LIVING TODAY

"Life is not a race--but indeed a journey. Be honest. work hard. Be choosy. Say "thank you," "I love you," and "great job" to someone each day. Go to church, take time for prayer. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. Let your handshake mean more than a pen and paper. Love your life and what you've been given; it is not accidental--search for your purpose and do it as best you can. Dreaming does matter. It allows you to become that which you aspire to be. Laugh often. Appreciate the little things in life and enjoy them. Some of the best things really are free. Do not worry, less wrinkles are more becoming. Forgive, it frees the soul. Take time for yourself--plan for longevity. Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know. Live for today, enjoy the moment." -Bonnie Mohr

making life sweeter

I just love the things my children say. They keep life lighter and sweeter.

Awhile back:

Ethan, "I ate it all gone. Now you can't have a bite. But it's okay if you're sad."

Me, (trying to understand) "Oh, I was going to have a bite but you ate it all, so now I can feel sad if I want to?"

Ethan, "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ate it!"

drop by drop

Yesterday our Stake Relief Society put on an amazing brunch to celebrate the up-coming birthday of the Relief Society organization. The breakfast was delicious but nothing could compare in any way to the production of the Ten Virgins. Amazing, touching, inspiring... They did a fabulous job and I am forever grateful to them for all of their efforts and months of practicing. A parable that I understood on the surface but never really had a personal connection with is now very personal to me. I identified with so many of the different women portraying the 10 virgins... their struggles and strengths, their weaknesses and mistakes... How I long to be more like the calm woman who finds balance in the most important things in life and the one who constantly lifts the hands that hang down and strengthens the feeble knees. How I wish I was less like the woman who scurries about frantically working all day but feeling as though she never accomplishes anything.

My late grandmother used to counsel me when I was a teenager... how I wish I would have listened more!!! A reoccurring theme I often heard was how I could be, accomplish or become whatever I wanted to. She often talked about the power of our minds and how sending good thoughts or vibes out into the universe would bring good back to us. Though not of the same faith, I have gleaned so much wisdom from her experiences. I understand more now than I did 15 years ago and see the parallel in a parable that I've known for as long as I can remember. It's the parable of the mustard seed found in the book of Alma in The Book of Mormon. As I was thinking about the characteristics I so desire in some of the women portrayed in the Ten Virgins production, I would start to get a sinking feeling that I was so far from achieving that; it was nearly hopeless. Then the whisperings of the Holy Ghost would remind me that it all starts with a thought... a mere desire to believe... and become.... drop by drop... I know we can all become the great Women and Men that our Heavenly Father sees in us as we come to Him often and allow His spirit to fill our hearts and lives.

TODAY in CHURCH...

I really love our ward. I love that our Primary is so huge. It's always exciting! There's always something to keep us busy and on our toes! Today I presented sharing time. It was a lot of fun. The lesson was on how the commandments help us follow Heavenly Father's plan for us and that brings us happiness. The children had an opportunity to share a commandment they thought of and how that makes us happy. I had chosen several children from the Primary and they were starting to share in the microphone which commandment they had chosen and why it makes them happy to keep that commandment. During the middle of it, Ethan came walking up to the podium. I thought maybe he was just coming up to see me... but it turned out he had something to share, and he shared "go to the temple." It was so sweet. It just melted my heart. He turned to go sit down but I directed him over to get his bean to put it in the jar. I feel like I'm always running out of time during sharing time. My main struggle is that I'm not a very good judge of time and how long something will take, or how much time has passed. I skipped the last half of the sharing time I had planned because I didn't want to cut into singing time (as I often do... feel bad about that). The senior sharing time is always much more productive and I had a better idea of how to get to everything that i wanted to. We were able to get to the part of them making a banner of what they pledge or promise to do as a class to follow Heavenly Father's plan for us. They wrote down several commandments on their banner as a class and then one child from each class brought it to the front to share. I was really touched and inspired to hear them share the commandments that they planned to keep together as a class. I invited them to keep their banners in their binders so that they could remind each other each week of the promise they had made. I'm really grateful for Primary. It inspires me to be better and to be as our Savior invites, "as a little child."

After church while getting ready for lunch, We had an interesting conversation with Ethan... then again, Ethan's conversations are always interesting...

Me:

How was your class today, Ethan?

Ethan:

It was a little...long. Did you see that? You know.

Me:

But did you like your class? Don't you like your teachers?

Ethan:

ya...

Me:

What did you like about it?

Ethan:

Because my teachers were talking nice, not stupid.

Me:

Uh oh.

