That Christmas Feeling

December was a very busy month for me. The Relief Society was in charge of the ward Christmas party. We had a good committee and lots of help, but it still weighed heavily on my mind and took up a lot of time. I was pleased with how it all went and grateful for so many people's help. 

After that, there was the Relief Society party to plan and execute.  I didn't seem to have room in my brain to focus on this until the ward party was finished. Again, we had a committee of people to help; together we quickly made a plan and pulled it off. I think it was a good night for everyone who came. 

Hampers were the other big job (well, besides the stubbornly persistent need to go to work every day and to get ready for our own Christmas). I've always felt like I'm not very good at hampers. I don't like shopping and I'm an under-buyer, so the idea of buying things people might not buy because of financial constraints is hard for me to work around mentally. I'm not one to splurge a lot, even for other people. I did get some help though, and somehow, we got them organized on time. 

All through the month I felt kind of bad because I really didn't think I was feeling the real spirit of Christmas. Instead, I was working through a massive to-do list that never seemed to end. However, it all came together on Christmas Eve. We gave one of the hampers to a single mom in our ward. Her five‑year‑old boy had received one present. We brought him two more, which he loved, and it was super fun to watch him enjoy those. He seemed satisfied with his one gift  prior to the ones we brought, but there had been no presents for his mom. He was so happy to see her receive TWO presents. We told him that Santa had asked us to deliver them. Those were the only presents they received. His mom texted me later that this was the best Christmas she had had in years and that she was so grateful. I was quite humbled, and tears came easily as I thought about the abundance so many enjoy without realizing how simple other people's Christmases are.

I was grateful to finally have felt the real meaning of Christmas and to learn again how serving others is what it is all about. 

Right Place At The Right Time

I have a friend who is slowly returning to the church. I have met with her a few times. We have talked about what she thinks she needs to do to strengthen her testimony. She has been less active long enough that she feels like she needs to start from the beginning again and thought that maybe she should meet with the missionaries. The next time I met with her, she told me the missionaries had texted her some scriptures and spiritual thoughts. I hadn't asked them to do that.

Later, I asked the sisters later why they had decided to text her and they were so happy to hear that they were totally inspired to send her those messages. It was just what she needed. Those sisters are prayerfully working on finding new people to teach and their decision to contact her was no coincidence. 

Just like the women in Matthew 25 who did not have enough oil in their lamps....they left to go fill up when maybe they should have filled up in the morning so they could stay. It's a good lesson. I think the Lord guides us in our study and what we focus on so that we can be prepared to serve the people around us when the right time comes up.

Mastering Your Powers of Observation

Georgia O'Keefe: Nobody sees a flower, really. It is so small. We haven't time and to see, takes time. When we pause to see what's around us, I mean really see it, it not only broadens our awareness, it enriches our lives.

-delighted by the details

-slow down and digest the details 

How perceptive are you?
Do you mindfully observe your surroundings?
Do you rush through on to your next...whatever?

Could you start to carry a metaphorical sketchpad?

Learn to stop and SEE the roses, in addition to smelling them.

What Are You Carrying?

 I woke up the other night with an analogy on my mind that stole my sleep. It spoke to me plainly, as though I was having a conversation with someone directly.

I was carrying a big rock. It was heavy and hard to handle. People kept asking me to do things that meant I couldn't put the rock down. I'd smile and do the best I could - but physically, it was almost doing me in. I kept telling myself I was crazy to keep carrying this rock, but the truth was, I had no choice. 

I carried it through teaching adults and children. I carried it in meetings where we talked about the rock. I carried it while I was bowling. I carried it while having to talk to crowds about all the great things going on. I would ask if I could put it down every time - but people would smile and shake their heads and tell me I'd figure it out. They'd try to ignore the rock mostly, but now and then would ask how it's going carrying that rock. I asked if I could have some tools to help me with this rock. I asked if I could have some time to figure out how to put it down. All the time, the answer was, "Sorry. You have to figure out how to do more than one thing at a time."

Tonight I finally put down the rock. I'm going to have to figure out how to break this rock into pieces so that my sciatic nerve doesn't rebel against me for a month ever again.

Abortion

 This is a big topic in politics these days with the Republic party banning abortion in many states.  I'm opposed to the government making these kinds of decisions for individuals.

While I'm not a supporter of abortion, I believe abortion should be legal. Without it being legal, we couldn't even follow the church handbook, which states that it can be considered as an option after consultation with the right people. 

A discussion with someone who totally disagrees with me got me thinking. 

If a person has an abortion, what happens to that spirit. Is that it? Is that there one chance at an earthly experience? That doesn't seem like the plan of a loving God. 

I think that God's plan is merciful and logical. I don't see how one person's choice could wipe out another's opportunity for an earthly sojourn.

