The Beauty of Skype

This is the wonders of Skype! What wonderful technology we have, I can see and interact with my children and grandchildren far and near!!

Never a truer statement!

"Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others. By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves." *Gordon B Hinckley

So if I'm really sad, must be I'm too into myself!

Kathy Jensen's signature laugh - transcribed

Okay here is the real antidote to depression!!

Holidays and depression.

Holidays and depression! I guess I can really understand why so many people feel bad at this time of year. The doctors say it is a sense of LOSS. That loss can be anything such as, Holidays reminding us of what we are missing out on, or, longing for the company of those we miss, or loss of a dream whether it is trivial or profound. Things like that.

They say it is a disparity between reality and our expectations that defines the depth of our sadness. Our expectations are high, and our reality is far from it on the other side of it. So it becomes a serious letdown. This is really true in just about any time of life or time of year.

It seems movies give us this sense of fantasy and that our dreams are too often mere fantasy, and our wishes could never come true. I think this may be true.

So what do we do?

Stop setting expectations so high, so you'll avoid disappointment. Boy is that the truth. I think I may do this sometimes.

Adjust your hopes and dreams to a realistic level, then they have a chance of coming true.

Adjust your expectations in your relatives who may come to visit, let's face it, we all have some kooky relatives in our families and what we should do is just love them.

So, do you have an unrealistic sense, I suspect we all do to some degree. Let's just enjoy the reason for the season I guess, and that is the birth of our Savior who has laid down his life for everything we have done incorrectly, our poor judgement, our transgressions, and our sins. And remember that imperfection is a reality.

This was a very interesting article.

Going up!

I truly wish I was as techy as my kids are with postings and pictures, and, well, just about everything in this tech world! BUT I'm not. I should try to find a picture to enahnce this post but, Oh well, such as it is, I just want to post a wonderful experience Mike and I had tonight.

Going to the Temple.

Especially at this time of year! We both are so so busy with school and the Brown Santa Claus that we usually don't have the time nor the energy to do one more thing. But this year we want to make sure we go. So we made the decision at 5:30 p.m. to go and off we went by 6:15 p.m. And it was glorious!

The sweet, clean smell of the air surrounding the Temple, next to that gorgeous mountain was so blissful. Walking UP the walkway, up to the mountain, was so symbolic. The seeing of many faithful people, young and old, going and being replenished, recharged and rejuvenated for the "living in the world", was so appreciated. But the most wonderful feeling always comes from being inside, away from the world, and in the warmth of love of a familiar feeling, and that is the loving arms of Father in Heaven and His Son. I feel their presence and I always learn so much, especially when we do sealings. Tonight it was sealings again, of 12 names from my Dad's side of the family.

Mike and I always leave feeling kinder, more helpful, more loving than when we entered and for that I keep making a promise to myself and to each other, we must go there more often than we do. It changes you. Changes us for the better.

So, as we left, I said to Mike, "the adversary does not want us here to find out the truth. And the truth is, this gospel is TRUE and every promise and covenant in it is true! And each time we go, these truths get in us more and give us the strength to deal with the adversary!"

I Love the Temple, it changes me! And I feel great gratitude for it!

Through Heaven's Eyes Brian Stokes Mitchell with the Mormon Taberancle C...

Oh my goodness, someday we will get tickets to hear these concerts!! Love the Christmas Season!! It lifts my spirits to heaven! I'm so grateful to be a singer!! Love this Baritone!!

What's to come?

Boy oh boy, we are getting those tax cuts for another two years, child tax credit, and estate tax. Thank goodness! The economists are speaking out with a positive view of the next two years! For once!! But Obama looked defeated. But he had no choice he HAD to listen to the voice of the majority. Obama has been behaving like a spoiled child! Stomping around until he would get his way until the people would give into his whims! Feeling sorry for himself when he didn't get what he wanted and then intimidating those who didn't agree with him and his cronies until again they gave in to his whims and demands! Looking all dejected and behaving so so childish. What do we have at the helm? It is scary AND unbelieveable to see THe immaturity running this country.

I'm so grateful the people went out and voted and were heard! Seriously, we had to put our foot down and get involved. Because raising taxes would have surely killed us all next year with a certainty, especially our children and their families. I have lived through this type of immaturity before, the Carter years actually, and our family along with many suffered for a very long time, and it wasn't until just within the last 5 years we have recovered from that bout in the early 1980's.

But we are part of the problem, if we allow this to happen, and I say allow, they will always get their way. So both ends need to change. It looks like the days of the Book of Mormon when the Nephites were completely destroyed because they allowed the gadiantion thinking, they turned their heads and did nothing.

So now, let's see what will happen next.