Meditations on Materialism

"...Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Luke 12:15

Why would I start off an entry like that? Simply because I find myself always comparing, and sometimes coveting. Instead of taking that attitude I think I'd be better off to consider my lucky and blessed situation in life and be grateful. There are some times in my life when I've been overcome by that sense of thankfulness and humility, and it wasn't when we bought a new couch, or our van...although, I admit I did get that feeling at Walt Disney World. Hey, I've never claimed to be completely evolved, after all. It happened when Helena was born, when my grandmother died, when I have been at the temple or studying for my New Testament exam. I happens in nature and when I'm with family. And how true is that scripture! (I am about to refer to my grandmother again, because she is a wonderful woman but also because she's one of the few people to whom I was really close before their death.) When Grandma died, no one considered her home or her bank account. They considered HER. Her life, her service, her faithfulness, and spirit. So WHY do we waste time on developing anything else? As Hugh Nibley says, God has provided us with all that we need to live - room and board. Why spend our life working to get better room and board? Why not get going on the REAL work of life?

Partially this is all brought on by a mild case of S.A.D., partly just a realization that I'm not doing as well as I could be, and I'm causing myself a whole lot of grief comparing myself against others.

In brighter news: My sister-in-law Karalee is pregnant! We're really excited for her and Jacob and hope all is well with them. We're also preparing for the advent of several other babies in the family and we can't wait.

A few things that I am specifically grateful for tonight:

Power, so that we have heat in our home (in spite of a nasty ice/snow/wind storm)
Eyesight, to read and write this blog
Helena, who loves me unconditionally
Dan, who loves me unconditionally and even when I'm this side of the mental institution
Books, to inspire and sometimes escape
Prilosec, to save my esophagus from sure destruction
Our local library, for providing everything I could ever want for free (well, except the fines)
For our neighbors, who give us dinner and make us laugh
For the Savior, for being constantly misunderstood and criticized and taking it in stride

And for all of you, for reading this drivel.

Cheers!

Brief Blog

Just a quick one today...

Tonight I accompanied two girls from our ward (well, YW) - Jen and Alysia Wilson - for a song they're performing on Sunday at New Beginnings. And can I just say...I never knew they had such good voices! If my daughter has a voice that good (and I will pray she does) I would get that girl in voice lessons TODAY! I'm going to suggest it. The thing is, they have such a lovely vocal quality, and that's something that I think you have to be born with. Yeah, everyone can IMPROVE theirs, but if you sound like a horse you'll never sound like an angel. The song they sang was really beautiful too, with a creative accompaniment - none of that Janice Kapp Perry three-chord business.

ANYWAY! Dan and I had kind of a nutty Valentine's Day. Good thing we celebrated it Friday, or I would have been seriously disappointed. Both of us were busy - he at work, me at home, and the nursing home, and with an exam. But the RELIEF at having completed that class is wonderful. I think I'll try myself to a nice, warm, BYU sweatshirt by way of congratulations.

In Helena news, she is now able to sing "Twinkle" without words, and slightly out of tune - but she's got the rhythm down! I wonder if she'll be musical? Could she even HELP it around here? My parents didn't force music too much but I always loved it. As a kid - maybe 7,8 years old - I thought I could sing just like Judy Garland. Yep. And, I hummed along with the vacuum cleaner. Try it sometime - try to match the pitch of the vacuum exactly. Just wait till the vibration in your throat is the same as the vibration of the vacuum. I wonder if I wasn't just slightly mental, huh?

"Put all of the blame on VCRs."

Enriched by Enrichment?

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today...I have a new calling as the 2nd counselor in R.S., and while I'm happy and excited and enthusiastic, I haven't had any training or instruction and feel as though I'm on a crash course into this deal. Today our new Enrichment leader was called and sustained, and she asked me what her responsibilities are, and I told her I really had no idea. Nice, huh? However, I do have a handbook and a brain and, just possibly, between the two of us we can figure it out. I am relieved to have the help b/c the new HFPE guidelines actually mean much more organization on the part of the Enrichment "staff."

Ovewhelmedness also stems from trying to wrap up a BYU class (exam on Tuesday), my other calling as choir director, and our recent (very recent) decision to sell our house and try to buy another one nearby. It's heartbreaking, really, because we have some really happy (and also a few sad) memories in our house, and it's a place I love - my House of Dreams. But realisitically we can't live here in Xanadu forever. If we ever do have more kids (and let me just say I'm starting to wonder if that will ever happen!) we will need more space, and we could certainly use it now! The house we're looking to buy is old and classy, in a quiet neighborhood within walking distance of, well, everywhere in town (North Muskegon is small, man) and is almost three times as big as our house now. It will take us a while to furnish the thing if we end up buying it. I am pretty resistant to change, even good change as it turns out, and it will be stressful. Life, I'm learning, just is stressful. But instead of sitting around "being stressed" it's good to get moving and reduce that stress - study for the exam, get the choir business organized, and clean the house and start packing.

Unfortunately, it's after 11pm and I'm exhausted. Too many late nights and no naps to compensate. I have so many "unknowns" running through my head, it would be nice to sleep and dream about, say, Walt Disney World and bougainvillea-scented breezes. Ahhh.

"In my little town, we grew up believing God keeps His eye on us all."

What a big girl!

Yesterday we put up Helena's toddler bed. We figured since she was climbing out of her crib a million times a night (and getting all bruised up in the process) we'd just eliminate a couple of feet of trouble. She loves it! It's a big deal for her. Then, tonight she's spending her first night away from us at Ga-Ga's (that's Grandma to the English-speaking world.) I'm sure it's going well b/c Mom hasn't called me. Or it's going horribly but she's just dealing with it.

We went to dinner tonight for a Valentine's Day celebration, then to the mall to check out the clearance sales on coats. Dan and I both bought a new coat for $30 each! What a bargain. We felt like newlyweds.

I did some Tae Bo on Wednesday...I know, try not to make a mental picture. It's too grotesque. Anyway, it worked muscles I didn't even know I possessed. They're still sore in spots, but hey - I'll do it again tomorrow. Just thought I'd give myself a little break before I punish the heck out of my poor, unhealthy body. We can only work on it, right?

Hmm...as I have nothing more to say, I'll stop here. After an extraordinarily mild winter we finally have more snow than I really want. I'm excited for spring!

"We've only just begin to live!"