As I mentioned yesterday, I'm coming off of a social media fast. I enjoyed my time away immensely. Although I really appreciate all of you, my readers, I also would encourage you to take time off from your devices every now and then.
I must admit there were times that I would see/hear something and think, "Oh, I can't send out a tweet, or post on Facebook," but then I realized that I could still enjoy the moment without having to share it with the world. 🙂
Now, however, I will share with you ten things I've been thankful for in the past two weeks:
1. I'm thankful for General Conference. This year, both the April conference and the October conference brought changes in the way the church operates. Most recently, it was announced that starting in January, our Sunday meeting schedule will decrease from 3 hours to 2. This is to better align with the idea that church is to support the home, and that gospel-learning is primarily a home responsibility. I'm very excited to see the changes implemented.
2. I'm thankful that John and I are team-teachers for the 10-yr-old class in Primary. (Well, they are all 11 now, but they started the year as 10-yr-olds.) The kids are so eager to learn and just a delight. One little girl brings a notebook and takes notes each week. She told me after class last Sunday that she learned at a special meeting for student council members at her school that if you don't take notes at meetings it's like you weren't even there, so she now takes notes during any meeting she attends. As John and I started teaching the Old Testament story of Naaman being healed, she asked me, "What is the purpose of today's lesson?" The other kids in the class are also as engaged. I definitely am learning a thing or two from them.
3. I'm thankful for hints of changing weather. We woke up to a dusting of snow on Sunday--not just on the mountains, as in this photo, but in our own yard. Now, I'm all for the leaves turning colors and falling off the trees before we are buried in the white stuff, but there is just something magical about watching snow fall. I haven't been here in Utah long enough to be jaded about winter.
4. I'm thankful for the social media fast. I got so much accomplished around the house while I wasn't distracted by devices. John and I put up shelving and cleared out space so we can park two cars in the garage now. (Great to get done before the snow starts falling with a vengeance.) The basement is also much more organized; I moved the cabinets (that we had saved from the kitchen remodel) to a section of the basement that John is going to use as a workshop, and unpacked a bunch of boxes that had just landed in the basement.
5. I'm thankful for friends. John and I visited with friends that we hadn't seen in 20 years. It was nice to catch up with them. Twenty years ago, we were all living in Washington state; now we all live in Utah. Twenty years have gone by, but we chatted as if no time had passed.
6. I'm thankful for new friends, too. I was pleasantly surprised on my birthday when my neighbor showed up on my doorstep with a cupcake for me. I enjoyed a short visit with her, and look forward to getting to know her better.
7. I'm thankful that my children view me as an adventurous soul. Some of them gave me a voucher for a zip lining experience. I've always admired individuals who try new things and, though there are many aspects of the idea of zip lining that terrify me, I'm going to be one of those people I admire. Look for a future post about what it's like to go on the world's longest zip line over water.
8. I'm thankful for my go-to tech support guy (my youngest son). Since changing the layout of the blog, some readers continue to have problems with missing the first line of text. Though the problem isn't fixed yet, my son has given me more ideas on identifying the problem, and has offered to help me fix it once we figure out what "it" is. (Latest suspicion is an incompatibility with the Safari browser.)
9. I'm thankful I had the chance to raise guide dog puppies. John and I saw the movie, Pick of the Litter, and it sure took us back to our puppy-raising days. Some of the puppies in the film reminded us of some of the dogs we raised. I thought the movie was well-done, and gave an accurate view into the process that Guide Dogs for the Blind uses to produce working guide dogs. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's in some theaters, or on Amazon.
10. I'm thankful for John. Whether he helps me take that first step off the zip line platform, or is there to see me arrive safely at the other side (I can't figure out where I need him the most), I know he is cheering me on. Life is an adventure!
What are you thankful for this week? Have you been zip lining? I welcome any pep talks! 😀
I must admit there were times that I would see/hear something and think, "Oh, I can't send out a tweet, or post on Facebook," but then I realized that I could still enjoy the moment without having to share it with the world. 🙂
Now, however, I will share with you ten things I've been thankful for in the past two weeks:
1. I'm thankful for General Conference. This year, both the April conference and the October conference brought changes in the way the church operates. Most recently, it was announced that starting in January, our Sunday meeting schedule will decrease from 3 hours to 2. This is to better align with the idea that church is to support the home, and that gospel-learning is primarily a home responsibility. I'm very excited to see the changes implemented.
