Sunday, November 22, 2015

Gratitude

Nov. 22, 2015
Dear Sister Kristina,
Well, can you believe we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving? There’s something about the favorite time of the year and how it always goes by so quickly, then the cold and dreary time afterwards just drags by. I love the music, the feel, the weather, the generally lifted spirits that seem to prevail this time of year and sure wish it felt that way all year round. Although, warm climate at the beach is a favorite too.

We definitely went to Chicago at the right time. We had such great fall weather and two days after we left, it turned so cold there and has now been snowing. Carolina says it gets so cold in the winter there that she couldn’t even open her mouth because the air hurt her teeth. haha I hope Sean and Blair are prepared for that kind of winter and to think, Blair actually has an outside job working at the ice rink at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Today I got to play the piano in the primary and Sis. Ray led the music. She’s so funny. They said they might need me to be in there the next few weeks until they find someone for the calling, so I’m more than happy to be in there. It’s always fun in the primary. Today I could tell that the young Peery boy was getting under Sis. Ray’s skin though with his sarcastic remarks. haha

Our ward missionaries came by tonight and wanted to see if I had had any more progress with Marissa, our house cleaner’s daughter. She comes every week now and helps clean the house and we have been having some really nice conversations about life, religion, family, etc. I had given her a pamphlet so they wanted to see what she said about it, but I haven’t asked her yet. I will ask her tomorrow if she read it and what she thinks. 

The girls are out of school this next week but we aren’t leaving for Salt Lake until Tuesday after dad does his shift tomorrow. I’m still so sad that Addie and Sarah won’t be there. I’ve got to work on my attitude so that it will be a fun Thanksgiving, but I didn’t realize how much just seeing Addie makes everything all better. We’re going to have to Facetime with her. They’re already up in Canada.

Today I also went visit teaching right after church because the sister I visit is a teacher at NorthStar school, Angela Woch. They’re new in the ward and they have two on a mission right now, a daughter in Montana and a son in Mexico City. I really enjoyed our visit today and we got to know her so much better. They live in a new subdivision that’s in our ward. Our ward has really been growing lately, so many new families and I feel like I hardly know any of them. I was going to invite one of them over today for dinner, but decided at the last minute to invite Myles McKell over. Myles said he had just been thinking about us and was so happy when I asked him to come to dinner. He stayed quite a while and we chatted about life, Brian Regan (who he can imitate beautifully)-I was laughing so hard, and how he’s going to move on with his life now that his divorce is official. 

Dad said to tell you thank you for the package you sent. Nikki wants to know if she can wear your beanie. Did you get the package we sent you? I could not find the email you sent where you asked for certain things from home. I mean I looked everywhere, where could it have gone? It’s somewhere in cyberspace. So I just tried to remember, so if there’s something we forgot, would you just remind me and we’ll send it in the next package.

I’ve been praying this week about submitting a name to replace Kris as my secretary.Last week while we were walking around Sean and Blair’s neighborhood, Pres. Shaw called me and said the Eagle 2nd ward Bishop had asked for Kris to be their next RS president. That was a shock to me and I have absolutely loved having Kris in my presidency and having her as my friend. But on the bright side, I will still be working with her since I work with all the RS presidents. In fact, I have already gone over to her house and oriented her for her new calling. She will be awesome and I know all the sisters in her ward just love her. This will be a wonderful experience for Kris and for those sisters. Dad and I went to the temple on Friday so I could think about some sisters I might like to call. Pres. Shaw just happened to be in that session, so I was able to ask him about a couple sisters while we were in the celestial room. That helped.

Leah had her second surgery this past Tuesday and everything went well. They took two screws out of her leg hoping it would cause her bones to work harder and to heal faster. Leah only had to miss one day of school which was great and she hasn’t been in too much pain this week. Also, she has to give up her little scooter that she’s been using. She’s worried about that, but I think it will be better for her. I’m also not waiting on her hand and foot cuz now I can use the excuse that the Dr. wants her to move around more and heal faster. She’s kind of gotten into the bad habit of asking everyone around her to do everything for her. Nikki’s practically her slave, so now we’ve got to stop that and make her work. So far, she hasn’t been too happy about that. haha Emotionally, she seems to be doing a lot better. She has a few down moments, but she quickly talks with me about them and does something to pull herself out of depression. Her medications have really helped with that and also she now takes focus medicine and is so happy about taking that because she can really tell a difference at school, and I can tell a huge difference too.

I was thinking about you today wondering if you were getting transferred and how hard that might be especially the week of Thanksgiving, but if you do have to change, at least you will probably get to know a number of families very quickly as you visit and eat with them this week. I am so grateful for families who help me by watching over you, feeding you not only physically but emotionally and spiritually. I am grateful for a mission president and his wife who have given 3 years of their lives to be with you, to teach you, to love you and to guide you. They are away from their families a really long time. I am grateful for the Holy Ghost who guides you and inspires you daily and even watches over you as travel and search for those who are prepared and those who need help in becoming prepared. I am grateful for the scriptures and the prophets who wrote them for how truly inspired they are, written so long ago yet they are exactly what we need to hear in this day and age and how it was our Savior who inspired these prophets in what they should write down. I am so grateful for a loving, living Father in Heaven who knows each one of us personally as His child and loves us so much that He wants us back to be with Him eternally and even though He has laws He must follow as a just God, He found a way to give us the mercy we would need to make it back to Him despite our imperfections. And lastly, I have been thinking so much lately about the incredible gift of a Messiah, a Savior, a Redeemer who also chose to follow His Father’s plan by coming to earth at a time when He would be mocked and persecuted, but knew it would be the only way to atone for our sins so that we could all be back together again some day. I am grateful He is my mediator and love getting to know Him through His tender mercies I feel every day, and am grateful to know that as I repent often, He will be there in my behalf. I am grateful to be a daughter, to have amazing and wonderful parents, to be a wife and to have the best husband in the world by my side, to be a mom and now a nana and to know how unconditional love feels-it’s the most awesome feeling. And I’m so incredibly grateful for you, my missionary daughter, who felt the sweet urgings of the spirit and responded to the call to leave the comforts of home for a short time and give your love, knowledge and testimony to people who will now become lifelong friends in the gospel with lives forever changed. 

I hope your journal this week in particular is full of gratitude and ask each home you enter to share the things they are grateful for also. Have a great Thanksgiving!!!!

Love you,

Mom xxoo
Here's a couple pics I thought you might enjoy!!


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