelming for women who identify far more to accomplish than they can possibly do, even with the help of the Lord. Some become discouraged because they do not feel they are doing all they should do. I believe this is a feeling that many worthy, effective, devoted women of the Church experience.

Therefore, as a husband or son, express gratitude for what your wife and mother do for you. Express your love and gratitude often. That will make life far richer, more pleasant and purposeful for many of the daughters of Father in Heaven who seldom hear a complimentary comment and are not thanked for the multitude of things they do. As a husband, when you sense that your wife needs lifting, hold her in your arms and tell her how much you love her. May each of us ever be tender and appreciative of the special women who enrich our lives...