2. I'm thankful that John and I are team-teachers for the 10-yr-old class in Primary. (Well, they are all 11 now, but they started the year as 10-yr-olds.) The kids are so eager to learn and just a delight. One little girl brings a notebook and takes notes each week. She told me after class last Sunday that she learned at a special meeting for student council members at her school that if you don't take notes at meetings it's like you weren't even there, so she now takes notes during any meeting she attends. As John and I started teaching the Old Testament story of Naaman being healed, she asked me, "What is the purpose of today's lesson?" The other kids in the class are also as engaged. I definitely am learning a thing or two from them.
3. I'm thankful for hints of changing weather. We woke up to a dusting of snow on Sunday--not just on the mountains, as in this photo, but in our own yard. Now, I'm all for the leaves turning colors and falling off the trees before we are buried in the white stuff, but there is just something magical about watching snow fall. I haven't been here in Utah long enough to be jaded about winter.
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| Photo: Green maple leaves frame a view of snow-dusted mountains |
4. I'm thankful for the social media fast. I got so much accomplished around the house while I wasn't distracted by devices. John and I put up shelving and cleared out space so we can park two cars in the garage now. (Great to get done before the snow starts falling with a vengeance.) The basement is also much more organized; I moved the cabinets (that we had saved from the kitchen remodel) to a section of the basement that John is going to use as a workshop, and unpacked a bunch of boxes that had just landed in the basement.
5. I'm thankful for friends. John and I visited with friends that we hadn't seen in 20 years. It was nice to catch up with them. Twenty years ago, we were all living in Washington state; now we all live in Utah. Twenty years have gone by, but we chatted as if no time had passed.
6. I'm thankful for new friends, too. I was pleasantly surprised on my birthday when my neighbor showed up on my doorstep with a cupcake for me. I enjoyed a short visit with her, and look forward to getting to know her better.
7. I'm thankful that my children view me as an adventurous soul. Some of them gave me a voucher for a zip lining experience. I've always admired individuals who try new things and, though there are many aspects of the idea of zip lining that terrify me, I'm going to be one of those people I admire. Look for a future post about what it's like to go on the world's longest zip line over water.
8. I'm thankful for my go-to tech support guy (my youngest son). Since changing the layout of the blog, some readers continue to have problems with missing the first line of text. Though the problem isn't fixed yet, my son has given me more ideas on identifying the problem, and has offered to help me fix it once we figure out what "it" is. (Latest suspicion is an incompatibility with the Safari browser.)
9. I'm thankful I had the chance to raise guide dog puppies. John and I saw the movie, Pick of the Litter, and it sure took us back to our puppy-raising days. Some of the puppies in the film reminded us of some of the dogs we raised. I thought the movie was well-done, and gave an accurate view into the process that Guide Dogs for the Blind uses to produce working guide dogs. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's in some theaters, or on Amazon.
10. I'm thankful for John. Whether he helps me take that first step off the zip line platform, or is there to see me arrive safely at the other side (I can't figure out where I need him the most), I know he is cheering me on. Life is an adventure!
What are you thankful for this week? Have you been zip lining? I welcome any pep talks! 😀
So many happy things for which to be thankful, especially family support and friends and a garage that fits the cars. That will probably be the envy of all the neighbors!
ReplyDeleteI think that many of the neighbors also park cars in their garages; it beats having to scrape snow off the windshield in the winter! :-)
DeleteWhat a great surprise from your neighbor! And raising guide dogs sounds like such a wonderful endeavor, that's awesome!
ReplyDeleteI really did enjoy my time as a puppy-raiser!
DeleteNice. There's an old saying, "routine is the classification of the soul"*. And, even with it's seeming endless potential, how we integrate the virtual would into our respective lives can become as much as routine as a morning wake-up ritual or the tasks involved in our jobs or even how we relate ourselves to the people around us.
ReplyDeleteSurely being 'adventurous' is one of the most beneficial qualities a person might develop.
As to the changing of the seasons (at least this particular phase) ...less of a fan.
* not necessarily a 'real' old saying. lol
I thought I would be adventurous on Saturday, but the zip lining tours were booked up that day, so I've got some more time to prepare for the role. :-)
DeleteSo after you do that zip lining experience, I think that just leaves one more of our kids to take that venture (I think).
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a class that will keep you on your toes, sort of speak. Having a class eager and willing to learn is great.
Having a dry place to park the car is just in time.
As for your #8, I would guess the browser is the issue, especially since I had to change to using a different browser for the purpose of blog posting and commenting.
The trailer for the movie is cute.
I'm beginning to think I should have joined John when he zip lined when we were in Hawaii years ago, but if I'm going to try something, I might as well try it on the longest course available, right? ;-)
Delete