Extreme Productivity Day....or at least that is what I hoped for

 I read a book a while ago called The Motivation Myth. He talked about planning for a day where you accomplish a ton. I decided to take Monster Energy out of the title because the fact is, I don't have a monster amount of energy. However, I can plug away at things. Yesterday was the day. Here's a summary of how it went:

• Step 1 Let everyone know you won't be available
• I didn't do this. Part way in Peirce and Michael came over to pick up their dog, Percy, and we visited for a couple hours....and that was okay because by then I was pretty tired!
• Step 2 Decide how long you will work
• I planned it all out on Google Calendar
• Step 3 Totally commit to how long you decided to work
• I guess I wasn't committed because I ended up forward planning some tasks. Part of the problem was that I wasn't totally sure how long each task would take.
• Step 4: Start your EPD at an unusual time (the idea is to break free of your usual routine)
• I was at it by 7:30 am....which way earlier than I usually start on to do list.
• Step 5: Delay and space out your rewards
• I think I thought of snacks/lunch as a reward. I didn't eat soon enough and could feel it. When I finally had a snack it made a big difference. I didn't eat lunch until 7 pm. That was a mistake.
• Step 6: Refuel before you think you need to refuel
• Yup. Need to do better at this! 
• Step 7: Take productive breaks, not relaxation breaks
• I took this as using the pomodoro idea....work for 50 minutes, rest for 10 was my plan. I didn't really follow that though. I just kept going. He says not use breaks to scroll or lie down, but to do little tasks. I think I'll have to plan for what to do on breaks next time I do this. 
• Step 8: Take your breaks at a counterintuitive moment
• Taking a break every hour IS counterintuitive for me. Next time I'll do better.
• Step 9: Don't stop until you're done - even if finishing takes longer than expected.
• I stopped when I was too tired to do more. Maybe if I plan better for steps 6, 7 and 8 I'll be more capable next time to go longer. We will see in Jul!  

Job #1 was hem the living room curtains. I've had them pinned for a couple months and they needed one more turn. I was going to hand stitch them but then decided that was a crazy idea. I brought the ironing board upstairs, pinned them at the right height and checked to make sure it was right. After that, I took them downstairs and sewed them. I thought it would be a super quick job and scheduled and hour for it and it took the whole hour.

                      Before:                                                        After! I'm so happy with how they turned out!

Then I worked on cleaning the garage. I tidied up and then swept. It was dirty work! After that I mowed the lawn. That took longer than normal because there were so many pine cones to pick up. I hoped the mower would grab them, but it didn't. It sure looked nice after though! 

  

Next was bedroom windows. I had to move dressers to get to the big windows so while I did that I vacuumed underneath....again, it took longer than I'd hoped. No pictures of that work except for this gross cloth! 

Next I started on vacuuming the entire house and was planning to dig in and clean the door track on the deck door. That was when Peirce and Michael showed up though. I did end up finishing vacuuming but the sliding door track will have to wait for another day.

Lastly, I decided to make an ironing board cover for Peirce. We got a new ironing board and I had planned to give this one away on Facebook, but Peirce said he doesn't have an ironing board so he could use it. The cover was terrible (which is why we got a new one). He asked for an angry chicken cover....so off I went. It didn't go too smoothly, but in the end, I think it turned out okay! 

 

Book Banning

I am happy to say that grade 3 book club has been resurrected and will run this year!

It has got me thinking about all the book banning going on in the world. I read a great J fiction novel called Ban This Book with my Children's Lit Book Club that also got me thinking about book banning.

I have had times where parents have come to me about a book they were concerned about. In every instance, they had not read the book. I listened to their concerns and then asked them to read the book. In every case, they decided they weren't as concerned about it. 

Books I have discussed with parents after they share their concerns:
Number the Stars (Lois Lowry)
Skellig (David Almond)
Harry Potter (JK Rowling)
Dogman (Dav Pilkey)
Captain Underpants (Dav Pilkey)

....there are a lot more they would probably do well to have a conversation about - but these are the specific ones I have discussed with parents. 

Common Sense Media is a good website to check to see if books are appropriate for the classroom - but I have also had many times where if I had listened to what they had to say, I would have missed some great books. 

Examples:

The One and Only Ivan: A beautifully well-written book that will likely become a classic. Common Sense Media says there is violence in it. It is a part where Ivan reflects on leaving Africa.

Who is responsible for most of the book banning in 2023?

• Moms for Liberty
• No Left Turn in Education
• MassResistance
• local-level Facebook groups

EdWeek article on history of book banning

PenAmerica's research on book banning. They are a free-speech for writer's organization.

PenAmerica's index of books banned from 2021 - 2022