April Skies

The stars lie
In April skies
Above the clouds and gloom.

The flowers grow
Beneath the snow
And soon they’ll be in bloom.

We see God’s light
In buds so bright
Beneath the springtime moon.

Our love will grow
Because we know
That we will make the room

LITTLE THINGS

Frustration!! I shouldn’t let little things bother me. It makes my blood pressure go up. I spent most of the afternoon yesterday trying to straighten out a problem from a misdirected e-mail. It wasn’t even my problem. I just felt like it was important enough that the right person get the message. So why did a little thing like that frustrate my whole day? I let it!

Last month my husband asked me to make pancakes for breakfast. My small mixing bowl hadn’t been washed from supper the night before. (just a little thing). I quickly washed it and turned around to get a dishtowel to dry it. Water fell to the ceramic tile floor (just a little). The next thing I knew I was flying through the air in my small kitchen. First I landed on my knees, then I bounced back hitting my head on the refrigerator door. But with all that excitement—the thing that hurt the most was landing with all my weight on my left pinkie finger. Who would ever guess that jamming a couple of the body’s smaller bones could hurt so much, and for so long. Who would think that the smallest finger on the less dominant hand is so important for many daily activities. And we began two weeks of my husband having to put my socks on me, and tying my shoes.


I was trying to think of some stories from the scriptures that show the importance of little
things. My husband reminded me of the story of the mustard seed. A tiny seed grows into a large plant. Faith can grow from a small beginning. So can anger and hurt.

Little things--
Be they good or bad
Make us surge with joy,
Or just get mad.

A single rose
On a snowy day
A call from someone
That’s far away

A paper cut
A cold hard stare
A flippant word
When you thought they cared

May the little things
That come to your mind
Be filled with joy—
Not the other kind.

In a popular old song, “Little Things Mean a Lot”
by Kitty Kallen she says,
“Give my your hand
When I’ve lost my way
Whether the day is bright or gray,
Give my your shoulder to cry on.
Give me your heart to rely on.
Send me the warmth of a secret smile,
To show me you haven’t forgot.
For always and ever, now and forever
Little things mean a lot.”

I guess this is kind of jumbled. What I’m trying to say this month is, we are all affected each day by little things which can irritate us and make us angry or unhappy.
We should try to overcome them. On the other hand we are all given little opportunities to be a positive influence in other people’s lives—to bring them joy. As one of our prophets said “DO IT”
Little Things Mean a Lot

Phantom Spring

The March wind
Blows through the
Meadow
Reaches for blossoms
Still dreaming of being.
The March hare
Nibbling shoots
Trying to break through
Frozen ground.
It’s not really Spring
In March.
It just thinks it is.

Making Assumptions

Happy Valentines Day and Presidents day! The groundhog says we are in for another six weeks of winter. We’ve been doing a good job with the winter we’ve had. I ‘m ready for spring! Well! I have completed my first resolution for 2010. I used some of my favorite batiks and made two quilts, and gave them away. The recipients were pleased. How are yours coming?
I’m in the middle of having a funny e-mail conversation with a cousin I haven’t seen since childhood and I don’t remember that. But we have connected because he was writing letters to my parents. He wanted to send a book to me, which he read and enjoyed. However, he had the wrong address and it came back to him. So we’ve been having an exchange trying to get the address straight. He was only off by one letter and one number, but that’s enough to stop the mail from going through. To emphasize the wrong number and missing letter, I wrote it in very large, bold type. According to my daughter, this, in texting, is the same as yelling at someone in person. Now my cousin is texting in larger, red, bold type. I replied in even larger, bolder, capitals. Are we having a fight? Are we angry at each other? We probably are not. We’re probably just having fun with each other. Sometimes though, I feel the frustration that is close to anger. How easy it is to make assumptions, which can lead to angry feelings.
I have had friends and family members over the years that have let these angry assumptions fester till they were not speaking to other family members. In one case a wife and husband stopped speaking from the time a child was three till he grew up and left home. What a loss of loving comfort that family had.
This weekend I was uploading some music onto my computer. A couple of the songs got my attention, and touched my spirit. One, “Lord, I Need You Again Today” by the Oakridge Boys, says,
“I don’t say it enough.
I don’t pray enough,
I don’t love my neighbor, as I should enough.
If I try to make it by myself,
I say Lord I need you again today.”
Others were
“It is no Secret What God Can Do”
“You’re Not Alone”
“Each Life That Touches Ours for Good”
I wish I could sing them all to you. But the lessons I got were
1. Whatever happens in our lives, God can help.
2. Other people around us affect our lives for good.
3. We need each other
4. We can help each other
We have seen all the help people around the world have given to the people of Haiti, because of the earthquake. I think it’s too bad that sometimes it takes a catastrophe to reach out and help. There are so many opportunities all around us, every day. How are we going to love our neighbors today?

