Happy New Year

The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die...
Ring out the old; ring in the new. Ring, happy bells...
The year is going. Let him go...

Ring in the valiant men and free,
the larger heart, the kindlier hand
Ring out the darkness of the land;
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
Ring out the darkness of the land.
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

--Words by Alfred Tennyson
Hymn: Ring Out, Wild Bells


I've never been fond of that hymn. It never made sense to me. How does one celebrate the new year, when the tune is in a minor key. When usually we are lighting fireworks, and celebrating the freshness of the new year, I never found joy in the somber tones of this hymn. But this year, it makes sense.

I'll honor the past, the year gone by. 2010 will forever be a year that I talk about in somber tones. If I had to pick a music background, a song in a minor key would be rather appropriate. I'll close this year with honor and respect for a time that has included so much soul searching and heart ache, and yet, had so much peace and love.

I'll never forget 2010. But I hope I never have to repeat it either.

The year is going, let it go. Gladly, I'll let it go.

Ring in the larger heart, the kindlier hand. The valiant and free. Ring in the Christ is to be. It is with joy that I look forward to 2011, a year that includes Christ as my pilot and Savior. Who knows where this year will take me, but with the Savior as my guide, I look forward to the future. I am grateful for the freshness of a new year, and for the gospel's message of hope and love.

To those of you who have been a shoulder to cry on, a kind friend, and a support, I will be eternally grateful. I love you all.

Happy New Year.

Tender Mercies

Miracles happen. Every day.

Some people get the miracle they pray for. That is a miracle. And everyone knows that God heard their prayers.

More often, the miracle is imperceptible to anyone except the recipient. "Tender mercies," really and the scriptures say the purpose of these tender mercies is to strengthen our faith. Perhaps strengthening our faith is an even bigger miracle than healing the sick.

So today I recognize the little miracle -- the tender mercy. A love note from heaven, really. My son bore his testimony and said he was grateful to be "here" in church. If he only knew what it took for that to happen.

Thank you, sweet boy, for being sensitive to the spirit, and using the words the angels whispered in your ears. My faith was strengthened by your specific words.

Those words, your words, tell me we're on the right track. And we'll just keep on going. Those words echoed in my head and in my heart, when the house was too quiet and and too empty. They soothed my heavy heart.

Tonight I know that God heard my prayers, and the fervent prayers of a supportive, and faithful family.

Renovation Has Begun

Renovation has begun—in more ways than one. It's just a minor remodel—symbolic of other changes, really. I'm ripping the closet out of my office so the space is more usable. (Actually I'm paying someone to do it for me.) Eventually, I will repaint and then someday, I'll put in cabinets and a nice long counter top so I have a work bench and a bona-fide office space. There is something so therapeutic about the sound of a hacksaw and the smell of sawdust. . . .

This is the beginning of my new life.

To the Sheep Ranchers that stopped to change my flat tire this weekend when I was on the way to the Lake with my kidlets:

Angels come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They say that angels have halos and fluffy wings. Today, I know that sometimes, angels wear dusty cowboy boots and wear plaid shirts. And angels even train their 16 year-old sons to be full-grown angels someday. Thank you for stopping to help a strange lady on the side of the road.

To the Elf that mowed my jungle (aka lawn) and spent hours in my garden clearing out the frozen vines while I was playing with my kidlets at the lake

I love you. Your kindness made me cry. I don't know how you were able to get your mower over to my house and then haul away the stuff from the garden. But I now feel like I can tackle the rest of my garden. And every time I look out and see my mowed lawn, and the missing weeds in the garden, I think I have the most wonderful friends anyone could ever have.

To the neighbor that is feeding my dog all sorts of junk food:

Have you seen my dog? He's FAT. He can't jump in the car to go with us anymore and he other issues that I won't share the details on. So, the next time he gives you that sad puppy dog face, please don't feed him, just send him home.

He really doesn't need a whole chocolate snowball. The ones with the creme filling, and an inch of marshmallow surrounding it. Those things really aren't so good for humans, let alone an obese dog. Luckily, I caught the one you gave him yesterday before he could consume it. But it makes me wonder how many other snowballs you've fed him.

And he really doesn't need a complete hamburger meal with steak cut french fries. It is kind of you to share -- but he just comes home and gets sick. (And cleaning up the mess is getting old.) The same goes for the days you feed him spaghetti, chicken breasts, and any other treats you share with him.

And as much as he may whine, I do feed him. I promise! I feed him boring food, but it is formulated for dogs and he does like it. Plus, it really is better for his system. And I am getting concerned about his life span. He snores terribly at night, and sometimes, I think he has sleep apnea. But who can blame him? He is overweight in a terrible way. His vet wants him to lose 30 pounds.

He was really doing well over the summer. Did you notice how nice and trim he was looking? But now's he's even heavier than ever before. And I'm really worried about him.

He is a very nice dog, and I do love him tons, but I'm trying to help him be healthy. I promise, he'll still love you just as much if you scratch his belly, rather than fill his belly with Halloween treats and Hostess snowballs.

To the Mother of the Groom who called me to change the invitation order AFTER the bride had approved everything (And no, the bride did not know that t

Yes, I understand that you really know how to do weddings since this is your 5th wedding now. I'm glad you have so much experience. I'm sure that has come in handy as you planned and prepared for this current wedding. Yes, I completely understand that it is important that things be done right. I think it's important to do things right too.

But just like there are a couple of ways to peel a potato, there are several ways to word a wedding invitation.

I know it is frustrating to you that I won't change the order, since you are of course so knowledgeable. And I know that the customer is always right. But my problem is -- you aren't my customer. The bride is. And she approved it. And her mom paid for it.

And, might I be so bold to offer you a word of advice? If you want to build a good relationship with your daughter-in-law to be, you might not want to go behind her back to change things she picked out and SHE is paying for. It probably won't give her warm fuzzies about you to have you criticizing her for wording on the wedding invitations. This might be something you want to back off on. Or it might not make her want to come to visit...

And just so you know, I've done a few more than five wedding invitations in the 10+ years I've been doing this.