Ethan:

(little smirk... wanting a reaction)

Catherine:

Why'd you say uh, oh?

Me:

Oh, because Ethan said a word that wasn't very nice.

Catherine:

What word was it?

Ethan:

Stupid, but... (so nonchalant)

(then with conviction) I was saying they were talking nice!

moving out already??

Catherine:

"I'm moving to Hawaii. Did you know, Dad?"

Larry:

"Oh, you are? When?"

Catherine:

"When I'm a mom."

Shall I Say, "HAPPY NEW YEAR"

Merry Christmas 2010 and Happy New Year 2011

It is a wonderful season. Our hearts are fullest right now to have our family surrounding us. How grateful we are for life. A month and a half ago, our youngest child, Noah was stung by a scorpion and had a severe reaction. It was a very close call for him. Our hearts are full of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for answering our prayers and sparing his life that day. We’re also grateful for medical professionals who have prepared and sacrificed and given so much of their time to provide medical help in our time of need. It is in moments such as these when seconds feel like hours and life hangs by a delicate thread that we quickly assess what is most important to us in our lives. We both have found it much easier to set things aside to focus on our family. We have found ourselves hugging our children a little tighter, snuggling them a little longer, reading just one more story and singing just one more song... laughing more and loving deeper.

Most especially this time of year, our hearts and thoughts are turned toward our Savior, Jesus Christ. We think not only of his humble birth, but his miraculous life and glorious resurrection. We learn from the example of His selfless life and find hope in His atoning sacrifice and resurrection which makes possible for us the greatest of all of our Father in Heaven's gifts: Eternal life with Him, with our Savior Jesus Christ and with our families. How it warms our hearts when we realize the love we share in our families and the joy we feel with them surrounding us can last forever. What a gift! How comforting it is to know that we will one day be reunited with loved ones who have passed on. Larry and I find our greatest joy in having a family… welcoming each of our children into this world, growing, learning, loving and laughing together in this journey called life.

Catherine is our angel. She has the most tender, loving heart. We call her our baby doll because when she was born she was about the size of a baby doll. She turned 5 a month ago and is growing into a tall and very beautiful young lady. She is quite the little sponge and has started teaching herself to read over the past few months. She is a natural with numbers and math and is quite the little artist. Our house is covered with her detailed depictions of animals, people and everyday life. Her patience and persistence surpasses that of my own. I will watch her spend an hour and a half to 2 hours completely focused while working on just one picture. She is imaginative, inventive and an endless fountain of ideas and questions. Catherine loves animals… ALL animals: real, toy, stuffed… Rather than "princesses" and "dress up" she will dazzle you with playtime ideas such as: “Mom, let’s play kitties (or birds). I’m the kitty at the pet shop and you come buy me and take care of me...”

The whole “animal pretend play” is right up Ethan’s alley but you’ll find him deciding to be the dragon or the tiger that’s going to chase and hunt down all the poor innocent animals, tormenting them until they’re screaming for me to come to their rescue! Ethan, almost 3½, is the pure definition of a 3 year-old BOY. Ethan is Mr. Independent, who loves to climb everything, scream, laugh, run and play from BEFORE sunup ‘til WAY after sundown. Ethan loves sports. We have discovered he has a natural talent in all sports: football, basketball, track and field, baseball, soccer, swimming, skateboarding, bike riding... you name it; he can do it -- effortlessly. From day one we have seen that he definitely takes after his Uncle Taylor in his personality and athleticism. Though tough as nails when it comes to sports and wrestling with other boys, Ethan is also one of the most compassionate, tenderhearted people I know. He definitely takes after his Uncle Ben Donner in that sense. He is always aware of people, their needs and feelings. If he notices you are feeling down or discouraged, you’ll find him quickly returning with one of his toys, ample hugs and silly faces to cheer you up. He is a natural friend and always goes out of his way to include everyone in his fun. Ethan is a ham and finds great delight in making anyone laugh.

Noah is still our “little” baby who is more of a tank than a baby and already starting to wear his older brother’s clothes. He’s growing up so fast and finds delight in everything we do. He is the happiest, most pleasant 1½ year-old we have known. We think of Noah as being JOLLY and often joke that he’s “Santa’s child.” Noah is wild and loving, snuggly and independent all rolled into one! He’s a curious little fellow and keeps us on our toes!

Larry and I are truly enjoying these three precious gifts from Heaven! We have had a full and busy year with a lot of sacrifice but far more blessings than we could hope for!

We hope this is a wonderful season for you and your family and that you find an abundance of health, love and laughter this Christmas and throughout the New Year!

Merry Christmas from The Reeves!

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!