Well, my cousin and I have figured things out and are writing in small print again, and the book is on its way’

Spring Dreaming

“Meow!” said the cat
To the dog on the step.
I thought for a moment
That I’d overslept.
Violets are blooming in pots
On the shelf
I’m ready for spring I
keep telling myself
Then out of the blue came
Those little white spots
Covering the flowers
With tiny white dots.
I guess it’s still winter
She said with a sigh—
I’m going to sleep.
Wake me up by and by.

Goals and Resolutions

I’m sitting in front of a blank canvas and I’m afraid to paint on it.
I have a couple of yards of a beautiful batik fabric and I can’t decide what to do with it.
I have fifteen empty journals on my shelf and I’m afraid to write anything.
IF I CHANGE MY MIND I’LL HAVE SPOILED THEM!
I read a book once that made a statement that I have never forgotten. I haven’t changed the way I think about things. However, I know what my problem is. The book said that some people can’t make a decision, because having made a choice you have eliminated the chance of doing the other choices.
So for my New Year’s resolution this year, I am going to paint that picture, I am going to choose a journal and start writing in it. I am going to take that fun fabric, make a quilt, and give it away. Also, I’m going to read Bleak House by Charles Dickens because
I’ve only read 49 of the “1001 Books You Should Read Before You Die”

My son has a childhood friend, who is one of my face book friends. Every week he says “I Hate Mondays!” I replied that I loved Mondays because then I have a whole, fresh, new week to mess up. Now, Monday, January 4, 2010, I not only have a whole new day, week, and year to mess up, I have a whole new decade. And if I do, I will go buy a new canvas, pick out a new journal, and forgive myself. I hope you will too. I’ll be reporting my success or failure to you so that we’ll make sure I do it

What are you going to do this year? In our Relief Society lesson yesterday we decided we should make our resolutions or goals, short, quick and doable. In a book I’m reading, GETTING THINGS DONE, the author says, “ Make a list of things you want to do in your life. Then you should make a list of things you want to accomplish in your career. Be specific, and make them short, quick, and doable. Choose three on each list that you really can begin this week and start doing them.

My husband’s lesson at his church talks about Spiritual goals
The lesson encourages us to place our goals and hopes for the New Year on a more spiritual basis. For example to strive to be more loving and thoughtful and less centered on our personal desires. We treat the New Year as a signal for renewed hope and dedication to God’s plan. Two of his chosen scriptures are,

Ps. 33: 1-3 Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.
Doesn’t this sound like we should increase our God given talents?

Isa. 61:1-3 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified,

“As we live providently and increase our gifts and talents, we become more self-reliant. Self- reliance is taking responsibility for our own spiritual and temporal welfare and for those whom Heavenly Father has entrusted to our care. Only when we are self-reliant can we truly emulate the Savior in serving and blessing others. “It is important to understand that self-reliance is a means to an end. Our ultimate goal is to become like the Savior, and that goal is enhanced by our unselfish service to others. Our ability to serve is increased or diminished by the level of our self- reliance". Elder Robert D. Hales.

This month I hope you will plan some goals that are short, specific, and doable. I hope you will take a spiritual look at your goals. I hope you will give unselfish service to others.
I hope you will have a very good and blessed New Year.

WOW!2010

Hear the wind blow
Watch out for snow
It’s January
Run through the cold
Dream thoughts so bold
It’s January.
Do something new
That you’ve wanted to do
Since last January!